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REVIEWS
INNOKIN ARES 2 D22
By Benedict Jones
Innokin is one of the largest manufacturers in vaping and
has always focused on new users. As a result, rebuildable
releases are few and far between but now we finally have
the Ares 2, a sequel to the original Ares, which was released
all the way back in 2017. Is it worth checking out?
Construction, fit and finish of the Ares 2 are good. This
tank has quite a few moving parts, but they’re all machined
nicely and have great tolerances. Several chunky seals on
the top and bottom of this tank ensure that leakage is nigh
on impossible and overall, it feels well put together. Small
details, such as the detents on the airflow control ring
have been executed properly, resulting in a satisfying click
between each selection.
When it comes to user experience, it’s clear that Innokin
has spent a lot of time thinking about new users and this
perspective has paid off. The build deck is extremely simple,
with two side mounted Phillips head screw posts. Just drop
a coil in, tighten up the leads and you’re pretty much good
to go. The simplicity of this build deck takes much of the
frustration out of building for those with less experience
and speeds up the process for veterans.
Wicking the Ares 2 is also a breeze. I found that regardless
of build, cutting my wicks so they are just caught in the
wicking wells would always result in a fully saturated vape,
to the last drop. Walls on the side of the deck make it hard for
excess e-liquid to pool around the airflow, which mitigates
the risk of flooding and makes wicking more forgiving.
Once you’re ready to fill, the Ares 2 has a simple sliding topfill
mechanism, with a sealed membrane. I’ve had no issues
with this, though due to the small capacity of the 22mm
model, I recommend filling slowly.
Normally I don’t talk about accessories but in this case,
I have to. The Ares 2 is packaged with two pre-made
spaced coils, 1m of 26g kanthal, cotton, two coiling rods,
a screwdriver, plenty of spares and a tool to wrap your own
spaced coils. Aside from wire snips, this is pretty much
everything a new builder could need, and that’s fantastic.
The airflow system is perhaps the biggest change from the
original Ares to this new model. It has two separate points of
specifications
Materials: Stainless steel, polycarbonate
Diameter: 22mm (24mm model also available)
E-liquid capacity: 2ml
control, which allow a level of fine tuning that should satisfy
even the pickiest of MTL vapers. First, there’s an external
control ring, which allows you to select from individual
inlets, all the way down to 0.8mm, or several at the same
time, using a slot. In addition, there’s an internal airflow
controller, situated underneath the coil. Innokin describes
this as a “cross airflow control”, or CAFC. This is a small
wheel, that can open or close a slot under the coil, as much
or as little as you prefer. It can be adjusted on the fly with
a small screwdriver, without removing your build. How you
configure the CAFC places a hard limit on the amount of air
fed to the coil, so experimenting with this is key to finding
your preferred draw.
In terms of performance, I’m thoroughly impressed with
the tank. I found my preferred draw by closing the CAFC to
approximately half and then selecting the second largest
inlet on the airflow control ring. Airflow is incredibly smooth
throughout the range of options and flavour output is
comparable to my favourite MTL atomisers, when using
my “benchmark” 26g MTL build.
In summary, the Ares 2 is a fantastic MTL RTA and Innokin
has done a great job of making rebuilding less intimidating
for those who want to give it a try. New users may need to
experiment with the CAFC to find a draw that suits them
but this is not a steep learning curve and can be adjusted
easily. A fantastic option for MTL vapers who are interested
in RTAs.
PROS
- Lots of airflow options
- Great flavour
- Smooth draw
- Comprehensive extras provided
CONS
- Some experimentation
needed with CAFC to find
ideal draw
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