VaporFi VAIO MINI Review

Rounding out the VAIO family of vape pens and box mods is the new VaporFi VAIO Mini, (insert here) a hand-held, starter kit device, which is VaporFi’s interpretation on the compact, AIO, pod mod-style of device that is ultra-compact, and perfect for portability. We’ve seen a lot of devices like the VAIO Mini, which are minuscule, but work great to produce a satisfying mouth-to-lung vaping experience.

The VAIO Mini does differ from some of the more simpler devices like the Envii FITT or the Kimsun Smart 4R, which were much easier to use and operate since all you had to do was fill up the e-juice tank and start vaping.

• What’s Inside the Starter Kit
• The First Look
• The VAIO Mini: Up Close
• Vaping With the VAIO Mini
• How the VAIO Mini Stacks Up
• Pros&Cons
• VaporFi VAIO Mini Specifications
• Closing Thoughts

The Mini uses a drop-in coil/chimney system that sees you attach an atomizer to the base of a tube and then drop it into the built-in, 2ml e-liquid reservoir, which is more in common with a device like the Aspire Breeze or Eleaf iCare.

The two coils that come in the VAIO Mini kit are rated for mouth-to-lung vaping since they have above-ohm resistances at only 1.0ohm each. Some of the newer (or stranger) features that the VAIO Mini has that set it apart somewhat from the crowd are a side-fill port to fill up the e-liquid tank, a smallish, light-up firing button, and a removable mouthpiece.

What’s Inside the Starter Kit

When you finally receive your VaporFi VAIO Mini starter kit, here’s what you’ll find inside:

The First Look

Well, my search for a comparable device to the VaporFi VAIO Mini is already complete since when I first saw it, I immediately recalled the Envii FITT, because of its tiny size and similar design layout. The VAIO Mini, does, however, differ in many meaningful ways from that device.

The VAIO Mini is an AIO device so there’s not much you can take apart, aside from the mouthpiece and switching out the coils. The battery is built-in and has a capacity of 1000mAh, which is quite sizeable given that the FITT and Aspire, Breeze, while of comparable size, both only had a 650mAh battery capacity.

While the FITT incorporated pod mod elements into its design with its pre-filled or refillable cartridges and the Breeze had a top fill-style tank, the VAIO Mini has neither. What I initially thought was some kind of latch or locking mechanism on the side of the device, right above the viewing window, is, in actuality, the fill port.

The latch gets pushed down to reveal the fill port, which is an ingenious departure from typical top-fill or bottom-fill styles of tanks and e-juice containers. I suppose if side-fill tanks work on cars, they can also work on vaping devices.

Another, not-so-radical departure of the VAIO Mini is the location of its firing/power button, which you need a few moments to find instead of usually being the first thing you notice on a new vape mod. The firing/power button is quite small, almost to the point of being inconspicuous.

The button’s location, right underneath the removable mouthpiece, does not reveal its real purpose, and you would be forgiven for believing that it has some other function. Alas, the button does show its true purpose by lighting up whenever you turn on the device and whenever you take a vape.

The VAIO Mini has a very smooth-to-touch rubber coating that is great for both natural, comfortable gripping while also working to reduce any heat transfer from the mod to your hands. The device makes use of a side USB port to charge.

The VAIO Mini: Up Close

Pod mod devices, as well as mini AIO kits like the VAIO Mini are almost like their own instruction manual since you get an idea of how they work just by looking and tinkering with them. The VAIO Mini is deceptively simple-to-use.

Except, it’s important to remember, again, that the VAIO Mini is not a top-fill device, even though it might look like it. One clue that’ll remind you to use the side-fill port is that the atomizer and atomizer tube fits snugly into the drop-in chamber meaning that it is not where you put your e-liquid.

I was taken aback with just how small the coils and the atomizer tube are on the VAIO Mini. They are like miniaturized versions of other coils I’ve seen before. Drop a few drops of e-juice onto your coil, and screw it back into the base of the tube, and then just replace it in the device.

One thing I did forget to mention about the VAIO Mini is the set (four to be exact) of LED indicator lights on the opposite side of the fill port and right beneath the USB charging port. These lights are staggered to show you the charge level of your battery. All four lights alight means the battery is fully charged.

As the battery level diminishes, so to do the LED lights with no lights flashing meaning, duh, you need to charge the battery. When you’ve filled up your tank – the viewing window also features a fill line imprinted onto it – drop-in the atomizer tube, secure the mouthpiece and click the power button five times to start vaping.

Vaping With the VAIO Mini

The VAIO Mini purports to be a dedicated MTL device, but I found that direct-to-lung hits were also possible with some variation on your inhale and lip placement. The coils are only 1.0ohm, so they are not so removed from being sub-ohm capable.

The firing button was very responsive, and the device did not have a noticeable ramp-up time. There are no airflow vents or rings to speak of on the VAIO Mini, unlike the VAIO GO, so it’s up to you to modify your airflow by taking long, direct-lung hits or just taking short puffs to replicate a mouth-to-lung style.

Flavor-wise, the VAIO Mini delivered more than I expected. I’ve been on a sweet tip recently concerning my choice of e-juices, and since VaporFi also produces some great e-juices, I picked up a bottle of their Scrumptious Pie vape juice. The VAIO Mini delivered insanely delicious flavor, just like its name promised.

How the VAIO Mini Stacks Up

Well, we’ve come full circle (almost) in this review since it’s time to stack up to the VAIO Mini against its closest competitor, the Envii FITT. But, upon a closer look, I think the Aspire Breeze would also make an ideal contender for this type of AIO system.

And since the Envii FITT is a dedicated pod mod device, with no removable parts like the coil or the mouthpiece, there’s not much assembly or disassembly required, unlike with the Aspire Breeze that takes a little work to get started. But either way, I think the VAIO Mini has both of those systems beat for a lot of reasons.

First and foremost is the VAIO Mini’s increased battery capacity, which is much higher than both the Breeze and the FITT. This is a crucial and important distinction because a 1000mAh battery means a longer battery life, and therefore a longer vaping session.

While the FITT has both the VAIO Mini and Aspire Breeze beat regarding e-juice capacity with its 3.2ml capacity, there were often problems of the leaky kind with the pre-filled cartridges on the FITT that you don’t have on the VAIO Mini.

And where the VAIO Mini leaves the Aspire Breeze in the dust is in the separate fill port that keeps you from having to handle a drenched-in-e-juice atomizer tube like you had to do with the Aspire Breeze every time you wanted to fill the tank. So I think based on its power and ease-of-use, the VAIO Mini overpowers the competition.

What was Good

Design

I usually include “looks” alongside design, but to tell you the truth, I wasn’t so taken by how the VAIO Mini looked. The rubberized coating, while having an important role to play, did not do anything for me, aesthetically speaking.

But, sticking solely to design elements, the VAIO Mini had new and exciting features on it that made it stand out from the crowd like its side-fill tank and the somewhat discreet power button.

Easy to use

Points are almost always rewarded to any AIO device for being easy to use. And such is the case for the very easy to operate VAIO Mini, with its one-button operation and easily switchable coil heads.

Performance

The VAIO Mini is supposed to be just an MTL device, but it delivered satisfying hits of flavor in both an MTL-style and in a DTL-style.

Battery life

Like its brand-mate the VAIO GO, the VAIO Mini had a larger than usual battery capacity than most other similar devices, and it was a great move to give both of these devices a longer-lasting battery life.

What Was Not So Good

Looks

I’m getting as subjective as I can get by leveling this criticism at the VAIO Mini. While it was easy to use, performed superbly well and lasted well through one and a half days, the VAIO Mini could have benefited from some aesthetic uplifts.

The Last Call

VaporFi has been on a hot streak as of late. I think this is the third VaporFi device I’ve reviewed in less than three weeks, and all three left a lasting impression.

They’ve stayed in my mind – all three devices the V-Grip 75W TC box mod, the VAIO GO, and now the VAIO Mini – as examples of back-to-basics devices that vaped wonderfully well without distracting with unnecessary accouterments.

The VAIO Mini was the perfect distillation of all the best elements present on other devices – compactness, durability, long battery life – manufactured into one reliable, well-performing, and long-lasting device.