The Good, Bad and Ugly of the Mini-Mod Revolution

My main store, located just a minute from the house; is thoughtfully named “The Juice Box.” At this particular venue, my go-to professional is the owner Jesse and his wife. Walking into The Juice Box this evening I realized that there were three new mods in the case: the CoolFire Ace, Tarot, and Target. All three are pictured below. I immediately remembered my first ever mod back in 2014- the Eleaf iStick Mini. The vape world has transformed many times over since then, so seeing these guys back in action made me wonder what the hypes about.

All three products are the newest in the Innokin and Vaporesso “mini” lines. The new trend seems to be moving towards small, compact, low watt, internal battery mods. This event did not take place overnight, but I was definitely amazed to see not just one, but three new “mini” vape kits that came in during the period of two days. After inquiring with Jesse, testing the products, and coming home to complete a ton of research and reviews; I can say without a doubt these things just aren’t for me. Prior to this, I may not have mentioned but my current setup is the Khaos Spectrum complete with either the Crown III or Cleito Exo. My wattage is running anywhere from 50-80 depending on the day. These mods just can’t possibly do what I am looking for in a vaping device, but that’s not to say there aren’t some Pros.

First of all, the devices are small, which is obvious. This factor alone may be a great reason to purchase one of these guys if size is a concern. (My ex told me it was….. sorry.) In all seriousness though, having a small device to carry in a jacket pocket, riding attire, or a tackle box is something of a luxury if you have the extra dough. At the same time, I could not personally justify the extra cost for that luxury. ($60 on average vs $70 for a Khaos) On that same hand, Jesse informs me about 90% of sales so far have been to females. Perhaps now we’re on to something. The color options, although unisex; definitely, are pushing towards the female side of things. Although in the picture above you can see a few cool color options, the remaining ones were ALL very girly. So far if you’re a female that likes small vape devices then, by all means, one of these great mods may just be the choice for you!

Next, I looked at the performance of all three devices in everyday usage. I understand, as above stated, this may be a backup device; but I still feel it should have some type of comparison to your go-to device. In my case, the 30-60 watt max on these just doesn’t cut it. The internal battery is a joke, pushing a vape session past an hour will be near impossible, albeit if you can vape at 30 watts for more than five minutes without getting bored then God bless you. The Tarot DOES have a single 18650 slot, with THE STUPIDEST charge port. Basically, they decided to throw the charge port UNDER the battery cover. I’m assuming this is so you don’t vape and charge at the same time. (Keep in mind, now you’ll just be vaping and charging with the battery cover off instead.) The Target seemed to be the best bang for your buck, the battery is large, (1600mah…. yeah LARGE for a mini device*) the finish and workmanship are outstanding, and this device happens to push the maximum wattage up to 60 which seems to be the upper end for mini mods.

Last , but not least; I looked at price vs. value. All three devices are small, girly, unavoidably unusable for any vaper who happens to like “clouds” or a warm vape experience. The price tag on all three devices for the kits are anywhere between $50-65. The tarot being at the high end, and the target being at the low end. All of the kits come with some type of “mini” tank, the stand alone tank is pictured above for reference.

My conclusion here is short and sweet. If you have hands that are bigger than Trumps, and a taste for a real vape experience, I’d write these off for now. The tech just isn’t there yet, and honestly I don’t see the need for a device that get’s lost in my hand let alone my pocket.

Feel free to check out The Juice Box – ask for Jesse the owner or his wife. They’re great people and know their market. Stop in for a great selection of juice and gear.

900 Victory Highway – Suite 13, North Smithfield, RI 02896

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