Hi Ecigssa members, In this review i take a look at the Mino Pod Starter Kit from CoilART. The Mino Pod Starter Kit was sent for the purpose of this review by CoilART.
http://www.coilart.net/mino-pod/
Introduction
Every manufacturer have either released pod systems or if not they probably will in time as after 2018 that seemed to be the year of the pod system, 2019 doesn't see a waning in their popularity. The Mino is CoilArt's entry into the pod market and is a lightweight colourful device. Made of Zinc Alloy with colourful front and back panels which according to their website is the material used for the iWatch (i wouldn't know), it looks the part unless like many you prefer more understated devices. The Mino is a draw activated device and has the most sensitive membrane switch i have come across but is MTL only as it has quite a tight draw. Before i begin, i do like the device it has some seriously good points but also issues which are mainly down to the manufacturers specs and claims don't add up but this doesn't effect it's performance!
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In The Box
Contents:
1 x CoilART Mino Battery
1 x Pod Cartridge
1 x Filling Bottle
1 x USB Cable
1 x QC Card
Manual Inside sleeve of box
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Mino came in cardboard box packaging and on opening i was met by a small colourful pod device with matching pod. I received the Green version that has Green and Blue front and back panels, Gun metal Zinc Alloy chassis and Green pod. The Mino is also available in White, Red, Black and Blue, all come with matching pod. As mentioned the main construction is made from Zinc Alloy and is quite light, front and back have colourful panels that have a glass like feel and according to the website is the same finish has on the iWatch. The shape of the device is a pill shape which is becoming very common for pod devices has it's an ergonomic shape, the pod on top narrows where it enters the mouth for comfort. On the front towards the bottom is a tiny slot for the LED indication and "MINO" printed on the gun metal bottom surround. The rest of the device is featureless apart from the micro USB port on the base, the build quality of the Mino is very good.
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Mino Specs and Features:
Size: 90*26.8*13.8mm
Weight: 49g
Zinc Alloy
iWatch technology material panels
Battery: Built-in 320mAh
Juice Capacity: 2ml
Coil Resistance: 1.8ohm
Voltage: 2.8v-3.7v
Draw-activated firing
Portable All-in-one design
Gold-plated proprietary connection
LED battery life indicator
Colours: White, Red, Black, Green, Blue
___________________________________________________________________
The Pod
The Pod is coloured to match the device but is fully transparent so no issues with being able to see your juice level. The Pod comes with a silicone cap protecting the mouth section from dust which needs removing to reveal a comfortable looking shaped mouthpiece. Looking at the base of the pod we can see a magnet positioned both sides towards the edges, then central are the contacts with the opening to lead to the membrane switch between the two. This section with the opening and contacts is surrounded with Black plastic and there is a little notch to lift this section up revealing 2 fill ports. The plastic bit lifts up nicely and has attached protruding sections for bungs for the fill ports, after filling it seals in place really well. However the plastic is hinged with only a small section of the plastic itself and i can see it more than possible for one to occasionally snap off before getting the full life out of the pod. The fill ports are small but then it says you are supplied with a needle nosed bottle so their shouldn't be any issues there, however the supplied bottle isn't what i refer to as a needle nose bottle and the nozzle is too big (i tried using it got liquid everywhere), very poor. After saying that once you do find a bottle with a small nozzle it then fills nicely with the redundant fill port allowing air to escape. The pod holds 2ml of liquid, but you don't get a spare which again is poor as all pod systems in my opinion should come with at least 2 pods.
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Pod
Looking inside the device we can see a magnet both sides, then central is the spring loaded contacts and large (comparable to the norm) opening to the membrane switch. The pod can be fitted either way and is secured by magnets and whilst it is secure as you need to give it a tug to remove it, there is a lot of side to side movement which is annoying (it's not slight).
___________________________________________________________________
The Specs
I can only go by a combination of the manufacturers listed specs and what they say about the product on their website which is the link i gave, and it doesn't add up. On the website they are saying the device gives a max wattage of 13w yet the specs state it's output voltage is between 2.8v and 3.7v which with the installed 1.8ohm coil is only going to give between 4w and 7.5w. After using the device it definitely isn't giving 13w with full battery but by the same token it's not giving the ultra low wattage's the specs would give. So all i can do is use my poor judgement and say the device feels like about 10w with fully charged battery and drops off gradually (only really noticeable at the end of the battery life) but is possibly at around 7w when the battery is at the end of it's life.
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Mino
The Mino is a draw activated device with no physical button so the device can't be turned off and to vape simply take a draw. When vaping the LED shows battery status indication by lighting the corresponding colour. When it lights White the battery is between 41% and 100%, when it lights Yellow it's between 21% and 40% and when it lights Red it's at 20% or lower. The Mino has the usual safety protections which are indicated by various flashes from the LED when they kick in.
Protections
Low Battery Protection
Timeout Protection (8 seconds)
Open Circuit Protection
Short Circuit Protection
___________________________________________________________________
Charging The Mino
The mino is charged via the micro USB port using the rather nice braided supplied USB cable. While charging the LED blinks White, once fully charged it stops blinking and lights solid White, the Mino takes 1hr to charge.
___________________________________________________________________
Using The Mino
The Mino is quite a tight draw so strictly a MTL device and has the most sensitive membrane switch i have come across. There is no false pulls, slow ramp up or weak draws, take a draw and the vape comes immediately (perfect for someone who hasn't got much puff). The flavour is above average as well, not in my favourite 3 pod devices for flavour but it enters the group just below so no complaints at all with the flavour it gives. If you like a pod system that also gives good cloud then the Mino isn't for you as it's much more geared to flavour. The pod's movement from side to side will annoy some people but it isn't a falling out candidate as it takes quite a pull to release it. The confusion about specs, no spare pod and supplying a fill bottle with the nozzle not really small enough are not performance issues but very much cons. The 320mAh battery doesn't sound much and it's not but lasts longer than i expected with the 1.8ohm coil, and although it will need charging a couple of times a day it only takes an hour.
___________________________________________________________________
Likes
Well made
Aesthetically pleasing (in my opinion)
Colourful
Good colour choices
Pocket friendly
Ergonomic
Mouthpiece comfortable
2 fill ports
Nice braided USB cable
Fill bottle (nozzle too big but will come in handy)
Most sensitive membrane switch i have come across (big pro)
Good flavour
Efficient with e-liquid
Mouthpiece dust cover
Genuine MTL draw
Battery status indication
Charges in 1hr
Cons
Sidewards movement from pod
Low Capacity Battery
Small fill slots
Nozzle on supplied bottle not fit for purpose
Specs + Info? Don't add up
No Spare Pod
I would once again like to thank CoilART for supplying the Mino Pod Starter Kit for the purpose of this review.
http://www.coilart.net/mino-pod/
___________________________________________________________________
http://www.coilart.net/mino-pod/
Introduction
Every manufacturer have either released pod systems or if not they probably will in time as after 2018 that seemed to be the year of the pod system, 2019 doesn't see a waning in their popularity. The Mino is CoilArt's entry into the pod market and is a lightweight colourful device. Made of Zinc Alloy with colourful front and back panels which according to their website is the material used for the iWatch (i wouldn't know), it looks the part unless like many you prefer more understated devices. The Mino is a draw activated device and has the most sensitive membrane switch i have come across but is MTL only as it has quite a tight draw. Before i begin, i do like the device it has some seriously good points but also issues which are mainly down to the manufacturers specs and claims don't add up but this doesn't effect it's performance!
___________________________________________________________________
In The Box
Contents:
1 x CoilART Mino Battery
1 x Pod Cartridge
1 x Filling Bottle
1 x USB Cable
1 x QC Card
Manual Inside sleeve of box
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Mino came in cardboard box packaging and on opening i was met by a small colourful pod device with matching pod. I received the Green version that has Green and Blue front and back panels, Gun metal Zinc Alloy chassis and Green pod. The Mino is also available in White, Red, Black and Blue, all come with matching pod. As mentioned the main construction is made from Zinc Alloy and is quite light, front and back have colourful panels that have a glass like feel and according to the website is the same finish has on the iWatch. The shape of the device is a pill shape which is becoming very common for pod devices has it's an ergonomic shape, the pod on top narrows where it enters the mouth for comfort. On the front towards the bottom is a tiny slot for the LED indication and "MINO" printed on the gun metal bottom surround. The rest of the device is featureless apart from the micro USB port on the base, the build quality of the Mino is very good.
___________________________________________________________________
Mino Specs and Features:
Size: 90*26.8*13.8mm
Weight: 49g
Zinc Alloy
iWatch technology material panels
Battery: Built-in 320mAh
Juice Capacity: 2ml
Coil Resistance: 1.8ohm
Voltage: 2.8v-3.7v
Draw-activated firing
Portable All-in-one design
Gold-plated proprietary connection
LED battery life indicator
Colours: White, Red, Black, Green, Blue
___________________________________________________________________
The Pod
The Pod is coloured to match the device but is fully transparent so no issues with being able to see your juice level. The Pod comes with a silicone cap protecting the mouth section from dust which needs removing to reveal a comfortable looking shaped mouthpiece. Looking at the base of the pod we can see a magnet positioned both sides towards the edges, then central are the contacts with the opening to lead to the membrane switch between the two. This section with the opening and contacts is surrounded with Black plastic and there is a little notch to lift this section up revealing 2 fill ports. The plastic bit lifts up nicely and has attached protruding sections for bungs for the fill ports, after filling it seals in place really well. However the plastic is hinged with only a small section of the plastic itself and i can see it more than possible for one to occasionally snap off before getting the full life out of the pod. The fill ports are small but then it says you are supplied with a needle nosed bottle so their shouldn't be any issues there, however the supplied bottle isn't what i refer to as a needle nose bottle and the nozzle is too big (i tried using it got liquid everywhere), very poor. After saying that once you do find a bottle with a small nozzle it then fills nicely with the redundant fill port allowing air to escape. The pod holds 2ml of liquid, but you don't get a spare which again is poor as all pod systems in my opinion should come with at least 2 pods.
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Pod
Looking inside the device we can see a magnet both sides, then central is the spring loaded contacts and large (comparable to the norm) opening to the membrane switch. The pod can be fitted either way and is secured by magnets and whilst it is secure as you need to give it a tug to remove it, there is a lot of side to side movement which is annoying (it's not slight).
___________________________________________________________________
The Specs
I can only go by a combination of the manufacturers listed specs and what they say about the product on their website which is the link i gave, and it doesn't add up. On the website they are saying the device gives a max wattage of 13w yet the specs state it's output voltage is between 2.8v and 3.7v which with the installed 1.8ohm coil is only going to give between 4w and 7.5w. After using the device it definitely isn't giving 13w with full battery but by the same token it's not giving the ultra low wattage's the specs would give. So all i can do is use my poor judgement and say the device feels like about 10w with fully charged battery and drops off gradually (only really noticeable at the end of the battery life) but is possibly at around 7w when the battery is at the end of it's life.
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Mino
The Mino is a draw activated device with no physical button so the device can't be turned off and to vape simply take a draw. When vaping the LED shows battery status indication by lighting the corresponding colour. When it lights White the battery is between 41% and 100%, when it lights Yellow it's between 21% and 40% and when it lights Red it's at 20% or lower. The Mino has the usual safety protections which are indicated by various flashes from the LED when they kick in.
Protections
Low Battery Protection
Timeout Protection (8 seconds)
Open Circuit Protection
Short Circuit Protection
___________________________________________________________________
Charging The Mino
The mino is charged via the micro USB port using the rather nice braided supplied USB cable. While charging the LED blinks White, once fully charged it stops blinking and lights solid White, the Mino takes 1hr to charge.
___________________________________________________________________
Using The Mino
The Mino is quite a tight draw so strictly a MTL device and has the most sensitive membrane switch i have come across. There is no false pulls, slow ramp up or weak draws, take a draw and the vape comes immediately (perfect for someone who hasn't got much puff). The flavour is above average as well, not in my favourite 3 pod devices for flavour but it enters the group just below so no complaints at all with the flavour it gives. If you like a pod system that also gives good cloud then the Mino isn't for you as it's much more geared to flavour. The pod's movement from side to side will annoy some people but it isn't a falling out candidate as it takes quite a pull to release it. The confusion about specs, no spare pod and supplying a fill bottle with the nozzle not really small enough are not performance issues but very much cons. The 320mAh battery doesn't sound much and it's not but lasts longer than i expected with the 1.8ohm coil, and although it will need charging a couple of times a day it only takes an hour.
___________________________________________________________________
Likes
Well made
Aesthetically pleasing (in my opinion)
Colourful
Good colour choices
Pocket friendly
Ergonomic
Mouthpiece comfortable
2 fill ports
Nice braided USB cable
Fill bottle (nozzle too big but will come in handy)
Most sensitive membrane switch i have come across (big pro)
Good flavour
Efficient with e-liquid
Mouthpiece dust cover
Genuine MTL draw
Battery status indication
Charges in 1hr
Cons
Sidewards movement from pod
Low Capacity Battery
Small fill slots
Nozzle on supplied bottle not fit for purpose
Specs + Info? Don't add up
No Spare Pod
I would once again like to thank CoilART for supplying the Mino Pod Starter Kit for the purpose of this review.
http://www.coilart.net/mino-pod/
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