IPV Mini 2

by Dave Junglist
Apr 15, 2015

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Introduction to the IPV Mini2

The IPV series is a much loved and top selling series of box mods, manufactured by Green Leaf/Pioneer4You. Green Leaf/Pioneer4You are one of the frontrunners in the high power race thanks to the success of the IPV series. Popular with cloud chasers and known for their quality and reliability (mainly due to the use of the SX series of chipsets), as well as the raw high power in their mods, the IPV series has taken the vaping world by storm since the release of the IPV2, which at the time of release, was one of the most powerful affordable box mods on the market, selling out almost overnight. This was quickly followed up by the IPV2s, IPV Mini, IPV 3 and IPV2X, and now the IPV Mini 2 and hotly anticipated IPV 4. In this review I will be looking at one of their latest releases in the IPV mod series, the IPV Mini 2.

The IPV Mini 2 actually now supersedes two of Green Leaf/Pioneer4You’s releases, the original IPV Mini and also the IPV2S, which is one of my all-time favourite mods but has unfortunately now been discontinued. The IPV Mini 2 may have flown under the radar for a lot of vapers with the release of the IPV3 and the imminent arrival of the IPV4, but this is a brilliant little pocket rocket of a mod and I have been absolutely delighted with it since I received it. The reasons why are detailed below…

Specs

510 threading and floating connector
Supports resistance from 0.2 ohm- 3.0ohm
Output Power: 5-70 Watts
Output Voltage Range: 3.6V-8.5V
Input Voltage Range: 3.2-4.5V
YiHi SX330V2C Chip
Visual Operating System
Low Voltage Protection
Low Resistance Protection
High input voltage warning
Output short circuit protection
Reverse polarity protection
Compact size of 94x40x23mm

What's in the Box?

1x IPV Mini 2
1x User Manual
1x USB Cable

The IPV Mini 2 comes in a very minimalist brown cardboard box and a bit of a departure from previous IPV models that came in a plastic box. I like it!

Looks

The 510 connector is floating, so you can screw any atomiser in to the IPV Mini 2 for a flush fit without any need for manual adjustment. Every atomizer I have tried on it has suited the IPV Mini 2 perfectly and looked like a part of the unit itself! My particular favourite atomizer of choice on top of the IPV Mini 2 was the Freemax Starre Sub Ohm Tank.

The whole unit itself is solidly built, it feels weighty but strangely enough not too heavy, it sits absolutely perfectly in the palm of my hand with only the 510 connector poking out when I make a fist! It does not seem to be as much of a scratch magnet as the original IPV Mini was; the paint finish seems to be much better. I personally love the look of the IPV Mini 2, it just seems to mould to my hand perfectly!

Buttons are colour coded to the colour of the IPV Mini 2 itself, so for example the silver unit has silver buttons, the black unit has black buttons and so on. The buttons do feel like they have had an upgrade, each button press is accompanied by a satisfying click and an instant response. I did find on my old IPV Mini that occasionally the fire button would get stuck, this has not happened so far on the IPV Mini 2, the buttons feel tactile and reassuring.

The screen is very clear and in the same vein as the previous IPV models, with the wattage predominantly displayed along with an accurate resistance reading above the voltage display, and the battery indicator next to those.

The battery cap is found underneath the unit, I found that the knurling is slightly different to the old IPV Mini and the battery cap feels smoother and easier to twist on and off than on the original, I have not managed to thread the battery cap yet, the same cannot be said of the original! This is still one of my favourite features on any mod, the ability to just twist off the cap to get to your battery should you wish to remove it without fiddling with screws or magnets is a feature all single battery mods should have! If you do manage to insert your battery upside down, the reverse polarity protection will kick in and prevent damage to your battery and chip.

The USB charging port is also located at the bottom of the unit, you have the option of charging via USB or removing the battery itself from the unit to charge by unscrewing the battery cap.

IPV Mini 2 Menu System

The IPV Mini 2 is switched on and off using a 5 click button press, it is a matter of seconds for the IPV Mini 2 to boot up. You will be greeted by the Pioneer4You logo followed by ‘IPV Mini II’ then you are good to go. Pressing the ‘up’ button will take you through the five wattage presets, the ‘down’ button will begin to decrease the selected wattage. Holding down either of the ‘up’ or ‘down’ buttons will increase the speed in which you scroll through the wattage settings. Slightly confusing for newcomers to the IPV series is that you will need to press the ‘down’ button once before pressing ‘up’ to increase the wattage, but you soon get used to this.

The IPV Mini 2 does have a 10 second cut off, so if you hold down the fire button continuously the device will automatically cut it off after 10 seconds. Handy if you forget to lock your device and fire it accidentally in your pocket! The screen dims almost instantly after releasing the power button and the device will automatically go into standby after 10 seconds of no user input to prolong battery life, however a simple press of the power button gets it going again.

Holding the up and down buttons together activates the locking mode, so you can lock your IPV Mini 2 and prevent it from firing in your pocket if you do not wish to turn it off.

Performance

Other than the obvious massive power upgrade to 70 watts from 30 watts, there are a few other differences over the original IPV Mini. The chip has been upgraded to the SX330V2C one, and this brings with it new features and upgrades. However unlike on the IPV2S Yihi have stated that this chip is non upgradeable. The output voltage is now 3.6V-8.5V and output wattage is now an excellent 5w-70w. Voltage output also auto adjusts to compensate when the wattage output is changed. For the size of the IPV Mini 2 unit itself the 70 watt maximum power output is absolutely massive!

The option to switch between PWM and DC/DC has been removed and you can only use the IPV Mini 2 in DC/DC mode, and they have also removed the option to charge other devices via the 510 connection. The IPV Mini 2 now will also fire resistances down to 0.2ohm, whereas the original IPV Mini would not fire below 0.5ohm. The buttons have been sharpened up to be more tactile and I did not notice any button rattle at all, unlike on the old IPV Mini. Resistance is read pretty accurately to one decimal place, the resistances displayed have matched up to my trusty ohm’s checker.

You do have to factor in that due to the size of the IPV Mini 2 this does only take one 18650 battery, so if you plan on using this at high wattages your battery life is not going to be great. Thankfully, you can still charge via USB as well as having a removable 18650 option, so if you do get caught short with a low battery whilst you are out and about you can plug in to a USB port should you have access to one and charge, or quickly swap out the 18650 battery for a fresh one (if you carry one around with you). Passthrough mode is also supported with the IPV Mini 2. I use both the USB charging option as well as removing the battery- I have noticed that my battery charges slightly quicker through USB rather than being taken out and charged in a dedicated battery charger- however maybe I do need to invest in a new charger!

Conclusion

The IPV Mini 2 has overnight become my mod of choice. I love the way it looks, the sleek form factor, ease of use, the way it sits in my hand and the fact I have 70 watts of power at my disposal in a device not all that much larger than an 18650 battery. The system boots up quickly, the menu system is easy to navigate, you can store 5 preset wattages in the device to save you scrolling through the wattage whenever you change your atomiser. It’s not the smallest ‘mini’ mod on the market, far from it, but the form factor is excellent, build quality is top notch, 70 watts is more than enough power for a ‘mini’ device and it has worked flawlessly in the time I have spent with it. I have always been a huge fan of the IPV series of mods and the IPV Mini 2 is the best one I have got my hands on yet. It’s my favourite mod of 2015 so far!

Dave Junglist

Reviewer at POTV

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Dave Junglist is co-owner of Planet of the Vapes and has been vaping since 2015. He spent his early years with his head in a bass bin and was a very committed and experienced smoker. He had his first cigarette at the age of 13 and just knew it was for him. He did stop briefly with the aid of patches but reverted quickly and became a ‘secret’ smoker, working hard to keep his weak will from the attention of his family. Vaping made an honest man of him and for this he is forever thankful. He has been involved in websites since completing a degree in Environmental Science in the late nineties. At that time there was pretty much no contact with computers but on joining the regular workforce and deciding that the world-wide-web was the future he blagged his first job as a web designer and never looked back. As you would expect from a junglist, Dave likes his beats and is most comfortable when the bass is wobbly.