Hi ECF members, In this review i take a look at the Coolfire Z80 Kit 80W with Zenith II from Innokin. The Coolfire Z80 Kit 80W with Zenith II was supplied for the purpose of this review by Monica from Innokin.
CoolFire Z80 Zenith II - Vape Kit | INNOKIN®
Introduction
Innokin are one of the old guard when it comes to vaping manufacturers yet they have not only stayed relevant but are also leading the way in innovation. The Coolfire Z80 incorporates the same innovative new technology that was introduced with the Sensis Pod Mod which both improves flavour but also coil longevity by using a coil refresh feature and new F0 technology which uses AC Current! After using both the Sensis and the Coolfire Z80 i am very impressed and can see F0 Mode and the Refresh feature being Innokin's standard technology in the future!
With this kit the Coolfire Z80 is paired up with the latest version of their flagship Zenith tank which keeps the much loved MTL capabilities and quick top-fill system while also including an airflow slot to cater for the RDL vaping style while having a Zlide cosmetic makeover, let's crack on and have a closer look!
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In The Box
Contents:
Innokin Coolfire Z80 Mod
Zenith II tank
0.8ohm MTL coil (installed)
Z 0.3ohm RDL coil
Spare RDL drip tip
O-rings
Type C USB cable
User manual
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Aesthetics
The kit comes in recycled cardboard packaging with the mod and tank on show in their separate compartments and all accessories in the lower layer! I received the Cloudy Grey version which has a Gunmetal frame and cushioned Suede spine and Gunmetal Zenith II tank, the options are Leather Black, Ash Grey, Leather White and Cloudy Grey.
In this section i will concentrate on the mod which has a curved spine with either soft Leather or cushioned Suede finishes which flattens out towards the front of the device. Between the spine and main frame sections we have a bracket either side, on one bracket we have "INNOKIN" carved and on the other "COOLFIRE Z80".
Moving to the face which is darkly tinted we have a nicely machined round protruding fire button with Copper edging which is only a small detail but one i like a lot! Below we have the screen followed by two small round protruding navigational buttons lined up vertically followed by the Type C USB connection port!
moving up top we have a slightly raised 510 plate with Gold plated, spring loaded 510. At the base of the device we find a battery plate with fold out lever and venting holes! The Coolfire Z80 is light but not in a cheap way as it's build quality is excellent, it's also compact making it a lovely device to use when out and about as well as at home.
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Zenith II Specs and Features:
Dimensions: Ø26*51.7mm
Tank capacity: 5.5ml / 2ml (TPD)
Compatible: All Z Coils
Filling: Top Filling
Included Coil heads: 0.3Ω, 30-40W / 0.8Ω, 15-18W
Coil Insulation: Bottom press fitted
Style: MTL/RDL
Airflow: Bottom adjustable
Drip Tip: 510 Fitting
Colours: Stainless steel, Black, Gunmetal
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The Zenith II Overview
The Zenith II is part of Phil Busardo's Platform Series and latest version of the flagship MTL tank, the latest rendition also allows for a very good RDL vape so you can make use of all the available Z coils including the Plexus 3D coil heads!
Aesthetically the Zenith II looks more like the Zlide than original Zenith but has the Zenith's much loved top fill system which just means turning the top to the open padlock position to reveal the open fill port which on mine being the TPD version has a self sealing membrane, the Zenith II has either a 5.5ml capacity or 2ml with the TPD version.
The tank is 25mm in diameter at it's base and 26mm in diameter at it's widest points, we have large e-liquid viewing windows and the top can be removed to allow a new glass to be fitted if necessary. The tank comes pre-installed with a 510 MTL drip tip but also included is a RDL 510 drip tip, to be honest neither suit me but the beauty of it having a standard 510 fitting means any 510 drip tip will fit!
The airflow control ring has a series of 3 small holes followed by an airflow slot, this can give anything from a tight MTL right up to a very satisfactory RDL draw!
The base of the tank houses the airflow control and the 510 threading itself is attached to the base of the coil and feeds through the central hole of the base. Like with the original Zenith the coils just get press fitted into place making swapping coils very quick.
You receive the pre-installed 0.8ohm MTL coil head and also the outstanding 0.3ohm coil head but many others are compatible, see below for details!
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Innokin Coolfire Z80 Mod Specs:
Size: 83.5×38.3×27.6mm
Output: 6-80W / 1-7.5V
User modes: Variable Wattage, Variable Voltage, Frequency – F0 (20-100Hz), Coil refresh
Battery: 1×18650 (not included)
Display: Colour screen
Resistance range: 0.1-3.5ohm
USB Type C Charging – 1.7A charge rate
510 connection
Colours: Leather Black, Ash Grey, Leather White and Cloudy Grey
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Fitting The Battery
The Coolfire Z80 accommodates a single 18650 battery via the bottom of the device by unscrewing the battery plate.
This style of installing your battery is old school but much loved and still used on many high end devices, you can't damage your wraps and it guarantees you will get no battery movement. I particularly like this style when a fold out lever is included making it much quicker and less fiddly to secure in place, on this battery plate as well as a fold out lever we also have venting holes which is good to see!
If you need to charge the battery in the device the Coolfire Z80 has a Type C USB connection and 1.7A charge rate, via the charging and data cable the device is also fully firmware upgaradeable!
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The Display
The display gives plenty of info and is bright, sharp and uses colour sparingly which i find pleasing to the eye!
Top left we have the mode which will be W (normal variable wattage), V (Normal Variable Voltage) or F0 (Find your frequency mode), top right we have the battery status bar.
Underneath the information given we have the wattage or Voltage depending which mode you are in. The lower section of the display shows to the left vape time followed by your puff count and to the right we have resistance followed by bottom right the voltage which instead will display wattage in voltage mode or the frequency when using F0!
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Operating The Coolfire Z80
The Coolfire Z80 is 3 clicks of the fire button to turn on and pressing fire and down together locks the navigational buttons but the device will still fire, when locked a padlock will appear under the mode and fire and right again unlocks. Pressing fire and up together brings up a screen showing the voltage on the battery, resistance of the coil and puff count, it also has an option to reset the puffs!
To enter the main menu is pressing both navigational buttons together which takes you to a list with the following options, F0, Power, Refresh, Settings and Exit, unlike on the Sensis F0 mode is unlocked out the box so no code is needed!
When selecting F0 it allows you to select an AC frequency which is something you can just play around with to find the best for different coil and juice combinations, for now i have just set it to 60hertz, there is also a Find F group on Facebook where people can discuss which frequency they find best for which coil which will be a good resource for some but i am just the type who likes to find out over time for myself!
Selecting Power allows you to choose between Wattage or Voltage modes while selecting Refresh fires your coil at 40% of your set power with AC current to draw liquid in so gives it a fresh prime which i must say does seem to spring life into a coil when getting old (flavour definitely improves after a refresh), this gives you the option of either a 4 or 8 second refresh!
Selecting Settings brings up the following options, Op Screen, Timeout, Cutoff, Device ID, Reset, Exit. These settings don't need to be explained as they are standard and seen on most devices but the Op, Screen allows you to change from the default Pro working screen to a more minimalistic display which doesn't give information like puffs etc although it still keeps a count and you can check puffs as explained earlier by pressing fire and left together. Finally to change the wattage you have to hold down either the up or down button for a couple of seconds which will cause the wattage to flash, it can now be adjusted in 0.5w increments from 6w up to 80W, it round robins. Below the new modes and features are explained!
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Refresh
Refresh is a new feature that allows you to manually refresh the coil between hits to provide better wicking, bringing in flavour and to extend the coils life. Refresh does this by firing at 40% of your set wattage, drawing in more liquid.
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Find Your Frequency (FØ)
FØ uses alternating current (AC) to produce a waveform that runs continuously while you vape. This is possible by sending an electrical output in a much more precise and efficient way through the coil.
You can adjust the hertz output to match your coil and e-liquid. When properly matched to your atomizer, FØ will extend coil life, provide smoother heat transfer, and even enhance specific flavours in e-liquid. AC will heat your e-liquid at a gradual rate, ensuring that it does not burn and produce a bad taste, so many of us have experienced.
(Disclaimer: After testing the device i really couldn't see how i could explain the new technology any better than Innokin themselves so the above information was a copy and paste from their website)
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My Experience Using The Coolfire Z80 Kit And Thoughts!
Just like with the Sensis I have been loving this device and the new technology, I am more convinced than ever that it's no gimmick, the new technology works giving incredible coil life and improved flavour!
With the Sensis I then went on to say "but like with everything nothings perfect" but my cons for that device was to do with the 510 adaptor and in-built battery so have organically been addressed with the Coolfire Z80!
The F0 mode and Refresh features were explained in the review and in F0 Mode coil life improves dramatically and the flavour also in my experience definitely improves, when using the occasional Refresh once the coil head or build is getting older it really does give it a new lease of life giving a saturated vape full of fresh flavour!
Despite all the new technology i like how user friendly the device is so new vapers don't need to be put off or blinded by science. It's build quality is excellent, it's light and small, fitting in the hand with ease and is so comfortable to hold and fire!
The included 25mm Zenith II fits perfectly so most tanks you would want to use on a single 18650 device with look great. Battery life also seems efficient giving full value for your mAh's and if you need to charge in the device or upgrade we have a Type C connection and 1.7A charge rate! The only con i have for the mod is the puff counter resets every time the battery is removed!
I tried both coils with the Zenith II but as i have used both the original Zenith and Zlide tanks in the past so also many of the compatible coils I also wanted to see how the new technology worked with RTA's and impressed would be an understatement, coil life and the length of time between re-wicks increased significantly with F0 Mode and Refresh works just as well on an RTA as it does with commercial coils.
The Zenith II is an outstanding tank with my only con being i found with the membrane seal i couldn't use larger nozzles. With a suitable nozzle though filling is so quick and easy as is swapping coils out, there are plenty of MTL coil options for the Zenith II but what really impressed me was what a great RDL vape it gave with the included 0.3ohm coil being quite outstanding!
I do hope though that Innokin will release just the mod as however good a commercial coil tank is some vapers only use rebuildable options so will be put off needing to buy the kit when they won't use the tank!
For me the Coolfire Z80 Kit is the best kit released so far this year and will take some beating, maybe a dual 21700 version, just thinking out loud!!!!
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Likes
Excellent build quality
4 Spine options
Innovation (brand new technology)
F0 Mode
Refresh feature
Improved flavour and coil life
RDL and MTL drip tips included
Standard 510 drip tip fitting
MTL and RDL draws
Included MTL 0.8ohm coil and 0.3ohm DL coil
Compatible with all Z coils
Quick top-fill system
Quick coil change system
5.5ml capacity (standard version)
Fires Instantly with great performance
Clicky buttons
Old School bottom battery plate with lever
Nice bright, sharp display
Very good battery life
User friendly interface
Type C USB
1.7A charge rate and firmware upgaradeable
Cons
Filling with larger nozzles a bit tricky
Doesn't appear the Mod can be purchased separately (i am sure that will change)
Puff counter resets when battery is removed
Not keen on included drip tips (can fit your own)
I would once again like to thank Monica from Innokin for supplying the Coolfire Z80 Kit 80W with Zenith II for the purpose of this review, thanks for reading and stay safe!
CoolFire Z80 Zenith II - Vape Kit | INNOKIN®
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