The IGO-L is a great device in its own right, but it really stands out as a fantastic option for those new to rebuilding. It’s affordable, pretty well made, performs excellently and offers a gentle, straightforward introduction to RDAs through its simplistic design and ease of use.
Is it worth buying?
There are undoubtedly better RDAs out there than the IGO-L, but for someone new to rebuilding who doesn’t want to break the bank trying one out, it’s right up there with the very best options.
Holes in the posts for connecting your coils, a better top-cap-to-deck connection and a slightly bigger stock air-hole would be ideal, but for the price such complaints don’t really hold too much weight, especially since you can alter two of them as needed. It’s a great atomizer overall, and an ideal, gentle introduction to the cloud-filled world of rebuilding.
If you’re considering getting into rebuildable atomizers, the IGO-L is widely-cited as a pretty good place to start. Although the process might seem complicated for those only accustomed to pre-built coils, one look at the IGO-L will make it clear it’s really quite straightforward. The price is low, too, but there are lots of affordable rebuildable atomizers so it’s worth finding out a bit more about it before going through with your purchase.
The IGO-L is a Chinese-manufactured rebuildable dripping atomizer (RDA), made by Youde Technologies. Although information about these types of manufacturers is usually pretty scant, they do claim to put about a tenth of their revenue back into research and development, and in fairness they do have a pretty good selection of atomizers (the various IGOs and AGAs) to show for it.
On an irrelevant note, their website is unintentionally hilarious, from the awkward thumbs-up team photo to the bizarre selection of pictures from the facility and right through to the descriptions (the IGO-L, for example, apparently has “more than 200 different flavor”). Of course, you’ll pick up their products from a third-party vendor, but it’s strangely endearing and enjoyable none-the-less.
What You Get
Along with the atomizer’s deck and top-cap, you’ll receive a small bag with a spare screw, a couple of spare o-rings, and a small amount of nichrome wire and silica wick to build your first coil with. The quality of the wick and wire provided is (somewhat obviously) questionable, but it’s enough to get you started if you haven’t picked up your own yet. Pretty standard fare, but there’s no complaints other than that it would be nice to have a drip tip included, especially if you don’t already own one.
Design and Layout
The IGO-L is pretty small, measuring just 13/16 inch (about 2 cm) in diameter towards the base and standing about the same height up from your device when connected (without drip-tip). The top-cap is vaguely bell-shaped, but is uniform in diameter until about two-thirds of the way up where there is a notable bend as it starts to funnel in towards the top. It’s 510-threaded, and the bottom is completely sealed so you don’t get liquid leaking through into your mod’s connection. The entire thing is stainless steel, with two grooves cut into the top-cap towards the bottom. Overall, it looks pretty good, working well from an aesthetic perspective with a wide range of devices.
When you pop the top cap off, the layout of the IGO-L is pretty simple: two posts (a positive one in the center and one negative) with Philips-head screw-tops and a small lip around the edges of the base to help it serve as a juice-well (it can comfortably hold about 10 drops). The stock air-hole is around 1 mm, but on measurement it seems it could actually be a little bigger.
The most notable design issue with the IGO-L is the top cap’s grip on the base. There are two O-rings around the base of the atomizer, but you’ll likely have some issues with getting it working well. Initially, reviewers complained that it slipped off a little too easily, but this problem has been rectified. The one we tested was a little too tight, though – you have to screw it onto your device to stand a chance of getting the cap off. You can rectify this issue by changing the O-rings or simply taking one of them off, so it isn’t a huge problem. Before you’ve done this, though, it isn’t particularly easy to remove and replace; you almost worry you’re going to damage your mod in the process!
Aside from the fixes, the saving grace for this is the size of the drip-tip hole, which is around 3/8 of an inch and gives you plenty of space to drip without having to take the cap off too regularly.
Ease of Rebuilding
For new rebuilders, it’s obvious why this is a popular starting device. The simple layout means there is little room for error: you want a coil attached to those two posts with a wick inside it. It’s as easy as that. There’s ample room for your coil on either side of the posts, and if you get more adventurous with your building (and have another air-hole drilled) this means there’s enough room for a dual-coil setup too. Of course, there are options much more suited to this task with three posts if you’re already working with dual coils, but for a new rebuilder it’s good to know there’s the potential to experiment further a little down the line without needing a new device. It works well for micro-coils too, with the spacing between the posts meaning you can easily get both ends connected up without stretching it out in the process.
The Philips-head post-screws work well, although you’ll need a mini screwdriver to really work them comfortably; some vapers prefer thumb-screws but standard screws seem like a better approach to make things less fiddly. The main issue when you’re rebuilding is the process of trapping the wire between the post and the underside of the screw’s head, which is made considerably simpler on devices with holes in the posts themselves to insert your wire though before trapping it down. You get accustomed to the process, but even then you often still have the wire slip out a couple of times as you’re trying to tighten the screw.
With that said, rebuilding on the IGO-L really is very simple, and definitely beginner-friendly despite the one gripe with the connection method.
In Use
Much of the quality of the resulting vape comes down to your coil, the power you’re sending to it, the wick and your liquid, but the IGO-L does still offer great performance. If you’re new to rebuildables, you’ll undoubtedly be pretty damn impressed with the vapor production, flavor and throat-hit you get, and it stands up well in comparison to other RDAs too.
The size of the juice well means you don’t have to drip too often if you purposefully make use of it, and it’s forgiving if you can’t quite see how much you’ve already added through the dripping hole. You have to be careful and keep things upright to avoid leaking through the air-hole and tip, though.
The most notable complaint many vapers will have is related to the size of the air-hole and the resulting slightly tight draw. Many drill the air-hole out to 1/16 of an inch, but this is common practice with the majority of RDAs, so the issue is far from a unique one. The stock air-hole works well for anybody who does smoking-like mouth-hits (draw into your mouth then inhale into your lungs) and prefers a tighter draw, and in fairness the stock air-hole makes for a more airy vape than the ones on some other devices (even Youde’s IGO-W).
Once you’ve made your adjustments to the hole, it’s pretty hard to fault the IGO-L in use: it’s a dependable and capable atomizer that does exactly what you want it to.
Looking for recommendations for high quality and affordable atomizers? Here are the best rebuildable atomizers for new and advanced vapers.