This review is going to be looking at the Smoant Battlestar Mini mod, it’s been a long time coming but I’ve been a Smoant fan ever since I laid hands on the Charon 218 TC…then the Charon 218 TS, which is still my favourite touchscreen so hopefully worth the wait.
Smoant may not have the most products but what they do have is top notch, solid built and solid performing.
The Smoant Battlestar Mini 80W
The Smoant Battlestar mod range has been a big, big hit…as is everything they release, actually…just like the beautiful Cylon 218, which may be one the sexiest mods around, in my humble opinion.
When my expected Smoant vape-mail got stuck at SA’s nasty customs, I was miserable…but it finally arrived, with my Battlestar Mini 80W, the latest addition to the acclaimed Battlestar range, seriously late but welcome!
So, without further ado, I better get on with this review!!!
What’s In The Box
- Smoant Battlestar Mini 80W
- Micro USB charge cable
- User Manual
- Warranty Card
Features
- 37 x 24 x 81 mm
- Single 18650 run
- 0.96 “ OLED display
- Modes: VW/VW Curves/Bypass/Temp (Ni, SS, Ni)/TCR
- Resistance Range 0.05-2.0 Ohm for Temp/TCR mode, 0.1-5.0 Ohm for VW
- Temp Range 100-315 C
- Reverse, overheat, low voltage, short circuit and overtime protection
- Comes in Black and Yellow
Build Quality & Design
When I opened up the tiny little black and yellow Smoant box and lifted out the seriously small Battlestar Mini, admiring the contours and familiar Battle-star detailing, I was actually quite chuffed.
While I’m not usually the type to pick a Black coloured mod (this only comes in black and yellow), I’m actually pleased about getting the black version of this.
It’s very simplistic and very…rectangular… with subtle sci-fi indentations and 8 battery ventilation holes on either side to create some visual interest and grip: but there is something about the way the delicate zinc alloy lines catch the light on the black version that just makes it very, very beautiful.
The finish looks is blasted with a pearlescent glow. Take a look at the pics. Am I mad? Well, I am female…
The magnetic battery cover stretches around one narrow vertical side’s edges and the seams blend perfectly into the decorative indentations I was mentioning earlier, which fall on the larger panels of the mod. All edges are subtly rounded.
The narrow side opposite the battery cover and under the deep, springy 510 connection will immediately bring the classic, more irregular shaped Battlestar to mind, with a round and super clickeddy fire button , a rectangular OLED screen below that, an oblong dual-adjustment button under that, within a wide groove and a micro-USB port below that.
There is branding under the mod only.
I pop off the hidden but very easy to grip battery cover and slip an 18650 into the snug and neat chamber.
The screen bursts to life with a super bright and neat display of all the necessaries, mode, battery levels, wattage, volts (spelled VALTS by Smoant, bless them), Ohms, Puffs count and Puff Timer. Very comprehensive and probably one of the neatest formats around. The screen is brighter and clearer than the original for sure. Nice.
How Does The Smoant Battlestar Mini Perform?
The updated ANT chip is a fierce little beastie. Smooth, responsive and incredibly accurate.
New atomizer readings are flawless and immediate, while TC, which I tested for Ni and SS (I’ve never even SEEN a titanium coil) and found to be, what can I say, seemingly flawless and including a unique AUTO wattage setting ability!!! Sci Fi!
Now, if you read my other reviews you may pick up that I’m a great lover of custom wattage curves and always spend some time toying around with them on my new mods.
Well, I was delighted to discover that this ANT update has an added little feature, which is beyond the standard 10s draw curve (with 1 second setting increments), which admittedly seems a little excessive to use in full, you can cut down that increment time (or lengthen it) so that you can comfortably vape out the extent of your custom curve but do it in 5 seconds, say!!!
That is, unless you’re training for the deep free diving trials, in which case you can totally enjoy the 10 second option!!! There’s a catch though, because there are only five settings, still a lot of fun to play with though.
I realize that was a mouthful but if you use custom curves you’ll (hopefully) catch my drift!
There’s also a Bypass mode for those mechanical animals out there.
I tested the wattage feel against 4 other of my best vape mods with a similar range, single 18650 powered and I can say with certainty that 80W on the Battlestar Mini is a very good 80W.
Heat distribution is good and the the many ventilation holes do their job too, the mod performed well when put through a number of rounds chain vaping some delicious Audrey Bombshell Juice from Vape Craft, a bottle that is now…officially finished!
Ramp delay is negligible, though I stopped being able to really NOTICE a ramp time difference on the better mods a few months ago, to be perfectly fair…I’m still working on my super-human vape senses.
Now…while the ergonomic B Mini is Mini indeed, it still holds up to a 24mm tank with no overhang. For kicks, I have a TFV12 Prince from Smoktech on it as we speak, which looks beyond ridiculous, with the bubble glass fitted, on this little guy…but there’s no overhang, none at all.
How To Operate the Menu System
- 5 Click on or Off
- 3 Clicks to enter menu(mode reading flashes)
- Adjustment button to scroll
- Fire To select
- Luckily, all menus round robin
How To Replace The batteries
- Pop off the battery cover
- Slip in the battery, according to the markers
- Replace cover
Battery Life
Good battery life from a single 2500 18650 (approximately 6 hours at 70-80 watts.
Pros
- Compact, clean and ergonomic
- Beautifully designed and built
- Responsive and feature rich chip
- Great ramp time
- True wattage
- Smooth, comprehensive display and interface
- Up to 24mm tank friendly
Cons
- Bleh!
Final Review Verdict
If you wear tight jeans and need a pocket rocket (OMG) that promises to leave you more than enough space in your other pocket for an extra battery, I recommend the Smoant Battlestar Mini 80W.
If you like small black rectangles (or yellow ones, I suppose) that make you think of distant Galaxies, the Future, StarWars, Space Odyssey and Vaping, the Battlestar Mini is for you.
If you need an 80 W mod that MEANS 80 W when it says it, the Battlestar Mini is for you. The Battlestar Mini comes highly recommended for vapers of any description who want a reliable and compact performer. Good One!!!
And..
Would I buy the Smoant Battlestar Mini if I lost/broke the device? For sure, in black!
