Table of Contents
Last Updated on August 9, 2016 by Team Spinfuel
eLeaf iPower Nano and Melo 3 Nano
Prologue
Here’s a little secret about Spinfuel Vape Gear Reviews; on average, it takes 2 or 3 weeks before a brand new, mainstream product review catches on with mainstream vapers, especially if the product reviewed is so new it hasn’t reached vendor shelves and vape shops. We might pull in a couple of hundred readers a day for that brand new review, but that’s about it. Will the iPower Nano suffer the same fate?
Once the product gets out there, once mainstream vapers begin seeing it on vendor sites and vape shop shelves, then the review regularly pulls in a couple of thousand readers every day, sometimes for months.
Mainstream vapers are people that don’t turn up their nose at mid-range vape gear from companies like eLeaf, Aspire, Innokin, Joyetech, and SMOK. (WISMEC, a part of Joyetech, produces slightly more advanced vape gear, so mainstream vapers aren’t so quick on the draw to read or watch a review based on a WISMEC product, according to our analytics anyway) eLeaf iSticks, Joyetech eVics, and others are very popular with mainstream vapers, whereas advanced vapers are more interested in the latest RDA’s, RTA’s and advanced mods with YiHi or Evolv chips inside. Still, no matter how ‘mainstream’ or ‘advanced’ the product being reviewed, the newer the product the longer it takes to catch on.
Why am I telling you this?
The eLeaf iPower
Spinfuel published our eLeaf iPower review on July 15th of this year. That’s just 24 days ago, but in that time the review hasn’t once shown up in our Top 10 daily review recaps via analytics. The iPower is averaging less than 80 readers a day, a dismal showing for a new box mod from a major manufacturer. Whenever that happens we know that the device hasn’t drawn much interest anywhere, and it will most likely be a forgotten mod in less than 6 months. That is very disappointing to this reviewer because I sincerely enjoy the iPower mod.
Maybe the reason for this dismal showing is that too many vapers think “iStick” when they think of eLeaf mods, or maybe eLeaf hasn’t done much to promote it on their own (reviews are the cheapest, and most effective advertising for manufacturers like eLeaf but there is more the story), or perhaps this wonderful box mod was caught in the onslaught of devices hitting the US shores before the FDA Deeming Regulations kick in.
Let me ask you; is anyone talking about the eLeaf iPower in your circle of vapers? When you visit your favorite vape forum or Facebook page, or Google Plus community, are people talking about this mod, at all? They aren’t in the groups, communities, and forums I visit, that’s for sure. It’s as though the eLeaf iPower has been completely ignored by the vape community. What a shame.
eLeaf iPower at a Glance
- 5000-mAh internal battery
- 80W of power
- Dual Circuit Protection
- Full TC and manual TCR
- Ultra-Low Resistance
- Dedicated “Mode Switch” button
- $44.95 (Element Vape)
August 8th and Rush to Market
These last several weeks, we here at Spinfuel have been on the receiving end of package delivery after
package delivery. More than 40 NEW mods and atomizers were sitting here waiting to be reviewed. Regardless of the time factor, we’re just not going to push out premature reviews because we have a backlog of brand new devices, or because the manufacturers want them reviewed quickly.
After midnight Sunday (August 7th 11:59PM) no electronic cigarette manufacturer can release a new mod, atomizer, or even an eliquid, without first filing a PTMA with the FDA. If it isn’t at least announced and in the hands of reviewers, the chances of seeing it on American shores is slim at best. There aren’t many manufacturers willing to fork over the money for a PTMA application in order to release a product that could very well fail in the marketplace.
Product Introductions Chinese Style
Like many other industries, especially consumer electronics industries, electronic cigarettes are introduced to the public in stages. What usually happens is that a successful product launch will beget upgraded or improved versions. Or, like Apple’s iPod years, an original product is released, and if successful out comes a “Mega” version and the “Nano” version. Kanger did it with the Subtank, followed by the Subtank Mini, Subtank Nano, Subtank Plus. eLeaf’s iStick also followed the same kind of release, in stages, with more than a dozen iterations so far.
These staged releases are carefully planned and executed, with plenty of time to figure out the best way to get them on the market. Facing the August 8th deadline in the US, eLeaf and the other manufacturers wound up pushing out products that may, or may not, have been ready. The iPower Nano and Melo 3 Nano was released less than a month after the iPower and Melo 3. eLeaf had no choice, it had to happen now, or never happen… in the US marketplace.
The eLeaf iPower Nano and Melo 3 Nano Review
At a Glance
iPower Nano and Melo 3 Nano Starter Kit – $44.95
- 1100-mAh battery (internal)
- 40W of Power
- Full TC, VW, Bypass, Smart Mode
- 2mL capacity Melo 3 Nano
If there is but one aspect to Chinese manufacturing that cannot be bested by any other country, it is the ability to take an idea and turn it into a product in massive numbers faster than you can change the oil in your car. I’ve seen plastic mockups turn into shipping products in under 2 weeks’ time. That’s power. That’s scary.
Decisions
With only preliminary sales figures for the iPower box mod eLeaf made the decision to move forward
and manufacturer the iPower Nano. Like I said, now or never, and the incredible might of Chinese manufacturing, eLeaf was able to pull it off and get into reviewer’s hands just under the wire.
I have no doubt that the iPower Nano was on the drawing table already, and that mockups and working models had been built and tinkered with for weeks, maybe even a few months, and when the decision came down to build it and ship several thousands of them before August 8th, it happened at lightning speed.
(eLeaf and Joyetech also sprung a few surprises at us at the last minute, and we hope to begin reviewing those products next week)
eLeaf iPower and iPower Nano
*If you have the time pop over to our review on the iPower to read our impressions on the mod, please do. eLeaf got so much of what makes a good box mod so right that I remain shocked that it’s garnered so little interest among our readers, yet the iStick Pico Review continues to bring in 2000+ readers a day.
eLeaf iPower Nano – Quality
When our shipment of iPower Nano’s arrived (the iPower Nano and Melo 3 Nano Kits) the first question to come to mind was “Did eLeaf cut corners to get this out by August 8th?” Like I said, it had been a month since the original iPower release, it’s conceivable that eLeaf might miss a thing or two rushing to market.
After using both the iPower/Melo 3 and iPower Nano/Melo 3 Nano at the same time for more than a week I can honestly say, with certainty, that eLeaf was able to produce a high-quality miniature version of the iPower/Melo 3. Below are my real world impressions…
Real World Report
iStick Power Nano
Size: 38mm*23mm*55mm
Thread type: 510 thread
Battery capacity: 1100mAh
Output mode: VW/Bypass/Smart/TC (Ni, Ti, SS, TCR-M1, M2, M3) mode
Output wattage: 1-40W
Resistance range: 0.05-1.5ohm (TC modes)
Resistance range: 0.1-3.5ohm (VW/Bypass/Smart mode)
Temperature range: 100－315℃/200－600℉ (TC modes)
Color: brushed silver, white, grey, bronze, and wood grain
MELO 3 Nano
Diameter: 22mm
Height: 52.5mm
Thread type: 510 thread
E-liquid capacity: 2mL
Color: silver
In The Box
- 1×iStick Power Nano
- 1×MELO 3 Nano
- 1×ECML 0.75ohm Head
- 1×EC 0.3ohm Head
- 1×Seal Ring
- 1×USB Cable
- 2×User Manuals
The physical size difference between the iPower and iPower Nano is more than you might think. The Nano is shorter than my index finger, but otherwise is looks identical to the larger iPower. Button placement, OLED display, even the dedicated ‘mode” button between the adjustment buttons is in the same position. Even the USB port is on the bottom, like the iPower. It’s as though Ant Man used his shrinking technology on the iPower and shrunk it down to Nano size.
The iPower Nano uses the same chip inside that the larger iPower uses. For that matter, it uses the standard eLeaf chipset that offers a full array of features of every modern eLeaf mod. Anything a user can do with the iPower can be done with the iPower Nano… to a point.
40-watts of power will limit the number of atomizers that will work optimally, despite the same ultra-low resistance capabilities found in the full size iPower. I definitely recommend using the Melo 3 Nano with the iPower Nano, though many other atomizers will work fine. The Melo 3 Nano was constructed to bring out the best in the iPower Nano.
The Melo 3 Nano comes with a MTL coil head rated at 0.75-ohms. It’s a new coil head called the ECML. Also in the box is a 0.3-ohm DL coil head, which is the coil head I used most of the time.
1100-mAh iPower Nano
1100 mAh battery isn’t going to last hours and hours no matter what coil head you’re using, unless it’s used sparingly, and gently. Using the new 0.75 coil head (MTL) will allow the iPower Nano/Melo 3 Nano to operate a good couple of hours, but the 0.3-ohm DL coil head vaped the way I vape (deep, 4-5 second hits) will deplete the battery in about an hour, maybe a little more. But that hour is filled with some fantastic vaping.
And that’s the thing; the only way the vape will change is the limitations set forth by the hardware. The electronics are identical; the coil heads are the same as the coils in the Melo 3, so the vape experience is, albeit shorter, just as lovely as the iPower and Melo 3 big sisters.
Since the original iPower and Melo 3 were shipped to us I have purchased a couple more; I had a white one and picked up a wood grain and a bronze. I plan to do the same with the iPower Nano, only this time I snagged a bronze one from the shipment.
Despite owning more mods and atomizers than I’ll ever have time to use, there are certain devices that stand tall among the others. I instantly took a liking to the iPower, and now the iPower Nano. If I was asked to design a mod, the iPower is what I would have designed.
The size, battery capacity, dedicated ‘mode’ button, and everything else about the iPower speaks to a mod that was well thought out and executed brilliantly. It should be a top-selling mod.
The iPower Nano, although incredibly tiny, is not only adorable, it’s just as worthwhile as the iPower. It is the perfect companion to the iPower, and I would have loved to see eLeaf bundle the two together in one box.
Grade: A
“For its size the iPower Nano gives great vape. Sure, the battery doesn’t last nearly as long as we’d like, the 40-watt cap is somewhat limiting for some users, but it vapes like a charm. I recommend the Melo 3 Nano as the best tank for iPower Nano. This is not a primary mod for most vapers, but for a new vaper it would ten times better than a cig-a-like. Lastly, owning the iPower/Melo 3 and the iPower Nano/Melo 3 Nano feels right.”
Julia Hartley-Barnes
