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The Innokin iTaste VV v3.0 Review by Tom McBride
We were recently introduced to an online vendor based in China, called “Fairy Gifts”. This is a company that works with the major manufactures and offers great deals on all kinds of hardware. Fairy Gifts sent us the Innokin iTaste VV v3.0 for review purposes. That review is below. – John Manzione – Publisher
I have wanted, for a long time, to review an iTaste VV, for well over a year now actually. So when I was given the opportunity to review the new iTaste VV v3.0 I jumped at it. This thing is oh-so-cool.
The iTaste VV v3.0 that I reviewed is the “chameleon”, and while I may not understand the reason it’s called that (the color didn’t change when held on placed on a colored surface), the finish is a glossy black with silver speckles throughout the device. It is very sharp looking, like a custom paint job on a muscle car. I’ve seen the black one as well and it’s a good-looking black finish, but the chameleon is definitely more my style.
Innokin offers three different packages for the iTaste VV v3.0. I’m reviewing the Express Kit, which comes with the iTaste itself and a cool retractable USB cable ($42). The larger kits contain more items, including a wall adapter for the USB cable and 5 iClear 16 clearomizers, and a pen cap for the battery.
As you can see by the photos the iTaste VV v3.0 has a boxy/rectangular look to it. It fits in the average hand nicely, making it an excellent stealth device. Not only is it attractive, it’s also fun to use. But before I get into that, here’s a look at the official features and specs of the iTaste VV 3.0
Official Features:
LED Battery Indicator:
The iTaste VV battery utilizes an advanced capacity display via green, yellow and red LED lights. Users will know the battery’s capacity via the color of the LED Button. The LED lights will show green, yellow or red to indicate full battery life, half capacity or charging needed.
Battery Life:
The iTaste VV e-cigarette features a built-in 800mAh polymer Li-Ion rechargeable battery.
510 Threaded:
The iTaste VV is threaded to accept 510 accessories, including the iClear10, iClear16 and iClear30 clearomizers.
ON/OFF Battery Switch:
Quickly clicking three times will power the device on or off. Once the device is on, holding down the button will activate the battery. This safety feature prevents the atomizer from turning on while it’s in your pocket or bag, as well as inadvertent settings changes.
10-Second Cutoff:
If the button is held down for 10 seconds or longer, the iTaste VV will shut itself off until the button is released.
Pass-through:
The iTaste VV is charged through a Micro USB Port. You can recharge it with any standard MicroUSB cable. It can also work as a pass-through device for simultaneous vaping and charging.
Settings Retention: The device remembers the last voltage or wattage used when switching batteries. Display Information: The bright display shows resistance (ohms), voltage, wattage, atomizer voltage output, puff count, and last-used settings.Specs:
- Size: 15x15x108.5mm
- Battery Capacity: 800mAh
- Operating Voltage: 3.3V-5.0V in .1 increments; Wattage 6w-11.0w in .5 increments
- Charging Time: 1.5 Hours
- Release Date: 2013.05.25
Standout Features
There are many features in this small APV, and a few of them are real standouts for this Vaper. The multi-colors that indicate battery life is something I use a lot, being able to know in an instant whether I’m going to need to start recharging it soon is a Godsend.
I also use the display information more than I do with many other mods and APV’s I have. It’s easier to access and easier to change the settings. The display is nice and bright so you can view and change settings under any conditions.
And finally, being able to use variable voltage or variable wattage in a device that costs less than $50 is a wonderful feature. The final standout feature for me is the protection against over charging. This is something that needs to be a part of every e-cigarette. Shutting off completely when fully charged will save a lot of batteries and extend the life of the iTaste VV v3.0 far beyond what it would be without it. There are plenty of features packed into the iTaste VV v3.0, but these are the standouts for me, your favorites may differ.
VV or VW
The variable voltage increases in .1 volts increments and the variable wattage increases in increments of .5 watts. Changing the setting is a simple matter of clicking the + or – buttons at the end of the display.
With a voltage spread of 3.3v to 5.0v and wattage spread of 6w to 11.0w provides plenty of power for just about any device you want to use.
Innokin promotes the use of the iClear clearomizers, and they do work exceptionally well (I love the iClear 16) with the iTaste VV v3.0, but with its 510-threads you can use anything from a simple cartomizer to a wide array of RBA’s, and anything in between. Though do take into consideration that the lowest voltage setting and wattage setting won’t allow for LR coils, the lowest I’ve been able to vape was 2.0ohms.
Accessing the VV or VW is easy, hold the Fire button (activator button) and the minus sign button (hold the minus button down first and then the power button for 2 seconds) first and it goes into VV, hold down the Fire button and the plus sign (again, hold the plus button down first, then the Fire button) and it goes into VW mode.
Hold down both the plus and minus buttons it will read out the ohm setting of the atomizer, then the battery voltage, and the last reading is the puff counter.
Turning the unit off and on require just three clicks of the Fire button. The iTaste also features a Puff Counter, but if you shut the battery off the counter goes back to zero. I wanted to test how many puffs (drags) I could get from a full charge and I had to make sure I didn’t shut the battery off or I’d lose count. In the end, a full charge gave me 367 good strong pulls before the Red light showed up to tell me it was time to recharge the unit. Not bad at all.
During my review time with the iTaste VV 3.0 I was also participating in a review for Free State Vapor eLiquid (love their juice!). Because I make it a habit to use as many eLiquid cartos/clearos/tanks as I can in an eLiquid review and a mod/APV review, there wasn’t a single issue with anything I used.
The iTaste VV v3.0 is also a pass-thru device. The end of the battery is where the cable connects so if you want to attach it to your computer and vape while you’re browsing the web or working you can use it without worrying about the battery life. I don’t use the pass-thru feature much, but that’s just me, I know plenty of people that love that feature.
Bottom Line and Buying Advice
I reviewed the Innokin iTaste VV 3.0 Express Kit; The express sells for $42 at Fairy Gifts. However, since they handle just about every Innokin device made, they also have price discounts on the quantity, which is a nice way to save money if you go in with some friends. By 6 of these and you’ll spend just $32 a piece. Buy 3, which is what I plan to do, and you can get them for $38 a pop. An excellent price no matter which way you go.
As I said in the beginning of this review I’ve been looking to review the iTaste VV for a year or so and after all is said and done I am very happy with this newest version. It packs a ton of features in a small package, and the price for a VV/VW with a feature list a mile long, all for $42, is a very appealing product.
As for Fairy Gift, the vendor out of China; before my boss accepted the invitation to start reviewing Innokin products from Fairy Gift he talked to Innokin directly and inquired as to the quality and customer service of Fairy Gift and after some discussion John was totally convinced that Fairy Gift has a very close relationship with Innokin and can be trusted to deliver quality Innokin products to anyone in the world, including the USA. I think I can say with some confidence that you’ll like dealing with them, and you can expect to see many more reviews of Innokin products coming straight from Innokin and Fairy Gift.
Other Innokin iTaste VV v3.0 Kits
The iTaste VV v3.0 is without a doubt an excellent APV and the price can’t be beat. The only reason you would have to not want one of them is that the boxy design is a turn off. Having said that, the squared off corners feel great in your hand, and the Chameleon finish is spectacular. Innokin offers their iClear 16’s in the same shape of the iTaste, and I wished I could have reviewed them with this review because from the photos I’ve seen they look great on the iTaste battery. Perhaps down the road I’ll get a few and review them separately.
The Innokin iTaste VV Tank Kit.
This kit is just $8 more (it’s on sale right now for 29% off) and it has several more items in the kit than the Express kit, including the Pen Cap, something I had hoped to have for my iTaste. For $49.99 it is a better deal at Fairy Gift than the Express Kit. Check out the contents below and if you want to order an iTaste VV 3.0, get this one:
ITaste VV Tank System E Cigarette Gift Package Starter Kit:
- 1x ITaste Polymer Li-ion Intelligent Rechargeable Battery (800mAh)
- 1x ITaste Tank Atomizer square cover
- 4x ITaste changeable atomizer heads (2x 3.2 ohm and 2x 2.6 ohm)
- 1x ITaste Pen Clip Cap
- 1x ITaste USB Retractable Cable
- 1x USB A/C Power Charger Adaptor 110V/220V (CE, ROHS, FCC Certification)
- 5x ITaste Refillable Tank clear Cartridges (Empty)
- 1x English Instruction Manual
- 1x ITaste gift box package
- Worldwide FREE Shipping!
Since the iTaste VV 3.0 has been out on the market since June I’m sure many of you have already picked one up. Why not share your views on the device in the comments below. Did you have the same experience that I did? Are you getting the same battery life? Let us know!
