Review: Eleaf Istick 20W
I have been meaning to review this little bad boy for a while now. But it seems I’d rather be using it than writing about it!
I’d been looking for a small form factored, variable voltage mod for a while now. I really wanted something that I could put a small dripping atomiser onto in order to use whilst DIY juice mixing. It was getting to be a bit of a pain using ego twists, and to fully charge a battery for one of my mechanicals, to only use it for 5-10 minutes was just overkill. I really wanted something that I could adjust the voltage on in order to taste test juices at various heat levels.
Before the Istick came along, I was about to commit to an MVP2. And really hated the thought that I was settling on something that was a larger size, and not really what I had in mind. I’m a little precious like that.
So when the Eleaf Istick was announced, I’d already fallen in love with it. I guess I was biased already. It seemed too good to be true. Then I saw the price point! Wow! $35 bucks for something that does what an $100-$150 device does!
The Eleaf Istick has:
- Incremental OLED screen
- Variable Voltage mode
- Variable Wattage mode
- Ohm-Reader
- Puff timer
- Short Circuit Protection
- 10 Second cutoff
- Low Voltage Protection
- Pass through capabilities
Packaging:
This thing has spectacular packaging, very neat and tidy. I purchased the Full kit that came with the cable, power adapter, 510 adapter and manual. The professional packaging really gives the impression of a solid product straight away.
Size:
The istick is small, real small. It measures 75mm*21mm*32.8mm, and fits very comfortably in the hand. The button position takes a little getting used to, as I automatically go for a top button (REO) but it has a nice feel to it. It is not really smooth, and there is a noticeable clickiness to it, it is something that can easily be ignored though.
Battery:
They jammed an 18650 into this little device! Considering the size, that’s quite the achievement! It’s claimed that it has a 2200mAh battery too, which is real nice. Not the largest capacity, but definately impressive. So far I manage to get just under a day vaping with a dripper on top @ 10Watts. The charge from the micro usb is quite fast too. From memory it takes a couple hours from empty to full charge.
Performance:
This little unit seems to hit harder than other mods at the same voltage level. It’s a very warm vape.
The ohm reader is accurate as far as I can tell. It registers the same reading as my usual ohm-reader, doesn’t waver.
Both variable voltage/wattage modes seem to work well enough.
Build:
The Istick is very solidly built. In the hand it feels like a quality product. The finish is quite good, its not too easily scratched, and the colours available should keep everybody happy.
Issues/Cons:
- 510 connection
Some atomizers will push the positive pin down, so that when you put a different atomizer on it wont make connection. The old “pull the pin up gently” trick we all know from using egos will get it working again. Something eleaf need to look at with the next version. A stronger insulator will probably fix this issue. - Inaccurate Voltage/Watts
It’s been reported that the Istick uses Mean voltage as opposed to RMS voltage. What this means is that it fires hotter compared to other box mods. Where 8Watt on the Istick will equal close to 10Watt on any other device that uses the usual RMS to calculate it’s voltage. Whilst some have expressed that simply turning the voltage down will suffice, for a good enough vape, others have drawn concern over burning coils in clearomizers with a lower ohm-age. A good point to take into consideration before purchasing.
The future:
It looks like Eleaf are already working on a version two of this device, and have been asking for feedback on how to make the 2nd iteration better than the first. I’ll definately be keeping an eye out for that one!
Specs:
Get the 20W iStick HERE!
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