Best small mod for MTL vaping

coillsaille

Hi folks, hoping someone might be able to give me some recommendations for a small mod that isn't too bulky or heavy in the pocket.

I've been vaping for seven years now but have stuck to the same kit for the past few years and haven't kept up with the new products coming on the market.

I only vape mouth to lung, I briefly tried sub-ohm vaping a couple of years ago but it wasn't for me. I use a Nautilus tank on a variable wattage mod with 1.6 ohm coils. I used to use the Eleaf istick but found it very heavy and bulky in my pocket so I switched to the Target mini mod. For two years I was very happy with this set up as it was small and light. However the quality of the Target mini mod has really declined and I now have four dead ones in the drawer. They either start coming apart, they stop charging or the screen simply goes blank and never comes back on.

So now I am looking for an alternative mini mod and would appreciate any guidance posters here could offer.

IRISH OS1R1S

Istick Pico 75w.

mewso

Sadly my IStick Pico's USB socket broke very quickly (and it appears to be a common enough problem) so not sure if I would recommend it myself. I think the Aspire Zelos has stood the test of time best out of all the stuff I have. Not as light but not too heavy I don't think.

Dr Bill V1.5

Pico 75 is excellent if you're after an external battery mod,as mentioned already there was a batch with some below par soldering but fortunately they are one of the easiest mods out there to repair.
Another internal battery mod that springs to mind is the OBS Cube.

youcancallmeal

Which Eleaf istick did you use? I have a few of the Eleaf istick 30w and find them great, long battery life and good small size. I think if that's too bulky for you then the pico will be no good either. Have a look at the Eleaf amnis, might be too small for the nautilus though, do you know what diameter it is? It takes max 18mm tanks

Dr Bill V1.5

Do you have a particular budget to play with?

coillsaille

Thanks for all the help folks, it's much appreciated. To answer one question asked, I used to use the Istick 40w and must say that when paired with the Nautilus tank it was a bulletproof set up. The drawback however was that it was quite heavy and bulky in my pocket when working outdoors or out walking, etc.

I do remember a couple of years ago trying the Istick Nano (I think that's what it was called) but was very disappointed with the battery life. Actually I had forgotten about it, must root around for it in the drawers.

I still use the Nautilus 5ml tank as I like being able to fill just once a day and this tank paired with the Target mini mod I found small and light enough. However those mods are now letting me down as I said in the first post.
I might give the Pico a go.

As for the question re budget, it's not an issue. I'd rather pay a high price for a quality mod that's reliable than seek value and be disappointed with what I end up with.

Thanks again for all the suggestions, any others will be welcome too.

Dr Bill V1.5

coillsaille wrote: »

Thanks for all the help folks, it's much appreciated. To answer one question asked, I used to use the Istick 40w and must say that when paired with the Nautilus tank it was a bulletproof set up. The drawback however was that it was quite heavy and bulky in my pocket when working outdoors or out walking, etc.

I do remember a couple of years ago trying the Istick Nano (I think that's what it was called) but was very disappointed with the battery life. Actually I had forgotten about it, must root around for it in the drawers.

I still use the Nautilus 5ml tank as I like being able to fill just once a day and this tank paired with the Target mini mod I found small and light enough. However those mods are now letting me down as I said in the first post.
I might give the Pico a go.

As for the question re budget, it's not an issue. I'd rather pay a high price for a quality mod that's reliable than seek value and be disappointed with what I end up with.

Thanks again for all the suggestions, any others will be welcome too.

If you're not on a tight budget then I'd highly recommend the SX Mini MX class, single 18650,80W, Yihi chip.

https://www.ecigone.co.uk/sx-mini-mx-class-by-yihi?search=Sx%20mini

https://imgur.com/m2YJMUu

jonski

Dr Bill V1.5 wrote:

If you're not on a tight budget then I'd highly recommend the SX Mini MX class, single 18650,80W, Yihi chip.

I'd say that would be to heavy for the OP though , I know the Target mini and it is very light . My own mate had the same line up and has switched to a Pico but that is heavier and the QC doesn't seem to be as good on them recently , bit like the Target really .

conjon

I have/had three of the Mods mentioned -

Zelos, great little mod, USB connection went after about 14 months.

Cube, my favourite but it doesn't take a fall well. Screen died on the first one when I dropped it getting out of the car.

Pico, brilliant mod overall and one that'll last years. Granted I've always used an external battery charger.

Taking into account you're looking for something small I'd go for either the zelos or Pico. The new picos look pretty nice as well. The one Irish posted is the old one.

If you need a side by side to see the sizes I can post one tonight

coillsaille

Well fair play ye have given me some food for thought. So I have ordered a Pico for starters anyway. But I'm probably going to get another mod or two along with the Pico so I'm still open to suggestions and I do appreciate all the ones made so far.

I recently convinced my other half to give up the fags and she is now an enthusiastic vaper for the last 2 months.
Unfortunately when she started I bought more of the Target minis before I realised there was a major problem with their quality control. As I mentioned before I now have four of them that have died and currently we only have two working ones between us.

So I'm going to get a couple of more mods but will wait until the Pico arrives first, (due tomorrow) and see how I find it.
Dr Bill I had a quick google on the SX Mini MX Class and in the youtube vid that popped up it looked a bit on the bulky side? But I'm at work and was rushing so will have a proper look at it this evening.
As Jonski said the Target mini is very small and light so I've become used to that size and weight. Now of course I would be willing to switch to something slightly bigger and heavier if it was a quality product, but I still want something that doesn't remind me it's in my pocket every time I climb a ladder or jump a wall, etc.
I must check out the Zelos and the Cube also. And that size comparison would be brilliant Conjon.

IRISH OS1R1S

Wismec SINUOUS P80.



Eleaf iStick Rim 80W.



OBS Cube 80W.

coillsaille

Thanks for those pics Irish, still hard to judge the sizes though. Hoping the pico will arrive today so I can try it out.

I've been thinking, now that I'm shopping and looking at different mods for the first time in several years it might be an idea to also look at what tanks suited for MTL vaping have come on the market recently. As I mentioned, I've always used the Nautilus 5ml ever since upgrading from pen style vaporizers. But I'm wondering now what alternatives are on the market.

So would love to hear what tanks posters might recommend for MTL. Would prefer a larger capacity of 4-5ml, I really don't fancy the frequent filling needed by a 2ml tank.

TinCool

One of the lads in work has an OBS cube. Although a very nice sturdy mod, it's quite weighty and to my mind not overly pocket friendly, in slacks at least.
My daily beater is an eleaf invoke paired with a kayfun mini v3 for MTL goodness. It's a dual 18650 mod so batteries last me all day and then some.


I also use an SXK billet box on a daily basis. Lovely device and quite pocketable. Initial outlay is quite pricey however, so is probably not for everyone.


Eleaf Invoke


SXK Billet Box

coillsaille

Thanks for that info Tincool. When you have time any chance you could give approximate dimensions for those two?

TinCool

Eleaf invoke is 45mm*27mm*77m. Although you need to factor in a tank on top.
SXK billet box (L x W x H): 12.00 x 9.40 x 3.20 cm. No tank to factor in as the tank section lives in the box itself. I really like the billet box, but it is a bit fiddly, with changing coils or building your own, which I do.

conjon

Here you go..
https://ibb.co/k3pcXFt

Pico/zelos/cube/sx mini

coillsaille

conjon wrote: »

Here you go..
https://ibb.co/k3pcXFt

Pico/zelos/cube/sx mini

Thanks Conjon, that's a massive help. Looking at that photo I'm glad I've ordered the Pico (was hoping for it to come today but going to be Monday now). It definitely looks the most pocket friendly in the pic but of course the sizes and shapes of the tanks is going to affect that as well as the mod.

conjon

coillsaille wrote: »

Thanks Conjon, that's a massive help. Looking at that photo I'm glad I've ordered the Pico (was hoping for it to come today but going to be Monday now). It definitely looks the most pocket friendly in the pic but of course the sizes and shapes of the tanks is going to affect that as well as the mod.

No worries I'd recommend putting the artic fox firmware on it. It'll add puff counter etc. Plenty of YouTube videos on how to do it

Dr Bill V1.5

Your Pico will accept tanks up to 22mm in diameter so for looks alone I'd go with this
https://greyhaze.co.uk/collections/mtl-mouth-to-lung-vaping-tank/products/berserker-mini-mtl-rta-v1-5-by-vandy-vape

It's a 2ml tank which is what's allowed under the TPD directive in Europe but it may be possible to obtain a larger capacity bubble tank to fit also.
The various forms of Berserker are well tried and tested at this stage and performance from them is top notch.
It's an rta which I'm not sure meets your needs or whether you'd prefer a stock coil setup?

coillsaille

Dr Bill V1.5 wrote: »

Your Pico will accept tanks up to 22mm in diameter so for looks alone I'd go with this
https://greyhaze.co.uk/collections/mtl-mouth-to-lung-vaping-tank/products/berserker-mini-mtl-rta-v1-5-by-vandy-vape

It's a 2ml tank which is what's allowed under the TPD directive in Europe but it may be possible to obtain a larger capacity bubble tank to fit also.
The various forms of Berserker are well tried and tested at this stage and performance from them is top notch.
It's an rta which I'm not sure meets your needs or whether you'd prefer a stock coil setup?

It's a nice looking tank Dr Bill but I'm afraid I never got into the building side of vaping. So my choices are limited to tanks that can take stock coils. I noticed on the link you gave under the "Frequently bought together" there are some kind of pre-made coils, but not sure if they're for that tank?
Edit: I see now that they're not.

conjon

If you're looking for for a tank with stock coils you can't beat the nautilus 2s. Most B&M shops will have replacement coils. Comes with 2 coils. 7 and 1.8. Vapewild have it on sale this week for 20 euro. If you're looking for a second mod, they've the zelos kit for 50

coillsaille

conjon wrote: »

If you're looking for for a tank with stock coils you can't beat the nautilus 2s. Most B&M shops will have replacement coils. Comes with 2 coils. 7 and 1.8. Vapewild have it on sale this week for 20 euro. If you're looking for a second mod, they've the zelos kit for 50

Sitting on the couch last night I started looking up tank reviews and after reading a few I made an impulse purchase and ordered two Nautilus 2S off Amazon.

Then a few minutes later I popped in here only to see you recommending the same tank, which made me happy.
Then I saw your tip about Vapewild which made me sad because I had just paid £30 each for them..

conjon

If they haven't been sent yet try cancel them

coillsaille

conjon wrote: »

If they haven't been sent yet try cancel them

Cheers Conjon, never even considered that I could cancel. Have ordered them now from Vapewild.

youdipstick

coillsaille wrote: »

Cheers Conjon, never even considered that I could cancel. Have ordered them now from Vapewild.

Did you remember to order spare coils..

coillsaille

youdipstick wrote: »

Did you remember to order spare coils..

Well according to one of the reviews I read of the Nautilus 2S it takes the regular Nautilus BVC coils which I have plenty of. On the Vapewild website the coils marked for the 2S are only available as 0.4 ohms, which I presume can only be used for direct lung vaping.

youdipstick

coillsaille wrote: »

Well according to one of the reviews I read of the Nautilus 2S it takes the regular Nautilus BVC coils which I have plenty of. On the Vapewild website the coils marked for the 2S are only available as 0.4 ohms, which I presume can only be used for direct lung vaping.

You are good to go then,I use .4 coils,the top caps on mine were very hard to slide open,had to use marigolds again,all Nautilus's are like that,they should give a free packet of marries with each Nautilus tank:D:D

coillsaille

youdipstick wrote: »

You are good to go then,I use .4 coils,the top caps on mine were very hard to slide open,had to use marigolds again,all Nautilus's are like that,they should give a free packet of marries with each Nautilus tank:D:D

Very true, the Nautilus range are great tanks but unscrewing the bottom can be a right b*tch. Says it all that I have to keep a pliers in my vape drawer.

coillsaille

The Pico arrived yesterday. I can only comment on the size and weight as I can't get the bloody thing to work. It's still a bit on the bulky side so my hunt for a good small mod continues.

The fire button appears to be faulty. The mod is detecting the tank and reading the resistance but when I press the fire button nothing happens. I have tried a couple of different tanks and no difference apart from the mod showing a different resistance.
I got it from Vape UK so have just sent them an email now.

jonski

coillsaille wrote: »

The Pico arrived yesterday. I can only comment on the size and weight as I can't get the bloody thing to work. It's still a bit on the bulky side so my hunt for a good small mod continues.

The fire button appears to be faulty. The mod is detecting the tank and reading the resistance but when I press the fire button nothing happens. I have tried a couple of different tanks and no difference apart from the mod showing a different resistance.
I got it from Vape UK so have just sent them an email now.

Keys locked maybe ? , do the + & - keys work ? Key lock on them is 'hold + & -' .