Innokin Coolfire Z80 Kit Review – With the Zenith 2 Tank

The Innokin Coolfire Z80 kit review and this one comes topped with the Zenith 2 tank.

You have to go all the way back to late 2013 to learn the history of the ‘Coolfire’ range by Innokin.

Way too many devices and kits to research to give you a good understanding of how far the Coolfire range has come.

If you’ve ever owned a Coolfire device, then you’ll understand what I’m talking about

More recently – the Coolfire Z50 kit was released which had an internal 2100mAh battery, came with the Innokin Zlide tank and fired up to 50 watts.

Innokin are back with the Coolfire! This time making use of an external 18650 battery and firing up to 80-watts and the kit comes with the long awaited Zenith II tank.

What Can We Expect From the Innokin Coolfire Z80 Kit

The new Coolfire Z80 kit is part of the Platform Series by Innokin which in this case has been designed by Phil Busardo and the Vaping Greek.

The Zenith 2 tank could possibly be compared to the Zlide tank for many similarities.

But the Zenith 2 is stated as a RDL/MTL tank which by definition means Innokin believe this tank can be used as an Mouth To Lung or Restricted Direct To Lung tank – depending on which coil you decide to make use of.

The kit comes with a 0.8Ω Mesh coil, ideally for MTL and also a 0.3Ω Mesh Z-Coil ideally for more of a Direct-Lung vape and has a 5.5ml capacity.

The Coolfire Z80 device itself is a single 18650 device and can fire to 80-watts.

Innokin has also included its new FØ technology which I will go into a bit later in this review – Its a bit technical but does it make a difference?

So let’s crack on and see what the Innokin Coolfire Z80 kit is all about…

Buy Now

See The Coolfire Z80 in Action

Inside the Box

• 1 x Coolfire Z80 Device
• 1 x Zenith 2 Tank
• 1 x 0.8Ω Z Coil (15-18w)
• 1 x 0.3Ω Z Coil (30-40w)
• 1 x Spare Drip-Tip
• 1 x Spares Bag
• 1 x USB-C Cable
• 1 x Quick Start Guide
• 1 x Warning Booklet

Innokin Coolfire Z80 Features

Mod

• Product Size: 131.75×38.3×27.6 mm
• Output Wattage:6-80w
• Output Modes: VW/VV/FØ (Frequency)
• Charging: 1.7A via USB-C Port
• Output Voltage:1-7.5v
• Resistance range: 0.1Ω-3.5Ω
• Display: OLED
• Battery: Single 18650

Tank

• Height: 36.0mm
• Diameter: 25.5mm
• Coils – Z-Coil Compatible (0.30/0.48/0.5/0.8/1.0/1.2/1.6)
• Airflow: Adjustable at base
• To Fill: Top-filling port
• Capacity: 5.5ml/2.0ml TPD

Innokin Coolfire Z80 Colours

I received the Ash Grey variant of the Innokin Coolfire Z80 kit which comes with a matching ‘Gunmetal’ Zenith 2 Tank.

If you go for the ‘Leather Black’ kit, you get the Black Zenith 2 tank, and with the ‘Leather White’ Kit you receive the Silver Zenith 2 Tank.

Design and Build Quality

The Ash Grey version of the Coolfire Z80 kit is a nicely coloured kit when it comes to contrasts.

The body of the device is a very dark, highly polished Gunmetal finish which is complimented by the Zenith 2 tank of the same colour with a lighter grey finish for the padded surround on the device.

The Zenith II Tank

Drip Tip &a Top Cap:

The 510 ultem drip tip that comes with the Zenith 2 kit isn’t exactly my favourite, but due to its size its capable of being used for both RDL or MTL vaping, however for my personal preference I made use of the included Spare 510 drip-tip when using this tank as an MTL tank, purely because of its smaller bore and more slender MTL style.

The top-cap doubles up as the fill section, a simple slide anti-clockwise will reveal the filling port which has that silicon seal meaning its pretty much leak-proof if you happened to drop the tank whilst filling.

Coils & Capacity:

The Coolfire Z80 kit comes with two different Z-Coils.

The 0.8Ω Mesh and the 0.3Ω Mesh coil, but there are also a number of other coils available for the Zenith 2 tank.

The Zenith 2 tank has a 5.5ml capacity but obviously for TPD regions, this will be limited to 2.0ml – I’m not sure if it’ll be one of those double-lined PCTG tubes or an internal removable silicon bung, but either way I’m sure there will be a way to extend that capacity up to the maximum 5.5ml.

I really like how the glass is protected from the frame of the tank. Just like with the Zlide – Now this doesn’t mean you cant break it, but its certainly more durable than most of the tanks we see.

The Base:

The removable base of the Zenith 2 tank is nicely laser etched with the Platform Series logo and the designers Phil Busardo and Vaping Greek.

The base doubles up as the airflow control and has a nice tolerance to it.

Airflow can be adjusted from one large Airflow slot, all the way down to the more MTL airflow which has 3 small holes. Meaning you can adjust the airflow from wide open, to as small as 1 tiny inlet hole.

Tank – Overall:

Overall the Zenith 2 tank is well manufactured.

To start with, before you’ve filled the tank for the first time, some of the threading and tolerances can feel slightly on the stiff side, but after a few re-fills and alterations, the fill-port and airflow slider become nice and smooth.

Innokin Coolfire Z80 the Mod:

510 Connector:

The top of the device will hold anything up to around 26.0mm before you experience any kind of overhang from your atomiser and there is a nice throw from the 510 pin itself.

Regardless of which tank or dripper I install, I’ve had no gap between the atomiser and the plate.

The Front of the Device

The front of the display has a really nicely style fire button, protruding nicely and with that nice etched circular effect, it really stands out thanks to the gold rim around the button.

The fire button itself has a nice click to it, however – my button also has a not-nice crunch to it. It doesn’t happen every time, only the first time I press it, then if I leave it a while and press again, it’ll crunch again.

I’ve contacted other reviewers who have the same product and they report no such issues so I suppose I’ve just got a dodgy one?

Below the fire button is a bright colour display, I cant seem to find information on its size but its approx 21mm in height by 14mm in width.

Below the display are the up and down buttons for adjustments to wattage, power and settings and they both click nicely with no issues to report.

USB Type-C Port:

Right at the bottom of ‘The Face’ of the Coolfire Z80 device is the USB-C port for charging and firmware upgrades.

There is no protective cover over the USB port and but the device has a maximum 1.7 Amp charge rate which I can confirm, thanks to Innokin’s very own Innokin MVP5 device being used as a power bank.

As always, considering this makes use of an external 18650 battery, I always recommend charging your batteries on an external charger as opposed to charging internally.

But the option is there if you need it.

Innokin Coolfire Z80 the Battery Door

I’ve said a thousand times that I’m not the biggest fan of this style of battery door.

That’s right, the screw in ‘flappy turny’ style – however they make for a clean finish and the lift up tab makes it easy enough to remove and install.

The threading for the battery cap is nice and smooth and I’ve had no issues with the battery door at all.

Externals:

Around the back-side of the device is the style of material we’ve seen way too many times, but this one is less like leather and more like a foam-feeling material with a nice amount of padding.

I actually quite like it however its not the best with moisture as water will just soak in, as opposed to running off the material.

The Mod – Overall:

In general the device is well built and to the expected Innokin standard meaning I have no doubt the Coolfire Z80 will be a trustworthy device.

It’s simple in essence but also quite a smart looking, and feeling device.

Innokin Coolfire Z80 In the Hand

Being a single 18650 device, the Coolfire Z80 kit feels nice in the hand, particularly as a thumb firer with your fingers wrapping around the padded section and your pinkie resting under the device for support.

The padded material gives the device a nice feel in the hand and due to the size of the Z80 its not particularly heavy, but feels solid and durable.

How To Fill The Tank

• Turn the Zenith 2 top-cap Anti-clockwise into the ‘Unlock’ position
• Fill with your desired e-liquid
• Allow the e-liquid to saturate the coil for at least 5 minutes
• Turn the Top-cap clockwise until it stops turning in the ‘Lock’ position.

The Coils

The Innokin Coolfire Z80 kit comes with two different coils which in my opinion are clearly designed for two different styles of vaping – so make note of what’s what and the wattage they recommend before installing because once you fit the coils, its very difficult to see the information on the coils to determine what to set your wattage at.

The Zenith 2 tank will take any of the coils from the ‘Z-Coil’ range meaning the Zenith 2 tank will suit a number of different vapers depending on your preference.

Both coils supplied in the kit are Kanthal mesh with the 0.3Ω being the Restricted Direct Lung coil recommended between 30 and 40 watts and the 0.8Ω being the Mouth-To-Lung coil recommended between 15 and 18 watts.

How Does the Innokin Coolfire Z80 Kit Perform?

Basic operation

Innokin is still making use of the same style of menu and functions from previous devices, which to start with may be a little confusing, you do eventually get the hang of things but it can take a few tries to figure it out.

Front screen shows:

• Battery Capacity (No Percentage)
• Power Mode
• Power amount
• Coil Resistance
• Puff Time
• Puff Count
• Voltage

The 4 items at the bottom of the screen are quite small so for those who struggle with small lettering, this may be an issue. However the text for these is fairly crisp and bright.

The Menu

There are a fair few options to consider when it comes to operating the Coolfire Z80 tank, so I’ll try and break it own as simple as possible.

• 5 clicks of the fire button will turn the device on and off.
• 3 clicks of the fire button will effectively put the device to sleep/Wake up.
• Press & hold Fire Button and Up – Displays battery voltage, coil resistance and Puff Count
• Press & hold Fire button and down – Locks adjustment buttons but still fires.
• Press & Hold Up & down buttons will open the menu

Main Settings

Scrolling through the menu with the Up & down adjustment buttons, there are a number of options.

FØ Mode

Lets get the confusion out of the way. I’ll try and make this as simple as possible, for my own sake as much as yours.

Generally speaking, most devices make use of DC (Direct Current) meaning there is a constant current to the coil which doesn’t rise or drop, it remains constant.

With FØ mode – the device uses Alternating Current meaning the current to the coil will in effect, pulse, or change up and down.

How does this affect a coil and the vape experience?

Well effectively what this might mean, is that the alternating current can improve the vape experience as it allows current to rise and fall more freely, meaning the power to your coil will not always be the same.

How does that make a difference? well depending on your e-liquid and your wattage, some parts of the coil may benefit from the alternating current, instead of the current always being the same.

Innokin believe this will benefit the life of the coils due to the fact its not always being powered by the same current, but by a current that goes up and down.

Its a bit like driving your car at different speeds to allow it to cool better when driving slow, and heat up when driving fast, as opposed to constantly driving fast.

I still feel like I’m not making sense.

The truth is – I’ve not really noticed much difference if I’m honest – I feel a much longer time-frame is truly needed to test this option, whilst comparing it to a device with the FØ mode OFF.

This setting may also benefit battery life as you are not always demanding the full capacity of the battery when firing.

Or maybe it’ll demand more as it has to create an additional waveform? I really don’t know.

Regardless of what Innokin say, I’m really not convinced it makes a huge difference, if any to the vape experience or coil life. But that’s just my experience.

Power

The Coolfire Z80 has the option to change between Wattage and Voltage only.

Refresh

This clever feature will fire your device for 1 second at 40% of your set wattage as a way of ‘Refreshing’ your coil.

A bit of a gimmick if you ask me, because you could just reduce your wattage and press the fire button for 1 second to refresh it manually. That’s if a coil actually needs ‘refreshing’

I put this down as a gimmick for now.

Settings

In settings you can change the display to a much more simple look with just your battery capacity, wattage and puff time displayed, you can also change the display time out from 5 seconds to 180 seconds.

Cut off the power when firing from 3 seconds to 18 seconds along with displaying the Device Identification number and restoring the device to factory settings.

Flavour & Clouds

For the duration of my testing, I was vaping on Darkstar Code-Red for the RDL experience, a 80VG/20PG mix, and for the MTL experience with the 0.8Ω coil, I used another Darkstar product, Mango Unchained which is a 50VG 50PG Nic Salt.

The  0.3Ω  Z-Coil (30-40w)

With the larger of the two drip tips installed, the airflow to the max and the wattage set at 35 watts I enjoyed a chilled out, slightly restrictive Luke-warm vape with enough flavour to keep me satisfied.

At higher wattage, I found the 0.3Ω coil wasn’t too comfortable so I usually vaped at around 35-watts.

Dropping the airflow down, it gets more restrictive and personally I didn’t find it comfortable or satisfying.

Personally I found this coil performed best with maximum airflow and average wattage.

The sweet notes from the e-liquid come out nicely and its a smooth, quiet vape with no whistle or whoosh feel.

The 0.8Ω Z-Coil (15-18w)

Setting the 0.8Ω coil at 17-watts and limiting the airflow to just 2 small airflow holes, I found i got the best experience for me.

The restriction is about right for a comfortable MTL draw, maybe too tight for some but I enjoy a tight MTL draw.

The flavour is more than respectable. Which is a shocker for me, because personally I’ve never really got on very well with Innokin’s Zlide tank.

So I’ve been impressed with how this coil performs and the flavour it delivers.

Dropping the airflow down to just one hole, its still a good vape for me, but much more on the tighter side.

For fun, I put the airflow slider up to the maximum and to be honest its way too much airflow for an MTL and probably not enough for a restrictive Direct Lung – Right in that awkward position.

Innokin Coolfire Z80 Airflow

The Zenith 2 tank has a very simple, but very functional airflow system that across the board is smooth and direct.

I’ve mostly enjoyed using the Zenith 2 tank as an MTL tank with the 0.8Ω  coil but it performs well as a restrictive direct lung vape with the 0.3Ω coil.

Just personally I tend not to vape Direct Lung with this much restriction. Its not super tight, just tighter as a DL than I prefer.

Battery Life

Both coils supplied are very much Low Power coils meaning even with the 0.3Ω  Z-Coil installed, I’ve still got good battery life out of a single 18650 at around 35-watts and have had no problem lasting an entire day with a single battery.

As for the 0.8Ω  coil at 16-18 watts, I’ve enjoyed over 2 days battery life no problem.

As always – These are based on how I vape, how much I vape and my batteries, this may vary depending on your setup and requirements.

Innokin Coolfire Z80 Durability

I wouldn’t say the Coolfire Z80 kit is the most durable, hard wearing bullet proof kit on the market by a long shot.

But that’s not to say its build quality isn’t up to scratch across the board the Z80 kit is built to a high standard and a very nice finish, so I have no doubt this kit will do you proud and last quite well.

Pros

Mod

• Nice style & finish
• Well built
• Clear display
• Decent charge rate

Tank

• Well built
• Respectable capacity
• Long lasting coils
• Decent flavour
• Smooth airflow

Cons

Mod

• Material surround isn’t waterproof
• Feel the Frequency & refresh options are just over-engineering
• Battery cap may be a con to some
• Some details on display are very small in Pro mode.

Tank

• Top fill hole is a dirt trap
• Top fill port is quite small

What could be improved?

Mod

• Make the material cover waterproof
• Overhaul the menu systems.
• Make the device a 21700 may be a better option for some
• I’m still not sure if the Frequency Mode and refresh actually do anything that noticable.

Tank

• Change the top-cap to something that will better protect the fill-port from dirt ingress

Innokin Coolfire Z80 Final Review Verdict

Lets face it, Innokin is pretty good at making high quality products for the masses, and their Platform Series is no exception.

Seeing as this device can cater for a range of different vapers certainly makes it appealing.

For me its not the best everything, but its certainly capable enough and considering its build quality, I see this Coolfire Z80 kit as a worthy successor to Coolfire’s of the past.

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?

I’ve really no concerns over the lifespan of the Coolfire Z80 kit as long as you take care of it with regular maintenance, cleaning of the tank and aren’t too bothered by scruffs and scratches.

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

The Zenith 2 tank performs well. Not the best with regards to flavour, but certainly acceptable and the smoothness of the airflow means you’ll experience a comfortable vape.

Is the Innokin Coolfire Z80 Kit versatile enough to suit a new and experienced vapers?

The Coolfire name has long been known for being a device that is good for newer vapers.

It might be said that the Coolfire Z80 kit nowadays would be ideal for someone who perhaps uses pod systems and disposables and wants to take the next step into a full on kit.

That’s certainly where I would place it.

If you’re looking for a proper kit, that’s going to last and be enjoyed, the Coolfire Z80 Kit is a respectable option.

Did you buy the Innokin Coolfire Z80 kit? Or have you tried it?

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Buy Now