Hello ECF! I have a long overdue review for one of Innokin's latest releases (sorry Innokin!), the Klypse Mecha Pod Kit. It's been a while since we've seen a mid-sized pod device with an adjustable UI released to the market - probably as far back as the Uwell Havok V1 - which is when I started writing reviews. Unlike the Havok V1 however, the intricate design of the Klypse Mecha is quite unique as it presents itself almost as a timepiece. Even the spinnable knob fits in well with the design. The Klypse Mecha is compatible with all previous Klypse pod devices (the OG Klypse & Klypse Zip) and now offers adjustable wattage in a very easy-to-operate interface in its latest iteration. It's not all roses however, and I'll be touching base on all of this throughout the review.
First, I want to thank Alisa and the Innokin team for arranging to have this product sent out to me. As always, this critique will be conducted in a fair and honest manner. All opinions stated herein are my own.
Also, before we go too far, I encourage you to visit Innokin's Klypse Mecha page here, where you'll get a much better visual representation of the color options, features, and product specs.
Alright, let's go!
→ OBSERVATIONS & TESTING RESULTS ←
(all photos can be clicked on for easier viewing)
(all photos can be clicked on for easier viewing)
Intro.
Innokin went with a boxing design that's quite different from their usual recyclable packaging. I think it looks very sleek, although I've always been a fan of their use of recycled materials. For me, it's always been what's inside the box that counts, but Innokin went all out with the Klypse Mecha. On the outside of the box, the colorway you chose is stated along the bottom. In this case, there are two different available designs (three for me
), and they both look dazzling - Moonshadow Ink, and Stardust Silver. A picture of both versions (and the variant I received) can be seen further in the review.On the inside, there's a corrugated cardboard and felt pad that covers the device. When removed, it reveals the device which is tightly secured inside a foam cutout. Underneath the foam cutout is where you'll find all of the accessories.
The Innokin Klypse Mecha pod kit comes with all your basic accessories, which makes this a great starter kit. Being that the pod mod has an internal 900mAh battery, there won't be a need for external batteries or supporting products. Along with the pre-installed 0.6Ω Klypse Pod, which is brand new to the Klypse family, they've also supplied you with a spare 1.2Ω Klypse Pod along with a USB Type-C charging cable which will get the job done, but is quite short. And of course, all of the lovely bathroom literature, which you won't be needing if you read the UI operation section. This kit is a great overall choice for anyone interested in a unique-looking, simple-to-use, portable, loose to very tight MTL vape.
The Klypse Mecha Pod Mod.
The front of the device has quite a bit going on surrounding the UI and adjustable turn knob. Personally, I love this look. The sprockets sort of disguise the circular display and knob at first glance with the INNOKIN logo hidden well within the intersecting lines that mask the cogs, making them all blend well with one another. The turn knob in the Stardust Silver colorway blends in even better. The dial juts out about 2mm and is 10mm in diameter - it's quite small. And to the right of the UI, is where you'll find the USB Type-C charging port.
On the back of the pod mod, it's covered with a reflective graphite pattern reminding you that you're looking at the Klypse Mecha toward the bottom. Both sides are covered in what appears to be a hard clear plastic.
The bottom of the Klypse Mecha shows the battery info as well as certifications and a reminder not to just toss these devices in the trash. They're meant to be recycled at a local recycling center that takes lithium-ion batteries.
The pod well is located on the top of the device and has the standard gold/brass-plated, spring-loaded positive and negative pins, as well as an auto-draw sensor and magnets to help hold the pin in securely. The magnets are almost too strong at holding the pod in, and I'll get more into that when we cover the Klypse pods.
The exterior and frame of the Klypse Mecha uses sturdy Zinc-alloy which is a more durable option than Aluminum-alloy, and gives this device just a tad bit of weight which feels great in the hands. To me, a little bit of weight has always been a mark of durability and build quality - think Bose speakers, or silverware. This is one reason I'll almost always recommend Innokin. They might not have the greatest flavor output, or to your particular standard, but at the end of the day you can certainly depend on most of their products to last longer than other vape brands.
The airflow control is located to the left of the UI and slides up and down to close and open the airflow. With the airflow wide open, you can expect a very loose MTL draw. With the airflow completely closed, you get a very tight MTL draw. I've noticed that most pod devices on the market do not offer a tight or very tight MTL draw, so this makes the Klypse Mecha an ideal candidate for those that prefer a similar draw to that of a very tightly packed cigarette - a true MTL as I would call it. The Mecha can dial down that draw even further.
If you can't remember which way is open and closed, under a light source, you can see the tiny airflow holes when it's open.
The Klypse Pods.
The pod is pretty straight forward. If you've used an Innokin Klypse, Klypse Zip, or really any pod device before, this one isn't much different. The coil itself is built into the pod, so when the coil needs to be replaced, you simply chuck out the whole pod. I've never been a huge fan of this as I think it's excessively harmful to the environment, but to each their own. If this device gets you off of the stinkies, then mission accomplished. This particular device comes pre-installed with a 0.6Ω coil which is a new addition to the Klypse series, as well as a spare 1.2Ω Klypse Pod. There are now 4 Klypse Pods that are compatible with any Klypse device, being the empty 0.6Ω, 0.8Ω, 1.2Ω coil pods, and the prefilled 1.7Ω Klypse Pods that come with e-liquid already in them.
There's a "MIN" line stated on the side of the pod, which technically only allows about 1 and a half mL of juice to be consumed at one time before a refill is needed. I would not suggest draining the pod below this line because it will mess up the syphoning capillary-action of the wick and you'll end up with burnt hits upon refilling until this is fixed. The only way I've found to fix this problem (which doesn't always work) is to open the refill plug, and give the pod mouth-to-mouth. Yes, you heard me right - put your lips around the refill hole and gently blow into it. This will force juice back into the coil (this can actually flood the coil which can be fixed by holding the device upside down over a sink and shaking it for 15-20 seconds). The moral of the story is, just don't let the juice in the pod drain below the MIN line.
The refill tab has a raised end which is nice for a couple of reasons. For one, it makes grabbing the tab much easier, and the second reason is that it distinguishes which end to lift up on. I have pulled tabs completely out of other pods before simply because I didn't know which end to pull from. No plug? No vape!
The bottom left pictures shows a top down view of the mouth piece profile. It's quite thin and fits very comfortably between the lips which is ideal for those tight MTL draws.
Also remember to remove the yellow sticker placed on the bottom of the pod for shipping purposes, before vaping.
I do have one little gripe about the pods. The entire mouthpiece is flat and slick. Without there being any rigid spots or knurling on the exposed part of the pod when it's seated into the Klypse Mecha, it can be a bit difficult to remove from the device with the pulling power of the magnets. It would be nice if the sides of the mouthpiece had just a few edges, or knurling, to give the pods a bit more grip for easier removal.
UI Operation.
As I mentioned in the intro, the UI has quite a few features for a pod device of this size, and yet they made it very simple to operate and understand. The Innokin UI 2.0 OLED display scrolls in 0.5W increments from 6-18W which is more than enough of a wattage range to power all 4 of the available Klypse Pod coil resistances. The wattage does round-robin which is kind of a nice feature for the Mecha, as the spinning adjustable dial is quite small and can be a bit difficult to twist with sausage fingers. Pressing the dial in is needed to activate some features, and admittedly, it's a bit soft. So trying to twist the knob without pressing it in can be a little bit of a PITA for those with bigger fingers.
I had to take the animation above from Innokin's Klypse Mecha page (again, I recommend visiting this page!), because it gives you a great visual of most of what I'm about to cover in terms of UI functionality.
When the UI is activated by pressing in the dial, turning the dial, or taking a puff, the display screen seen above on the left shows from top down, the firing mode you're using (W = wattage, V = voltage), the wattage setting, the coil resistance, and the lock status of the dial. The partial ring you see lit around the display is the amount of battery life remaining. This ring changes from green (>30%), to yellow (between 10% and 30%), and then to red (<10%) as it depletes. When taking a puff, the resistance slot then changes over to a puff timer that records how long you inhaled for. This device also has a puff counter that isn't visible on the default UI which is a cool little surprise.
When dropping a pod in, the Klypse Mecha will auto-detect the coil resistance and set the wattage automatically. I'm unsure if at any point, this resets after you make adjustments. However, if you are not sure, click on the site page I linked above and in the intro, and it will tell you what the range is for each coil. I'd recommend starting 2-4 watts under the max range wattage value to figure out what works best for you.
Leaving the UI untouched for 5 seconds (or whatever value you have set in the TIMEOUT submenu), the UI will default to a digital clock which can be set or deactivated in the TIME submenu. How to access these submenus can be seen below.
Shortcut button combos do the following:
Turn the Klypse Mecha On/Off: 3x Clicks (in) on the Dial
Wattage Adjustments: When unlocked, Click (in) and hold Dial (~1 seconds) and wattage display will start blinking
Lock the Dial (will still fire): When unlocked, Click (in) and hold Dial for ~3 seconds (wattage display will blink first, then lock - lock status indicated by a padlock on the display)
Unlock the Dial: When locked, Click (in) and hold Dial for ~3 seconds (lock status indicated by a padlock on the display)
Access the MENU/Submenus: 2x Clicks (in) on the Dial (yes, "MENU" has been corrected in the final release)
MENU Submenus:
COIL: Change firing modes between WATTAGE and VOLTAGE
SETTINGS: Accesses the submenus TIME, TIMEOUT, and QUERY
> TIME - Allows adjustments to the clock which can also be disabled here
> TIMEOUT - Can change how long the screen stays lit when untouched from 5 to 180 seconds
> QUERY - Shows the coil resistance, voltage being used, current 3-digit puff counter, and the ability to reset the puff counter
CUTOFF: Can change the maximum duration in which you can take a single puff from 3 to 10 seconds (this is for safety reasons in case it starts auto-firing - if you generally take 4 second puffs, then set this to 4 or 5 seconds)
While in any menu, to activate/select an option, press and hold down the dial for ~1 second.
The USB Type-C port charges at 0.6-0.7A and takes just a tad bit over an hour to fully charge from dead. I just want to throw in a quick reminder that the lower resistance Klypse Pods will not last as long as the higher resistance Klypse Pods in terms of total puffs because they require more power (wattage) to properly fire them. You'll probably get 50-75ish% more puffs from the 1.2Ω pod over the 0.6Ω pod depending on how long your puffs usually are.
On the left is the original Klypse Mecha I received. In the middle and on the right are the pair I received at a later date. Based on photos from Innokin's site, it would appear that Moonshadow Ink looks closer to the original Klypse Mecha I received, so I'm sure what you'll receive. If you do have a Mecha, what did you receive?
→ CONCLUSION ←
The Innokin Klypse Mecha is a wonderfully crafted pod device, both aesthetically and structurally. In smaller pod kits such as this, there really isn't much you can ask from them other than to just vape, which can be considered both a pro and a con depending on your vape knowledge. With the new UI 2.0 chip OLED display, the Mecha gives you tons of options and is super easy to operate and understand.
I honestly don't remember how much the new 0.6Ω coil differs from the 0.8Ω Klypse Pod. When set on the higher side of the recommended power range and with the airflow wide open, it can certainly put out some decent clouds, but I notice the flavor degrades a bit which is common for DL and RDL vapes. I feel like the Klypse Pods were meant to be vaped in MTL if flavor is what you're after. If you're more into clouds, then open up that airflow! Unfortunately, you can't have your cake and eat it too. If you experience a bit of flavor degradation or even a slight burning, try closing down the airflow. For the 1.2Ω coil, keep that airflow closed.
Pros.
> Very unique and elegant look
> Durable and machined very well
> Pocket-friendly
> Award-winning Klypse Pods
> UI 2.0 is super easy to operate and understand
> Tons of UI options for such a small device
> Clear OLED display
> Very comfortable and sealable mouthpiece
> Great range in airflow (very tight MTL to very loose MTL)
> USB Type-C (charges at 0.6-0.7A and takes a little over an hour for full charge)
Cons.
> Adjustable dial is a tad bit too easy to push in
> Klypse Pods could use a small strip of knurling on the sides of the mouthpiece to be able to remove them easier
Considerations.
> Zinc-alloy body/frame
> Little bit of leaking from one of the pods
> Klypse Pods seem best vaped in tight MTL
> Can be quite the cloud machine with airflow wide open
Overall Rating.
9.0
(when in tight MTL configuration)
7.5-8.0
(when airflow is wide open)
And that'll wrap up this review on the Innokin Klypse Mecha pod kit. If you enjoy an elegant looking, solidly constructed, MTL device with quite a few options while also being able to enjoy the ease of a pod kit, then look no further. If you're interested in purchasing this device, Innokin's online store is currently being upgraded, so I am unable to link their purchase page. My recommendation is to keep an eye out at all participating vendors.
If you've lost your user manual or are too lazy to unpack the box to get it (I don't blame you, lol), here's an online link to the user manual PDF.
I hope I was informative enough to fill you in on what you were looking for. I appreciate all the readers and those that support and continue to show love to the truly honest vape reviewers. It is very easy to become a cheerleader for many of these great companies, but we need to call a spade when we see a spade. This is certainly another win for Innokin.
Thank you again, happy vape hoarding, and happy holidays!
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