INTRO

The vape company Eleaf has been around for a while, but I hadn’t heard anything from them lately. Although they provide a wide variety of kits, mods, pod vapes, and tanks, their “iStick” family of products may be their most well-known. One of Eleaf’s most recent pod vapes is the IORE Prime. It is a straightforward device designed for MTL vaping that has an adjustable airflow slider. It has a 900mAh battery that recharges using Type-C charging, a 2ml refillable pod, and a maximum non-adjustable output of 15W.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

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)

 

Colours

• Carbon Fiber
• Dark Brush
• Purple Aurora
• Bright Brush
• Golden Aurora

 

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

IORE Prime measures 16mm thick, 26.5mm broad, and 94.6mm tall. Although it is a regular pod vape size, the 69g weight seems substantial. The device is rectangular in design with rounded edges and sides, which maintains it pleasant in the hand. It’s a good size for a smartphone all around. The frame of the device is matte black on the first colour, while the frame is gold on the last two. The panel is on both sides of the device and features a unique design for each of the five colours.

My “Purple Aurora” device has an intriguing holographic surface on a black frame. The panel appears matte at first, but as you move it, holographic lines light through and change colours. The panel is allegedly wear-proof, and so far it hasn’t been scratched or anything else, supporting that claim. Although the panel appears to be of high quality, the reality is quite different.

It’s only a thin, stick-on plastic panel, as I found out. I attempted to push one of the corners down after noticing it was raising and not quite flush. In the end, I had to pry it open to see what was happening, and sure enough, it was just a stick-on panel. If it were correctly secured and not lifted, this would not be a problem, but it popping up is not good. With the exception of one corner pulling up, the rest of the panel was firmly attached.

 

POD

Only one pod (0.8 Mesh) is included with the IORE Prime, thus you must be sure to prime it properly before using it. Additionally, you must be careful to refill the pod before the e-liquid runs out because it will stink if you burn the pod. If you do decide to get this device, I advise you to pick up extra pods while you’re at it to save yourself the bother and money.

Instead of using magnets, the pod snaps into position as a result of pressure. It’s unfortunate that the fit isn’t great and the pod moves around a lot. Every time I pick it up or take it out of my pocket, I have to push the pod back into position since it always comes loose and won’t shoot. It’s a rather aggravating situation that might have been simply fixed by employing powerful magnets or tightening the fit.

The pod has a 3ml maximum e-liquid capacity. The IORE prime’s top cap, which doubles as the drip tip, must be removed in order to refill it. When you push the red self-closing membrane that covers the fill hole with the tip of your e-liquid container, it pops open. This membrane is excellent because it self-closes with a good seal due to its stiffness, which is nearly springlike. The pressure-relief hole makes sure the process is hassle-free and the filling is smooth.

When the pod is inserted into the device, you can easily see inside it from the sides because it is entirely clear and tint-free. Nevertheless, because only the top half of the pod is visible, I frequently found myself taking my pod out to check the ejuice level. As I previously mentioned, you don’t want to burn it because this device only comes with one pod.

 

BATTERY AND CHARGING

For a pod vape of its size, the 900mAh battery in the IORE Prime is a respectable size. Battery life is average and a single charge will often last most vapers for at least a day of vaping because it also fires at a maximum of 15W. Since I personally charged it every other day, the battery life was more than adequate to last for an entire day of intensive vaping.

A port on the bottom of the IORE Prime is used to charge it using Type-C power. While it charges, you can’t stand up, but that’s not a big deal. The listed charging rate is 5V/1A, and it takes around an hour to charge a device from empty to full. An hour to charge is still acceptable but takes longer than many of the new devices available on the market because more and more pod vapes are switching to 1.5A and even 2A charging. The IORE Prime supports pass-through charging, so if you’d want, you may continue vaping while it charges.

 

PERFORMANCE

Take the IORE Prime out of the packaging, fill the pod, and you’re ready to start vaping. It’s really simple to use, which is undoubtedly a benefit of this equipment. I have to test it with only that pod since there is only one included. For this review, I used 25–35mg nicotine salt e-juices with a range of tastes and PG/VG ratios.

Starting with the advantages, the pod adapts nicely to different flavours. I went from strawberry, peach, and mixed fruit flavours to the new e-juice after a few puffs, and after that, the new flavour was all I could taste. I also appreciate the IORE Prime’s draw’s range of modification. The mouth-to-lung draw is rather free and airy when the airflow is set to the most open position, but the warmth of the pull is good, and you can take long draws if you’d like. The draw is reduced to a standard MTL draw that is slightly constrained when the airflow slider is closed, but not significantly.

If you prefer a looser draw, you can tune the airflow to your exact preferences because there is a large amount of adjustment range. Unfortunately, with the provided pod, IORE Prime is not able to draw a tight MTL. Although the flavour is decent, there is still some room for improvement. Although I didn’t hate using it because of the flavour, I did feel the need to switch back to a device with a stronger flavour. The flavour is often nice enough to use, but I simply don’t get the more complex and nuanced flavours in my e-juices with this pod/device.

 

 

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

1 x IORE PRIME Battery
1 x IORE PRIME 0.8Ω Pod
1 x USB Type-C Cable
1 x User Manual
1 x Warranty Card

 

VERDICT

There are a few issues with the IORE Prime that prevent me from promoting it as a fantastic product. It has a good design, is very simple to use, and offers a nice range of airflow adjustments for loose MTL vapers, to start with the positives. These are the only significant advantages of this gadget; the battery life is also not too bad. There are a lot of disadvantages, too. My device has lifted panels from day one, indicating that the build quality of the panels is at best questionable. The pod also doesn’t sit exactly right, so you have to reposition it each time you pull it out of your pocket to make sure it’s positioned properly. Finally, there is just one pod included, and after only 10ml of e-juice, mine started to taste burnt and lost flavour. I can only hope Eleaf makes significant adjustments to the IORE Prime or its replacement because that is the only way I can see this gadget being saved.