Myst Labs M1 Pro (Hero) & M1 Closed Pod Kits
We recently reported on the new innovation from Myst Labs and now we get to try it out (sort of)
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by Si Davies
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Supplied by Myst Labs for review
https://mystlabs.com/products/m1-pro
£9.99 (M1) £25.99 (M1 Pro)
I Need a Hero (Bonnie Tyler)
Some of you may have read about Myst Labs ‘Nicotine X’ technology in recent POTV news: https://mystlabs.com/products/m1-pro for those who haven’t then it’s worth a quick read to understand what it is all about, we now get the opportunity to try it out with the M1 Pro & M1 closed pod kits which use the exact same pods containing the ‘myst’ery nicotine X.
Hero to Zero
As I was preparing myself for a ‘hero’ pun-fest, I discovered that Myst Labs have dropped that name and the Hero is now the M1 Pro, so that’s sucker-punched my fun! Humour based on the M1 motorway is going to be much harder, never mind I’m sure I can work with the name Myst…
I mostly used the M1 Pro during the review period as the M1 has a smaller battery, the M1 Pro has a 400mAh whereas the M1 only has a 280mAh cell, the only other difference is the M1 is smaller and lighter but for a lot less dosh, the M1 is only £9.99 compared to a hefty £25.99 for the M1 Pro.
Unboxing
I will go over the M1 Pro (Hero) as the M1 is as simple as it gets as it is in a basic budget friendly box and blown plastic tray holding the M1 and USB-C cable, the M1 Pro comes in a fancier package.
The pull-off outer sleeve shows a generic colour image of the device and the colour choice is printed on the side, removing that reveals the fancy-pancy black gate-fold box.
It’s all quite posh with the presentation but it is a bit disappointing when you open the main box as you see what’s included.
Impressed? Nor me! To be fair, you shouldn’t really expect much more with a closed pod device as all you actually need is the battery and a charging cable.
For that £25.99 price tag, it all looks a bit underwhelming though. At this point, it makes the basic M1 a much better option for only £9.99, I will compare the two later on and it isn’t as simple as going for the cheaper option as the M1 Pro is actually much better.
Myst-erious Times (Sash reference)
My first impressions of the actual M1 Pro device was pleasing as the shape and size make it one of the most comfortable and posh feeling little pods, but you really need to pop a pod in it to get a proper feel for it.
The pods are a separate purchase and I will cover them after the hardware, there’s not a lot of point in me discussing the style as the photos do all of the talking, well apart from the size which is quite compact and slim-line. The M1 Pro is 113mm x 20.2mm x 13.5mm, the M1 is a bit shorter at 102.9mm.
It weighs a mere 26g with a pod fitted which is impressive for a metal body 400mAh pod, the size shape and weight make it an ideal pocket vape and a good top-pocket pen style kit.
A small detail but an important one compared to the M1 is the base, which has been perfectly rounded off, for this reason alone I much preferred using the M1 Pro over the M1 as it felt so much better to use.
There’s a tiny LED light towards the base, it is three colours for battery status and charging status. It charges up quite quickly, about 25mins from low on average but I opted to top-up charge it on the go.
Before I move on to the important pods, I will go over the difference between the M1 Pro and M1 and whether it is worth spending the extra dosh.
At only 22g, it is 4g lighter than the M1 Pro but this is for two reasons; it is 10mm shorter and the battery is 280mAh compared to the M1 Pro’s 400mAh. The general shape is the same until you get to the base, the M1 is lopped off and is far sharper as a result, it feels horrible and raspy in your hand.
If money is no object then it’s a no-brainer, the M1 Pro looks, feels, and handles better, and the larger battery means it lasts longer, whether that’s worth the extra £16 is up to you, but at least there is a more affordable option to try out those ‘Nicotine X’ pods (or not as the case may be – see Myst-aken Identity further on)
Search For The Hero Inside Yourself (M People)
Are you ready for a silly innovation? The M1 Pro features a ‘Hero Mode’ which activates a boosted vape after four seconds. Four seconds is a long time for a MTL draw so it takes some doing so I found the best way to get this ‘Hero’ kick was to RDL it, and quite a throat kick it gives, I can tell you! More on this later.
Good Vibrations (Beach Boys)
Part of the above silliness is that the M1 Pro doubles up as a vibrator, okay maybe not exactly, but it has a vibration function that activates after four seconds and also vibrates once your battery is low, it’s quirky and it works well with a subtle vibration.
It’s a Myst-ery, it’s a Myst-ery… (Toyah)
So, onto the all-important pods, there are two different options but that depends on where you live due to TPD limitations on the nicotine strength. For those lucky enough to be unrestricted, they come in 3% (30mg) nicotine strength
For the rest of us that come under the cloud of TPD restrictions, then you have the 2% (20mg) nicotine pods, but on the plus-side, they come in packs of three for £12.99.
There’s something rather important to consider though, Myst Labs are pretty proud of this innovation in nicotine tech as their Nicotine X formula claims to offer a higher nicotine level than it actually has, if that makes sense (see article https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/news/product/2022-09-29_nicotine-x.html#), so in theory that 1.7% should deliver a 3% nicotine hit.
An interesting claim indeed, unfortunately there is no way I can accurately verify this but I can say whether it satisfies my nicotine fixes as I vape 20mg nic salts a LOT so hopefully this could potentially cut down on how much I vape.
Myst-aken Identity
Annoyingly, it was only at the testing stage that I noticed that they hadn’t actually sent any of the ‘Nicotine X’ pods! I was sent a small selection of the Nic Salt pods instead, this flipped this review over onto its head and I was now reviewing standard 20mg nic salt closed pods, I have no idea why so that remains a Myst-ery, but I was a bit Myst-off by this and started seeing red-Myst.
Ah well, onwards and upwards…. The pods themselves are well made with a comfortable, slim mouthpiece and a tight fit into the actual device, the M1 Pro vibrates when you fit or remove the pod to let you know that you’ve achieved this, erm….thanks, I think? You do need to push the pod down firmly and you feel a click once in place, these will never accidentally come out and you can tell there’s a pretty good air seal.
Hero Worship (B-52’s) – Performance
As Myst-off as I was in not receiving the Nicotine X pods, I cracked on with the standard nic salts. I only had a handful of flavours to try and none of them were ones I would choose, I hate ‘Rose Gold’ colour, no Nicotine X pods, and flavours I don’t fancy, also the name change along the way (Hero to M1 Pro), so this wasn’t heading in a good direction.
It almost pains me to admit that the vape was actually pretty good, a very smooth, tight draw with a satisfying warmth, the flavours weren’t as bad as I was expecting, not my cup of tea but I found them quite satisfying for a vape and I could see new vapers getting along with these nicely. One of the things I liked the most was the throat hit, usually that’s lacking with nic salts but I was getting a nice little throat hit with all the flavours.
No More Heroes Any More (Stranglers)
I initially scoffed at the ‘Hero’ mode as I struggled to see the point of it, that soon changed as I tried it, as a regular vaper it is rare I get the strong hit that I get from this, four seconds is longer than you think and you really need to draw for around six seconds to get the benefit so RDL was the way to go and that almost doubles the hit you get, it felt extreme but in a good way, the throat hit and nicotine hit is intense and ideal for when you are jonesing for a quick nicotine hit (first morning, after flight, cinema, vape break etc.).
My Hero (Foo Fighters)
Had I been sent any flavours that I preferred, then I would have enjoyed testing the M1 Pro even more, the M1 went straight back into its box after feeling how much worse it was in the hand compared to the smoother M1 Pro.
Unusually I’m going to have to skip the Pro and Cons etc. as there were too many missing variables to give a fair summary, but the potential with the Nicotine X is promising, going by how good the standard pods were and that quirky Hero Mode on the M1 Pro, I actually rated these closed pods once I put my flavour preference aside, the proof in the pudding is in the vaping; I actually used up all of the pods which is rare, mostly I just give the kits and unused pods away as closed pods aren’t my thing.
We Don't Need Another Hero (Tina Turner)
Will the Nicotine X option take the M1 Pro to another level? Time will tell but it’s pretty good as-is and is a decent starter kit.
Guitar Hero - Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a great way to quit smoking, then the M1 Pro and 20mg flavoured pods are a good choice as they are, I would have loved these when I first tried to quit and they would have been far more successful than the crap I started with. They are worth a punt as-is, but the Nicotine X potential adds an extra dimension to possibly progress to a better vape.
(Yeah I know I said no ‘Hero’ puns, but I had em all stashed in my head already)
Si Davies
Reviewer at POTVMy background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!
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