The strength of a brand
Innokin reasserts the strength of its brand and takes a distance with its competitors with a new graphic line. Remember the army-style of the Cool Fire and its grenade shape or the machine gun iTaste 134 Mini.
Now, with its iTaste Hunter, Innokin seems to attract the attention with a more moderate style.
iTaste Hunter is a variant of the Cool Fire IV TC 18650 and keeps, without surprise, the temperature control. Its reasonable power of 75 W will satisfy most vapers
The kit offers the home-made atomizer iSub V that integrates the very good Innokin resistance coils. The BVC-coil in stainless steel are compliant with temperature control features and render flavors perfectly thanks to a vertical mount.
Inside, Innokin decided to keep the last Aethon chipset that prevents dry hits with a very fast response-time of 0.2 s. It further offers homogenous heating of the coil, which is a benefit for safety.
I have been using iTaste Hunter for more than 3 months and I noticed a great stability with pleasant vaping sensations up to 3.6 V. The comparison is very easy with most of the boxes in the higher range and definitely above the performance of a iStick by Eleaf, for example.
No one is left indifferent by the design of the iTaste Hunter that offers two main advantages. Firstly, your box is shock-proof and, secondly, you get a better grip on it thanks to the semi-rigid parts that cover the surface of the box mod. To me, it is a bulky object but I find its design very attractive with its rounded screen on a side.
This rugged box mod, designed in the wake of the Cool Fire IV, will delight vapers who look for shock-proof material. But the resistance of the ensemble is not guarantied since the atomizer included in the pack is not treated the same way as the box
The iTaste Hunter remains a very good product, a valuable asset with outstanding finish and manufacturing qualities. Unfortunately, this version has lost its USB plug and, at the same time, its ability to charge in this way.
Vaping in the open air with a mature technology
The package that contains the iTaste Hunter uses the same visual codes as the SVD2 with a brownish colour. A quasi complete offer in which only misses the battery and its charger since it will not be possible to recharge it on the USB. The kit is nevertheless a good starting point to start vaping with the excellent clearomizer iSub (in its newest version, V) and the very good coils by the same manufacturer.
The integration of the protections is beautiful and gives an adventure style to the iTaste Hunter. The screen has become a disk on he side of the box and is readable for a right-handed vapers, a bit lesser for a left-handed one. You can equip the box with a wrist loop thanks to the hook that is present next to the screen.
The device is designed for the outdoor activities and the overall aspect is rugged with a good assembly. I dropped it a couple of times and it really accepts this bad treatment.
The Fire is logically sitting on the side and possesses a rounded shape. It is very easy and precise, much less noisy than on the TC 18650. The “+” and “-” controls are also noiseless which demonstrate a good manufacturing quality. They allow setting power/temperature on the lower part of the side and are very close to each other. This may constitute an issue for users with big hands. The OLED screen remains small but with sufficient information displayed.
It is regrettable that Innokin did not offer a silicon sleeve to protect your second battery.
Technical review
The main features of the iTaste Hunter are:
- 1 Fire: Round, solid brushed metal
- 2 “+/-” at the bottom of the box
- Variable Wattage: 25 – 75 W by 0.5 W
- Temperature control Mode: Ni (0.1-0.2 Ohm), Ti (0.1-0.5 Ohm), Stainless Steel 316L (0.2-1.0 ohm )
- Charge: 5V/2A Fast Charging
- Temperature: 150-315 °C
- Chipset temperature monitor
- Minimum resistance: 0.1 ohm
- Threaded 510
- Weight: 256 g with iSub V and the battery, (208 g naked)
- Length: 88 mm on one side 90 mm on the other
- Width: 45 mm (middle), 48 mm (bottom) et 50 mm top,
- Depth: 24 mm
- Measurement of the resistance
- Protection against short-cuts
- Autonomy displayed on the OLED screen with a logo
- Battery 18650 (not included), battery lid securized with a screw
- Long puff security (15 secondes)
- Memorization of the settings (temperature and wattage)
- 3-value display: Ohms, voltage and/or wattage
- OLED screen
- Puff counter
- User manual
Main features of the tank, iSub V:
- Top-refill
- 3 ml et tank en Pyrex
- 100% stainless steel
- Airflow: adjustable
- Spare drip-tip (plastic)
- No Spill Coil Swap System
Simplified temp control mode, auto-calibration and smart battery trap lock system
The ultra-fast advanced chipset Aethon makes the calibration a piece of cake because everything is automatic. It makes the temperature control mode accessible even to beginners and it’s a great idea. The calibration is re-initialized each time you plug the atomizer and each time a new battery is inserted. The “same” option can be accepted by pressing the Fire if the same coil is kept, then the calibration stage is skipped.
Changing the battery is a bit more painful since you have to start the box (three clicks) and accept (one click on Fire) the “same” coil.
In Wattage mode, the settings are still very intuitive. A long press on “+” or “-” gives you access to the settings. To swap mode, press “+” and Fire and get access to Ni, Ti or Ss. Finally simple and intuitive.
Similarly to the TC 18650, the battery trap is a big knob screwed at the bottom of the box. The quality of the thread is irreproachable but the trap is still not equipped with a spring, hence some older batteries may prevent closing the trap completely.
A thickness of 24 mm allows you to easily install any type of clearomizer. It is perfect with the iSub Apex V included in the kit that bears the same colours as the box.
As a reminder, the iSub V is equipped with a very good system to prevent leakage that avoids clogging, a frequent feature in top-filling atomizers.
This smart system with springs blocks the air inlet during re-fill operations. The bell unlocks when the top cap is screwed on the tank. The user manual however underlines that when changing the coil, the better choice is the mode depend on the metal the coil is made of, and that calibration must be made at ambient temperature. It is important to respect these steps and calibration procedure before firing the coil, reads the manual.
In summary
The “+”:
- Robustness thanks to a rugged design
- Battery 18650, interchangeable
- Robustesse liée à un design novateur
- Aethon Chipset, fast and performant
- User manual of a valuable help
- Good value for the money
- Smart Battery trap
- Reasonable size and weight
- Good finish for threads ( 510 and battery trap)
- Simplified and intuitive settings
- Threaded 510 on spring
The “-“:
- No USB plug for charging
- More bulky than its pairs
- Non-adjustable brightness
- Charger and battery not included
- Limited autonomy (3 ml)
- No spring on the battery trap
Conclusions
Rating of 4/5: Mainly for the innovation in terms of design and the very good Aethon chipset. This iTaste Hunter will thrill the vaper who is looking for something different without breaking the bank. The all-road design is successful and makes me believe that Innokin goes back to its original impertinence for our pleasure. Besides its design design, the box is very functional and will respond within milliseconds to all vape styles at a reasonable price.
