Geekvape Aegis Legend 3 Review: Test Results Are In

Product intro and specs

The Aegis Legend 3 kit is the latest kit from long-time popular manufacturer Geekvape. It’s the latest in a long line of Aegis mods, which, if memory serves me correctly, was the first mass-produced rugged mod in vaping. The original Aegis was a single-26650 battery mod, and the original Geekvape Aegis Legend was a dual-18650 version. The L200 (aka the Legend 2) came out in 2021, and now the Aegis Legend 3 will debut in 2024. There was also an L200 Classic, which I never used, but it seems to be a 2x700 version of the L200. 

There is a bit of weird naming going on with the series, as the packaging calls it the L200 III kit but lists it on the back in parentheses as the Aegis Legend III. Since their website lists it as the Aegis Legend 3 I will refer to it as that in this review. Like its predecessors, it’s a rugged IP68-rated dual-18650 mod rated at 200 watts. It comes in a kit with the Z FLI sub ohm tank.

The Geekvape Aegis line has a long history of great products—keep reading to find out if the Aegis Legend 3 can hold up.

Colors: Titanium grey, green, purple, blue, red, golden blue, black, silver, rainbow, dark grey, Carrera Edition (gold and black with Porsche Carrera-inspired leather)
Price: TBA (at Element Vape)

First impressions

The good thing about the Aegis line is you always know what to expect. As someone who has used and reviewed pretty much every device in this line, the Aegis Legend 3 is exactly what I expected. It’s a powerhouse of a device. It’s made to be used and abused, and it keeps working while also looking classy. It’s a case of "if it’s not broken, don’t fix it." It feels great in the hand, and the new Smart Lock feature was a pleasant surprise (more on that later.) It’s a device that really nails what mods should be nowadays, and it makes me happy they didn’t try to reinvent the wheel and ruin it.

Build quality and design

I reviewed the original Legend six years ago, and it was a tank. Since then, all the sequels lived up to that. It’s one of the best-built mods you’ll ever hold. Nothing feels cheap or flimsy on it. The Aegis mods always get a 10/10 for build quality because it’s well deserved. 

It’s not a small mod overall, but it is smaller than expected for a rugged dual-18650 mod. The device features a large 0.96-inch color screen that’s clear and bright. The leather backing feels thick and high quality. The fire button is a rectangle on the front of the mod, slightly angled up on the bottom. Below the screen are the up and down buttons. The USB-C port is above the fire button under a rubber plug. 

Out of the many color options, the one I received was dark gray. The frame itself is shiny and starts as black on the bottom, fading up to a chrome-like finish on the top. The accent cover is matte gray, and the leather itself is gray with a raised small “Aegis Legend” on the back. The accent cover has Geekvape etched into each side. The bottom is rubber, which grips well when it’s sitting down and helps absorb shock during drops. 

The battery configuration is dual-18650 and the batteries are installed via a latch on the bottom that springs open. The included Geekvape Z FLI tank matches the mod well and looks sleek as a kit. Overall, it’s a great-looking and well-built mod. There is no button rattle at all, either.

Features and functions

The Aegis Legend 3 mod has most of the features we’ve seen on the Aegis mods over the past years and some user-friendly options. It defaults to Smart mode (power that auto-sets based on coil resistance.) There's also Power mode (watts in full-watt increments,) Boosting (power mode that sets max power for each coil,) Eco (power mode that sets min power for each coil,) Memory (allows you to save five profiles,) and Temp control mode via TCR only (no presets.) 

The missing modes are Bypass (a useless mode that can be removed from all mods) and VPC (power curve mode.) I really wish VPC was still an option over all the preset power modes. Honestly, it does feel a little overbearing, as three auto modes are a lot. I would have preferred Eco and Boosting to be dropped, and VPC added back instead. 

Still, we aren’t getting as many of these full-fledged mods as we used to, so it’s hard to complain. Most of the companies that still make mods have dropped temp control altogether, and the majority of companies are making "pod mods" as the power race trended down from powerful multi-battery mods to smaller, portable, easy-to-use systems. The market has shifted, so I'm always happy to see a new mod getting released.

One big change from previous Aegis mods is that, while the last few had a lock slider that I loved, the Aegis Legend 3 has an auto-lock function instead. Using a heat sensor, it will automatically unlock when you pick it up and lock when you put it down. It works great, but it will be interesting to see if it holds up after years. It also won’t work with gloves, so keep that in mind. There is the ability to deactivate it in the settings.

Using the Aegis Legend 3 mod

The Geekvape Aegis 3 is a pretty typical mod. Basic operations are as follows: 

• Five clicks of the fire button to turn on and off
• Three clicks to enter the menu
• In the menu, you have modes, lock settings, puff counter reset, color, and brightness
• Use up and down to navigate the menus and fire to accept

Overall a very simple and easy to use menu. The modes are listed above, and the screen color options are black and white, blue, purple, orange (looks more red,) and pink. The one main new feature is the lock setting, which has auto lock (Smart Lock) set by default.  You can set it to button lock, or deactivate locking. 

It appears the Smart Lock sensor is actually under the leather. Even just tapping the back of the leather will unlock it. I was able to use it with latex gloves with no issue. I also put my hand in a beanie, and it worked fine. They say it won’t work with gloves, but it appears to work fine with thinner coverings on your hands.

Power mode performance

Testing on this mod was done with Sony VCT5A batteries. The manual lists all three max outputs, which is great. They list watts at 200W, voltage at 12V, and amps at 45A. During my testing, the max achieved wattage was 209, so 200 watts is an excellent rating. The max amps I got was 40A with a 0.1-ohm coil, so that's a good rating as well—anything around 40 is excellent these days in a dual-battery mod. 

The volt limit I got was 11.097V, so there is a boost circuit, which is great to have in a dual-battery mod. I consider 12V plausible since I was at the max watts. You would just need a coil with higher resistance than the 0.59-ohm I got the 11V with. Still, with the boost circuit, volts should never be an issue. 

Overall, really good performance like I’ve come to expect from the Aegis line of mods. It’s a powerhouse mod at a time when not a lot of them are getting made.

The mod adjusts in full-watt increments, which is excellent. It scrolls fast and round-robins as well. During my testing, the mod did a great job of not getting hot. Accuracy-wise, it does tend to fire a little low at lower resistances; however, at higher resistances like my 0.59-ohm coil, it does hit a little high, which is pretty typical for many mods.

They list the charge rate at 5V/3A. While it’s charging, it shows individual battery percentages. Of course, the actual charge time will depend on your batteries, but it’s always better to use an external charger and not worry about charging in the mod. Even though internal charging on mods has improved greatly, having the ability to swap them out is always more convenient.

Also of note, the Carrera version lists a watt limit of 230, but I wasn’t sent one to test. Still, with a dual-18650 mod, I recommend not going over 150 watts for safety and better battery life, and always using high-quality batteries.

Temperature control performance

As usual, I tested TC performance with SS316L wire. I know a lot of people aren’t using TC these days and not many companies are making new mods with temp control. So I won’t get into too much detail in this review—as times change, reviews have to change to adapt as well.

The Aegis Legend 3 has one temperature control mode, which is manually set TCR. It offers the full 200 watts, and you can save your settings in the memory slots. Between adjusting the TCR and the temp, I was able to get good performance on this device, so it’s certainly usable as a temperature control device.

IP68 testing

As far as being IP68, it should come as no surprise, but it passed easily. There were no issues leaving it underwater for 30 minutes and no issues dropping it. Like previous Aegis mods, the screen and the buttons can be weak points, but the mod will still be usable. I would like to see a redesign to give more protection to the buttons and screen at some point. A quick idea off the top of my head would be a raised outline and flush buttons (the plus and minus are flush, but the fire button protrudes slightly.) But I'm sure they can come up with something better.

Geekvape Z FLI tank rundown

The tank included in the kit is the Geekvape Z FLI sub ohm tank (called the FLI because you FLIp and Fill.) It is a newer version of the Z tank that came with the L200 kit, but it still uses the Z coil system. They include their two new coils called “Z XM,” which are supposed to last longer and produce more flavor. 

It’s a pretty basic tank. Its widest point is 29 mm with the bubble glass on, but it tapers down to sit flush on the mod at approximately 25 mm at the base. 

It’s a top-airflow tank to minimize the possibility of leaking. However, it channels the air under the coil from the top, so it offers better flavor than a true top-airflow tank. Still, flavor won't be quite as good as on a true bottom airflow tank. The tank has a 5.5 mL capacity, and to fill it, you push back where the arrow is and the top will flip open thanks to a spring-loaded hinge. There are two fill holes with a rubber gasket for fine-tipped bottles. Just insert the tip and squeeze the juice in. Works great. Then, just push it down and slide it back to lock it. The coils are plug-and-play like on previous Z tanks. However, the coil is hard to grip, so you're best off using the included tool or a flathead screwdriver. I wish it were easier to replace on the go without the need for a tool.

There are six coil options: 

• Geekvape Z0.4 coil rated 50-60 watts
• Geekvape Z0.2 coil rated 70-80 watts
• Geekvape Z0.25 dual coil rated 45-57 watts
• Geekvape Z0.15 coil rated 80-90 watts
• Geekvape Z0.15 XM coil rated 70-85 watts (new)
• Geekvape Z0.4 XM coil rated 50-60 watts (new)

The 2 included were the new XM coils. While I found the original Z coils to not be up to par, the new ones promise to be better. Thankfully, they came through, and I found both coils to be average—which is good for a tank that comes in a kit. The 0.15-ohm coil has better flavor for sure, and it was best at around 80 watts, while the 0.4-ohm coil had decent flavor and was best at around 60 watts. 

Both were able to give at least 60 mL, so I'm happy with the improvement in coil life as well. You can only expect so much from an included tank in a kit, with most typically ranging from bad to just okay. At least this falls into the "just okay" territory.

Pros / Cons

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