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Choosing a Disposable Vape Pen like the MOTI PIIN – Ever find yourself feeling nostalgic for the “good ol’ days” of vaping? You know, the days when enjoyment was measured in longer puff counts, not three-digit wattages. When a product was judged by those awesome light-up battery tips and not by custom temperature curves.
Disposable Vape Pen
Enter the MOTI PIIN Disposable Pod Mod — a throwback in every sense of the term, albeit one with some seriously modern focus on performance and flavor. Attractively priced, refreshingly old-school, and entirely satisfying — if you’re in the market for a simple device to take for a night out, or a car trip, you’re gonna want to read on.
First, the specs and particulars…
The MOTI PIIN disposable vape features a 320mAh non-rechargeable internal battery, and a large 1.6mL e-juice capacity. The coil resistance is 1.6ohm. This disposable vape is available in a range of unique flavor and color options and utilizes a proprietary polymer cotton for smoother flavor.
Specs:
- Draw-activated (approx. 380 puffs)
- Internal 320 mAh non-rechargeable battery
- 6ohm coil
- 6ml of (2% or 5%) nic salts e-liquid
- LED indicator
- Dimensions: 104.5mm x 12mm
- 10 different flavors
Aesthetics of the MOTI PIIN
No displays, adjustment buttons, and no distractions. A very slick, polished design. The PIIN looks like an honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned e-cigarette, with a tubular, cig-a-like appearance (albeit a little stouter and thicker), tapered mouthpiece and — yes — a light-up LED that brightens the room when you take a draw.
Within seconds of first firing up the PIIN, I instinctively placed the device between my fingers, and even habitually “flicked” it like I would a cigarette.
Maybe I shouldn’t be happy that my smoking behaviors were this ingrained in my muscle memory. But I SHOULD be happy that a modern cig-a-like delivered an experience so authentic that the actions came flooding back.
The only thing I’d change about the PIIN design is the mouthpiece. While many mouth-to-lung (MTL) vapers enjoy the snug draw that comes from such a slender tip, I found that a TOUCH more airflow would have gone a long way toward meeting my personal needs. Chalk it up to preference, I suppose.
MOTI PIIN – Let’s Talk Flavor
Most recent disposable vape devices come in a handful of flavors. Part of this comes down to necessity, thanks to the nationwide flavor bans we endured before COVID-19 took over our news feeds. But part of it is also centered on a lack of creativity. For every interesting new flavor, we’re forced to endure 17 varieties of cloyingly sweet fruits and unconvincing attempts at tobacco.
MOTI is bucking the trend, offering the self-contained, non-refillable PIIN with a massive slate of unique and intriguing flavor options. We didn’t get to try them all — and frankly, two of them terrify most of us. But no one can fault MOTI for not trying. Just look at this list…
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Tropical Mango
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Jasmine Tea
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Grape Ice
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Mung Bean
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Banana Frost
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Menthol Tobacco
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Blueberry Parfait
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Yogurt Drink
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Classic Tobacco
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Pineapple Ice
At a glance, this seems like a standard vape flavor list. But then your eyes probably did exactly what mine did… jumped to mung bean. I mean… MUNG BEAN?
While not an attractive, mouthwatering pair of words, apparently there’s a basis for vaping this flavor. According to Wikipedia, in Chinese cuisine, whole mung beans are used to make a tángshuǐ, or dessert, otherwise literally translated ‘sugar water’, called lǜdòu tángshuǐ, which is served either warm or chilled.
To take it one step further, in Hong Kong, dehulled mung beans and mung bean paste are made into ice cream or frozen ice pops. (I’ll stick to the fruits, thanks all the same.)
Three Flavors We Vaped
The three flavors we did get to try, however, were nothing short of phenomenal. With one that outright blew me away in terms of richness, throat hit and flavor clarity — blueberry parfait. This bright, authentic blend perfectly married sweet, true blueberry indulgence with a touch of mentholated coolness on the exhale that had me coming back way more often than a 5% nicotine solution ever should. It was THAT good.
Likewise, the pineapple ice was similarly authentic and satisfying, with just enough coolness to overcome and lingering sweetness.
Our final test flavor — classic tobacco — was a surprisingly good rendition of a flue-cured pipe. While fans of desert animals or cowboys might be a little put off with the depth of the tobacco’s richness, European and Asian smokers will likely find a lot to like with MOTI’s take on the classics.
I was particularly impressed with the subtle sweetness that comes on the exhale, smoothing over the slight harshness from the high-nicotine draw, and delivering a truly authentic smoking-like experience.
And the Ones we Didn’t
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to sample the banana frost flavor, which intrigued me. Bananas aren’t typically a food you “brighten” in vape liquid, and are usually paired with indulgent chocolate or nut flavors. But color me curious — I think it just might work. (Hint, hint, MOTI… hint, hint…)
Performance
It wouldn’t be a Spinfuel VAPE review if we didn’t point out a few concerns or complaints. Thankfully, there weren’t many, since the MOTI PIIN was such a strong throwback performer during our testing. But buyers should be aware of a few drawbacks to this disposable pod mod system.
First, the non-rechargeable 320mAh battery is a bit of a letdown, considering how advanced modern battery technology has become these past few years. We were getting 320mAh cells in cig-a-likes 6-7 years ago — many of which would outperform the PIIN, unfortunately. I didn’t count my puffs, but I sincerely doubt I hit the stated 380 draws.
Four Hours in a Disposable?
A brand-new PIIN gave me roughly four hours of moderate vaping before power and flavor began to wane. And before long, I was stuck with a dead device. I feel like the 1.6mL of e-liquid could have gone a little further than the battery allowed, especially with the frugal 1.6-ohm coil and low-wattage output.
Secondly, the price — while highly competitive — isn’t aligned with the product’s longevity. If I would realistically need 2-3 PIINs per day, the $9.99 cost per unit becomes a little prohibitive, exceeding the cost of cigarettes in many areas. As a “one off” device, or trustworthy backup, the price is more than reasonable. But it’s doubtful the average vaper could afford to make PIIN disposables their regular, everyday vape mods.
The Disposable as a Viable Method
Finally, the disposable format itself is a bit of a letdown. Many buyers enjoy disposable vapes for convenience and lack of complexity. But with flavors and performance this strong, MOTI should strongly consider putting more effort behind their rechargeable, refillable pod systems. Clearly there’s a resurgent interest in simple, cig-a-like vaping, and MOTI could make a serious dent in the market if it wanted to go that route.
While I “get” the desire to keep things as fuss-free as possible, there’s something about tossing a perfectly good vape device simply because a battery lost power.
That said, if I’m complaining about not having more time with the MOTI PIIN, it’s because I DID enjoy my time with the kit, and wanted it to last longer — something I rarely say about vape mods in this category.
Pros:
- Outstanding flavor clarity and variety
- Sharp, no-fuss design and operation
- Refreshingly old-school in every sense
Cons:
- Battery life is poor, even by cig-a-like standards
- A rechargeable, refillable PIIN would be much better
- Mung bean vaping sounds horrifying
Bottom Line
I wasn’t preparing to like ONE thing about a disposable, low-powered cig-a-like pod mod. And I definitely wasn’t expecting to love it. But that’s what happened with the MOTI PIIN. Though the battery life, cost and disposable format isn’t aligned with my personal vaping needs, there simply isn’t an entry-level vape device that can match the PIIN’s potent draws and outstanding flavors.
On Sale As we publish for $9.99
