VAPORESSO OSMALL 2 Review: Low-Cost That Doesn’t Feel Cheap

Product intro and specs

VAPORESSO has updated the OSMALL, their little refillable MTL pod vape. The OSMALL 2 is just like the original OSMALL but with an upgraded body, a Type-C charge, more mAh, and added leak protection.

The OSMALL 2 is lightweight like the original, but it’s now weighing 26.5 grams with a textured zinc alloy shell and 450 mAh. It’s an inexpensive pod vape designed for high-nicotine e-juice and a tight MTL vape. It comes with a single 2 mL magnetized drop-in pod with a new 1.2-ohm coil (though it has cross-compatibility with the original pods). The original OSMALL was using flax fiber cotton for the wicks, but this one doesn’t state what kind of wicking is used. Presumably, it’s the same. One of the things I liked most about the original was that it was able to efficiently wick high VG juice, despite having a tight draw.

When I heard that VAPORESSO was sending out a new OSMALL, I was hesitantly optimistic as I was a fan of the original. My love for it died off due to some leaking issues and its overall cheap feeling. Maybe that’s changed now, and I can get the best out of it without the previous downsides. Let’s see how this one fares. 

Price: $9.99 (at Element Vape)

Colors: Green, blue, gold, pink, silver, grey, gold.

Build quality and design

The OSMALL 2 is a much-needed upgrade to an otherwise solid MTL pod vape. The sequel comes in a simple design, just like the first one, but the OSMALL 2 is more elegant and of higher quality. The original OSMALL had a plastic body, and although it was inexpensive, it felt cheap. The OSMALL 2 (I believe) is made of zinc alloy.

Ultimately, the body comes in the same form factor, though the build quality and cosmetic design have improved. The new version still has that rounded and flattened rectangular body but is now made of metal, with a new water flow texture. It’s a minor but impactful improvement.

Also new to the OSMALL 2 is a Type-C pass-thru charge port (which is located on the bottom of the battery housing). In the original review, I stated that I wished it had a Type-C charge—now it does.

As an aside, I like that VAPORESSO merely updated the device instead of creating a whole new device that carries the OSMALL name. I doubt I’m the only one that likes the original but wished for the new updates.

Getting started

Take the device out of the package and remove the pod and seal from the bottom of the pod. All there is to getting started is to fill the pod with your liquid of choice and wait a few minutes for the wick to saturate.

To fill/refill the pod, use your nail and pull down from the top of the plug. If you pull from the bottom, the whole thing will come out. It’s not difficult at all to get it back in, but it can be a little fiddly if you have sausage fingers.

The device should come to you already charged. There’s a thin, branded oval plate on the front of the device that houses a little LED. It’s difficult to see when you’re vaping, but if you can see that it’s solid when you take a hit, that means the battery is charged. Unfortunately, there aren’t any other colors or ways to know how full the battery is.

Performance

The OSMALL 2 is quite satisfying as a stealth MTL vape. It has a tight, cigarette-type draw, and it vapes quietly. Although, a faint click of the draw activation can be heard upon the initial draw.

The OSMALL 2, like the original, can wick high-VG juice despite being a high-nic device. I’ve pretty much stopped using nicotine salts, so it’s nice to know that I can DIY my own juice to my preferred high-VG/high-nic for use with the OSMALL 2. When using freebase liquid, even sweet and high VG juice, the OSMALL 2 pods last a long time. It’s hard to say how long because my pods only start tasting funky when I use salts and think I’m going to get a different outcome. Which is crazy! I digress.

The flavor produced by the OSMALL 2 is accurate and clean. It’s a warm vape that doesn’t get hot, even with my vape style of taking long draws. The coils are really durable in that they can take virtually any ratio of juice and withstand chain vaping without the vape suffering.

The original had issues with gurgling and leaking. It gurgled from the start, but the leaking issues didn’t come to pass until I had the device for a while. So far there hasn’t been any leaking with the OSMALL 2 unless I get a little overzealous from the fill—which just requires a quick wipe with a napkin. There is no gurgling, spitting, or popping with the OSMALL 2.

Battery life and charging

Charging the OSMALL 2 takes about 45 minutes through a Type-C port, and it has pass-thru charging. There’s 450 mAh instead of the original’s 350 mAh. It’s a 29% increase which should help you potentially get through the day with a single charge.

The tiny LED is stealthy, but not very useful. While I appreciate a minimal approach to LEDs on vapes, you’re not really going to be able to tell the battery life until it dies. When the battery is depleted, it’ll flash. There are no other colors or indicators to determine the capacity of the charge. Conversely, when it’s charging, the battery light stays lit until it’s charged, then it goes out when the charge is complete.

Pros / Cons

Gallery

Verdict

I’m thrilled to have a new OSMALL. The OSMALL 2 is just updated, not changed. It can still wick any juice, and it has long-lasting coils. I think the OSMALL 2 is a great MTL vape for those that desire simplicity and portability.

The metal body and water ripple texture of the OSMALL 2 make it feel better in the hand, and overall, just add a little pizazz without making it gaudy. The added leak protection is a huge plus because that was really a weak point of the first one. Toss in slightly longer run times with Type-C charging, and the OSMALL 2 barely has cons for me—the cons it does have are trivial.

The OSMALL 2 is a device I’ll likely use more than any other because it so perfectly fits my style of vaping—high nic and MTL, stealth-style.

Highly recommended.