Our Joyetech eGo AIO review puts the all-in-one style device to the test: can it balance affordability and ease-of-use with top-notch performance?
The eGo AIO is a stand-out device for new vapers. It may be lacking many of the features that have come to define modern vaping devices, but it offers a stripped-down, simple and very user friendly vaping experience without compromising when it comes to performance.
Even for somebody like me who’s been vaping for several years and usually opts for box mods and rebuildable atomizer, the eGo AIO has found it’s way into my rotation, especially when I’m leaving the house and want something straightforward to vape. For $19.90, it’s an absolute bargain, and would definitely be among the devices I’d recommend to any smokers interested in trying vaping.
All-in-one style devices cram all of the benefits of modern devices in a much simpler, beginner-friendly package. Devices like the iStick Basic, Joyetech’s eGrip and the Kanger Nebox combine the atomizer with the battery to save new vapers the hassle of dealing with separate tanks and offer a stand-alone device that does everything you need to get started vaping. Vapers may move onto more complex devices as they get used to the technology, but for a gentle introduction to vaping, all-in-one options are perfect.
The eGo AIO (all-in-one) is Joyetech’s latest foray into this beginner-friendly field, with the eGo-style device having a tank attached to the body of the device and a unique child-proof top on the tank itself. The question is: does the device have what it takes to compete with the more mod-like all-in-one offerings? Available for just $19.90, it’s definitely an appealing option for new vapers. We’ve put it to the test in our eGo AIO review to find out.
This device was provided to us for the purposes of this review by the lovely people at Heaven Gifts. As always, the review will be a completely honest appraisal of the device.
What You Get
The eGo AIO kit comes with the device, two 0.6 ohm atomizer heads, a plastic spiral drip tip, a glass drip tip, a USB cable and a basic instruction manual. Everything is well-presented in the box, with the device in a foam block on the upper layer and the remaining gear in a small cardboard box below it. Overall, this gives you everything you need to start vaping apart from e-juice, making the affordable kit an ideal option for new vapers.
Design and Compatibility
The eGo AIO has a straightforward but effective design: it’s a fairly non-descript tube, with the majority of the device a silvery grey and a black patch on the back side. You can pick it up in a range of colors, too: black and white, red and white, black, silver and the black and grey option I tested.
The tube is completely uniform, with a square black button on the front and two trapezoid windows at either side towards the top so you can see into the tank section. On the black section, there’s a Joyetech logo towards the bottom – which doesn’t draw too much attention – and a micro-USB port just below the window to the tank. The device is fairly short and chunky, but it fits comfortably in your hand and your thumb falls naturally on the button.
The structure of the device is a solid piece from the base of the battery right up to the top cap, where there’s a visible seam connecting it to the upper section. This seam forms a child-proof top on the device, which you have to press down as you turn to get access to the tank. The mechanism works well, opening without too much difficult when you know what you’re doing, although it must be said the child-proofing probably isn’t especially necessary here (since you’ll normally have the device with you when it has liquid inside).
The coil attaches to the underside of the top cap, screwing into a tube extending from the bottom of it. The atomizer heads have intake holes at the bottom for e-juice, so the important parts stay in contact with your juice even when the level is low. Of course, you can only use Joyetech coils with the device.
The top cap also contains the airflow control ring for the eGo AIO, which operates through a moveable ring on the outside of the top cap. There are two marks – one at the base of the drip tip and one on the outer, moveable ring – which indicate your airflow setting. More markings would have been good here, because although lining the two marks up sets the maximum airflow, the minimum is when they’re at a 90° angle to one another, which could have been indicated with another marking. However, the mechanism is easy to use anyway, so it’s not such a big deal.
The drip tip is also pretty interesting: it has a spiral design on the inside, which is designed to guard against splash-back. The drip tip is plastic, but this isn’t really as bad as it sounds, because it feels comfortable on your lips and has decent heat resistance. You can replace this with one of your own if you want, though, because it’s the standard 510 style, and there’s a nice glass alternative included in the kit too.
Overall, the design of the eGo AIO is solid: the device has the style of a standard eGo device but with plenty of extra touches to keep your vaping experience as simple as possible.
Battery Life and Features
As a beginner device, the eGo AIO doesn’t have many features to speak of. The wattage sent to your atomizer depends entirely on the remaining battery life and resistance, so there are no variable wattage or voltage options to speak of. It comes with safety features including over-charging, over-discharge and short-circuit protection, so you can rest assured you’ll be safe when vaping.
The device can be switched off with five quick presses of the fire button, and switched back on the same way. There’s an LED light that shines into the tank and illuminates your e-juice when you’re vaping or charging, and you cycle through the options by holding down the fire button while the device is off – after the light shines, pressing fire will switch to the next option. This doesn’t serve any practical purpose, but it’s a nice option for customizing the look of the device to suit your preferences.
The eGo AIO has a substantial 1500 mAh battery capacity thanks to its chunky stature, with enough of a lifespan to last most vapers through a day of use, although this obviously varies depending on how much you vape. Even if you chain-vape, though, the device should keep it’s charge through a day of work, but if you’re a very intensive vaper it’s worth bringing your USB cable just in case.
You can also vape while you’re charging using the included USB cable, which is a vital option for a beginners’ device, since many of those using it won’t have a spare device to use while it’s on charge. This will slow down your charging time, of course, but the device only takes a few hours to recharge anyway so it isn’t a huge deal.
Overall, the feature-set is expectedly limited since it’s a beginner’s device, but it has solid battery life and puts out a substantial amount of power. We’d have preferred to see some variable wattage options rather than a color-changing LED, but it’s not a major complaint.
In Use
The eGo AIO really comes into its own in use. The all-in-one nature of the device and the unbeatably simple operation make it a stand-out option for anyone either new to vaping or just looking for a no-nonsense, fill-up-and-vape experience.
Setting up the device when you first get it is about the most difficult thing you’ll have to do, and even then it’s very straightforward. You unscrew the child-proof cap to open the tank section, and the coil screws into the spot on the metallic tube on the underside of the cap. Before you attach the coil, though, you need to prime it with a few drops of e-liquid to prevent dry-burning when it comes time to vape.
When your coil is attached to the top cap, the tank is completely open and ready for your juice. This makes filling up as easy as it could be – just drip liquid into the huge gaping hole and you’re good to go. You have to be careful not to overfill, though, because when you replace the top cap and the atomizer head is submerged, it could cause your juice to overspill. The single-color version of the AIO has a max fill line, but on the two-color option I tried, you fill up to the point where the black section meets the tank window. You can go a little bit over this accidentally without problems, thankfully.
Once that’s all done, you’re ready to vape. The vapor production is fantastic, especially for an entry-level device – you get substantial clouds of vapor regardless of your airflow setting, but it does improve notably when you set the airflow to the maximum. For a just-switching smoker, the vapor production will easily be enough to replace the sensory experience of smoking, and any long-term vapers who aren’t seriously into cloud chasing will be more than satisfied.
The airflow adjustment also works quite well, despite the unconventional location and the lack of a clear visual indication of what setting you’re on. When it’s closed right down (at 90° to the mark on the drip tip section) it’s tight enough to support the mouth-to-lung hits smokers are accustomed to, and wide open it’s great for direct-to-lung hits and bigger clouds.
For flavor, the tank section of the eGo AIO does a fantastic job: the taste of your juice comes through clearly and robustly. You may lose out in comparison to rebuildable atomizers, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anything much better in a bigger-friendly device. The tank itself isn’t huge (with a 2 ml capacity), but that isn’t always a disadvantage, particularly if you want to change flavors fairly often.
The major downside is the lack of variable wattage or voltage, which really wouldn’t have been particularly difficult to add and would have offered massive improvements through the ability to tailor your vaping to your preferences. However, this could have made the device a little more daunting for a beginner, and the performance is really excellent anyway.
For anybody vaping higher-VG juices, the eGo AIO isn’t the ideal setup, though. The wicking is good, but for viscous blends, the flavor starts to suffer a little as the device struggles to keep up. Any ordinary PG/VG ratio (anywhere around 50/50) works just as expected though. Again, this isn’t ideal for longer-term vapers, but it’s unlikely to be much of an issue for the beginners who the device is designed for.
You may run into a few problems with diminishing flavor when your tank is close to empty, but you can generally fix this by tilting the tank and ensuring the wick is soaked before vaping. However, it’s easier to just top up when you start to notice issues. This isn’t a problem unique to the eGo AIO, either – many devices have the same issue – so it doesn’t detract much from what it has to offer.
Overall, aside from some minor issues, the eGo AIO works excellently for day-to-day vaping, with great vapor production, outstanding flavor, straightforward operation and only very minor issues.
Build Quality
Joyetech is a well-respected name in the vaping industry, and the eGo AIO sees them continue in their trend of putting out high-quality devices tailored for the needs of new vapers. Everything on the eGo AIO works exactly as it should, with the fire button having just enough resistance to it to avoid accidental presses but not so much that it’s difficult to press, the threading working well and the device being generally sturdy enough to put up with occasional knocks and drops.