Hello again. It's Max here from Australian Vaporizers and today I’m going to be reviewing
the new Pro version of the Flowermate V5s Mini.
The Mini Pro is the newest addition to Flowermate’s V5 series of portable vaporizers. Just to
give you a brief history, the V5 range started with the original Vapormax which had a fixed
temperature and a silicone mouthpiece. Since then they did away with the silicone, swapped it out for glass
and added 2 extra preset temps for their V5.0S model. Shortly after that the original Mini
made an appearance along with the V5 Pro which I covered in our “Best Portables of 2016” video.
The V5s Mini Pro combines the best features of the V5 Pro and the original Mini
into one neat little package. Full temperature control to the degree, tiny form-factor and
all at a fairly reasonable price.
So here we have the retail box. They’ve actually improved the packaging quite a bit since the
old models which is a nice touch. Firstly, we have one unit. It goes without saying that this thing is pretty tiny
Here's a quick comparison shot just to give you an idea of the size.
We've got an LED Display on the side here. Power and temp control buttons. Sliding doors on
the top and bottom, one to expose the filling chamber and one down here to stash your mouthpiece
away after a session. Here’s our mouthpiece. Finally you’ll notice that there’s actually
two USB ports here but we’ll go into this later on.
Overall, it feels fairly well made. You don't really get that same sense of quality that you would from a heavier portable
There is a fair bit of plastic here but there’s none actually inside the heating chamber or
vapour-path so there’s no worries there. The only materials the vapour runs through
are the ceramic-lined bowl, the two stainless steel screens and the glass mouthpiece.
Flowermate have stated that these materials are medical grade.
Setting the unit aside for a moment, let’s see what else we’ve got here. Some documentation
instructions, warranty, etc... We have a cardboard box here filled with our spares and accessories.
Two filling cannisters here, one for dry herb and one for concentrates.
Some replacement top and bottom screens. One packing tool. One cleaning brush. One universal adaptor for ground glass fittings
and finally, a micro-usb cable.
So the first thing you’ll want to do when you get your Flowermate is fit the bottom
screen. The bottom screens are the bigger ones and you can just use the packing tool
to push it down into place. Using the Mini Pro is fairly simple. To start the unit up, you just press
the power button (top) 5 times in a row. To start heating it up hold down the power button for a second or two.
Before you use any vaporizer for the first time, it's always best to run it on the highest temp for a few minutes. This is just to burn off any factory materials,
it never hurts to be too careful. After this initial burn-in you will never have to do it again.
It has a 5 minute automatic shut-off so once
it shuts down we can load up our material. You can load it directly into the filling
chamber or you can use the dry herb canister. Please bear in mind that using the canister will
keep your unit a lot cleaner, but it will also limit vapour production. Regardless of which option you go for be sure not to overpack it. This will create airflow issues.
Between ½ and ¾ full will be fine. Turn the unit back on by tapping the power button
once. Now we can turn the temp back down to somewhere between 175 and 210C and start vaping.
The Mini Pro heats up really quickly. It should take about 40 seconds (depending on your temp)
but it’s best to wait another 20 seconds or so before taking a draw.
It does have a little bit of draw resistance but it’s definitely an improvement over
the older models. You can actually open the bottom sliding door now for better airflow
but I’ve found that it doesn’t really make a huge difference.
As far as vapour production goes, it’s pretty good for its size and for the price. You’re
not going to get as much as you would from an Arizer Solo, and it’s not exactly efficient
with smaller amounts of material but it’ll definitely do the job.
As you’d expect from a smaller unit, it can get a little bit harsh, especially at
higher temps or towards the end of a session. If you’re after cooling capacity and you
like taking huge draws, it’s definitely not ideal.
The taste is fairly clean. There’s a slight flavour from the unit but this is pretty common
for lower-end portables and I’ve found that it gets much better after a few uses.
The Mini Pro uses an internal, rechargeable lithium battery.
This isn't replaceable by the user. You can expect roughly 3-4 10 minute sessions per charge which isn’t too bad given
its size. As with the rest of the V5 units they’re not really built to be used every
day so if you're only planning to vape occasionally, this might not be an issue for you.
It takes between 2.5 and 3 hours to fully charge with the included micro usb cable. I imagine this will be a little bit quicker
if you are using your own wall adaptor.
You can technically use this unit while charging but Flowermate have specifically stated in
the manual that you can't. This is because the lithium battery will overheat and
this will reduce the lifespan of the vaporizer. Now, onto one of the unique features of the
Mini and the Mini Pro. There's actually a full-sized USB port here. You can use it to charge your phone or any other small
device like you would with a portable power pack. Now you won't
get a full charge if you're charging a higher capacity device like most smart phones, but it's great for emergencies.
Maintenance for the Mini Pro is pretty average. If you dust it out with the included brush
after every session, you should only need to clean it properly once every few weeks
or so. When the draw resistance starts to increase and there’s a noticeable build-up
in the mouthpiece / top screen it’s time to give it a once over. Firstly, use a cue-tip
with some isopropyl alcohol to wipe out the filling chamber. If there’s any build-up
on the threaded rim, you can use some paper towel soaked in iso to give it a good scrub.
Next up, take the mouthpiece apart like this and remove the rubber seal and screen.
If you've been using the loading canisters, take them apart too. All of these stainless steel
pieces as well as the glass section of the mouthpiece can be soaked in isopropyl alcohol.
You can leave them in there for as long as you like. Depending on how dirty they are,
they might only need a few minutes. We're going to go ahead and tip out all the spent isopropyl alcohol. You can re-use this.
And here we have our clean components. If there's any more debris left use a cue-tip to wipe it away. Once every few cleans you might want to remove the bottom
screen using a pin or something similar and either soak it with the rest of the parts
or replace it. You can use the same pin to clear the holes at the bottom of the filling
chamber.
The Mini Pro doesn't really have any parts that need to be replaced regularly. The screens are a drilled plate, so they're not going to fray like other mesh screens.You may find yourself losing them though.
Depending how careful you are with the glass mouthpiece I'd probably expect to replace this a few times too.
To me, this unit doesn't exactly scream longevity. If you're going to be using it frequently I'd definitely consider looking at something like the Arizer Air.
You will be spending a bit more and it won't be quite as tiny, but the difference in vapour production and ease of maintenance will be well worth it.
It’s covered by a 12 month warranty, which is pretty standard for this price bracket.
To sum things up, here's a quick list of the things that I liked and disliked about the Mini Pro.
The first thing I really like about the Mini Pro is the size. It's one of the smallest and most discreet portables on the market and you will have no problem fitting it in
your pocket.
The next thing is the temperature control system. Being able to set the temperature to the degree is becoming more common
these days but for small units it's still really hard to come by. This is definitely a big plus.
Next up is the power bank functionality, which I thought was going to be
a bit of a gimmick but it's turned out to be pretty handy
Lastly, is the fact that you can charge it with a USB cable. It might charge your device
a little bit slower than usual but it's nice and convenient.
Now onto a few of the things that I didn't like about the Mini Pro.
Firstly is the battery life. I wasn't really expecting much so this isn't exactly a surprise.
Next is that it can't be used while charging. It seems to be a
highly sought feature these days and it's a bit of a tease
that the vape will let you do it, only to find that the manufacturer states otherwise in the manual.
Lastly is that it's not suitable for frequent use.
Again, no surprises here. It is a smaller cheaper portable, but it would have been nice
As I've mentioned, probably too many times already, it's not going to outperform an Arizer
portable like the Solo or the Air, but if you need
something that's completely discreet and less expensive than the Pax 2 then this is definitely a great choice.
There we have it, the Flowermate V5s Mini Pro.
If you have any questions or anything you'd like to add
feel free to throw us a comment and as always don't forget to like and subscribe.
Once again, this is Max from Australian Vaporizers. Have a good one, guys.