When it comes to tobacco heating and alternative nicotine delivery systems, I and my colleagues know it all. And when something like the lil Solid 2 comes in for a review, I pay attention.
And yes, yes, I do remember countless comments about how we’re lying about such devices being completely harmless. So I’ll repeat it for those who are in the back row, but still able to hear:
Disclaimer
WE DON’T BELIEVE THAT ANY ALTERNATIVE NICOTINE DELIVERY SYSTEMS ARE HARMLESS. Not smoking at all is harmless. Cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, tubes, hookahs, chewing tobacco, nicotine pillows, vapes, tobacco heating systems, electronic cigarettes are harmful in one way or another. Even vaping liquids without nicotine are harmful to inhale.
However, nicotine is far from the worst thing in smoking. Smoking a cigarette or even hookah makes you breathe resins, clog your lungs with smoke, and kill the body with other by-products of cigarettes. And all this harms the body incomparably more than just nicotine.
Tobacco heating systems cut off most of the harmful components. BUT NOT EVERYTHING. But almost everything, up to 99% of harmful substances, including resins. It’s better to not smoke at all. But quitting is a hard thing to do. Therefore, in my opinion, such a system is the best option for those who can’t give up smoking. It’s much better than cigarettes.
Now, in fact, let’s move on to the lil Solid 2.0. The first version was the product of a cunning partnership between South Korean company KT&G and IQOS (Philip Morris). So cunning that everywhere outside South Korea the device was sold under the brand name lil Solid introduced by IQOS.
The system looked adorable, worked great, the sticks were delicious. And the trick was that the gadget was almost indestructible. Powerful battery, hardy heating rod, just one button to control.
And the lil Solid 2 has retained these advantages, adding new ones as well. However, in some ways the original was even better. But let’s get to the point.
Market positioning
The cost of the lil Solid 2 is about $22. And yes, compared to the classic IQOS, the price looks hyper-democratic. And it is!
What’s in the box
The box contains the lil Solid 2 itself, as well as a double brush for cleaning, or rather a brush and blade, plus charging, 15 W, and a fairly long Type-C cable. And of course, instructions and other documentation.
Separately, I note that the way of removing the stick from the device is also depicted on the protective blister, which covers the body of the system.
Design
I’ll tell you right away that I don’t like the glossiness of the lil Solid 2. I praised the previous version precisely because of the pleasant, stylish and… matte body.
And I don’t remember whether it was metal or plastic. But it felt nice. Here, most of the surface of the body is glossy. However, from the design point of view, I can understand the decision. What’s more, I’ve seen a lot of reviews from those who like this gloss. I’m for more practical solutions.
Above, we have a lid that stands out against the background of the rest of the matte part. Which is held by magnets and is removed quite easily. On top of the cover there is a hatch with a plug sliding back and forth.
The OG version of the lil Solid was seamless, and the lil Solid 2 case consists of a matte rim, which is pressed on both sides with glossy, slightly curved panels. The material is very durable, high-quality and stylish.
I remember question about the plug that wasn’t quite fail-safe. But this time it’s all fine.
We only have a Type-C charging connector at the bottom of the case. There’s nothing to find fault with, it’s the gold standard.
At the end of the matte part there is a control button with an LED indicator. It’s very cool! It’s long, with four very pleasant colors, and the animations are stylish.
Sticks
As with any other nicotine alternative, the lil Solid 2 has a lot of nice flavours. Sticks are completely backward compatible with the lil Solid 1. Which means that you can also use IQOS Heets sticks in lil Solid 2.
How it works
There’s a minimum change here, too. The heating element is a metal needle. Durable, reliable, almost indestructible.
Before the first use, the device must be “activated”. Activation takes place in two ways. You either start charging the lil Solid 2 or press the button for 2 seconds. By the way, the button is also very nice and comfortable to use.
When activated, the indicator blinks with four colors, after activation it blinks light blue and vibrates twice. Here I note the interesting thing – light blue is NOT the last in the list of colors, the last is blue. But the activation is signaled by light blue.
After activation, you shift the lid of the receiving chamber, insert the stick all the tobacco side down, all the way down. Press the button for two seconds until it vibrats. After that, it starts blinking in light blue, you will feel the vibration, after which the stick will begin to preheat.
At the end of it, the indicator will light up in a constant color, and that’s it, you can use tobacco steam. It’s not as hot as cigarettes, without unnecessary components such as resins, smoke and other joys of tobacco. You will have 14 drags or 5 minutes per session.
And the lil Solid determines the number of minutes and drags itself! When there are 3 drags or 30 seconds left, the unit vibrates once and blinks briefly. At the end of the session, the device just turns off, you don’t need to press anything else.
When you’re done, scroll the stick in one direction THREE times, take out the stick and dispose of it, and move the lid back to place.
Cleaning and maintenance
Of all the tobacco heating systems I tested, the lil Solid 2 is the best one.
In some ways, thanks to the fact that the lid can be removed and you get almost direct access to the needle, which is easy and convenient to clean with a blade, or a brush.
You can also clean it with heat. To do this, quickly press the button five times for five seconds. The indicator blinks orange and will blink for a minute and a half, after which it will go out and the device will vibrate twice.
Brushing and cleaning with a blade is needed for mechanical removal of soot and it is recommended to be carried out every twenty sessions. Basically, after every pack of sticks. Heating cleaning helps to get rid of tobacco residues that stick to the needle. At this point, the heating chamber becomes extremely hot, so do not put your hands there.
It seems perfect, but there are issues. First of all, the caps are unusually tight. You’re unlikely to cut yourself, it’s only plastic, but still be careful.
I also note that no liquid, water, oil, nothing should get on the brush or the blade. As I understand it, it will inevitably be transferred to the needle.
If lil Solid 2 suddenly stopps working, you can restart it by pressing the button for 8 seconds, and ignoring all the indicators. The rebooting will be marked by flashing with all colors, and double vibration at the end of the process.
Battery life
Despite the 15-watt bundled power supply, lil Solid 2 takes no more than 10 watts of power and charges completely for about two hours. That’s a lot. Fortunately, full charging will allow you to use up to 25 sticks, although most often it will be slightly more than 20.
The good news is that Type-C will allow you to charge the device from anything. Bad news is that the manufacturer prohibits the use of third-party chargers with the lil Solid 2. Will this affect the 12-month warranty? I don’t know.
You need to activate the device every time you finish using it in order to maintain the battery capacity. The separation of the battery charge by the color is a little uneven.
Instead of 25% for each of the four colors, we have blue, blue and orange for three shares of 33% each. Red means you have to charge.
Verdict
I liked the updated lil model more than the first generation, almost in everything. It is more expressive, brighter, presentable, and convenient.
I don’t like the gloss of the case, but the quality is undeniable, the materials are pleasant. For $22 and at the price of a pack of sticks ten times less, lil Solid 2, like the first model, remains one of the best tobacco heating systems on the market. We recommend it!
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My lil solid doesnt last for 5 min or 14 puffs it stops working after 5 puffs or one minute only