Aside from the controversies and constant threats of a flavor ban, we believe that the vaping community will primarily remember two things about 2019. First, 2019 was the year in which nicotine salt e-juice truly came of age. For the first time ever, owners of sub-ohm mods actually began to “downgrade” to smaller vaping devices because nicotine salts were satisfying enough to make those devices completely viable and enjoyable to use.
For those who stuck with their larger vaping devices, though, 2019 was undoubtedly the year of the mesh coil tank – and the two tanks that most typified that trend were the Uwell Valyrian 2 and the Freemax Mesh Pro. In this article, we’re going to compare the two best mesh coil tanks on the market and help you decide which one you should buy.
Not familiar with mesh coils? Learn more about the benefits of mesh coils.
In case you’re short on time, though, we’re going to give you a quick summary before diving in. If you’re currently using a sub-ohm tank with a traditional wound coil, you need to buy a mesh coil tank right now. The reason why 2019 was the year of the mesh coil tank is because mesh coils have made traditional vaping coils completely obsolete. In this article, we’re going to break down the finer details of the Uwell Valyrian 2 vs. Freemax Mesh Pro comparison – but the fact is that both of these are spectacular tanks, and you’re going to absolutely love either of them if you aren’t currently using a tank with a mesh coil.
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Here at Vape Juice, we offer both the Uwell Valyrian 2 and the Freemax Mesh Pro at the lowest prices you’ll find anywhere – and every order over $75 placed on this site ships for free. Check these two great tanks out now.
What Are the Benefits of Mesh Coil Tanks?
Before we begin our comparison of the Uwell Valyrian 2 vs. the Freemax Mesh Pro, you might appreciate an overview of what makes mesh coils so special if you aren’t already using a mesh coil tank.
A traditional vaping coil is made from at least one resistance wire wound into a coil shape. It’s rare for a modern sub-ohm tank to have just one heating wire, though, because people love vaping devices that produce enormous clouds. A coil with greater surface area produces bigger clouds, so a modern high-end vaping coil often has several heating wires. Some vaping coils have 10 or more heating wires, but using such a coil has major drawbacks including extremely high power demands and a tendency to pop loudly during use.
Instead of a coiled wire, a mesh coil uses a strip of metal mesh resembling a window screen as its heating surface. The mesh has very low mass and very high surface area, and that brings two key benefits to your vaping experience.
- Mesh coils heat up almost instantly and require less power for the same vapor production as traditional coils.
- Mesh coils are very flat and have excellent wick-to-metal contact compared to traditional coils. That leads to quieter operation and improved longevity. Mesh coils don’t tend to pop or spit, and they don’t burn out as quickly as traditional coils.
Now that you understand why mesh coils should be on your radar in the first place, you should know that one of the manufacturers in our Uwell Valyrian 2 vs. Freemax Mesh Pro comparison is actually quite important to the history of mesh coil tanks. We’ll discuss that before we dive into the details of these two tanks.
Freemax Created the World’s First Mesh Coil Tank
Freemax has been in the vaping industry for many, many years. They started out as a white-label producer of vaping products that other companies marketed under their own brand names. Freemax really came into their own, though, when they released a tank called the Fireluke under their own brand. The Fireluke was successful enough to encourage Freemax to innovate further, and that innovation resulted in the release of the Fireluke Mesh – the world’s first sub-ohm tank designed to use pre-built mesh coils.
The Fireluke and Fireluke Mesh are obsolete now thanks to the release of the Freemax Mesh Pro. Those tanks are important to the history of the industry, though, and we wouldn’t have the Mesh Pro without them. The Freemax Mesh Pro is also an important tank in its own right, because it is the first tank designed to use multiple mesh coils in a single coil head. It’s the world’s first dual-coil, triple-coil, quad-coil and quintuple-coil mesh tank.
In short, when you compare the Freemax Mesh Pro vs. the Uwell Valyrian or any similar product, you should know that every other mesh coil tank on the market is essentially a derivative of the Freemax Mesh Pro.
Coil Selection, Vapor Production and Flavor
Let’s discuss the raw power, vapor production and flavor quality of these two tanks.
The Freemax Mesh Pro has the following coils available:
- Kanthal dual-mesh coil (0.2 ohm, 60-90 watts)
- Kanthal triple-mesh coil (0.15 ohm, 80-110 watts)
- Kanthal quadruple-mesh coil (0.15 ohm, 80-120 watts)
- Kanthal quintuple-mesh coil (0.15 ohm, 80-100 watts)
These, on the other hand, are the coils available for the Uwell Valyrian 2:
- Kanthal quadruple traditional wound coil (0.15 ohm, 100-120 watts)
- Kanthal single mesh coil (0.32 ohm, 90-100 watts)
- Kanthal dual-mesh coil (0.14 ohm, 80-90 watts)
- Kanthal triple-mesh coil (0.16 ohm, 90-100 watts)
Based on raw specifications, it’s clear that the Freemax Mesh Pro is at the head of the pack in terms of pure power and vapor production. That said, cloud chasing has never been Uwell’s game. They’ve always put flavor ahead of pure vapor production, as evidenced by the fact that Uwell has made a single-coil atomizer available for the Valyrian 2. Taste is subjective, but we’d have to give the Valyrian 2 a slight edge for flavor chasers while giving the nod to the Freemax Mesh Pro for the cloud chasers.
Ease of Filling
Between the Freemax Mesh Pro and the Uwell Valyrian 2, the Freemax tank is definitely the easier one to fill. To access the filling port, you’ll simply place your thumb on the tank’s top hardware – right above the red dot – and push gently to slide the tank open. With the Valyrian 2, on the other hand, the lid flips open when you press the release button in the tank’s top hardware.
The filling method that you prefer will largely depend on your vaping preferences. If you vape in the car or carry your vaping device in your pocket, you may appreciate the fact that the Uwell Valyrian 2 is very unlikely to pop open on you unexpectedly – which can happen with the Freemax Mesh Pro. If you have arthritis or simply find it difficult to manipulate small objects, though, you might prefer filling the Freemax tank.
Choice of Colors and Materials
If you’re the type who likes having a vaping device that truly expresses your personal style, you might enjoy the Freemax Mesh Pro because it has one of the widest color selections of any vape tank on the market. The Mesh Pro has 17 total color variations available at the time of writing, and those colors come in three styles. Each variation includes a drip tip with the same color and material as the tank’s hardware.
- Resin: Swirly pattern, light weight, smooth surface
- Metal: Etched pattern, heavier weight, textured surface
- Carbon Fiber: Woven pattern, heavier weight, smooth surface
The Uwell Valyrian 2, on the other hand, comes in six metallic colors. The Valyrian 2 includes a Delrin drip tip with a metallic ring matching the color of the tank’s hardware.
Build Quality and Ease of Disassembly
When you talk to owners of the Freemax Mesh Pro tank, one thing you’ll notice is that very few of them have any interest at all in trying other tanks. That’s a strong vote in favor of the Mesh Pro; people who own the tank love its performance. Those same people will also tell you, though, that the Mesh Pro is high on performance and not necessarily so high on build quality. The Mesh Pro slides open extremely easily and can be prone to dumping its contents in your pocket if you aren’t careful. You also need to be very precise when assembling the tank. If you don’t screw the coil in very firmly, you’ll end up getting a “no atomizer” message from your mod when you try to use the tank.
Uwell, on the other hand, doesn’t always garner rave reviews for the raw performance of their tanks. Flavor, yes – huge clouds, not so much. You’ll seldom find anyone, though, willing to complain about the build quality of a Uwell tank. The Uwell Valyrian 2 is finished and polished by hand, and the parts fit together flawlessly. You won’t have to worry about hang-ups when replacing the coil, and you won’t have to worry about the tank popping open in your pocket.
Unique Technologies
The Uwell Valyrian 2 and Freemax Mesh Pro both offer some unique technological advancements that help to differentiate those products from the competition. We’ll discuss those technologies as we conclude our Freemax Mesh Pro vs. Uwell Valyrian 2 comparison.
- The Freemax Mesh Pro uses a blend of cotton and flax fibers as its wicking material. The Mesh Pro is an extremely thirsty tank that can go through your e-liquid very rapidly, so it’s important for the wick to be very absorbent. The Mesh Pro coil is stuffed full of natural fibers, and the flax helps the coil resist heat. If you use unsweetened vape juice, you’ll enjoy excellent longevity with the Mesh Pro coil.
- The Uwell Valyrian 2 has a self-cleaning technology that allows it to absorb and reclaim condensation from the tank’s base. People consistently report that, when they replace the Valyrian 2 coil, the base of the tank is completely dry. The self-cleaning technology makes replacing the coil a less messy affair, and it also helps to ensure that you never waste a drop of your e-liquid.
