The Wotofo Manik Mini pod kit review, and other than sharing NexChip technology there’s very little to suggest any relationship to it’s older, more powerful sibling the Wotofo Manik.
Gone is the single 18650 battery in favour of integrated power, and the standard edition pods lack the extra 1ml capacity and there’s no replacing coils. Yup! The Wotofo Manik Mini pod kit uses throw away pods.
That’s not to suggest Wotofo is resting on its Stan laurels, because this time around it’s clear they’re aiming squarely for the newer and more casual vaper – and that’s a large enough slice of the vaping public pie in my opinion.
First impressions are good with this mini bad boy but of course they count for nothing if found lacking in performance, functionality and above all, flavour quality.
We’re going to find out if the Wotofo Manik Mini pod kit ticks all the right boxes…
What Can We Expect From The Wotofo Manik Mini Pod Kit?
Whereas the Wotofo Manik pod kit is the manufacturers maiden voyage into pod based seas, the OFRF Nexmini was its first dedicated MTL pod kit, arriving among a tidal wave of others crashing onto the vape scene.
Expect the Wotofo Manik Mini to share the same heritage by offering a MTL vaping experience.
Just how true a MTL experience we’re going to find out.
The resistances do suggest a cut above your run of the mill classic MTL coil, pushing to a max of 25W, so we can assume ample vapour production if not expect it. In fact the two supplied coils are well within sub ohm territory.
With a maximum power output of 30W it looks like the coils are sensibly rated to make the most of the integrated 1000mah battery.
As always, the thoughts and opinions of the Wotofo Manik Mini pod kit are based solely on my own experiences while handling, carrying around, charging and even vaping lol!
So please use the review as a reference if deciding to partake.
Inside The Box
The outer plastic sleeve is easy enough to remove and certainly not as tightly packed as some Wotofo products I’ve come across.
The battery and pods are recessed within a layer of thick foam under which lies the instructions and USB charge cable.
- Manik Mini pod system
- #M11 parallel coil replacement pod
- #M12 NexM coil replacement pod
- User manual
- Charging cable
Wotofo Manik Mini Pod Kit – Features
There are two versions available, the standard (non EU) version which allows for a pod capacity of 3ml, the TPD version unsurprisingly only supports 2ml pods.
The colours available are: Grey, Blue, Red, Green, Orange, Beige, Black and Gold.
In all cases, the sides have a black mirrored finish. The leather, stitching, trim and underside are all designed to compliment the overall colour scheme.
The Wotofo Manik Mini pod kit offers pass through charging for those impatient to wait for the next vape. Connection between pod and battery is of IP67 standard (although not stated as such) in that it’s waterproof.
The incorporated Nexchip means that the device is capable of firing at 0.001 seconds and all the various safety features have been included on the board.
Auto draw features, so there’s no need to be hunting down the fire button.
Adjustable wattage/power settings between 1-30W are available when using the 0.96in OLED screen.
Specifications
- Dimensions 92x28x16mm (including pod)
- Weight 64g
- Battery integrated 1000mAH
- Material Zinc alloy, PCTG
- Pod capacity 3ml/2ml (TPD)
- Display 0.96inch OLED
- Coil resistances M11 Parallel coil 0.6ohm/ M12 Nexmesh coil 0.6ohm
- Output range 1-30W
- Charging port Micro USB
- Charging current DC 5V/1.2A
Design and Build Quality
Wotofo Manik Mini – Pod Section
The pod is made of the usual toughened PCTG plastic and with a mouthpiece designed to fit perfectly between the lips.
In all honesty it does but because I’m used to RDA and RTA drip tips, still feels on the large size.
The airflow on the pod certainly has that MTL restriction before tapering out towards the 5ml wide mouthpiece opening.
Both pods utilise a bottom fed airflow entering via the dual airflow slots, hitting the underside of the pod and splitting as it enters the chamber to provide ample coverage to the coil.
There’s the usual side filling arrangement with the Wotofo Manik Mini pod.
Opening and closing the silicone stopper is relatively painless but the fill port itself measures a mere 3.8mm.
You’re going to have to use thinner bottle tips when administering e-liquid.
Wotofo Manik Mini Pod Kit – Filling The Pod
- Remove the pod from the battery section
- Locate the silicone stopper on the side of the pod and lift the tab
- Gently pour E liquid into the chamber of the pod making sure not to overfill
- Replace the silicone stopper ensuring a snug fit
- Place the pod back into the battery section
It’s always best to let e-liquid soak into the cotton for around five minutes before vaping – known as priming the coil.
Wotofo Manik Mini Pod Kit – Battery Section
I’m a big fan of black and gold so I was instantly impressed with the level of elegance and style associated with the colour scheme under review.
Elegance and style – not exactly words I’d use to describe myself lol!
The side panels of the battery have a stylish black mirror finish and complimented by a gold plated trim.
The gold plating wraps around the underside but only time will tell if this will lead to scratches forming.
I’ve had the occasional odd look from the wife too. “You’re supposed to vape it, not sniff it!”.
Whether Wotofo has used real leather or not – it certainly smells and looks like the real thing..
The curves on the stitching are perfectly symmetrical but I’d rather have seen a less conspicuous logo emboss, it takes up a little too much real estate for my liking.
The pod fits either way inside the battery and there’s no wiggling or movement so thumbs up to that. You’ll still have to push the pod in all the way before the magnets take effect – they don’t actively draw the pod inside.
Dual airflow slots feature on either side of the battery which measure just over 6mm. That seems quite wide for a device designed for MTL use.
Wotofo Manik Mini Pod Kit – Battery Functionality
The screen display is monochrome but still bright enough to get the job done.
Press the rather small disc of a select button five times in quick succession to turn the device on or off.
Pressing the select button three times puts the device into wattage adjust mode. The display will continue to flash while adjustments are made with the select button. The device will reset to a value of 1W if the maximum 30W of power is exceeded.
To exit the wattage select screen just leave the device for a few seconds and it will return to the main screen display, which shows:
- Number of puffs
- Coil resistance
- Wattage output
- Battery strength
- Voltage output (only while vaping)
To reset the puff counter simply hold the select button for one second.
That’s about it for functionality. Very simple and straightforward although a screen flipping option would also have been welcome.
For the lazy folk out there I found it possible to enter wattage adjust mode with only two presses of the select button too!
– Call me lazy. I call it experimenting with button bashing lol.
A final word on the battery section. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity. The Nexchip contains all the important and relevant safety features you’d expect to find from much more powerful set ups.
Safety always comes first.
How Does The Wotofo Manik Mini Pod Kit Perform?
Both coils weigh in at 0.6ohm both are made from Kanthal A1 material.
M11 Parallel wire coil 0.6ohm 15-25W (best 18-22W)
I used 88 Vape Peach Dream with the kanthal wire coil.
It’s a 50VG/50PG liquid ratio with freebase nicotine already in the 10ml TDP compliant bottle.
I vaped at a conservative 20W throughout the test period.
The first thing to strike me about the vape is the sudden warmth that’s generated a few seconds into the inhale. I would put that down to the funneling (restriction) structure within the pod itself.
As much as it does contribute to the MTL vaping experience this restriction prevents the coil cooling resulting in a warm lip much of the time.
So what’s it like for flavour?
It’s certainly not a bad replication of the profile but does lack the ability to bring out a few additional flavours. There’s little to nothing in the way of guava and I couldn’t pick out any melon either.
The peach was moist and sweet with some creamy content thrown in too making the vape flavoursome enough.
Vapour production is very wispy and light dissipating swiftly but just as you’d expect from a MTL coil. In fact there’s around 75% restriction to overall airflow, just about enough to allow me to continuously vape this way.
Yes, the option for a very restrictive direct lung from the pod is there and surprisingly doesn’t affect flavour quality but it does border on uncomfortable.
..Gets the ‘ole neck muscles working overtime! Still, if you want neck muscles like a weight lifting champ? Mmm?
..I’m waffling again, aren’t I…
I can safely say the M11 0.6ohm parallel kanthal wire coil is definately one for the MTL user.
M12 Nexmesh coil 0.6ohm 13-20W (best 15-18W)
To test the M12 mesh coil I stayed with a 50VG/50PG ratio by using Kik Tobacco blend with freebase nicotine.
With the power set at 18W I got a a pretty good representation of the flavour profile which seemed broader than the M11 coil. The vape was still quite moist and the tobacco notes had that “linger ability” factor I so often look for.
Good flavour retention throughout the vape, in all honesty.
The restrictive qualities of the NexMesh coil are the same as the parallel wire meaning I felt quite at home using the MTL style of vaping. Again there’s the option of a RDL vape but I instinctively knew this wasn’t what the pod was designed for.
Without doubt the natural tendency is to vape in a very comfortable semi airy mouth to lung style.
Discretion is the better part of vapour here with the M12 Nexmesh coil providing a little bit of extra cloud production but nothing that’s going to turn heads in public spaces.
Pros
- Good flavour and vapour production from both coils
- Leak free coils
- A comfortable MTL vape
- Excellent battery life from the 1000mAh integrated battery
- Very fast charge from the standard USB charger
- Side filling port is easy to use
Cons
- The battery drains rapidly after 75% depletion
- Mouthpiece can heat up periodically. Usually after a few seconds into the vape
- Unable to charge in a vertical position (subjective)
- The display is difficult to read in bright sunlight
- Can only view real time voltage reading when standing next to a mirror!
Wotofo Manik Mini Pod Kit – Review Summary
Both coils are good, they provide plenty of flavour with an adequate amount of vapour production.
This is just one of a few reasons why this little kit is ideally suited to a new vaper but there’s more.
The portability factor is there in spades. You’re not likely to feel bothered by its weight in a shirt pocket.
The device is low maintenance because there’s no need to frequently top up and the integrated 1000mAh battery lasts over 12 hours. That’s coming from a chain vaper! So all good stuff.
Incredibly it only takes 40 minutes to charge the battery from flat. Given this isn’t a type C charging device I’d have to say that’s pretty impressive.
Finally the coils behave themselves impeccably. I didn’t encounter a single leaking issue in the time spent testing.
For best results I would recommend juice ratios of either 50/50 or 60VG/40PG.
There are of course a few Niggling Neil moments.
Both pods have a habit of rapidly heating the mouthpiece (never to the point of burning – it’s more of a tickling sensation) for the reasons I mentioned earlier. It seems to come and go which makes things a little more annoying.
The USB port has been placed on the underside which means horizontal charging. The Wotofo Manik Mini Pod kit stands perfectly well on any surface so why not have the port in a more convenient place?
The auto draw function works a treat. It’s also the reason why I was never able to view the real time voltage reading. Although the screen times out after 15 seconds the voltage resets to zero as soon as the draw ceases.
It does work. It’s done with mirrors lol!
Wotofo Manik Mini Pod Kit – Who’s It For?
The Wotofo Manik Mini pod kit is a reliable little fella and I like it.
OK, there’s not a world of difference between the wire and mesh coil as far as flavour goes but they both do a good enough job.
..and when the chips are down (I get indigestion) it is just another pod starter kit. It holds no surprises in a hardware sub category where the words new, innovative and refreshing are very hard to come by.
However it’s very comfortable in the hand and takes up little weight in the pocket. If you’re after a comfortable and discreet MTL vape this is a pretty good choice.
With such a no thrills menu system and ease of use I could recommend this to a new or casual vaper – someone that isn’t obsessed by power instead looking for a low maintenance device.
It could even in theory be suited to someone that just likes to MTL vape during the day, reserving powerful set ups for moment of leisure in the evening. It works for me!
In summary, unlike the pods themselves I don’t think you’ll be throwing money away.
Keep It Simple Stupid! And Wotofo has done just that.
So…
Is this a pod kit you’re using or keen to try or buy?
Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
