Honest review time: The iJust 21700 from Eleaf

Here’s a look at the latest iJust kit sent over from Eleaf. I believe it’s around the 7th or possibly 8th iteration of the iJust in the long running line. The iJust series of devices has always focused on simplicity and this latest version continues the trend incorporating the same handy, albeit limited features that it’s predecessors had while updating at least a few minor elements to help keep things fresh. Here are my honest thoughts on the iJust 21700 from Eleaf.

Package contents:

iJust 21700 (with or without cell)
ELLO Duro Atomizer (5.5ml / 2ml version)
HW-M2 0.2ohm Head
HW-N2 0.2ohm Head
QC USB Cable
User Manuals
Bag of spare parts

Listed features and specs:

Diameter:25mm
Height:148mm (5.5ml version) / 130.5mm (2ml version)
Weight (without cell):110g (5.5ml version) / 107g (2ml version)
E-liquid capacity:5.5ml version / 2ml version
Battery type:single 21700 / 18650
Output wattage:80W max
Resistance range: 0.1Ω-3.0Ω

Packaging and contents:

The kit comes packed in a pretty standard white cardboard box with an image of the kit on the front and a listing of the contents and some basic info on the back. In the kit you get the iJust 21700, the Ello Duro, two types of coils, an 18650 battery adapter, a quick charge USB cable, two user manuals one for the mod and one for the tank as well as a bag of spares which contains some spare O-rings and a couple of replacement seals for the tanks top fill. Everything you need to get started along with a couple of standard but appreciated extras.

The mod:

The iJust 21700 mod is extremely simple. It’s a stick style mod that uses 21700 batteries and follows a very similar design to previous iJust releases. It’s basically a mech mod with some built-in protections which makes it a little more accessible to folks looking for a mech mod like experience but aren’t quite comfortable with things like ohms law and battery safety. I still recommend taking the time to learn them but having an option like the iJust makes it that much easier, not to mention safer. At the top it’s got a nice 510 connection that’s indented around the edges to give it a bit more style. It’s 25mm in diameter and stands around 148mm tall with the tank attached or roughly 95mm on it’s own. It’s a bit tall but it does support 21700 which are some of the largest cells used in vaping. It’ll support atomizers up to 25mm but anything beyond that will likely overhang. The threads on the 510 are nice and smooth and it’s got a gold plated spring loaded 510 connection that seems to fit nearly anything I’ve tried on it.

On one side of the device it’s got a micro USB port for charging which it does at 1A and on the other it’s got a sort of diamond shaped fire button with hidden LEDS underneath it. The LEDS are used to indicate when it’s firing as well as remaining battery life with green indicating the battery is between 60-100%, orange representing 30-59%, blue 10-29% and red indicating the battery is less than 9%. I find the lights are a bit hard to see and doesn’t really shine through the plastic surrounding the button but instead leaks out between the button and the plastic housing. I pretty much have to press the button while holding my thumb to one side to see them. It’s not a big deal as I don’t tend to like flashy lights on my devices but it would be nice if it was just a tiny bit easier to see at a glance.

I believe the previous versions of the iJust all had internal batteries and the iJust 21700 is the first in the line to use user replaceable cells. To access the battery you just unscrew the bottom cap and pop a cell in or out. It’s got a small hole in the cap for venting should anything go awry. Inside is clearly marked for both positive and negative. The kit also includes an adapter for 18650 batteries and though not listed it also supports 20700 batteries without the adapter. With the slightly smaller 20700 batteries there might be a bit of battery rattle but it’s minimal at best and only noticeable if you’re really shaking the device. The kit I received came with an AVB 21700 battery but I’m not sure if the standard kit will ship with a battery included.

Using the device couldn’t get any simpler which might make it an ideal choice for folks who can’t quite understand all the features a more advanced device might have. To turn it on and off it uses the standard five clicks. To fire the device you press the fire button and that’s about it. There are no other functions or adjustments to speak of and the only other features are the various safety protections built-in which include over-charge, over-discharge, over-current, short circuit, reverse polarity and a 10 second cutoff. I believe the output is regulated to 80W but with those added protections it should keep most any user safe even if they aren’t up on ohms law and battery safety. One thing that needs to be mentioned is it’s a direct output device meaning as the battery depletes so too will the experience. The coils that it ships with have a pretty decent range so they should continue to work well enough until the battery cuts out but it still something users should be aware of. I often use mechanical mods so I’m used to the gradual performance drop but others may find it a pain. It’s easily mitigated by carrying a spare battery or charging up on the go which are both options with this new iJust kit.

The tank:

The tank that ships with the iJust 21700 kit is the Ello Duro, it’s the same tank we’ve seen shipped with a number of recent Eleaf devices and it’s a pretty well proven design for an atomizer. The tank itself hasn’t changed much but it does include a few minor updates. The iJust 21700 kit now comes with a tapered acrylic tank that holds 5.5ml of liquid which is coloured to match the the kit it ships with. It looks nice and it’s a nice change from the standard bubble tank but I’m personally not a fan of plastic tanks so it’s nice that they also include a regular straight glass tube replacement if acrylic isn’t your thing. The straight glass tank still holds a decent 4ml which is still plenty enough for me.

At the top it comes with a fairly wide bore 810 drip tip that is also coloured to match the kit. It’s top fill and to access the fill port you push on one side of the top cap and it clicks open. There’s a little indicator engraved on the cap to show where to push. It’s a bit hard to see on the black version but you get the hang of it pretty quick. The fill hole is a decent size and comes with two styles of seal, one that is open and one that looks and acts like a diaphragm. I prefer the open one myself but folks who struggle with a mess when refilling might prefer the diaphragm style seal. Airflow is adjustable and comes in through the bottom of the device via two cyclops style ports that can be adjusted from full open to full closed with stops at either end. It’s easy enough to turn but is also firm enough it should stay in place. With the tip they include and the airflow the tank has it’s pretty much meant for direct lung vaping so fans of mouth to lung likely won’t be interested in this one.

Now the other new thing that comes with the kit are the HW-M2 and HW-N2 kanthal mesh coils. They’re an updated version of their previous mesh coils and now include such features as a leak proof design, self-cleaning technology and a new airflow system where air is directed to the inside of the coil via a central pole that’s full of holes. I can’t really see what makes it a leak proof design but the self-cleaning feature looks similar to the new system that I saw on Crown 4 coils recently where it tries to suck up any excess liquid from the base. The coils also use a more porous cotton that’s supposed to wick liquid that much better. So far from my experience with them the new HW-M2 and HW-N2 coils are pretty fantastic. They both produce nice thick vapour and well defined flavour but I struggle to really find much of a difference between the two. On one of them the mesh is a bit finer but I didn’t really feel any noticeable difference from it. Either way I’ve been pretty impressed with their performance so far and couldn’t really find any fault with them. As with any coils longevity will depend on a number of factors but I don’t see why they shouldn’t last just as long as other mesh based coils in the same category.

Overall:

Admittedly this kind of device won’t be for everyone as some people prefer the accuracy and adjustability of a standard regulated device however plenty of others will appreciate it’s form factor, simple press to fire functionality and easy to manage striped down features. It’ll work well as either a starter kit for folks just getting in to subohm vaping or as a bridge for those wanting to get in to mechanical style mods but are still on the fence about vaping without a safety net. Of course fans of the iJust series will simply find more of what they love with the iJust 21700.

How it adds up
Ease of useSupport for multiple battery typesUser replaceable batterySafety featuresGood build qualityPerformance of included coilsSimple styling
A bit tallLED indicators difficult to seeDirect output(subjective)Acrylic tank(subjective)
7.8Overall Score
Presentation8
Build Quality8
Performance7.5