Innokin Sceptre Tube Kit Review / 1 Impressive Pod

You may be forgiven for thinking the Sceptre Tube by Innokin is an updated release from their acclaimed Sceptre Pod kit that came out last year. Sadly I didn’t have the pleasure of owning one or the opportunity to review it, but looking at the form factor and design, this new Sceptre Tube is a completely different beast.

Even though the Sceptre name is still being used in this new release, the Sceptre Tube is a pen styled pod kit with the pod looking very similar to a mini tank. As a compact tube kit, I really like the look and feel.

Rest assured, Innokin being one of the longest manufactures in the vaping world, coupled with a renowned and proven track record of quality assurance, they are highly regarded as producing some of the best vape kits around.

As proof of their quality and longevity, I purchased their Coolfire 1 and original MVP back in late 2014 when I first switched to vaping and BOTH are still working. They’ve not been used constantly in all this time but I did use them a lot when I first started vaping. Now they come out for nostalgia vaping only.

Overview

The Innokin Sceptre Tube kit is a Mouth-To-Lung (MTL) and Restricted-Direct-To-Lung (RDL) pod device, powered by an internal 1300mAh battery and has two fixed selectable wattage power levels (18W/20W).

Incorporated into the Sceptre Tube body is a Type-C USB charging port specified as 5V/1A and a multi-colored LED surrounding the semi-raised octagonal fire button. A single Cyclops airflow slot is cut into the Sceptre Tube casing and airflow adjustment is carried out by rotating the attached pod.

The 2ml pod is magnetically secured to the Sceptre Tube body and is a slide to open top fill design with rotating adjustable single slot airflow and a removable 510 drip tip. The Innokin range of replaceable push fit S coils fit the pod and the Sceptre Tube kit comes supplied with a fitted 0.5 ohm S coil and a spare 0.5 ohm coil.

There are 6 different colors in the Innokin Sceptre Tube kit range; Black, Pink, Red, Silver, White and Purple while the 2ml pod is black semi-opaque across the entire range.

The two different color variant kits we received were the Black and Pink models which you will see in the photos throughout this review. Also provided were a pack each of 0.5 ohm and 0.25 ohm S coils.

Carry on reading to see what our thoughts were, explore the finer detail and look into the workings and performance of the Sceptre Tube pod kit.

I would like to thank Anna at Innokin for sending me two of the Sceptre Tube kits and replaceable packs of S Coils. As always this review is completely unbiased and is my honest opinion of my findings on this supplied kit. If you click on any of the buy buttons, we may receive a small affiliate commission but at no extra cost to you.

Features and Specifications

Construction: Zinc Alloy and PCTG
Dimensions: 118.2mm Height x 20mm Diameter
Weight: 61 grams (Including Pod)
Charging: Type-C USB 5V/1A
Resistance Range: 0.4 ohms – 3.5 ohms (Note 1)
Output Wattage: 18W and 20W Selectable
Voltage Range: 2.65V – 3.4V
Output Mode: Wattage
Battery Specification: Internal 1300mAh Battery
Display: Multi-Colored LED around Fire Button
E-Liquid Capacity: 2ml
Filling Method: Slide to Open Top Fill
Firing Method: Push Button
Coils: Replaceable Push Fit “S” Coils (0.5ohm)
Drip Tip: Removable 510
Airflow: Single Slot Adjustable
Pod Connection: Magnetic

Note 1: Although the minimum working resistance is specified as 0.4 ohms, I did try a 0.25 ohm coil and it worked and performed very well. Not sure if the minimum value is lower than 0.4 or the 0.25 ohm coil was higher than this, maybe it was on the limit and I was just lucky.

What’s in the box?

Innokin Sceptre Tube
Sceptre Pod (pre-installed 0.5 ohm Coil)
Spare S Coil (0.5 ohm)
Type-C USB Charging Cable
Spare O-Rings
Quick Start Guide
Warranty Card

As is now standard with all Innokin products, the packaging that the Sceptre Tube kit comes in is made out of 100% recyclable cardboard. This includes the spare coil and O-rings which are housed in thick paper sachets.

Innokin Sceptre Tube Design and Appearance

The Innokin Sceptre Tube is an internal 1300mAh battery device providing two fixed wattage modes of 18W and 20W, selectable via the firing button. Vaping styles of MTL, RTL and DTL can be achieved using the supplied coil and adjusting the airflow control by rotating the pod within the Sceptre Tube recess.

Made out of Zinc Alloy and available in 6 different color finishes, the overall dimensions of the Sceptre Tube, excluding the pod are 85mm tall by 20mm diameter with the weight of the tube being 50.45 grams.

Firing the device is operated by pressing the very slightly raised octagonal fire button. The response and feel of this button is very positive and doesn’t suffer from any rattles. Surrounding the fire button is a multi-colored LED that provides a visual indication of the operation, safety features and battery status.

Charging the Sceptre Tube is carried out via the side located Type-C USB port, specified as 5V/1A, using the supplied Type-C charging cable. Full charge takes approximately 2 hours but it does have pass-through so you can vape while it’s being charged.

The status of the battery charge with the multi-colored LED is very good, giving a good visual indication while vaping and during the charge cycle. I’ve included a detailed breakdown on what it displays in the ‘How Do I Charge?’ section later on in this review.

A single Cyclops airflow cut-out slot is positioned in the upper section of the Sceptre Tube within the pod recess. Variable airflow is achieved by rotating the pod in the pod recess and aligning the two smaller cut-outs in the pod with the cut-out on the Sceptre Tube.

Top View in the Pod recess of the Sceptre Tube

At the top of the Sceptre Tube is the pod recess which has an outer circle metal plate which provides the base for the magnets in the pod to secure the pod to the Sceptre Tube. Within the outer circle are the two gold plated spring loaded coil contact pins.

Innokin’s branding is pretty discrete and kept to a minimum, with their name “INNOKIN” and “Sceptre Tube” screen printed on the lower section of the zinc alloy frame on opposite sides. On the bottom of the tube are the usual CE markings and “Capacity” “1300mAh” and “4.81Wh”.

With regards to safety features, the on-board chip provides the following prompts such as:

10 seconds timeout (vape cut-off)
Low battery voltage
No coil/pod detected
Short circuit and low resistance cut-off

Overall, the Innokin Sceptre Tube feels very solid, very robust and very well built. It’s pretty compact, feels very comfortable to hold and in my opinion looks a great little pod kit.

Innokin Sceptre Pod Design and Appearance

The Sceptre pod has a 2ml e-liquid capacity and is constructed out of black semi-opaque PCTG material. It’s dimensions are 39mm tall including the removable 510 drip tip, the width of the pod is 20mm in diameter and the weight, including the coil is 11 grams.

Unlike most pods around today, this one resembles a conventional tank shape design having a top fill with a slide to open and close action. When open, there is a silicone rubber seal around the single fill port opening. Filling with e-liquid can be carried out with the pod still connected to the Sceptre Tube body.

The direction of opening the slide to open top cap is identified by a small arrow symbol on the top outer edge casing. Alternatively, just below this arrow is the branding name “Innokin” which is slightly embossed so you can feel this with your thumb or finger and know that pushing against the Innokin logo will slide the top cap open.

This e-liquid fill port is a pretty decent size oval opening measuring around 5mm so is big enough to accept short stubby e-liquid tip bottles.

Variable airflow is achieved by the two oval shaped cutouts in the lower bottom section of the pod. When the pod is inserted into the Sceptre Tube pod recess, rotating the pod in this recess will align with the Cyclops slot on the Sceptre Tube. The airflow can be adjusted anywhere from open for a DTL draw or slowly rotating the pod to block off the Cyclops slot to achieve a tight MTL draw. Obviously anywhere in between will fine tune the airflow adjustment to your desired vaping style.

On the underside of the pod are 4 small circular magnets and a longer oblong magnet that do a pretty good job of securing the pod to the metal plate in the pod recess of the Sceptre Tube body. There are also 2 Cyclops type slots around the coil opening providing the airflow within the pod recess and a smaller slot that looks like a second magnet opening even though it’s empty.

The pod accepts the S range of push fit replaceable coils. These coils are dinky and prior to fitting in the pod, you have to screw the coil into the gold plated adaptor first and then simply push into the circular opening from the bottom of the pod. A single O-Ring on the coil does a good job of sealing the coil in place to prevent e-liquid seepage.

Inserting the pod is straight-forward enough, simply place the pod to the Sceptre Tube body opening and it will slide into the recess and be locked and snap into place by the magnets. Removing the pod is carried out by applying pressure to the pod body (not the drip tip) and pulling away from the Sceptre Tube body/battery.

When the pod is attached to the Sceptre Tube body, the LED around the firing button will light briefly in the color corresponding to the wattage selected indicating the pod is fitted and ready for operation.

Lastly, when fitting the pod, you will have to rotate the pod in the Sceptre Tube body to align the airflow slots to achieve your desired draw.

Overall I really am impressed with the design of the pod. The sliding top fill works really well, the airflow is pretty novel and provides a variety of vaping styles, has a removable drip tip and uses replaceable coils.

I know I’ve already said it but it really does look like a mini tank. The pod compliments the Sceptre Tube shape and design making it look and feel like a tube style mod.

Innokin Sceptre Tube Functionality

The Innokin Sceptre Tube pod kit is very simple and straightforward to use. It doesn’t have any menu options to worry about; simply 3 quick presses of the fire button will turn the Sceptre Tube on/off, 2 presses of the fire button switch between the two wattage settings (18W/20W) and a single longer press of the fire button to vape.

Fire button pressed 3 times: Switches on/off
Fire button pressed 2 times: Switches between two Power modes

The only indication on the Sceptre Tube pod is the multi-colored LED that surrounds the fire button, illuminating when the pod is inserted, lights up when you draw on the device then displays the battery status and illuminates when the device is on charge. The color changing LED will highlight the status of the battery with three different colors as shown below:

Green – Greater than 50% of charge
Yellow – Between 10% – 50% of charge
Red – Less than 10% of charge remaining

The on-board control chip maintains a constant output wattage throughout the discharge cycle of the battery providing a fast responsive fire speed. This chip also controls the included safety features and provides the visual indication via the multi-color LED as follows:

Charging – LED illuminates red then green
Full charge – Green LED extinguishes
Current battery status – LED color flashes twice after fire button pressed
Low battery – LED flashes red 8 times
Pod inserted: LED illuminates purple or blue for 2 seconds
Short circuit – LED remains red for 5 seconds
No atomizer – LED flashes green 5 times
Overtime protection (10 seconds) – LED flashes red 10 times

Airflow

The Sceptre Tube pod kit incorporates adjustable airflow having a single Cyclops slot in the upper tube body with two smaller slots in the pod. When the pod is rotated in the pod recess, the airflow can be adjusted between zero and maximum airflow.

When the two slots in the pod align with the larger single Cyclops slot, maximum airflow is achieved providing an unrestricted vape (DTL). Rotating the airflow to a single pod slot or less will restrict the airflow providing a semi-restricted vaping style (RTL). Rotating the pod further until the airflow is nearly closed provides a MTL style vape.

Fully closing the airflow will result in a very tight draw and will increase the warmth of the vape. I wouldn’t recommended shutting the airflow completely off.

Power Modes

Switching between the two different power modes is carried out by pressing the fire button twice in quick succession. The multi-colored LED will illuminate:

Purple: High (20W)
Blue: Low (18W)

When the fire button is pressed during vaping, the LED will illuminate in the corresponding power level/color to that you’ve selected. Once the fire button is released after vaping, the LED will flash twice in the color of the corresponding remaining battery charge.

Innokin Sceptre Tube Performance

Two coils are supplied with the Sceptre Tube kit but they are both 0.5 ohm S mesh Kanthal A1 coils. Innokin kindly sent us a pack of their 0.25 ohm mesh S Kanthal A1 coils so will include a description of these too.

Important: The coils do NOT fit directly in the pod, there is a little gold colored coil adaptor that’s fitted to the coil that’s pre-installed in the pod. The coil screws into this adaptor so make sure when you’re changing your coil, you unscrew this coil adaptor and fit the new coil to it.

As always, prime your coils before using them which will help prolong their life. Drip a few drops of e-liquid into the wicking ports of the coil and then fill the pod and leave to stand for 10-15 minutes.

S 0.5 ohm Mesh Coil

Innokin specify the wattage range is 18W-20W.

Starting with the pre-fitted coil that came with the Sceptre Tube kit, after the initial priming, the flavor was crisp and clean straight away from the first draw. Vapor again was very good producing dense clouds, more than I expected from such a small coil.

I initially used my own e-liquid mix of 50PG/50VG with fairly low flavor strength and was surprised how well the coil picked out the flavors. Irrespective of the wattage selected, the intensity of the vape was really good.

I will be honest and say that I didn’t really notice much difference between the 18W and 20W setting, both gave a great vape. I do feel sometimes that when there are two wattage adjustment settings, I would like to see a wider range between the two i.e. 15W/20W. I do prefer a lower level longer draw but then that’s probably me just being boring!

Switching my e-liquid to a 70VG pre-bought shortfill, while the flavor and vapor was even better, the wicking ports on the coil kept up effortless.

S 0.25 ohm Coil

Innokin specify the wattage range is 25W-35W.

I know I hear you say, the upper limit of the Sceptre Tube is 20W. Don’t be put off, the coil performed really well at both 18W and 20W. Flavor and vapor was good. I see this a lot of times with manufacturers specifying a lower limit on coils; it IS for guidance only and 95% of the time I will always vape lower than the minimum value.

Using the same e-liquids and same airflow, the flavor and vapor from the 0.25 ohm coil was on par with the 0.5 ohm coil. The overall performance wasn’t quite as intense but still very good.

Interestingly I was a little surprised that the coil would even work in the Sceptre Tube as the minimum resistance operating limit is specified as 0.4 ohms. Maybe I was just lucky!

Any Leaks?

Throughout my time using the Sceptre Tube pod with both the 0.5 ohm and 0.25 ohm coils, there was no evidence of any leaks. The contact pins and the pod recess were totally dry. Obviously as the coils get older leaking can start to occur and is a good gauge that it maybe time to replace the coil.

Airflow

Airflow adjustment worked with no problems, tweaking to alter the vaping style between DTL and RTL was spot on. Shutting the airflow completely off was not so good, the tightness of the draw was too restrictive. Slightly opening the airflow simulated a nice MTL vape style.

Performance Summary

Both the 0.5 ohm and 0.25 ohm S coils were very impressive. Flavor and vapor from them was really good. The wicking ports kept up with High VG juice and equally well with my 50/50 e-liquid. I can’t comment yet on the longevity of the coils as I’ve only been using them for a couple of weeks but can say they are still performing just as good as the first time use.

The draw was smooth and the hit was as expected but it’s not the quietest of vapes. There is a slight electrical hum when drawing on the pod and a little airflow noise.

The coils are a little thirsty and I was getting around 2 hours vaping from a full pod of e-liquid. Despite the coils being very small, the wicking ports are a decent size so does handle higher VG ratios.

One word of warning; I let the pod run nearly dry of e-liquid and went to vape and realized it was empty. I had a slight burnt taste as expected but hoped it would recover when re-filled. Sadly it didn’t.

Innokin Sceptre Tube Battery Performance

The Innokin Sceptre Tube’s 1300mAh internal battery is a pretty decent sized capacity battery and on average was giving me around 7 hours of vaping time on a single charge. The LED battery status indication was very good and accurate and once the LED started flashing red twice after vaping it still gave a good half hour before it cut out.

Battery performance is always subjective and depends on the power you vape at, the resistance of coil you’re using and your vaping style.

The Sceptre Tube indicates the status of the battery after the fire button is pressed. The LED will flash twice in the color corresponding to the battery level. Green = >50%, Yellow = 10%-50% and Red = <10%.

Once the battery is depleted of its charge as depicted by the low voltage cut-off value, the Sceptre Tube LED will flash red 8 times highlighting it’s time to re-charge.

It is a reasonable slowish charge time of 2 hours as the charge port is only 1A but does benefit from having pass-thru so won’t stop you vaping while it’s being charged.

How do I Fill the Sceptre Tube Pod?

The Sceptre Pod is a top filling slide to open mechanism, it really is very easy to fill. You can fill the pod still in situ with the Sceptre Tube body or if you prefer simply detach the pod first.

Slide the top cap in the direction of the indented arrow symbol that’s on the top cap. This arrow is small but is located just above the “Innokin” branding. I find that the Innokin name is slightly raised so you can feel it with your finger or thumb.

Once the top cap slides open, the fill port with its smoked black silicone rubber surround will become visible. This fill port is oval shaped measuring approximately 5mm and does accept most e-liquid bottle tips.

Fill the pod up with your favorite e-liquid and once done, slide the top cap back into position ensuring it’s completely closed.

Quick Tip: If you are filling the pod for the first time, drip a few drops of e liquid onto the wick of the coil first. Push the coil into the base of the pod then fill and leave to stand for approx. 10-15 minutes. Before you start to vape, draw on the mouthpiece a few times without operating the fire button. This will help saturate the wick fully in e-liquid and help prolong the life of your coil.

How do I Change the Coil in the Sceptre Pod?

Grasp the main body of the pod, not the mouthpiece and pull the pod away from the Sceptre Tube body. It’s held in place with magnets so a little force is needed to free the pod. Slightly pushing the pod sideways will release some of the magnets making it easier to take the pod off and out.

The S coils are of a push fit type, therefore simply pull the coil away from the bottom of the pod. If you have e-liquid in the pod, turn the pod upside down and place your thumb over the mouthpiece. This will keep e-liquid spillages to a minimum.

Fitting a new coil is straightforward but DO ENSURE you unscrew the little gold plated adaptor from the old coil before discarding. Screw the new coil into the adaptor and slowly push the coil into the opening in the base of the pod and press it fully home. The coil adaptor will remain protruded from the base of the pod by about 5mm, this is normal and allows access for when you need to take the coil out.

Do ensure that your new coil is primed and when filled, left to stand for 15 minutes so the e-liquid fully saturates the wick. See our guide on Prolonging the Life of your Coil.

How do I Charge the Innokin Sceptre Tube?

Because the Sceptre Tube has an internal battery, charging is carried out using the supplied USB to Type-C charging cable. Simply connect the cable into the Type-C port on the side of the Sceptre Tube body and the other end into a suitable USB power source. The specified charging circuit of the Sceptre Tube is 5V/1A.

When the Sceptre Tube is first placed on charge, the multi-color LED around the fire button will initially cycle in 3 colors then illuminate static red. It will remain static red for approximately 1 hour 38 minutes.

The LED will then change color to static green for a further 24 minutes until it is fully charged. Once charged, the green LED will extinguish.

Red: Battery charge <90%
Green: Battery charge >90%

A Pass-Through function is included allowing you to charge and vape at the same time.

Charging time from full discharge to fully charged will take approximately 2 hours when using a 5V/1A source.

While the Sceptre Tube is on charge, it does remain cool to the touch but I would still recommend to ONLY charge the device on a non-flammable surface.

As with any vape device, NEVER leave it unattended whilst charging.

Innokin Sceptre Tube Pod Kit Price

Considering the Sceptre Tube kit performs really well with its replaceable coil and top fill pod design, the very reasonable price tag makes this a very good and worthy buy.

I’ve seen it available on a few different sites but is still not widely available yet as it is very new. On average we are looking at around £15-£20 and around £25.

Innokin Sceptre Tube Pod Kit Verdict

Pros

Very good build quality
Great design and nice looking
Clear and accurate multi-colored LED
Type-C USB charge port
Fantastic pod
Top fill pod
Variable airflow
Replaceable coil
Removable drip tip
Very good vapor and flavor
Coil life is good
Pass-thru vaping

Cons

I can honestly say there is nothing I didn’t like about the Sceptre Tube. If I was forced to mention something then I would say the very minor issues would be:

Sliding top fill can open sometimes
Pod can turn in pocket altering the airflow

Innokin Sceptre Tube Pod Kit Summary

The Innokin Sceptre Tube kit is a simple but a very good performing tube style pod. The styling and function of the pod is brilliant and the S coils produce great results. I love the look and shape of the pod as it really does remind me of a mini tank.

It isn’t a multifunction vape kit, Innokin have kept it simple with 2 fixed wattage settings but the performance, styling and quality speak for itself. For me it ticks all the boxes; re-fillable, replaceable coils, airflow and top fill.

I would certainly recommend this to a new or experienced vapers alike. I have many many mods and pods and been vaping many years and this little tube style pod will definitely be one I use time and time again.

Innokin have again produced another winner, simple but very impressive.

Hope you enjoyed this review on the Innokin Sceptre Tube pod kit and found it useful. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave us a comment below.

If you do purchase one, please do drop us a comment and let us know how you’re getting on with it.