I know you’ve been seeing a lot of me lately but received several kits at the same time for review so I’m doing my best to work through them. Today I will be covering a device that I had never heard of before but have grown somewhat fond of after using it for the last couple weeks. This device that I’m speaking of is the Artery Cold Steel AIO Pod mod kit. There are two versions of this kit. The first is the XP version that comes with two stock coils and a 4ml tank. The second is the RBA version and has a 2ml pod tank which is the one that I received. It has some really interesting features and accessories that I enjoyed experimenting with. Before I get too much into it, let’s take a look at what was included in the kit I received and see what the features are of this kit.
What’s in the box?
1* COLD STEEL AIO Mod
1* COLD STEEL AIO RBA Pod (RBA Including)
1* COLD STEEL AIO Mod 510 Adapter
1* Pre-made Coil (Ni80 Triple Fused Clapton)
1* 18650 Battery Adapter
1* RBA 510 Adapter
1* Screw Driver
2* Hex Screws
2* O-rings
4* Air Reduction Silicon Part
1* User Manual
1* Warranty Card
SPECIFICATIONS:
Product Name Cold Steel AIO Pod Mod Kit
Size 39.1 x 28 x 106.5mm
Materials Zinc alloy+PCTG
Battery Single 21700/20700/18650 battery (not included)
E-juice capacity 2ml/4ml
Wattage range 5-120W
Voltage range 0.5-8V
Resistance Range 0.5-2ohm
Coil Resistance XP coil/ XP RBA coil
Charging port Type-C
Display 0.96-inch color screen
Color Black, SS, Gunmetal, Cooper
INITIAL THOUGHTS:
I really liked the packaging on the Cold Steel AIO. I thought the gold and black packaging made for an attractive look. The top lid does not go down completely over the bottom portion of the box so it makes it easy to grip the bottom while pulling the top off. Once off, inside a found the gun metal version of the Artery Cold Steel AIO inside with the pod already on and the RBA deck inside the pod. To the side was a long skinny box which contained the 18650 battery adapter, 510 thread adapter, a ni80 coil, some o rings, and the user manual. The packing list on the website mentioned four silicon air reduction parts but none were in my kit. I have a feeling that it was a misprint and that they are included in the other kit which I did not receive.
I find the mod itself rather nice looking. It is all metal and honestly I was surprised at how heavy it is. It comes in at almost nine ounces on my scale. That is with the 21700 battery installed. On the front of the mod is the fire button at the top like most mods. Next is the display screen which is a standard .96” color screen with some different color options. The screen shows the wattage set, coil resistance, puff counter, liquid detection, and battery level. Also below the wattage is a lock/unlock symbol depending on whether you have the device locked. Below the display is the + and – buttons. On the bottom of the mod is a threaded battery cap with a clearly marked – sign on the threaded cap to indicate how to install the battery and next to that is the USB-C charging port which seems to me to be a really odd place to put it. That being said, I’m guessing that it is only intended for upgrades and not charging unless it’s an emergency since it will fit 18650, 20700, and 21700 batteries. On the left side of the mod “Cold Steel AIO” is stamped into the metal and below that the words “Designed by Artery” are printed. That is the only branding on the mod. Near the top of the mod on each side are three airflow holes. Where the pod connects there are two electrical contacts that are recessed inside the top of the mod. To the rear of the opening is a third spring loaded pin or sensor. This is where it somehow senses the liquid level to prevent dry hits. This of course only works with the pod and not with the 510 adapter.
The user menu is not hard to navigate but there is quite a bit there. I’ll cover the basic operation below and then get a little more into details.
Once Power mode is selected then you have the option of Soft, Normal, or Strong. The Temp mode has the usual options of Stainless, Nickel, Titanium, and TCR. Curve mode allows you to set a custom power curve. It’s a little difficult to set but I did use it and liked it with the included coil in order to provide a preheat to ramp up the coil quicker. The Power lock/unlock was on lock when I first tried to use the device and it kept me from going above a certain wattage setting depending on my coil resistance. Very similar to smart mode on other mods I’ve tested. The E-juice test on/off was off when I received the kit. I did end up turning it on in order to test the feature. There is a pin on the mod that meets up with the contact on the pod to sense the liquid in the pod tank. If it gets too low then it will prompt you to refill the tank. This is an interesting feature and I’m not really sure how it works but it does. That being said, the sensor is on the opposite end of the tank from the coil so when you tip it to take a vape, the liquid moves away from the sensor. This can cause some premature notification but isn’t a big issue. Also, the tank is slightly tinted but liquid level is easily seen so it’s not really necessary to me in this instance. However, it’s nice that Artery is trying to provide a new feature and maybe they will use it on future releases.
Now let’s talk about the pod and RBA deck. The pod only holds 2ml which is a bit of a con for me. The coil included for the initial build required me to run near 30 watts and it wasn’t long before I needed to refill. Definitely would have liked to have seen a 4ml tank on this unit.
The pod is not held in by magnets. You put the tip end of the pod down into the mod first and then snap the fill port side down into the mod. It latches in place very tightly and will not come loose by accident. To take the pod off you have to press the release button on the pod to lift it off.
The RBA deck has four screws available but is a single coil build deck. It was very easy to build the included coil on and trim it. The wick needs to be cut just long enough to go in the slots cut out on each side. I did not need to thin the wick and all and it wicked fine the entire time I used it. The deck is just a slide in like most of the new coils and has an o ring on the deck to make it seal as to not leak. After a couple weeks of use I did get a little bit of liquid under the pod but it was easily wiped up.
I was glad to see a top fill port on this device but I do have a complaint on it. Once you slide the fill cap out to fill the pod, the opening is recessed enough that it made it difficult to fill with a standard 10ml plastic bottle. A longer tipped bottle would work much better. Also when filling I got a little vacuum reaction going on where I could see the pod was not full but the opening was blocked with liquid. When I slid the port cap closed then any liquid inside that recess would come out the top and I would have to wipe it off.
The drip tip on the pod is replaceable but the silver ring is not part of the tip so it protrudes out the top of the pod so not all 510 tips may look right on it. I found the included tip to be plenty comfortable and didn’t feel the need to change it out.
The kit included a 510 adapter for the mod that actually has a dual purpose. I feel like Artery really put some thought into this kit. Yes the adapter locks in just like the pod so you don’t have to worry about your tank falling off once screwed in. Also there is an adapter included in the kit that allows you to thread the RBA deck onto it and then screw the adapter onto the mod 510 adapter for building and firing the coil before inserting the RBA into the pod. This is a nice feature in my opinion.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I really feel like Artery put a lot of thought into the design and features of the Artery Cold Steel AIO kit but find that the execution was a little lacking on some things. It was very nice that there were 510 mod and 510 RBA adapters included for building and using the unit as a standard mod.
I like very much how the pod locks in and does function well. I would have preferred a larger liquid capacity and would have rather seen the fill port flush with the top of the pod rather than being recessed so much making it difficult to fill without a long tip bottle or making a little bit of a mess. The liquid sensing function is a neat design feature but not really necessary when you can see the liquid level so well. I guess it might be handy if you were out at night or not in good lighting then it could save you from dry hits and having to rewick the deck.
The mod itself is a bit heavy but feels nice in the hand. It’s all metal and should be pretty durable. It has a lot of features but you can either use them or not. If you just want to run in power mode then you can do that. You may need to go into the menu and turn off the power lock to make it fully adjustable. The buttons feel nice and don’t rattle at all. I am considering ordering more of these for myself just to use as 21700 mods.
Would I recommend the Artery Cold Steel AIO for others? I think I would. Even if you don’t want to mess with the pod and RBA deck then you still have a really solid feeling 21700 mod that can be used with any tank.
Thanks to Lilia and Sourcemore for sending the Artery Cold Steel AIO kit for this review. I know I say it every time but mean it when I say Thank You to you the readers. Below is a coupon code and a link to the site if you’d like to try one for yourself.
Coupon Code: CSAP for $27.79 Artery Cold Steel AIO pod mod kit
https://www.sourcemore.com/artery-cold-steel-aio-pod-mod-kit.html
What’s in the box?
1* COLD STEEL AIO Mod
1* COLD STEEL AIO RBA Pod (RBA Including)
1* COLD STEEL AIO Mod 510 Adapter
1* Pre-made Coil (Ni80 Triple Fused Clapton)
1* 18650 Battery Adapter
1* RBA 510 Adapter
1* Screw Driver
2* Hex Screws
2* O-rings
4* Air Reduction Silicon Part
1* User Manual
1* Warranty Card
SPECIFICATIONS:
Product Name Cold Steel AIO Pod Mod Kit
Size 39.1 x 28 x 106.5mm
Materials Zinc alloy+PCTG
Battery Single 21700/20700/18650 battery (not included)
E-juice capacity 2ml/4ml
Wattage range 5-120W
Voltage range 0.5-8V
Resistance Range 0.5-2ohm
Coil Resistance XP coil/ XP RBA coil
Charging port Type-C
Display 0.96-inch color screen
Color Black, SS, Gunmetal, Cooper
INITIAL THOUGHTS:
I really liked the packaging on the Cold Steel AIO. I thought the gold and black packaging made for an attractive look. The top lid does not go down completely over the bottom portion of the box so it makes it easy to grip the bottom while pulling the top off. Once off, inside a found the gun metal version of the Artery Cold Steel AIO inside with the pod already on and the RBA deck inside the pod. To the side was a long skinny box which contained the 18650 battery adapter, 510 thread adapter, a ni80 coil, some o rings, and the user manual. The packing list on the website mentioned four silicon air reduction parts but none were in my kit. I have a feeling that it was a misprint and that they are included in the other kit which I did not receive.
I find the mod itself rather nice looking. It is all metal and honestly I was surprised at how heavy it is. It comes in at almost nine ounces on my scale. That is with the 21700 battery installed. On the front of the mod is the fire button at the top like most mods. Next is the display screen which is a standard .96” color screen with some different color options. The screen shows the wattage set, coil resistance, puff counter, liquid detection, and battery level. Also below the wattage is a lock/unlock symbol depending on whether you have the device locked. Below the display is the + and – buttons. On the bottom of the mod is a threaded battery cap with a clearly marked – sign on the threaded cap to indicate how to install the battery and next to that is the USB-C charging port which seems to me to be a really odd place to put it. That being said, I’m guessing that it is only intended for upgrades and not charging unless it’s an emergency since it will fit 18650, 20700, and 21700 batteries. On the left side of the mod “Cold Steel AIO” is stamped into the metal and below that the words “Designed by Artery” are printed. That is the only branding on the mod. Near the top of the mod on each side are three airflow holes. Where the pod connects there are two electrical contacts that are recessed inside the top of the mod. To the rear of the opening is a third spring loaded pin or sensor. This is where it somehow senses the liquid level to prevent dry hits. This of course only works with the pod and not with the 510 adapter.
The user menu is not hard to navigate but there is quite a bit there. I’ll cover the basic operation below and then get a little more into details.
- Press the fire button five times to turn the mod on and off
- Press the fire button three times to enter the menu system
- Press the fire button and + button to change the screen color
- Press the fire button and – button to lock the mod
- Press the + and – buttons to lock only the adjustment buttons
Once Power mode is selected then you have the option of Soft, Normal, or Strong. The Temp mode has the usual options of Stainless, Nickel, Titanium, and TCR. Curve mode allows you to set a custom power curve. It’s a little difficult to set but I did use it and liked it with the included coil in order to provide a preheat to ramp up the coil quicker. The Power lock/unlock was on lock when I first tried to use the device and it kept me from going above a certain wattage setting depending on my coil resistance. Very similar to smart mode on other mods I’ve tested. The E-juice test on/off was off when I received the kit. I did end up turning it on in order to test the feature. There is a pin on the mod that meets up with the contact on the pod to sense the liquid in the pod tank. If it gets too low then it will prompt you to refill the tank. This is an interesting feature and I’m not really sure how it works but it does. That being said, the sensor is on the opposite end of the tank from the coil so when you tip it to take a vape, the liquid moves away from the sensor. This can cause some premature notification but isn’t a big issue. Also, the tank is slightly tinted but liquid level is easily seen so it’s not really necessary to me in this instance. However, it’s nice that Artery is trying to provide a new feature and maybe they will use it on future releases.
Now let’s talk about the pod and RBA deck. The pod only holds 2ml which is a bit of a con for me. The coil included for the initial build required me to run near 30 watts and it wasn’t long before I needed to refill. Definitely would have liked to have seen a 4ml tank on this unit.
The pod is not held in by magnets. You put the tip end of the pod down into the mod first and then snap the fill port side down into the mod. It latches in place very tightly and will not come loose by accident. To take the pod off you have to press the release button on the pod to lift it off.
The RBA deck has four screws available but is a single coil build deck. It was very easy to build the included coil on and trim it. The wick needs to be cut just long enough to go in the slots cut out on each side. I did not need to thin the wick and all and it wicked fine the entire time I used it. The deck is just a slide in like most of the new coils and has an o ring on the deck to make it seal as to not leak. After a couple weeks of use I did get a little bit of liquid under the pod but it was easily wiped up.
I was glad to see a top fill port on this device but I do have a complaint on it. Once you slide the fill cap out to fill the pod, the opening is recessed enough that it made it difficult to fill with a standard 10ml plastic bottle. A longer tipped bottle would work much better. Also when filling I got a little vacuum reaction going on where I could see the pod was not full but the opening was blocked with liquid. When I slid the port cap closed then any liquid inside that recess would come out the top and I would have to wipe it off.
The drip tip on the pod is replaceable but the silver ring is not part of the tip so it protrudes out the top of the pod so not all 510 tips may look right on it. I found the included tip to be plenty comfortable and didn’t feel the need to change it out.
The kit included a 510 adapter for the mod that actually has a dual purpose. I feel like Artery really put some thought into this kit. Yes the adapter locks in just like the pod so you don’t have to worry about your tank falling off once screwed in. Also there is an adapter included in the kit that allows you to thread the RBA deck onto it and then screw the adapter onto the mod 510 adapter for building and firing the coil before inserting the RBA into the pod. This is a nice feature in my opinion.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I really feel like Artery put a lot of thought into the design and features of the Artery Cold Steel AIO kit but find that the execution was a little lacking on some things. It was very nice that there were 510 mod and 510 RBA adapters included for building and using the unit as a standard mod.
I like very much how the pod locks in and does function well. I would have preferred a larger liquid capacity and would have rather seen the fill port flush with the top of the pod rather than being recessed so much making it difficult to fill without a long tip bottle or making a little bit of a mess. The liquid sensing function is a neat design feature but not really necessary when you can see the liquid level so well. I guess it might be handy if you were out at night or not in good lighting then it could save you from dry hits and having to rewick the deck.
The mod itself is a bit heavy but feels nice in the hand. It’s all metal and should be pretty durable. It has a lot of features but you can either use them or not. If you just want to run in power mode then you can do that. You may need to go into the menu and turn off the power lock to make it fully adjustable. The buttons feel nice and don’t rattle at all. I am considering ordering more of these for myself just to use as 21700 mods.
Would I recommend the Artery Cold Steel AIO for others? I think I would. Even if you don’t want to mess with the pod and RBA deck then you still have a really solid feeling 21700 mod that can be used with any tank.
Thanks to Lilia and Sourcemore for sending the Artery Cold Steel AIO kit for this review. I know I say it every time but mean it when I say Thank You to you the readers. Below is a coupon code and a link to the site if you’d like to try one for yourself.
Coupon Code: CSAP for $27.79 Artery Cold Steel AIO pod mod kit
https://www.sourcemore.com/artery-cold-steel-aio-pod-mod-kit.html
