As of late, KangerTech has been putting all their focus on their widely popular Subtank line, and now with new vapers searching for a quicker way of getting started, KangerTech has decided to release the SUBOX Mini starter kit. This starter kit gained massive attention when pictures began surfacing on the internet— mainly due to it’s white and black color options, as well as a significant update to it’s OCC and RBA coil builds. But does the Subox Mini live up to the hype, and more importantly, is it worth your vaping buying dollars? let’s find out!
Build & Design
KBOX Mini
The design of the KBOX is rather basic, and resembles that of other mods currently on the market. As for the build, the KBOX Mini’s casing is comprised of a zinc alloy, and it offers two color options for the user to choose from—white/black and black/red—in our review we tested the white/black model. The paint job on the device we received was well-done, but we did notice this particular mod does scratch rather easily, maybe the black would be a better option in regard to durability. The feel in the hand is solid and it is comfortable to hold even for an extended period of time.
The device features three buttons—a power/fire button and up/down arrows—they do feel slightly cheap, but even with this, we didn’t have any issues with them sticking or anything to that nature.
The KBOX mini features a slot for an standard 18650 battery, which does not come included in the packaging. The mod does have a USB port on the bottom of the device, which eliminates the need for an external charger. As for the battery door, it is easily removable due to it being magnetic, and it is simply a pleasure to use.
In our testing, we used a Samsung 2200mAh, which did get us about a day with moderate usage— 5 to 7 vapes per hour.
Subtank Mini
The build and design is exactly like that of the individually sold retail version, which is currently available—you can check out our review of that particular device here —but there are a few cosmetic differences.
Firstly, the device has been completely painted with either white or black paint— but the particular model we received did come with a slight over-spray by the 510 threading. This paint job also slightly interferes with the adjustable air-flow, causing it to be more difficult to turn and set.
The internal components are also painted—we’re not sure how we feel about this, painted components constantly exposed to heat and liquid does not seem like a great idea. Although, we haven’t experienced any issues thus far.
Features
KBOX Mini
The software features on the KBOX Mini is quite limited, but it does have the essentials— such as voltage/wattage readout, battery level, and resistance level. There is no second counter or option to directly change the voltage. But they did add the ability to switch the orientation—this can be done by holding the up and down arrows for three seconds. Another minor drawback of this mod, the voltage can only be read when the device is being fired—which we found rather pointless.
Subtank Mini
The Subtank Mini features a two-sided adjustable air-flow with three options— a small air-hole, a large air-hole, and wide open. This new air-flow can be found on the regular stainless version as well, and it provides a decent air-output but it could be better.
The drip tip has been replaced with a plastic version; but they did include both a white and black model in the box—but we still much rather a stainless steel drip tip. And just like the standard Subtank Mini, the drip tip is easily interchangeable with any aftermarket drip tip currently available.
Redesigned OCC Coils and RBA
OCC Coils
We always found KangerTech’s OCC coil to be the best in the industry, and now with the release of the Subox Mini, they have decided to give it a major refresh by moving to a vertical build. The overall design still remains the same, but they did slightly increase the size of the two juice channels. They also replaced the 1.2 ohm coil with a marginally bigger 1.5 ohm, but the 0.5 ohm still remains.
The new 1.5 ohm coil delivered minimal vapor as expected; and as for the flavor, it was okay. The ranges we tested were 10-20 watts, but we found the sweet spot to be between 12-13 watts. The older horizontal 1.2 ohm coil actually performed slightly better in both flavor and vapor when tested at the same levels.
As for the redesigned 0.5 ohm coil, it is a drastic improvement when compared to its predecessor—both the flavor and vapor production were amazing. The levels tested were 15-40 watts, and we found the sweet spot to be around 31-33 watts—but this may vary depending on the VG/PG ratio of the e-liquid used.
RBA
The RBA has also been slightly redesigned, it now has dramatically bigger e-liquid channels. They also did away with the threading on the cylinder and replaced the locking mechanism with a phillips head screw—we actually prefer the older threading as it was easier to install.
We tested the RBA with the stock 0.5 build, which was preinstalled; and it definitely fixes all the issues which were experienced with the previous RBA—such as insufficient e-liquid reaching the coils.
Overall Vaping Experience
The overall vaping experience was like that of a regular Subtank Mini, but with a slight enhancement because of the new OCC coils and RBA option. As for the KBOX Mini, it’s definitely not the best mod on the market, but it does get the job done. The lack of a second counter and not being able to see the voltage in less the device is fired, did slightly diminish the experience.
Final Thoughts
So should you buy this setup? well, if you must have a black or white Subtank Mini then go for it; but the long-term effects of having a painted tank are still unknown, and the painted finished is somewhat of a drawback in functionality as well as durability.
So that being said, we suggest just purchasing the standard Subtank Mini as we are confident that the new OCC coils and RBA will be readily available for purchase soon.
As for the KBOX Mini, there are many other sub-ohm mods on the market that offer a better software experience, and there is no particular reason to purchase this mod other than it being slightly inexpensive.
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