Eleaf iStick Power 2 Review – It’s Been A Long Time!

The Eleaf iStick Power 2 review and this is a bit of a trip down memory lane for me.

It really does take me back, one of my first devices was the Eleaf iStick Power 80w, a 5000mAh device that pretty much is responsible for me now living a healthier Smoke-Free life.

The original was classic in look but extremely functional and very reliable, unfortunately after 18 months of daily grind, mine packed in.

But I have very fond memories of the iStick Power and when I saw that Eleaf was releasing the iStick Power 2, I expected only the best.

So what’s new? Has it been improved? Will it live up to my memories?

What Can We Expect From the Eleaf iStick Power 2?

Similar to its older brother, the Eleaf iStick Power 2 is a rechargeable unit, holding a 5000mAh battery which is recharged thanks to its 2A USB-C Port.

I wish I still had the original to compare size and feel, but clearly the new Power 2 is a more modern, comfortable device.

Featuring a colour screen, a gorgeous 2-tone leather panel for comfort and can fire up to 80 watts.

As an added extra, Eleaf has included the GTL Pod Tank which has a 4.5ml capacity and 2 different coils to try.

So the title of this section is, ‘What can we expect‘ – well going by my experiences with the original, I expect the device to be a joy to use, extremely reliable and hard wearing.

However, I have very little expectations when it comes to the Pod-Tank.

So let’s crack on and see what the Eleaf iStick Power 2 Kit is all about…

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Inside the Box

• 1 x iStick Power 2 Device
• 1 x GTL Pod Tank
• 1 x USB-C Cable
• 1 x GTL 0.4Ω Coil
• 1 x GTL 0.8Ω Coil
• 2 x User Manuals
• 1 x Warranty Card

Features

Mod

• Product Size:  52.5mm x  25.0mm x 129.5mm
• Output Wattage: 1-80w
• Output Modes: Power (Watts) / Smart / Volts
• Charging: 5v/2A
• Output Voltage: 1.0-5.8v
• Resistance range:
• Display:0.96″ colour display
• Battery: 5000mAh Internal

Tank

• Height: 51.0mm
• Diameter: 26.0mm
• Coil- GTL Coil Compatible
• Airflow: Airflow Control Rin on base
• To Fill: Bottom fill Pod
• Capacity: 4.5ml/2ml TPD

Colours

The body of the iStick Power 2 comes in just the one colour, basically a matte Gun Metal.

The same applies to the GTL Pod-Tank which I could only describe as a Satin Gun-Metal.

The colour options however refer to the leather/pleather colours. Available in Light Brown / Red / Blue / Black / Dark Brown.

I received the Red variant of the Eleaf iStick Power 2 which is a nice burgundy style red large panel, with the lower panel in a Cowboy brown, all with nice light-brown stitching…classy.

Design and Build Quality

Now this may just be me, you may be a Die-Hard Eleaf fan, but personally I’ve not really had much experience with Eleaf products, especially not since my original iStick Power died.

However I have always thought of Eleaf products as being very good quality, well made and sometimes cleverly designed.

The iStick Rim Kit came with the MELO 5 tank which had some very clever features.

So I would expect the design and build quality of any Eleaf product to be very good quality…and I’m not wrong on this one.

Lets put the device aside for a minute and take a look at the GTL Pod-Tank

The GTL Pod-Tank

Drip Tip/Mouthpiece:

The GTL pod-tank has the usual mouthpiece we have come to expect from Pod-Tanks, unfortunately not removable but shaped very much like a wide-bore 510.

It’s comfortable and plastic/PCTG in construction.

The Pod:

Fairly smoked in colour, but still clear enough to see your e-liquid, the 4.5ml capacity is ideal for this kind of device.

Being detachable, the pod-tank feels well made considering its plastic construction however due to the pod being smoked, its not quite possible to see what coil is installed.

The Pod-Tank Base:

The base of the Pod-Tank is where you install your Push-Fit GTL coils, along with filling thanks to the silicon bung which you can lift up, and slide clockwise away from the port.

The fill-port itself is large enough for the usual bottle tips, but its not massive so good luck filling with your 250ml DIY bottles.

Located on the base are three strong magnets which click solidly into the 510 base, and the GTL Pod-Tanks are also compatible with the Voopoo PNP 510 bases.

The 510 Base:

The Pod-Tank is detachable from the base, which can also house the Voopoo PNP Pod-Tanks.

The 510 base means the GTL base has a little more versatility thanks to this fact and also has a nice adjustable airflow slider than adjusts from one large hole, to 5 smaller holes and has a stopper at Max-Minimum.

Tank – Overall:

Overall the GTL Pod-Tank is very much like the Voopoo PNP Pod-Tank and others that are similar.

It’s nothing special, but functional and simple enough to use.

The Eleaf iStick Power 2 Mod:

510 Connector:

I really like the 510 on the iStick Power 2, its not a large silver circle on top of a mod, but  small base with 4 slots you can make use of if you use Air-fed 510 tanks.

The device can hold up to 26mm before you may notice a little overhang.

The Front of the Device

The front of the device has a large round fire button which is clicky, but also oddly cushioned.

Its raised and easily fired both by finger or thumb.

Below the fire button is a bright, clear 0.96″ colour display and the +/- or Up/Down buttons below that, the adjustment buttons are fairly small but easily navigated with a finger or thumb.

There’s no battery door to worry about on the base, only 3 small holes for battery venting.

Externals

The iStick Power 2 device has a lovely matt gun-metal finish so dont expect any finger prints, on either side of the front is a classy looking font stating ‘iPower’ on one side, and ‘Eleaf’ on the other.

Around the back of the device is leather effect cushioned padding which has a really nice feel and look to it.

We’ve seen many many devices feature this style of late, but the 2-tone style really sets the device off and gives it that smarter look.

On the side of the device is the USB-C port for charging/firmware upgrades.

The Mod – Overall:

I wasn’t expecting the iStick Power 2 device to have any kind of Wow factor, there’s nothing special or super fancy about it, but it feels and looks premium and certainly high quality.

Eleaf iStick Power 2 In the Hand

The Eleaf iStick Power 2 kit is very similar in size, and similar in style to the Voopoo Drag 3 kit, but the Eleaf feels better, its softly rounded edges and more cushioned pleather padding make for a more comfortable feel.

Considering the massive battery capacity, its not exactly heavy either and I’ve preferred this device as a finger firer over a thumb firer.

How To Fill The Tank

• Remove the Pod from the base
• Lift and slide the rubber bung to one side
• Fill with your desired e-liquid
• Re-fit the bung
• Vape Away!

Eleaf iStick Power 2 the Coils

The iStick Power 2 Kit comes with coils from the GTL range.

The 0.4Ω GTL coil is Mesh and best between 20-30 watts. The higher resistance coil, is a standard round-wire coil at 0.8Ω and rated between 12-18 watts.

Both coils are Press-Fit into the base of the Pod and both coils have nice sized wicking ports around them and so far I’ve not noticed the coils struggling to keep up with wicking, even when using a high VG e-liquid.

How Does the Eleaf iStick Power 2 Kit perform?

Basic Operation

The device has the usual 5 clicks on, 5 clicks off, and the rest of the functions with regards to options and menu are simple enough, more on that shortly.

The main display shows you battery level, No percentage value however, set wattage, the mode your are in, coil resistance, puff counter and puff time.

There are a few easy to change output modes including:

• Power (Wattage)
• Smart (Auto-Set Wattage)
• Voltage

Eleaf iStick Power 2 Menu

There is a small number of button sequences to remember to operate this device:

• 5 clicks of the fire button will turn the device on and off.
• 3 clicks of the fire button will lock the adjustment buttons. Will still fire
• Press & hold +/- buttons to enter menu

The menu includes the options to change your output mode, change colour display between Blue, Green, Purple and Red, Reset Puff Counter, Factory Reset options and also a Device Identification checker.

Eleaf iStick Power 2 Flavour and Clouds

For the duration of my testing, I was vaping on Code Red by Darkstar. It’s a high VG around 80VG 20PG.

Eleaf iStick Power 2 GTL 0.4Ω Mesh Coil (20-30w)

Being the lower option when it comes to resistance, and mesh I gathered this was going to be more of a Direct Lung vaping coil, and its certainly that.

Considering the recommended wattage output, I enjoyed this coil most at 28 watts.

Flavour and vapour production is really quite good with this coil, however ramping that coil up to 35w and its even better.

However, with that over-the recommended power comes a much higher chance of a dry hit and I learnt that quite quickly.

So, as much as I found it performed better at that higher wattage, the coil and mesh itself clearly doesn’t like it.

Its a very open draw with the airflow wide open so I found I set the AFC around half open, which basically meant you have half the large air hole open, and then 2 tiny holes too.

Worked best for me for a slightly restrictive vape with good flavour and a nice cloud.

Overall the GTL 0.4Ω coil performs well, doesn’t drink e-liquid too fast which is mostly down to the low wattage required, also this coil has been going strong for 2 solid weeks without any lack or drop in flavour, but its a bit of a shame it cant handle just a few more watts.

Eleaf iStick Power 2 GTL 0.8Ω Round-wire Coil (12-18w)

I wasn’t quite sure how this coil would like to be treated.

However, it had no problem coping with my High-VG e-liquids and the coil delivers a fairly decent Restrictive Direct-Lung vape.

However, the flavour isn’t quite there, its OK and acceptable but its not got any wow factor to it.

At 15 watts its slightly warm and performs fine but I kind of feel like this coil should have been of mesh construction.

If you fancy, you could drop the airflow right down to perhaps one or two of the tiny airflow holes, however due to the integrated mouthpiece, its not exactly comfortable for a Mouth-To-Lung vape, but the restriction is very good.

Eleaf iStick Power 2 Airflow

Regardless of how you set your airflow and whichever coil you decide to enjoy, the airflow is pretty good.

It’s a nice smooth vape across the airflow range and I’ve only noticed a whistle at one specific point in the airflow range which is half way between wide open and halfway – which of course I avoided.

The adjustment makes a big difference on both coils and nicely compliments each coil.

Eleaf iStick Power 2 Battery Life

This for me, is what the iStick Power 2 device is all about. Battery Life.

Well firstly – I feel like Eleaf has been a little cheeky, well, maybe not cheeky – perhaps crafty is the correct word..let me explain.

The 5000mAh internal battery is clearly capable of handling a days worth of vaping right? Well yes and No.

If using the supplied GTL Pod-Tank with its very low wattage recommendations you’ll definitely enjoy 2 days battery life with the 0.4Ω coil and push 3 maybe 4 days with the 0.8Ω coil.

Second craftiness from Eleaf – Limiting the device to 80 watts meaning you may be limited with what you can use on top.

A lot of my rebuildables have a pair of Fused Claptons that generally require around 100-watts. So you can forget this device if you’re hoping for high power.

By limiting the device, they’re limiting the battery drain, which is clever but also annoying for those who may want to use this device, with a number of different atomisers that require different wattage.

Nonetheless – battery life is very good and not having to swap in and out batteries all the time is great.

Charging is also fairly quick. From 20% to 100% took just an hour thanks to the 2A USB-C charge port, more than acceptable.

Pros

Mod

• Nice feel and look
• Extremely well built.
• Clear bright display
• Excellent battery life
• Comfortable in the hand
• Nice clicky buttons

Tank

• Good flavour
• Decent coil durability
• Lightly smoked so easy to see e-liquid level
• Magnets to Pod-Base very good
• Air-Flow Control works nicely

Cons

Mod

• Limited to 80 watts
• No USB-Out

Tank

• Slight leak from Pod
• Not a fan of bottom fill pods
• Coils really dont light slightly higher wattages
• Non-Removable Drip-Tip

What could be improved?

Mod

• Raise wattage to 120w (Like the Innokin MVP5)
• Include USB-Out Power-Bank Style (Like the Innokin MVP5)

Tank

• Move fill-port to top/side so can be filled without removing
• Make a lower resistance GTL Mesh Coil – Perhaps 0.15Ω that requires 65w?
• Make drip-tip removable and include a more MTL style Drip-Tip

Final Review Verdict

The iStick Power 2 is absolutely an improvement over the original Power Device.

Firstly the build quality is very very good, it feels and looks extremely classy and is a nice comfortable device to hold and use.

I’ve tried my best not to compare it to the Innokin MVP5 which is similar in battery capacity, may not be as good with regards to feel and look but also has a torch, Power-Bank style USB-Out port and also can be fired up to 120 watts.

And the MVP5 is a device I use very often because of those additional features.

As much as I like the device for its style and finish, I’m a little annoyed it doesn’t at least fire up to 100 watts – for many of you that’s really not an issue but for me, it is.

The GTL Pod-Tank is very similar to the likes of the Voopoo PnP or TPP pod-Tank and others that have been released of late.

Performance wise it does a good job. Its certainly not bad but its just not blowing my mind.

So the 3 big questions I ask when testing a product are:

Would this device be long lasting and still work 3, 6 or even 12 months from now?

Leaving the GTL Pod-Tank aside – the device is clearly well built enough to last a very long time, and even after weeks and months of vaping, the battery will only really start to struggle after 12-18 months.

Even still I’m pretty confident with regular are charging it’ll still be going strong.

With great care, the GTL Pod-Tank will last well too, but like any of these plastic made tanks, I can see them breaking eventually and needing to be replaced every 3-6 months.

Does this device deliver the flavour, vapour and general experience I require, in order to be enjoyed?

Both coils do a good job with flavour, vapour production and a generally nice vaping experience.

Matched up with the Airflow Control Ring on the base and you’re in for an enjoyable vape.

Is the Eleaf iStick Power 2 Kit  versatile enough to suit a new and experienced vapers?

This Kit ALMOST has what it takes to be something I may recommend to the right kind of smoker looking to getting in to vaping.

All it really needs is perhaps a slightly higher reisstance coil and a removable drip-tip so you can convert this into a more MTL style kit.

Pair those up with the Power 2 device, with its rechargeable USB-C battery and a new vaper will have class, convenience and portability all in one Kit from the get go.

Unfortunately – the kit isn’t quite there for that. But this kit is certainly going to be enjoyed, especially the device.

Did you buy the Eleaf iStick Power 2 kit? Or have you tried it?

Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

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