The new Smoant Charon Mini 225w box mod is the much anticipated follow up to the hugely popular touch screen version but as mini mods go this one is pretty big in more ways than one!
First up most mini vape mods are considerably less powerful than this little pocket rocket – umm OK may not that pocket friendly as it’s both powerful and quite big for a small one…
The Smoant Charon Mini
It’s powered by x2 18650 batteries and features an absolutely stunning crystal clear screen with a choice of very cool user interfaces and the usual Smoant wallpaper options.
Having not used either the Charon 218 TC or indeed the Charon TS 218 I’m going in with fresh eyes so to speak.
Ok this was sent to me for the purpose of review direct from Smoant – thank you – and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.
So given the Charon is the ferryman the dead have to pay to cross the river Hades is this one worth paying for?
Let’s take a closer look…
Inside the Box
Slightly different packaging than is the norm from Smoant but sturdy and does the job it’s designed for:
- 1x Charon mini mod
- 1x USB charge & update cable
- 1x User manual
Smoant Charon Mini Features
- Compact size: 45mm(L) X 29mm(W) X89mm(H)
- Takes 2X 18650 battery
- Display: 2.0 inch TFT color screen
- Output range: 1 – 225 W
- Output modes: VW (Min, Normal, Max)/ VW Curves / Temp (Ni, Ti, SS) / TCR / TC Curves
- Resistance range: 0.1 – 2.0 Ohm for TC mode / TCR mode / TC Curves
- 0.1-3.0 Ohm for VW / VW Curves
- Temperature control: 100 – 315°C / 200 – 600°F
- Two different UI available to choose
- Pass-through available
- Firmware upgradeable
- Reverse protection/ Over-heating protection/ Low voltage protection/ Overload/Short-circuit protection/ Over-time protection
- Colours: Black, red, gold and rainbow available
Smoant Charon Mini Quick Start Guide
- Insert x2 18650 batteries in rear of device
- x5 clicks on and off
- x3 cick to enter menu
- Up and down buttons to scroll and fire to select
Key Features
First up and this is not a touchscreen like its older brother the Charon TS 218 however this little beauty does pack more of a punch maxing out at 225w – maybe…with a bit of wind behind it 😉
However first thing of note is the extremely large 2 inch crystal clear screen and the choice of two user interfaces as well as a ton of wallpaper options – you will be able to upload your own in a future firmware upgrade.
I didn’t review the original so can’t do size comparisons however it is not as tall as most dual 18650 mods and certainly not as wide however I wouldn’t call it the smallest mini vape mod device I’ve used and it is surprisingly heavy.
As you’d expect from Smoant the menu includes the usual power/wattage and temp control modes however it doesn’t have as many options as say the Cylon 218 making it a relatively simple device to use.
The 510 is spring loaded and centred which is always a good thing however in this instance there’s a raised lip that up to 25mm tanks and atties sit flush on but larger ones leave a quite noticeable gap.
Not a lot more to say about the features as it really is a pretty simple device to get to grips with.
Design and Build Quality
I received the full black version and design wise it looks OK if a little uninspiring – though I’m not so keen on the splash of colour on the battery cover – more on the battery door in a wee while.
I will say the screen looks great as do the perfectly placed up and down buttons.
However the plastic fire button whilst clicky enough feels a little cheap and the ridged design really adds nothing to the looks of the device – there’s a slight rattle from it too.
Build wise I had a few issues straight out of the box not only with the fire button rattle – but that battery door.
Mine moved a considerable amount to say the least.
We have contacted Smoant and they advised that this is the first time they have heard of an issue with the battery cover.
They also added that when the Smoant Charon Mini mod is ready for sale next week (at the time of writing) they won’t have big movement as we experienced. So, take that how you will.
We will be keeping an eye out for production devices to see if this was indeed a ‘one off’ type of issue.
What I can say is I’ve checked a few other reviews and whilst some have had the slightest movement others have been rock solid.
Hopefully mine was just a blip because otherwise the build quality is very good indeed.
BTW as you can see from the pic I fixed my movement with tape!
I do like the user interface and the car rev screen features a pair of animated cogs that adds a nice touch.
How Does the Smoant Charon Mini Perform?
The Smoant Charon Mini mod menu is as intuitive as it gets and very easy to access – scroll and choose your options so no issues there.
It’s pretty much instant firing too [0.015 seconds] and the usual min/norm/max ramp up options work very well and as you’d expect from the Smoant Ant225 chip the temp control works very well indeed.
I had a play with the Curve options [setting your own ramp ups etc] and they certainly didn’t fail but as it’s not something I tend to use I was happy with the three pre-programmed ones.
The screen is crystal clear to say the least and a pleasure to view and you can adjust the brightness through the settings menu.
The only thing that has annoyed me is this is a real and I mean real fingerprint magnet – as in fairness are most large glass screens – however this one really does take a bit of polishing to get rid of any marks or juice smears.
Despite its rather boxy design and weight it is actually quite ergonomic suitable for a thumb firing leftie or trigger finger firing right handers.
Pros
- Powerful for its size
- Instant firing
- Good/easy menu options
- Awesome screen
- Choice of UI
- Up to 25mm atties/tanks without overhang
- Firmware upgradeable
- Pass through vaping
Cons
- Fingerprint magnet
- No battery ribbon and it’s tight in there!
- Could be an issue with battery door?
Final Review Verdict
Thw Smoant Charon Mini is quite a large ‘mini mod’ in both size – weight and power so do bare that in mind if you’re looking for a small stealthy device!
I’m gonna be as brutally honest as always and say overall it doesn’t ‘do it’ for me.
Not down to any of the features or the way it performs – it certainly does its job very well indeed – it’s just well a little underwhelming to look at in my humble opinion – apart that is from the screen which is awesome.
It feels like it fires at the speed of light so no issues there and it certainly packs a punch even in normal mode.
Look, sometimes a mod jumps out at you and feels even better in the hand but for me the Smoant Mini whilst a superb performing device just doesn’t have the wow factor.
And trust me unless you carry around a cloth the fingerprints will drive you nuts!
Not one I’d buy but in all honestly it’s a cracking performer that would have been amazing a year ago if that makes sense…
