This time I have in my hands the new Lost Vape Orion Mini Kit!
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen Lost Vape dig deep into their bag of tricks and pull out an Orion. In fact, I honestly thought the Orion days had passed.
After a number of variants of the Orion including some with a basic Quest chipset and even an Evolv DNA version, I really thought the Orion Q Ultra was the end of an era.
In my opinion, Lost Vape Orion range perhaps dragged on a little too much. However, I genuinely feel the Orion range was one of the leaders in the pod category and certainly helped set a trend for easy to use smart-looking Pod systems.
Lost Vape bringing back the Orion is a bit of a shock, but not really when you consider what they’re actually releasing. Orion Mini sits perfectly within their range and certainly ticks the majority of boxes for a modern pod system in 2022 to succeed.
What Can We Expect From Lost Vape Orion Mini?
Orion Mini is very similarly styled to its predecessors and as soon as you open the packaging you can see it straight away.
The Pod itself has a 3ml capacity and makes use of the new UB Mini coils which come in 0.8Ω and 1.0Ω versions.
There is also an airflow slider that allows this device to offer both a tight Mouth To Lung (MTL) vape and also a Restrictive Direct To Lung vape (RDTL).
The device itself is powered by an 800mAh internal battery and is rechargeable via the USB-C port at the base.
So let’s crack on with the review and see what this kit is all about.
This kit was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of review.
All views and opinions are solely those of my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of others.
Design and Build Quality
First off – Orion Mini is small. Very small! In comparison, it’s a little bit like two USB sticks stuck together width ways.
I got the Silver Carbon Fibre version of Orion Mini which has a solid feeling silver metal frame and two carbon fibre style panels on either side.
The other colours available are Gunmetal Carbon Fibre, Black Carbon Fibre, Silver Black, Phantom Purple, Black Blue, Yellow Pine Wood, Claret Red Wood and Black Brown Wood.
There’s not much with regards to buttons to worry about, just the one, the rounded button which will fire the device and turn the device on and off with 5 clicks. The button itself is nicely positioned, clicky yet a little spongy.
Below the button is a small LED indicator that will glow Green/Blue/Red depending on your battery level and when it’s charging.
Situated at the base of the device is the USB-C port, I can’t find any official information as to its charge rate, however during my testing, a 1A charge rate was tested.
Orion Mini Pods
The darkly tinted 3ml Pod clicks extremely satisfyingly into the device and is held magnetically in place. In TPD Regulated areas this capacity is reduced to 2ml sadly.
The mouthpiece itself is kind of 510 styled however it’s non-removable and part of the pod.
On the side of the pod is a small slider that will adjust your airflow, although it's small, the slider has a nice tolerance to it so throughout my time, I’ve never noticed the airflow slider has adjusted whilst bouncing around in my pocket between vapes.
Removing the pod exposes the fill port hidden on one end of the pod. A small, thin rubber plug can be pulled exposing a small fill port. But considering the purpose of this system (mostly 10ml Nic Salt bottles) I’ve never had any problems with filling or airlocks.
At the base of the pod are two large magnets and a hexagonal indentation that the UB Mini coils fit into. The coils themselves have to be fitted in this manner otherwise the pod won’t fit into the device correctly and the coil won’t sit flush with the base of the pod.
Orion Mini In the Hand
Orion Mini is extremely small, and with that in mind, it is barely a chore to carry in your hands. In fact, it fits in my wallet quite easily, mostly because there’s sod all in my wallet anyway!
Orion Mini is light and square. With regards to hand feel, it’s not exactly a super ergonomic comfortable device, but it’s much like holding one of those RGB controllers for LED strip if you know what I mean.
How To fit UB Mini Coils and Fill Orion Mini
Here’s how to fit the coils and fill the pod with e-liquid:
A.Remove the pod from the device.
B.Carefully push-fit the coil, ensuring the coil is fitted in the correct orientation so that the two small airflow slots on the base of the coil are horizontally situated.
C.Open the small rubber plug and fill it carefully with e-liquid.
D.Re-fit the rubber plug ensuring a tight fit.
E.Allow the pod to sit for 5-10 minutes for the coil to saturate the e-liquid.
Orion Mini Functions
Orion Mini has barely any functions to worry about. The device will turn on/off with 5 clicks of the fire button and that’s it.
Unfortunately – Orion Mini does not have an automatic draw system which I really feel would make this device that much better.
How Does Lost Vape Orion Mini Perform?
Because of the simplicity of this device, it’s really hard to compare the power output to other devices but what I would say is that across the board, particularly with the 0.8Ω coil – the power output is quite impressive and it certainly delivers a decent amount of power to both coils.
It is not specified if the device adjusts the output automatically? It is specified as 8-18W output so I assume it does?
Lost Vape Orion Mini – Flavour and Clouds
Orion Mini comes with two fairly high resistance coils included which are really tiny too. With that in mind, I treated this device as more of an MTL Pod system and used an 11mg nic strength PodSalt – Blackcurrant for testing. Maybe a little high in nicotine for a restrictive DL vape but hey ho it’s been fun!
As usual, anything with adjustable airflow requires more attention and a better description. So I’ve been testing both coils with the airflow set in a number of different ways.
Orion Mini – the 0.8Ω UB Mini Coil
The coil is recommended between 11-17 watts and I honestly couldn’t tell you at what output Orion Mini will fire this coil. But I’d say it's closer to 17 watts than 11watts as the coils fire at the touch of the button and delivers a fairly hard hit for what it is.
Airflow Fully Open
Having the airflow slider all the way open allows this device to be treated as a restrictive direct lung device. The vape experience itself is a fairly tight RDL with a slight amount of warmth and a little straw-like noise in the background – the flavour is also fairly muted. I suppose my flavour rating in this airflow setting would be 4/10
Airflow Half Open
At the halfway point, the airflow is still a little too loose for my MTL preferences and you can still get away with a restrictive DTL hit. Which flavour wise is slightly better, perhaps 5/10 along with an increased warmth but less airflow noise.
Airflow Fully Closed
Don’t bother. It’s practically shut off completely.
My Preference
I’ve preferred the 0.8 UB Mini Coil at 1/4 open. This allows for a fairly tight MTL draw with a touch of warmth throughout the vape. The flavour is also much better than previously mentioned. But still only really a 7/10.
Across the board, the vapour production from this coil is quite impressive – especially with the airflow wide open and used as an RDL pod.
Orion Mini – the 1.0Ω UB Mini Coil
The coil is recommended between 9 and 13 watts and it would be suggested this is even more recommended as an MTL coil. Nonetheless, I tested it across the airflow range.
Airflow Fully Open
With the airflow wide open I find this to be right in the uncomfortable position between an RDL and a loose MTL vape. For me, it’s just not comfortable regardless of where you set it. The flavour is respectable however at around 6/10 but it can be a little noisy and also quite a cool vape.
Airflow Half-Open/My Preference
This setting is also my personal preference for a fairly tight MTL draw, with a touch of warmth and is fairly quiet with regards to noise. The flavour is a solid 7/10 and provides a very comfortable MTL vape. Although the score of 7/10 maybe a little disappointing, it’s still enjoyable as hard as that is to explain. A comfortable smooth vape with enough flavour to be acceptable for day to day vaping.
Battery Life & Charging
The 800mAh battery does a very good job with regards to battery life and happily lasts well over a day. In fact, the 1.0Ω coil took me happily into a third day before having to charge it. As always, the battery life will depend on how much you vape.
The USB-C charge port offers a 1amp charge from my own testing, and I can’t seem to find any official information on the charge rate. However, the 800mAh battery takes 50 minutes to charge which is more than acceptable.
Does the Orion Mini Leak?
During my time with Orion Mini, I’ve experienced literally no leaking and not even any condensation under the pod. Even after leaving the pod for a few days, there was no evident leakage between the pod and the device which is very good.
The coils fit very snugly into the device which perhaps has something to do with its resistance to leaking. Secondly, just be sure to fit the rubber fill bung in tightly, otherwise, you can get a few drops of e-liquid making their way down to the base of the pod.
Pros
+ Small and portable
+ Fairly well made
+ Decent battery capacity
+ Smart Looking
+ Powerful for its size and purpose
Cons
- Pods are quite dark
- No Auto-Draw system
- Flavour is just OK
- No spare pod
- The pod filling bung is very thin and could break easily.
Lost Vape Orion Mini – Final Review Verdict
The return of the Orion has been an interesting one and much like I mentioned at the start of this review offers pretty much everything we expect from a modern pod system in 2022. But there are still some minor gripes for me. The lack of an automatic draw system is perhaps the main thing for me, although not imperative but still a very good feature for devices of this shape and style.
The only other minor drawbacks for me would be just how dark the pod is, which removes the ability to remind yourself which coil you have installed along with being difficult to check your e-liquid level lastly I suppose the flavour is a little lacking.
For such a small device it packs a fair punch and has all the simplicity of use and portability that people who use these kinds of devices is looking for.
Would this device be long lasting and still work 3, 6 or even 12 months from now?
I’ve been pretty impressed with the durability of the coils along with the fairly large battery capacity considering the purpose of this system. Build quality is also a positive factor to this kit, however, if you plan on using this daily for the next 12 months, I strongly recommend picking up a spare empty pod as a backup in case you break the one provided in the kit.
Does this device deliver the flavour, vapour and general experience I require, in order to be enjoyed?
Although the flavour may not be the best in the market, the general vape experience is pretty nice, especially once you get the airflow to just how you like it. I also enjoy the power output from this device, offering a nice throat hit across the range and a generally enjoyable vape.
Is this device versatile?
This style of device is an excellent option for new vapers. Sure, a new vaper will have to crawl through the issues of understanding coils and e-liquid, however having those options available to them makes this device much more versatile than disposables or pod systems that come with pre-filled pods.
