Table of Contents
Introduction
Geekvape has recently launched a MTL product targeted at vape beginners called G18 Starter MTL Pen. With only three output wattage levels and no trendy screen, it seems that the product tries to minimize operations to maximize its user-friendly trait. In addition, it features above-ohm MTL vaping, which most of experienced vapers start from, and leak-proof deck design.
When taken at face value, Geekvape G18 Starter Pen seems to do really well in keeping things simple for its target group. But how’s its performance in our tests? Is it worth buying for vape beginners? And how about other major indicators, such as battery, wattage range and flavor? No worries, we’ve done weeks of tests on the product, and summarized its pros and cons in this review for you to weigh up. Let’s see if anything hits you!
You can also check our reviews on other Geekvape products: Geekvape Z50 kit and Geekvape Aegis Nano pod system. And if you are interested in intermediate vape pen, you can check SMOK Vape Pen V2 review as well.
In this review, we highlight aspects we like in green, and those we don’t in red.
Specification
E-Liquid Capacity: 2ml
Wattage Range: 7–12W
Battery Capacity: 1300 mAh
Coil Specification:
1.2Ω Coil: 8W–12W
1.8Ω Coil: 7W–9W
Author: My Vape Review
Feature
3-level adjustable power output
Adjustable airflow control system
Leak-proof deck
Above-ohm coils for MTL vaping
1300 mAh built-in battery
Author: My Vape Review
Package Content
1 x G18 Mod
1 x Atomizer (2ml)
2 x Geekvape G Series MTL coil (pre-installed: 1.2Ω; replacement: 1.8Ω)
1 x USB Type-C Cable
Author: My Vape Review
Test on Power, Battery, and Voltage
In this part, we tested on several indicators of Geekvape G18 Starter Pen you might be curious about. As the device is only equipped with a 1300mAh battery, can it last the whole day? What’s its wattage range? Is there a gap between its claimed and real charging rate?
While we tested G18, we checked the user manual. However, it doens’t tell us the specific information in terms of the wattage and voltage. Therefore, we mainly tested 2 levels and here are the results.
As you can see, it doesn’t support fast charging and we did find out it was charged slowly. The real time voltage at different settings were also correct as Geekvape stated. However, the difference between two levels was fairly small so we hardly found taste difference.
The device provides two coils at 1.2Ω and 1.8Ω respectively. It is recommended to set the device at 8-12W when using the 1.2Ω coil, and at 7-9W when using the 1.8Ω coil.
Performance – 6.5
After 2nd refills of e-juice, the coil still stayed perfect without any signs of burning, or in other words, there’s no burnt taste. Moreover, we didn’t find any liquid leakage after the pod was left unused for about a week. Geekvape G18 Starter Pen almost matches e-juices of any flavors, and can always deliver the original sweetness. We highly recommend salt nic juices—considering the device features low output wattage, the salt nic would be better if you fancy stronger flavors. And personally, I love to tune the airflow hole to the most restrictive mode, to taste the richest flavor. However, the wattage change didn’t make much difference to flavor. We barely tasted stronger or richer flavor when we ramp up the power.
However, on the downside, we found that the e-liquid kept splashing onto the tongue when we puffed. And the spit back got even worse after the device was left unused for several days. There’s no good reason for us to continue using it from this point of view. In addition, it surprised us that the newly-refilled pod started to make gurgling noises after we took about only fifteen puffs.
Function – 7
Given that the G18 Starter Pen is intended for vape beginners, its functions are pared to the bone. It doesn’t have some functions common seen in more advanced devices, such as the temperature control, memory mode or bypass mode. Neither does it have a screen. But we can understand Geekvape’s intention to make the pen as simple as possible. The good thing is it supports variable wattages at three levels between 7W and 12W (but the manual doesn’t introduce the specific wattage values for different levels).
But there are some other drawbacks we believe are unreasonable. First, we cannot set a key lock to prevent us from pressing the fire button accidentally. Second, when we power off the device by pressing the fire button for five consecutive times, every pressing triggers firing. That could greatly reduce the longevity of coils. At last, the top fill port cannot be closed tight enough. The lid on the port was once lifted up by itself somehow, leaking the liquid all over my pocket.
Overall Quality and Design – 7
Appearance
Geekvape G18 Starter Pen offers us eight colors to choose from: SS, black, aqua, royal blue, malachite, scarlet, rainbow and wood. We got the wood one—it has a classic and posh wood-texture body, coming complete with a pretty visible pod that allows us to easily observe the liquid left. The pod can hold a maximum of 2ml liquid.
Airflow
We can switch between three different airflow levels by rotating the iron ring at the bottom of the pod. When we switch to bigger airflow holes, the draw gets looser and airier. What’s more, at the biggest airflow hole, we can enjoy both MTL and slight DTL vaping. By the way, the iron ring looks fairly refined, and is easy to rotate.
- Top Left: air inlet level 1 (slightly opened)
- Top Right: air inlet level 2
- Bottom: air inlet level 3 (fully opened)
Battery
Geekvape G18 starter pen is powered by a 1300mAh battery and a Type-C port. The battery is completely enough for a low-wattage device as such. When the pen is fully charged, it can last for one or two days. As claimed by Geekvape, the pen’s charging rate is at 700 mAh. Our tests found at this rate, it took some time to get the battery fully charged. In general, the charging might not be that fast, but is sufficient for daily use.
Ease of Use – 7
Operation and Button
Without any doubt, G18 Starter Pen is very easy to use. We found no difficulty at all in exploring the functions it has. Its button shows great bounce-back. And it’s effortless to press the button. We can switch between three output wattage levels by pressing the fire button for three times, despite that the device has no screen.
For details of the G18 Starter Pen’s operations, you can check the information below:
Powering on/off: Pressing the fire button five times consecutively within two seconds
Output Wattage Switch: Pressing the fire button three times consecutively within two seconds
However, we couldn’t take off the pod base to change coil. We followed strictly the manual to operate it. But non of us succeeded at taking it off. We just didn’t want to change the whole pod if we want to change a coil.
Price – 9
G18 Starter Pen Price:
MSRP: $24.98/£18.01
Geekvape G Series Coil (5pcs) Price:
MSRP: $11.90/£ 8.58
The G18 Starter Pen is sold at much lower price than those kits Geekvape released before, at least half the price of them. Or even if compared with starter kits from other brands in similar wattage range, we found its price still competitive. The follows are the prices of its counterparts on newvaping.com
Justfog Q16 Pro Starter Kit: £18.99 with an original price of £29.99 (3.5-4.4V)
Innokin Endura T18II Mini Starter Kit: £19.99 with an original price of £24.99 (10.5-13.5W)
In this sense, apart from the user-friendly functions and operations we talked about, G18 Starter Pen’s price is another plus for vape beginners to consider.
Overall Thoughts
Geekvape G18 Starter Pen is a wonderful product for rookie vapers to start from. Needless to say, the pen gives full play to simplicity. It only reserves the most basic functions such as wattage adjustment and airflow control, making sure users can enjoy varied vaping experience with easiest operations. The price is fair enough at merely $24.98. And it looks elegant and posh. But there do exist some disadvantages you should take into account as well before buying, such as its serious spit back and poorly-designed fill port lid.
Have you tried the Geekvape G18 Starter Pen yet? If yes, please share your thoughts with us here: G18 Starter Pen; If not, do you want to have a try now? We hope this review is helpful for you.
