Vaporesso Tarot Mini Review

I feel like Goldilocks today…you know: not too big, not too small, just right. The new Vaporesso Tarot Mini falls into the last category.

Allow me to explain.

Vaporesso released their first Tarot mod, the dual-cell 18650 Pro model offering 160 watts of output power, followed by the Tarot Nano with an impressive (for its size) 80 watts and a 2500 mAh internal battery.

But what if the Pro is too big for EDC, or the Nano battery too small? What if you want to swap your battery and keep vaping, rather than looking for an electrical outlet, but don’t want to lug around a dual-cell box?

Enter the Tarot Mini which hits the “just right” spot between the Pro and Nano, by offering mid-range power and replaceable battery, while including the same functional goodies as the Pro and Nano.

The Tarot Mini is a single-cell 18650 80W box that looks like a stretched version of the Nano. The Mini is taller than the Nano, to accommodate the 18650 battery, but otherwise dimensionally the same. Like the Nano, the Mini will only accept a 22 mm atomizer without overhang.

The Mini clearly shares the distinctive design DNA of the Tarot family with its angular beveled edges, hexagonal fire button, and selection of smartly patterned enclosures. My sample is a cool black and grey camo.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, they all share the same versatile Omni chip. The Omni chip allows a slew of vaping modes, including Smart Variable Wattage (Smart VW), Temperature Control (TC) with Ni/Ti/SS, Bypass, Constant Curve of Wattage (CCW) and Constant Curve of Temperature (CCT).

This won’t be a tutorial on using every setting of the Omni chip with detailed button and menu functions, but should give you an idea of the different modes and uses:

Smart VW – The Omni chip measures the resistance of your coil and sets the wattage to a suggested starting point.

TC (Ni/Ti/SS) – This is good ole temperature control with nickel, titanium, or stainless steel wire.

Bypass mode – Bypass mode is just that: it allows you to bypass the regulation of the board and vape at straight battery voltage. It’s like using a mech mod with protection.

CCW – CCW allows you to set up a vaping curve for the first 5 seconds. You can set the wattage to any value between 5-80W in 0.5-second intervals. One example: CCW can be used to heat your coil(s) quickly at higher wattage to reduce ramp time and then taper off to a lower setting.

CCT – Like CCW, but uses temperature in TC mode.

Though I have always admired the design of the Tarot Pro, I have never owned or used one. In some of the reports and reviews I’ve read, one common complaint is that the mod falls over easily. I can see that happening with the beveled lower edges on the box, and mine fell over a few times when I wasn’t careful—more frequently than with my other box mods.

I have used the 160W version of the Omni chip in another mod (that shall remain nameless) and found the three most unique and interesting operating modes are CCW and CCT, and the Smart VW feature.

Attaching a 4 mL Vaporesso Veco Plus tank to the Tarot Mini I immediately noticed two things: The 24.5 mm Plus hangs over the sides of the Mini slightly, and the tank did not sit flush on the mod. The tank was touching the mod in the back with a gap in the front (display side), indicating that the 510 was installed on a slight angle. Too bad, and bit disappointing.

Anyway, the Omni Smart VW suggested a wattage of 50W with a coil reading of 0.23Ω. At 50W the vape is warm with nice vapor and flavor, but I drop to 40W and get a satisfying vape with added battery life. The Smart VW did it’s job well, and got me in the neighborhood.

I enter CCW and set up a curve to start my vape at 50W as suggested by the Smart VW, then ramp down to my preferred 40W. It works like a charm, heats the coil quickly and then tapers off. It’s just right.

Next, I try TC with a single stainless steel coil in my Stumpy RDA. I won’t bore you with the gory details, but I get the expected TC performance. I set a temperature curve using the CCT feature and, like the CCW feature, it works as advertised.

I like the Tarot mods with the Omni chip. It provides some cool vaping options, most notably the CCW and CCT features. The Smart VW feature in the Mini seems to work more accurately than on the “other” Omni mod I have used and it sets wattage to a good starting point.

The other nice thing about the Omni chip is that ALL of the functions can be selected or adjusted on-the-fly, unlike the Evolv DNA chip. Personally I like the DNA chip, and it can be used without a computer, but the more intricate stuff requires Escribe and unfortunately that seems to frighten some folks.

I can get by with a 22 mm tank, but still wish the Tarot Mini was a bit wider to accommodate larger tanks for the e-liquid capacity. As an added bonus, maybe the mod would be more stable with a slightly larger footprint.

Overall, I would still recommend the 80W Tarot Mini to anyone looking for a stylish, feature-rich mod with a replaceable 18650 battery. It will easily fit in your pocket, and won’t weigh down your pack or purse—it’s just about just right