Today we are going to be taking a closer look at the Eleaf Pico Dual mod.
So, no one who knows anything about vaping needs to be reminded of who Eleaf is…
They’ve brought us the iStick and iJust ranges, sleek, sexy, trendy and hard hitting in every respect.
Respect is just what I have for Eleaf. They specialise in easy to use, affordable vaping gear that does the trick every time.
Although the Shenzhen based giant hasn’t been around for as long as some of the other most popular brands (they’ve been going since 2011), one thing I can say for them is that they’ve been instrumental, through their marketing of release after release of top-notch product, in putting vaping on the map.
They cater to the large but not uncool vaping mainstream and they do it well.
I’m amped about bringing you this review of the third (or fourth, if you count the Pico Squeeze) in line from the iStick Pico series: the Pico was a cute little 18650 running mod that fired up to 75W but was super compact due to Eleaf’s innovative design tactics and battery block.
The Pico Mega could take a 26650 battery, firing up to 100W, and the Pico Dual has all of the same incredible features that made the range so popular, only now we’ve got more fire power, 200W, all because this one takes dual 18650s.
‘Is it still a small vape mod?’ you ask: why…yes, it’s a Pico!
What’s In The Box (Starter Kit)
- 1 X Eleaf Pico Dual 200W Mod (Cells Not Included)
- 1 x MELO III Mini Tank
- 1 X EC 0.3 Ohm Head
- 1 x EC 0.5 Ohm Head
- 2 X Seal Rings
- 1 X QC USB Cable (Charge and Upgrade)
- 1 X RC Adapter
- 2 X User Manuals
Features
- Size: 46mm*44mm*119mm
- E-liquid capacity: 2ml
- Thread type: 510 thread
- Battery type: high-rate 18650 cells
- Battery type: (Continuous discharge current should be above 25A)
- Output wattage: 1-200W
- Output mode: VW/TC(Ni,Ti,SS,TCR-M1,M2,M3)
- Resistance range: 0.05-1.5ohm (TC modes)
- Resistance range: 0.1-3.5ohm (VW mode)
- Temperature range: 100－315℃/200－600℉(TC modes)
- Output voltage: 0.5-9V
- Maximum charging current: 1.5A
- Maximum output current: 50A
- Color: black, white, silver, grey, red, cyan
- RC Adapter For Turning Mod into a Power Bank!
- Reverse Charge Capacity
- Trickle Charge Regulates Battery Usage
- Dual Circuit And Reverse Polarity Protection
- Firmware Upgradable
- Preheat Function
- Bottom Ventilation
Build Quality & Design
Pico Dual 200W TC Mod
Opening up the standard, neat Eleaf box packaging, picking up the impressively small triangular cylinder shaped TC mod, my first impression is that it’s incredibly lightweight.
The upper surface features the protruding battery block design of the prior Picos, this time for dual carriage, there’s also a deep, spring-loaded 510 connection and judging by the design I can tell that there’s little chance of fitting anything except a mini tank (22mm) on this device without an overhang.
Sure as day…screwing on even a 24mm: serious overhang and it just doesn’t look right.
The Zinc Alloy finish has a plastic feel but it’s nonetheless attractive and I know it won’t scratch or wear.
Turning the mod upside down I see a hinged battery door with ventilation holes and inside, two snug and separate, in-series chambers for slipping 2 x 18650 in nice and tight with good connections and clear + and – signs so you know what’s up.
On the ‘point’ of the triangle, running down the side beneath the tank connection I see at the top a slightly wobbly, loose sitting fire button and below that a small round edged LED display and below that, a charge port.
Also on the underside of the mod, you’ll find two small, hidden adjustment buttons with + and – inscriptions, these will be used to scroll the menu system and make changes.
Once the batteries are in, the hinged door closes snug and at least the mod gains some weight… it’s a five click start up using the fire button and voila: a nice bright display!
Using the Eleaf Pico Dual Menu System
- Holding – and fire while the mod is off will tell you battery voltage.
- Holding + and fire will open you up to set modes.
- The screen will show your battery level, Ohms and Wattage, dead simple…as for the modes:
- Three clicks on fire will get you to the point where you can scroll modes using your adjust buttons, one click on the fire will then leave you in the chosen mode.
- If you chose TC mode, 4 clicks on fire will see you changing wattage in TC.
- I’ve scrolled through the system and tested the TC out briefly, all works like a charm although I’m not big on using the TC and usually just prefer to play things the easy way, sorry!
- Still, a little heads up…this thing fires right down to 0.05 Ohm in TC so you may want to do a little playing around on your Pico Dual.
- The power curve function can be used to program a curve so you can speed up ramp time, although I’ve experienced a pretty good ramp time on this device you could use this to raise wattage for a burst at firing for use with your hard core coils.
MELO III Mini Tank
Okay, so the MELO III Mini is a hard hitting little 22mm mini Sub Ohm tank will out of this world flavour and a couple of unique features.
One such feature is the bottom adjustable INVISIBLE airflow. You’ll see a black belt at the bottom, the one with the logo emblazoned on it. A right turn will close it up for a warm, rich flavour hit and a left turn will open it for some cloud chasing action.
I gotta say, adjustment to the right can see you accidentally unscrewing the tank from the mod though and, of course, gripping anything other than that belt will see you making a juicy mess of things, good and proper.
Never the less, the airflow works like a charm.
The top fill tank has a simple, sleek aesthetic (black, to match the black on your Pico Dual Mod) and the long, comfy Delrin Drip Tip is, of course, detachable.
The top cap twists off nice and easy with the help of some it’s ample grip texturing and that will expose the near-invisible refill slits around the sides of the fixed support and hey, although they’re narrow…I haven’t really made a mess during refill.
I’ve had no problems with the lack of juice flow control…I’ve filled the tank to the brim and experienced no coil flooding.
Disassembly is easy and intuitive, nothing gets stuck, it all unscrews smoothly.
The included EC Coils
Included in the kit you’ll find 2 x EC coil heads, one is 0.5 OHM with a 30-100W range and of course, the 0.3 Ohm coils which were pre-installed and which I’m still enjoying (although I did a few rounds with the 0.5 Ohm, just to test), they’re recommended for 30-80W.
The coils are standard Eleaf fare, you may have used the same coils on any of your MELO tanks or your iJust pens so…they’re hard hitting with one thing I can say about them is that both have rich, profound flavor.
0.5Ohm Coils
The 0.5 Ohm coils make for a great all day vape, with fairly good vapour production and nice solid flavour, plus… they function well throughout the range, I’d put the sweet spot at about 75W.
0.3Ohm Coils
The 0.3 Ohm coil has incredibly rich flavour and excellent cloud factor, I must note that I feel they vape quite hot on the MELO III.
I like to vape them at 50-60W and I find that closing that airflow makes for a real hot flavour vape at that wattage: the perfect way to get the most out of your juice.
I warn you, it’s almost like drinking vapour, it feels like a hot tasty liquid entering your lungs at that wattage with the airflow closed.
The MELO airflow combined with this coil gives quite an interesting vape…very different but without a doubt, enjoyable!
Oh and your tank will need a refill mighty soon if you vape at anything over 60W, it’s not got much capacity and vapes fairly hard so keep the juice handy.
How Does The Eleaf Pico Dual Kit Perform?
All in all the mod and tank combined give a great, consistent, rich and flavorful vape.
Although the positioning of the adjustment buttons will make complex controls tricky, in normal mode this is a stylish, portable, hard hitting device and the airflow on the tank is quite unique for the vape quality it provides.
How To Fill The Eleaf Melo 3 Tank
- Unscrew the top cap to the left
- Refill down the side slots, avoiding the central shaft
- Replace the top cap
- If filling for the first time allow 5 minutes for your coils to soak up the e-liquid
How To Change The Melo 3 Coil
- Unscrew the bottom cap from the tube to expose the coil head
- Unscrew the coil head from it’s seating
- Replace the coil
- Reconnect the tube and bottom cap
- It’s recommended to have some tissue to hand for any e juice mess
How To Replace The Eleaf Pico Dual batteries
- Open the hinged battery door
- remove/insert batteries by following the +- pointers
- Close the battery door, making sure it clicks in place
Battery Life
I’ve enjoyed superb battery life on this device, all depending on your 18650’s Amperage, of course. On-board charge is not bad, average in fact.
Keep in mind, external charge is always recommended for your 18650s.
What I Liked
I enjoyed the compact design of the Eleaf Pico Dual, the massive wattage and fast ramp time on this device.
The addition of the flavour punching coil heads and unique airflow MELO III tank makes it me love it even more. I fancy the looks and the feel of the Zinc Alloy…it’s a sexy little mod.
What I Dislike
The mod could have been slightly extended so that a 24mm sub ohm tank wouldn’t overhang, but that’s not the point.
The fire button has a shaky and cheap feel to it.
Pros
- High Quality, long lasting coils (even with my 90VG, no Nicotine juice)
- Lovely but unique feeling airflow on the MELO II
- Easy intuitive controls on the mod
- Effective TC
- Compact design
- Great battery life
- 200W capacity/50A output
- So cute!
Cons
- That fire button!
- The tank seat could be bigger so that I could fit a 24mm without overhang
- Bottom adjust makes complex operation tricky
Final Review Verdict
All in all I think the Eleaf Pico Dual is a high quality, compact and hard hitting device that’s sleek, sexy and functional.
It’s extremely ergonomic and sits snug in the palm of the hand and the RC adapter feature is a really innovative addition.
On top of that the Eleaf MELO 3 tank has a unique vaping quality with it’s innovative airflow system that, in spite of having a number of devices to chose from, I often just can’t help picking up.
This is a top-notch device for beginners to the vape mod game and intermediate vapers, while the size restrictions and incompatibility with a lot of tanks might not necessarily make it the no. 1 choice for mix and match vapers. I still think it’s an awesome device!
And..
Would I buy this if I lost/broke the device? Well for sure, I fancy a cyan one next!
