Eleaf Istick Pico LE Kit
We check out another new offering from Eleaf, the Istick Pico LE!
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by Si Davies
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Sent by Eleafworld.fr for review
Price: £41.35
Eleaf are one of those manufacturers that are always consistent, they have their own style which they mostly keep classy and no-nonsense. The Pico range is vast and is often updated with the latest design trends, and the Pico iStick LE is just that, a modern twist of one of their classics.
- A member of well-known Eleaf Pico series
- Stylish colour block design and leather material, elegant and lightweight
- Compact and portable, easy to carry anywhere
- Pico's signature battery cap design, single 18650 battery structure
- USB Type-C and 2A fast charging for shorter charging time
- Supports for various tanks up to 26mm, high adaptability
- Paired with GX tank & GX Coil for enhanced flavour and denser cloud
- GX tank to provide concentrated, directed and smooth airflow
- 5ml e-juice capacity, easy refilling system without leakage
- GX Coil with mesh structure and AST-steel inside for ultra rich and pure flavour
- AST-steel of GX Coil & the chip-set inside iStick Pico Le to protect the coil from dry hit
There are a few things that caught my attention from the features; firstly the AST coil dry hit protection which sounds promising, then there’s the large 26mm tank capacity which is impressive given the compact size of this mod. I also appreciate the 2 Amp fast charging.
Unboxing
The Pico iStick LE comes in the very distinctive Eleaf packaging with the black and green branding, there’s an outer sleeve showing the colour choice and a two piece hard box containing the kit on the top layer which is well presented and imbedded in a foam layer.
Underneath this layer are the extras which include all you need other than a battery and e-liquid. I’m not sure if it was a fluke or intended but I had a new coil pre-installed in the pod as well as two different sealed ones, but I was pretty chuffed with that as I could proper hammer that one for the review period and then enjoy the other one at my leisure.
Overall, the bundle was pleasing enough and there are two separate manuals for the mod and tank. The tank is self-explanatory but the mod has a few tricks up its sleeve so worth referring to.
Overview
So the very first thing that grabbed my attention when I first picked up the mod was the weight; wow this thing is incredibly light! I went straight for the scales to weigh it and as you can see from the photos, the weight is still low even with the tank and a battery:
83g for a metal mod with leatherette wrap is impressive, and the novelty didn’t wear off during use. Along with the compact size, it made it ideal for jeans pocket without it feeling lumpish.
The kit version comes with the pod style tank and thankfully it is a 510 connection which gives this kit more versatility, but I will cover the mod first:
I’m a sucker for chrome finish mods, I know they are fingerprint magnets but it has never bothered me as long as they are easy to wipe clean as this one is. Eleaf have styled this well with all the curves and profiles that highlight the looks, the leather wrap style is all too common these days but it suits this kit and I couldn’t imagine it without.
The 510 connection is large enough to take up to a 26mm tank and the mod profile is slightly oval to allow for this, the included tank is 26mm and looks proportional without overhang.
I like the two tone leather stripe and stitching, it is padded and feels comfortable though due to how compact and light it is, you don’t really notice the padding. The base has battery ventilation holes into a stylish recess.
The signature Pico battery cap is threaded and the good quality machining makes it feel very smooth to unscrew, the slight knurling adds to the grip of it and feels just right. It also matches the tank. It takes an 18650 cell (not included). The orientation marking on the inside of the tube is a clear red cross on white for the positive end.
The screen is quite small and not very bright, I had no issues seeing it indoors but no chance outdoors on a sunny day. The layout is no-nonsense and you can customise it to suit your needs. The pulsing bar part can be changed to either Voltage or a Puff Counter via the ‘SET SYSTEM’ sub-menu, generally I found it all pretty easy to navigate and set. The only niggle is that there is a slight button rattle which you can feel when pressing the fire button.
The pod/tank had a couple of surprises and is a bit different to others I have seen. If you intend to only use the included kit tank, then you never need to unscrew the base adaptor.
The adaptor itself is quite solid at the base as it is designed to fix the location of the pod (so it doesn’t spin) and forms a better air seal, it also has four large magnets which hold it in place firmly. The included coils are:
- 1* Eleaf GX-K 0.2Ω Coil (50-80W)
- 1* Eleaf GX 0.5Ω Coil (25-45W)
Both are designed for DL vaping and are mesh style. The coils ohms and wattage range is marked on the bottom of the coil which is perfect, I hate it when you can’t see this info once the coil is fitted and I much prefer this method.
The filling method is a side fill via a silicone bung which works well and is surprisingly discreet. I found it easy and mess free to fill and top-up.
The adjustable airflow caught me out a bit, I was half expecting the usual rotate the pod to adjust which can be a pain as it often moves, but no; Eleaf have been innovative here and the reason they fixed the pod from spinning is because the airflow ring is in the adaptor and you rotate that (like on a normal tank). This turned out to be surprisingly effective, it is very airy but it can easily go down for RDL users and borderline MTL, which impressed me a lot. It can be a little stiff to adjust so you need to grip the base to make it easier.
Then I found another welcome surprise, the drip-tip is removable and 810 (O-ring) so you can put your own onto it. Overall, I am really impressed with this tanks design and it looks decent too.
Performance
Since I got a brucey bonus 0.3ohm coil, I started with that one and give it some proper hammer as it didn’t matter as much if I burnt it out, though I did break it in at 45 watts to start off. Rated between 50-80 watts, I soon found my sweet spot around 66 watts. The flavour, draw and vapour production were all very good, it’s not a cloud chucker as such but the flavour was key for me and it delivered plenty. I eventually whacked it up to 75 watts (the max the mod will allow) with the AST set to ON, I’m not sure it was worth it though as I initially got a warmer vape but it drops off quickly. I got a more consistent vape at 66 watts. I chain vaped the hell out of it and experienced no dry hits or any hint of burning out the coil. This coil pushed the limits of the mod though and it couldn’t actually reach the 80 watts due to the 75 watts max of the mod. I did try the tank on a dual battery mod and I noticed an improvement.
I think the AST may behave similar to TC (Temperature Control) and drops the power if it detects the coil being too hot due to not enough e-liquid, this helps with chain vaping and if your -liquid is too low, and this will make the coils last longer as a result.
I moved onto the GX 0.5Ω Coil (25-45W) which suited this single 18650 kit better in my opinion. 35-40 watts gave almost the same flavour but at a much lower power so the battery lasts longer, at the lower end it also gave a decent RDL performance too.
As for the user experience of this kit, I just loved it. It looks and feels great, but the compact size and light weight made it really convenient. The tank was also convenient to top-up. The only thing worth considering was the battery life wasn’t so good with the 0.3Ohm coil so I always carried a spare 18650, but that’s just the nature of the beast with single cell mods.
Charging was reasonably fast depending on what mAh cell you are using, but the charging screen was far too basic, just a flashing battery icon with no idea of how much charge it had in it or time remaining. I tend to charge my batteries in a dedicated charger so this wasn’t an issue for me, but a rough rule of thumb is that it takes around an hour to recharge from low.
Conclusion
I liked this Pico iStick LE a lot more than I was expecting to. The mod is my favourite single 18650 of the Pico range so far, and the LE finishing touches made it good looking as well as convenient. The coils equally impressed me and the anti dry hit feature worked well, the chipset has enough features for new and experienced users alike.
Looks over substance? I don’t think so. Sure the looks are a big part of its appeal, but the other factors such as size, weight and the superb tank make it a good all-rounder.
Pros
- Very light weight mod
- Compact and ergonomic
- Classy and stylish
- 26mm tank capacity
- Great coils for flavour and lifespan
- Superb airflow control
Cons
- Button rattle
- Battery charging is quick but basic
Neither con is a deal breaker, though the button rattle is always apparent.
Final Thoughts
Eleaf have produced a rather good addition to the Pico family, and Istick Pico LE is a very welcome one for me. I can see this kit lasting me years and it will be getting plenty of use. Both the mod or the tank are worth purchasing on their own but the kit makes a lot of sense, a couple of niggles prevent this kit getting a perfect score. Many thanks again to Eleafworld.fr for sending this over for review.
Score 8.5/10 – Long live the Pico range
Si Davies
Reviewer at POTVMy background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!
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