Hardware Review: Trinity Alpha by Smok
It’s here, you might call it a clone, you might be generous and see the differences to the 2 other pod systems that share this profile, but whichever way you look at it, this is Smok’s chance to get into the higher end POD game!
The Smok Trinity Alpha is Smok’s shot at bringing out not only a POD device, but to get ahead of the competition again and release another POD device where you can change coils!
Anyway, I’ve recently picked up the metallic blue version of this little bit of kit, read on to find out what I thought of it!
Specifications and Features
- Brand: SMOK
- Material: Zinc alloy
- Size: 91 x 38 x 16mm
- Battery Capacity: 1000mAh
- Output Power: 10-25W
- Input Voltage: 3.3V-4.2V
- Output Voltage: 2.4V-6.0V
- Charging Voltage: 5V
- Resistance: 0.4Ω -1.4Ω
- E-liquid Capacity: 2.8ml
Product Includes:
- 1 x Trinity Alpha Battery
- 1 x Trinity Alpha Empty Pod (2.8ml)
- 1 x Nord Mesh 0.6Ω coil (Max: 25W)
- 1 x Nord Mesh-MTL 0.8Ω coil (Max: 16W)
- 1 x USB Cable
- 1 x User Manual
Photos
Preface
The Trinity Alpha Kit, has a few very important features that if done right, will put it ahead of the game. (for now anyway, we all know the fast moving POD world will spit the next big thing out very soon!)
With the Trinity Alpha, Smok have tried to match Lost Vape’s Orion device’s profile with it’s steel bodied, rectangular looks, (walkie talkie anyone?), but they’ve gone one better. Replaceable coils as well as replaceable POD.
This is a huge thing, since purchasing new pods all of the time can get quite expensive, not to mention the carbon footprint, with this Kit, and previously on the Smok Nord, you’ll see savings by simply swapping out coils.
Another benefit to this is the various coils available, from Direct to lung, coils, through to Mouth to lung coils, they have every type of vaper covered in the one system. Very clever.
Let’s go into some more detail on the Trinity.
The POD
The POD for the Trinity Alpha has a pretty decent 2.8ml capacity, it’s not massive, but it’s also a lot larger than some POD systems. Comparing it to Lost Vape’s Orion 2ml capacity, it crams 0.8mls more into that tiny space.
The POD is topped by an interchangeable 510 drip tip, you can put your own on if you have something else you prefer, and it will fit nice and snug.
As mentioned earlier, these pods allow for separate installation of coils, so you no longer need to purchase complete pods when your coil starts ruining your flavours. That should save you some hard earned cash!
Taking advantage of the good publicity they’ve received from their Nord device, the Trinity Alpha is designed to use the same coils. A simply push in or pull out, no threads to strip, not fancy latches or screws, putting a new coil into a pod couldn’t be easier.
Coils have quite a snug fit too, which I found to be an absolute plus, considering the disaster that would happen should they work themselves free!
The Nord coils are available in 4 types, all fitting the Trinity Alpha:
– Nord Mesh-MTL 0.8 Ω coil (mouth to lung, more clouds/flavour,longer lifespan, Max Power: 16W)
– Nord Mesh 0.6 Ω coil (For sub-ohm, big vapour, Max Power: 25W)
– Nord Regular 1.4 Ω coil (MTL, Max power 12w)
– Nord Ceramic 1.4 Ω coil (High temp resistance, Long lifespan)
So there is a coil for everybody! Well, almost.
While the DTL coils worked quite well with their restricted draw, I absolutely expected the MTL coils to give a nice tight and restricted air flow. Not so.
In reality, the MTL coils were barely less restrictive than the DTL coils.
You can block the back airflow in the back of the body of the Trinity and get a little bit tighter of a pull, but even then, it’s still not a true MTL.
So if you’re looking at getting this and thinking to use it for an all day out and about vape with a nice tight mouth to lung airflow, you’ll be sadly disappointed.
How do the pods go on the leak test?
Ok, under normal conditions, you’ll find that they don’t leak. However one situation that I’ve found WILL make them leak, and quite a lot, is if the sliding fill port is left open.
Unfortunately this can happen at the worst of times. You see the slide fill port, doesn’t sit firmly in place, the smallest nudge with your finger will open it, de-pressurising the pod, and allowing a slow leak from the bottom, into the main body. You can only imagine the trouble that this might cause in several situations.
Like in your pocket, you know “WHERE YOU PUT YOUR POD DEVICE BECAUSE ITS PORTABLE!”. Or how about in your bag, “WHERE YOU PUT YOUR POD DEVICE BECAUSE ITS PORTABLE!”.
Sorry Smok, but this one really is a deal breaker.
(Disclaimer: This might not happen with all of them, and replacement pods may have a stronger grab on the sliding fill port. I am looking into getting a replacement POD to test the outcome.)
The Main Body
The body of the Trinity Alpha is made of Zinc-Alloy, and measures 91mm in height, 38mm in width, and 16mm in depth, making this quite small and a pleasure to hold.
The main body houses the battery of course, of which you get a whopping
1000mAh of power. Given the 1000mAh, I really didn’t see this lasting very well. Not even 2 hours in, moderately vaping, out and about, and I’m looking at a red light, telling me that I need to recharge. (I guess these sub-ohm coils do suck some of the life from this battery after all!)
The feel of the device is quite nice, it is a really good size, and seems to be made quite well. The lock button for the pods, is solid, and does not let go of pods easily without depressing the latch, and the anodised zinc-alloy is very shiny and well made. I can’t see the finish cracking or peeling, it has a very very nice quality to it.
The siding or panels, seem to be made from resin, most likely a thin resin sheet glued to the main chassis, and are both uniform with no edges pulling away or catching.
Fitment of the pods is precise and they sit very solidly in their cradle with no movement or deviation.
Usage
5 clicks of the main fire button turns this little unit on and off, and there is also a bonus button down below so that you can change between the 3 power settings. Soft / Normal / Hard. There are even coinciding LED’s provided that show you which mode you have it in, and light up when you change them.
Another nice feature of the Trinity Alpha is the charge LED, that let’s you know every time you fire, the level of your battery.
Green – 100/70%
Orange – 70/30%
Red – <30%
When you get beyond Red, and you try to fire, the light will blink rapidly and you will not be able to use the device.
Filling
The fill port of the pod is interesting. Instead of unscrewing a cap, or removing a silicone plug, the top of the fill port slides across revealing an opening where you can fill with e-liquid. If you’ve seen the top fill of many modern tanks and how they slide back to show a fill port, it’s very much along the same lines, just a lot smaller!
Filling the pods is a little more troublesome than it should be. Without a secondary hole to allow air out, filling the pod with a larger nozzle, can be a little tedious and a little messy, considering the sliding mechanism’s tendency to get e-liquid all over it. Unless you’re using a very fine needle tip syringe to fill this, you’re going to need a tissue to wipe up any excess whenever you fill. (annoying)
The PODs themselves are tinted plastic, actually very tinted. So dark in fact it’s quite difficult to see how much liquid you have left at any one time. I find it easy enough to take the pod out and hold it up to the light, easy right, but still another little annoyance.
Charging
I have zero complaints with the charging, this is very quick to charge, and is as simple as plugging in a micro USB cable into the supplied port near the bottom of the mod. It’s not a bad place for the port either, closer to the bottom, the battery/mod sits quite sturdy on the table with the cable plugged in and not tipping over too easily.
How long the charge lasts is a different story. Because the Trinity Alpha is designed to use sub-ohm and less restrictive coils, it chugs power. There were many times I would be vaping away not overly intensely, only to find after an hour or so, the battery light would indicate that it desperately needed a charge. Thankfully it charges quickly, but it’s a little bit of a kill joy to only get that small amount of usage out of it before needing to top up!
Pros:
- Great Looking
- Largish pod for more juice
- Very comfortable to use
- Solid feel to it
- Replaceable coils
Cons:
- Fill slider can come loose easily and cause leaking from not only the top but from the bottom of the pod. (Possible to fix this with new pod)
- Very difficult to see juice level through dark tinted pod.
- Even with the MTL coils, you DO NOT get a true MTL vape from this.
- Provides a pretty aneamic vape, a cool vape, not a nice warm one.
- Battery life isn’t fantastic
Conclusion
I really wanted this to work for me. As soon as I picked this up, it felt great, the form factor, the nice shiny blue metallic finish, the general build quality just felt great, I had very high hopes, but it didn’t really live up to the hype for me.
I don’t want to sound like a negative Nancy, but I do have to call a spade a spade, and this is definitely not a spade. I don’t know exactly what it is, and I’m not sure if Smok do either.
Was Smok trying to make a POD device for sub-ohmers? A POD device almost catering to Direct to Lung Vapers? They must be, because this definitely is not for mouth to lung vaping, nor is it for taking to work and having a portable device where the battery lasts even half the day.
I also found that the Trinity Alpha, no matter which coils you throw at it, provide quite a cool vape. This is not really an issue for menthol or flavours with a little bit of chill in them, but for a dessert I want a nice warm vape. You just won’t get that from this device.
Throw in the dodgy slide to open juice port and potential leaking issues, I’m not really impressed.
Ok, so granted some of these things could be a QA issue, and may be easily fixed by purchasing another POD (I really shouldn’t have to), but there are still a few negatives.
If you are looking for a cheaper version of the Orion though, give this one a go, hopefully you will have a better experience with it.
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