Pod System Reviews

Eleaf Isolo air

Eleaf have produced a mini marvel with the iSOLO Air kit, a compact MTL pod kit that proves that size isn't everything

by Si Davies
Feb 19, 2021

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Supplied by TECC

RRP = £34.99

Eleaf’s latest release of the iSolo Air pod system claims to be MTL friendly so I swooped on this one to review. In my haste, I totally didn’t notice how damn compact this kit is!

I will try and keep this review light again and only discuss the best bits and if I find any down-sides.

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit mtl

Unboxing

As always, Eleaf’s packaging is high quality and postie-proof. The artwork is a bit trendier with the iSolo Air apart from those nasty sods at TPD forcing them to splatter a huge fake warning on the front.

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit boxed

Opening the box was a “whaaaaat!” moment for me, this little bugger was way smaller than I had expected and I immediately LOVED it and soon grabbed hold of it to see how small it was in my hand, and I can tell you it felt superb and ickle.
(for those who have read my previous reviews will know I don’t do ‘In the hand’ photos because it’s misleading as hands come in all shapes and sizes)

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit contents

The kit comes with all the bits you should expect, obviously the mod, pod, a couple of different coils: 1 x GTL 1.2ohm coil and 1 x GTL 0.8ohm coil, a USB-C cable, warranty and a fold out manual.
(you can potentially tell how small the iSolo Air is by comparing it next to the accessories)

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit specs

For the size, the specifications are impressive. A 1500mAh battery is ideal and proper 2 Amp charging is very welcome. As you can see from the size, it’s small and chubby, and that’s a good thing in my book as it makes it really comfy. The wattage range is more than adequate for MTL use, and the 90g weight is just right.

Looks and design

Eleaf have managed to squeeze in a lot into such a small chassis, adjustable airflow, the screen, and controls, while making it ergonomic. The sculpting is nice to look at and the leather wrap actually suits this perfectly, I’m bored of leather wraps already but I can’t imagine this without it.

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit side views

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit top and tail

Branding is subtle and everything feels high quality and solid. The airflow control design is a good example to other of how it should be done in an MTL pod, dual sided with proper tiny holes instead of a slot. The lever is firm and stays in place, and the pod seal is pretty effective so you can get a reasonable tight MTL draw.

The control buttons are solid and the resistance is also good so I cannot see me pocket firing it or making accidental adjustments (though you can lock the these).

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit parts

The podank is pretty basic but it’s nice and small, so much smaller than any other PnP pod I can think of, though its 2ml TDP (spit hiss) capacity. It is small enough not to need an ugly silicone reducing bung as Eleaf have designed the TDP version specifically – nice one!

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit pod and connection

The pod connection is magnetic and recessed so you only see the clear part of the pod which adds to the looks. The coils are press fit and the base protrudes enough to make it easy to swap.

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit pod and coil

The filling bung is on the base, it’s simple enough to pop open and close, though I wish it would have been a different colour as it’s not the easiest to spot in low light. There’s a little note in the box stating it will take up to 3mm juice nozzles which is fine for most 10ml bottles, but forget trying to use a dropper in it unless you enjoy puddles of juice on your floor.

The only part I didn’t like on the pod was the fixed mouthpiece, it’s a bit wide bore for my tastes. If they had made it so it could accept a 510 drip tip, it would have looked as sexy as fook with a nice shiny narrow bore one.

The included coils are both suitable for MTL:

1 x GTL 1.2ohm coil (7-13 watts)
1 x GTL 0.8ohm coil (12-18 watts)

Both are narrow bore with the right amount of airflow. The cotton wicking ports are much larger than other Eleaf coils I’m used to, and this should make a huge difference to the coil life and juice flow, another pro to Eleaf for finally addressing this in their MTL coils.

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit with 10ml salts

Awww blessss!
You can see how small this is next to a 10ml juice bottle, even the pod is as wide as the bottle. The irony of the juice brand isn’t lost on me.

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit size

Here it is nestled inbetween a couple of my other compact pod kits, it’s similar to the VooPoo in diameter and functionality but the airflow is way better on the iSolo Air. The Swag PX80 isn’t in the same category though as it’s more of an all-rounder DL device but it gives you an idea of scale.

Operation

This will be short and sweet as the iSolo Air is a wattage only device:

5 x FIRE = Turns the device On/Off
Press & Hold FIRE and Up button = resets puff counter
Press & Hold FIRE and Down button = flips screen 180 degrees
Pres & Hold Up and Down buttons = locks adjustments

That’s the lot and is all you need anyway.

The small screen is very bright and surprisingly easy to read, it holds the minimum information:

Selected wattage
Ohms of your coil
Puff count

The coil detection automatically sets the wattage right in the middle of the coils range but it also remembers your fine tuning (like my OCD 11.1 watts) which has been such a good feature in current gen kits and is perfect for beginners.

Performance

I started off with the GTL 1.2ohm Coil (7-13 watts) at 11.1 watts with the airflow set to the narrowest. The result was a really nice MTL experience, flavour was spot on, it kept up with chain vaping, and the power was instant and smooth. I have no complaints at all with the flavour and coil performance, I just wished the mouthpiece was narrower.

The GTL 0.8ohm Coil (12-18 watts) was still a good MTL vape at 15 watts, at a push you could do a very restrictive direct lung with the airflow wide open but its best left at MTL in my experience. Naturally the vape was warmer and more intense, I actually preferred this coil even though my preference is usually over 1.0Ω, the more intense flavour and harder hit really suited nic salts. This would easily give me my morning nic hit head rush.

A small thing we often take for granted and some manufacturers often get wrong is the wicking port position. The GTL Mini pod has got it perfect, the ports sit right at the base. You can almost run it dry without a dry hit, I would be confident you can vape 80% of the 2ml before you need to refill.

Battery life was superb, especially with the 1.2Ω coil, bordering on two days, and charging from well below halfway only took 30 minutes due to its proper 2 Amp USB-C fast charging. The charging status was just a simple battery icon without estimated time or percentage though, no biggie as I just knew it would charge fast.

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit mod power

Conclusion

Eleaf’s mission to create a compact, lightweight MTL pod system with plenty of power and battery life is quite simply a resounding success. There’s so much I like with this kit, from its size to how it feels in the hand, and the vape is exactly how I like my MTL vapes to be apart from the mouthpiece, though I soon got used to that and to be fair, it is still better than a lot of pods big gob mouthpieces.

Innovation wise, well there’s none that I can see. What you get is a well-engineered, pocket friendly MTL kit which stands out from the crowd and has a place in the market for sure.

The majority of review items I tend to give away to friends and family (occasionally on the forum) and I keep the special ones and use them in between reviews, but I already know this one’s a keeper and the coils will be on my shopping list.

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit colours

Pros

So compact
Light and ergonomic
MTL specific
New MTL GTL coils are top notch
1500mAh in this size is impressive
Classy styling

Cons

Mouthpiece could have been narrower

Final Thoughts

The iSolo Air took me by surprise a bit, on first look I expected just another copy and paste pod kit, but what I got was a superb, tiny and effective MTL specific pod system. Eleaf have miniaturised everything perfectly but it still packs the punch you need. Sod the innovation when you get such a great performing miniature kit like this.

Scores

Quality: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Flavour: 8.5/10 (both coils)
Ergonomics: 9.5/10
Airflow control: 9/10
Value for money: 8/10

Overall: 9/10 – Mini MTL Minx

Eleaf iSOLO Air kit tiny winner

Si Davies

Reviewer at POTV

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My 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!