Eleaf Basal Review – Simple, Classy Vape Kit

The Eleaf Basal is the latest addition to Eleaf’s range of Mouth to Lung (MTL) starter kits.

Eleaf offer one of the bigger selections of vapes for beginners or of course for vapers just wanting a MTL kit.
We’ve reviewed a fair few Eleaf products over the years, more recently the iKuun i200, the Invoke 220, Ikonn 220 plus many more.. Believe me they have a lot of devices on the market! If you want to check out more just use the search function at the top of the page.

Back to the Basal! A quick Google search brings up a few meanings, I’m going with the Thesaurus.com synonyms – Beginning, easy, elementary. Which is fitting for the target market of this device.

This is in the mini mod realm of devices and I’ve got to say, design wise, it’s rubs me up the right way.

Let’s crack on and see how the Eleaf Basal performs…

What’s In The Box

• 1 x Eleaf Basal mod
• 1 x GS Basal tank
• 2 x GS Air coil heads (0.75ohm & 0.5Ohm)
• 1 x Micro USB Cable for charging
• 1 x User Manual
• Spares

Specs

• 1500mAh Battery
• Dimensions: 76.3 x 36.6 x 15.0mm (minus tank)
• Output wattage – 1-30W
• 2A Charging
• 1.8ml tank capacity
• Tank Dimensions: 15mm X 57mm

Build Quality & Design

I like simple clean designs when it comes to mods. Big flashy lighty up type devices aren’t my thing. The Eleaf Basal is compact (just 15mm in width at the narrowest point), solid mod that looks so simple some could mistake it for being a little boring.

I love the looks… mostly. The device is very well machined with all edges bevelled to maximise the comfort in hand, the fire and function buttons are a nice size and sit flush on the side, they also come rattle free.

The OLED screen sits below the buttons and displays all the info you need (battery life, Watts, resistance) clearly.

The 510 connection is smooth with the GS tank sitting flush on the top of the mod.

Normally a bug bear of mine, the USB charging port is located on the base of the device. Even that doesn’t really bother me with the Basal as it would be detrimental to the overall design of the mod. Plus, I’ve charged this on a number of occasion sitting on it’s side and there have been zero leaking issues. It also allows you to vape whilst charging.

The only thing I’m not 100% certain on is the plastic panel swirl effect design on one side of the mod.

Don’t get me wrong it isn’t that bad, it’s actually quite therapeutic running your finger around the swirls.

I’m struggling to think what it reminds me of… although I think it may be those 3D stickers I used to get as a kid. You know the ones you used to move from side to side and the image would change?

Maybe just me then! ha

Anyway.. For me I would like to have seen the full mod completely stainless steel. Being a little picky here though…

The mod itself is top quality with a great, sturdy weight.

GS Basal Tank

Well built again with it’s stainless steel and pyrex construction. It’s narrow though with a 1.8ml. It takes me back to the days of the first clearomisers that I used on small ego style vape pens.

It is a bottom fill tank with replaceable drip tip/mouthpiece and adjustable airflow that offers a number of settings.

The tank suits the mod well though and fits the purpose of the device..Oh.. and the performance is a million miles away from the clearomisers of old!

This tank is for mouth to lung vaping only. Unsure what that is? Check out our Mouth to Lung vs Direct to Lung guide here.

How Does The Eleaf Basal Kit Perform?

First up we’ll take a look at the menu system. If you’re new to vaping don’t worry, it’s super simple and ready to go out of the box pretty much.

• 5 clicks of the power button in quick succession turns the device on/off
• Hold power button and bottom function button to enter stealth mode. This basically turns the display off should you need it.
• Hold power button and top function button – The left hand of the display will flash offering you a chance to change the info displayed on the screen. To do this use the function buttons to scroll and power button to select. The wattage will always show as standard. You can choose from:
• Coil resistance + Large battery indicator
• Coil resistance + Small battery indicator + Puff count
• Coil resistance + Small battery indicator + Vape time in seconds
• Coil resistance + Small battery indicator + Voltage

I personally just left it at it’s original setting as I don’t find puff time/count too useful. If you want it though it’s available!

How To Fill The GS Basal Tank

• Turn tank upside down
• Unscrew the base of the tank
• Place e-liquid nozzle on the inside of the window and fill
• Replace the base
• Leave the tank to sit for 10 minutes to allow the e-liquid to soak into the coil

How to Change The Eleaf GS Basal Coil

• Turn tank upside down (especially if you have e-liquid in the tank)
• Unscrew the base of the tank
• Unscrew coil
• Replace the coil
• Screw base back into the tank or fill with e-liquid first, if empty

1.5Ohm Coil

I started with the 1.5Ohm coil with a 50PG/50VG e-liquid from Black Note. I don’t normally do tobacco vapes but it was the only one I had at this ratio 🙂

The flavour was very good, the more holes I closed off on the airflow the slightly better it got. This does come with a tighter draw though. I found 3 open holes was good for me for a MTL vape, if you prefer a bit more vapour just open the airflow up.

All round excellent vape and a good life from this coil.

0.75Ohm Coil

I tried a number of PG/VG ratios with this coil upto 70VG. It wicks well, no hint of a dry hit and again the flavour from Summer Breeze by You Got Ejuice was very good. Not up there with a dedicated sub ohm tank but then I wouldn’t expect it to be. Still impressive all the same and almost, but not quite, on a par with the Aspire Nautilus 2.

Again, coil life has been very good, still going well after a week even after chucking all sorts of e-liquid in there.

To add to the above I haven’t had a single spot of juice leak from this device in all the time I’ve used it.

Another plus is that it is possible to change the coil while you still have e-liquid in the tank, so no wastage if you all of a sudden find your coil has died after a refill.

Battery Life

The 1500mAh battery life performed as expected giving me around 7 hours of moderate vaping. This is a small device so keep that in mind and don’t expect small mods to be seeing you through a weekend of camping 🙂

What I Liked

I love the simple design. Yeah it’s only a stainless steel box but add the superb overall build quality and we have a mod that looks a lot more expensive than it is.

Tank performance for mouth to lung is excellent. Flavour very good and clouds actually not too shabby. No leaking to boot.

What I Dislike

There isn’t really a lot to dislike with the Eleaf Basal. Yeah I would have preferred a full stainless steel finish rather than the textured swirl pattern but i can live with that and it’s more of a personal want.

The only other thing I would have liked to have seen is a top fill tank but at least in the case of the Basal tank you can swap the coil out without emptying your tank.

Final Review Verdict

The Elaf Basal kit has really impressed. For a starter kit for new vapers it’ll impress and is easy to get to grips with. For a mod/tank combo to throw in you back pocket when you go out it’s a little chicken dinner.

If I lost this or broke it in some way I would definitely buy The Eleaf Basal kit again.

Pros

• Simple, sleek, classy design
• New vaper friendly
• Solid build. Feels substantial
• No leaking for me at all
• Flavour is good with both coils as are the clouds
• Vape whilst charging

Cons

• I’ve listed a few dislikes a little further up but I wouldn’t call these cons.