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SMOK RPM80 Pro Review: SMOK’s Response to the Vinci X
Product intro and specs
The RPM80 Pro kit is the latest edition to the RPM line of AIO pod systems by SMOK. The company has been making pod style AIOs for a while now, with the Nord and Trinity Alpha being two of the most popular vapes of 2019. The RPM80 Pro belongs in the pod mod category that has been all the rage lately. It comes with coils for DL vaping and medium to higher watt usage, as well as lower wattage options for restricted DL and MTL.
The RPM80 Pro is capable of up to 80 watts, has full wattage adjustability, and uses a single 18650 battery. The non-Pro edition has very similar specs but uses an internal battery instead—if that sounds familiar, it is because Voopoo did more or less the same thing with the Vinci and Vinci X pod mods.
I have used previous RPM devices in the past, and they have been solid performers. Keep reading to find out if the RPM80 Pro follows in their footsteps.
Price: 36.95 (Here)
Colors: Black stabilized wood, red stabilized wood, fluid gold, fluid blue, black and white resin, 7-Color resin, black carbon fiber
Specifications
- Dimensions: 118 mm x 31.5 mm 26 mm
- Weight: 97.3 grams (battery not included)
- Standby current: <100uA
- Input voltage: 3.3-4.2 volts
- Output voltage: 0.8-4.0 volts
- Output wattage: 1-80 watts
- Charging voltage: 5 volts
- Charging current: 1.3 ams (Max)
- Charger output: 5V/2A
- Resistance range: 0.13-2.5 ohms
- Output mode: Wattage
- E-liquid capacity: 5 mL
Kit contents
- 1 x RPM80 Pro device
- 1 x RPM80 RPM pod (RPM Mesh 0.40 Coil) 5 mL
- 1 x RPM80 RGC pod (RGC Conical Mesh 0.17 coil powered by nexMesh) 5 mL
- 1 x USB cable
- 1 x User manual
Build quality and design
The SMOK RPM80 Pro is a pretty large device compared to say the Caliburn, but that’s not the intent here. It’s about the same size as other similar pod mods like the Aegis Boost and the Voopoo Vinci X, and slightly bigger than the Vaporesso Target PM80. Part of the larger size is due to it using replaceable 18650 batteries. It stands approximately 109 mm x 26 mm x 31.55 mm and weighs surprisingly little at 125 grams with a battery in. It’s like having a really small mod on you rather than a pod system.
The RPM80 Pro feels great in the hand with its shape, kinda like a non-rubberized Aegis Boost. It may not be officially “rugged,” but it is pretty well built. It does have some rattle on the up and down buttons, but it is really slight.
The Pro comes in seven color options. The most interesting ones are the black and red frame options with a stabwood design on the panels. There are also four frames with resin panel options (gold, blue, black, and rainbow) and a simple black frame with carbon fiber design panels. I received the black stabwood edition, and while I doubt it’s actually stabilized wood (the price is too low and the feel isn’t really there,) it does look good and classy.
Getting started
As with most pod AIOs these days, the RPM80 Pro feels more like a full-fledged mod. The device features a large color screen on the front that is bright and easy to see. The battery door is your standard latch style on the bottom. It’s easy to open and close, and batteries get in and out without any issue. Really good job there, and the door closes great with no gap.
As far as operation goes, it is pretty straightforward.
- Five clicks of the fire button to turn the device on and off.
- Use plus and minus to set your wattage between 1-80 watts in one-watt increments.
- Three clicks of the fire button to lock the device.
- Hold plus and minus to lock the adjustments (you’ll still be able to fire it).
- Press fire and minus to reset the puff counter.
- Press fire and plus to cycle through the text color options (green, white, red, yellow, blue, and purple).
That’s about it. There’s no menu or other modes available, but I don’t think anything else is really needed here.
The pods come with a non-replaceable built-in drip tip. There are two pods in the box; one is for the RPM coils and the other is for the newer RGC coils. The new RGC coils offer adjustable airflow, while the older RPM coils do not. The RGC coils are pretty airy even with the air over halfway closed, while the RPM coils have a good amount of air for a slightly restricted DL by default.
On the top of the pod there is the rubber fill plug which is pretty standard these days. You don’t need to remove the pod to refill it which is nice. You only need to remove it to replace coils. The pod is clear and fully exposed which makes it easy to see the juice level. I’m really happy they did that, as this is something most pod systems fail at.
The pod held in place by strong magnets. To remove it just pull it out. To put it back in, just drop it in and the magnets will grab it. Really easy. The coils pop in and out from under the pod like the Nord and the Target PM80, and I found them easy to replace. You do need to empty the pod before replacing the coil though. One thing worth noting is that, with the way the pods are designed, you will get condensation around the battery contacts—so make sure to wipe it down every once in a while.
Performance
The RPM80 Pro comes with two coil options in the package:
- A 0.4-ohm RPM coil rated for 25 watts
- A 0.17-ohm RGC coil rated for 40-80 watts
Other optional coils start from as low as 8 watts for MTL vaping and there are currently five MTL and four DL coil options, as well as two RBA decks for it—which is great if you want to rebuild your own coils instead of buying new ones.
I tested both included coils with 70/30 3 mg juices. found the 0.17-ohm best around 55-60 watts with the air about 1/4 open, and the 0.4-ohm best around 25 watts. Flavor was good in both, on par with the better mid-wattage DL tanks on the market.
Unfortunately, coil life on the 0.17 was disappointing. I only managed to go through 30 mL of juice before it burned out. The 0.4 coil though had great life and lasted through about 80 mL for me. That, along with the much better battery life that comes with using the 0.4-ohm coil due to the lower watt demands (25 watts vs 55-60 watts) make it a much better option for the Pro.
Overall, the RPM80 Pro is a really good performer with the 0.4-ohm coil, and I really like having the option to buy RBA decks for it.
Battery life and charging
Battery life on this device will vary due to your vaping habits, which coil you use, and the capacity of your 18650s. They also have an internal battery version which is listed at 3000 mAh, but I didn’t receive this one so I couldn’t test it.
SMOK lists the charge rate of the RPM80 Pro at 1.3 amps. I tested this and got a max of 1.39 amps. They could have called it 1.5-amp charging and it would have been close enough, but I really like that they didn’t overstate it. It charges more than fast enough and shows you the percentage of the battery while charging. The device also features pass-through vaping so you can vape it while it charges.
Overall, the charge rate of the RPM80 is good and SMOK rated it properly, but I still recommend charging your batteries on a dedicated charger.
Pros / Cons
- (+) Solid build quality
- (+) Seven color options
- (+) Large color screen for wattage and battery meter
- (+) Two pods (one for each coil) included
- (+) Good pod capacity (5 mL)
- (+) Easy to use and fill (can be refilled without removing pod)
- (+) Clear pods allow juice monitoring
- (+) Adjustable airflow on the RGC pods
- (+) Pods are held in firmly
- (+) Two coil options included
- (+) Tons of other coils available for both MTL and DL (including RBA decks)
- (+) Good flavor from coils
- (+) Good life from the 0.4-ohm coil
- (+) Good battery life with the 0.4-ohm coils (or any of the MTL coils)
- (+) Takes 18650 batteries
- (+) Fast charging (1.39 amps) that’s listed correctly
- (+) Fully adjustable output
- (+) Supports pass-through vaping
- (-) Bad life from the 0.17-ohm coils
- (-) Low battery life on the 0.17-ohm coils (they require higher wattage)
- (-) Some condensation under the pods
Gallery
Verdict
Overall, the RPM80 Pro is another great pod mod by SMOK. While I wouldn’t bother with the 0.17-ohm coil due to the wattage demands and low lifespan, it’s a great system with the 0.4-ohm coil or with the use of the RBA deck. I consider using a replaceable battery a plus, but if you don’t want to deal with batteries, they make a version with a built-in battery as well.
There is really something for everyone in the RPM80 series and they’re well worth taking a look at if you are in the market for a new AIO pod system.
We’d like to hear from you. Have you tried the SMOK RPM80 Pro? What was your experience with the device like? Let us know in the comments below
Article Author: Anthony Victor
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