Smoking Vapor Mi-Pod Review: The Mi-Pod Got an Update

Product intro and specs

The Mi-Pod got an update! One of the most popular pod systems out there seemed to have some QC issues in its first and second runs with about 5% of the original units, but Smoking Vapor took notice and went back to the drawing board. Now the Mi-Pod is leak free, doesn’t auto-fire and – spoiler alert – is an all-around awesome vape.

This update took place earlier this year, so if you got yourself a Mi-Pod recently, check your serial number inside the device, between the LED and the center air hole. Devices with a serial number of 20180523 or higher are updated and devoid of any design shortcomings. These issues affected only around 5% of the Mi-Pods from earlier batches, and the redesigned pods should solve most of the issues anyway. But if by some chance they don't, SV is more than willing to replace your Mi-Pod for you.

Price: $39.95-$49.95

Design updates

According to the president of Smoking Vapor (and his detailed post over at Reddit), the latest update of the Mi-Pod included these design changes:

I had zero leaking, auto-firing or any other issues while using the Mi-Pod. As a note, the fact that the president of the company addressed the issues with the device and went on to announce the changes in Reddit shows that Smoking Vapor respects its customers. The company is known for its awesome customer service and it is the small things like this that create a loyal customer base. Props to SV for that.

Build quality and design

The Mi-Pod comes in a myriad of color configurations. Seriously, there’s like 20 of those available at SV’s website, and many more have been available at times. We received a gold and black, leathery looking one and an impressive gold and teal one with a lot of glitter on it. Not exactly my thing, but it certainly gathers attention. I also loved the packaging; it kinda felt like I was unboxing a high-tech gadget.

This thing is tiny! I managed to fit it in the fifth pocket of my jeans and it barely felt like I had something there. It also comes with a lanyard in the box, which lets you tie it to your neck or your keys. It is not much larger than a Zippo lighter, while being much lighter at less than 40 grams. The box includes two pods which fit 2 mL of e-liquid. It doesn’t sound like much, but It's not bad for a device like this.

There is a tiny metal plate with faux screws engraved in it placed next to the mouthpiece, which lends the Mi-Pod a retro look. In addition, the Mi-Pod “M” logo on the body of the device functions as your e-liquid window and has a similar design aesthetic. Checking your e-liquid levels through the window is not the easiest thing in the world due to its shape, but it is manageable, especially when the room is not dark.

Five quick clicks on this tiny button turn the device on and off. A blinking LED light shines through the clear mouthpiece, indicating that the Mi-Pod is ready. The device is draw-activated, so you can just puff on it without pushing a button. To enter stealth mode, just hold the power button for five seconds. This will be helpful for those who want to avoid attention, as the LED is pretty bright when stealth mode is off.

From a design perspective, the only other drawbacks I’ve found with the Mi-Pod are very minor and not anything that would prevent me from using the device. The power button is barely protruding — I can’t even tell if I am actually pressing it most of the time. Not really an issue, as I barely ever turn the device on and off due to it being draw-activated. I also had some difficulties taking the pods out of the device to refill, but only for the first couple of times. Finally, the mouthpiece does get a bit warm when you first vape on it. Thankfully, it goes away fast, and I never felt it warm after the second refill.

To fill it up, first remove the pod, then unplug the rubber seal, and fill the pod through the hole. When first filling a pod, it is advisable to let it sit for at least five minutes to ensure that the wicks are saturated. At first, I thought that the filling hole might be too small for glass droppers, but I had no issues when using them to fill the Mi-Pod. Unicorn bottles also fit perfectly. I also liked how the rubber piece doesn’t come out completely, reducing your chances of losing it, something that thankfully is incorporated in a lot of pod systems lately.

Performance

The Mi-Pod is supposed to cater to both mouth to lung and direct lung crowds. The pods come with silicone inserts, which reduce the airflow when placed in the airflow channel. They do change the draw slightly, making it a rather loose MTL from a restricted DL, but it’s certainly not my style of MTL vaping. To be fair, I like my MTL rather tight, and I am pretty sure that the draw can satisfy fans of a looser draw. I’d say it is comparable to the draw of the SMOK Novo, and certainly looser than the Innokin EQ. In fact, you can easily take a restricted direct lung hit with the insert in place.

Unfortunately, the inserts are very difficult to handle and finagling them into the air holes is a challenge, with them being so small and semi-rectangular shaped. They're also easy to lose. It's likely that if you drop one, you may never find it due to them being so tiny and transparent. I would've preferred a tighter draw native to the device, or an additional MTL-only pod, instead of the inserts that feel more like a hack.

But if you want a restricted direct lung hit, then the Mi-Pod delivers. No need to mess with the tiny inserts, just fill it up and take a vape. You don’t even have to raise your nic level by much, as the tiny 1.3-ohm coil produces a surprising amount of vapor. I am using 3 mg on my airy atomizers, and 6 mg on my MTL tanks, and really enjoyed the Mi-Pod with 6 mg of freebase nicotine; as a comparison, I can easily use 12 mg or higher on the Novo and the EQ. I also tried it with 20 mg nicotine salts and it was a very satisfying vape – I’d even go as far as saying that anything higher than that would have probably been too strong for my liking.

I got really good flavor out of the Mi-Pod, much better than most pod systems I’ve tried. It takes around half a pod to kick in, but stays at a good level for most of the pod’s lifespan. The coil is good for at least seven refills, and it feels like it can go strong for a couple more. I am using relatively clear juices with the Mi-Pod, so if you are using sweeter and darker juices it might reduce its lifespan a little. But in any case, the pods last for a long time. They also wick like a champ; I tried really hard to get a dry hit out of the Mi-Pod but to no avail, even with 70% VG juices. That’s pretty impressive, especially considering the size of these coils. They do produce a high-pitched crackling sound though, but it is not loud, and I got used to it pretty easily.

Battery life and charging

The Mi-Pod houses and internal battery with an impressive 950 mah capacity and operates on direct output, which means that your vape will be getting weaker as time progresses. The operational voltage range is 3-4.2 volts, so with a fully charged device you will be getting around 13.5 watts on the redesigned 1.3-ohm coils, dropping to around 7 watts when the battery is depleted.

The device has three LED colors: blue when the battery is between 4.2 and 3.7 volts, purple in the 3.7-3.4 range, and red after that. The LED light is placed inside the pod socket, so the only way to see it is to quickly remove the Mi-Pod from your mouth after taking a vape, which is not ideal. I managed to vape around one and a half pods before the LED turned purple and the vape started becoming weaker and noticeably cooler – still a solid vape though. At the end of the second pod, and while still on the purple LED, I had to plug the Mi-Pod in as I was getting an underwhelming vape out of it. I could still squeeze some life out of it by taking some longer puffs, but it wasn’t a satisfying vape. Still, two pods with one charge is surprisingly long battery life — two thumbs up.

Pros / Cons

Verdict

The Mi-Pod is a solid pod system that performs surprisingly well considering its size and weight. It also comes with great battery life, a solid 2 mL capacity and a satisfying restricted-lung draw. Its pods last for a long time, and there are countless color options to choose from. The Mi-Pod has everything working for it — Its cons are so minor that I don’t even feel like mentioning them here. Add to that the fact that US-based Smoking Vapor provides some of the best customer support the industry has ever seen, and addressed all issues with previous runs of the device with this update, and you got yourself a keeper.

I’ve been leaving my house with the Mi-Pod in my pocket a lot lately, and I’d easily recommend this one to everyone after a reliable, compact and lightweight kit. What do you think of the SV Mi-Pod? Let me know in the comment section.