Greetings fellow vapers! Stoked to have you join me here for another day in paradise…where we can float away on flavored clouds, comforted by the cool blue (or green) glow from the screen of our latest vaping mod. It’s time for another (hopefully) steamy and delicious review, you and I will be the judge of that! This weekend I’ve been preparing for this review: I want to let y’all know whether this minuscule micro-mod is worth the juice.
By now I think most seasoned vapers will have formed some opinion about the leading brand under supergiant, ShenZhen IVPS Tech Co.,namely: Smoktech. Although I compulsively dislike their name (because I am a steamer, a vaper, a cloud-chaser and strictly NOT a smoker!), I’ve got a great deal of respect for the way they’ve upped their game over the years. Their slogan aught to give you the idea that they’re from China, if you didn’t already know, it reads: “Being with you for all great vaping time!” Lovely!
So by now Smoktech is synonymous with great range, high quality, attractive vaping gear that’s affordable and popular. However, it’s not always strawberry milkshake, even if that’s the flavor you’re vaping…I’ve heard a couple of negative reviews of this baby from buyers, plus I can’t say that I’m a big fan of the hand feel but I took a closer look so that I could decide for myself whether this piece is worth buying!
ZMAX Mini Ratings
ZMAX Mini Review
- Variable Wattage (0.3-15W) and V (3.0-6.0V)
- Pulse width Modulation: minimizes power loss during use
- Regulated Voltage Output: consistent vape quality, regardless of battery power remaining
- Short Circuit Protection: auto-shutdown when your coil resistance is to low or anything is iffy about the battery
- Voltage Meter: displays battery power so you know when you need a charge or change
- Resistance Meter: displays your atomizer resistance
- Runs on an 18350 battery but an extension tube is available for use with a 18650 battery
- 5 Amps of power!
- Best used with a 510 threaded mini tank (like the Kanger Protank Mini)
- Comes in a full array of colors (I opted for mint!)
Okay, so having said that I’m not a fan of the feel of this piece, let me explain why I ended up giving it 4 stars. This is a pint sized little piece but it packs in a number of great features you’d only expect to find on bigger mods, plus it comes in at a cool price of under $50. So, let’s get started on the pros and cons…
Pros
Size: usually you’d only expect discreteness from an e-cig, yet here you actually have a mod which can quite safely be advertised as discreet. 0.8 inches in diameter, with a height of 3.75 inches…I was actually shocked by the size of this thing when I opened the packaging.
Variable Wattage and Voltage: Easily adjustable, this feature allows you to find and program the right settings for your specific vaping style, a nifty feature that you won’t necessarily find on other products of this size.
Regulated Voltage: I added on an entire half a star based on this feature, by far my favorite feature here. What this means is that regardless of how flat your battery is getting, you’ll still experience a consistent vape. There is nothing worse than the steadily diminishing vape quality you get from products without this feature, always catching me just when I’m stressed or irritated, with a mouthful o’ almost nothing. That predicament is easily avoided with this little device. Doing this Smok ZMAX Mini Review, I enjoyed a consistent quality of vape, even through 5 complete battery run downs.
Safety Features: Device protections ensure that, should you attempt to insert your battery the wrong way round or if for some reason there is a current spike, the device will shut down. Short circuit protection will also shut down your device if your atomizer’s resistance is too low. Pulse width modulation will prevent battery drainage whilst the device is in use. A host of neat little safety features in this equally neat device.
Voltage Meter: This feature means that you needn’t pray to the vaping gods to tell you when your device is ready for a charge or battery swap. Your LED screen will display your battery voltage, so you always know where you stand.
Quality Of Vape: with a full 5 Amps of power, I was unable to fault the performance on this baby. Fitting snugly in my hand I’m getting a rich, consistent vape up to 14.5 W. I’m a heavy vaper and during this Smoktech ZMAX Mini Review I put the little one through an arduous weekend of obsessive use, only to come out pretty impressed!
Compatibility: Both 510 and eGo compatible. Learn what these terms mean...here.
Cons
You Get Only What You Paid For: That’s right, sadly, you’ll need to purchase the full kit if you really want some joy…as for me, I purchased the basic, only to find that I needed to hook up my own battery charger and everything else I needed. I don’t consider it a SCORE of note, but a more than reasonable buy at $60, including the extension tube, which allows you to use an 18650, for an extra few hours of battery life. Carry a spare battery on you if you’re a heavy vaper. I ran for 8-10 hours on an 18650. One charge could never last a night out for me but then again, at this size, how could I expect it to?
Looks And Feel: This is actually a personal preference issue and as such, I didn’t subtract points for it. Some people find the piece to be sleek and attractive but I find the weight and the feel, especially when I remove the battery cover and feel that metal on metal vibe, to be a little cheap and generally just not sexy enough for my tastes.
Not Indestructible: I’ve heard a number of complaints about the weakness of the shell and the fact that the devices connection point isn’t solid enough to prevent breakage with rugged use. Also, there have been a few reports of dodgy buttons which get stuck, however I can’t say that I experienced this myself.
Top Features of ZMAX Mini
The Three Aces: Quality, Performance and Range…the three aces are what you’d expect to experience from a brand that’s trusted, tried and incredibly popular, like Smoktech! This ZMAX review had me ticking off every one of those 3 Aces!
Conclusion
Well, after a full weekend of review and enthusiastic use on this little beastie, I became quite fond of it’s mint green shade, bright display and brushed metal feel and I dare say that when it comes to discreet vaping, on a mini tank like the Kanger Protank Mini, this is a great little piece of technology, with plenty of cool features to keep you satisfied…as offended as I was at about the name: perhaps I am a Smok-er after all!
To scrub up on your vaping terms and learn a little more about what you're getting yourself into, check out this video.