Flowermate Mini v5.0s: A Review
Every vaporist has to start somewhere, and for many, it is with a Flowermate branded vaporizer.
Coming in at a reasonable price point, ease of use, and strong portability, they are a common staple for many vaporizer users.
Flowermate introduced a small, functional unit into their lineup with the Flowermate v5.0s Mini, taking all the qualities from the Flowermate v5.0s and shrinking them down to a much more compact package.
Features and How the Flowermate Mini v5.0s Works
The Flowermate Mini is an easy to use, minimalistic take on a vaporizer. It has three heat settings coming it at:
- 385F/195C
- 400F/205C
- 415F/212C
Each temperature is represented by an LED surrounding the only button as blue, purple, and red respectively.
That sole button is used to power on the unit with 5 clicks and to adjust the temperature with a long press.
When powering on the unit for the beginning of a session, it will default to the lowest setting (Blue, 385F/195C ) and flash, indicating that it is heating up. When the surrounding LED is no longer flashing, it indicates that the unit has reached operating temperature.
When adjusting the temperature with a long press, hold the button down until the LED displays the next heat setting. When at the top heat setting and the button is held down again, it will loop back to the lowest heat setting.
Honestly, this unit is extremely easy to use:
Simply slide the stem out from its storage place on the bottom side of the vaporizer, load your material, screw the stem on the top, 5 clicks on, and you’re nearly ready to vape (see images below).
It doesn’t get much easier to start than that. The unit is all enclosed and the only parts that are being utilized are the stem, button, and sliding protective doors on the top and bottom of the unit.
Heating Chamber and Capacity
The Mini uses a ceramic heating chamber that will vaporize your material through conduction. About 0.2 grams of finely ground material can fit into this vaporizer and it is recommended to lightly tamp down the material to provide the best vape experience.
Since it is conduction, the finer the grind, generally the more your material will be evenly vaped due to the surface area in contact with the ceramic chamber.
I don’t generally like packing the chamber entirely full, but that is simply for my personal use case. I enjoy using around 0.1 grams of material, or just a pinch, and this vape does just fine with that.
For the thickest, best vapor, packing 0.2 grams is optimal.
Heat up time
The heat up time on the Flowermate Mini is about average for a small, conduction based portable. When fully charged, it takes around a minute from off to reaching the lowest operating temperature.
The time between heat settings is fairly reasonable at around 10-20 seconds when increasing temperature.
The Flowermate Mini also has a built in session timer set for 5 minutes, starting immediately when it is turned on. A positive with the 5 minute session time is if you begin to use the unit but become distracted or forgetful, it won’t completely vaporize your material when set aside.
Admittedly, there is a drawback to these 5 minute sessions being started when powered on; if the device, for whatever reason, takes longer than usual to heat up, the actual time you spend in a session will be diminished, but more on that discussed in battery life portion of this review.
To reheat the vape after the timer shuts off, hold the button down for 3 seconds and it will begin to heat back to the temp you left off at. If you catch the timer right away, there is around 5-10 seconds of reheat time after, depending on how much heat was lost by the unit.
Accessories
There are quite a few useful accessories for the Mini as well including a water pipe adapter, dry tanks, and wax tanks.
The water pipe adapter is fantastic and will accommodate any 14mm or 18mm male or female joint.
The dry tanks are great for pre-packing loads and being able to keep the chamber clean. A small con is that they reduce the chamber size and visible vapor production, but still provide a pretty good experience.
I personally only use these when I am on the go or going to away from home for a while. They are small stainless steel containers that you stuff your material into and simply place into the chamber.
The wax tanks work in the same fashion, but contain an organic cotton wick to absorb the liquid material as it reaches temperature:
Any Smell?
All vaporizers produce smell, even when simply heating up, and the Flowermate Mini is no exception.
It isn’t the smelliest vaporizer to exist, and still significantly less smelly than combusting, but do keep in mind that when the unit is heating up and when it is on, it will be emitting an odor.
It doesn’t linger for too long however, and can generally be minimized if outdoors or in a well ventilated room.
Maintenance
Maintenance on this vaporizer isn’t awful, but it definitely is mandatory. I usually clean the vaporizer at a minimum of once a week, depending on how much I have been using it (keep in mind this is my daily driver at the moment).
The chamber will brown over time, but I have been told this is natural, and after a quick ISO and Q-Tip swab, is generally as clean as it will get.
Vapor Quality
For a small, inexpensive conduction vaporizer, this vape puts out pretty good vapor.
Now, this won’t stand up to high end portables like the Storz & Bickel Crafty, but keep in mind it also retails at nearly a third of the price.
I typically start the session off taking a few hits on the lowest temp setting and the flavor is pretty good for the first 4 to 5 draws. After I’ve had a few flavorful puffs, I generally bump it up to medium for the remainder of my session.
I don’t always go to the 5 minute session timer, but often if I want a longer session, or I am sharing with a friend, I’ll usually let it run until the auto shut off.
To use this unit on the highest setting, a waterpipe is generally a good idea as the short vapor path can produce hot, dry, and uncomfortable hits. You can use it through a water tool at any temperature however and achieve good results:
Battery Life
It is advertised to contain a 2600 mAh Li-ion battery and last around 2 hours. On average, I would say I can get in the 10 sessions per charge range, but I usually keep it charged as much as possible.
Now, earlier I noted how it may take longer to heat up and that is strongly affected by battery charge. The reason I usually keep my unit as charged as possible is that it takes significantly longer to heat up the lower the battery gets.
A decently large con as well is there is no way of telling what the current charge of your device is. A large pro however is the fact you can still use the vaporizer even when it is charging, which is pretty nice.
The Flowermate Mini charges with a standard micro USB connection located on the bottom of the unit and can actually double as a portable battery bank with the USB type B connection on the top of the unit.
Micro USB to Recharge the Mini
USB to recharge phone
Honestly, this is a fantastic feature for not only stealth (you can pass it off as a battery bank to the less knowledgeable), but ease of use and functionality.
There are no proprietary charging connectors (such as its older brother, the standard v5.0s has), just a simple micro USB like on most Android phones and other consumer electronics.
When charging, the unit will have a constant red LED on, indicating it is still charging, and will then change to green when complete.
The USB located on the top can charge something like your phone in an emergency situation which can come in handy.
Portability
Weighing in at just around 100 grams between the unit and the included glass stem, this unit is reasonably light.
It is about the same size as a credit card in width and slightly shorter. Undoubtedly, the unit is very small and not uncomfortable to pocket, especially since the stem stores conveniently inside the unit itself under the lower cover.
With the dry tanks, this unit can be very portable for extended periods of time away from home and still be kept discrete.
Pros and Cons of the Flowermate Mini
Pros:
- The Mini is seriously small and very portable!
- Ease of use. Very easy for a beginner to pick up and start vaping.
- Portable battery bank. Great backup for charging your other electronics.
- This unit is a pretty low cost unit to begin vaporizing.
- Useful accessories.
Cons:
- No battery indicator.
- Reduced performance depending on charge.
- Taste isn’t as good as a higher end unit, but you get what you pay for.
- Not the most efficient.
- Relatively frequent maintenance is required to keep this vape performing well.
Final Thoughts
Really, you can’t go wrong with a Flowermate Mini v5.0s. It ticks enough of the right boxes and has been my daily driver for at least 6 months.
It is a great introductory vape and will not disappoint with reasonable expectations, especially given the price point.
It may be enough for some users, especially those who don’t vape often, but it may leave others wanting more.
Overall, I would rate this as a solid 4/5 and would recommend the Flowermate Mini to others.
Best Place to Buy the Flowermate Mini v5?
For this unit, we recommend picking it up from PlanetOfTheVapes.com
They currently have it on sale for under $100, plus they are shipping it absolutely free and also throwing in a free 3-piece acrylic grinder.
All in all, it’s an awesome deal.
>>Click Here to buy the Flowermate Mini from Planet of the Vapes and take advantage of this deal<<
one Comment