We review the ATOPACK Penguin. Joyetech has thrown out the rulebook with an all-in-one pod mod vape, and a refillable cartridge!

• Refillable Pod System
• 8.8ml Capacity
• 2000mAh battery
• 0.6 & 0.25 ohm colis

There are a lot of great new pod mod systems on the market; they offer convenience and simplicity to new vapers. However, the one problem with them is that they are closed-system, which means you are stuck with that manufacturer’s pods and flavors – generally speaking. A closed-system can also be more expensive as the cost of buying replacement pods starts to stack up.

We have seen a few open pod style systems from Eleaf (iCare’s) and Aspire (Breeze), but they were more AIO devices instead of having a separate pod or cartridge. This is where Joyetech come in with the ATOPACK Penguin, it not only fills a particular void in the market but is quite unlike anything else we’ve ever seen before – and that in itself has to be credited.

However, this isn’t just a gimmicky device with a cute name and look. The Penguin has an internal 2000 mAh battery and utilizes a unique refillable cartridge system capable of holding up to 8.8 ml of e-liquid, or 2ml for the TPD compliant version. It also uses Joyetech’s new coil system called JVIC (Juice Vertical Injection Coil), and as a complete package, this thing is not just innovative but actually pretty exceptional.

Is the vaping world ready for the march of the Penguins?

Kit Content:

• Atopack Penguin mod
• 1 x cartridge
• 1 x Atopack MTL coil 0.6 ohm
• 1 x Atopack DL coil 0.25 ohm
• USB cable
• Instruction manual
• Warranty card
• Spare parts

Specifications:

• Size: 102.5 x 52 x 26 mm
• All-in-one device
• Weight: 85 g (unfilled) / 139.5g
• Pod capacity: 8.8 mL (standard version) / 2 mL (TPD version)
• Battery capacity: 2000mAh
• Maximum output wattage: 50W
• Max charging current: 2A
• Output mode: direct output
• Colors: Silver / White / Blue / Red / Black

The ATOPACK Penguin looks and feels like it’s made from zinc alloy, and ergonomically fits great in the hand with its smooth, rounded edges. The device has just one button, which is the firing button and it protrudes slightly out from the body for ease of pressing but gives no rattle whatsoever. Directly underneath the fire button is the micro USB charging port.

The Penguin is turned on and off with the usual five clicks. It also has five small LEDs (located between the fire button and USB port) to indicate battery life. The lights will automatically adjust to display remaining battery level.

The housing of the e-liquid is made out of PETG (PET plastic with the addition of glycol). This information is printed on the cartridge label, along with a useful capacity measure and window, to see remaining e-liquid level. A neat little addition to the cartridge label is a few blank lines where you can fill in your e-liquid details like; brand, flavor, PG/VG ratio, and nicotine percentage. The cartridge is one complete molded piece that contains both the mouthpiece and air flow hole.

On the underside of the cartridge is where you will find access to the coil and be able to fill it with e-liquid. The coil sits in a ceramic cradle, which in turn sits inside a silicon sealing gasket. In order to refill the cartridge, you have to pop the coil out of the silicon seal with your thumb, not the easiest and mess-free solution – more on this later.

There are two JVIC coil heads included in the kit; a 0.6 ohm coil (labeled as a MTL coil), and 0.25 ohm (DL coil) which has a larger inner diameter – both use kanthal wire and organic cotton as the wicking material.

I mainly used the Penguin with the 0.6-ohm coil. Joyetech describes it as a mouth-to-lung coil, but I found it to be more of a restricted lung hit, which is actually more my style of vaping. There is a tightness to the draw, and it would probably suffice most new vapers. I guess it falls somewhere between classic MTL territory and a direct-lung vape. However, it does produce a good amount of vapor, but not as much as the 0.25-ohm coil head, which I found a little too airy but would definitely suit the more direct-to-lung sub ohm vapers.

Either way you look at it this little Penguin packs a punch, and performance is great on both coils, I really couldn’t fault it. It not only produces impressive amounts of vapor for such a small all-in-one device, but it also has really good flavor especially on the 0.6-ohm coil I was using. I used the same coil for well over a week, and it was still performing just as good with great flavor. The coil replacements are also incredibly cheap coming in at around $6 for a pack of 5.

I was majorly impressed with the battery life of the Penguin. The 2000 mAh battery lasted me over a days usage with both coils, and I didn’t notice any dip in performance when the battery charge decreased, which is great. It also only takes about an hour and 45 minutes to charge from empty and supports pass-through so you can vape while charging.

As much as I loved this device, there were a couple of issues which are certainly worth mentioning and considering.

Firstly, the beauty of this device over the closed-system pod mods is that the cartridges are refillable. However, I just wished they made the whole process a little less messy. I found that I always needed some paper towel on hand when I was either refilling or replacing the coil. There seems to be a constant residue build up around the coil, and you obviously have to pop out the coil to refill. That being said, it was actually a leak-free device, and the ceramic cradle for the coil is robust and simple to click back into place.

The other issue I noticed which is more applicable to the 2ml TPD cartridge is the only way of seeing your remaining e-liquid level is to remove the cartridge. It would have been nice to have a small window on the side of the device to see the liquid level and prevent running low and getting dry hits or ruining the coil. Using the 8.8 ml cartridge, this posed less of a problem.

Finally, I wish Joyetech included a spare cartridge in the kit. One of the main benefits of having a cartridge or pod mod system is hassle free changing of flavors. Which unfortunately is just not possible without buying a spare cartridge. Although it will only set you back a few dollars, Joyetech really should’ve included a spare.

We do get to see a lot of innovation in the vaping industry, but it’s very rare that a new style of vaping device comes out and ticks so many boxes. Is it perfect?….No. But Joyetech’s ATOPACK Penguin gets a lot right and does it really well.

I was impressed with the flavor and vapor performance of both coils, and having 8.8ml cartridge capacity and a battery that lasts all day, meant I could go out all day with one small device and no spare e-liquid – which was awesome.

The Penguin won’t be for everyone. Some may find the MTL coils not quite restrictive enough, while the DL lung coils are not for your high-wattage cloud chasers. However, finally having a device with the convenience of a closed-system, but the real freedom of being truly refillable at such an affordable price.

This little Penguin has won its way into my heart and is now my go-to portable vaping sidekick. It’s just you and me now Penguin.