While there’s nothing outrageously eye-catching about the design of the Zlide tank, it’s still a very modern looking tank and in my opinion, a bit more handsomely styled than it’s fully fledged older brother the Zenith.

The Zlide styling is based around more than just looks, it’s possibly one of the most functional tanks on the market, especially for MTL vaping.

It has a 22mm diameter, but sadly only has a 2ml capacity. Not that I count that against it, as it’s becoming coming practice for MTL tanks to stick to the EU regulations.

The Zlide also features a cleverly convenient slide-to-open top fill system. It comes with two drip tips, the one attached is resin and has an extra nipple protruding from the bottom, which acts as a safety lock by blocking the slide to fill. You need to fully remove the drip tip to be able to fill the tank. Maybe not practical for everyone, but it’s a simple and effective way to cover child safety laws. There’s also another plain drip tip included in the kit, for those that don’t care for such things.

Another welcome improvement over the Zenith comes with the replaceable glass tank, and Innokin kindly includes a spare in the kit. However, replacing it isn’t particularly straightforward as you will need to remove the whole top part of the tank, and find a T2 Torx screwdriver to assist. Still, it’s a significant improvement on the Zenith, where a breakage would require a new tank.

The Zlide uses the same impressive Z-coils as the Zenith, and therefore, coil installation is identical. You unscrew the bottom of the tank, which in turn removes the AFC control ring, then push fit the coil using the notches as a guide. The nice design of these coils is they having 510 threading at the bottom which acts as the 510 pin connection, which means you’ll never have to replace your tank due to dodgy 510 threading – just the coil.

Even though the Innokin Zlide is being touted as a budget version of the Zenith tank, it’s far more than that. It’s an improvement in many parts, with a more sleek design, a better paint finish, and dare I say even better build quality. In fact, it feels like the more expensive tank.

As the Zlide is part of the Platform series, there’s another great feature which is the QR code card included, when scanned it will take you to instructional videos presented by Phil Busardo, which covers everything you need from priming a coil to replacing the glass tank. Now that’s what I call customer experience!

I don’t think I’ve ever come across an Innokin device that has a sub-par build quality, they are always top-notch, especially for the price.

But as I mentioned above the Zlide actually feels even better quality than the Zenith, venturing into the exceptional standard of build quality, which is impressive for a budget tank.

The paint finish on the color variants is smooth and feels like it will be extremely resistant to scratches, and the threading of the base is super smooth.

Even more impressive is the tolerance and friction of the slide-to-fill mechanism. Too often on tanks like these, it’s far too loose or stiff – the Zlide is spot on.

When it comes to airflow, I was a massive fan of the Zenith as it allowed the ability to transition from ‘true’ tight MTL to a loose MTL or very restrictive DTL draw.

Thankfully the airflow for the Zlide is precisely the same as the Zenith.

There are 4 air holes on the base, and turning the AFC is done with ease with a stopper at the end to assist.

It’s also worth noting that not only does the airflow deliver an incredibly smooth draw in whichever configuration you have, it’s also remarkably silent.

It’s all about the coils!

Anybody that’s ever used an Innokin product before will know when it comes to coils they usually some of the best on the market, especially when it comes to MTL.

The Z-coils are without question their best, and in my humble opinion the best on the market right now.

There are two different coils included in the kit for the Zlide tank, you get the standard 1.6-ohm coil and their new 0.48-ohm Plex3D Mesh coil.

We’ll start with the Plex3D mesh (Kanthal) coil which has a recommended wattage of between 13W and 16W, which is indicated on the coil itself. I would say this performed best around the 15W mark, it delivers very impressive flavor and a decent amount of vapor. It also has a slightly more open draw then the 1.6-ohm coil, so with the Zlide airflow fully open, you are able to achieve a restrictive direct-to-lung draw.

However, when it comes to MTL, the 1.6-ohm coil is the standout winner. It has a working range between 10W and 14W, and tighter draw due to the nature of the coil, which leads to a more defined throat hit. I mainly used this coil at around 13W, and the flavor produced is excellent, maybe not quite as much vapor as the 0.48-ohm coil, but that’s to be expected.

The advantage of using these coils in the Zlide as opposed to one of Innokin’s AIO devices like the Z-Biip is that you can really dial-in the wattages and airflow (more airholes) to find the perfect MTL.

If like me you are using the Zlide for a true MTL draw, and are vaping higher nicotine strengths, then definitely go with the 1.6-ohm coil.

As a side note, it’s great to see recommended wattages from manufacturers, actually being true to the experience.

Another important factor with the performance of coils is how long they last before things start to get funky.

Thankfully, the Z-coils are some of the longer-lasting coils for MTL that I’ve come across.

I easily achieved over 15 refills (30ml) of the Zlide tank on the 1.6-ohm coil, and it was still performing great.

The Plex3D is claimed to last even longer, but I can’t testify to this as I mainly ended up using the preferred 1.6-ohm coils over the test period, but I’m sure it will deliver equally as well.

As always, be patient and always prime your coils before use, for the best experience.

As expected, the performance from the Zlide tank is exceptional, and although that is mainly down to the excellent Z-Coils, it does bring something extra to the party – usability.

The Zlide may lack a juice flow control, that the Zenith has to offer but it all honesty it’s not needed. I used 50/50 juice and never once had an issue with leaking. The coils are also more than capable of dealing with 70VG with no hiccups.

Where the Zlide really shines is when all the small parts come together to deliver a stellar MTL vape experience.

The top fill system is easy to use and well constructed, the airflow is super smooth and delivers a perfect MTL draw. Coil replacement is straightforward, cleaning and maintenance of the tank are well thought out, and it’s all packaged in a tank of brilliant build quality.

So yes the coils are the most crucial factor in delivering the excellent flavor and vapor, but the Zlide tank itself aids in providing an overall stress-free, quality experience – it’s how MTL vaping should be.

It’s clear that Innokin, Phil, and Demetri aim to deliver products for ex-smokers/beginner vapers to help them transition into vaping. I think the Zlide tank is their most complete creation yet; they seem to have covered everything required – It is without a doubt the best beginner MTL tank available.

The verdict for the Innokin Zlide is actually quite simple – it’s without question the best stock coil tank on the market for beginner and MTL vapers.

The Zenith was and still is an excellent tank, but with the Zlide, Innokin has managed to not only improve on the design but also the build quality and more importantly the experience.

That’s not even mentioning the fact they have an excellent selection of coils available, and that the Zlide is also available at a budget price – unbelievable!