Wotofo SMRT Pod Kit Review

Wotofo, I love them, they’re always putting their own spin on the latest trends, and combined with their known quality, and style, this puts them right up there as one of today’s most innovative vape companies.

They came out with one of their very first Pod Mods a little while back, called the Manik, which took an external 18650 battery, and maxxed out at 80 Watts, this time around they’ve toned things down a little with their “Manik S” Pod with an internal battery. But that’s not all. Being innovative and all of that, they’ve released their new SMRT Coils. Yep that’s right, you can now build your very own PnP/GTX coils with their new system!

Read on below to see the Wotofo SMRT Pod Kit in action!

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

Photos

First Impressions & Rundown

You won’t find much mention of the “Manik S” by itself anywhere, because this has been marketed as the “SMRT Pod Kit”, but that is what this version of Wotofo’s Manik is called. It’s a slimmed down version of their original Manik, that topped out at 80 Watts, with an external battery, and took their new PnP coils that are not only compatible with Voopoo’s PnP Coils, but also Vaporesso’s GTX range.

To put it short, the “Manik S”, is the internal battery version of the original “Manik”. It does have some physical differences, but essentially, it’s a bit of a lighter version of the original.

Even thought it’s a slimmed down version, The Manik S is no slouch even compared to the original. With a 2000mah battery, maximum output of 80 Watts, 4.5ml E-liquid Capacity, 0.96” TFT Screen and USB Type C charging port for faster charging, and using Wotofo’s nexChip technology, it holds it’s own as a Pod Mod in it’s own right.

The Main Body

The main body of the Manik S is made from a lightweight Aluminium Alloy, and comes in at roughly 29.2 x 23 x 90mm. That’s pretty small for something that pumps out 80 Watts of power with a 2000mah internal battery installed. The body shape is slightly different from the original Manik, it’s shorter, with the leather/rubber heel no longer there, and a flatter top to the Pod recess. It’s kind of like they’ve taken all of the really nice stuff off of the Manik and left us with this very generic looking device instead. It is supposed to be a ‘lite’ version of the original, so I won’t hold that against them just yet 😉

Up top of course is the Pod recess, you’ll find the usual gold plated connectors and magnets in there. You’ll also notice that the Pod recess, is where you’ll see the airflow holes. There are 14 small holes on either side of the device, that allow air in and under the coil. I like that they’ve done this with smaller holes instead of one large cyclops style hole, it breaks the air up a little and helps create a denser vape.

Below that on one side, is some very large branding, in my case it is a white “Manik” on the black background. It’s a little in your face, but I don’t mind it, it’s a branding and a statement in one I guess. Let’s leave that stuff to the marketing guys!

On the other side of the device is front control panel, where there is one large fire button, a nice sized colour screen underneath it, and two adjustment buttons for changing your wattage.

The screen is really nice, and is almost exactly the same screen that came with the original Manik. Nice large bold text, with everything really easy to read.

Last but not least, is the USB Type C Charge port on the bottom of the device. I don’t really like it being on the bottom, but it’s not a real deal killer. I just prefer to have my devices standing upright while charging.

The POD

The Pod is a little different than the original too. Still made from PCTG plastic, it’s now tinted all the way through, instead of having a black top cap with tinting over the rest. Filling happens on the side also, instead of being a top fill like the original. The fixed drip tip is still here, and coils are still pushed in from the bottom.

Other than those few things, it’s your typical Pod, that happens to hold 4.5mls of e-liquid!

Standard Coils

The SMRT Pod Kit was designed to show off Wotofo’s SMRT coils, (coils that you can build yourself), but Wotofo have also been kind and included one of their premade PnP coils for you to use. Their D15 clapton mesh coil.
We’ve seen this before, and my last experience with it was really very good.

• 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.
  
  

SMRT Coil Kit

Having a pre-made coil in the kit is great and all, specially if you can’t be bothered building a coil yet, but this really is the star of the show, and what Wotofo really want you to check out, their SMRT Coils!

Many of you will remember re-using, recoiling, re-wicking older Kanger styled coils, simply because, well….. it was cheaper, and you could. Now all of you tinkerers can rejoice because you can build your own PnP coils. Yep that’s right PnP compatible coils, which are also compatible with Vaporesso GTX coils. Tired of repurchasing more and more Voopoo PnP coils? Going through GTX coils like there’s no tomorrow? No problems, Wotofo have come to the rescue and for a fraction of the cost, you can build your own. The SMRT Coil kit is also available through Wotofo separately if you prefer to just get stuck into the coils and don’t want the Manik S Pod Mod.

In the kit you’ll get enough wick, and mesh coil pieces to make up to 6 rebuilds, as well as a few extra sets of the required rubber grommets, and gold pins, and all of that comes at a tiny cost compared to if you had to purchase 5-6 premade coils in a pack. Hopefully these mesh coils, and wicking sheets start to become available in larger quantities soon, that will also save you some extra dollerydoos.

How to build a SMRT Coil

Wotofo are kind enough to provide pretty good instructions in the box, for how to build a coil, but for your convenience, I’ve also provided a few of my own images and embedded a video above that shows you how it’s done.

I’ve done a few rebuilds and they’ve gone pretty well. While the process might seem a little daunting at first, once you’ve gotten stuck into it, it really is quite easy. It’s really hard to screw it up, and the resulting coil you build is absolutely professional using Wotofo’s system. Not to mention, stacks up to any pre-made coil I’ve ever tried as far as wicking and flavour is concerned!

Airflow

As I mentioned earlier, the airflow comes in through the side of the device through 14 small holes on each side, and then up under the Pod and through the center of the coil. I like having the smaller coils instead of one large cyclops style airflow hole, I think it provides a little bit of restriction and makes the vape a little denser. Just the way I like it.

There is no adjustable airflow here out of the box, but you could always block some holes with tape if you need to.
I really would have loved to have seen some type of adjustable airflow here.

Battery

The 2000mah built in battery does indeed do a great job of getting power to the coil. There’s no real issues there and you can go nuts with the wattage if you so desire.
It’s not an ultra large battery for a higher powered device however, so you might may find your battery getting low toward the end of the day, and need to recharge.

I’ve found that this battery doesn’t seem to charge all to quickly either, be prepared to wait a little while for this to charge back up to 100%. The Manik S does have passthough (can vape while charging) charging though, so at least you’re not without a vape!

Filling

Super simple to fill the pod for the Manik S, you just pop the pod out, hold it on the side, unplug the silicone plug, and fill away. It’s quite easy to fill this 100% full, and unlike the original Manik, the drip tip doesn’t get in the way!

Any Leaks?

Unfortunately I have had a little leaking from both the premade PnP coil, and the SMRT coils. It’s nothing that isn’t manageable, and it’s not any more serious than the same type of leak or seepage you’ll get from a Voopoo PnP coil or a Vaporesso GTX Coil. I suppose these types of coils are just prone to over wicking and seeping out of the bottom.

Usage

The Manik S has very much the same operation as the original. It has the same button combinations and everything, due to it being managed by the nexChip.

• 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:

• Nice form factor
• Quality build
• Great flavour
• Fantastic vape
• 2000mah battery
• Rebuildable coils!
• Excellent screen and operation

Cons:

• No adjustable airflow
• A little seepage
  

Where to Buy:

As always, you can purchase the Wotofo SMRT Pod Kit 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

Wotofo have knocked it out of the park again! This little Pod mod is not only a nice little pocketable device, but it’s got power like the big boys, and can deliver quite a hot dense vape.

It’s not extravagant in it’s features, and doesn’t go overboard where it doesn’t need to, everything is built with purpose and with operation and use in mind.

Your 2000mah battery will get you through most of the day, with the 4.5ml Pod giving you plenty of e-liquid to devour at that 50 Watt average power band.

What I’ve enjoyed the most from this kit are the rebuildable coils. The SMRT Coil system works, and it works really well, making it really simple to put together a professionally build coil, without needing any machinery, or special skills. Wotofo have made this as simple as they could to build, and their research and development shows through in the final product.

The very fact that Wotofo have made this rebuildable SMRT coil, PnP compatible is absolutely awesome, considering that PnP are probably one of the most used as far as coil standards is concerned.

Time to stock up on coils and cotton strips!

Great 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.