Jac Vapour S17 Topfill Review [2021]

This is my 2021 review of the Jac Vapour S17 Topfill Vape Pen. The S17 Topfill is designed and manufactured by Jac Vapour, a long-standing vape supplier based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Jac Vapour S17 Review: features in detail

Size and shape

Small size is a plus side of the Jac Vapour S17. This is impressive considering its relatively powerful vaping performance.

The Series S17 has an assembled length of just over 13 cm (5 inches). These dimensions mean it looks and feels lightweight, thin and streamlined.

It’s quite a “cute-looking” device, and will fit comfortably into any pocket, though it is noticeably heavier than many vape pen or pods, due its most robust all-metal design.

Appearance and feel

Appearance of the Jac Vapour S17 is elegant, simple and un-fussy. Out of the box, you can see nice clean lines – and a matt finish (black model only).

The matt black version (the one I ordered) feels warm and smooth to the touch.

However, the black finish of the matt model may develop visible scratches after a few weeks. Mine became a little scuffed around the button area after a month or so.

On the other hand, the stainless steel version has no paint coating, so it’s less vulnerable to scratches as a result. I would choose this model of the vape pen if I ordered again.

Overall, the Jac Vapour S17 is compact and solid looking, and it feels nice to hold, whichever version you choose.

Power review

Battery charge and power storage of the Series s17 is generally good. This is impressive given the very slim battery size.

I managed to charge the device fully in 1.5 hours. On one charge, I got about a day of fairly regular use out of the 900 mAh battery before I needed to charge it up again.

The coloured LED bars (traffic light indicator) are a useful feature. These light up alongside the power button to show you how much remaining charge you’ve got (green = fully charged; blue = semi-charged; red = recharge now).

The Jac Vapour S17 Vape Pen is a “fixed power” device. This means you only have one power button, so you can’t increase or decrease your power to generate stronger or warmer vapour.

This might be a bit annoying if you were expecting to have a little more control over vapour output.

On the other hand, having one power button does make the device easier to use. And for absolute beginners, simplicity is of course key.

Which S17 coil is best for beginners?

Coil lifespan, flavour and vapour production with the S17 are quite impressive.

However, you should know that you get different vapour effects depending on which type of replaceable coil you choose:

a warmer, sharper vape

• For a warmer, sharper-tasting vape, you should go for a 0.5 Ohm MTL S-coils
• For a cooler, milder, fuller-flavoured vapour, you should go for the 1.0Ohm S-coils instead

Recent ex-smokers or new vapers probably won’t enjoy the DL coils as these are for “direct to lung” vaping. For this reason, beginners should avoid the DLs, and stick with the MTL type.

S17 Vape pen: coil costs

Additional coils cost about £10 per pack of 5 (you get two coils with the kit). Based on 1 coil per week usage, you shouldn’t end up getting through more than one pack per month.

For this review, I found I needed to renew my 1.0Ohm coil after about five days, though I did use the S17 quite often.

Compared to the 5.0Ohm coil, the 1.0Ohm MTL coils seem to give out a lot more flavour. In my tests, they also lasted longer without going stale or dull-tasting.

Airflow and suction control

Airflow control (which allows users to control how hard they suck) is a key feature of the Jac Vapour S17.

The “spinner” located at the base of the tank is for airflow control. It rotates very smoothly to open and close air holes. This design means you can control airflow without accidentally undoing the tank unit.

Am ex-smoker at heart,  I generally prefer some resistance when sucking, so tend to close air holes whenever possible. To this extent, I found the Series-S17 gave me a nice hard draw with air holes fully closed – just like a ciggy!

Is the S17 Topfill Kit easy to use for beginners?

The S17 vape pen has basic controls and features. For this reason, it’s really simple for beginners to start using it right out of the box.

There are only really three working parts that new users need to worry about: battery, tank and coil.

You can put these bits together in a matter of seconds, and with no expert knowledge or risk of getting anything wrong.

It’s also great that the S17 lets you refill it with e liquid from the top. Removing the cap is a piece of cake, too. You just need a simple screw action to get to the refill tank area.

Thanks to all these beginner features, it has to be said that the S17 is a virtually foolproof beginner vape kit.

JAC Vapour Series S17: weaker points

Tank and battery size

Tank size of the Jac Vapour S17 is a bit meagre at 1.8 ml.

For the purposes of this review, I managed to get about half a day’s regular use out of the freshly-filled S17 tank before it needed a refill. Always carry e liquid with you!

Battery size and performance is great compared to most cheap vape pens. If your only experience of vaping is with regular “garage-bought” e-cigs, you’ll probably be impressed with the S17 charge time and power reserve.

If you want a little more power storage though, consider moving up to the Series-B DNA-75 Kit.

Alternatively, you could order an extra battery to carry around as a back-up.

No adjustable power

The fixed-charge battery may get you down if you are used to being able to control power and vapour strength.

Noisy 0.5 Ohm coils

Personally, I found that the “hotter” (0.5Ohms) coils were a bit too hot – and noisy – for my liking.  I prefer a cooler vape anyway, but I’m really not a fan of that raspy coil sound you get when you hit the power button.

For this reason, I would go for the 1.0 MTL coils rather than the 0.5 Ohm ones.

Hopefully, you should find they’ll last longer, taste better and give you a much quieter vape.

Use PG E Liquids for best results

Heavy (VG-based) e liquids tend to be sluggish in the S17. For this reason, try to avoid 100% VG e liquids, and stick to either PG or 25/75 VG/PG e liquid mixes, instead.

Jac Vapour S17 Topfill Review: round-up

If I was a brand-new vaper all over again, I’d be impressed by the Jac Vapour Series S17.

As I’ve made clear in this review, it’s a great little vape pen to start with, and it’s got everything you could want in a first vape.

Thanks to its well-thought out design, the S17 looks good. It’s really easy to use for complete beginners, and it gives you better quality and more features than your average off-the-shelf vape pen.

That said, don’t expect the 900 mAh battery to last you much longer than a day before it needs a recharge.

Again, the JAC Vapour S17 is a transitional ecigarette and so doesn’t really aim to meet the needs of advanced users. This is why it only has the most basic of functions.

On the other hand, if you want a complete e-cig kit that’s simple to use and works right out of the box (they even pre-charge it), the Jac Vapour S17 may be just what you are looking for.

However, if you do go for the S17, make sure to choose a thin e-liquid (vape juice) with your kit.

If you want something a bit more serious and reliable than the S17, the Series-B DNA mod might be a better bet.