Eleaf IORE Prime Review: A Device That Misses the Mark

Eleaf is a vape brand that has been in the industry for many years, but I hadn’t heard much from them recently. Their ‘iStick’ series of devices were perhaps their most popular, but they carry many different kits, mods, pod vapes, and tanks. 

The IORE Prime is one of Eleaf’s newest pod vapes. It’s a simple device with an adjustable airflow slider that is meant for MTL vaping. It has a 15W maximum non-adjustable output, a 2ml refillable pod, and a 900mAh battery that recharges with Type-C charging. The IORE Prime is available in 5 different colors.

But how does the IORE Prime perform, and is it a device that is worth picking up? 

Box Contents

• 1 x IORE Prime Device
• 1 x IORE Prime 0.8Ω Pod
• 1 x USB Type-C Cable
• 1 x User Manual
• 1 x Warranty Card

Specifications

• Size: 26.5mm x 16mm x 94.6mm
• Weight: 69g
• Uses IORE Prime Pods
• Draw Activated
• 2ml Pod Capacity
• 15W Maximum Wattage Output
• Adjustable Airflow Slider 
• Loose MTL to MTL
• 900mAh Battery
• Type-C Charging (5V/1A)

Design & Build Quality

The IORE Prime is 94.6mm tall, 26.5mm wide, and 16mm thick. It’s a typical size for a pod vape, but it feels fairly heavy at 69g. It’s a rectangle shaped device with rounded edges and sides, and the rounding keeps it comfortable in the hand. Overall, it’s a nice size for a device.

The IORE Prime is available in 5 colors: Carbon Fiber, Dark Brush, Purple Aurora, Bright Brush, and Golden Aurora. On the first three of these colors, the frame of the device is matte black, while the last two colors have a gold colored frame. All five colors come with a different panel design and the panel is on both sides of the device.

My ‘Purple Aurora’ device has a black frame with an interesting holographic panel. The panel looks matte at first glance, but holographic lines shine through and change colors as you move it around. The panel is apparently wear-proof, and so far it hasn’t scratched or anything so that claim seems to be holding up. However, while the panel looks good, the actual quality is a different story. 

As I discovered, it’s just a thin, stick-on plastic panel. I noticed one of the corners lifting and not sitting quite flush, so I tried to push it down but that didn’t work. I ended up prying it up to see what was going on and yep, it’s just a stick on panel. This would be a non-issue if it was stuck on there properly and not lifting, but having it popping up is a bad sign. Apart from the one corner pulling up, the rest of the panel was stuck on pretty good.

On the front of the device there is a thin and wide LED strip hidden underneath the panel. You can’t notice that it’s there when it’s off, but it shines right through the panel when it lights up. This LED is for battery life and it lights up any time that you insert the pod or take a draw. Speaking of which, the IORE Prime is completely draw activated, with no buttons at all.

On the side of the device is where you can find the airflow control slider. It’s firm, so it stays where it’s set, and the movement is smooth. The actual airflow hole itself is a medium-sized elongated oval, so there isn’t a huge adjustment range, but there’s enough to change the airflow from a loose MTL to a ‘regular’ MTL draw.

Pod

The IORE Prime only comes with one pod (0.8Ω Mesh), so you have to be careful to prime it correctly before you use it. You also have to be diligent and fill it up before the ejuice runs out because if you burn the pod, it’s gonna suck. If you do pick up this device, I suggest that you save yourself the trouble and pick up some extra pods while you’re at it.

The pod doesn’t use magnets and rather clicks and pressure fits into place. Unfortunately, the fit isn’t very good, and the pod wiggles and moves around a lot. I’ve had to push the pod back into place each time that I pick it up or take it out of my pocket, because it always comes loose and thus won’t fire. It’s a truly frustrating experience that could have easily been solved by either using strong magnets, or making the fit more snug.

The pod can hold up to 3ml of ejuice. It’s refilled by removing the top cap on the IORE prime, which is also the drip tip. The fill hole has a red self-closing membrane that opens up when you push it with your ejuice bottle tip. This membrane is great because it’s quite stiff and feels almost springy, so it creates a good seal when it self-closes. Filling is smooth and the pressure-relief hole ensures that the process is hassle-free.

The pod is completely clear and free of tint, so when the pod is inserted in the device you can clearly see into the pod from the sides. However, only the top half of the pod is visible, so I often still ended up taking out my pod to check the ejuice level. Like I said, this device only comes with one pod, so you don’t want to burn it.

Battery & Charging

The IORE Prime has a 900mAh battery, which is a decent capacity for a pod vape of its size. Since it also fires at a maximum of 15W, battery life is average and a single charge will last most vapers through at least a day of vaping. Personally, I ended up charging it every other day, so the battery life was more than good enough to last for a heavy day of vaping, and then some. 

The IORE Prime charges with Type-C charging through a port located on the bottom of the device. You can’t stand it up while it charges, but no big deal. Charging speeds are listed as 5V/1A, and it takes approximately 1 hour to charge from dead to full. As more and more pod vapes are moving to 1.5A and even 2A charging, an hour to charge is still okay but lengthier than a lot of new devices on the market

The IORE Prime has pass-thru charging so it can be vaped on while it charges if you so wish.

Performance

The IORE Prime is a device that you can take out of the box, fill up the pod, and you’re ready to vape. It’s very easy to get started with, and that’s definitely a pro for this device. Since it only comes with one pod, that’s the only one that I had to test it with. I used 25-35mg nicotine salt ejuices of varying flavors and PG/VG ratios for this review.

To start with the positives, the pod can take changing flavors very well. I switched from strawberry, to peach, to mixed fruit flavors, and after a few puffs with the new ejuice the new flavor was all that I could taste.I also like the range of adjustment with the draw on the IORE Prime. With the airflow on the most open setting it’s a loose mouth-to-lung draw that is quite airy, but the warmth of the draw is good and you can take long draws if you like. Closing off the airflow slider gets the draw down to a regular MTL draw that is a touch restricted, but not much. 

There’s a good amount of adjustment range, so if you prefer your draw to be on the looser side then you can dial in the airflow to just how you want it. Unfortunately, the IORE Prime is not capable of a tight MTL draw, at least not with the included pod.

The flavor is good, but still leaves a little something to be desired. The flavor is good enough that I didn’t mind using it, but I certainly felt myself wanting to get back to using a more flavorful device. More subtle and nuanced flavors in my ejuices just aren’t there with this pod/device, but the flavor is generally good enough to use.

Good enough to use until the pod burns out, that is. After only 10ml of ejuice I noticed a drop-off in flavor with a slight burnt taste starting to form. I take 2-3 second draws at times, but this usually isn’t an issue with other pod devices. The interesting part is that this started happening while I was using a 60VG ejuice, so I don’t think that it had anything to do with the viscosity of the eliquid.

To end the performance section on a positive note, the IORE Prime did not leak out any ejuice while I used it. The battery portion under the pod has remained completely dry and I haven’t even noticed any condensation. 

Verdict

The IORE Prime could have been a great device, but there are a couple flaws that will keep me from recommending it. To start with the positives, it has a nice design, it’s very easy to get started with, and it has a nice range of airflow adjustment for loose MTL vapers. The battery life is also not too shabby, but those are all of the major pros to this device. 

As for the cons, there are many. The build quality of the panels is questionable at best, with my unit having lifting panels from day one. The pod also does not sit quite right, forcing you to readjust the pod and ensure that it’s seated correctly every time that you take it out of your pocket. Finally, it only comes with one pod and my one pod started to taste burnt and lose flavor after only 10ml of ejuice. 

I can only hope that Eleaf makes some major changes to the IORE Prime or its successor because that’s the only way that I can see a redeeming path for this device.

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