Vaporesso Luxe PM40 Review: Better than the Nord 2?

The Luxe PM40 is a new pod vape from Vaporesso. Vaporesso have been releasing some very good devices this year such as the Vaporesso XROS, Gen S kit, Gen Nano Kit, and Target PM80, just to name a few. With their excellent release history, I’ll be surprised if the Luxe PM40 doesn’t turn out to be a great device too.

For features, the Luxe PM40 features “Turbo Boosting Tech”, a boost circuit that keeps the power output constant even as the battery dies. It has adjustable wattage control up to 40W, and adjustable airflow control as well. The Luxe PM40 is powered by a built-in 1800mAh battery that supports Type-C charging at 2A. The Luxe PM40 uses Vaporesso’s GTX line of coils.

Enough of the tech specs; let’s get going on this review!

Box Contents

• 1 x LUXE PM40 Battery
• 2 x LUXE PM40 Cartridge (4ml)
• 1 x GTX-2 0.6Ω MESH COIL
• 1 x GTX-2 0.8Ω MESH COIL
• 1 x Type-C USB Cable
• 1 x User Manual
• 1 X Warranty Card

Specifications

• 96.45mm by 30.6mm by 21.5mm
• Built-in 1800 mAh Battery
• 40W Max Output
• Adjustable Wattage
• Adjustable Airflow
• 0.69” OLED Screen
• 4ml Pod Capacity
• Uses GTX Coils
• Type-C Charging (2A)

Design & Build Quality

Looking at the Luxe PM40, I’m reminded of another very similar pod vape — the SMOK Nord 2. The resemblance is unmistakable and probably not an accident. Both devices sport the same shape and they’re nearly the same size too; the Luxe PM40 is just 1.5mm taller and 1.5mm deeper. Not a big difference. 

In addition to their near identical size, the power button on the Luxe PM40 is similarly sized and positioned, the OLED screen is the same size and located on the side of the device, and the Luxe PM40 also features adjustable wattage up to 40W. Too much is the same as on the Nord 2 for it to be considered a coincidence. Vaporesso knew what device they were trying to beat when they made the Luxe PM40.

The Luxe PM40 has enough weight that it feels solid but it isn’t heavy. Vaporesso doesn’t list what materials it’s made out of so I can only guess, but the frame is likely made out of zinc-alloy and the panels are some sort of plastic.

The panels are very nice. I especially like the holographic “silver” panels on the unit that I received for this review. The panels reflect all of the colors in the rainbow when light hits them and it looks really stunning. These don’t seem to be stickers either and the panels have held up well during my two weeks of use.

The fire/power button is the only button on the Luxe PM40. It’s firm and very hard to press accidentally so I haven’t worried about throwing it in my pocket. 

The OLED display is 0.69” in size and located on the side of the device. There’s no brightness adjustment but it’s bright enough as it is. Although it’s in black and white, it’s very crisp and legible and doesn’t look old-school and pixelated like other black and white displays.

While the Luxe PM40 is a near carbon-copy of the Nord 2, it does have a feature that was missing on the Nord 2 — airflow control. On the back of the Luxe PM40 is a slider to adjust the amount of airflow. Sliding it all the way to the right opens the airflow up to a restricted DL vape, sliding it all the way to the left restricts the airflow down to a tight MTL vape. It can, of course, also be set anywhere in between.

The Luxe PM40 comes with 2 pods and 2 coils. This means that you can put one coil in each pod with a different flavored ejuice and swap out the pods at will. The pods pressure-fit into the battery and sit very securely with no wiggle.

How to Use the Luxe PM40

The Luxe PM40 uses Vaporesso’s AXON chipset. It has a maximum output wattage of 40W. There’s no draw-activation on the Luxe PM40 so you will have to use the button each time you take a draw. 

Using this device is easy and straightforward. Changing the wattage is done by pressing the fire button three times to unlock the wattage. Once the wattage is unlocked, press the fire button to adjust by 1 watt at a time or hold it down to scroll up through the wattage. If you pass the wattage that you want then you’ll have to go up to 40W, afterwhich the device will start scrolling up again from 5W.

Pods & Coils

The Luxe PM40 comes with two 4ml pods and two GTX coils in the box. The coils push into the bottom of the pod.

The sides of the pods are clear and stick out above the battery a bit when inserted. This allows you to check the ejuice level without removing the pod most of the time. However, if your ejuice level is very low then it can be hard to see. The way I see it is this: if you can’t see your ejuice level, it’s probably time to fill the pod.

The drip tip is curved and shaped in a comfortable way. To fill the pod you have to remove the drip tip. It’s very difficult to pull it straight off and I suggest pushing it to one side to remove it.

The fill port is covered by a rubber seal that has an X cut into it. This is the same type of fill port as on the Vaporesso XROS. All you have to do to fill is insert your ejuice nozzle into the hole and fill. When you remove the nozzle, the seal closes. Well, kind of. If you turn the device upside down, eliquid will leak out of the fill port (at least with a 50/50 ejuice). It doesn’t come pouring out, it’s more like a slow seep. Try not to keep the device turned upside down.

You also can’t fill the pod with a dropper nozzle. For that, you’ll have to transfer the ejuice into a refillable pointy-tip bottle.

The two GTX coils that come with the Luxe PM40 are:

• 1 x GTX 0.6ohm Mesh Coil (20-30W)
• 1 x GTX 0.8ohm Mesh Coil (12-20W)

Both of these coils can be used for either regular nicotine ejuices or for nicotine salts. Personally, I only used nic salts with these coils but the 0.6ohm coil would likely do well with a regular nicotine ejuice if used at the high end of the wattage rating. 

Battery Life & Charging

The Luxe PM40 houses a built-in 1800mAh battery and supports Type-C charging at 2A. I got good long enough vaping time out of both coils that I never worried about it dying while I was out.

Using the 0.6ohm coil at 26-28W I was able to vape about a pod and a half on a single charge. That’s 6ml of eliquid and about 2 days of vaping which is not bad. 

The 0.8ohm coil at 18W got me through nearly 3 days of vaping and 2 full pods which is obviously much better. 8ml of ejuice on a single charge is respectable and will definitely be enough battery life for even heavy vapers to get through a full day.

I timed the PM40 while charging a few times and it always charged in just around 60 minutes. It features pass through charging so you can vape on it while it charges.

Performance

I used the Luxe PM40 exclusively with 35mg nic salts. These varied from 50/50 to 70/30 VG/PG ratios. 

The Luxe PM40 is compatible with some of Vaporesso’s GTX coils, which have generally been quite good. However, they’re not all compatible due to the max 40W output on this device.

The Luxe PM40 comes with a 0.6ohm mesh coil and a 0.8ohm mesh coil. The other two GTX coils that it’s compatible with are the GTX 1.2ohm mesh coil (7-11W) and the GTX 1.2ohm regular coil (8-12W).

One thing of note is the “Turbo Boost Tech” on the Luxe PM40. This maintains a constant output wattage until you get to about 30% battery life, at which point the draw will start to get weaker. It works as advertised and I didn’t notice my draws getting weaker until the battery was nearly dead. For the majority of time that you’re vaping, the draw is consistent at the set wattage.

I’ll start off with the 0.6ohm coil. As I mentioned earlier, I used 50/50 and 70/30 35mg nic salts with this coil. I liked vaping it with the airflow two-thirds of the way closed and at 28W. This coil is quite flavorful and delivers a very smooth draw with 35mg nic salts. 

For the 0.8ohm coil, I again used both 50/50 and 70/30 35mg nic salts. I kept the airflow the same and vaped at 18W. Even at this low wattage, flavor is great. It’s similarly smooth to the 0.6ohm coil and enjoyable to vape with. The flavor from this coil feels slightly better than the other coil, although they’re both very close in performance.

Verdict

Vaporesso have done a great job with the Luxe PM40. Although aesthetically it’s very similar to the Nord 2, the addition of airflow control and the use of GTX coils make using it a different experience. It’s hard to call if it’s better as both devices deliver good flavor and performance, but the Luxe PM40 is undoubtedly a good pod vape. It’s especially a good vape for nicotine salts.

So do I recommend the Luxe PM40? Yes! If you’re looking for a new pod device to use with nicotine salts, you won’t be disappointed with this device.

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