Cilicon Flare X1 & Flare X1 Pro: An Advanced Pod Duo for Oils & Distillates

Product intro and specs

Cilicon (or Cilicon+) is somewhat of a newcomer to the oil pod game. However, they showed great potential with their initial release of vape pens. Their focus is primarily on OEM products and services for cannabis oil distributors. A few months back I reviewed the Cilicon Vision, a disposable oil pen. Today, I’ll be checking out two of their pod-based oil pens called the Flare X1 and Flare X1 Pro.

The Flare X1 and the Flare X1 Pro both utilize the same pods. The Flare X1 Pro includes a wireless charging option and a few bonus features like variable voltage, preheat mode, and an additional 20 mAh battery capacity. The pods also feature Cilicon’s trademarked BioBaleen anti-spitback tech.

Cilicon is now jumping right into the pod game. They most likely noticed the growing popularity of pod-based systems like Stiiizy, PlugPlay, etc. Could the Flare X1 and X1 Pro offer something new to pod vapers that will get them hooked? It’s about time for us to find out.

The Flare X1 and Flare X1 Pro were sent courtesy of Cilicon for the purpose of this review.

Colors: Customizable (OEM)

Build quality and design

The Flare X1 weighs in at 17.7 grams without the pod, while the X1 Pro weighs in at 19 grams. That is exactly the weight of their original Vision disposable series. Both devices are 20.1 mm in width and 10.1 mm in thickness. However, the X1 Pro is 5.5 mm longer, at 115.5 mm.

Neither one of them feels cheap. They are very lightweight, but not flimsy. The Pro feels a tad heavier, but not by much. The Flare X1 series has a Uwell Caliburn look going on. The original Caliburn wasn’t my favorite-looking vape, but this one looks more like the Caliburn A2 which has a more modern look.

The Flare X1 series offers useful features like BioBaleen tech for spitback reduction, an efficient V-shaped tank, and their trademarked Formatrix ceramic heating system. The X1 Pro also includes a wireless charging option with the Flare Base. This is a rare bonus feature for pod systems in general, let alone for a weed vape. People are gonna love it.

The pods

A full pod weighs around 6.5 grams and features a 1.25-ohm ceramic heating element. The pods have a nice big visible oil window. They also feature their trademarked Duair tech. Without getting too technical, this tech is a dual-airflow design, with the two channels having different roles (one is the primary atomization channel, and the other is the breath-activated channel.) The way the airflow is designed prevents clogging and allows the device to vaporize thicker oils. In addition to that, the pods utilize an efficient V-shaped design to make sure every last drop of oil gets vaporized.

They also feature their trademarked Oil Isolation technology to prevent leakage. The oil is isolated from the coil until the pod is fully pressed together. I didn’t realize this at first and was getting dry hits even though I thought I had let the coil soak overnight. I can’t fault them for my user error, but I do wish the process was highlighted a bit better.

Getting started

I was able to use a few distillates that I used for my previous reviews, along with a few new ones. I specifically used some thick Delta-8 distillate to see if it would clog up. The instructions say to let the pods sit for at least four hours, but I like to leave them overnight just to be on the safe side.

Once you insert a pod, the LED light on the device will blink. The X1 Pro will actually vibrate, which is kinda fancy. You can access the pre-heat mode on the X1 Pro by inserting the pod into the device two times quickly. To change the voltage setting, insert it three times quickly. The LED will light up according to the voltage level:

It’s not the most convenient user interface, but it is clever considering it has no buttons or graphic display. To use the device, just pick it up and puff. It’s draw-activated. A white breathing LED on the device lights up as you puff, just like on their other devices. The X1 Pro vibrates every time you puff. When the battery life is running low, the device will blink red.

Performance

Just as I had hoped for, the flavor was smacking! I loved the way this Gorilla Glue distillate tasted in the pods. I’m getting a strong sour taste with pungent and gassy notes. It was a smooth vape, but the THC has me coughing, while the terps tickle my nose and make me sneeze. I also tested some THC-O distillate, which didn’t have much of a taste, but it worked.

The Duair tech really shined this time, especially with the thick Delta 8 oil. There were some points where it felt like it would have clogged up, but then it clears up while I’m inhaling. I also didn’t experience any leaking or spitback. (Even after clumsily filling one of the pods in a hurry.)

In my last review, I pointed out that the vapor was a bit on the cool side. I noticed that this time it was a bit warmer, which I liked. I think it has to do with the coils being 0.25 ohm lower than on the Vision. That was one of my only critiques, so I applaud Cilicon’s attention to detail there. The Flare has the perfect amount of airflow that compliments this new configuration well.

I couldn’t tell if the pods were refillable. It wasn’t much harder than a Caliburn pod to snap off the mouthpiece. However, once I got it off, I noticed that the seal was compromised, and I wasn’t ever able to get it back on properly after that. So, while you technically can refill them, they are a lot like JUUL pods. Once you refill them, they will not perform the way they do when prefilled.

Overall, the performance was strong. In fact, very similar to the Vision—this time in pod form. That’s pretty much what I had been hoping for. The Flare series offers a super smooth draw with a bit more airflow than most of the disposable oil pens I’ve tested. The draw is looser than the Stiiizy or the CCELL Listo, but still tight enough for a MTL draw. The vapor quality is never too hot, and the flavor is crisp.

Battery life and charging

I am not a chain vaper when it comes to distillate. It takes me a few weeks to run through a 300 mAh oil battery. I didn’t even come close in the two weeks that I’ve been using these devices. So it might take an hour or two to charge, but you end up getting hours or even days out of it. I would have thought the lower-ohm coils would drain the battery quicker, but it’s not noticeable.

It would have made even more sense this time for Cilicon to go with Type-C charging. With a disposable, I get it. But with a pod system that will be reused, faster charging makes sense. However, the wireless charging dock is a cool feature to put out there in the pod market, and this one is actually powered by Type-C.

Pros / Cons

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Verdict

It was actually pretty hard to find anything significant to critique these devices. Sure, they don’t have a huge battery capacity, but they still last me days on end, so it’s hard to complain about that. The only thing I think they really need to beef up is the mouthpiece so that it can’t be removed. Other than that, the Flare X1 series is a solid pod system for oil to be on the lookout for!

It looks like Cilicon did it again. As with the Vision, everything went very smoothly. I especially love the airflow and the flavor of these devices. The Flare X1 and Flare X1 Pro will feel familiar to Caliburn users, and the performance is right up there with it, but for oils and distillates.

What was your experience like with Cilicon vapes? Leave a comment below.

Cilicon Flare X1

3

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Cilicon Flare X1 Pro

3.5

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