Eleaf iStick S80 Kit Review: A Small Kit for MTL Vaping

The iStick S80 kit from Eleaf is an ultra small mod capable of firing up to 80W. It has an 1800mAh battery built in and has USB C 2A charging. It is paired with the GZeno tank, which is a MTL tank using Eleaf’s new GZ coils. Eleaf says these coils are designed for excellent mouth to lung vaping while offering great flavor.

Let’s put that claim to the test and take a look at the iStick S80 kit.

Box Contents

• 1 x iStick S80 mod
• 1 x GZeno tank
• 2 x GZ coils (1.2 ohm resistance, recommended wattage 7-13W)
• 1 x USB-C cable
• 1 x User manual
• 1 x Warranty card

Specifications

iStick S80 Mod

• Output mode – VW
• Wattage range – 1-80W
• Coil resistance range – 0.1-3.0ohm
• Battery capacity – 1800mAh integral
• Max charging current – 2.0A
• Dimensions – 113.0mm x 34mm x 26mm
• Assembled weight exc. packaging (approx.) – 190g

GZeno Tank

• Tank capacity – 2ml
• Coil resistance – 1.2ohm
• Top Fill
• Bayonet release top cap
• Bayonet release bottom
• Push fit coils
• Bottom airflow

Design & Build Quality: iStick S80 Mod

When I first took the kit out of the packaging the iStick S80 mod was a lot smaller than I was expecting. It is 67mm tall, 26mm wide and 34mm deep. The width of 26mm actually tapers in to 24mm too.

It is available in five different color options; Blue, Matt Gunmetal, Red, Rose Gold and Silver. The color options are for the side panels of the mod, the rest of the mod is a matt silver color; except the gunmetal option which gives you a matt gunmetal color all over.

Each side of the mod has the colored panels, which also feature a weave type engraving. It gives a nice feel in the hand and provides some grip when holding the mod. These panels are constructed from metal.

The top of the mod has a 510 connection which is centered.

The bottom of the mod has battery venting holes and the Eleaf logo along with some regulatory logos.

The back of the mod has an iStick S80 logo, which is very stealthy. I like that the branding is kept very minimal.

The front of the iStick S80 has the fire button, display and adjustment buttons along with the USB C port for charging.

The fire button is square shaped and flares out slightly at the bottom so it is almost trigger shaped.

The adjustment buttons are like a rocker switch and are positioned beneath the display.

Both the fire button and the adjustment buttons are nice and responsive when using and have a nice click to them.

The display is a 0.96 inch OLED screen. It is crisp and bright, even in bright sunlight.

Finally, the USB C port is located beneath the adjustment buttons and allows for 2A fast charging.

Overall, the design of the iStick S80 mod is really nice. I like how it looks, it’s clean and classy looking, and that it has minimal branding. It is a solid feeling mod and it’s small size is really impressive. 

Features & Functions : iStick S80 Mod

The iStick S80 has a built in 1800mAh battery, which is plenty of battery capacity for a mod running a MTL tank. 

The iStick S80 is a variable wattage device and can fire from 1-80W, this gives you the option of using the iStick S80 with sub ohm tanks too. It has an optional ‘Smart Mode’ which reads the resistance of the coil and offers a recommended wattage range for the coil. I tried this with a sub ohm tank and it is surprisingly accurate, giving a recommended wattage range matching what was recommended on the sub ohm coils. 

The Smart Mode does limit the wattage range you can input, but it’s not strictly to the recommended range. As an example the included coils have a recommended range of 7-13W, but Smart Mode will let you go up to 20W. Of course, you can turn it off completely if you want.

On the display you have a battery indicator in the top left, a padlock in the top right which lets you know if the wattage has been locked. 

The middle of the screen displays the selected wattage, with the coil resistance beneath the wattage.

There is then a puff counter in the lower left and a last puff timer in the lower right.

Using the iStick S80 is really simple, with it solely being a variable wattage device. You just dial in your wattage with the up / down adjustment buttons and fire. It really is a nice, simple mod to use and would be ideal for a beginner.

There is a menu system, which allows you to turn Smart Mode on or off, reset the puff counter and change the color theme of the display, but nothing too complex that may confuse a new vaper. 

Eleaf iStick S80 Button Combinations

Below are the button combinations for the iStick S80:

• 5 x clicks of Fire button to turn on / off
• Hold Up and Down buttons to access the menu
• 3 x clicks of the Fire button to lock / unlock selected wattage
• Hold Fire and Down button to reset puff counter 

GZeno Tank

The GZeno tank is 33mm tall and 24mm in diameter.

The drip tip is a narrow bore, MTL mouthpiece that is straight instead of the curved MTL type drip tips. I prefer the look of these straight MTL drip tips, rather than the curved ones. I’m guessing it’s an ultem drip tip from the color. It is also removable, so you can swap it out if you’d prefer.

The top cap has some subtle knurling which proves grip when unscrewing. It has a quarter turn bayonet style threading, allowing for quick release of the top cap. It feels tight enough that it won’t accidentally come open in your pocket.

The fill ports are revealed when the top cap is removed. There are two kidney shaped fill ports of a good size, which is recessed in a trough. This means filling the GZeno is a simple and mess free procedure.

The glass tank is surrounded by a metal sleeve, which gives the glass some protection from knocks, but a drop would possibly shatter the glass. I also couldn’t figure out if the glass could be removed to be replaced and there is no spare glass in the kit, so it may not be replaceable.

The GZeno has a 2ml capacity for liquid, which is ample for low wattage MTL vaping.

The bottom airflow control ring turns smoothly when adjusting and has hard stops when fully open and fully closed. It has five small air holes on each side of the tank and adjustments on one side mimic the opposite side.

The airflow control ring is built into the bottom cap and it also has a bayonet release of a quarter turn. This makes swapping coils extremely quick, paired with the fact they are push fit coils.

On the bottom of the GZeno is a fixed 510 connection pin, the Eleaf logo and some regulatory logos.

The GZeno is a nice looking MTL tank, again with great build quality. I love the look of ultem drip tips and the fact this is a straight MTL drip tip adds to the looks in my opinion. 

My only concern is the glass of the tank seems to be integrated with the metal sleeve, but I’m sure replacements will be available if that is the case.

Performance

There are two coils included in the kit, both identical. They have a 1.2ohm resistance and a recommended wattage range of 7W – 13W. 

The first coil I used actually started to taste burnt after approximately 20 puffs. This could have been down to me not priming the coil. I’ve stopped doing it and haven’t had issues with any other coils, just letting them sit for five minutes or so after filling the tank. 

I made sure to prime the second coil just in case and also let it sit for a good ten minutes before use.

I started at 10W, which is what the Smart Mode selected for me and the flavor is good with a nice amount of MTL vapor that doesn’t hang around the room. If I up the wattage to 11W I would say the flavor increases slightly, but at 12W or more I started to get a burnt taste so went back down to 10W. 

I found 10W to be a perfectly nice MTL vape, and the coil performed well at this wattage setting and is still performing well after a good week of use.

The first coil I did use at 13W and it didn’t last long at all, so I think the 13W maximum is maybe a little too high.

The airflow on the GZeno goes from a restrictive DTL vape down to a MTL draw, so you can find your preferred draw.

The iStick S80 mod is brilliant and when using for MTL vaping at 10W the battery was lasting me over two days before needing charging.

Verdict

Overall, I have no complaints about the iStick S80 mod at all. It’s easy to use, is built well, looks great and is really small.

The GZeno tank is again built well and looks good. The flavor from the coils is good, but not great, but it’s a perfectly nice MTL vape from a stock tank. The only concern I have is the wattage range being a bit too high, which can impact the lifespan of the coils on the higher end.

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