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Hellvape x Wirice Launcher Mini Tank Review

I_aint_Joe

Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Introduction

I never used the original Launcher tank from Hellvape and Wirice, while the top-loading coil system seemed interesting, direct lung stock-coil tanks are not my thing, so I wasn’t about to hunt one down.

The Launcher Mini is the same basic concept, but being ‘mini’ means that it’s now MTL and maybe restricted direct lung as well, so I am far more interested.

I’ve been testing the Launcher Mini for almost a month, mainly because it really suits my vaping style.

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More Images are here.

Specs

  • Height: 55.85mm
  • Diameter: 23mm
  • Capacity: 3ml (TPD 2ml)
Aesthetics

The Launcher Mini is quite a subdued and classically designed tank, with a logo free design. Design details are limited to knurling on the top-cap and coil release, and ridges on the airflow control ring.

It is a comparatively tall tank considering that it only has 3ml capacity, this is mainly due to the spring loaded mechanism for the top-loading system at the bottom of the tank – it’s about the same size as my Expromizer V5.

My personal take on the aesthetics is that it looks great, I’m into minimalist designs so it ticks all the boxes for me.

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Build quality

In a word – excellent. Every element of the tank feels just right, the airflow control ring has a perfect tightness and is easy to use, the top-fill cap threads on and off nicely, the top-loading system is simple to operate and screws in nicely.

Top-loading system

gif of the top-loading system in action.

To remove the coil you unscrew the coil release at the top of the tank, which in turn causes the juice flow to spring shut and the coil pops out, reverse the process to put in a new coil. This whole process is clean, but your used coil will still be a little wet, so either have a tissue ready or open the tank over the trash and pop the coil in directly in there.

The top-fill cap is more of a top-fill ring, so you don’t have to remove it to replace the coils – however unless you remove the drip-tip some of your juice bottles might not fit.

In some reviews of the original Launcher tank the top-loading system was called a game changer, which is stretching things a little. It is however a useful convenience, it does make coil replacement easier and cleaner and more importantly for me, I don’t risk losing a tank of juice just because a coil has decided to die just after I filled the tank.

The only issue I have with this coil replacement system is that coil release also houses the 510 drip-tip, standard 510 drip-tips will fit, however tips with a wide base will overhang and the supplied drip-tip has small notches on the bottom which allow you to grip the drip-tip to unscrew the coil release, use your own tips and you can only grip the knurling to release the coil. Overall, this is certainly not a deal breaking issue.

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Airflow

The single-sided airflow control ring offers the following options:

0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.2mm, and 1.5mm round holes and a 1.7×1.2mm slot.

Coils

The Mini Launcher comes with two different stock-coils:

0.7 ohm mesh coil

This coil is rated from 14w to 18w, however it will happily work at 20w without any wicking issues. With the airflow fully open at 18w to 20w the coil is capable of a restricted direct lung hit, while cutting the airflow down to the 1.5mm or 1.2mm hole and reducing the power to around 15w, you have get a nice loose MTL hit.

Overall, this coil gives good flavor and is very reminiscent of other low power mesh stock-coils. I put all kinds of juice through this coil and had no issues with wicking.

1.2 ohm wire coil

Firstly, on the sample packaging this coil was marked as mesh – it isn’t mesh, it’s a wire coil.

Secondly, for me this coil was the star of the show. I’m getting bored with mesh, I know it works well, it makes flavors intense – but it always feels as if I’m missing some of the flavors. This problem is exacerbated with MTL, because MTL should be about the subtle nuances of flavors, the warmth of the vape and the throat hit – not just an intense blast of whichever flavor in the juice is strongest.

I didn’t feel the need to push this coil hard at all, 10w with the airflow set to either the 1.2mm or 1.5mm hole gave me a nice MTL hit, with really nice flavor and a well judged throat hit, cutting the power down to 8.5w and using either the 0.8mm or 1.0mm hole was even better. For tight MTL this coil outperforms any MTL mesh coil significantly.

The only issue I had with this coil was when I pushed the power to the recommended limit of 13w and used thicker juices, thicker juices at up to 10w and thinner juices at 13w wick just fine – but combine the two and the wicking can struggle a little.

Both of the coil have a decent lifespan, this of course depends on how hard you push them and what juice you are using.

What I like about the Launcher Mini

  • Aesthetics. The minimalist looks make it look high-end.
  • Quality. The quality matches the looks, everything feels good and works well.
  • Top-loading system. It works and it’s useful.
  • Coils. The 0.7ohm mesh coil is nice and the 1.2ohm wire coil is outstanding.
What I don’t like about the Launcher Mini

  • Height. It’s a little tall for a 3ml tank.
  • Drip-tip. Some drip-tips will overhang and only the provided one has notches for the coil release, also you’re going to have to remove the drip-tip to refill with some bottles.
  • Coil. The 1.2ohm coil can be a little fussy with juice ratios when you start pushing the wattage.

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Conclusion

The Launcher Mini is an attractive and well made tank, that has decent coils and nice features.

It does well with restricted direct lung, but MTL is where this tank really shines.

Disclaimer

The Launcher Mini was provided for the purposes of this review by Hellvape.
 

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