Honest review time: The Tigon AIO from Aspire

Aspire released a new AIO system that expands on the success of its Tigon series of coils. The kit is called the Tigon AIO and though it’s a fairly simple device it has a couple of handy features that might make it a good option, especially for some of the newer users out there. Here are my honest thoughts on the Tigon AIO from Aspire.

Package contents:

1 xTigon AIO Battery Unit (1300 mAh)
1 xTigon AIO Pod (4.6 ml)
1 xTigon Coil 0.4
1 xTigon Mesh Coil 0.7
1 xType-C Cable
1 xUser Manual
1 xWarranty Card

Listed features and specs:

Battery capacity:1300mAh
Pod capacity:4.6ml
Fire method:Press button
Airflow:Adjustable
Charging:USB Type-C
Coils:Tigon coils: 0.4ohm and 0.7ohm Mesh
Output:Bypass
Dimensions:109.5 x 31 x 23mm
Output voltage:3.3-4.2V

Packaging and contents:

The kit comes packed in a clean white cardboard box with an image of the device on the front and a listing of the contents, some warnings and some company info on the back. In the kit you get the Tigon AIO device, a pre-installed 4.6ml refillable pod, two different Tigon coils, a micro USB cable for charging, a user manual and a warranty card. Pretty standard stuff and everything you’d need to get started short of juice but I’d personally love to see kits like this ship with two pods for convenience sake.

The Tigon AIO Mod:

The mod is pretty sizable for being an AIO at about 110mm tall, 31mm thick and 23mm wide. It kind of feels like holding a chocolate bar but it’s got sleek lines and feels really solid in hand being made of some type of metal which I’m guessing is a zinc alloy. With an internal 1300mAh battery it’s got a bit of heft to it weighing around 122g but it’s still very pocket friendly and tends to get me through a typical work day. To charge the internal battery it has a USB Type-C port on the left side which can charge the device at a rate of 5V/2A so it’s fast charge and typically take less than an hour to charge it up. It’s available in a number of colours including black, white, red and orange and the finish on the device feels durable and so far has held up against keys and pocket change from carrying it around. The orange one that I got has a slightly sparkly almost automotive finish to it with a green sort of carbon fiber inlay which is shiny and reflective. Hard to capture on camera but in person I got to say it looks pretty slick.

On the face of the device is a single button which can be used to fire the device or turn the device on and off with the usual five clicks. The button is ringed with an LED which indicates when it’s firing, charging as well as remaining battery level. If it shines green it’s above 3.8V, blue indicates it’s above 3.5V and red indicates it’s below 3.5V. The device is technically unregulated and uses a direct output or bypass as Aspire calls it so much like a mechanical mod as the battery declines so too can the experience vaping on it. Unlike a mechanical mod however it still has the usual safety features built-in like a low voltage cutoff and short circuit protection. The coils that come with the kit are pretty low rated though so you get quite a bit out of the 1300mAh battery before it’s 3.2V low voltage cutoff. I imagine most users likely won’t notice a huge drop off before the battery cuts out completely but it is a factor with devices like this.

Perhaps one of the neater features on the device is the adjustable airflow. It uses a little knob that you can slide open and closed using your thumb. It allows you to adjust the airflow to your liking in a really convenient way however I noticed the range is pretty limited. Like from full open to about half closed I barely feel a difference and a lot of the airflow restriction is still coming from the actual coil you use. The air intakes are hidden on the sides of that exposed airflow ring and internally opens on both sides of the base of the coil so even completely closed down it’s still gives a fairly open draw with the included coils. Unfortunately the kit doesn’t include any of their 1.2ohm Tigon coils and I didn’t have any on hand which I’d imagine would be the best choice for MTL vaping but out of the box I think this thing will be better suited to direct lung vaping if the airflow system can even accommodate MTL. Also so far I haven’t experienced any leaking or even much condensation build up but with the complexity of the integrated airflow system it will probably make clean ups a bit of a challenge.

The Pod and coils:

Like so many other pod devices out there the pod that comes with the Tigon AIO doubles as the mouth piece and is made of a durable polycarbonate smoked plastic. It holds a very cozy 4.6ml of liquid and there’s a little silicone plug on the bottom side of it for refilling. Not the most convenient spot but it works. The pod also has an interesting way of attaching to the mod. Instead of being held in place by magnets like everyone else out there it uses a bayonet style twist-lock to lock it in to place. It makes it nearly impossible for the pod to just pop out and full disclosure, I almost broke mine trying to pull it out before I realized it needed a twist to unlock it. One other innovative feature built-in to the pod itself is a self-sealing wick hole system so when you remove one of the plug and play coils it will automatically seal the wick holes meaning you don’t need to drain the tank before swapping coils. We saw it on the Tigon tank and later the Odan series of tanks and after using it for a while it’s hard to imagine not having the feature on any tank and now pod system.

The two coils that come with the kit are a 0.4ohm Tigon coil rated from 23-28W and a 0.7ohm mesh coil rated from 20-25W. Both are fairly low power which pairs well with the unregulated Tigon AIO. They’re also both fairly open when it comes to the draw and for me seem meant more for direct lung vaping as opposed to mouth to lung, even with the adjustable airflow closed all the way down the draw seems far too loose for mtl. I’ve already reviewed some Tigon coils along with the Tigon tank and the Mulus, they’re well proven and from my time with them I haven’t had any complaints with performance, longevity or quality control. With the 0.7ohm mesh coil the flavour is good and vapour production on par with other mesh coils in it’s range. The 0.4ohm regular coil is maybe a bit less defined but the performance is pretty similar and still puts out a decent amount of flavour and vapour when paired with the Tigon AIO. I dig the fact that companies are putting out devices like this that use standard coils which makes maintaining them all that much more convenient.

Overall:

While it does lose some points for being unregulated and mostly geared to direct lung I’ve found it an all around decent performer with some pretty handy features. It’s a super simple low hassle device which I know is a welcome option for a lot of newer vapers just getting into it. I think this one would be better suited to new vapers who prefer direct lung vaping who want an easy to manage kit that won’t break the bank and that looks pretty slick to boot.

How it adds up
Solidly builtNice finish and inlayEasy to use airflow controlGood liquid capacityEase of useDecent battery life2A quick chargeBayonet twist lock pod systemSelf-sealing plug and play coil systemSo far no leaks
UnregulatedLimited airflow rangeComplex airflow might make cleanup a challenge
7.5Overall
Presentation7.5
Build Quality7.5
Performance7.5