4stars

Smoant Pasito 2 Review

The Smoant Pasito was one of last year’s most talked about vaping devices, and it remains one of the most popular pod mods on the market, so it made sense for the Chinese manufacturer to capitalize on this popularity by coming out with a second version. The Pasito 2 retains some of the features of the original pod mod, but has a bigger, bulkier frame, mostly because of the significantly larger battery. Let’s see how the Smoant Pasito 2 compares to the original:

Packaging and Presentation

The Pasito version 2 comes in a rectangular cardboard box with a plasticized picture of the device on the front, and a list of contents, and manufacturer contact information on the back.

Inside the packaging we have Smoant’s latest pod mod in a Styrofoam holder and at the bottom of the box we have all the included accessories: a USB Type-C cable for charging and software upgrades, a spare coil-head, user manual and some other reading material that I mostly ignored.

Design and Build Quality

If you’ve ever owned a Smoant Pasito, the first thing you’re going to notice about this second rendition is how bulky and heavy it is compared to the original. It still retains that elegant minimalist design that everyone loved so much, but it’s a much “fatter” and heavier pod mod, and that may be a con for some people.

The Pasito 2 pod mod measure 117mm x 38mm x 27mm, which is considerably taller and thicker than its predecessor. It is primarily made of stainless steel and can come with four different decorative panels, two leatherette options and two carbon fiber imitation stickers. In terms of paint, you have just two options – black or gunmetal.

Starting at the top, we have a removable 510 drip tip connected to one of the largest refillable pods I have ever seen on a pod mod, with a capacity of up to 6ml of e-liquid. The new pods have the same top airflow slider we saw on the original Smoant Pasito. The slider is connected to a channel that goes down parallel to the e-liquid reservoir all the way to the bottom of the coil-head.

The fill port is located on the side of the pod and is closed up with a rubber plug. The fill hole is large enough to fit most juice bottles or droppers, but its positioning means you have to remove the pod from the mod in order to refill it. The pod attach to the Pasito 2 battery section via two pairs of powerful magnets that hold it firmly in place.

Like the original Pasito, this second version works with plug-and-play coil-heads that you just have to push into the pod through the bottom. These are not the same type of coil-heads as before, though, so there is no cross-compatibility between the two UNLESS you spend a little extra on an adapter that lets you use original Pasito coil-heads. And you just might want to do that, especially if you want an MTL option.

The Smoant Pasito 2 kit includes an 0.3Ω mesh coil-head, and an 0.6Ω mesh coil-head, both suitable for direct lung vaping, so if you were hoping for MTL, you’ll just have to wait for such an option to be released, or spend a little extra on that adapter I mentioned above.

Just in case you ever evolve past the pod mod segment and want to give 510 atomizers a try as well, Smoant also offers a 510 adapter that connects to the Pasito 2 in the same way as a pod and essentially turns it into an 80W compact vape mod. Unfortunately, this adapter is sold separately, so you’ll have to pay extra for it, but I think it’s definitely worth the investment.

The Pasito 2 pod mod feels very robust in the hand. There is no button rattle whatsoever, everything feels solid, and the integrated 2,500mAh battery gives it some extra weight that some users tend to assimilate with quality. The paint job has held up great for the past 2 weeks, as have the carbon-fiber stickers on the side panels, but there is no way to tell how they will hold up in the long term.

While the original Smoant Pasito did not feature a display, this new version has a built in color display. It’s better than nothing, I know, but at the same time I think it could be a bit larger – there is definitely enough real-estate available – and brighter. It’s easy to use indoors, but in strong sunlight, it can be a little hard to see. The fire button has a nice indentation to fit the thumb, and the + and – toggle at the bottom is firm and clicky.

On the bottom of the device we have some venting holes, in case the built-in battery overheats, as well as the Type-C charging port, which I personally would have liked to see on the front panel, just like on the original Pasito. Having the charge port on the bottom means you always have to set the device on the side, which increases the risk of leaking.

Smoant Pasito 2 Menu and Navigation

The first Pasito was one of the most innovative pod mods of its time, but things tend to move very fast in this industry, and the difference between the Smoant’s original pod mod and the second version are proof of that. While the Pasito didn’t even have a display, let alone a feature menu, the Pasito 2 has a color display and a full-blown menu system.

To turn on the Pasito 2, simply press the fire button five times in rapid succession. The home screen is a bit busy for its size, but you’ll get used to it after a while. To change the wattage or temperature (depending what mode you are in) just use the + and – toggle, but if you want to change the vape mode, you have to go into the menu. To do that, just press the fire button in rapid succession.

The menu is rather simplistic, which is to be expected for this kind of vaping device, but you do have an impressive number of vape modes available, from the classic variable wattage mode, and temperature control for three supported materials (titanium, nickel and stainless steel), to TCR, DVW (custom curve) and Bypass modes. That’s quite impressive, considering many advanced vape mods don’t have all of these.

You can also select the color scheme of the display, by selecting one of five available color options at the bottom of the menu. Once you’re done, just long press the fire button to confirm your choice.

In DVW, once you’ve selected the mode from the menu, go back out and keep the – button and the fire button pressed to change the power output for every one of the five increments, and the + and the fire button to change the duration of each interval. It takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, the mod works great.

In temperature control mode, to change the initial wattage output, simply keep the fire button and the + button pressed for a couple of seconds and a wattage counter will show up on screen.

The Pasito 2 has so much more than I could have ever asked out of a pod mod, in terms of vape modes, but if there was anything to complain about, it would have to be the scrolling speed in both wattage mode and temperature control. It goes up and down in 0.1 increments and it is stupidly slow, but at least it round-robins so it’s not a deal-breaker. Hopefully Smoant solves this with an update in the near future.

Smoant Pasito 2 Battery Life

One of the biggest improvements Smoant has made on the Pasito 2 is the battery capacity. The original Pasito featured a decent 1.100mAh battery, but the newest version has a whopping 2,500mAh battery that puts the first one to shame in terms of battery life. Granted, the Pasito 2 is taller, bulkier and heavier than its predecessor, so it’s a matter of compromise and what matter more to the user.

Another important aspect is the integration of USB Type-C, which we’ve seen used on the Knight80 pod mod and the original Pasito as well. The charge rate is advertised as 2A, and from my experience, the mod will recharge back to full in just under two hours when the battery is (technically) completely depleted.

How Does the Smoant Pasito 2 Vape?

Just like the original Pasito, the version 2 is mainly designed for direct lung (DL) vaping. The 0.3Ω mesh coil-head offers an airier DL vape, while the 0.6Ω mesh coil-head delivers a more restrictive draw, because of its smaller inner diameter. They both provide great flavor and vapor production, so I guess it all comes down to whether you prefer an airier or a more restricted lung hit.

According to the Smoant website, there is already an RBA available, but just like the Pasito coil-head base and the 510 adapter, you will have to spend extra to have it. If it’s anything like the original Pasito RBA, I think a lot of coil builders will buy it.

Conclusion

I you ask me, the Smoant Pasito 2 is a successor of the original Pasito only in name, as it has a lot more in common with the newer Knight80 pod mod. It uses the same style of coil-heads, they are comparable in terms of features and vape modes, and they are both bulky for this category of vaping devices. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact the second version is a lot better in certain aspects, like battery life or number of vaping modes, it’s just something worth pointing out for fans of the original Pasito.