Mea Culpa

It has been many weeks since the tiny (just 6 inches tall and 1.3 inches round) eLeaf iJust ONE arrived at our office here in New Hampshire. Two days later the Joyetech UNIMAX 22 and UNIMAX 25 also arrived. In addition, new products from several manufacturers began to arrive, and continue to arrive almost daily. We have a substantial backup on our hands, no thanks in part because our newest writer fled the coup with thousands of dollars of new products, and a new computer we paid for. Anyway…

It’s taken this long to work our way to the iJust ONE because, well, our loyal review staff chose products that they themselves were interested in rather than the ‘first in, first out’, rule. It’s not fair, but it’s the truth.

That being the case, I decided a week ago to grab an eLeaf iJust ONE from the stockroom and began using it a couple of hours a day, until I had decided if the iJust ONE had value, adequate performance, and/or a general appeal to certain vapers.  The iJust ONE is a $25 Starter Kit, but is it worth it?

The Revival of the AIO and Tubed Mods

You may have noticed that in recent months there has been a revival of sorts for AIO (All-In-One) devices, and tube-shaped mods. No one on our staff wants to use an AIO device as a primary one, but there are thousands of people that would. As far as tubed shaped, all-in-one mods go, the eLeaf iJust ONE falls short on many levels.

The problem with these AIO mods, tubed shaped or otherwise, is that they are underpowered devices designed for new vapers. Even worse, the new, Direct Voltage Output method of powering these devices give experienced vapers very little control.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Check out our review for the Kanger K Kiss. It too is a Direct Voltage Output device, but with 6300mAh battery and a removable and replaceable tank with 4.5L juice capacity, and much better overall performance, it’s a much better mod. Yes, the price of the Kanger K Kiss  is $49.99 at Vapor Authority, but it’s worth it.

When you’ve been reviewing vape gear for more than half a decade the urge to put new vapers into a more powerful mod and tank is hard to overcome. It’s not easy to put ourselves in the shoes of newer vapers, or vapers that want a simple, easy to use, device. That said, there are two big reasons not to buy the eLeaf iJust ONE.

Direct Voltage Output

In simple terms, the eLeaf iJust ONE is set to deliver a constant 4.2 volts to the non-removable sub-ohm tank. However, there is a distinct difference between Direct Voltage and Constant Voltage. And it is important that you know the difference.

ProVape, may it rest in peace, produced mods with Constant Voltage Output, meaning that no matter what the remaining battery life was, the ProVari would continue to output the same voltage to the atomizer. This feature is what made ProVape such a good company to buy from.

Direct Voltage Output means that as the battery drains, so does the output to the atomizer. The iJust ONE, with a fully charged battery, delivers 4.2v to the atomizer, but not for long. What’s worse, the battery is a measly 1100mAh, meaning the battery life is terrible, and the voltage output will begin to fall quickly. There is a much more detailed explanation on this, but suffice it to say,

Now, there is one tiny benefit to Direct Voltage Output, and when we reviewed the eLeaf iJust S, this benefit meant something. When you use Direct Voltage Output the battery drain slightly slower than a Constant Voltage Output. With the Constant Voltage device, the electronics makes sure that the atomizer is being fed the same voltage no matter what, so it works the battery harder, and when the battery is depleted the user is suddenly without vapor.

The eLeaf iJust S sports a 3000mAh battery, three times that of the iJust ONE. To put it into perspective, the 1100mAh in the iJust ONE is half the milliamp hours of a modest 18650 battery. That’s just unacceptable today.

The eLeaf iJust ONE Tank

Incorporated into the battery chassis is the iJust ONE Sub-Ohm Tank. It is a simple, and somewhat effective tank that can use both the iJust EC structure coils as well as the flavor-orientated GS Air Coils when used with the included EC Sleeve Adapter. The 2mL vape juice capacity tank is a top-fill tank, and has six air holes below the tank section. Flavor and cloud production isn’t bad, in fact, while the voltage level held up the device produced some decent performance for such a tiny device.

Note* – The EC Sleeve Adapter is preinstalled with the included 0.75 ohm GS Air Coil. You do not want to discard this EC Sleeve Adapter because you’ll use it over and over with the GS Air coil replacements.

The iJust ONE is available in a many colors. Deep, rich colors that give the iJust ONE striking visual appeal.

Bottom Line

I don’t know. The eLeaf iJust ONE is not expensive, but when you consider the tiny 1100mAh battery, the non-removable tank, the non-adjustable airflow, the iJust ONE is, to me, a supped-up cig-a-like. I much prefer the new iJust S and it’s much more powerful battery (3000mAh) and removable tank. I’m not even sure I would offer the iJust ONE to a new vaper because I would be afraid the annoyance factor of constantly recharging the battery would send him or her back to smoking.”

Grade: D

John Manzione

iJust ONE Battery Features:

• 22mm Diameter
• Built-In 1100 mAh Battery
  • Micro USB Charged
• 0.15 to 3.0Ω Atomizer Resistance Range
  • 50W Maximum Output
• Direct Voltage Based Output
  • 4.2V DC Output
• Battery Life Indication
  • Four Pattern Feedback
• Single Button Operation
  • LED Backlit Button
  • Matching Colorway
• Dual Circuit Protection
  • Over Charge/Over Current/Over Discharge Protections

iJust ONE Sub-Ohm Tank Features:

• Integrated into iJust ONE Battery
  • Non-Removable
• 2ml Maximum Tank Capacity
• Interchangeable Coil Compatibility
  • GS Air Coil Family
    • Mouth to Lung
    • 0.75 ohm Kanthal
      • 8 to 25W
    • Vertical Coil Orientation
    • Organic Cotton Wicking
    • Installed with EC Sleeve Adapter
      • Compatible ONLY with EC Sleeve Adapter
  • EC Head Coil Family
    • Direct to Lung
    • 0.3 ohm Kanthal
      • 30 to 80W
    • Vertical Coil Orientation
    • Organic Cotton
  • Top Fill Capable
    • Threaded
    • O-Ring Sealed
    • Pour to Fill
  • Non-Adjustable Bottom Airflow
    • Six Angular Cutouts
      • Located at Top of iJust ONE Battery Chassis
    • EC Sleeve Adapter Automatically Throttles Airflow
  • Standard 510 Drip Tip Included

eLeaf iJust ONE Starter Kit Includes:

• One iJust ONE Starter Kit
• One 0.3 ohm EC Head
  • Preinstalled
• One 0.75 ohm GS Air Coil
  • EC Sleeve Adapter Preinstalled
• Spare Glass Tank Section
• Spare Tank Seal Pack
• Micro-USB Charging Cable.
• User Manual