Tests and Reviews: Istick PICO 75W TC Kit by Eleaf ~ The Vapelier

Commercial characteristics

Sponsor having loaned the product for the magazine: Vapoclope
Price of the tested product: 56.90 Euros
Product category according to its selling price: Mid-range (from 41 to 80 euros)
Mod type: Variable power electronics and temperature control
Is the mod telescopic? No
Maximum power: 75 watts
Maximum voltage: Not applicable
Minimum value in Ohms resistance for a start: Less than 0.1

Reviewer comments on business characteristics

It is not the boxes that are lacking at Eleaf, must admit, nor the mini boxes for that matter. In the power 75W however, the PICO fills the lack of miniaturization which the brand had made a specialty since the range Istick was born with the Istick Mini 20W.

PICO for: Preferable Innovative Compact Outstanding. Which basically means that it is preferable and remarkably exceptional to be innovative, without taking up too much space, which is not wrong in a certain sense and rather very true regarding boxes.

We will talk about a Starter kit as it is customary to define a set-up, consisting of a box (or a mod) and his own ato, here the Mini Melo III, an 2ml clearomizer of capacity.

The set is proposed to 56,90 € in a complete package, with two notices in French, please. A really affordable price for a material of such good quality, accessible to first-time vapers as well as experienced veterans.

Physical characteristics and felt quality

Width or Diameter of the product in mms: 23
Product Length or Height in mms: 70.5
Product weight in grams: 190
Material composing the product: Stainless Steel, Brass, Stainless Steel grade 304
Form Factor type: Classic box - VaporShark type but mini
Decorative style: Classic
Quality of decoration: Good
Is the coating of the mod sensitive to fingerprints? No
All components of this mod seem well assembled? Yes
Fire button position: Lateral near the top cap
Fire button type: Mechanical metal on contact rubber
Number of buttons making up the interface, including touch zones if they are present: 3
Type of user interface buttons: Mechanical metal on rubber contact
Quality of the interface button (s): Good, the button is very responsive
Number of parts in the product: 2
Number of threads: 2
Quality of the threads: Good
Overall, do you appreciate the quality of manufacture of this product with regard to its price? Yes

Rating of the vapelier as to feelings quality: 3.6 / 5

Reviewer's comments on physical characteristics and perceived quality

To complete the dimensions given above, know that the width of this box is 45mm. It is, moreover, perfectly ergonomic, its sides having the shape of a circular arc of 23mm of diameter. The weight of 190g evoked includes the ato (empty) and the battery, in addition to the box.

The top-cap of course has an 510 connection whose positive brass pin is floating but also, and it's quite original, a cap of 21 mm diameter 7mm thickness of out-flush top cap. He is in SS (Stainless Steel) 304 as the box and body of the Mini Melo. It serves as a clasp and negative contact to the battery which is thus inserted by the positive pole in a cylindrical housing, the opposite side to the functions of switch, recharge and screen.

The bottom-cap is also original, since it will house the degassing vents, the [+] and [-] adjustment knobs, as shown in the illustration below.

Four screws allow disassembly of the top and bottom-caps, this separation of the body of the box allows the relative access to the chipset / screen and housing and positive connection of the battery.

The set is well designed, a very good build quality, even if you can see a slight floating buttons and switch buttons in their homes, it is not a problem.

Functional features

Type of chipset used: Owner
Connection type: 510
Adjustable positive stud? Yes, through a spring.
Lock system ? Electronic
Quality of the locking system: Good, the function does what it is for
Features offered by the mod: Switching to mechanical mode, Battery charge display, Resistance value display, Protection against short circuits from the atomizer, Protection against reverse polarity of batteries, Display of the power of the current vape, Display of the vape time of each puff, Variable protection against overheating of the atomizer resistors, Temperature control of the atomizer resistors, Support the update of its firmware, Diagnostic messages clear
Accusability: 18650
Does the mod support stacking? No
Number of batteries supported: 1
Does the mod retain its configuration without batteries? Yes
Does the mod offer a recharge feature? Charging function possible via Micro-USB
Is the recharge function pass-through? Yes
Does the mode offer a Power Bank function? No power bank function offered by the mod
Does the mode offer other functions? No other function offered by the mod
Presence of air flow regulation? Yes
Maximum diameter in mms of compatibility with an atomizer: 23
Accuracy of the output power at full charge of the battery: Excellent, there is no difference between the requested power and the real power
Accuracy of the output voltage at full charge of the battery: Excellent, there is no difference between the requested voltage and the actual voltage

Vapelier's note regarding functional characteristics: 4.8 / 5

Reviewer's comments on functional features

Three modes of vape are allowed with this box:

The Bypass mode (protected mecan) which only takes into account the charging potential and the capacity of the battery, with a resistance range between 0,1 and 3,5 ohms.
The Variable Wattage (VW) mode, in the same resistance range as the Bypass mode, offers 1 to 75W in increments of 0,1W (long press on the setting buttons increases the scrolling speed).
And finally the TC (Temperature Control) mode and its three settings for the initial TCR (Temperature Coefficient of Resistance) function, the device being able to support several resistive wires in temperature control and resistances between 0,05 and 1,5, 200Ω. The TC mode takes into account the resistives Nickel 316, Titanium, and SS 100 (Stainless Steel, stainless steel). Temperatures taken into account range from 315 to 200 ℃ (600 to XNUMX ° F).

The Oled display constantly informs you of the charge status of the battery, the power to which you are set and, during the vape, the duration of the pulse, the resistance value and the voltage requested from your battery. In TC mode, M1, M2 or M3 appears on the top right of the Ws to tell you what initial setting you are on.

You can save your battery from consuming the screen, once your settings have been made, by switching to “Stealth” mode which gets rid of it. Rotating the display will also be possible, we'll come back to that.

Evaluation of the packaging

Presence of a box accompanying the product: Yes
Would you say that the packaging is up to the price of the product? Yes
Presence of a user manual? Yes
Is the manual understandable for a non-English speaker? Yes
Does the manual explain ALL features? Yes

Vapelier's note on packaging: 5 / 5

Reviewer's comments on conditioning

It is in a cardboard box with the usual Eleaf decoration that you will find, on two floors, all the components of the kit, namely:

1 x Mod iStick PICO (without battery)
1 x Eleaf Melo III Mini Atomizer
1 X Resistance Eleaf EC Head 0.3ohm
1 X Resistance Eleaf EC Head 0.5ohm
4 x silicone replacement gaskets
1 x USB cable
2 x User manuals in French.

It is quite suitable for a starter kit less than 60 €. A scratch-off serial number will allow you to confirm the authenticity of your purchase, on the Eleaf website, here: http://www.eleafworld.com/.

Appreciations in use

Transport facilities with the test atomizer: Ok for an inside jacket pocket (no deformations)
Disassembly and cleaning facilities: Easy, even standing on the street, with a simple Kleenex
Easy to change the batteries: Super simple, even blind in the dark!
Did the mod heat up? No
Has there been any erratic behavior after a day of use? No
Description of situations in which the product has experienced erratic behavior

Vapelier's rating in terms of ease of use: 5/5

Reviewer's comments on the use of the product

The PICO allows very low mountings in resistance value but we must also keep in mind that it will deliver maximum 75W. It is therefore not really useful to consider down to 0,20 ohm effectively, regardless of the functional mode chosen.

For light up ou switch off your box, 5 quick clicks on the switch.
Stealth Mode (screen off): simultaneously press the switch and the [-] button, the vape information is displayed momentarily during the pulse, then the screen goes off.
Locking / unlocking settings: press the [+] and [-] buttons simultaneously for 2 seconds.
Rotate the display: box off, simultaneously press the [+] and [-] adjustment buttons for 2 seconds. The display rotates 180 °.
Change mode: quickly press the switch 3 times to switch from one mode to another: VW - Bypass - TC (Ni, Ti, SS, TCR-M1, M2, M3). Press the adjustment buttons [+] and [-] to choose the mode, once done, validate with the switch once, or wait 1 seconds on the interface without touching anything.
TCR setting : Turn off the box. Select the TCR menu corresponding to your type of resistive wire, enter one of the 3 M available (buttons [+] and [-]), confirm your choice (validate with the switch: 1 click). You will then refer to the manual which lists, depending on the type of resistive, the TCR values to be selected using the settings buttons. Once done, validate with the switch once, turn on the box and let's go!

I refer you to the manual for the settings of the modes TC and VW, which have nothing special or complex to perform.

Let's talk briefly about the Mini Mélo III that comes with the box. It is a clearomizer equipped with proprietary Eleaf EC Head type coils, which you will find at two different values in the pack: 0,3 and 0,5Ω. They are not compatible with TC mode because probably made up of Kanthal A1, I have not been able to make them recognize by the sensors. There are some, available in the various materials supported by your box for TC mode. Before closing your ato, when using it for the first time, soak your coil with 2 or 3 drops of juice.

The pyrex tank accepts 2ml juice reserve, Eleaf advises to always keep 10 90% juice inside, probably to prevent leakage and / or fouling of the coil by deposit of non-vaporized materials.

The filling is done from the top, top-cap unscrewed, as shown in the illustration below.

The airflow, of original and discrete design, is regulated by rotation of the bottom-cap ring. You then have access to a vape from very tight to air according to your feelings.

The 510 drip tip offers a useful diameter of 5,5 mm for suction. It is designed in two materials: Delrin internally and stainless steel outside, which gives it a good heat insulation, generated by high power.

The box / ato set is effective, without being exceptional for the Melo, but rather convincing for the PICO. This small box is very responsive, energy efficient (in VW Stealth mode), it responds satisfactorily to high demands and is perfect from 15 to 50W.

The functions are reliable: the box cuts after ten seconds of pulse, heats moderately to 75 W and 0,25Ω while vaping frequently. It is not expressly recommended to recharge your battery through the internal module and the micro USB port, especially via a 500mAh PC, but it can be useful when you cannot do otherwise. The maximum load capacity is 1Ah. If you are using a wall charger, check that it does not exceed this value in "output".

Recommendations for use

Type of batteries used during the tests: 18650
Number of batteries used during the tests: 1
With what type of atomizer is it advisable to use this product? Dripper, Classic fiber, Sub-ohm assembly, Genesis-type rebuildable
With which model of atomizer is it advisable to use this product? The one you have will be fine from 0,25 ohm.
Description of the test configuration used: Melo mini V 3 to 0,25ohm 18650 35A
Description of the ideal configuration with this product: The kit is sufficient on its own but you can choose the ato of your choice

was the product liked by the reviewer: Yes

Overall average of the Vapelier for this product: 4.6 / 5

Link to a video review or blog maintained by the reviewer author of the review

The mood ticket of the reviewer

Let us add that you will be able, when an update is available, to upgrade the firmware of the PICO. You can already count on the performances announced, the reliability of the measurements and the calculations carried out to adapt your equipment to the best possible vape in complete safety. If this material proves to be as durable as it is precise, it is a very good deal, profitable to a very large number of vapers and I include of course these ladies, who will not fail to appreciate the different colors. proposed.

Good vape,

See you soon.

(c) Copyright Le Vapelier SAS 2014 - Only full reproduction of this article is authorized - Any modification of any kind is totally prohibited and infringes the rights of this copyright.