Eleaf iStick Rim Kit Review – Should iBuy This Kit or Should iStick to My Current One?

The Eleaf Rim…. Let me start off by saying I will not be calling this device ‘The Rim’ I will be referring to it as The ‘iStick’ for obvious reasons. And yes I’ve got a pink swirly Rim.

In my early days of vaping I relied heavily on my Eleaf iStick 20w mod, which was a corking little device, and still works today. Not that I use it, but it still works, and I also couldn’t fault the iPower iStick 80w box mod with its massive 5000mAh battery. I loved those mods.

So regardless of the colour that I have been sent – I’ve been expecting good things from the latest in the Eleaf ‘iStick’ range, the iStick Rim.

In the box you get an 80w 3000mAh battery box mod and included is the Eleaf Melo 5 tank. A brand new tank from Eleaf, packed with safety and convenience which on Eleaf’s website, looks and sounds great. So let’s have a look.

Hands On Video of the iStick Rim in Action

What’s In The Box

• Eleaf iStick Rim Box Mod
• MELO 5 Tank (0.6Ω coil pre-installed )
• Extra Mesh Coil 0.15Ω
• USB-C/Micro USB Charging Cable
• Bag of Spare O-Rings
• Spare Glass Tube (4ml and swirly)
• USB Charging/Firmware Upgrade Cable
• User Manual
• Warning Card

Features

Mod

• Battery – Integrated 300mAH battery
• Fires up to 80w
• Using the USB-C cable, charges in 40minutes
• Over-current/Over-Charge/Over-Discharge Protection
• Height: 81mm
• Width: 36mm
• Depth: 30mm
• Colours Available: Rainbow, Wildness, Macaron, E-Green, Darkness, Maze

Tank

• 510 drip tip compatible
• Tank capacity: 2ml and 4ml bubble glass
• Airflow adjustment
• Lift and slide top fill with leak free silicon port
• Bottom lock system for easy coil removal
• EC-S Temperature Control Mesh coil (0.6Ω)
• EC-M Wattage Control Mesh Coil (0.15Ω)
• Height: 57.3mm (Including Low Profile Drip-Tip)
• Diameter: 26.5mm (28mm at widest point with bubble glass)
• Colours Available: Black,Silver

Design and Build Quality

I received the Macaron version with the Silver/Chrome tank. And regardless of what I say, my missus thinks it looks gorgeous, especially with the swirly bubble glass on it. So I’ll take her word for it that it looks nice for the ladies.

But the other colours available do look pretty smart, I really like the look of the Camo (E-Green) with a black tank. My cuppa tea.

In The Hand

The moment I put the Eleaf Rim in my hand, I could hear a creaking noise, a plastic rubbing on plastic noise. Not a nice start, But it does feel nice and comfy in the palm regardless of the cheap plastic feel to it.

The fire button is perfectly placed for a comfy thumb fire, but it does feel a little top heavy with the Melo 5 tank fitted.

iStick Rim

Ignoring the cheap feel to it, its a very simply designed mod, with up/down buttons to adjust your power, and a big round smooth fire button. On the rear side of the mod is a nice textured rubber strip to give you a little extra grip.

Base

At the base of the device is your USB-C port for charging, USB-C looks to be the universal future of electrical devices as it generally means a faster charge time.

Most modern phones (apart from apple of course) appear to be moving over to USB-C. So expect more of this in future.

At the top is a beautifully spring loaded 510 connector, and the iStick will take a RDA/RTA etc up to 26mm before you will notice any overhang and no gaps between mod and RDA/RTA.

MELO 5 Tank

The Melo 5 tank doesn’t appear to be just a slightly upgraded version of the Melo 4, it looks very different and has a lot of new, clever features.

Starting at the top is a typical 510 Drip-Tip, other 510’s fit as well. There is a very nice top filling system, you lift the complete top of the tank up, and slide across to reveal a silicon slot which won’t leak unless you open the silicon slot manually.

The kit came with a 2ml straight glass, and an unusual looking 4ml bubble glass which features a weird rubbery swirly design. Not sure how well it would hope with being dropped, but it looks kinda fancy.

However, good luck seeing the level of your e-liquid if you’re vaping on a clear juice – because its a pain to see. But anything slightly yellow will be visible enough to see your level.

Coil Options and Airflow

You have 2 coil options, a 0.65Ω Stainless Steel Temperature Controlled Mesh coil, and a 0.15Ω Wattage mode Mesh Coil.

There is multiple airflow options, which adjusts the same on both sides, all the way from all the way open, to just one small hole. But even with the one hole open, its not much of a tight draw. So this isn’t a Mouth to Lung (MTL) tank by any means.

It’s the bottom of this tank that the best feature comes into play. I personally haven’t seen this before and its genius.

Unscrewing the base of the tank will reveal the base and the coil, leaving the top part including the glass, and your desired e-liquid as it was! Thats right, no leaking, no mucky coil change, no emptying your tank.

On closer inspection there are 4 juice ports around the inner barrel of this Sub-Ohm Tank and these work on a slider which open when the base and coil is screwed in. They close when the base is removed.

This just means you don’t have to wait for an empty tank, or carefully try to empty your tank to replace the coil-head. Very very clever and super convenient.

Obviously there will be a little liquid in and around the coil itself, but that’s to be expected.

How Does the Eleaf iStick Rim Kit perform?

Basic operation

The iStick has that typical, boring, dated display if I’m honest, a little disappointing. But if you press and hold the fire button and + for a few seconds. You’re welcomed with a few icons.

• Sub-parameters – Here you can choose which sub-category to display on the main screen – Puff Count/Time/Voltage
• Stealth – Turn the screen on or off if you like that kind of thing
• Timeout Duration – How long your device will fire before it shuts down – 5s/10s/15s/Off.. I’m surprised by this feature. Generally speaking, most devices auto-stop at 10-seconds. Which I think is reasonable enough as I can’t remember the last time I took a 10 second pull anyway! But if you had this option OFF, and the device started firing in your pocket, or behind the sofa. You could find you have a problem soon enough.
• Version – Shows the Hardware Version and Firmware Version.
• Battery – Shows the battery capacity in Volts.

Flavour and Clouds

This particular kit comes with 2 different coils for the Melo 5 tank. Both coils are different styles of mesh and its the 0.6Ω coil that I eventually became more fond of.

The great thing about this tank is I could easily swap between coils at any point without it being too much of a problem and another thing to mention is both coils wick really well! Even when chain vaping I experienced no dry hits or flavourless vapes. Very good indeed.

The EC-M 0.15Ω Mesh Coil – Recommended 30-75W

Recommended at 30-75w which in my opinion I find a little vague – Almost like they haven’t done their research to finer pinpoint the sweet spot for this coil.

I generally vaped on this coil at 60w, with the airflow all the way open. Vapour production is very good, a nice thick dense cloud and the flavour from this coil is ok, a little bit on the dull side. But more than acceptable.

In fact its very similar to the flavour I got from the Geekvape Cerberus Tank which I recently reviewed with the Geekvape Aegis Solo Kit.

The EC-S 0.6Ω Mesh Coil – 15-30W

Recommended at 15-30w – I have the feeling they designed to use this coil for Mouth-To-Lung vaping. However, because of the airflow on the tank, even though its fully adjustable, it just doesn’t work as an MTL tank, and an MTL coil.

Although at 29w, airflow 3/4 open, the 0.6Ω coil delivers a lovely vape!

Not too cloudy, but its slightly warm, and slightly sweeter than the 0.15Ω coil. And of course the added benefit of not draining the battery too quick.

Oh and BONUS, you’re also making use of the ‘Dry-Burn Protection’ which only works on the 0.6Ω coil. And only up to 30w – Always read the small print!

Dry-Burn Protection

Simply put, the device will not let you experience a dry hit apparently. But does it work?

Well I’ve tried it, so you don’t have to!

I vaped and vaped until the tank was bone dry, the flavour started to disappear and I kept going. It was then the burnt taste kicked in.

I probably had 4 dry hits before I gave up and concluded that the ‘Dry-Burn Protection’ does not work. So try at your own risk folks! Or at least only when you were looking to change the coil anyway.

To add insult to injury, I then re-filled the tank and let it soak for a while. And thats when the device decided to tell me ‘DRY PROTECTION’ – A little late. Unfortunately the coil was then useless as this was displayed every time I tried to vape on it. So quite frankly, once you’ve dried the coil – you’re stuffed.

Airflow

Just a quick mention about the airflow, its not noisy, but it is a little turbulent. Especially when wide open and that turbulence doesn’t disappear until you’re on about 1/4 open airflow. It’s not an annoying sound, just something I’ve noticed during my testing.

Battery Life

A 3000mAH battery should, and will last all day long at 60w.

However I used my favourite dripper for the day at one point and at its max 80w it lasted just shy of 12 hours. But that’s to be expected, the device also got a little hot at times.

Vaping at a lower wattage (Sub-30w) the device gave me a solid 2 days battery life. Which is great and either way it’s not too much bother to charge with its 40 minute fast charging USB-C connection.

Pros

Mod

• Very simple to use
• Colour options are good
• USB-C 40 minute fast charge

Tank

• Excellent top fill system
• Extremely smart coil replacement technology
• Both coils vape and wick very nicely

Cons

Mod

• Feels a little cheap and a little squeaky
• Display is outdated
• Dry-Burn Protection doesn’t work

Tank

• Slightly turbulent airflow
• Appears to be a DTL & MTL tank, but it isn’t.
• Cant see clear liquid with swirly bubble glass on

Final Review Verdict

Right I’ll say it now – The Eleaf iStick Rim is a kit I honestly didn’t think I was going to enjoy. Regardless of the name, the colour, the feel and the style. Im actually fairly impressed.

Yes it has its flaws, but the Melo 5 tank is top notch. Its not a flavour monster, its not an vapour machine – But its a comfortable, mellow experience which is quite enjoyable and has some very handy features.

As much as the display and feel of the iStick mod is outdated, it performs very well and feels pretty snug in the hand. Battery life is more than acceptable and it’s great to see USB-C is hitting the vape world.

So the 3 big questions I’ve began to ask of every device I review

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

Absolutely to an extent, the tank yes, the battery yes, the mod itself? Im not sure it could last more than 3 months in my pocket. The plastic covers will easily scratch and feel like they could clip off very easily.

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

In a nutshell, it certainly does in every aspect. Fairly impressive.

Is the Eleaf iStick Rim versatile enough to suit a new vaper, and an experienced one alike?

I’d say so. It has its limits, but it includes a lot of convenience which will suit a lot of vapers.

Did you buy the Eleaf iStick Rim? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.