Eleaf iStick 100W Box Mod Review

If you do not own an iStick 100 Watt, you should! Why? The iStick 100 Watt is a (parallel) dual-18650 variable voltage/wattage mod that is extraordinarily simple to use with plenty of power. It’s ergonomically designed to feel comfortable in the hand, it looks good, and lastly, but far from least, it costs under $40! Nope, that is not a typo!!!
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Let’s take a look…

As I said in my introduction, this box mod is super simple to use. It’s an iStick after all. It functions just like the other iSticks. The main difference with this one and the other VW/VW iSticks is that it’s got loads of power and the user provides the batteries.
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Here’s a quick rundown of the features and how to use them:

• To turn the mod on, quickly click the fire button five times
• To shift between VV and VW, when the mod is on, quickly click the fire button three times
• To lock the adjustment buttons, simultaneously press them both for three seconds (the same to turn unlock it)
• To switch the screen to a left-handed view, when the mod is off, simultaneously press the adjustment buttons for three seconds
• When firing the mod, the normal readout switches over to a second counter that will stop firing at 10 seconds

That’s it! Hell, I never use or pay attention to any of those ‘features’ except to turn on the damned thing. It’s one of those mods that all you need to do is to take it out of the box, pop the batteries in, click the button five times and choose your atty.

It’s built really well when you factor in the price. Don’t expect it to be built like a high-end mod, and I wouldn’t dare drop the iStick, but to be frank, I’d think Eleaf could’ve gotten away with charging 2x as much for this—and even at that price it still would’ve been cheaper than most others at this power range and build quality.
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It feels relatively sturdy and solid, but it does have a pretty significant button rattle that you barely even need to shake the mod to hear. But at this price, that rattle should just remind you of all the money saved!
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Lastly, the iStick 100 Watt mod has one of the best battery doors for these types of mods! Having just reviewed the Sigelei 150 Watt TC, I can say that this battery door is markedly better than the Sig’s. The iStick 100 Watt’s battery door is held on by two small pair of extremely strong, circular magnets. These magnets are like little bullies! Seriously. The battery door snaps into place like it’s gotten pimp smacked.

Note: I am aware that the battery door or the Sigelei 150 Watt TC weighs more than the iStick 100 (about 33 grams to 20 grams), so it’s not an apples to apples comparison, but even still, the magnets ought to be as strong as they need to be to keep things firmly intact. The iStick 100 Watt has that in spades. The battery door will *not* accidentally come off!

​In the signature rounded-body style of the iStick series, the iStick 100 Watt is of course larger than the rest, but just as comfortable to hold as all the other iSticks. No hard corners; it fits in the hand perfectly! If I had one complaint, it’s that the mod can feel a tad bit like it will slip right through your grip (just like with the other iSticks). That’s partly because of its shape and partly because of its satiny, smooth finish. I don’t necessarily think Eleaf should add any grip pattern to the body, but the finish of the device could have a bit more tack.

A size comparison between the iStick 50 Watt and the Sigelei 150 Watt TC.

What I like about the overall aesthetics of the device is that it is not tripping over itself to look hip. I think too many mods are designed to look ‘cool’ and, not only end up missing the mark but, end up looking downright ugly. This mod keeps it simple, and while it may not make anyone drool, it also won’t make anyone want to vomit!
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The Eleaf iStick 100 Watt currently comes in two colors: shimmery silver and matte black. I don’t like the shimmery silver, but for this price, I wouldn’t care if it was glittery pink…okay, that’s a lie.
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The top of the mod is a bit over 22 mm, but it’s so slight I don’t even notice it. This could be a good thing for those that have atties in the 23-24 mm range—I can only guess that those would not have any hang-over, or would have very little.
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Like all the iStick mods, both the top and the bottom of the mod are chrome (truly mirror-like; I guess it’s cool to see your mouth and nose while you vape?). But here, instead of being more oval shaped like in the older models, now it’s slightly hour-glassed shaped. A subtle change and it looks good.

I don’t have any equipment or knowhow to test these kind of aspects of a device—all I have is my atomizers, drip tips and my sense of feeling. For what I can tell, whatever watts I have set on this device feels the same as on my other devices set to the same power.
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Note: No issues with my atomizer reading high or low.

The screen is very well lit. It’s brighter than the other iSticks and I don’t have any issues reading it in bright lighting. It’s the same layout as the other iSticks and if I had to gripe, I’d say that the atomizer resistance readout is a bit small. But honestly, I don’t too often need to read that (or the screen in general) because after I put my atty on and see that everything is checking out, I set it and forget it.

No “round-robin” as Pbusardo says, but holding down the adjustment buttons will get you to where you want at a decent-enough speed, unless you want to go from 5 watts all the way up to 100 watts, in which case it will take you over 23 seconds. I imagine that most people won’t be making those kind of jumps though.

Spring-loaded copper 510 pin. Some of my atties sit flush and others don’t (I think that is because the 510 has an ever-so-slightly raised collar). But the atties I have that don’t sit flush only have a hairline gap—nothing to whine about.

It’s on the bottom of the mod. And when I say “bottom,” I don’t mean it’s near the bottom, it’s on the bottom—meaning under the mod. That’s incredibly goofy to put it there, but anyway, I am not sure why anyone would want to charge a dual-18650 mod via a charge port when it has replaceable batteries. I guess if you are out and about it may make sense (if you don’t have any back-up batteries), but I’ll likely never use it.

Three aspects of this device made me confident to use it even after the debacle with all the auto-firing iStick 50 Watt mods (and I was one that had that issue).

• The user adds the batteries. So in the case of something going awry, I can pop the batteries out and be confident that if the mod starts acting all possessed, I can shut it down for real.
• In really smart move, Eleaf changed the atomizer connection to the opposite side of the fire button. That one design choice with the older models—with the fire button directly under and really close to the atomizer connection—was a terrible decision. The likelihood of getting liquid right in the button was a big issue and behind a lot of the auto-firing. So if you do over-drip or leak, you now won’t have to worry about leaking directly into your button.
• There are vent holes near the top of the mod, on both sides, to cool off the circuitry. My old 50 Watt iStick used to get a little hot, but with the iStick 100 Watt I have had no issues with heat when running it at 100 watts. This may be a problem lurking for those with leaky atomizers, but the placement of these vent holes is not too much of a concern as they mostly sit away from where your atomizer will be. Still, be cognizant of this if you use leaky tanks or atties.

• Best price in the biz for this much power!
• Super easy to use
• Looks good, even if that means it just doesn’t look bad
• Super secure battery door with incredibly strong magnets
• Great build quality for the price
• Delivers comparable power as other more costly models
• Loads of power
• Fires down to .15Ω

• Idiotic location for the charge port
• Button rattle
• Power adjustment could be quicker

This should be just my ‘beater’ device, but I use it because I love it! If it weren’t for the location of the charge port, I don’t see any real con to this device that has much of an effect on its usage—and even that is hardly a real con. Look, I am not an Eleaf fanboy by any stretch of the imagination, but I am a fan of this mod! I am quite pleased with it and thing you’d be too. And if you don’t like it, you’d only be set back by the price of most chuff tops.