Innokin iSub S Tank is a piece of ingenious engineering that will strike a chord in a lot of vapers out there. Its sleek design and overall features make it easy to use and clean and its no-nonsense top fill is the best one I’ve seen so far. Personally, I feel it is a great improvement on the last Apex series for several reasons I’ll discuss in the review so dive in with me!
Is it worth buying?
All in all, I’m extremely pleased with the Innokin iSub S sub-ohm tank and I do feel that it’s the best vape tank from Innokin to date. The improvements they made on the last series are noticeable and appreciated – especially the fact that it’s now easier to see the amount of juice in the tank.
The replaceable glass tank is also a nice touch. Too bad a spare one is not included in the pack but it’s easy enough to order one and have it on stand-by if it’s ever needed. The biggest issue I have with it is the airflow adjustment difficulty – it’s easy enough to disregard it as a minor kink, especially if you don’t fiddle with it a lot but I do wish they’ve spent more time on figuring out how to make it more easily adjustable.
Overall, I’m comfortable with recommending the iSub S Tank and I do feel that it’s great value for money. You definitely won’t be making a mistake if you decide to invest in it!
Full review
First of all, I need to mention that this is a Temperature Control (TC) edition of the iSub S Tank. I got it with the Innokin Cortex TC Kit that I reviewed as well. There is another version called the ‘Flavors & Clouds’ but they’re really basically the same. The TC edition is a bit more stylized and the stainless steel cage that goes over the glass tubing has a bit of a twist to it so it’s nicer to look at but that’s pretty much it from the design side. So let’s dig in the Innokin iSub S Sub-Ohm Tank review!
You can buy the Innokin iSub S Tank (TC Edition) for $19.99 from VaporDNA.
Packaging
The kit comes nicely packaged and protected in a foam insert that protects both the mod and the tank. In this particular case, the following will be included:
- iSub-S Tank
- Ni200 TC Coil – 0.1ohm
- iSub Clapton Coil – 0.5ohm
- iSub Horizontal Coil -0.5ohm
- Delrin Drip Tip
- Stainless Steel Tip
- Pack of O-Rings
- Warning card
Of course, I’m mentioning only the parts pertaining to the tank itself – the Cortex TC is also included but that’s a completely separate review. A quick search shows that when ordering only the tank you will be given two options: the TC tank and the ‘Flavors & Clouds’ version. The TC version comes with two 0.1ohm Ni 200 coils and the ‘Flavors & Clouds’ version comes with iSub Clapton Coil – 0.5ohm and iSub Horizontal Coil -0.5ohm
The primary features of both versions are completely the same so you don’t have to worry about getting something sub-par if you decide for one over the other. Your choice will be influenced only by the type of mod you’re using.
Refer to the quick guide to find out:
- Why you should use the TC version only with the appropriate device
- How to prime your coils
- How to replace coils
I’d like to stress a warning that appears often enough in the quick guide but really does merit repeating: Never use a short or flat 510 connection on any hybrid or hybrid style device! Doing so is really at your own risk and you will end up damaging your battery!
Here’s the quick and dirty on iSub S Tank features:
- Quick & Clean Top-Fill
- Large 4.5 ML Pyrex Glass Tank
- 100% Stainless Steel
- Open & Point Adjustable Airflow
- Removable Delrin Drip Tip
- Removable Stainless Steel Tip
- Replaceable Glass Tank
- Japanese Organic Cotton
- No Spill Coil Swap System
- iSub Coil Compatible
Look and Design
Overall, this is a beautifully designed tank and I was hard-pressed to find a fault with it – although I eventually did and I’ll get back to that. Stainless steel construction is sturdy and durable. I’ve knocked it over a couple of times and dreaded that the glass has cracked but the cage does a great job of protecting it.
I’m a huge fan of glass tanks and prefer them over PC tanks for one simple reason – how ever safe everyone proclaims PC tanks to be, I have a strong feeling that chemical materials shouldn’t really be exposed to high temperatures. With a glass tank I have a piece of mind and am sure that my vaping is safe and I’m not jeopardizing my health.
I’m just sorry that Innokin did not include a replacement glass into the package. I’m pretty sure that my clumsiness will prove to be detrimental to this one and it would be great to have a spare ready. However, you do have an option of ordering it separately and for a reasonable price, so that’s cool.
Drip Tips
You will get two different drip tips with whatever version of iSub you order: stainless steel tip and a Delrin tip. Both are great and fit the tank perfectly. I’m probably more partial to the Delrin tip but that is only because it tends to heat up less than the stainless steel one at higher temperatures. It’s not perfect though; both tips get a bit hot when constantly vaping above 518 °F but so far this seems to be a universal problem for all tanks and tips – I guess we’ll just have to be patient and wait, someone is bound to resolve it soon.
Stainless steel tip is more aesthetically pleasing as it complements the design of the tank perfectly. If you’re hell-bent on your set-up matching in terms of materials and colors then the stainless steel tip is for you. Keep in mind, I did find that it gets a bit hotter than the Delrin tip but then again, no pain no gain, I guess!
Top Fill
Possibly the best top fill system out there and I applaud Innokin for investing both time and money into developing this one. Even though it has been featured on previous iSub models I’m still impressed with how secure and easy to use this one is.
Basically, you twist the top of the tank to reveal two holes that you will use to pour in liquid. I have to say that this is a mess-free system that has yet to cause me any trouble. The best thing about it is that the fill holes are doubly protected. They close from the inside of the tank as well as from the outside once you twist the top part. There is no way that iSub S is ever going to leak from the top unless you leave the fill holes open. Hell, I even left it upside down over night just to test it once – not a single drop!
Cage and Glass Tube
The capacity of iSub S is 4.5ml, which is plenty and I didn’t notice that I have to top it up unreasonably often, even on higher temperatures and settings. Also, when you really push it you can pour in just a bit over 4.5ml – around 4.6 – but it’s not necessary. I was just bored one day and decided to test it.
As I mentioned, I’m super glad that the tubing is Pyrex instead of PC. Sure, it’s more prone to breakage but I find it more appealing and safer, health-wise.
Stainless steel cage protects the glass and the stripes are set at an angle. This doesn’t really add much in terms of protection but it’s a change and makes the tank look nicer so I guess it does add to the appeal. The best thing about the cage is that it’s clean and spacious so it allows you to easily see how much juice is left in the tank.
Airflow Adjustment
I love the versatility of the airflow adjustment on the iSub S. It really lends itself to different vaping styles and preferences and allows you to make micro adjustments. I personally prefer direct to lung vaping and opening the airflow to max gives me great pleasure on this one. Usually, the flavor gets lost a bit doing this but not with iSub S tank. It delivers great clouds and superb flavor despite the very airy intake.
Airflow control is on the bottom of the tank, unlike the top system that was featured on some of the previous lines of iSub Tanks. It has dual slots that open with a twist – one side is a full slot while other also has a point-hole system that allows for precise adjustments. Every time you twist it you will hear an audible ‘click’ so it doesn’t just slide. This makes it tougher to inadvertently change the setting – though it’s close to impossible when the tank is screwed on tightly as you will see soon enough.
The Airflow Adjustment Kink
This is where I found the largest fault with iSub S tank. Regardless of how great the system is, maneuvering it is going to prove to be difficult – at least when using the Cortex TC mod. The iSub S measures just a little bit over 22mm and it is a close, snug fit for Cortex. Since airflow adjustment is at the bottom of the tank this makes it difficult to grasp and turn – especially when you have chubby little fingers like I do.
Pair that with the fact that stainless steel is difficult to manhandle with sweaty fingers and you get a real problem here. Luckily, I prefer the open flow setting so I didn’t have to fiddle with it too much but if you like to tweak stuff depending on the juice you’re using then you’re in for a struggle. The easiest way to do it is to unscrew the tank a bit from the mod and then adjust the flow.
No Spill Coil Swap
Another great thing about this tank is that you don’t have to drain it in order to replace the coil. Simply unscrew the airflow control cap and the protective cap and then tip the tank upside down. From there it is just a matter of pulling out the coil and replacing it with another one – just make sure you close the fill holes on top before doing it otherwise you’ll end up with juice on your lap!
Vaping Experience
I got 3 different coils with the kit and decided to try them out all to see if there is any noticeable difference in the overall vaping experience. 0.1ohm Ni200 for the TC mode offers a great vaping experience and I recommend vaping at 220 °F – this proved to be an ideal temperature for me as I like a colder vape but you can ramp it up all the way up to 270 degrees, depending on your preference.
The other 2 coils held up great as well. 0.5 Kanthal coil was decent but flavor-wise it can’t really compare to Ni200 at all so I guess I’ll be skipping it in the future. Clapton BVC delivers best results at higher wattage but this also means that you will be burning through your battery much quicker – and your juice as well.
Even though I predominately used the iSub S with the Cortex TC mod I got in the kit, I did test it out on other mods as well and it’s fairly compatible with pretty much everything that it’s intended for. The threading will work just fine with Joye and Siegel in my experience, and possibly other mods as well.
Disassembly and Cleaning
Innokin iSub S sub-ohm tank will go further apart than the iSub Apex. This means that you can unscrew the airflow and the protective cap and remove the coils and the part they attach to. From there on you can remove the mechanism and the O-Rings completely which comes in handy when you have to replace them.
The glass tubing pulls out without a hitch and then it becomes easy to clean up the stainless steel vertical straps on the cage. You definitely won’t do this often and I did it only once for testing but it’s great to have an option – especially since it’s easy to reassemble later.