The Innokin MVP Pod Kit joins the “MVP” range which has been very popular over the years.
Innokin say that the MVP range stand for Quality, Reliability and Ease of use.
Other devices in this range include the MVP2, MVP 20W, MVP 3, MVP3 Pro and the MVP 5 Ajax kit.
What Can We Expect From The Innokin MVP Pod Kit…
The main aim of this kit is to be simple and low maintenance for those who just want an easy vape life – I can understand this!
One of the main ways this kit is easy to use is the fact it uses replaceable pods.
Over time the coil (which heats the e-liquid) can deteriorate and needs replacing. For some this is a messy annoying job and for others it is not a problem.
On the MVP Pod kit when you need a new coil you simply discard the pod and replace with a new pod. They come in packs of 3.
Inside the pod is a 0.65ohm Kanthal coil which reminds me of the coil found in the Innokin Sceptre and Sensis kits – but the coil is not removable.
Of course the pod is refillable and is filled with up to 2.7ml (or 2ml in TPD Regulated areas) of your own e-liquid via the side refill port.
Inside the main device is a 500mAh internal battery and the USB Type C port allows for charging at up to 0.65A charge rate.
Another bit of simplicity is the fact you can either press the fire button to vape or use the draw activation by simply inhaling on the mouthpiece.
You get 2 output levels to choose from – 11W or 12.5W and you use the fire button to select which level.
There are 6 colour options to choose from: Pink Fade, Liquid Amber, Stealth Black, Ocean Waves, Space Grey and Blue Fade.
As always I will report back honestly on my findings on the devices I have in my hand!
Inside the Box
- Innokin MVP Device
- 2x 0.65ohm MVP pods
- USB Type C cable
- User manual
Innokin MVP Pod Kit Specs
- Size: 107x22x13mm
- Output: 2 power levels – 11W or 12.5W
- Battery: 500mAh (internal)
- Display: LED indicator
- Resistance limits: 0.4-3.5ohm
- E-liquid capacity: 2.7ml (standard) / 2ml (TPD)
- USB Type C Charging – 0.65A charge rate
- Pods: Refillable, fixed coil
- Coils: 0.65ohm
- Auto draw or button activation
- Side refill port
Innokin MVP Pod Kit Design and Build Quality
I received 2 of these kits in the Stealth Black and Liquid Amber colours.
Both of my kits were the 2ml TPD Compliant versions.
There is also a 2.7ml standard version.
Innokin also kindly sent me a box of 2 spare pods. Who would have thought these would save the day – read on to find out why!
I have reviewed a lot of Innokin kits over the years and they rarely disappoint, I am still using my Innokin Sceptres – two of them I had in September 2020! A few look a bit beaten up now but they have had a really hard life and still keep working perfectly and chucking out the flavour!
So I have high hopes for the Innokin MVP!
This is boxed in 100% recyclable packaging with the colour of device shown on the box.
Opening up the box the device is almost “framed” as a display to you and you lift up this layer to reveal the other accessories.
The pod has an isolating sticker on the base which you need to remove before use – this prevents the mod accidentally firing before e-liquid has been added or firing in transit.
Unraveling the instructions was a surprise they are pretty big but only 3 pages per language and important stuff such as device protections and fault indicators are not covered at all – tut tut.
Nicely packaged Innokin – everything arrived pristine!
Innokin MVP Pod Mod
This is smaller and lighter than I expected and Innokin say the device is made from “Premium Zinc alloy paired with a reflective coating”.
The panel design is pretty out there on the Liquid Amber version and in the preview I wrote I did think this was the ugliest of all the colours available – however in real life it is quite funky and has more of an “oil slick” appearance than the resin styling on the marketing photos.
If you are allergic to over the top vape gear (yes you Neil Humber!) the Stealth Black kit should be right up your street which is very toned down in comparison.
The black version is black on the front and rear and the side metal panels are a gunmetal style colour which all matches well.
There is Innokin and MVP branding on front and rear in Silver but it still looks classy.
The Liquid Amber version has silver side panels and the front and rear panels have the same oil slick finish.
Again the branding is in silver print.
On the base are the required legal logos and battery capacity.
One side of the mod features the small airflow inlet and the USB Type C charge port.
On the front is the fire button with LED surround.
Innokin MVP Pod
The mouthpiece is a kind of rounded rectangle shape – similar to a duckbill style but also like a whistle tip style.
The fill port is on the side of the pod so you will need to remove the pod to refill.
I find the port and cover really easy to use, no airlocks and the pod is super clear to view the liquid level.
Sadly though you will need to remove the pod in the 2ml versions like mine to check for the liquid level as the mouthpiece liquid section is blocked off on the TPD versions to reduce capacity.
On the standard version you could tip the device to see if there is e-liquid showing in the mouthpiece compartments.
Another slight issue is that the fill port is not huge, it was fine for my 10ml bottle nozzles but some chunkier nozzles might be an issue as you can see in the photo the larger one does not fit.
On the base are the 2 electrical contacts and magnetic areas and you can insert the pod either way around into the device.
The pod holds securely into the mod magnetically and doesn’t wobble or rattle around and still is easy to remove when required.
I had no leaks from any of the pods I tried so that is good.
Innokin MVP Pod Kit Quick Start Guide
The kit arrives with the pod installed – however there is an isolating sticker on the base of the pod you will need to remove after filling the pod.
It is worth making sure you don’t fire the device until the pod is full of e-liquid as you could damage the coil and that means the pod is scrap.
Basic Operation
- Power On/Off = 3 fire button presses
- Vaping = either press the fire button for manual firing or inhale on the mouthpiece to trigger the auto draw firing.
- Battery indicator = no mention of this in the user manual. Not groovy!
- Battery indicator when charging = Red LED – Battery below 90% charge, Green LED – battery over 90% charged. The light will go out when fully charged.
- Adjust the power level = press the fire button quickly twice to adjust and stop when the LED indicator shows the power level you require – Green LED – 11W, Red LED – 12.5W.
Protections
Sadly the Innokin website and instruction manual tell you nothing about the protections on this device and how to spot fault conditions – which isn’t great.
How To Charge The Innokin MVP Battery
The charging rate is specified as 0.65A.
- Using the included USB type C cable connect the small end into the USB port on the mod.
- Connect the large end of the cable into a suitable USB outlet.
- The LED will cycle through the different colours and will turn off fully when fully charged.
The charging time for me using a 1A charge plug was less than an hour – 56 minutes to be exact!
Using my old PC USB Port at 0.5A it took 57 minutes to charge.
How To Fill
Innokin recommend you keep the pod at least 1/3 full at all times.
- Remove the pod from the device by simply pulling it out. There may be a slight resistance due to the magnet securing the pod to the device.
- Tip the pod on the side and lift up the fill port cover.
- Add e-liquid into the fill port and observe the fill level through the side of the pod.
- Replace the fill port cover securely and replace the pod in to the mod.
- Leave the pod to stand for 10-15 mins if it is a new pod or first time use to allow the e-liquid to saturate the cotton and prevent damage.
How Does the Innokin MVP Pod Kit Perform?
Having 0.65ohm coils makes this sit in a weird territory – possible RDTL and MTL vaping available?
To test this theory I will use both 50/50 PG/VG e-liquid and also 70/30 liquid to see if it can cope with both.
If any of these terms are over your head – have a read of our handy guides below!
- MTL V DTL – A Guide To Vape Styles
- VG and PG in E-liquid – all you need to know
- Beginners guide to E-liquid
- Nic Salt E-liquid
Innokin MVP 0.65ohm Pod
I did this test three times altogether with a new pod as the first pod was not very impressive. This was the pod which came with the kit.
When I did the 70/30 pod test I used one of the pods which were sent as spares in an additional box of 2.
Due to the performance difference between the two pods I decided to give the 50/50 another try in the other spare pod as I couldn’t believe the difference in flavour between the two.
It would appear that pod 1 was faulty – which is a shame as that is the one included in the kit. The spare pods were excellent!
50/50 VG/PG E-liquid Pod 1…
I used a 50/50 VG/PG e-liquid mix I created using the IVG Concentrates in Bubblegum flavour.
To this I have added 6mg of Nic Salt. I use this in my other MTL pods and with 20% of flavour concentrate it does taste amazing!
Starting on the lower 11W power level I am slightly disappointed if I am honest, hardly any flavour but a lot of vapour – which I didn’t expect.
I will keep trying to see if the coil needs time to “break in”. I know the Sceptre coils kick out the flavour from the first vape so again this was a bit of a surprise.
After 3 refills at 12.5W the flavour was OK – but nothing outstanding sadly. So in this category I would say it’s decent but not amazing.
70/30 VG/PG E-liquid – Pod 2
For this test I will be using the Choppa Vapes e-liquid in the Bully Iced flavour.
Bizarrely with this e-liquid at 12.5W the flavour was much better? So it does appear that this kit prefers thicker e-liquid?
I got all the flavour notes clearly plus the hit of the menthol! How mad is that!
And wow the vapour is huge!
50/50 VG/PG E-liquid Pod 3…
As mentioned above I couldn’t believe the difference between the two pods I tested with 2 different e-liquids.
I wasn’t totally convinced it was only the e-liquid causing the huge difference in performance.
Anyway this pod with the same e-liquid as pod 1 was incredible. I ran it at 12.5W and the vape is beautiful – over the moon – lovely flavour, loads of throat hit, no dry hits just excellent all round.
So pod 1 was poo it appears?
Airflow
This is quite a tight airflow, just comparing it with other kits and the MVP is tighter than the Sceptre and might even be slightly tighter than the Caliburn A2 and AK2.
So ideal airflow for MTL vapers – it is too tight to really be any good for those who like DTL or Restricted DTL.
The auto draw feature is super quick and works a treat.
Innokin MVP Performance
The device has a definite electrical hum when operating so not one you can do sneakily in somewhere quiet!
Why in 2021 have they released a device which does not tell you the battery charge remaining?
The LED lights up when vaping but it is only the colour of the power level – i.e. red for 12.5W and green for 11W.
I hate it when simple details like this are overlooked and it is very annoying to a user to not have this information.
Innokin MVP Battery Life
This is a bit easier to determine on this kit as there is only one coil type and 2 power levels – but this always varies according to personal vaping habits.
To give you a guide at 12.5W I got 5.5 hours of vaping. The second timed run I got 5 hours. The only indication I had that the battery needed charging was that the LED flashed 8 times and then the device wouldn’t fire.
This is also annoying as there is no mention of what the LED fault conditions are in the manual so I was a bit confused as to whether there was a fault or just the battery needed charging.
Pros
- Very light and slim
- Feels quality
- Great packaging and contents
- 2 pods included in the kit (not all kits do this!)
- Pod design is great – easy to fill and replace
- Draw and button firing
- No leaks or malfunctions
- When you get a good pod the flavour and throat hit is incredible
- Less than an hour to charge fully
Cons
- No “battery charge remaining” indication – terrible in 2021!
- Faulty pod included in kit
- Some designs might be a bit too loud (subjective)
- Instructions missing some info on protections and fault indications.
- No airflow adjustment
- Only one coil resistance option
- Need to remove pod (2ml version) to view e-liquid level
- Would benefit from a larger battery (subjective)
Final Review Verdict
Quality wise I really cannot fault this kit – it is so well made. However the design of the kit is not really up to scratch in my eyes.
My main gripe with the device itself is the lack of battery indicator which should be a basic function in any vape kit! I can’t believe a good brand such as Innokin would omit such a fundamental detail? Admittedly it does flash 8 times as it shuts down when the battery is flat – but not particularly helpful!
Also things like the instructions missing info, no airflow adjustment and needing to remove the pod to view e-liquid level are also niggly things which decrease user pleasure.
It is the vape experience where I felt most let down.
Initially I used a 50/50 e-liquid which I would have thought this kit would be perfect for. I use the same e-liquid in other MTL kits and the flavour is off the scale.
However in the MVP it was just “so-so” flavour wise. Not terrible but very muted? There was a lot of vapour though.
So I had written this off flavour wise, but then using the 70/30 Choppa Vapes e-liquid the flavour was a huge improvement? Which had baffled me a bit?
I then tried a new pod and the performance again was incredible so it appears the included pod was utter pants – so that is a shame that the quality of pods is inconsistent.
Over the life of a vape kit you are going to at least get a couple of dodgy pods which I understand – it happens with mass produced goods. But a faulty one in the pack is not great as it would put someone else off. They might even take the whole kit back and want their money refunded.
Things like that are not a good advert for a company who usually knock out high quality devices.
Would I Buy This Kit Myself?
Initially with the duff pod I rated this as a 4 out of 10 for buying myself. This was due to the fact I vape MTL and my e-liquid gave me little flavour from this kit.
However experimenting with the additional pods made me actually like this kit more.
My off-putting things are the low battery capacity and lack of battery indicator. If these were improved I am sure I would have a few of these on the go all the time.
So…is this a pod kit you’re keen on trying?
Please let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
