Smok RPM Lite Pod Kit Review
If there was one company that has impressed me quite a lot this year, clawing back from the being knocked down a few years back, it’s Smok. They suffered quite a lot a few years ago, when their QC went down the hole, and because of it, lost a lot of trust with consumers. They seemed to be pumping products out so quickly that there just wasn’t any quality control, and everything started to look alike.
Fast forward to 2020 however, and we’ve seen some ‘huge’ improvements. Their RPM coils for one have been a great addition to their range, as well as their new Fetch, RPM40 and RPM80 Pod mod systems.
Today I have something even smaller, and even lighter for you.
Let’s take a look at the Smok RPM Lite Pod Mod.
The Smok RPM Lite was sent through to me directly from Smok, for the purposes of this review.
Specifications and Features
- Size: 32x21x75mm
- Output: 1-40W, VW
- Battery: 1250mAh (internal)
- Display: 0.96in TFT colour screen
- Resistance range: 0.3-2ohm
- E-liquid capacity: 3.2ml (standard) / 2ml TPD
- Pods: Refillable, replaceable coil
- Coil options: RPM coil range – including RBA coil
- 1.2A fast charge
- Weight: 50g
Product Includes:
- Smok RPM Lite Device
- Pod
- RPM Mesh coil 0.4ohm
- RPM DC 0.8ohm coil
- USB cable
- User manual
Photos
The Review
I’m going to say it straight off the bat. This small device has won my heart over the last few weeks. Sure it’s not perfect, but Smok have made sure that the ‘really’ important parts are covered. There are definitely a few negatives, but they’re merely annoyances in comparison.
Measuring in at 32x21x75mm and only 50g in weight, this device is small and lightweight, it’s stature allows you to simply throw it into a jacket pocket, or even just your jeans pocket, and you’ll likely not even notice it there.
A decent sized internal battery powers the device, and at 1250mah, you might not be able to go an entire day on maximum wattage, but you’ll get through most of it, and even longer, if you enjoy a more restricted vape with lower power settings. Throw in the fact that this can handle 1.2amps of fast charging, the size of the battery really is less of a consequence, unless you’re away from a power point for an extended period of time.
Add some super simple design, easy filling, leak-free pods and a vape that is not only flavourful but puts out the kind of vape you’d get in a higher powered device, and you’ve found the RPM Lite.
The Main Body
Making sure that this device is as light as they could get it, Smok went with a mainly plastic body, with a thin aluminium shielding around the outside, which adds the various colour to each device. It does have a quality feel, and it’s quite pretty when taken out of the box.
The finish isn’t completely durable however.
I’ve noticed that this thin aluminium very easily dents, and the black contoured plastic around the screen also has a tendency to scratch easily.
Not exactly high end and just may be a deal killer straight out of the gate for some of you, but I promise, things get better.
For me, this is a minor thing, and being honest, the dents don’t show too badly.
You’ve got 3 buttons on the front of the device, at the top your fire button, which has the usual 5x clicks off/on. Down below, your wattage up and wattage down buttons, and under that your Micro usb charge port.
The POD
The POD on the RPM Lite is magnetic, but also pushes in with a little resistance, I’m not sure where Smok were going with this, considering that the magnets seem more than adequate to hold the pod in place, perhaps it was a mis-judgement with the POD’s final size.
Anyway, these POD’s are not going to come loose any time soon, even in the event of a drop, they will not fall out. They’re actually quite difficult to remove at times.
The Pods are clear, there’s no tint to them at all, unfortunately, you have to remove the POD to see how much e-liquid is left. I don’t know what Smok were thinking here, but this is an issue. It would have been easy to create a cutout on the front of the device with a small window to see the juice in your pod, this, I’ll admit was a bit of a let down. It does get annoying having to remove the POD to see the levels.
Moving on, if you look closely at the POD, it’s put together slightly different than other pods. The seam where the pieces come together is at the top. This is a great move by Smok, to limit the seepage of e-liquid, below the POD. And of course it works. Not a single drop has leaked from this POD while I’ve used it. I have to commend them on this point, using a bit of common sense to solve an issue so many other PODs suffer from. Very well done.
The RPM coils simply push into the base of the POD, they fit snugly, and there are no issues with the fitment. Changing coils is super easy.
To the side, you’ll find the e-liquid fill port, covered by a silicone plug. Again, just like fitting new coils, super simple.
Coils
The RPM Lite, uses (you guessed it!) RPM coils. Smok have quite a variety of coils in under the RPM banner, and you’re bound to find a coil that suits your particular vaping style.
The RPM Lite comes with two coils in the pack:
– an RPM Mesh coil that comes in at 0.4ohms, perfect for direct lung inhales, and good for about 25 Watts.
– an RPM DC 0.8ohm MTL coil that is tailored to Mouth to lung vapers and hits great at about 18Watts.
Both of these coils have been wonderful, they’ve really gone the distance, lasting up to about 3 weeks with no flavour drop off and, only the slightest burnt note. The Mesh 0.4ohm coil gives quite an open airflow, whereas the 0.8ohm MTL coil, is more of a very restricted Direct to lung type of airflow, not a condensed MTL draw at all.
Airflow
The airflow for the RPM Lite mod is located at the top, on either side, and goes in through the side of the body of the device, to reach underneath the POD. It has quite an open airflow, with no real restriction at all, it’s really only restricted by the diameter of the coil you’re using.
Unfortunately there is no real way to adjust the airflow here, and you might find yourself holding your finger over one of the air slots if you’re looking for more of a restricted draw like I have been.
This is a bit of a missed opportunity, as it would have been quite simple to add some airflow adjustment options here, whether it be a simple silicone plug or even just a sliding airflow adjustment.
The screen
The screen is pretty, it’s a big 2.5cm TFT colour screen, where you can customise your main theme colour from white, red, orange, green, blue, or purple.
Also displayed in an easy to read size are, battery status, wattage, coil resistance, puff counter, length of last puff, and voltage.
Battery
The RPM Lite houses a 1250mah internal battery, which will get you through most of the day depending on which coil you use. I found running it on the 0.4ohm coil at about 25Watts got me a few hours worth of usage, whereas the 0.8ohm MTL coil gave me power for the full day.
The battery has quick charge and does indeed charge really quickly. No more than an hour from empty to full, and seems to charge up from empty very quickly, then a little slower the closer it gets to full.
Filling
Super simple filling here, just follow the above instructions. Ive had no issues filling it completely full, no ejuice blow back, it’s quick and easy.
Any Leaks?
Not a one. Zero. Because Smok have made sure to put the seam at the top of the POD, there is really only one place it can leak or seep. And that is through the coil. If you’ve got a good coil, you’ll have absolutely no issues with leaks or seepage. You may get some condensation under the coil, but that’s normal and expected behaviour.
I’ll say it again in case you didn’t hear. “NO LEAKING”. I’ve kept this in my jacket pocket during temperature changes, inside, outside, moving around, in front of the heater, and there hasn’t been a single instance where I’ve noticed any eliquid under the POD.
Usage
The device is really easy to use, it has the usual x5 clicks off/on to power up the mod. Then you have your up and down buttons for changing up the Wattage.
– Turn device off/on = 5x fire button
– Lock device = 3x fire button
– Wattage up = left adjustment button
– Wattage down = right adjustment button
– Lock Wattage = click both adjustment buttons simultaneously
– Clear Puffs = click both fire button and left adjustment button simultaneously
– Change theme colour = click both fire button and right adjustment button simultaneously
Pros:
- Flawless operation
- Lightweight
- No leaking
- Instant Power
- Takes RPM coils
- Great build quality
- Adjustable Power
Cons:
- No adjustable airflow
- Drip tip not removeable
- Aluminium easy to dent
- Battery could be larger
- Cannot see juice level unless you remove the pod.
- Difficulty removing Pod (it’s pretty tight)
Where to Buy:
You can purchase the Smok RPM Lite POD Mod right now on sale for $29.99 USD marked down from the usual $37.99 USD directly through the Smoktech online store. This is a lot of device for that price mark.
Conclusion
This is a really nice little device. I’ve tried to break it, I’ve treated it like a beater and I’m telling you now, this thing just keeps coming back for more. Mine is scratched, dinged up with dents, been thrown into my toolbox, been kept in my jacket pocket with my keys, everything.
I’ve really really tried to get this to leak also, but it just refuses to. I’ve tried leaving it in the freezer, then putting it in front of the heater, I’ve put it through all sorts of temperature changes, and this still will not leak.
Short of putting it on an airplane, you’re not going to have any leaking issues with this device.
There are an equal amount of Pros and Cons, so this is far from perfect, but Smok have got the important parts right. This is a small and lightweight mod with enough battery life to get you through the day, a large enough Pod to keep you going for a reasonable time and it uses great coils with plenty of options and great flavour. Filling is easy, charging is quick, and the controls are super simple.
Sure, you’ll need to pull the POD to see how much juice you’ve got left, and the airflow isn’t adjustable, but hey, no leaking!
Good job Smok!
