SMOK RPM80 Pro Pod Mod Kit

Timwis

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Hi Ecigssa members, In this review i take a look at the RPM80 Pro Pod Mod Kit from Smok. The SMOK RPM80 Pro Pod Mod Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Ella from Sourcemore.

https://www.sourcemore.com/smok-rpm80-pr...d-kit.html



Introduction

Smok like it's competition follow up a 40W Pod mod with an 80W version, well in Smok's case 2 80W versions giving the choice of a 3000mAh in-built battery or external 18650. Smok has plenty of critics but i don't review products based on reputation but what i experience with the product in question so that's that out the way!

The RPM80 as mentioned has an in-built 3000mAh battery but the device i received is the RPM80 Pro which is taller and accommodates a single 18650, other than that both devices are identical so this review can be used for RPM80 reference also.

The RPM80 Pro comes with both an RPM Pod and RGC Pod which houses Nexmesh powered coils and has added adjustable airflow. The Pods are fully visible and only slightly tinted and also has a top-fill method of adding your juice. Other than that the RPM80 is just the RPM40 with twice the available power but does boast a new user interface (screen layout), let's give it a look!

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In The Box



Contents:

Standard/US/EU Standard Edition

1 x RPM80 Pro Device
1 x RPM80 RPM Pod ( RPM Mesh 0.4ohm Coil Pre-installed) (5ml)
1 x RPM80 RGC Pod (RGC Conical Mesh 0.17ohm coil powered by nexmesh Preinstalled) (5ml)
1 x USB Cable
1 x User Manual


EU 2ml Edition

1 x RPM80 Pro Device
1 x RPM80 RPM Pod ( RPM Mesh 0.4ohm Coil Pre-installed) (2ml)
1 x RPM80 RGC Pod (RGC Conical Mesh 0.17ohm coil powered by nexmesh Preinstalled) (2ml)
1 x cable
1 x User Manual

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Aesthetics and Ergonomics

The RPM80 Pro comes in typical Smok cardboard box packaging with outer sleeve and on opening i came across my first issue, it's just too tall in my opinion for an 18650 device, the size justifies a 2*700 option. I received the Red Stabilised Wood version which brings me to my next gripe, i obviously knew at the price point we would just be dealing with stickers here and although the designs look very nice, the trend of trying to mislead vapers into thinking they are getting Resin or Stabilised wood finishes when what you really get is cheap stickers covered with a clear plastic has got to stop! The colour/design options are Fluid Gold, Black Stabilised Wood, Red Stabilised Wood, Black Carbon Fiber, Black and White Resin, Fluid Blue, 7-Colour Resin, not a hint of Resin or wood in sight!

Despite this the device does seem very well made so not got an issue with what you get but more what some might believe they are getting! Despite it's height like all these pod mods with similar forms it's both ergonomic and a nice portable size and weight! Rather than aesthetically having the same form factor as the RPM40, Vinci series or Herakles the RPM80 Pro is very similar in appearance to the Vaporesso Target PM80. As i tend to do more often these days rather than trying to describe the look of the device i will let the pictures do the talking!



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RPM80 Pro Specs and Features:

Size: 118 x 31.5 x 26 mm
Battery: single 18650 battery(not included)
Output wattage: 1-80W
Output voltage: 0.5-4.0V
Input voltages: 3.3V-4.2V
Resistance range: 0.1-2.5ohm
Charging output: 5V/2A
Charging Rate RPM80 1.2A Max, RPM80 Pro 1.3A Max
Standby current: <200uA
Capacity: 5ml/2ml
Resistance: RPM 0.4ohm mesh coil(25W)
RGC Conical 0.17ohm mesh coil(40-80W)
New intelligent IQ-80 chip with functional protections
Adopts two pods with two coils
SMOK's first pod with adjustable bottom airflow
New RGC conical mesh coil powered by nexMesh
Top filling design with transparent pod for visible e-juice
Colours/Designs: Fluid Gold, Black Stabilised Wood, Red Stabilised Wood, Black Carbon Fiber, Black and White Resin, Fluid Blue, 7-Colour Resin





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The Pods/Cartridges



You receive two different pods which on first glance look the same but their is the smallest of difference in size to keep the same 5ml capacity (2ml TPD version) whichever one you use as the RPM and RGC coils are different in size. One pod holds RPM coils and has RPM on the fill bung while the other houses RGC coils and has both RGC on the fill bung but also an attached metal adjustable airflow ring on the base.



More about that adjustable airflow later, also on the base of both pods we have 2 large magnets. Moving to the top of the pod it's one piece of Delrin which incorporates the drip-tip so you are stuck with what you get. The pods also have a fill bung on this top section which is great to see so the pod can be filled without moving it from the device. The pods are also lightly tinted but absolutely no issues with visibility of your liquid and filling was both quick and mess free.





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Fitting The Coils

You receive both a 0.4ohm RPM mesh coil head which gets push fitted into the RPM Pod and a RGC Kanthal Nexmesh Conical mesh 0.17ohm coil head which also just gets push fitted into place, this time into the RGC pod with airflow adjustment ring.



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Coil Availability

All the RPM coil heads are compatible with the RPM pod giving loads of options including the RPM RBA coil head. To date for the RGC pod we have the included 0.17ohm mesh coil head and also an RGC RBA coil head giving a rebuildable option with both pods!





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The Airflow

On the device towards the top both front and back we have a slot which allows air to the bottom of the pod. The RPM coils have fixed airflow so can only be controlled by the bore of the coil while on the RGC pod we have a control ring that can close down the amount of air getting to the coil (in theory) and it works in a fashion but more about that in the final section!

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Fitting The Pod

Looking into the pods bay we can see the central Gold plated, spring loaded contacts which are on a raised platform which looks well sealed. To each side we have even higher platforms which house magnets to line up with the magnets on the base of the pod/cartridge. We can also see on both the front and back walls there are slots to allow air to the underside of the pod.

The pod/cartridge gets secured by both the magnets and also pressure fitted and is going nowhere, absolutely no movement and very secure. I find the best way of releasing the pod is to get my finger behind the drip-tip and pull forward which lifts the pod free, really good job!



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Fitting The Battery

A single 18650 battery get's fitted via the hatch door on the base of the device. Just slide the door forward and lift up, positive is clearly labelled at the bottom of the tube but negative is marked Black on Black on the underside of the door so not easy to see at all, please White in future Smok!

When the door is shut we have no movement or battery rattle whatsoever, a really nice solid door!



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The Display

The colour display is very bright and impressively sharp with all the information needed on show. Top left we have "SMOK" then top right we have the battery status bar. Underneath we have the wattage and below this the display is quartered into 4 sections. The sections display top left resistance, top right voltage, bottom left puffs and bottom right time vaped.

At the very bottom of the display we have a painting pallet icon followed by 6 different coloured squares in an horizontal row. The main information is in white but some information can be customised to be one of the 6 colours. They are promoting it as a new user interface but as you will find out in the "Operating The RPM80/RPM80 Pro" section it operates exactly the same so really it's just a slight difference in how the information is displayed on the screen.



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Navigating The RPM80/RPM80 Pro

The RPM80 and RPM80 Pro devices may have a pod/cartridge that fits to the device but the device operates just like any other variable wattage regulated device. The device is the usual 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on the wattage can be adjusted in 1W increments from 1W to 80W, it does round robin.

We do have a number of combination key press features which include pressing fire and left together resets the puff counter and fire and right together moves to the next colour option if you want to change the colour of certain items on the screen, the colours to choose from are Red, Orange, Blue, Magenta, Green and White.

Pressing the fire button 3 times locks the whole device so it will not fire, alternatively you can lock just the navigational buttons by pressing them both at the same time. Finally as expected the device has the usual safety protections and if one kicks in a message is displayed on the screen.



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Protections

Intelligent Atomiser Recognition
Puff Monitoring System
8 Seconds Cut-off
Short Circuit Protection
Over-heating Protection
Low Battery Protection



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Charging

Personally i wouldn't recommend charging in the device but the specs give both a Charging Voltage and Rate that differs so curiosity got the better of me. While charging a battery status bar is displayed and the charge is also shown as a percentage, i also just checked and pass-through is supported. The battery took 2 hours 40 minutes to charge in the device so really the charge rate is 1A.

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My Experience Using The RPM80 Pro

The RPM40 was my favourite out of the initial 40W pod mods so i had high expectations but feel things have not been executed as well as they might, their is a lot to like but just feel it could of been so much better.

I love how well the battery door is executed and how well the pod/cartridge secures, also top-fill is great and 5ml capacity (standard version) is excellent. You are stuck with the non removable drip-tip but it is very comfortable.

Up to now the RPM 0.4ohm mesh coil has been my favourite out of all the different coils available for the various pod mods we have seen although i find it's recommended wattage of 25W gives a slightly cool vape so i use it at 30W which is much better delivering more warmth and bags of flavour. I used the RPM pod just to check everything was in order and the RPM coils performance is what i have experienced in the past and all is well.

Next to the RGC 0.17 coil head with nexmesh and what a mixed bag i found this to be in conjunction with the adjustable airflow. The first thing i noticed was what a warm vape it gave and i personally only used it at 45W after some experimenting despite it's 40-80W rating. When it came to flavour i have a new pod mod favourite (nexmesh really delivers) but is it worth the baggage? First although we have adjustable airflow plenty of air gets underneath and there is a gap between the airflow control ring and coil head so even when closing the airflow right down i could tell very little difference so i ended up just not even checking it as i got pretty much the same draw whatever it's position. A word of warning if you do want to alter it during vaping leave it a good few minutes after a vape before touching the control ring, it gets red hot as i found out ouch! The other issue is leaking (see picture),



i didn't have an issue when checking the RPM coil and didn't have leaking issues with the RPM40 but this RGC pod leaks bad and if having the device in your pocket in anything other than an upright position e-liquid will escape out the airflow slots on the device which can be quite messy. Another issue is even at 45W the pod and drip-tip got uncomfortably hot when chain vaping and at above 50W (remember it's recommended up to 80W) it burnt my lips. The other issue is how long a battery lasted as even though i only used the RGC coil at 45W it ploughed through battery life. Another thing to point out is these pod mods don't have voltage boost which was fine for the 40W renditions but if the RGC coil head was used nearer it's upper wattage recommendation then you can forget what wattage is displayed on the screen as when it comes to performance the device would perform like a direct output device losing power as the voltage of the battery dropped!

So the RGC gives great flavour (but too much trade off) so i still much prefer the RPM Pod and included coil. With so many RPM coil options and how well the device performs at modest wattage i still feel many will like this device and it will fly out the door of many vape shops!



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Likes

Despite misleading marketing some very nice designs
Seems well made and durable
2 different pods included (RPM pod and RGC pod)
RGC Pod has adjustable airflow (very limited in it's performance)
RGC 0.17 coil (using nexmesh) gives excellent flavour
RGC coil gave very warm vape
RPM 0.4ohm mesh coil still my favourite pod mod coil (very good flavour)
Top-fill, fills quick and mess free
5ml Capacity (standard edition)
Can clearly see juice level
Accommodates 18650 battery
Fair battery life with RPM 0.4ohm coil
Really good job with battery hatch door
Pods fit very securely
Comfortable drip-tip
Device performed excellently with RPM coil and RGC coil at lower recommended wattage
Sharp, bright, well laid out colour display
Display colour can be customised
Puff counter


Cons

RGC Pod leaks quite bad
Airflow control makes little difference to the draw
RGC coil wattage limited (no voltage boost) only 80W with fresh battery then will drop
Using above 50W the pod and drip-tip got far too hot
Ploughed through battery life with RGC coil in use
Very tall for 18650 device (21700 would give even better performance)
Some people will be misled into believing they are going to get Resin or Stabwood finish!
Black on Black battery orientation on hatch door (hard to see)



I would once again like to thank Ella from Sourcemore for supplying the SMOK RPM80 Pro Pod Mod Kit for the purpose of this review.

https://www.sourcemore.com/smok-rpm80-pr...d-kit.html

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Excellent review @Timwis. I’ve had mine for about 2 months or so and I agree with all your remarks. I just had less leakage on the RGC coil, a small drop occasionally but I enjoyed using the RPM80 PRO thoroughly and the 18650 option is always a winner!
 
Excellent review @Timwis. I’ve had mine for about 2 months or so and I agree with all your remarks. I just had less leakage on the RGC coil, a small drop occasionally but I enjoyed using the RPM80 PRO thoroughly and the 18650 option is always a winner!
Yes that's the problem with review samples from vendors rather than manufacturers, not always but usually the manufacturer will include some extra coils but when sent from a vendor not the case. So my RGC coil could be worse than the norm but i haven't got others to compare to so can only review what i receive and mine leaks bad! It's ok when using on the desk and around every refill just use some tissue in the bay but when out and about the e-liquid does come through the slots of the device from time to time!
 
Thank you for this review @Timwis
I was actually considering purchasing this pod kit for my mother. Now I might have to explore some other options cos of the leaking in the pods and the heating up. I suspect my mother would break this pod kit within a week, haha
 
Thank you for this review @Timwis
I was actually considering purchasing this pod kit for my mother. Now I might have to explore some other options cos of the leaking in the pods and the heating up. I suspect my mother would break this pod kit within a week, haha
Again the heating up is only when doing a few vapes in a row with the RGC coil at above 50W, you can get good flavour from it not just at the 45W i vaped at but i found even below it's rating as low as 30W, also the RPM pod is fine it all depends how she vapes. These 80W Pod mods with external batteries are great for those who still vape at the wattage's they would with the 40W pod mods giving them better performance and much better battery life but are not that great at the higher end of their wattage limit, for that they would need to be able to boost voltage when the battery is running down!
 
Again the heating up is only when doing a few vapes in a row with the RGC coil at above 50W, you can get good flavour from it not just at the 45W i vaped at but i found even below it's rating as low as 30W, also the RPM pod is fine it all depends how she vapes. These 80W Pod mods with external batteries are great for those who still vape at the wattage's they would with the 40W pod mods giving them better performance and much better battery life but are not that great at the higher end of their wattage limit, for that they would need to be able to boost voltage when the battery is running down!

That makes sense with regard to the heating up.
I definitely do like the fact that they use external batteries. As I have gifted her those and my old Nitcore to use for her current one. She does tend to chain vape a lot. But I could always take it off her hands if she ends up hating it. So it might just be a contender. I originally was looking at the Vaporesso Renova Zero for her.
 
That makes sense with regard to the heating up.
I definitely do like the fact that they use external batteries. As I have gifted her those and my old Nitcore to use for her current one. She does tend to chain vape a lot. But I could always take it off her hands if she ends up hating it. So it might just be a contender. I originally was looking at the Vaporesso Renova Zero for her.
The Zero is a less powerful vape and more restrictive, the RPM80 is a DL device so again what's her style of vaping?
 
The Zero is a less powerful vape and more restrictive, the RPM80 is a DL device so again what's her style of vaping?

She currently has the SnowWolf Afeng, I believe its a 30w pod system. Which she loved but has given her endless leaking issues and now misfire issues. She used to be a pack a day kinda smoker. Started off on the Twisp devices.
 
She currently has the SnowWolf Afeng, I believe its a 30w pod system. Which she loved but has given her endless leaking issues and now misfire issues. She used to be a pack a day kinda smoker. Started off on the Twisp devices.
Yeah so a Zero for a main device would be going backwards in power so a pod mod is probably a good choice. I might review products and have my own opinions but there are plenty of knowledgeable vapers on the forum and many have had some different pod mods. My advice would be to start a thread asking for suggestions then you will have ideas from different people which will help (or make it even more difficult lol) to make a choice!
 
Yeah so a Zero for a main device would be going backwards in power so a pod mod is probably a good choice. I might review products and have my own opinions but there are plenty of knowledgeable vapers on the forum and many have had some different pod mods. My advice would be to start a thread asking for suggestions then you will have ideas from different people which will help (or make it even more difficult lol) to make a choice!


That is a very valid point. Thank you for taking the time to help and explain things. I really appreciate it so much. I will look around and see what people say before I make a thread that would probably make it even harder to decide
Sorry for jumping in on this thread. I do appreciate your input
 
That is a very valid point. Thank you for taking the time to help and explain things. I really appreciate it so much. I will look around and see what people say before I make a thread that would probably make it even harder to decide
Sorry for jumping in on this thread. I do appreciate your input
No worries, it's just asking one persons advice is just their opinion and you know what they say about opinions "like ar**holes, everyone's got one)!
 
Yup yup, my RGC coil was built with a short! I did fix it however. Just made the 2 wires not touch each other, and the positive not touch the base, both those issues were present. Let's see how it does with leaking! The RPM40 pod with coil provided left a pool down there!

However I concur, just replaced the RPM40 pod for RPM80, using the RGC, first had to sit with, no atomizer/too low ohm/atomizer short screen. Vaping at 30W is nicer than the coil that comes with the RPM40 pod. Me and the user agree on it. I pushed it to 55W, no thanks, I literally got hot liquid in my mouth.

Edit: Also tried the Smok RPM RBA, the coil that came with it imo is not nice, came out at 0.8 Ohms for some reason. I will try a 6-7wrap with 26G Comp wire next time, am sure it will be much better.
 
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Yup yup, my RGC coil was built with a short! I did fix it however. Just made the 2 wires not touch each other, and the positive not touch the base, both those issues were present. Let's see how it does with leaking! The RPM40 pod with coil provided left a pool down there!

However I concur, just replaced the RPM40 pod for RPM80, using the RGC, first had to sit with, no atomizer/too low ohm/atomizer short screen. Vaping at 30W is nicer than the coil that comes with the RPM40 pod. Me and the user agree on it. I pushed it to 55W, no thanks, I literally got hot liquid in my mouth.

Edit: Also tried the Smok RPM RBA, the coil that came with it imo is not nice, came out at 0.8 Ohms for some reason. I will try a 6-7wrap with 26G Comp wire next time, am sure it will be much better.
The RBA just doesn't look great to me, the Hotcig AFA RBA which is compatible looks much more promising!
 
I expected much less leakage. The RGC, leaks just as bad as the others.

I rebuilt the SMOK RBA with a 26G, came out at .6 Ohm. It vapes way better than the 24G it had stock.

It is now in a Fetch, which means I will have to get another RBA. I am going to look out for some alternatives as you suggested.

I will be brutally honest though, that rba could have been machined better at many places. Post and wicking holes are skew/uneven. However, the holes match up, the threads are perfect, so it still performs basically as it should.
 
I expected much less leakage. The RGC, leaks just as bad as the others.

I rebuilt the SMOK RBA with a 26G, came out at .6 Ohm. It vapes way better than the 24G it had stock.

It is now in a Fetch, which means I will have to get another RBA. I am going to look out for some alternatives as you suggested.

I will be brutally honest though, that rba could have been machined better at many places. Post and wicking holes are skew/uneven. However, the holes match up, the threads are perfect, so it still performs basically as it should.
Yeah they all leak to varying degrees when you get press fitted coils which is also how airflow enters but i found this worse than most but it does seem hit and miss as @Grand Guru loves his and has little leakage and alot of people say the Vaporesse Target80 leaks bad but mine stays quite dry. Out of the possible RBA i like the look of the Hotcig one that's compatible with adjustable airflow but i think Rouk (possibly spelt wrong) also does one. I do have the Smok one but sometimes you get your hands on something, give it a look and without even trying it can tell it's garbage!!
 
I don’t really have an issue with build quality on mine @Silo. It’s decent. But this thing is definitely designed for DL which is why I lost interest in it. It doesn’t take anything away from the aesthetics and the build quality of the pod mod either!
 
I don’t really have an issue with build quality on mine @Silo. It’s decent. But this thing is definitely designed for DL which is why I lost interest in it. It doesn’t take anything away from the aesthetics and the build quality of the pod mod either!
You like your MTL mate, i have opened my wallet and waiting for 3 different MTL tanks, have you tried any of them and if so what do you think?

Cthulhu Hastur MTL RTA
Ambition Mod Purity MTL RTA
VXV Soulmate
 
Got the Black because they didn't have the Silver but for only $9 if it's good will also source a Silver one. that looks good on the Modefined mod!

Tried the other 2 mate?
Unfortunately not but I'm really tempted ny the Hastur!
 
Unfortunately not but I'm really tempted ny the Hastur!
Yeah there is the Hastur and Hastur Mini, i ordered the Hastur Mini from one place and then ordered the Fumytech Rose from another to only get an email 3 days later to say it wasn't in stock so i then ordered the Hastur in it's place so i would have both but yet again got another email to say they didn't have that anymore either (but will get it from somewhere), so settled for the Purity. The Pandora is tempting too!
 
Yeah there is the Hastur and Hastur Mini, i ordered the Hastur Mini from one place and then ordered the Fumytech Rose from another to only get an email 3 days later to say it wasn't in stock so i then ordered the Hastur in it's place so i would have both but yet again got another email to say they didn't have that anymore either (but will get it from somewhere), so settled for the Purity. The Pandora is tempting too!
Will be looking forward to your reviews on them :)
 
Will be looking forward to your reviews on them :)
I don't get time to review the stuff i buy, i struggle to get through what gets sent. I use to get sent review samples from 5 vendors plus manufacturers but had to reduce vendors down to just one rather than not test things properly.
 
I expected much less leakage. The RGC, leaks just as bad as the others.

I rebuilt the SMOK RBA with a 26G, came out at .6 Ohm. It vapes way better than the 24G it had stock.

It is now in a Fetch, which means I will have to get another RBA. I am going to look out for some alternatives as you suggested.

I will be brutally honest though, that rba could have been machined better at many places. Post and wicking holes are skew/uneven. However, the holes match up, the threads are perfect, so it still performs basically as it should.

Are you referring to leaking with the RGC RBA or the RGC coils? If you are referring to the coils, ensure that you use them at about 40w or higher. I'm used to using very low power on pod systems and had serious leaking problems with the RGC coil - more power fixed the bulk of the leaking


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
stumbled apon this thread when searching for rgc rba deck. Anyone have experience with the RGC RBA deck? not the rpm40 rba deck.
iv also heated leaky issues on the rgc coil the device came with. it would sometimes feel like the coil is flooded and i would remove the coil and blow out the excessive liquid and reinsert and then it would vape fine. the coil last quite long tho i managed to get almost a month of usage on it.
Im looking to get the rgc rba and try that.
 
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