Innokin Klypse Mecha Review: Inspired by Master Watchmakers

Design & Build Quality

In overall shape, this vape follows the short, square form factor seen in several previous vapes in the range, including the Klypse Zip. It’s decidedly taller at 92mm, with a width just shy of 44mm, but is certainly more short and square than tall and slim.

The frame of the Mecha is constructed from attractive brushed zinc alloy, with plastic or perspex panels covering the front and back faces. The back features a diamond pattern that gives it the look of carbon fiber, but the front face is the one that demands your attention. Here is where the overall design inspiration is made clear, with a clear plastic panel covering a 3D representation of the inner workings of an analog timepiece.

It’s certainly different and looks great. The various cogs, gears, and dials, some of which are picked out in contrasting colors, look super-realistic and it takes a moment to realize that they aren’t moving. Standing proud at the left of the center is a combined button/dial designed to look like a cog. This is used to change the settings displayed on the OLED just below it.

The button/dial makes it very easy to change settings like wattage, but because it protrudes so far from the front of the vape, I found it sometimes got pressed accidentally in my pocket. The vape is draw-fire only, so that isn’t too much of a problem, but more than once I pulled the Mecha out to take a puff only to discover that it had been switched off. The fact that you only need to press the button three times (as opposed to the more standard five times) to disable the vape doesn’t help matters.

The OLED screen is circular, which fits with the overall design, and thanks to its position in the middle of one of the fake dials, is very unobtrusive when inactive. The display itself is crisp, clear, and bright, and provides plenty of information when activated.

On the brushed zinc alloy sides of the vape, you’ll find the adjustable airflow slider and a Type-C charging port. The slider has a decent range of movement and good resistance, so you don’t have to worry too much about the airflow being changed accidentally. And having the port on the side means the Mecha can stand upright when charging.

There are only two color options available, Moonshadow Ink or Stardust Silver. That lack of color choice makes sense when considering the overall design aesthetic. The metallic finishes both look great and add to the overall feeling of robustness this vape has. Weighing in at a hefty 100g, this is a reassuringly solid bit of vape kit.

I have to admit that I don’t entirely see the connection between watches and vapes, and was slightly disappointed that none of the mechanical dials actually move or represent any of the vape functions. An unrealistic expectation, perhaps, but wouldn’t that have been awesome?

Pods

The Mecha uses the same 2ml pods used by all of the Klypse vapes, so aside from the 0.6Ω and 1.2Ω pods you get in the box, there’s the option to use a 0.8Ω version if you want something in the middle. You can even use the 1.7Ω pre-filled Klypse C1 cartridges which are available in a range of pleasant flavors such as Lemon Tart, Mango Passion Ice, and Jungle Juice.

I’ve reviewed several of the Klypse range in the past, and have always found the pods reliable, well-constructed, and relatively leak-free. And after nearly two weeks of daily use in the Mecha, that appears to still be the case.

The e-liquid reservoir is narrow but long, with the filling port on the side and near the bottom. Approximately two-thirds of the pod slides into the slot at the top of the Mecha, where it is further secured by strong magnets. There is little to no movement inside the slot, and I never once felt as if the pod could come out accidentally.

What this does mean, however, is that most of the pod is hidden within the body of the vape, making keeping track of liquid levels a bit tricky. How annoying you find that is going to be down to personal preference. I know some vapers who like their liquid out of sight and others who prefer to have it always in view.

The drip tip is of a fairly standard duck-bill shape, with rounded sides and a profile that made it, for me at least, comfortable to use all day. The Klypse pods aren’t going to win any awards for innovation, but I’ve always found them excellent to use and have no complaints here.

Features

For all of its smart looks, the Klypse Mecha is a relatively simple device in terms of features. An airflow slider, OLED screen, smart power settings (based on the pod used,) and that’s about it.

The OLED screen, as mentioned above, is bright and clear. It activates when you press the button/dial or draw on the mouthpiece and can display battery level, power setting, coil resistance, and draw time. It can also display puff count, but you need to go into the settings to see this.

Due to the watchmaker-inspired design, presumably, it also has a digital clock. This has to be set up before it will appear, but once that is done the time will pop up for a few seconds just before the screen deactivates. I’ve been wracking my brain for weeks, but I can’t think of another recent pod vape that has a clock. How useful it is as a feature is debatable. It only appears after the normal info screen fades, so to see the time you have to press the button and wait five seconds.

The adjustable airflow slider, however, is useful. It feels firm but slides smoothly, and gives a good range of airflow options. There is a significant difference in the airflow between open and closed, which isn’t always the case in these low-power, MTL-focused pod vapes.

Finally, you have the smart power setting feature. The device will detect the resistance of the cartridge being used and limit the power level to a range suitable for the coil. What that means is that you can experiment with different vaping styles and different power levels without having to worry too much about burning out the coil unexpectedly.

The smart power ranges are:

• 0.6ohm – 6~18W
• 0.8ohm – 6~14W
• 1.2ohm – 6~11W
• 1.7ohm – 6~8W

Smart power settings aren’t a new thing or unique to this vape, but it’s still a nice feature. It somewhat marks it out as a beginner device, but there is enough customizability to edge it into the more advanced end of that category.

Battery Life and Charging

Pod vapes are available with a fairly wide range of battery sizes, from as little as 400mAh to 1800mAh or even more. But for me, even though I am rarely too far away from a place to charge, 900mAh is about the minimum I like to see in a device.

Somewhat surprisingly for such a heavy and supposedly celebratory vape, 900mAh is exactly what you get in the Mecha. Now, it isn’t a hugely power-hungry device and only has a maximum power output of 18W (and considerably less when using a high-resistance coil/pod,) but that felt a bit measly. Undeterred, I set out to discover what that meant for the usability of this vape.

Starting with the 0.6Ω pod and running at 18W, a full charge lasted for just one and a half pods before the low voltage warning kicked in. That’s 3ml of vape juice from a single charge. Dropping the power to 14-15W improved battery life slightly to almost two pods. Using the 1.2Ω pod at the maximum smart power setting of 11W took the pods-per-charge count up to two and a half pods. Not terrible for a 900mAh battery, but not brilliant when compared to similar pod vapes.

Charging time for the vape was also a bit of a disappointment. The USB-C port in the Mecha is set at 0.8A and it therefore took almost a full hour to recharge from zero using the supplied cable. But at least the port is on the side, so the vape doesn’t have to be laid on its side for all that time.

Performance

The Mecha is almost certainly aimed squarely at MTL vapers. The low-power and relatively high-resistance pods/coils lend themselves to mouth-to-lung vaping much more than direct-lung. Those who like RDL vaping might find some satisfaction from this vape, but there are likely better RDL devices around.

I tested the 0.6Ω and 1.2Ω pods with a few different e-liquids, in a range of strengths, formulations, and flavors. The higher-resistance pods worked best for nic salt liquids, but even the 0.6Ω handled low-strength salt juice well. The 50/50 freebase liquid I use daily tasted good in both pods, with a decent throat hit and smooth flavor production.

Flavors were better through the low-resistance pod at 18W, tapering off with the power reduction of the 1.2Ω pod. That said, I was pleasantly surprised, and if you’re used to vaping with those sorts of settings, the Mecha is likely to hit the mark for you.

The Mecha is draw-fire only, but because the button is positioned underneath where my thumb naturally rested, I occasionally pressed it by mistake, expecting the vape to fire up. There was also sometimes a bit of lag in firing when the airflow was wide open, even if the battery was full. These aren’t huge problems, but worth remembering if you decide to choose this vape.

Oh, and on the device I tested, the OLED would randomly activate without any interaction from me. If it occasionally lit up to show the time, I could almost convince myself it was a feature. But as it shows the main info screen and then the clock, it feels more like a malfunction.

Verdict

The Mecha is a solid addition to the Klypse range of vapes, both literally and figuratively. If you are looking for a well-made, sturdy, and fairly unique-looking MTL device, it hits those marks perfectly well.

The pods are good, with barely any leaking and coils that should last for at least a few weeks with careful use. There is also a good range of pods available. Some kind of viewing window incorporated into the clock design would have been nice, but being required to pull the pod out every so often isn’t too much of a chore.

The OLED screen is great, and using the dial to change settings up and down is easier than pressing a button numerous times. If it wasn’t for the slight problem of random activation and the increased possibility of switching the vape off in your pocket, I would say it was as good a setup as on any pod vape I’ve seen.

The slightly underpowered battery and lack of fast charging is a letdown, but most MTL vapers will still get a full day of use from a full charge. If those things were fixed, along with the few other snags, this could be a great MTL vape rather than just a good one.

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