The iSub B Is A Bargain Price So Does That Mean It Belongs In the Bargain Bin?
The Innokin iSub B sub ohm tank is the sixth in the series that really do come with legendary status attached!
Speaking of vaping legends, site admin Jonny has been a fan of the iSub series praising the original and the early Apex and G versions as well as the Vortex. More recently I reviewed the Isub VE tank which came as part of the TPD compliant Oceanus kit – love that mod!
Like I said this series has been on the whole extremely well received, so has the new version followed in those almost hallowed footsteps? Let’s take a look.
The Innokin iSub B was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review – thank you – and as always my thoughts and opinion are my own.
Price (At Time of Review – From stores below): £19.99 / $17.95
In The Box
The usual smart packaging from Innokin with plenty of goodies under the tray and inside you’ll find:
- 1x iSub-B Tank (0.35Ω Coil)
- 1x Plex 3D Coil (0.35Ω)
- 1x Vape Band
- 1x Spare O-Ring Set
- 1x Quick Start Guide
iSub B Specs
- Size: 24 x 51mm
- Capacity: 3ml [2ml TPD version]
- Top fill
- Anti flood protection
- Coil Material: Kanthal
- Resistance: 0.35ohm(30-55W)
Quick Start Guide
- Unscrew the base to swap out coil using ‘push and pull’ method
- Prime coil before vaping [small amount of e-liquid on all exposed cotton]
- Fill via unscrewing top cap and filling down the sides NOT the coil
- Leave for at least 10 minutes once filled
- Choose between 30-55w and adjust airflow to taste
Key Features
This is the sixth rendition of the hugely popular series of iSub tanks and the key here is the use of the Plex3D Coils with 3D mesh that are also use in the Innokin Plexar kit.
The company says these deliver superb flavour at lower power thanks to the ‘micro-grooves’ which are meant to increase the overall surface area – so delivering top-notch flavour…we shall see.
The coils have wood-pulp and cotton inside and this says Innokin means they heat up and down much faster meaning they will be longer lasting.
The iSub B is made from high-quality stainless steel and includes an automatic ‘flood prevention’ system when filling.
The pyrex glass is another feature given it’s supposedly ‘rainbow tinted’. Sadly mine isn’t and in my box there wasn’t a spare glass …the tank should come with the spare prism glass in all retail versions.
Once again it’s a top fill tank, whilst not an issue, it does mean screwing off the top completely. One might have expected a slide opening or something similar.
It’s bottom airflow with x4 holes each the same width. Wide open it’s quite an airy vape for its size and closed almost shut it really is an extremely tight vape – more on that later.
For me, one of the biggest key features has to be the price – ridiculously low in this day an age selling at sub £20 /$20 – bit of a bargain to say the least…as to if it’s worth it we shall most definitely see.
Design and Build Quality
As I’ve already alluded to, and just like most of Innokin’s vape gear, the iSub B is beautifully put together. The machining is first rate with silky smooth threads, and my stainless steel version looks flawless to the point I think it might have been super-polished if that’s a thing!
Anti Flood System
The anti-flood system kicks in whilst filling. Unscrewing the top cap means the spring loosens and the metal ring shuts off the juice ports. You do need to press down quite firmly when screwing back on.
Not sure this is over-engineering given on the couple of iSub’s I’ve used in the past flooding hasn’t been an issue…but it’s a thing and works very well indeed with awesome wicking – bubbles galore!
Come to that I’ve had no gurgling either…
Filling the iSub B Tank
One thing I will say is the fill method is very old school – as in removing the top cap completely to expose the coil – drizzling vape juice down the sides of course – these days most tanks have a cleaner filling method…but a steady hand and it’s all good.
Design wise it’s a bit of a looker – especially the ones with that rainbow prism glass. The tank has a clean tidy look with the Innokin logo only featuring on the base with the iSub B on the chamber. Pleasingly subtle.
On a personal note, I really don’t like the cobra styled resin drip tip but other 510s will fit if they have x2 O’Rings.
How Does the Innokin iSub B Tank Perform?
It’s all about the Plex 3D Coil and if they really do perform at such low wattage as Innokin say they do.
I used one of my go-to e-liquids – Riot Squad’s Pink Grenade – a 70/30 PG/VG mix and a flavour I’ve come to know very well indeed. BTW Innokin says these coils can take higher VG juices and I did run a 12 Monkey’s Tropika at 90% VG with no issues whatsoever wicking – even chain vaping.
As previously mentioned they are rated at 0.35ohm for vaping between 30-55w.
- At 30w the vape was on the cool side with decent enough flavour and clouds
- At 40w things began to look up with a much warmer flavourful vape and great clouds
- At 55w the vape was impressive to say the least – lovely flavour and dense clouds
I did push the coil as high as 65w and whilst I could instinctively tell it was pushing it a little I felt it could take a little more. However, that would definitely cut down on coil longevity.
iSub B Airflow
There’s x4 bottom fed airflow ports each the same diameter. Wide open and on a scale of 1-10 this is about a 7.5/8 as in plenty of air getting in.
This obviously can and does cut down on the flavour somewhat, but not by too much, I found a happy medium with 3 ports showing.
With the smallest half shut I got an almost impossibly tight vape so given the 510 you can (despite the lowish resistance coil) get a sort of mouth to lung vape [MTL].
Find out more about the difference between Direct To Lung and Mouth To Lung vaping here.
I’ve given my old iSub’s away a long time ago so can’t do an honest comparison, but judged on similar mesh coil sub ohm tanks I’ve tried and tested over the past 12 months, whilst not the very best out there, the iSub B is still a very good tank indeed and it has to be said again – a bit of a bargain!
Pros
- Great flavour
- Great vapour
- Good design
- Wicks very well
- Great build quality
- Clever anti-flood system
- Great coil longevity [2 weeks and still fresh]
- No leaks [2 weeks vaping]
- Other iSub coils fit
- Cheap as chips
Cons
- Fill system a little outdated
- Quite airy wide open for a small tank
- 3ml max [rest of the world] no bubble glass option
Final Review Verdict
As mentioned at the beginning the iSub is a legend among the vape scene. If there was ever a vaping Hall of Fame, the original would rightly find a place.
So has the new iSub B delivered a great vape to a new generation of vapers?
In a word yes.
It really does deliver deep flavours even at the relatively low wattage of 40w. Things get a whole letter better bumped to the max of 55w.
Not sure if the anti-flood system was really needed but it does the job and wicking is superb with a ton of bubbles constantly streaming to the top.
A bit of a niggle is the fill system. Still old school wide open and drizzling e-liquid down the sides – just a little niggle.
One other issue I’ve found is screwing the top cap back on. It does take a fair bit of pressure to get the threads to bite and a few times the glass has wobbled worryingly. Be careful and you should be OK.
So yeah I have no problem at all recommending this one to iSub virgins or die-hard fans.
Great flavour – excellent vapour – clean unfussy design – very good coils and an absolute bargain price.
Have you used the Innokin iSub B Tank? If so we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
