Innokin Endura Apex
There is something special about a good tube mod and it is good to see Innokin are still keeping things traditional with the new Endura Apex Kit
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by Si Davies
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Supplied by TECC for review
https://www.theelectroniccigarette.co.uk/innokin-endura-apex
£24.99 including 2 FREE Eliquids
It has been ages since I’ve reviewed a proper ‘tube’ style kit, there have been plenty of pods that are sort of tube style but this is a classical bypass pen mod and 510 connection tank kit. It’s old-school but modernised with a couple of tweaks.
At A Glance
- Tank capacity: 2ml
- Coil resistance: 0.8ohm/0.9ohm
- Output wattage: 14.5W–16.5W
- Battery capacity: 1800mAh integral
- Dimensions: 22mm x 55.5mm
- Weight: 113g
- Dual power adjustment dial
- 510 connection
- Adjustable Airflow
- Compatible With Prism T20s Coil
Though not a lot stands out as different, a couple of things caught my eye prior to testing; firstly, the 1800mAh battery in such a small sized tube mod, the nearest I found of its size only had 1100mAh. Secondly, the dual power dial at the base which I’ve never seen on a pen mod before.
Unboxing
Innokin’s planet friendly packaging is still going strong and they are still the leader in environmentally responsible packaging in the vape industry, it does make the ‘unboxing’ a little dull though, but I’m good with that as I get a tinge of satisfaction as I recycle the already recycled box.
The Endura Apex kit is held in the top layer and the accessories are underneath that, there’s not a scrap of oil based packaging, no foam, blown plastic etc.
The kit contains; the Endura Apex mod, the Apex tank with a 0.8ohm coil preinstalled, a spare 0.8ohm Prism coil, spare O-rings for the tank, a decent quality USB-C charging cable, and the documents.
First Impressions and Overview
The Endura Apex felt so familiar as soon as I got it in my mitts, the pen/tube style has its roots in early vape hardware and still has plenty of fans. I have quite a few in my collection and none of them look out of date, but the tanks on most of them haven’t fared so well due to old coil technology, I’m fully expecting this kit to deliver an up to date vape quality though.
The tube mod is pretty plain, there’s a very welcome 510 connection which will accept other 22mm tanks in theory, but there’s a potential snag which I am confuzzled by; the output wattage: 14.5W–16.5W stated in the specs makes it very limited. Personally I think they have just stated this due to the included coils, I suspect that it will output the power according to the ohms like ‘normal’ bypass mods, I could be totally wrong but I will test it out later *at MY risk, don’t try this at home if you have the slightest doubt.
It only weighs 113g with a full tank, while it’s not as light as a lot of pods etc, it is lighter than a lot of my other tube mod kits. That said, it starts to feel quite weighty in use and is not really suitable for a neck lanyard. Anybody that has used tube mods will find it familiar.
The mod has a USB-C charging port on the base which according to the manual charges at 5V/DC800mA which is slower than I expected. The LED around the button displays the battery status which isn’t all that helpful as it shows RED for anything up to 90%, GREEN for 90%> and OFF once fully charged.
The base has a couple of tricks up its sleeve; it is a power dial with two settings: GREEN = 14.5W and RED = 16.5W. There is a really cool LED ring light just above the dial (that narrow bit between the dial and the metal) which I couldn’t photograph as it only illuminates as you rotate the dial, but trust me it looks good.
The Apex tank is similar to previous Innokin tanks which use the PRISM coils. The coil itself has the 510 thread inbuilt, and the coil is a push-fit into the tank with two flats which need to be aligned.
The included coils are both the same Prism S 0.8ohm 16-18W which appears to clash with the advertised specs as the mod states 14.5-16.5w, but at least these are below the coils limits. Ignore this for now as when in use it didn’t matter a jot as it performed just right. It is only really relevant if you intend to use the coils/tank on another mod.
The tank fills from the top; you unscrew the plastic top-cap counter-clockwise which reveals the fill port. I can’t quite describe why, but I found this quite pleasing and easy. Perhaps it was the deep recess or the easy grip knurling, either way it just works well.
The adjustable airflow ring works well. I would class it as a MTL airflow but you can just about get a tight RDL draw if that’s your thing, but it excels at MTL and it will go down to a cheek pulling tight draw. I like it tight (who doesn’t?) and I found one hole exposed (fnarr fnarr) more than satisfied my fussy needs. I also liked how well it stayed in place once set.
Performance
This is where everything came together perfectly and it quickly became the best stock coil MTL tube/pen mod I had experienced, you name it, the Endura Apex delivered it, flavour, airflow, warmth, power etc. I just couldn’t fault the vape quality in any way and I was enjoying it in a way I had long forgotten. It felt proper old-school due to the tube style, it’s hard to describe exactly but it took me back to 2017 when I had my first tube mod, only better as the Prism S coil smashed any previous experience I had.
There is only two things to adjust. The airflow will be down to your personal tastes and is easy to adjust, the other is the two power settings, forget the wattage as it is just ‘Low’ and ‘High’, and I enjoyed both settings. The ease of adjusting somehow made me flip between the two more than I usually would. In more traditional tube mods, you either didn’t have the option or you had variable power options via double or triple clicking the power button, hardly a faff but I still couldn’t be arsed to change it or remember what setting I had it on. This two-way dial was just simpler and much more convenient. The difference between the two was well balanced, the ‘Low’ isn’t too warm but delivers a well saturated and flavoursome draw, the ‘High’ bumped it up a touch and was warmer and a bit more flavourful, it also worked better for an RDL draw.
Overall it struck me as the best MTL vape I had experienced in an Innokin kit which I think is down to the well balanced power levels, the new Prism S 0.8ohm coil, and that classic tank experience. Recently I have been stuck in Podland so using what I class as a ‘proper’ vape felt a nice change and it stayed glued in my hand a lot more.
Battery life was excellent, the 1800 mAh cell easily lasted a full day and night so I got into the habit of charging it first thing in the morning. It took longer than I’m used to and took around an hour on average.
Since it has a 510 connection, I did dabble with splitting the two, using the tank on variable wattage mods was as I expected and the suggested wattage range was about right (16-18W). Using the mod was pretty much as I thought it would be, I shoved a 1.2ohm tank on it *at my risk* and it pretty much delivered the right amount of power to it (around 10 watts). Had it delivered the stated low power of 16W, I would have instantly got a burnt vape. I cannot 100% verify this in any way though so I would stick with keeping to the kit and the 0.8ohm S Coils.
The two belong together (unlike my exaggerated above example), they look good and perform well, there’s no reason to change that if you enjoy stock coil MTL vapes.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of tube mods and MTL stock coil tanks, then the Endura Apex is just a great choice. It has old-school styling with new-school vape quality. If you are new to tube mods then it will come down to if you like the look/idea of it as it is an ideal starter kit without having any vape knowledge. Unusually I think the Apex kit will appeal to new and experienced users alike, it’s nice to see that Innokin are still producing more traditional vapes as well as pods etc.
You could say it’s basic, bland, limited, and out-dated, but that’s missing the overall charm of this vape kit. Six years on, I still love tube mods, and the Apex brings the format up to date and relevant.
A Classic
Pros
- Flavour
- Dual power dial soon becomes handy
- 1800mAh cell
- Proper MTL airflow adjustment
- 22mm diameter feels natural
- Protected tank
- New 0.8ohm S coils
Cons
- Not so-fast charging
Final Thoughts and Score
While you can hardly class it as an ‘apex’ predator, it’s no bottom-feeder either. It is however a mighty fine tube mod kit for those that appreciate simplicity in form and function. I thoroughly enjoyed using this kit, and the Apex tanks with 0.8ohm S coils are a natural selection.
Score: 8.5/10 - Planet of the Ape(x)
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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