Honest review time: The Fetch Mini Kit from SMOK

Smok recently released a new pod system which has been grabbing some attention lately. It’s a real eye-catcher of a kit called the Fetch Mini which I picked up from Vapesourcing.com an online vape retailer out of China that’s comparable to HG or FT. I’ve got to say it’s not your typical pod system but for a Smok product I got to admit I’ve been enjoying it quite a bit. Here are my honest thoughts on The Fetch Mini Kit from Smok.

Package contents:

1 xFetch Mini Device
1 xFetch Mini RPM Pod (3.7ml)
1 xFetch Mini Nord Pod (3.7ml)
1 xRPM Mesh Coil 0.4ohm
1 xNord Redular DC 0.6ohm Coil
1 xMicro USB cable
1 xUser manual

Listed features and specs:

Dimensions:76 x 42.8 x 18.4mm
Weight:105g
Standby current:<140uA
Eliquid capacity:3.7ml
Input voltage:3.3-4.2V
Battery capacity:1200mAh
Output voltage: 0.5-4.1V
Output wattage:5-40W
Charging voltage:5V
Charging current:1.2A
Charger output:5V/2A
Resistance range:0.3-2.5Ohm
Overcharge voltage:4.3V
Overdischarge voltage:2.4V
Firing time:0.001S
Colours:Black, Green, Orange, Blue, Dark Brown

Packaging and contents:

The kit comes packed in a fairly big white cardboard box with an image of the kit on the front and a good bit of information about the kit and the company on the back. In the box you get the Fetch Mini device with a pod already installed, a spare pod, a 0.4ohm RPM mesh coil, a 0.6ohm regular DC Nord coil, a micro USB cable, a user manual and a warranty card. It’s not super common to get two pods in a kit which is always nice but there is a reason for it which I’ll explain below.

The mod:

The mod has got to be one of the nicest looking pod systems I’ve ever had come my way with both sides of the device being finished with a glossy 2.5D glass panel it has the look and feel of a premium consumer device like the iPhone. The rounded edge glass is etched on either side with the name ‘Fetch’ and ‘Designed by Smok’ just below it using a combination of UV transfer, AG and AF coatings for a really standout yet practical finish. Normally I’m not a fan of big branding but on the Fetch it looks clean and appropriate. Also the glass is rated as 7H for hardness so it should hold up to scratches and cracks quite well but they also have a 30 day warranty on the glass itself so if it breaks in the first 30 days Smok will replace it. It also looks like they’ll be releasing an acrylic version so if you’re accident prone they should have you covered. At the top it comes equipped with a pod already installed. The pods each hold 3.7ml of liquid and like most pods out there are made with a dark smoked plastic. It makes seeing the remaining liquid a challenge but if you hold it up to the light it’s not such a big deal. They also have built-in drip tips so you don’t need to provide your own but they also aren’t user replaceable. Inside where the pod sits there’s a QR code which leads to SMOKs website in case you were curious.

On the working face of the device there is a rounded square fire button, a 0.96″ colour screen, a rocker style adjustment button and a micro USB port for charging. The fire button is nice and clicky with absolutely zero rattle and is easy enough to find and fire with either the thumb or index however I noticed depending on how I grip the device I pretty much always end up covering the side airflow vent and sometimes squeezing it the wrong way can slightly lift the pod. The airflow being blocked isn’t a huge deal since it has another hole at the top but that lifting of the pod might be why I would randomly encounter the resistance jumping around and reading anywhere from 1.2ohms to 0.37oms with the 0.4ohm coil. It always seemed to fire ok but dodgy resistance reading can lead to inconsistent hits. It also seemed to go away after a couple of days of use and reads pretty much dead on each time I attach a different pod now for some odd reason. The bright and somewhat colourful 0.96″ screen is easy to read and navigate with all of the usual information well laid out. The rocker style adjustment buttons are also nice and clicky without any rattle and the micro USB port at the bottom which charges at a rate of 5V/1.2A lets you top up the 1200mAh internal battery usually in less than an hour. The battery tends to get me through my work day but depending on the wattage I’m running at I’ll sometimes need a quick top up to make it through the whole day. On the very bottom there’s a tiny bit of Smok branding and some little vent holes should anything go amiss with the battery but as usual it has a bunch of safety features built-in just in case.

The Pods and Coils:

The kit as mentioned comes with two different pods but the pods aren’t identical, instead each pod is made to support a different coil type with one made for the RPM coils and the other for Nord coils. Both pods hold 3.7ml of liquid and can be filled up via a small silicone plug located on the bottom of the pod. The silicone plugs are also labelled to indicate which pod is for which coil but considering the size difference in the coils it should be pretty easy to distinguish the two. I find the fill ports to be a bit on the small side so top ups can get a bit messy if it happens to burp on you or you’re at all impatient with it. Seeing as both the RPM and Nord coils are plug and play style the pods too are also plug and play meaning to install or replace a coil you just pull the old out out of the bottom of the pod and slide in a new one. It makes coil swaps really convenient but you do need to empty the tank a bit before swapping coils or you’ll end up with a mess. One other thing to mention about these pods is there isn’t any way to control the airflow short of covering one of the airflow vents which you tend to do by accident anyway and since the pods have dual airflow inlets most of the airflow restriction will come down to the coil type you are using. With both of the included coils being subohm this kit out of the box is mainly going to be for direct lung vapers who like just a little bit of restriction on their airflow unless you pick up some MTL Nord or RPM coils which should offer a bit more restriction and potentially a bit more battery life.

The two coils it comes with are quite different with one being a 0.4ohm RPM Mesh coil and the other a 0.6ohm Nord DC(Dual Coil) Coil. It’s my first time using one of their RPM Mesh coils and so far I have to say I’ve been pretty content with it. The flavour is fantastic and of course the volume of clouds is about what I’d expect from a mesh coil of it’s size. The suggested wattage for the coil is 25W which gives a nice vape albeit a bit on the cool side. It seems to handle 30W just fine though if you like it a bit warmer.

The other coil in the kit is a 0.6ohm Nord DC Coil which has a recommended wattage of 20W. The Nord coils at this point are fairly well known and for a non-mesh coil it performs nearly as well as the RPM coil. Flavour is good but not quite as defined as with the mesh coil and the clouds are respectable at 20W. It has a slightly tighter draw but again with no airflow control it’s still basically a slightly restricted DL draw. I mean if you had to use one of them as an MTL coil it would be this one but it’s a very very loose MTL hit. As for longevity with the coils they’ve been pretty average for me typically lasting about a week depending on the juice I’m using and how much I’m vaping but results will vary depending on your own personal habits, liquids used and even QC on individual coils.

Usage and Performance:

Using the Fetch is a breeze, from swapping coils, to topping up the tank, it really couldn’t get much easier. Even the user interface is simple and easy to navigate with the usual five clicks to turn it on and off, three clicks to lock the device, Up+Fire clears the puff count while Down+Fire cycles through the on screen colour options. Changing the screen colour only really changes the icons on the screen and nothing else with the rest of the text remaining white. It only supports a basic variable wattage mode which for me is all I really need but it also makes for a really easy to pickup starter device for folks who are just getting in to it.

Overall:

Based solely on appearance I’d say the Fetch Mini definitely stands out in crowd and though it has a few interesting quirks, overall I found it a pretty solid little device. I haven’t run in to any issues with leaking or even condensation build up as both of the airflow vents are on the outside. Despite the fancy coatings it’s still a bit of a fingerprint magnet but with a quick wipe it’s one of the sharpest looking devices I now own. I’d say this one would be good for a lot of direct lung vapers looking for an attractive and convenient little pod device for out and about but with the right coils it might also work for the MTL vapers out there too.

How it adds up
CompactBuild qualityAestheticsComes with two podsSupports two kinds of coils1200mAh batteryEase of useGlass finish feels great in hand
Proprietary drip tipResistance sometimes bouncesGripping device can cover airflow/lift podFingerprint magnet
8.5Overall
Presentation9
Build Quality8
Performance8.5