Pioneer4You IPV Mini Review

Tom McBride

Vaporizer ChiefI know a couple of people around here don’t have a lot of love for the Pioneer4You IPV Mini. Personally, I love the device, and it’s time we did a proper review of this compact and powerful vaporizer. I know the IPV Mini 2 has just shipped, and with its 70w of power its sure to be a sought after device. I’ll pick up one this week and get a review going for it very soon.IPV Mini Champagne

The IPV Mini that I am reviewing today came from fellow Floridians, Vaporizer Chief, and it was through their generosity that has allowed me to obtain the IPV Mini in the Gun Metal finish. I own an IPV Mini in silver (actually, its more of a steel color), and I’ve been looking forward to getting one in this gunmetal, or black-ish finish as well as the new Champagne color. There is no difference in performance with these different colors of course, but man, color does make a difference…for some reason.

30 Watts of Fun

The IPV Mini is a box mod with a maximum power output of 30 watts, and on the low end of just 5 watts. The voltage range is 3v to 8v. This wide range give vapers the opportunity to use a huge number of eliquid delivery systems, from the Aspire Atlantis .5ohm marvel, to the latest and greatest RBA’s and RDA’s. But instead of advanced vaping with unprotected mechanical mods, the IPV Mini offers a slew of safety features that when combined with the performance and range of power and voltage makes using a mechanical obsolete …unless of course you happen to love your mech mods, as some vapers surely do. Heck, I still have a bunch of mechs and I like them a lot, though I find myself using them less and less.

Unlike most of the current crop of 30+ watt devices on the market the IPV Mini specs out about as “pro” as you can go.

Here’s a quick look at the IPV Mini specifications:

  • Loading resistance: Between 0.5ohm and 3.0ohm.
  • Output Voltage: 3 volts to 8 volts
  • Output Power: 5 watts to 30 watts
  • Output current: Maximum of 13A
  • Input current: Between 1.3A and 13A
  • Screen: 0.96” OLED
  • Battery: 18650 battery, removable with mini USB charger
  • Charging for your cell phone is included with USB connector
  • YIHIecigar SX130 chipset
  • Works with clearomizers, glassomizers and tanks by way of a well built and solid 510 connector with adjustable pin
  • Efficiency: 92%

At just 8.5” x 5.25” x 1.5” the IPV Mini makes it easy to take it with you wherever you want to go.

Pioneer4You

IPV Mini SilverPioneer4you is a respected and valued member of the electronic cigarette community. With the release some months ago of the IPV 3, a 150w powerhouse, the company has risen in ranks as never before. Advanced vapers have been aware of the gear these guys have been putting out for a while now, but lately, even mainstream vapers have become aware of the quality of Pioneer4You products.

On the “news to me” front, Green Leaf Technology Co. is the parent company of Pioneer4You. Green Leaf has been around for six years. They are known for building quality products at prices that most vapers can afford. When you consider the IPV Mini is priced under $60 with a feature set that screams power and safety, you can begin to see why the IPV family of devices are being talked about, and purchased, in numbers we’ve never seen until now. I never thought I’d see the day when a girl I know who has started vaping just a couple of months ago is asking me about the virtues of the IPV Mini. Usually, devices like these don’t get on the radar of mainstream vapers for a year or two.

Box Mods

The IPV Mini is a true box mod, though a bit bigger than the box mods that have been released and talked about in recent weeks. You’ve no doubt seen John Manzione, publisher of this eMagazine and host of The Cold Open, make various size comparisons with the IPV Mini and the iStick, SMOK XPro M50, the Innokin MVP20W, and the VaporFi VOX 50 Mod and the Joyetech eGrip. Although the IPV Mini is a bit bigger than these examples, it is still small enough to be qualified as a true box mod, and like the SMOK XPro M50, this box mod has replaceable 18650 batteries, which means that its likely to last years longer than the self-contained box mods from JoyeTech, eLeaf, Innokin, etc.

The mirror-like finish that overlays the OLED display keeps the IPV Mini looking sleek and stealthy, and when the OLED’s light up they are bright enough to be seen under nearly any lighting conditions. In addition, the OLED screen displays all the information you could want, including the wattage and voltage, atomizer resistance, battery power, errors, and more.

Among the myriad of safety features is short circuit protection, low resistance and low voltage warning, as well as high input voltage detector, reverse battery protection and more. The Yihi SX130 chip allows for regulated output all the way up to 30 watts, so no matter how much battery life remains the wattage output stays the same. That is critical to a good vape.IPV Mini Colors

One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about the IPV 3 was the USB cable used only for firmware upgrades. It didn’t make a lot of sense to have a USB port that didn’t charge the battery, and with the IPV Mini that has changed. The USB cable and port does indeed charge the battery, giving you the option to either swap out a flat top battery or charge it in place.

Another fantastic feature of the IPV Mini is the adjustable 510 pin connector (called a floating top pin). Now, whatever tank or glassomizer you want to use, you’re going to get a solid connection with a pin that forms to the length of the tank/glasso connector, and a flush fit as well.

Real World Report

Sure, sure, the IPV Mini has all the latest features you would expect in a pro-level APV box mod, but how does it handle? Is it easy to get a good vape going? Is it too heavy, too big to be comfortable in your hands? Below are my actual, real life, experiences with my IPV Mini and my new one over the past week.

I’ve been using the IPV Mini for since it was released, and it has never failed me. I use it constantly to verify my coil builds and found the accuracy to be every bit as reliable as anything else I use, including my multi meter.

I have used the IPV Mini with every glassomizer, rebuildable and dripping atomizers I own, and never had any thing but a great vape. I often vape at .5ohm now, rebuildable coils and with Kanger Subtank OCC Coils and Atlantis coils and the 30 watts of power is perfect for these tanks. I know there is a wattage war going on in the box mod arena, but in my opinion, for 99% of the vaping I do, 30 watts is plenty.

The IPV Mini is solid, though a bit on the hefty side, but feels great in my hands. Although somewhat larger than the mainstream box mods getting all the attention right now, it feels like quality product that will last far longer than the others. As much as I enjoy the other box mods like the iSticks and eGrips, I know that the reality is they won’t last as long as my IPV Minis.

Oh, and about that removable and replaceable battery; the battery is removed from the bottom of the device, with silky smooth threads on the end cap and the battery tube. It doesn’t come with a battery, you’ll need to pick one up if you don’t have one now. I recommend picking up a pair of

You can get an IPV Mini for under $60. Pioneer4You has released a couple of new colors for the device, including a wicked looking Champagne color that looks like the same color of the “gold” iPhone 6.

Is the IPV Mini a 30w box mod for everyone? No, not really. Although its just as easy to use as any of the other box mods you’re reading about, or watching on YouTube, it could be considered overkill for mainstream vapers looking for the smallest, lightest box mod. If you’re looking to get as much wattage as you can in your box mod the IPV Mini isn’t where the new SMOK XPro M65 or 80 Plus is, nor the upcoming iStick 50w, but when it comes down do it, how many of us really need more than 30 watts?

Where the IPV Mini really shines is in the accuracy of the output, and quality of the materials used to make it, and the chipset inside. The YIHIecigar SX130 chipset is one of the most stable, reliable, and safe 30w chipsets made. The battery insertion protection, and the adjustable floating top pin also make the IPV Mini one of the best box mods around.

Sure, the iStick 30 and upcoming 50 is cute…playful even, but if you’re like me you want something with more meat on the bones, something ultra-safe yet also powerful, you want something that can handle whatever you throw at it, you should consider the Pioneer4you Mini.

Okay, now I feel better. I’ve given the IPV Mini the respect it deserves.

My thanks once again to Vaporizer Chief for getting me into the gunmetal black (or whatever they want to call it). I’m working on a dry herb vaporizer and found VaporizerChief in my research for awesome herb vaping, and was happy to learn these guys are into the mods we liquid vapers use too. Stay tuned for my dry herb vaporizers review coming soon, and check out Vaporizer Chief for an idea of what’s available in that venue of vaping, as well as the devices you and I use all the time.

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