Eleaf offers a new version based on its GX resistance coils: the Isolo, designed for powerful, airy vaping. It’s quite a nice kit, but it has some limitations.
The return of the GX
Eleaf is well aware that its GX resistance coils, combined with its GX tank, are a real success in their category and offers them in different versions to satisfy a wide range of vapers.
Their latest offering, the Isolo S kit, comprises a battery and the addition of the famous GX tank. It’s a ready-to-use pocket-sized kit for airy vaping that is compact and handles more like a tube than a box.
Technical specs
| Mod dimensions | 127x26x27mm |
| Mod weight | 115g |
| Battery size | Built-in 1800 mAh battery |
| Charging | USB-C |
| Maximum power | 80 |
| Max. atomizer diameter | 26 |
| Modes available | Watts, Bypass |
| Clearomizer dimensions | 26×44 |
| Clearomizer weight | 55g |
| Clearomizer volume | 5ml |
| Range of use | 30 to 50W |
| Filling | From the side |
What’s in the box?
- Mod
- Clearomizer
- Spare parts
- USB cable
- User guide
The qualities of its faults (and vice versa)
The Isolo S kit comprises a box and the GX tank. Well, we say box, but is it really? It’s a bit too tubular to be described as a box, but too oval to be considered as a tube. The mod plays with its own rules. It’s simple, nice to hold and above all, compact, and you quickly start to enjoy using it, unless you have big hands that is, then it will take a few contortions.
No surprises on the front. There is a large fire button that is in exactly the right place under the thumb or index finger, two settings buttons and a simple screen that does the job. Regular Eleaf users will recognise it at first glance.
The inside hides a 1800mAh battery that is charged via a USB-C connector. This point is both the main quality and the biggest defect in the kit.
Taking around an hour to charge, it is practical for users who are pressed for time. However, if you like huge clouds and long battery life, it’s a different matter. When chain-vaping with the GX 0.2ohm coils in particular, they guzzle a fair amount of energy and the battery life becomes less than perfect. This doesn’t really matter if you have a charging point nearby, but it is a problem if you don’t.
The top of the battery has a 510 connector centred in a large deck that can take atomizers up to 26mm in diameter. That’s exactly the diameter of the GX tank, isn’t that perfect?
The base of the GX tank screws onto the connector. No surprises there, it uses the same magnetic base principle as the pods, with the coils inserted from below.
The GX coils have already proved their performance. They are powerful enough to create plenty of vapour while at the same time preserving the flavours of the liquids. They come with the kit in 0.2 and 0.5ohm versions.
Easy to use, they can handle fairly thick liquids up to 80% vegetable glycerine with no problem.
The tank is filled from the side via a slot covered by a silicon cap which could have been a tad bigger. A bottle with a nozzle is a must.
The tank is clearly designed for airy vaping and will satisfy fans of high power thanks to its wide opening. Pin holes offer restricted DL, even slight MLT, which however is anything but convincing.
In summary
What we like
- The reliable, powerful GX resistance coils
- The comfortable, compact, original format
- The fast USB-C charging
- The impeccable finish
- A pod that’s not quite a pod, with a 510 connector
What we don’t like
- The battery, that is clearly under-estimated for the power offered
- The less-than-convincing MLT
- Leaking in the tank compartment in the long term
- The cheap look of the plastic on the tank
