Innokin Trine SE Review: Simple, Affordable, Eco-Friendly

Product intro and specs

The Trine SE is the newest and simplest edition of the Trine series of vapes by Innokin. The SE is essentially a stripped-down Trine without the bells and whistles. No display or adjustment buttons, but the airflow is still adjustable. Innokin has sacrificed a few features of the Trine for accessibility and affordability.

The design actually takes me back to the original VAPORESSO XROS. The Trine SE features the same removable/replaceable battery as the original Trine. It’s a compact proprietary 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery that’s cross-compatible with the Trine, Trine Q, and Trine Power Hub.

I am still an avid Caliburn user, so I will be using that as my gold standard–as they are still some of the best pod vapes I currently own. Let's find out what this Trine SE is all about.

Price: $9.99 (at VapeSourcing)
Colors: Graffiti pink, ice blue, matte black, matte green, mirror gold, mirror silver

Build quality and design

The Trine SE has the exact same dimensions as the original Trine. It's a bit chunkier than my Caliburn–but not by much. I'm getting used to it after just over a week of use. I wouldn't say it's heavy, but at 52 grams, it has just enough heft to give it a premium feel. When inserted, the battery makes a nice, authoritative, and very audible click. It isn’t super loud or anything, but it is just loud enough that you know it’s locked in.

The Vcap pods pop in nicely by way of strong magnets. Once you get it halfway in, the magnets take it from there. The pods are clear and extremely visible. They can be a little bit deceptive, however, since the pod sits halfway inside the device. So it looks empty when it’s half full.

The Trine SE comes in a beautiful matte finish, with a few new color options and subtle branding. It is also available in two mirror finishes, and two more flamboyant variations in graffiti pink and ice blue. The matte finish almost has this slightly brushed look that I love. I have no complaints whatsoever about the build quality or design of the Trine SE. But with that said, the mirror finish options collect more fingerprints than a forensic investigator.

Getting started

The Trine SE couldn't be any easier to get started. The mouthpiece snaps right off with a bit of pressure. The fill hole, which is hard to miss, has a little rubber valve that matches the color coding on the bottom of the pod. The hole is very wide, which allows for easy and quick filling. Just insert the nozzle of your bottle and gently squeeze. Then pop the mouthpiece back on and wait at least five minutes for the juice to completely soak into the coil. I usually wait longer, but five minutes seemed to be more than enough with these pods in my experience with them.

The device is puff-activated, so it's always on—as long as the battery is charged. Aside from the style of juice and choice of pod, the only other way to tailor your vape experience is via the airflow. The airflow controller features three air slots—well, the first one is more like a hole, but then the inlets get progressively larger. You can achieve a tight MTL draw on the first slot or a more airy RDL draw when it is wide open. There's no way to adjust the wattage, but the good news is that the Trine SE automatically puts out the appropriate wattage for the pod you choose.

• 0.6 ohm (22-24 watts)
• 0.8 ohm (12-14 watts)
• 1.2 ohm (11-12 watts)

With all that said, all you really need to do is inhale. It doesn't get any easier than this, especially for a refillable pod vape. It would be nice to experiment with different wattages for each of the pods, but that's not what this device is meant for, so I won’t consider it a real con. The only thing that bugs me is that the batteries feature Eco-Drain tech, but there is no button on the SE to actually utilize this technology and drain the battery for safer recycling. You will need to purchase a regular Trine or a Trine Q if you want to be able to get that feature out of these batteries. That’s unfortunate, but understandable.

Performance

I’ll be judging the pod performance based on their default configurations since there is no option to adjust wattage.

0.6-ohm pod: My favorite option so far. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I do. I ran out of 50 mg nic salt, so using the 0.6-ohm pods with some 25 mg nic salt with the airflow closed off around halfway gave me the satisfaction I was craving–with half the nic.

1.2-ohm pod: Best suited for 30-50 mg salts. The highest strength I have at the moment is a grape flavor in 30 mg. It’s a bit underwhelming compared to the 0.6-ohm pod, but it delivers crisp flavor and a satisfying hit for literal days while using significantly less battery life.

0.8-ohm pod: Provides a nice middle ground between the other two pod options. It offers more battery life than the 0.6-ohm pod, but a warmer and cloudier vape than the 1.2-ohm pod. 

The Vcap pods performed really well overall–strong flavor with no leaking or spitback. Flavor was solid on all of the pods, but it really popped the most on the lower-ohm options. I’ve been testing all three, and they have been running strong for over a week. My only gripe with them is that they only come individually and cost a few bucks more than your average pod. It’s almost cheaper to buy the kit, which includes two pods, than to buy two single pods—although prices may vary depending on where you're buying them from.

Battery life and charging

It took me an hour and 16 minutes to achieve a full charge and 48 minutes to reach 90%. I was not able to completely drain the battery first, but I started charging when it reached <10%.

The battery life on the Trine SE is more than enough to get me through a full day, even with the 0.6-ohm pods. But what's more important is that the Trine SE gives you the luxury of having an extra battery on hand. This comes in clutch for those times you leave the house with a low battery. I strongly recommend carrying your spare battery in a protective case. The Trine SE also features pass-thru charging, so you can use it while it's plugged in.

Pros / Cons

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