The mini, like the normal phunnel, has the problem of leaving the lower 1/3 of the tobacco unsmoked for the most part. I know that this would require more smoking, but in a way that kind of defeats the purpose of the mini.
John's mini, in my experience, smokes all the way through, the first phunnel-style bowl I have seen do that. The shallowness of the bowl most definitely plays a role in this. So you end up using ALL of the tobacco in the bowl, not to mention the Alien smokes absolutely superbly.
On top of all that, you can actually get the bowl - and at a reasonable price.