Eleaf iStick Pico 21700 Review – Same Same But Different

The Eleaf Pico 21700 mod is a follow on from one of the most popular portable mods and one many vapers will be familiar with, the 75W iStick Pico.

As you’ll see below, the mod itself hasn’t changed all that much but I guess the old saying ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ comes into play.

Introduction – The Pico 21700 by Eleaf – Update of a Classic

The new 21700 Pico, as the name suggests, allows for the use of the larger 21700 battery as well as the 20700 and 18650 by way of adaptor. The latest release also has bumped up wattage from 75W to 100W. It does still retain it’s ‘small vape mod‘ status though.

As a big fan of the original Eleaf Pico I’m looking forward to having a look what the new 21700 Pico has to offer.

In The Box

• Eleaf iStick Pico 21700 mod
• 1 X 21700 Cell
• 1 X Ello Atomizer – 2ml Capacity (4ml spare glass and adapter included)
• 2 X Coils – HW2 Dusl Cylinder 0.3Ohm + HW1-C Single Cylinder 0.25Ohm
• 1 X Spare glass tank
• 1 X USB Cable
• User Manual
• Various spares

Specs

• Output wattage – 1 – 100W
• Output modes – VW / Bypass / TC-Ni / TC-Ti / TC-SS
• Resistance: 0.05 – 1.5 ( TC mod ), 0.1 – 3.5 ohm ( VW / Bypass mod )
• Temperature range – 100-315°C/ 200-600°F
• Dimensions – 50.5mm x 25.5mm x 119.0mm
• Battery – 1 x 21700, 4000mAh (supplied in review kit)
• Also compatbile with 20700 and 18650 batteries, the latter using included adaptor.

Design and Build Quality

The build quality of the Eleaf Pico 21700 is excellent. It’s a chunky, solid, compact mod that feels comfortable in the hand with it’s curved edges.

It’s not an all singing, all dancing mod like certain devices we have seen as of late but I have to say it’s refreshing. Like the Eleaf Basal kit I recently reviewed it’s all about well made simplicity.. My kind of vape mod!

Eleaf have literally taken the previous design and beefed it up to accommodate the wider, higher capacity, 21700 battery, a 100W max output as well as accommodating tanks upto a 25mm diameter.

The function/wattage adjustment buttons are still housed on the base but set into the mod so they don’t interfere with standing the mod upright.

The OLED screen is of course is larger but as we’ll touch on later would have benefited from better menu functionality.

The only thing that is different in appearance, apart from the size, is the knurling on the battery cap, which follows the same smooth edged finish as the rest of the device.

There is a slight rattle on the fire button but only when you physically move it and not with a little shake.

All in all no big surprises, just a very well made mod with a design a lot of vapers are familiar with.

Standing the original iStick Pico and the 21700 side by side I still can’t help but prefer the smaller, more compact form factor of the original. This does of course come at a price with tank size compatibility and to certain degree battery life. I guess it really depends on what you want from your device.

There is one thing that has to be said isn’t really for me, the pink.. Of course it’s a subjective thing and no doubt will be just right for many vapers out there!

How Does The Eleaf Pico 21700 Perform?

A great addition, at least in the kit I received, is the inclusion of a 21700 battery.

Now.. A word about the battery… I feel a little on the side of stupid but in my rush to get this setup I unscrewed the battery cap to check the battery was in there, it was, great, then screwed the cap back on.

I must have spent 15 minutes messing about trying to charge the mod and the battery separately but nothing.. The battery was a dud.. Or so I thought.

Begrudgingly I thought I’d check out the instructions which, helpfully, points out that there is an insulating piece of film on the negative side of the battery.. but of course there is! I surprise myself sometimes..

If the instructions hadn’t told me I’d probably still have a ‘DOA’ battery sat on the side!

So.. if you’re wondering why your cell doesn’t work in your Eleaf Pico 21700 then there you go.

It has to be said before I realised the battery tab protector needed to be released I tested the mod with a 18650 cell (using the supplied adapter) and a 20700 cell, both of which work just fine.

Charging

Charging can be done directly via USB, the mod can get warm when charging but it doesn’t go past that point of worryingly hot. As always, it’s always a good investment to get yourself a dedicated, external battery charger for these types of cells.

Anyway.. So back to the Pico 21700 and first a quick look at the functions.

Quick Start Guide To The Eleaf Pico 21700 Menu and Functions

• 5 Clicks of the power button turns on/off
• 3 quick clicks of the fire button switches between vaping modes (VW/Bypass/TC/TCR settings)
• Wattage adjustment up and down – Using function buttons
• Press fire button and ‘+’ button at the same time to enter the menu
• The menu can be scrolled through using the +/- buttons and the fire button to select
• Press the Fire button and + to go back a step when in the menu
• Flip screen – Hold + and – button when the device is off.

Menu options

• Coil Lock
• Stealth mode – Turns Off screen
• Puff counter/ Time and Amps
• Battery voltage
• Firmware version
• Pre-heat setting
• TCR

The menu does (like most) take a little playing around with to get comfortable with the way it works. Without the instructions the logo menu options aren’t all that clear though (at least to me) so be sure to reference those when playing with the settings.

As mentioned before, with the menu layouts we see in mods nowadays it would have been good to see a clearer menu operation. The symbols had me scratching my head for a while thinking WTF is that? However, once you have your setting it’s unlikely you will use the menu too much. Or at least that’s what tends to happen when I vape!

Eleaf Ello Tank

We have covered this before so I won’t repeat things here, check out the Ello Tank review here for performance.

Battery Life

The Avatar AVB 21700 cell included with the kit is rated at 4000mAh and 30A. I don’t have the tools to do proper tests on batteries but if you aren’t familiar with Mooch then I recommend you check him out, he tests the claimed battery ratings.

He has tested this particular battery, you can see the results here. Interestingly, but not unsurprisingly for re-wrapped batteries, Mooch rates this as ‘overrated’ and recommends using at a max of 60W for best performance.

I tested at my sweet spot of 50W with the 0.16Ohm coil in the Aspire Cleito Pro. Moderate vaping saw me around 7 hours of use.

If you are new to batteries in vaping you can check out our guide here. Just be sure that the coil/build you are using is well within the batteries capabilities.

Eleaf Ello Tank – ‘No Atomizer Found’ Message

I did get the ‘No Atomizer Found’ notification every time I switched out the tank to the Aspire Cleito. I found simply cleaning the threading on the tank with dry tissue corrected this. So if you do have this issue give that a try.

Pros

• Sturdy, compact, all round well built device
• Comfortable in the hand
• Compatible with 21700 / 20700 and 18650 batteries. The latter using included adapter
• Firmware upgrade-able
• Decent battery life for a single cell mod

Cons

• Menu not the clearest in terms of options and the symbols displayed – Although the instructions do go some way to help so be sure to read!
• Pink – Subjective 🙂 Goes without saying other colours are available.

Final Review Verdict

If you had the original there will be no real surprises with the Eleaf Pico 21700. It’s a simple device that does what it’s supposed to and carries on the Pico legacy well. Simple to use (bar the unhelpful menu symbols) and compatible with three battery types helping for good battery life. All wrapped up in a solid shell.

There is just something about it though that doesn’t twist my melons, maybe it’s the design being so familiar (and in essence nothing new) or maybe it’s the pink! Apart from that there really isn’t anything too serious to dislike! I’ve had my original Pico out and it made me realise what a great device that was/is, it’s a very compact mod with a lovely black/stainless combo;)

So with all said and done… Would I buy the Eleaf Pico 21700 again if it was lost or damaged? Probably.. But I’d skip the pink.