Wotofo Manik 80W Pod Mod Review

The landscape of the vape world has changed a lot over the last year or so, no longer are pen mods, stick mods, smaller lower wattage box mods the choice for newcomers, this year is all about Pod Mods!

We’ve seen offerings from all of the major manufacturers, Vaporesso, Smok, Voopoo, Aspire, and many others, but there is one company that hasn’t put their foot forward in this Pod Mod world, until now.

Enter Wotofo! The legends of sub-tanks, brilliant coils and RDA vaping, have released their new Pod Mod! The Wotofo Manik!

Read on below to see the Wotofo Manik in action!

Big thanks goes to Wotofo for sending this through for me to review!

Photos

First Impressions & Rundown

On opening the box, you can see the similarities of the Manik to previous Pod Mods released by other companies, the shape is similar, even the general layout of screen, buttons, charging port, but there’s one thing other companies don’t have. Wotofo style!

Just by picking the Manik up and feeling the quality of the device itself, screams Wotofo, as does it’s more agressive yet streamlined styling.
The finish on the Manik from the paintwork, right through to the rubberised leather grip, logo and stitching set the Manik apart from any of the other Pod Mods in the market.

A quick rundown, the Manik is an 80 Watt Pod Mod, with 4.5ml e-liquid capacity and takes a single 18650 battery. In usual Wotofo fashion, there are a bunch of coils to fit it, each pumping out fantastic flavour, for almost whatever wattage you like to vape at!

One of the best bits? If you don’t have any Wotofo coils on hand, the Manik is compatible with Voopoo PnP, and Vaporesso GTX coils too!

To say I was excited for this device is an understatement, and now that I’ve been using it combined with Wotofo’s flavour packed coils, I’m even more impressed than when I opened the box!

The Main Body

The body is manufactured from a light-weight zinc alloy with a really lovely finish, it looks like a smooth powdercoat, and is very durable, a few drops here and there, and I still haven’t taken a chip out of it. That smooth finish contours around the leather insert up to the POD section, nice flowing lines.

The POD drop in is recessed with two gold pins and perfectly fitted connector base, to limit any e-juice ingress, with two cyclops style air slots, one on either side.

On the front, a nice large rectangular fire button with rounded corners and a raised bottom edge, almost mimicking a toggle, helps you locate it in a flash. Two smaller similar buttons are provided lower for your up and down actions, with a micro USB below them. Between these button sets, is an large vibrant colour display showing you all of the information you need at a glance.

Underneath is a slide and flip battery door, which is super solid, making sure your 18650 stays securely in place.

The only real concern here, is the latch that holds the swing door shut is quite small, and I can see that it might wear over time. It’s been rock solid so far, so perhaps my concerns might not be so much of a worry.

The POD

The POD, really isn’t anything you haven’t seen before. Similar to Vaporesso’s Target PM80, it’s a 2 part pod with push in coil, top e-liquid fill port and a side clip to clip the POD into the main body.

It’s made from tinted PTCG shock-proof plastic, with the drip tip non removeable and built into the POD. I would have rather that this have a removeable drip tip, so that I could mix and match with the colours that I have on hand, I could also put a wider or whistle tip on if the option were there.

Wotofo have chosen to pop the fill port right up top next to the drip tip hidden behind a nicely sealed silicone plug, which is very easy to get to, it does obstruct the bottle a little when you’re filling up your POD though.

Putting the POD back onto the device can also be a little tricky, you have to angle it correctly and then push one side down until it clicks. Not unusual, I have seen plenty of devices that use this type of system. Pushing the pod down hard can be a little disconcerting for those who are used to magnet only PODs, but there is no need to worry, it was designed this way, and works really well. You’re definitely not going to flick this POD off in a hurry!

Coils

This is where Wotofo’s products shine. Their coils.

• D15 Clapton Mesh Coil 0.2Ω (pre-installed)
  The pre-installed D15 is killer, not only on your e-liquid use, but also your battery levels. It’s a single clapton mesh coil, if you look closely, you’ll notice a bunch of small clapton coils making up each row in the mesh. It’ll take a toll on your battery, as well as your e-liquid consumption, but it is worth it because this just pumps out the flavour!
  Good for up to 55 Watts, but best between 43-55 Watts.
  
• D14 A1 Conical Mesh Coil 0.2Ω
  The D14 coil is conical, meaning larger opening at the bottom, and smaller at the top, in order to push a more dense flavour through it.
  I’ve been using this one the most, excellent flavour, and great battery life! For use up to about 55 Watts, and best at around 35-40 Watts I’ve found.

Wotofo were also kind enough to send me another 2 types of coils to try out!

• D11 – Single Net Mesh Coil 0.2Ω woven net finished core
  This coil is best suited those wanting extra flavour from their coils, it provides a slightly sharper less dull flavour, and is good for up to 55 Watts, and best between 45-55 Watts.
  
• D13 – A1 Nexmesh Coil 0.2Ω nexmesh steel mesh
  The D13 is a nexMesh coil and really pumps those clouds out using a lower wattage range. These coils are good for up to 50 Watts, best wattage is between 37-43 Watts.
  
  

Airflow

This is one thing that I don’t so much like about the Manik, while it has excellent airflow out of the box, there is no way to adjust it. The airflow is perfect for me, providing ample dense flavour with just the right amount of air, but not everyone will like it like that.

This was a bit of a missed opportunity by Wotofo, a nice sliding airflow could have been implemented here, and just that one thing, would have put this above every other Pod Mod without it.

Not the end of the world, like I said the airflow is just right for me the way it is, but some may want to adjust it.

Battery

Wotofo don’t muck around, and they haven’t here. No internal battery, just a straight up replaceable 18650 bay. I know a lot of vapers prefer external batteries, and Wotofo have done right by them with this slide and flip battery bay. It sits securely in place, opens and closes with minimal effort, and does not swing open by mistake, as many do.

You also have an optional Micro USB charge port on the front to charge your battery in the device if you should want to in an emergency. I’d complain about it being Micro USB and not USB Type-C fast charging, but 18650 batteries should be charged outside of the device anyway.

For those who are a little risky, and do charge their batteries in the device, the Manik also has pass-through charging, so you can vape while charging your device. (in an emergency of course ;D )

Filling

The Manik sports a fill port right at the top of the POD, next to the drip tip. It’s a bit of an awkward place to put it, and filling can be tricky until you get used to it, (the drip tip gets in the way) it can be done.

This is another reason that I would have liked a removeable drip tip on the Manik, you could simply remove it, and filling would be super simple.

This is a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but can be annoying.

Any Leaks?

No leaks for as long as I’ve been using mine, and I’ve tried every type of coil that Wotofo have thrown at me. I have noticed the smallest bit of condensation below the POD but that is about it.

Usage

Using the Manik is super easy too, there’s not a lot going on. It features a large display on the front, where you can change colours of the display, as well as several other button combinations to achieve various configurations. One thing that I dig about the Manik is that you can lock your wattage. No accidental wattage adjustments while it’s in your pocket, your wattage will be the same as when you first set it!

• Turn off/on: x5 clicks of the fire button
• Lock from firing: x3 clicks of the fire button
• Lock the Wattage: Press the up/down buttons simultaneously
• Change Colours: Press the fire and up buttons simultaneously
• Reset Puff Counter: Press the fire and down buttons simultaneously
  

Pros:

• Removeable 18650
• Great design & styling
• Feels great in the hand
• Excellent coils and fantastic flavour
• Durable finish
• Excellent large display
  

Cons:

• No USB Type-C
• Fill port can be awkward to fill
• Non-removeable drip tip
• No airflow control
• Can be a bit hard to see juice-level
  

Where to Buy:

As always, you can purchase the Wotofo Manik Pod Mod directly through their Wotofo Online Store. It’s listed on there for $39.95 USD at the moment, which is a steal, I’m guessing Aussie vendors will be pricing it between the $45 – $60 AUD range once it makes it over here.

Conclusion

It might not look like much, but Wotofo’s first Pod Mod really is an excellent and solid device. They’ve taken the top features from previously released devices in the market, and moulded them into their own offering, wrapped in Wotofo’s unique styling and top quality finishes.

A rock solid device combined with Wotofo’s excellent coil offerings is a no-brainer, you’re going to get a fantastic vape. This is aimed at a specific user base however. With no way to adjust airflow, the Manik is built for those who like lightly restricted direct lung inhales around the 40-60 Watt range on a single 18650 battery.

There are a few small annoyances, but you get that with every device, my largest issues are around filling, being that the PODs are quite darkly tinted, and filling can be a little cumbersome due to the fixed drip tip. A lighter tinted POD and a removeable drip tip would tip the scales to make this virtually perfect in every regard.

Despite the slightly awkward filling, you’re going to have a blast with this one, I’ve been gleefully using it as my daily for the last few weeks, and it has been nothing but a pleasure to use. Wotofo’s quality and design in streamlining the shape and finish on the Manik is so far second to none from all the Pod Mods that I’ve tried, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a top notch quality POD Mod.

Excellent work Wotofo!

Shane Presser

Shane Presser has been vaping since 2013, and has extensive experience with advanced equipment, coil builds and DIY mixing. He is the man behind VapersGarage, and also more recently Aussie Vape Stores, a resource to help vapers find their nearest Vape Shops, and eLiquid Vendors.