Eleaf iStick Melo Review – Absolute Winner!

I am holding the Eleaf iStick Melo kit which is the iStick Melo mod combined with the new Eleaf Melo 4 tank.

I have been looking forward to this – I am a bit of an Eleaf fangirl – I owned a Pico 75 as my first mod and loved the iCare 2.

The iStick Melo has an internal battery which has an incredible 4400mAh capacity – which is more than a single 18650 battery can provide!

All the usual mod functions are here – Variable Wattage, Temperature Control and By-pass.

The maximum output is 60W.

The full kit includes the Eleaf Melo 4 tank which is the D22 (22mm diameter) version and will hold 2ml of E-liquid. Sadly 2ml is the maximum any device is allowed in the EU due to the TPD regulations grr.

There are 5 colours to choose from – Black, Greenery, Silver, Rose Gold and Red.

What’s In The Box

• Eleaf iStick Melo mod
• Eleaf Melo 4 tank
• EC2 0.3ohm Head (pre-installed)
• EC2 0.5ohm Head
• Quick charge USB cable
• User Manuals
• Spare Parts

Features

• Size: 42mmx22mmx132.5mm (including tank)
• Weight: 182g
• Battery capacity: 4400mAh
• Maximum charging current: 2A
• Thread type: 510 thread
• Output wattage: 1-60W
• Output mode: VW/Bypass/TC(Ni/Ti/SS/TCR)
• Resistance range: 0.05-1.5ohm (TC modes)
  0.1-3.5ohm (VW/Bypass mode)
• Colours: Black, Greenery, Silver, Rose Gold and Red.
• E-liquid capacity: 2ml
• Tank diameter: 22mm
• Height: 52.5mm

Build Quality & Design

I was sent the Eleaf iStick Melo in the Greenery colour and it’s a beauty!

Talk about Handsome – even in bright green this looks classy!

The 22mm diameter Melo 4 tank just looks like it was born to be paired with the Melo mod!

This just feels and looks absolute quality. Everything is metallic – no sign of plastic just the drip tip!

There is a long thin fire button which always finds your thumb or finger with no problem and the shape of this sits in your hand like a dream. It’s hard to believe this is packing such a huge battery!

The screen and buttons are located on the top of the mod and look amazing.

I did find the buttons a bit odd, when you power this up the screen is displayed so you have the tank towards you and look up to the screen. This made it so the + was on the left and the – was on the right. You can flip the screen display though!

The Melo 4 tank is in silver with a lovely slide top fill feature and a smooth airflow adjustment ring at the base.

There is a lovely black plastic drip tip and I have just tried a few 510 tips in here and they fit fine.

This is a Direct to Lung (DTL) tank – so the drip tip may be too small for many and you can only replace with a 510 tip – so no drain pipe wide drip tips on here which may be a con for some. I however like a restricted DTL vape so this is perfect for me.

If the terms DTL and MTL go right over your head we have written a guide to the Difference Between MTL and DTL.

Already a winner for me on looks alone!

In The Hand

How Does the Eleaf iStick Melo Perform?

Basic operation

Well I got this up and running in a few minutes!

I had a quick look at how to top up the tank and then screwed it onto the mod.

I quickly looked up the recommended power settings for the coil heads (I had to look online for this as nothing in box?).

The 0.3ohm coil was already installed, the mod was already charged so I set the wattage to 35W to be on the safe side, topped up the tank and was ready to go!

To turn on and off it is the usual 5 quick presses of the fire button.

To enter the power mode press the fire button 3 times. Use the + and – buttons to go through the selections and press fire when you want to select the power mode:

• VW (Variable Wattage)
• By-Pass (acts like a mechanical mod – just battery power is available)
• TC (Temperature control) then select the coil material – Ni, Ti, SS
• TCR (Temperature Coefficient of Resistance)

VW Wattage – adjust the wattage in VW mode simply use the + and – buttons.

Lock/unlock buttons – press the + and – buttons together.

To rotate display – turn off the mod and press the + and – buttons together and hold down for 2 seconds.

Stealth mode – to toggle between on and off – press the fire button and the – button together when mod is turned on.

ENU (Temperature Protection when charging) – this will stop charging if the mod is above 50°C or below -5°C. To turn this feature on or off press the fire button quickly twice and select on or off.

Eleaf have posted a short tutorial video on their website which also may help you find your way around the Eleaf iStick Melo kit.

How To Charge The Eleaf iStick Melo

Well as this has a screen there is a clear battery capacity symbol displayed. When this is looking low bung it on charge!

Simply use the included quick charge USB cable – place the small end into the USB port on the side of the mod and the other end into a suitable USB outlet.

When fully charged the screen will be blank.

This does have a massive battery so may take a while – however it does have Quick Charge capabilities of 2A. If you use a PC to charge however the USB port will probably be outputting a lot less than 2A so it’s not a device fault if it takes yonks.

In fact I found when using the included quick charge cable I kept getting PC errors about the USB port exceeding it’s capacity – so I had to use a different cable!

In real life I found this to take about 2 hours to charge fully from my PC which is pretty excellent considering the size of the battery!

There is also a temperature control setting to stop charging if the device becomes too hot or cold – to help avoid risks when charging. See the Basic Operation to see how to activate this setting.

Always make sure to be aware of Battery Safety when using, charging and storing mods.

Melo 4 Tank

The Melo 4 tank is an update to the previous Melo tanks!

This has new EC2 coil heads which are 0.3 and 0.5ohms and are constructed from Kanthal.

I am not sure if the EC coil heads from the previous versions of the Melo tank will fit as I don’t have any sadly!

I have asked around online and apparently – don’t quote me but you can also use the existing EC coil heads – which makes a huge range of coils to choose from to find your preference.

There is a slide cap for top fill and a bottom airflow adjustment.

It is a lovely looking tank – just in the right proportions for this mod!

How To Fill The Eleaf Melo 4 Tank

• On the top cap there is a little arrow. Find the arrow.
• Push the top cap in the direction of the arrow and it will slide across to reveal the filling port.

• Squeeze liquid into the exposed slot and watch the level through the glass on the side.
• Slide the top cap in the opposite direction as far as it will go.

Super simple top fill – no way to get it wrong and put liquid down the wrong hole etc! Just remember to let the tank sit for 10 minutes for the e-liquid to soak into the cotton before using.

How To Change The Coil Head

Sadly the coil heads don’t last forever so if yours is under performing, tasting burnt or causing errors it’s time for a coil change!

I would recommend replacing the coil when the tank is empty. When you unscrew the bottom cap the glass section is then loose – which could lead to lots of leaking liquid.

• Unscrew the base of the tank.
• Unscrew coil head if installed.

• Install a new coil head by putting the end that looks like a goal post into the base of the tank and screwing in.

• Apply some drops of E-liquid to the cotton bits you can see.
• Screw the base onto the tank.
• Fill the tank as described above.
• Leave the tank to stand for 10 minutes to let the liquid soak into the coil.
• Take a few inhales without pressing fire just to suck liquid through.

Flavour & Cloud Production

I used a 6mg nicotine strength E-liquid which is 80%VG in the beautiful Melo 4 tank.

I am not a user of Temperature control so I stuck to the Variable Wattage power mode.

Further Reading: What is PG and VG in E-liquid?

0.3 ohm EC2 Coil Head – 30-80W

I just already know after about 5 vapes I love this!

I started at 35W to just be on the safe side – just in case the liquid hadn’t soaked into the coil head properly.

Ramped it up to 45W and this is just purring like a kitten. Lovely flavour and great vapour – I almost don’t need to take the power any higher!

55W it just gets better lot warmer vapour now and at 60W this is still great.

I can’t go up to the recommended 80W on this mod as it will only output 60W so I will try the Melo 4 tank on another higher powered mod.

At 70W on my Wismec Sinuous Ravage 230 this is still performing wonderfully, 80W is just a bit too hot for me and the taste is fading.

I would say 45-55W this runs great!

The airflow is quite open I found I had to shut it down to about 1/4 closed but I do like a restricted DTL vape and this suits me perfectly.

Straight away I know I love this!

After 4 days of use the 0.3ohm coil is still going strong I really love this. Some devices with low resistance coils can burn through the coil heads in a day or two (Smok Stick AIO – exhibit A!) but this is still happily running on the original coil head.

0.5ohm EC2 Coil Head – 30-100W

I enjoyed the 0.3ohm coil head I was almost reluctant to change over to the 0.5ohm head!

The wattage range for this coil is 30-100W.

I started at 45W and already a pretty decent flavour and a lot more vapour bizarrely!

Between 55-60W this coil head is starting to wake up! The only problem is the iStick Melo will only output 60W!

So I used the Melo 4 with the 0.5ohm coil head on my Augvape V200 mod which the lovely Neil sent to me after his review as I love it so much! At 70W the taste is a lot stronger and warmer vape now, and 80W more of the same but getting a bit too hot for me.

I do like this coil best at 70W but the Melo mod will only go up to 60W so you won’t be able to enjoy it at its peak I think. But it is fine at 55-60W.

This is a higher resistance coil but it has a higher power range – I am wondering if there is more than one coil in this head but it does only appear to be a single coil. It is also made from Kanthal same as the 0.3ohm?

I found a bit more of an airflow whistle using this coil but the vapour production is a huge amount more than the 0.3ohm. The flavour is slightly less than the other coil head.

Battery Life

I am finding I am getting around a day and a half usage on one battery charge using the 0.3ohm coil at 55W. This is not constant vaping though so if you using it all the time expect around a days worth of use.

Finally a device with a really practical useful battery despite not being huge or heavy! Another massive plus point for the Eleaf iStick Melo!

Pros

• Beautiful mod and matching tank – made for each other!
• 0.3ohm coil performs wonderfully!
• Looks very classy – even in bright green!
• Build quality is superb.
• Built in battery – no messing about with external batteries and chargers.
• Battery life is incredible.
• Doesn’t burn through coils stupidly quickly.
• Quick to charge.
• Considering the size of the battery this is small and light.
• Taste and vapour are spot on.
• Very simple to use.
• Everything just works and no leaks at all.

Cons

• Depending on the screen rotation the adjustment buttons can feel the wrong way around!
• The tank instructions should give guide voltages for the coil heads – I can’t read the tiny writing on the coils and nothing in the instructions so I had to look online to make sure I didn’t apply too much power.
• Small diameter drip tip for a DTL tank may not appeal to some, also you can only replace it with a 510 tip so no large bore stuff here.
• The 0.5ohm coil head really is beautiful at 70W – but the mod will only output 60W!

Final Review Verdict

The Eleaf iStick Melo kit is perfect for me.

I love the design, the appearance, the practicality and it’s wonderful to use.

Often I give away stuff I review so other people can get the use out of it rather than it just sitting here on my desk – however the mod and tank are going to be keepers for me – I am not letting this one go!!

I wouldn’t say this is a beginner kit, it is more for intermediate users. Instead of the sub ohm vape pens (apart from the Innokin Riptide Crios or Vaptio C2) try something like this perhaps.

If you want to buy the Melo 4 tank on its own I can recommend the 0.5ohm coils at 70-80W are amazing! The iStick Melo will only output 60W – such a shame!

I have already got some more of the 0.3ohm coils on pre-order as I see myself using this little beauty of a kit a lot!