3_5stars

Artery Pal Mini Review

Vape pods are really popular these days, and for good reason. They’re cheap, compact and easy to use, but they all come with a significant drawback – battery life. So if you’re looking for a small mouth-to-lung device with a significantly longer battery life, the Artery Pal Mini all-in-one (AIO) box mod is definitely worth checking out.

A Look at the Contents

The Artery Pal Mini comes in a small, white cardboard box, with a large cutout on the front offering a clear view of the device inside, and a list of warnings as well as an authenticity QR code on the back. For some reason, Artery didn’t think it important to add a list of kit contents anywhere on the box, which I consider to be a small con, as there is no way to tell what you’re getting when you purchase this kit.

Inside the box, we have the Artery Pal Mini AIO placed in a small Styrofoam holder, and underneath that is the accessories compartment. The kit comes with a micro-USB cable for charging, two coils/pods, a user manual and a bunch of cards you probably don’t care about.

Design and Build Quality

If you’re familiar with the Artery brand, you probably already know that they specialize in tiny, compact devices, and the Pal Mini AIO is another example of that, While not as slick as the JUUL or the Vladdin RE, this little guy is comparable in size with vape pods like the Smoant S8 or the Wismec Motiv 2. It measures 71mm x 38mm x 14.5mm, so it’s a bit thicker than most vape pods, but definitely comparable in length and width. It’s also extremely light, thanks to an Aluminum 6063 body, but has more than double or even triple the battery life of vape pods – 1,100mAh capacity.

Like most other Artery devices, the Pal Mini has a classic box mod design with integrated AIO elements. At the top of the device, it features a removable plastic mouthpiece that has to be unscrewed to access the coil/pod slot. On one of the larger sides of the device we have a round, almost completely flush metallic fire button, as well as the Artery logo, and on the other we have the Pal Mini logo.

On the narrower side of the Artery Pal Mini, right under that plastic mouthpiece, we have a large cutout which allows the user to keep an eye on the e-liquid left inside the pod to avoid getting dry hits, and underneath that is a smaller cutout which acts as an airflow slot. The air comes in through that little hole and goes into the bottom of the coil. On the opposite side is a micro-USB port that can only be used for charging, and a small LED indicator that lights up when the fire button is pressed.

I personally like the look and feel of the Artery Pal Mini very much. It looks like a box mod, but at the same time it’s really compact and light, so it feels great in the hand. The paint job is flawless – I checked – and the aluminum body seems very solid. All in all, this feels a really well made, sturdy device.

How It Works

The Artery Pal Mini doesn’t come with a pre-installed coil/pod, so you have to install one yourself in order to use it. The kit comes with a 1.0Ω standard horizontal coil/pod, and a 1.6Ω ceramic coil/pod. They both look the same, but have their resistance listed on the metallic coil shell, so be sure to check that if you want to use a particular one.

Apart from the different resistance ratings, these two types of coils are very similar in my opinion, they have about the same draw restrictiveness, and the overall vaping experience isn’t all that different. The ceramic coil is theoretically supposed to give you better flavor, but I personally didn’t find the standard horizontal coil to be inferior in that regard. The ceramic material should also last longer than the cotton wicking of the standard coil, but I’ve been using the standard one for about two weeks now with a dark tobacco juice and the flavor is still pretty good.

To install one of the coils/pods, take it out of the tiny zip bag that it comes in, pull out the metallic part that houses the coil, and turn the plastic pod upside down, so that the plastic tube on the inside faces upward. That plastic tube connects to a hole in the coil shell at one end, and the removable plastic mouthpiece at the other. It’s essentially a shaft through which the vapor travels from the coil to your mouth, so you definitely don’t want any juice in there.

When filling the pod, make sure you don’t go over that center shaft, or the juice will leak through the bottom end, and whatever droplets are left in that shaft will be sucked into your mouth when you take your first draw. Once you’re done, plug the metallic coil back on, flip the pod so that the metallic part is facing down and insert it into its slot on the Artery Pal Mini after unscrewing the plastic mouthpiece. Then put the mouthpiece back on and give the juice a few minutes to saturate the wicking, to avoid getting a dry hit.

Unlike most pod systems, the Artery Mini has to be activated manually, by pressing the metallic fire button on the side of the device every time you want to vape. This button also acts as an on/off switch, by pressing it five times in rapid succession. Draw activated switches can malfunction, so I personally prefer having a manual activation switch, but it’s definitely a matter of personal preference.

Battery Life and Performance

Rated at 1,100mAh, the built-in battery of the Artery Pal Mini is a lot better than that of virtually all vape pods on the market today, but slightly inferior in capacity to other all-in-one type vaping devices, like the Joyetech AIO, for example.

I’m not a big fan pf mouth to lung vaping – although it is starting to grow on me again after reviewing so many MTL device lately – so it was a bit hard for me to test the battery life of this device, because I always found myself using my advanced setups whenever I felt the need for a mouthful of dense, warm vapor. I couldn’t use the Pal Miny exclusively for a whole day, but I imagine that most of the users it is aimed at – beginners and casual vapers – could get a full day of vaping on a single charge.

The Artery Pal Mini has a consistent power output of 3.2V, so battery life will depend greatly on how much you are using it during the day. Still, this thing is going to last you at least double what the highest-rated vape pod would, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind when deciding whether it’s worth your money.

In terms of performance, I’ve had no major technical issue withe Pal Mini. The fire button is very responsive, both coils worked well also, and I have yet to experience and leaking or spit-back. That said, I can’t say that I was completely satisfied with the vaping experience.

My biggest gripe with this device is the positioning of the airflow slot on one of the narrow sides of the device. The problem arises when you grip the device and accidentally cover this slot with one of your fingers. It completely blocks off the airflow so you can’t draw until you remove the finger. I don’t know the internal layout of the Pal Mini, but I wished they had positioned this slot on the bottom, where your hand couldn’t interfere with the airflow.

Then there is the fact that the draw isn’t as restrictive as to emulate drawing on an analog cigarette, which is what most beginners and fans of MTL vaping are looking for. It’s definitely not as loose as on a lung-inhale setup, but I feel that a bit more restrictiveness would have been much better. This is a subjective opinion, so I won’t be listing it as a con.

Finally, the fill method doesn’t really make the Artery Pal Mini the best type of device to use on the go. You have to first unscrew the plastic mouthpiece, then pop out the coil/pod, remove the metallic part, fill it up while making sure not to overdo it, then put everything back together. It’s easy to do in the comfort of your own home, but it can be a chore when you’re out and about.

The flavor is a lot better on the Artery Pal Mini than on any of the pods I have tried, but this was to be expected since we’re talking about an AIO type of device.

Conclusion

Having already reviewed the Artery Nugget X, I had pretty high expectations from the Pal Mini. They were met, in part, but there are a few things that the company could have done better. I like the look and build quality of this all-in-one vape, performance is decent as well, but the filling method is cumbersome for a device aimed at beginners and casual vapers interested in convenience. The placement of the airflow slot is awkward as well because it can be completely blocked when you grip the device.

In conclusion, the Artery Pal Mini is not a bad vaping device, it works as intended, but it could have been even better if the manufacturer put a bit more thought into the design.