Hey folks! Today I have a very overdue review on one of Innokin's newest pod mod kits, the Kroma-Nova. This medium-sized pot kit comes with an array of features we've all come to expect in a device of this size, and has done a fairly good job in most aspects. For anyone that's owned or knows of the previously released Kroma Z pod kit, that is essentially the predecessor to the Nova, but it used Innokin's Z-coils instead. The Kroma Nova uses the newly-released PZP coil series that are currently compatible with the Kroma-Nova, and the latest Zyon pod kit. To get a great visual layout of the color options and features available for the device, please check out their site before continuing on with this review so you have a fair comparison with my test results.
I want to thank @Innokin_Alisa for coordinating this product for review. As per the norm, this critique will be conducted in a fair and honest manner. All opinions are my own. Alright, let's dive in!
I received two Kroma-Novas for this review. The colors sent to me were Blush Pink and Azure Blue (no, this review is not a mod gender reveal!
). Each kit I received contained a Kroma-Nova pod kit, two coils (1.0 ohm coil pre-installed and a spare 0.4 ohm coil), a spare RDL drip-tip (MTL drip-tip comes pre-installed), a short USB-C cable, and some reading literature. Please refer to the manual if anything in this review is not clear functionality-wise. The Azure Blue varies in look depending on the lighting and doesn't quite match up with what I'm seeing on Innokin's site. If color/shade is a priority of yours, please Google photos to get a better idea for any of your matchy-matchy needs.And, as with a lot of their products, Innokin continues to use recycled materials for their packaging. I'll note it every time I see it, and it's appreciated from many of us!
Right off the bat, one thing that I want to mention that I absolutely love about Innokin is that they continue to stick with a sturdy zinc-alloy construction. I cannot reiterate enough how much plastic and aluminum-alloys do not hold up in durability when it comes to mishaps.
On the front side of the Kroma-Nova from top, down we have a very tall firing bar that extends down past the UI and even into the up and down directional buttons (if you want to press hard enough). Toward the top of the fire bar is the easiest spot to fire, but the entire bar makes for very easy firing and gives a nice little clicky sound when activated. Behind the fire bar hides a tidy and simplistic UI. Just below the UI are the up and down buttons followed by USB-C charging port located at the very bottom.
The back of the device is padded with moisture protected faux-leather. Parallel stitching runs the length of the padded material about a half an inch apart with "NOVA" written slightly embossed between them. Near the top of the back side is the airflow control knob which rotates an inner ring seen in the bottom 2 photos. This airflow control varies the draw from a very loose MTL to an open RDL. This was one thing I was surprised to see from Innokin. In most cases, they do a very good job of creating a "true" MTL ("true" being what I'd consider the suction needed for a packed cigarette), but that is not the case with the Kroma-Nova. Even with the MTL drip-tip, I noticed very little difference in terms of the needed suction (or lack thereof) to replicate that of a cigarette. The MTL airflow you can expect is that of what the industry now commonly refers to as "MTL", when in actuality, it's very often a tight RDL.
I'm sure you've noticed the "cup" design on the inside of the pod well where the coil seats when the pod is popped in. This has actually been fairly clutch with a bit of leaking that I've experienced from the pod, but none of which exited the device through the airflow, and this has much to do with this little well that cupped and contained the leakage.
The UI is ultra-simplistic which makes the Kroma-Nova very user-friendly. The device scrolls in 0.5 watt increments from 6W to 20W and in full watt increments from 20W to 60W, and it does round-robin. This is a "smart" device meaning it will auto-detect the resistance of the coil and recommend a starting wattage which can both be seen for the 0.4 ohm coil and 1.0 ohm resistances, above (yes, it is very common for coils to be a tenth or two of an ohm off).
Other than to turn the device on or off which requires 3 quick clicks of the fire bar/button, the shortcut button combinations shown above are really all you need to know to access everything this chip offers. The first two photos show how to lock the up and down buttons (but still allow firing) indicated by the lock symbol in the top left portion of the UI. Up + Fire shows you the coil resistance, available battery voltage (battery life), and a hidden puff counter that can be cleared. Holding the up and down buttons allows you to change the fire button and screen light cutoff timers. To make changes in the wattage, simply hold the up or down button for 2 seconds (with the device unlocked).
One big change from the previous Kroma Z is the slide-top refill access. No need to pop the pod out and pull out a rubber bung or anything like that. The slide-top feature has proven to work quite well, assuming you don't attempt to overfill the pod. It should be noted that the top of the 3mL (2mL TPD) tank slopes downward toward the refill port, meaning you need to tip the tank forward about 45 degrees unless you don't plan to fill it up all the way. I'm not entirely sure why it was designed like this, but it might have been done intentionally to help prevent from overfilling the pod. The refill membrane opening is very large and has no problems fitting in a full-sized Chubby Gorilla bottle nozzle.
The PZP coils pop in and out effortlessly. Make sure to give the coil a firm press inward when installing a coil to make sure it seats properly. Also, it's ideal to have the airflow openings on the coil pointing toward the sides of the pod for the smoothest airflow. You can see what I mean by this from the photo below.
The two coils that come in the kit are 0.4 ohm and 1.0 ohm resistances. The 0.4 ohm coil has a recommended wattage between 30W and 40W, and the 1.0 ohm coil recommends using a wattage between 9W and 13W. It is my recommendation to always start at or below the recommended wattage to help break the coil in a bit and and to allow you to work up to a wattage that's comfortable for you. Also available are a 0.6 and 1.2 ohm coil, sold separately.
As I mentioned in the section above, the airflow openings on the coils should be oriented toward the side/sides of the pod when installed. There is technically no "wrong" way of installing the coil, but to achieve the smoothest airflow, keep this in mind.
I was hoping the reduced diameter of the coil in the 1.0 ohm coil head would help restrict the airflow more than it does, but it certainly helps boost the flavor output and left me quite surprised. More on that below.
Test Results & Conclusion:
I've been using the Innokin Kroma-Nova for a few months now. The only juices I've been using in it are 3 mg/mL, 70/30 VG/PG, so my experience with it are anecdotal. It's the same juice I use in pretty much all of my testing, so the observations that I make regarding flavor output and coil longevity are a comparison across all of the vape products I review.
I started my testing with the 0.4 ohm coil simply because I wanted to see how well the mod performed at higher wattages, and also because lower resistance coils are generally more prone to leaking. I started vaping at 30W and raised the wattage to 40W but felt the vape felt dry and airy. I continued to vape at 30W until around 300 puffs, and then started to notice a bit of a burnt flavor. I backed the wattage down to 25W for another 50 puffs or so, and then down to 20W again when I started to notice a tad bit of burning. I retired the first 0.4 ohm coil at around 400 puffs because I didn't think it had much life left in it. I switched to the 1.0 ohm coil and was caught off guard. The 1.0 ohm coil was producing better flavor than the 0.4 ohm coil and was performing with wide open RDL airflow, fantastically. At only 12W, the 1.0 ohm coil lasted forever in battery life. I switched back to a spare 0.4 ohm coil supplied by Innokin to give it another shot. The second 0.4 ohm coil lasted around 6-700 puffs and slowly died in flavor output along the way. This isn't quite up to industry standards in what I'd consider the standard, but Innokin also has some of the cheapest coils on the market. Since then, I've been using the 1.0 ohm coils and have been delighted with them. The PZP flavor output isn't the strongest for coil head tanks and pods, but they're tasty enough for my taste. Some juices can actually be gaggy when they put out too much flavor; it almost feels like you're drinking the e-liquid which can come off as bitter. In flavor output, I'd have to give the PZP a slight edge over the Z-coils, but the longevity award still goes to the Z-coils, hands down.
Let's quickly talk about what didn't impress me much. As a reviewer, I constantly have products in rotation so I'm hardly ever solely vaping with a single device. There have been times where the Kroma-Nova has sat on the desk untouched for up to a week in some cases. Having come back to the Kroma-Nova on a few occasions, the 0.4 ohm had experienced a bit of leaking each time. Luckily, the design of the cupped pod well contained any would-be mess, and I never experienced any juice exiting the device which was a pleasant surprise to say the least. The "cup" also makes it very easy to clean out any leakage which made the leaking almost negligible. I never ran into any leaking issues with the 1.0 ohm coil.
One other thing I noticed that isn't really a con really, but more of a consideration, is the range in airflow. Innokin generally does a very good job catering to the restricted MTL crowd and if I were to agree that the Kroma-Nova had MTL capabilities, I'd call it a very loose MTL. The range is pretty decent but the most restricted setting is still quite airy. Being that I'm an RDL vaper this doesn't bother me much, but I was a bit surprised by it and feel that it should be noted.
Now, there's certainly more to like about the Kroma-Nova than the minor things I just noted. The new slide-top refill access is sleek and works a charm. The UI was designed to be very easy to use while still giving the user the ability to make preferencial adjustments. The internal battery has a 3000 mAh capacity which is a lot for a mod that ranges from 6W to 60W and only takes about 80-90 minutes to fully recharge from dead. With the 1.0 or 1.2 ohm coil, this is will certainly last for 300 puffs or so. Lastly, the Kroma-Nova has a very nice hand-feel and stays competitively small in comparison to other devices of its size.
Overall, the Kroma-Nova is a pretty great little device. Innokin continues to make some of the most solidly constructed devices on the market that aren't flawless, but if you've been vaping long enough, you already know that isn't a realistic expectation. The Kroma-Nova vapes quite well and has just enough creature comforts for me to give it a thumbs up.
Pros:
> Solid zinc-alloy construction
> Slide-top refill
> Nice hand-feel
> Minor leaks are very easy to clean
> Easy plug-n-play PZP coils
> Easy to use UI w/ basic accommodations
> Spare drip-tip
> 3000 mAh internal battery
> Decent airflow range (very loose MTL to open RDL)
> Good flavor (esp. the 1.0 ohm coils)
Cons:
> PZP coils have decent but not great longevity
Considerations:
> No 510 adapter like with the Kroma Z
> 3mL tank size is middle of the pack for device of this size
> Airflow restricts down to very loose MTL
Rating:
7.5-8
And that wraps up this review on the Innokin Kroma-Nova pod kit. I hope this review was informational enough to aid in answering any decision-making questions you might have about it. Keep an eye out for participating vendors if you're outside of the UK. Thank you for reading this review, and I hope to catch you again, soon.
Happy vape hoarding!
