Nice good look at it. Some may have to mute the audio to retain sanity, however.
goblin mini v2? Is this the one?
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Was delivered this morning, but I have a phone interview to take care of before I get to mess with it.
Alright...Here's my long-winded review of the Goblin Mini V2 after spending the morning with it...Let me know if you've got any questions and I'll do my best to answer.
Packaging & Initial Impressions:
Packaging remains identical to V1. Inside the box, I received the V2, drip tip (very similar to the Bellus), Heat Sink/Glass DT adapter, spare glass, single coil adapter, and misc spares.
Initial impressions are that it’s a well machined finished product with a slightly higher level of refinement and build quality over the V1. That’s not to say the V1 was a poorly machined/refined product – my V1 was well made and has been an absolute workhorse for me and has not presented any serious issues.
Initial disassembly was very difficult, especially separating the top-fill cover from the top chimney. No serious machining issues, threads are very clean and smooth (nice improvement from my V1). No residual machine oil. Only issue identified at this point is that my positive post is slightly crooked (less than 1mm offset) - Initial attempts to fix were unsuccessful, it appears it was press fit and I do not want to risk damaging the deck.
Confirmed Differences from V1:
Unconfirmed Differences from V1:
It appears that the bore of the top chimney from the V2 is marginally wider than the V1. This could be my eyes, but I do not have any implements for measuring.
Here's an album of some images I took comparing the V2 to the V1 - Link
Building & Wicking:
I wanted to compare both tanks with ‘identical’ builds in order to identify any subjective differences. I selected to use dual coils, 26g Kanthal, 3/32in (2.38mm) ID, 9/8 wrap for both tanks. The V1 measured at 0.49 ohms. The V2 measured at 0.50 ohms. Both builds were in good agreement with steam-engine and were measured on the Reuleaux DNA200.
Building on the V2 deck is not any different than the V1. The Philips head screws are still very small and difficult to tighten completely – this is no different than the V1. Unfortunately, one of the screws on the positive post had poor threading and needed to be replaced with one from the spares bag…you only get one replacement, so I will check at a later time if the screws included in the V1 are compatible (I don’t see why not but I can confirm later).
For wicking, I use a wick that's thick enough to produce minor-to-moderate resistance when being pulled through the coil. I typically look for a little wick distortion after pulling the wick back and forth...nothing major, but I like to see the areas closest to the coil fluff out a little bit.
Cutting the wick is very easy for me...consider this poorly drawn schematic. A total of eight cuts...four perpendicular to the coils, four at a tangent of each juice well.
After cutting, I prefer to get the wicks wet and place each prior to screwing on the chamber, with minor readjusting if the tails appear to have been rearranged when screwing the chamber on - it shouldn't happen, but I watch as I do this.
Filling and Performance:
I used Ripe Vapes VCT in 3mg between both tanks. I vaped both tanks at 30W for a couple of drags, then ramped upto 40W.
After filling, the vape from the V1 is predictable…I’m getting great flavor and a nice moist vape from 3s-4s drags.
For the V2, top filling was painless. I assembled the tank without the top-fill cover on, closed the airflow, filled the tank ~90% full, and screwed on the cap firmly. Glass droppers will work with the openings. I did not get any leakage from the airflow slots once I opened them up.
The first few drags were slightly gurgly, but that quickly went away. Airflow, wide open with the AFC removed from the tank, is slightly looser on the V2. I cannot determine if this is due to wider airflow slots (there does not appear to be a difference between the two versions) or if there is more room for the air to flow around the coils due to the marginally larger chamber sizing. Flavor is roughly equivalent, I’m still getting nice concentrated flavor and a slightly less moist vape (I believe due to increased airflow).
After vaping for about 30 minutes, I am not getting any juice leakage from the AF. I do see some minor condensation exactly like I get from the V1.
Refilling the tank without the AFC was easy – the top-fill cap is easy enough to remove if you don’t overtighten it, and the included drip tip does make a seal with the one-piece top chimney.
With the AFC closed: There was no leakage when unscrewing the cap. I did get a few drops come out the AFC after filling, closing the top cap, and opening the AFC. I reattempted this but turned the tank upside down before opening the AFC and barely got any leakage.
With the AFC removed from the tank: There was no leakage when unscrewing the cap, but I did get a fair amount of leakage when filling and reattaching the top…the tank didn’t empty itself but I did notice the level drop by about 5%-10%.
I would advise leaving the AFC on the tank, perhaps increase the wick density, keep the AFC closed during refilling, and inverting the tank when opening AFC to prevent serious leakage.
Conclusion:
The GM V2 is a well made tank with marginal construction and fitment improvements over the V1. Without any significant performance differences between the two, I would recommend the tank for those who felt the improvements in the V2 were significant cons on the V1, or for those looking for a marginally larger build deck. Overall, I would recommend both versions of the GM. For those with disposable budgets or those really frustrated with some of the cons from the V1, I say it’s a go…buy away! For more budget restricted vapers, you’re not going to miss out on any significant improvements by sticking with the V1 – it’s a great RTA and has been my #1 since I bought it.
Packaging & Initial Impressions:
Packaging remains identical to V1. Inside the box, I received the V2, drip tip (very similar to the Bellus), Heat Sink/Glass DT adapter, spare glass, single coil adapter, and misc spares.
Initial impressions are that it’s a well machined finished product with a slightly higher level of refinement and build quality over the V1. That’s not to say the V1 was a poorly machined/refined product – my V1 was well made and has been an absolute workhorse for me and has not presented any serious issues.
Initial disassembly was very difficult, especially separating the top-fill cover from the top chimney. No serious machining issues, threads are very clean and smooth (nice improvement from my V1). No residual machine oil. Only issue identified at this point is that my positive post is slightly crooked (less than 1mm offset) - Initial attempts to fix were unsuccessful, it appears it was press fit and I do not want to risk damaging the deck.
Confirmed Differences from V1:
- Native 510 DT fitment - nice to have
- Top fill - nice to have
- Dual levers for AF adjustment - meh
- Larger build deck with raised lip around airflow slots. The overall chamber is marginally wider and taller compared to the V1. - very nice improvement
- One-piece top chimney with ‘rifling/swirls’ – meh
- I hadn't seen this discussed yet. With the V1, you could unscrew the top chimney shaft from the top cap…this does not appear to be the case with the V2, likely to accommodate top-filling.
- Gold-plated (?), adjustable 510 positive pin on V2 compared to possibly silver-plated (?), adjustable 510 pin on V1.
Unconfirmed Differences from V1:
It appears that the bore of the top chimney from the V2 is marginally wider than the V1. This could be my eyes, but I do not have any implements for measuring.
Here's an album of some images I took comparing the V2 to the V1 - Link
Building & Wicking:
I wanted to compare both tanks with ‘identical’ builds in order to identify any subjective differences. I selected to use dual coils, 26g Kanthal, 3/32in (2.38mm) ID, 9/8 wrap for both tanks. The V1 measured at 0.49 ohms. The V2 measured at 0.50 ohms. Both builds were in good agreement with steam-engine and were measured on the Reuleaux DNA200.
Building on the V2 deck is not any different than the V1. The Philips head screws are still very small and difficult to tighten completely – this is no different than the V1. Unfortunately, one of the screws on the positive post had poor threading and needed to be replaced with one from the spares bag…you only get one replacement, so I will check at a later time if the screws included in the V1 are compatible (I don’t see why not but I can confirm later).
For wicking, I use a wick that's thick enough to produce minor-to-moderate resistance when being pulled through the coil. I typically look for a little wick distortion after pulling the wick back and forth...nothing major, but I like to see the areas closest to the coil fluff out a little bit.
Cutting the wick is very easy for me...consider this poorly drawn schematic. A total of eight cuts...four perpendicular to the coils, four at a tangent of each juice well.
After cutting, I prefer to get the wicks wet and place each prior to screwing on the chamber, with minor readjusting if the tails appear to have been rearranged when screwing the chamber on - it shouldn't happen, but I watch as I do this.
Filling and Performance:
I used Ripe Vapes VCT in 3mg between both tanks. I vaped both tanks at 30W for a couple of drags, then ramped upto 40W.
After filling, the vape from the V1 is predictable…I’m getting great flavor and a nice moist vape from 3s-4s drags.
For the V2, top filling was painless. I assembled the tank without the top-fill cover on, closed the airflow, filled the tank ~90% full, and screwed on the cap firmly. Glass droppers will work with the openings. I did not get any leakage from the airflow slots once I opened them up.
The first few drags were slightly gurgly, but that quickly went away. Airflow, wide open with the AFC removed from the tank, is slightly looser on the V2. I cannot determine if this is due to wider airflow slots (there does not appear to be a difference between the two versions) or if there is more room for the air to flow around the coils due to the marginally larger chamber sizing. Flavor is roughly equivalent, I’m still getting nice concentrated flavor and a slightly less moist vape (I believe due to increased airflow).
After vaping for about 30 minutes, I am not getting any juice leakage from the AF. I do see some minor condensation exactly like I get from the V1.
Refilling the tank without the AFC was easy – the top-fill cap is easy enough to remove if you don’t overtighten it, and the included drip tip does make a seal with the one-piece top chimney.
With the AFC closed: There was no leakage when unscrewing the cap. I did get a few drops come out the AFC after filling, closing the top cap, and opening the AFC. I reattempted this but turned the tank upside down before opening the AFC and barely got any leakage.
With the AFC removed from the tank: There was no leakage when unscrewing the cap, but I did get a fair amount of leakage when filling and reattaching the top…the tank didn’t empty itself but I did notice the level drop by about 5%-10%.
I would advise leaving the AFC on the tank, perhaps increase the wick density, keep the AFC closed during refilling, and inverting the tank when opening AFC to prevent serious leakage.
Conclusion:
The GM V2 is a well made tank with marginal construction and fitment improvements over the V1. Without any significant performance differences between the two, I would recommend the tank for those who felt the improvements in the V2 were significant cons on the V1, or for those looking for a marginally larger build deck. Overall, I would recommend both versions of the GM. For those with disposable budgets or those really frustrated with some of the cons from the V1, I say it’s a go…buy away! For more budget restricted vapers, you’re not going to miss out on any significant improvements by sticking with the V1 – it’s a great RTA and has been my #1 since I bought it.
Fantastic review and great pictures! Thanks for putting this all together for us!
Is this available for purchase now, or do we all need to wait until the Chinese Festival is over? Any US resellers have them?
Is this available for purchase now, or do we all need to wait until the Chinese Festival is over? Any US resellers have them?
Great review brother! I especially liked the "this poorly drawn schematic" which I fully understand.
Don't know who's got it in the states...got mine from the HeavensGift preorder and paid to get it on the fastest shipping to avoid any Holidays delays.
Well if there's no really big difference except top fill then I don't know if it's worth getting. I mean top fill is nice but I can also live without it too. It's not terrible having to fill the v1. Is the leaking you think because of a difference in pressure when taking of the tap cap?
A lot of people seemed to dislike the drop tip that came with the v1. Most reviewers said that it was way too loose. Are there any such issues with the new drip tip? Thanks for the review by the way. I don't know why the YouTube guys weren't sent advanced v2's for review. I took that as a bad actually. If you know a product is stellar, you need to send it out to those guys early so that more people will buy it.
@Smellybelly - Yes, I believe the leaking is due to pressure changes inside the tank when the top cap is screwed off/on.
@collinsmcrae - No issues with the native 510 DT fitment. It should be noted that removing the drip tip when top-filling is my suggestion as the drip tip is in contact with both the top-cap and one-piece top chimney.
A quick update for all, been using the tank non-stop over the last two days and have had no leaking during normal use as well as with top filling. I have been keeping AFC closed, filling & closing, and then inverting the tank to open AFC. Overall, solid tank...
@collinsmcrae - No issues with the native 510 DT fitment. It should be noted that removing the drip tip when top-filling is my suggestion as the drip tip is in contact with both the top-cap and one-piece top chimney.
A quick update for all, been using the tank non-stop over the last two days and have had no leaking during normal use as well as with top filling. I have been keeping AFC closed, filling & closing, and then inverting the tank to open AFC. Overall, solid tank...
So your saying invert the tank before opening the afc after filling. Well that's not to bad then. Weird quirk but it wouldn't be a goblin mini if it didn't have some weird quirk to it
I just tried your method. It works alot better then what I was doing. The only thing I didn't do is get the coil as close to the air hole as possible. I don't like restrictive air. But I don't like alot of air either. I just feel like having it to close doesn't stay true to where the dial is. I think I am going to start wetting my wicks now before placing them on wicking channels.I'll be putting the wicking method in a notepad. Thanks alot! I can't wait till my V2 gets here.
@emajin9 I'm glad it's working for you. So far everyone that's tried that method has had great results. I guess I should have said get the coil as close to the air hole as you like to minimize wick length. I personally like mine about 2mm above the airhole.
It's actually designed completely differently. On the v1, the glass DT fit into the main top cap, and an adapter was included for a standard 510 DT. The adapter is what was notoriously loose.
The v2 has a native 510 DT hole in the top cap. A heatsink adapter is included that accepts the glass DT. So it's native 510, adaptable to the glass tip. The v2's native 510 hole works great with every tip I've tried.
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