Eleaf iStick Review
Before starting our review of Eleaf iStick, let’s look at the history of the issue. Over the past ten years, technologies in the world of electronic soaring have made a huge leap forward, however, the appearance of the models has long obeyed one unwritten rule: all models should resemble a regular cigarette as much as possible. The cylindrical shape really has many advantages, but over time this approach has led to the emergence of truly gigantic devices, not inferior in size to the Jedi sword.
A logical alternative to the classics is not sequential, but parallel placement of elements inside the case. This design allows you to make the electronic cigarette compact enough, and neither the battery power nor functionality suffer from this! It is for this reason that we expected the iStick model on the market with great interest.
Form factor
So, what is the iSmoka iStick first of all ? This is no longer a cigarette or even a pipe in the usual sense, but a small box. Its dimensions are so small that the question involuntarily arises: is everything in it in place? In fact, iStick is equipped with everything you need. On top is a standard 510 type connector, on the bottom there is a port for charging via micro-USB, and the side panel is occupied by a small but quite informative OLED display and control buttons. Eleaf iStick itself is not a ready-made electronic cigarette, but a battery mode, that is, a powerful battery equipped with its own control circuit and built-in charger. Evaporatorit is not included in the package, which implies additional expenses on the part of the user, but opens up great opportunities for choice. So, for the iStick review, we tested it together with another new product , the Joyetech Delta 19 clearomizer .
Power
We will also go over the review on the main characteristics of the iSmoka iStick. First of all, we were interested in maximum power, and here fashion really has something to brag about. According to the manufacturer, this figure is an impressive (and sufficient for most steam workers) 20 watts.
The next key factor is battery capacity. In our case, it equals 2200 mAh, which even today is very, very decent. Apparently, a standard 18650 battery is installed here.
IStick can be charged via USB, and the passthrough mode allows you to combine this process with soaring.
Power can be varied in the range from 2 to 20 W, voltage – from 3.0 to 5.5V.
Yes, our box is a varivolt / varivatt. It is worth remembering that, in any case, a limitation of the resistance of each specific evaporator will be imposed on both indicators. For example, to achieve the 20 watts promised by the manufacturer, the resistance of the atomizer should not exceed 1.5 ohms. This completes the technical part of the iStick review and move on to external parameters.
Dimensions and body
Since the key features of the model are dimensions and weight, they should be mentioned especially.
After some simple manipulations with the ruler, we get the following results: iStick height – 75 mm, width – 33 mm, depth – 21 mm.
The dimensions of the model are really pleasantly surprising. It easily fits in your pocket and weighs just 88 grams and also fits comfortably in your hand. Workmanship at a height – all angles are smoothed out, and the side with the battery has a pleasant semicircular shape.
The case is made of anodized aluminum and, under the conditions of harsh operation, proved to be just fine. In the process of preparing this iStick review, we handled the mod in the most delicate way, but even after a month of active use, the state of the coating remained close to perfect. The choice of colors pleases with variety – the manufacturer offers a choice of four options for “coloring”: black, steel, red and blue.
In general, everything ingenious is simple, and the new product from Eleaf is no exception. Excellent ergonomics, high-quality performance, powerful battery – the advantages of the model are obvious. And all you had to do was slightly increase the thickness by placing the board with the connector not next to the battery, but next to it. It is even surprising that such instances did not appear on the market much earlier.
Control keys
The device is controlled using three chrome buttons. The first, square, is located closer to the upper part of the case and is responsible for supplying electricity, turning on and off the Eleaf iStick, and also changing operating modes. Two triangular buttons on the other side of the screen allow you to adjust power and voltage.
In general, the management here is very convenient and, as they say, intuitive. Five quick taps on the main button activate and deactivate iStick, three taps switch the varivolt-varivatt modes. The arrow buttons control power and voltage, both manually and in the “rewind” mode – for this you need to briefly hold one of the keys. As you can see, nothing complicated: you can master all the wisdom in just a couple of minutes.
Display and Charging
The screen here is installed relatively simple, but there can be no complaints about its quality: all information, even in complex lighting, is read well.
The display shows the battery charge level, the resistance of the connected atomizer, as well as the current power and voltage indicators (the active one is displayed in a larger font). Among other things, the display can track the duration of the last puff made.
Most of the smokers in this matter will focus on their own feelings, rather than specific numbers, but this information may be useful to someone.
The charging process is displayed automatically, the display itself, thanks to the use of OLED technology, consumes a minimum of energy and copes with its tasks easily. By the way, about charging: we did not limit ourselves to external observations, and we specifically checked the charging current specifically for the iStick review. It turned out that our model consumes 1A current from the USB port. In practice, this means that when using the standard single-amp adapter, a full charge of the battery will take no more than two and a half hours. However, most ports in modern computers are capable of delivering a current of no more than 500 mAh, which means that charging through them will take twice as much time.
Device operation
It’s time to check how the declared characteristics correspond to real ones. To do this, we will connect iStick to our test bench and set the maximum voltage to 5.5 volts under load. What does the device show? And he shows that the real voltage on the connector under load is exactly 5.50. Excellent result, directly pharmaceutical accuracy! You can be sure that if you expect specific power or voltage indicators from iStick, then you will get them.
Well, with our subject it is more or less clear, it remains only to screw the Delta 19 test clearomizer to it and try this couple in business. After the “docking”, iStick immediately reported that the load resistance is 1.7 Ohms (this is one tenth more than the C3 Dual declared for the evaporator), and with this resistance, the maximum available power will be 17.7 Watts. Well, and this is a lot.
We tried to steam. In a nutshell: there were no surprises. Everything works exactly as it should, that is, just fine! A wagon of steam, a ton of pleasure, and so much taste that you can swallow your own language.
Summary
The final part of the iStick review will be brief, and in this case it is even good. The device copes with its tasks perfectly, there is simply nothing to complain about here. Unless it’s impossible to charge the iStick to the charging port on the bottom end, you have to put it on a barrel. Yes, and this can be considered an inconvenience only at a stretch.
Note that branded accessories for iStick have already appeared on sale. The manufacturer offers a good selection of a wide variety of stickers that should protect the case from scratches, and comfortable leather covers with cutouts for buttons. Well, the most interesting device is the “flip-flop”, located between the mod and the clearomizer. With a flick of the wrist, the upper part of the structure unfolds 180 degrees and goes into the “transportation” position, that is, hides at the side of the box. The practical value of such an adapter may be small, but as a fun toy it definitely deserves attention.
In general, if you are looking for a compact alternative to full-size battery mods, then you should definitely take a closer look at iStick. There is an opinion that very soon such boxes will “take over the world”!