I have the Smok Igee A1 pod kit in my possession – time to give it a good going over!
Smok have a huge back catalogue of simple pod kits, the main ranges being the Nord and Novo. Let’s hope the Igee performs just as well!
What To Expect From The Smok Igee A1
As mentioned above this is a pod kit, which means there are two main components, the battery section (or Mod) and the tank (Pod).
The mod contains a 650mAh battery which is charged using the USB Type C port at up to 0.7A charge rate.
A cute circular design LED indicator lets you know the battery charge and device status.
To keep things mega simple you just inhale on the mouthpiece and the auto draw sensor triggers it to fire.
The pod section is where you add up to 2ml of your own e-liquid – simply remove the mouthpiece to get access to the top fill port.
You cannot remove the coil in the pod so just discard it when the coil performance has deteriorated.
There is only 1 pod option at present and that is the Igee Meshed 0.9ohm pod but you do get 2 of these included in the kit.
There are 6 colours to choose from: Black, Grey, Silver Blue, Blue Grey, Blue Green and Blue Purple.
Kit Includes
- Smok Igee A1 device
- 2x Igee Meshed 0.9ohm pods
- USB Type C cable
- User manual
Smok Igee A1 Specs
- Size: 111x21x12mm
- Output: 14W
- Battery: 650mAh (internal)
- Display: LED
- Resistance range: 0.8-2.5ohm
- USB Type C port – 0.7A charge rate
- Pods: Refillable, fixed coils – 0.9ohm Mesh coils
- Top fill
- Capacity: 2ml
- Made from Aircraft-Grade Aluminium
Smok Igee A1 Design and Build Quality
I received this in the Blue Purple and Blue Grey versions.
It reminds me a lot of the Novo 2X I recently reviewed, similar but on a slimmer / taller scale. Plus the Igee has no airflow adjustment.
As with the Novo 2X the instruction manual despite the small text is very comprehensive. 13 pages in one language only. Sadly there is no downloadable manual from the Smok website for those with sight issues.
The packaging was great and both kits arrived in pristine condition.
Smok Igee A1 Mod
After removing the QR code sticker this did leave some residue on the mod which took some gentle scratching with my fingernail – I really did not want to scratch the mod!
I love the design, it has a metallic finish with beautiful colour grading.
This is a very slim device which is very rounded and smooth to hold.
It will just about stand up vertically but doesn’t need much persuasion to fall over!
On the base is the USB Type C port and as this is curved the ugly legal text / logos are relegated to the back of the mod. Above this text is the Igee A1 logo.
The front of the device houses the circular 4 LEDs which are quite bright but hard to capture on camera!
At the bottom of the front is the Smok logo.
The sides are plain apart from small pinhole sized airflow inlets.
Inside the super deep pod port are 2 spring loaded contacts and 2 magnets. I feel with the compartment being this deep it will be a git to clean out if any leaks or condensation.
Despite the pod being super easy to remove it doesn’t wobble and didn’t fling out when I dropped the kit on the carpet.
Smok Igee A1 Pod
This is a super tall pod – which makes sense when you see how deep the pod compartment on the mod is!
This has the snap off mouthpiece to access the fill port, but I am amazed how much easier this kit is. The pod is tall so you can get a good grip to snap the mouthpiece off.
Beneath the mouthpiece the similarity to the Novo 2X is back, there are 2 ports, the Black port is the vapour outlet, never add e-liquid to this! The Red port is the fill port with a valve which you open with the e-liquid bottle nozzle. This is quite a small port so you might have issues with your nozzles (ooh matron) so you might have to decant your e-liquid into more suitable bottles which would be a pain in the bum.
On the opposite side to the fill port is a tiny vent hole, this makes filling so much easier and less chance of airlocks pushing the e-liquid back out.
A very difficult to see “min” fill mark is engraved into the pod along with the Smok logo and the required legal logos.
The rest of the pod is fully clear but only a small area is visible when it is inserted into the mod.
On the base of the pod are the 2 contacts and 2 magnets which match with the pod compartment of the mod.
Smok Igee A1 Quick Start Guide
Thankfully Smok have placed an Isolator sticker on the pod contacts, do not remove this until you have filled the pod. This is an Auto Draw device so even testing this before filling will burn out the coil and knacker up your pod. So only remove sticker when pod has been filled.
It is worth noting a QR code sticker is applied to the mod, keep this safe after removing as apparently this is something to do with warranty and also for verification.
I will run through all the steps to get you going below!
Basic Operation
- Power On/Off = This does not have an on/off switch.
- Vaping = Just inhale on the mouthpiece to trigger the auto fire system.
- Battery indicator = this changes colour according to the battery charge remaining whilst vaping – Green LED = over 70% charge, Blue LED = 30-70% and Red LED = less than 30%.
- Battery indicator when charging = same as above and the light will go out when fully charged.
Protections
- Low battery – Red LED flashes 15 times – recharge the device.
- Short circuit – White LED flashes 5 times – clean contacts, replace pod – if this does not rectify the fault the device could be faulty.
- Too high / low resistance – White LED flashes 4 times, same advice as above.
- Over Time Protection – White LED flashes 5 times – if you vape for longer than 8 seconds the fire operation will cut out to prevent overheating.
- No atomiser (Pod) – White LED flashes 4 times. Follow the advice for short circuit to try and rectify.
How To Charge The Battery
The charging rate is specified as 0.7A.
- Using the included USB type C cable connect the small end into the USB port on the mod.
- Connect the large end of the cable into a suitable USB outlet.
- The LED will cycle through the colours and will go out completely when fully charged.
The charging time for me using a 2A outlet was around 40-45 mins. This should be quicker really but the slow charge rate imposed by Smok is the issue.
How To Fill the Pod
- Remove the pod from the mod by just pulling it out.
- Snap off the mouthpiece by pushing it across.
- With the mouthpiece removed push the filling bottle nozzle into the Red port of the pod and add e-liquid. Do not use the centre Black port.
- Before replacing the pod do a few priming inhales on the pod. This will help to pull the e-liquid through the wicking.
- Replace the pod in the device.
- For first time filling leave the device to stand for 10 mins before vaping to prevent a dry hit or damage to the coil.
How Does the Smok Igee A1 Perform?
I mainly used my own e-liquid mix which is 50/50 PG/VG made from IVG Bubblegum Concentrate at 20% ratio. This is quite high a flavour ratio as I prefer plenty of flavour, but sadly this means it can be a coil killer sometimes.
I add nic salt to approx 6mg strength.
If any of these terms are over your head – have a read of our handy guides below!
- MTL V DTL – A Guide To Vape Styles
- VG and PG in E-liquid – all you need to know
- Beginners guide to E-liquid
- Nic Salt E-liquid
Igee Meshed 0.9ohm Coil
There were 2 of these pods included in the kit so I haven’t been able to test any other coil resistances.
Flavour wise these are pretty good pods. They didn’t blow me away with epic nuances of my favourite e-liquid but they were still very decent. I got to taste the flavour of my e-liquid which is better than some pod kits I have tried in the past!
I would rate the pod performance as 8/10 – better than average.
There is a great throat hit and some warmth. I do feel an extra Watt or two would really bring this meshed coil to life. It feels slightly underpowered.
I am on the 8th refill, the flavour still feels the same but I am noticing some slight discolouration of the e-liquid so we might be looking at a pod change soon.
Airflow
The airflow on the Igee is fixed so there is no adjustment range.
It would definitely be classed as a MTL vape, but I have had a lot tighter MTL draws.
On the scale of 0=closed off fully and 10=breathing fresh air I would rate this as around 3-3.5. Not loose enough to class as a RDL but not a super tight eye bulging MTL either.
If you are a fan of super tight airflow you might be a bit disappointed with the Igee, but it is still in the MTL department.
Mod Performance
The auto draw fire is super quick and doesn’t miss a beat.
I had no issues whatsoever with this device, it charged fine, the LED’s worked as they should so no complaints here.
I would like a slight moan about the charging rate, which at 0.7A is slow for a USB Type C device.
Leaks
None at all – zero! I know it’s a Smok but genuinely it has stayed as dry as a Weetabix.
Battery Life
The battery life will always vary according to your own vaping preferences.
I am a heavy vaper – who vapes all day, so I got between 3-4 hours of vaping to each battery charge. Bear in mind if this is something you are only using on 10 minute breaks then you should be fine to get through your work day.
Pros
- Pretty metallic fade finish
- Bright LED indicator
- Smooth in the hand
- Quick auto draw fire
- Very comprehensive instructions despite the small text
- Small e-liquid viewing window
- Easy to remove the mouthpiece for filling
- Pod easy to remove yet held into mod firmly
- Above average vape
Cons
- QR verification / warranty sticker was stuck to the mod, this did leave some residue when removed.
- No airflow adjustment
- No online user manual for those with sight issues
- Charge rate of 0.7A is too slow nowadays in the era of type C 2A fast charging. This is only a small battery but 45 mins is still a long wait.
Final Review Verdict
The Smok Igee A1 does exactly what it needs to for a basic, simple to use pod kit. Plus it is super slim for an “up the sleeve” stealth vape!
It is slightly expensive for what it is, there are similar specification kits by good brands which are in fact cheaper. But I cannot fault how it performs.
The battery charging is slow and it would benefit from an airflow adjustment of some kind as it is a slightly more open MTL than some vapers would enjoy.
I have marked it low in the “Replace if lost or damaged” category because of the small battery capacity and slow charge time. I have 2-3 OXVA Xlims on the go every day so if I swapped them for the Igee I would need 4-5 of them in use!
However I can recommend this to anyone who wants to get off the Disposable vapes or just wants a fill up and go starter kit.
It is beyond simple to use, the flavour is good and it looks great. Also with it being from Smok you shouldn’t have much trouble finding the pods for it.
Not the best simple pod kit, but man I have had a hell of a lot worse!
