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Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit | Review

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit | Review

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Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Eleaf has released a flood of devices this year as typically expected. But what some probably didn’t anticipate is the originality of their designs.

The Nowos is another iStick variant, but one that certainly elevates the brand into a more modern bracket.

It features a 4400mAh internal battery, a hidden display and touch-sensitive buttons. There’s also USB C with integrated quick charging, and it’s all wrapped up in a clean and elegant design.

The Nowos comes paired with the ELLO Duro sub tank which utilizes the HW-N (Net) and HW-M (Multihole) coils.

The Good

Excellent design, simple to use, outstanding battery life (with USB C & quick charge). Decent sub ohm tank.

The Bad

No temperature control or power curves (subjective). The is battery gauge is not accurate.

The Bottom Line

The Nowos is one of the best-designed devices this year, it’s looks and feels fantastic. It will only suit those vapers that like to keep it simple with wattage only and don’t mind using an internal battery. However, it does have excellent battery life and USB C quick charging in its arsenal. The Ello Dura is less exciting but still a more than capable sub ohm tank.

8.6

Disclosure: This product was sent to us by Eleaf and Vapesourcing for the purpose of this review.

Eleaf Nowos Mod Specs

  • Size: 135x28x43mm (with 6.5ml tank) / 133x28x43mm (with 2ml TPD tank)
  • Battery: 4400mAh Internal
  • Output: 80W max
  • Resistance range: 0.1-3ohm
  • USB C charging and QC3.0/PD3.0 charging protocol
  • Touch screen front panel
  • Accommodates tanks up to 26mm diameter

Eleaf Ello Duro Tank Specs

  • Size: 28x54mm (6.5ml version) or 26.5x50mm (2ml EU Version)
  • Capacity: 6.5ml (standard) or 2ml (TPD)
  • Uses HW coil heads
  • Top fill port
  • Airflow Adjustment

Eleaf Nowos Kit Contents

  • Eleaf iStick Nowos mod
  • Eleaf Ello Duro tank
  • HW-N dual coil head
  • HW-M dual coil head
  • Spare parts
  • QC USB cable
  • User manual
Design7.5
Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Eleaf has certainly shifted all of their focus this year on design, and I think it’s really paid off.

We’ve seen unique and funky designs like the Pico S, Lexicon and iWU. The Nowos has a far more uncluttered look to it and is quite possibly their best-looking device yet.

However, it’s not just clean and simple in its design, but also in its features. Eleaf has decided to forgo TC and other such complex settings, and keep it a straight-up wattage only device.

This has enabled them to use a simple LCD display which is neatly hidden behind a glossy plastic face of the device. In fact, it’s so hidden that at first glance you’d think the Nowos didn’t even have a screen, as both sides look exactly the same.

As you fire up the device, you will see the lights shine through the front panel, and although it’s a simple digital-style display, it looks cool and is not something I’ve seen executed this well before.

The screen can display your wattage setting, coil resistance, and battery charge percentage. It also shows the puff time in seconds when you fire it.

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

The fire button protrudes proudly in the indented side panel of the mod, and it’s a clicky and responsive button. The capacitive buttons are also very responsive and worked well every time I used them to adjust wattage, no complaints there.

The other unique feature of the Nowos is instead of a micro-USB port we have a USB C port. It’s 2018, and most mobile phones now come with a USB C, and it’s baffled me why it’s taken this long for vaping manufacturers to transition to this. Thank you Eleaf.

The USB C cable is not only an easier reversible connector to use, but the Nowos also supports quick charge 3.0 which enables the device to charge at higher voltages…..more on this later. Eleaf has also been smart enough to include a micro-USB adapter on the charge cable (knowing that a lot of users might still want to use the cable for older devices.

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Quick charging might not be as much of a necessity with a device like this as it comes with a whopping 4400mAh battery inside.

The 510 connection is slightly offset to one side, and the device has extra curves to it on either side so that it’s capable of fitting atomizers of up to 26mm.

We’ve been fortunate enough to have both the black and white variants of the Nowos, and they are quite different in their appearance. The black version really shows fingerprints on the glossy panels compared to the white version, but the lights of the screen punch through the black plastic a lot cleaner. While the white version tends to have a bit of a glow to the screen as the lights seep through the white plastic. Personally, I prefer the black version for the clearer screen.

The Nowos is without a doubt an attractive, clean looking device, and I think Eleaf have done an excellent job on keeping it simple but modern.

The Nowos is available in White/Silver, White/Dazzling, Black/Red, Black/Blue, and all Black.

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Build Quality

The build quality of the Eleaf Nowos is excellent.

Everything feels stable and smooth, and it’s a really comfortable device to hold in the hand.

Due to Nowos having a built-in battery there are no awkward edges, panels or battle doors that will cause any issues.

The only one slight niggle is there is a little play on the fire button, but only if you try to twist it. It doesn’t rattle when you shake the mod.

All of the buttons do work well. The fire button is clicky and responsive, and I was impressed with the touch capacitive buttons for adjusting wattage.

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Portability

The Nowos measures in at 135x28x43mm (with the tank the 6.5ml tank) and 133x28x43mm (with the TPD 2ml tank).

It’s a good size for a device with a 4400mAh battery, and smaller than a lot of dual 18650 devices on the market.

Features8.0
Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

The Nowos is not flush with features as it’s a pure wattage only device, but it does have that USB C with QC 3.0.

USB C has the ability to transmit more power than micro-USB which enables the Nowos to charge with 3 different voltages.

  • DC 5V / 2A
  • DC 9V / 2A
  • DC12V / 1.5A

Eleaf claims that charging the 4400mAh battery from flat with quick charge will take 1hr and 20 mins, compared to 2hrs 30 mins with normal 2A charging.

The device also displays the temperature of the battery and device while charging, which is a nice feature, so you know you are not overheating the device.

The Nowos is also firmware upgradable and has all of the usual safety features you’d expect from Eleaf.

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Operating

The Nowos is as easy as they come to operate, as there are no confusing menus or display messages.

  • 5 clicks of the fire button – Power on/off
  • 3 clicks of the fire button – Adjust power mode. Two circles will light up where the capacitive buttons are, press up and down accordingly. (3 clicks of the fire button to exit adjustment mode).
Tank8.0
Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

We’ve seen and reviewed the Ello Dura tank before on the Eleaf prior devices.

It comes in two variants with a 6.5ml capacity bubble glass or a TPD/EU version with only a 2ml capacity.

There are 3 large airflow holes on the base which are adjusted with the very knurly AFC ring.

The Dura features a slide to fill port and comes with two mesh coils at 0.15 and 0.2 ohms.

The tank comes with an 810 drip tip which is matching to the mods color, and it goes well together.

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Refilling

The same as with any other Eleaf Dura tank, it couldn’t be easier.

There’s a small arrow indicating where to push the top of the device to slide it open and reveal the fill port.

The fill port hole is nice and large and can accommodate big bottles, but you might need to remove the drip tip and go in at an angle with larger bottles otherwise you don’t have space, and it cause bubbles.

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Coils

The Ello Duro has 2 different mesh coils available.

However, Eleaf refers to them as either a net coil (HW-N) or multihole coil (HW-M).

The HW-N (net coil) is 0.2-ohm, and the HW-M (multihole coil) is 0.15-ohm in resistance. Both are made from Kanthal although disappointingly there’s no indication of this either on the coil itself or in any of the packaging.

The HW-N has the finer course mesh amongst the two and does heat a little faster than the HW-M.

The Ello Dura is also compatible with any of Eleaf’s Ello coil range along with being compatible with Smok’s baby beast coils.

Performance8.0
Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

The Nowos performs as expected for a simple wattage device from Eleaf.

There’s no bells and whistles to scream about, and it does a solid job.

The fire button responds relatively quickly, maybe not lightning fast like some other devices, but definitely no slouch.

As mentioned before I had no issues with the touch-sensitive capacitive buttons for adjusting wattage, they were as easy to use as the device itself.

I feel like the Nowos is giving me the power I set it to, but I didn’t go into testing a variety of tanks against other devices.

Overall, it’s a simple and reliable device to use with no problems whatsoever.

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Battery Life

The battery life from the Nowos is pretty immense, and I was easily making it through a day of vaping.

Although I would typically have the device set to around 60W, so those that prefer a higher-wattage vape may not get as far.

One thing to note is the battery gauge on the device is a little off. I noticed it took a long time to get down to 80%, but after that, it seemed to drain more rapidly.

This could just be with my device and is probably something Eleaf will address with a firmware update.

One thing is for sure the Nowos does charge quickly, I don’t have specific timings, but I’m sure Eleaf’s claims are pretty accurate.

Good Vibes

  • Excellent design
  • Good build quality
  • Decent size and form
  • Good power performance
  • Good performance from tank
  • Outstanding battery life
  • Lots of available colors
  • Excellent range of coils

Bad Vibes

  • Battery gauge is a little off
  • No puff counter (subjective)

Verdict

Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit

Even though this is one of Eleaf’s simplest devices when it comes to features, it’s without a doubt one of my favorites this year.

It’s uncomplicated approach to both functionality and design is a joy. It looks great and is unlike any other device on the market.

I would like to have seen Eleaf bring out a new style tank to go with the Nowos. The Ello Dura is a decent sub-ohm tank with decent coils, but I feel we’ve seen a little too much of it this year.

The battery life of the Nowos is immense and having USB C, and quick charging not only puts a smile on my face but gives me the confidence to put my dual battery mods on the shelf.

If you are after a simple, stylish mod and don’t much care for TC or power curves, the Nowos is an excellent choice.

OUR VIBE

The Nowos is one of the best-designed devices this year, it's looks and feels fantastic. It will only suit those vapers that like to keep it simple with wattage only and don't mind using an internal battery. However, it does have excellent battery life and USB C quick charging in its arsenal. The Ello Dura is less exciting but still a more than capable sub ohm tank.
Design
9.5
Features
8.0
Tank
8.0
Performance
9.0
Cost
8.5

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Marc Panayiotis
Marc Panayiotis
Marc Panayiotis, co-founder of our vaping website, combines over 10 years of expertise and a deep understanding of 1000+ products to establish our platform as a reliable industry resource and inspire our team.
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The Nowos is one of the best-designed devices this year, it's looks and feels fantastic. It will only suit those vapers that like to keep it simple with wattage only and don't mind using an internal battery. However, it does have excellent battery life and USB C quick charging in its arsenal. The Ello Dura is less exciting but still a more than capable sub ohm tank.Eleaf iStick Nowos Kit | Review