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SMOK TFV12 Prince

SMOK TFV12 Prince vs UWELL Valyrian | No Contest – Valyrian’s #1

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The sub-ohm vape tank market is HUGE.

You have literally thousands of options to choose from and this makes life tricky if you’re new to vaping.

The SMOK TFV12 Prince and UWELL Valyrian are two of the most well-known set-ups you can buy right now.

But which is the best, overall option?

I’m not the biggest SMOK fan on the planet.

Just wanted to get that out of the way up front.

But I always treat each new device I test as it should be – completely without bias.

I look for things, try to find out if the same issues are present, but that’s about it. Impossible not to, really. I mean, if you bought the Alien 220W and it broke, you’d be pretty focused on that when trying a new SMOK mod, right?

My main beef with SMOK tanks isn’t the way they look, nor it is how they are designed. No, it is with the company’s coils. They suck. They’re inconsistent. And they’re expensive.

I call this the unholy trinity of how to not make a sub-ohm tank very appealing. SMOK calls it business as usual.

However, I was willing to give SMOK a break with the TFV12 Prince.

Maybe it learned its lesson, maybe the coils would work in a predictable manner? Maybe…

I’ve tested both tanks out, using them extensively for long periods of time, and while I did enjoy both of them, there is a clear winner in this contest and I don’t mind calling it so early – the UWELL Valyrian is vastly superior to SMOK’s TFV12 Prince.

Read on to find out why…

SMOK TFV12 Prince vs UWELL Valyrian

Design

SMOK TFV12 Prince

The SMOK TFV12 Prince is a beautiful setup, perhaps one of the best-looking vape tanks on market right now.

The resin drip tip it comes with, of which there are plenty of options, the styling of the tank itself, its curved glass chamber.

Everything about this tank just looks impressive.

SMOK has taken what made its TFV8 and TFV12 tanks great – so, solid locking mechanisms, robust build quality, and an array of coil options – and slotted them inside a refined and exotic looking tank.

The end result, from a design perspective, is very impressive. I love the way this tank looks.

The UWELL Valyrian, in contrast, is a lot more pedestrian looking.

It’s handsome enough, just without being pretty like the SMOK TFV12 Prince.

Kind of like Harrison Ford in the 1990s versus Johnny Depp; once’s robust, solid and reliable, the other’s a little fancier but definitely higher maintenance.

UWELL Valyrian

To me, the UWELL Valyrian is what a sub-ohm tank should be.

There’s no fancy bells and whistles or gimmicks.

It’s just a solid-looking, reliable sub-ohm tank that will serve you consistent results day in day out. It looks great on an array of mods and, once setup up right, it vapes like nothing else.

Bottomline: I prefer the look of the SMOK TFV12 Prince, but I would 100% get the UWELL Valyrian over it every time.

Why? Simple: UWELL’s coils are infinitely better than SMOK’s, which brings us to…

Coil Head Performance 

A sub-ohm vape tank lives and dies by the quality of its coils. Get it right and you have an instant classic that people will use until it falls to pieces.

I’ve had a few of these over the years, they are rare, but they do happen. Unfortunately, the SMOK TFV12 Prince is NOT one of these tanks; its coils are simply not good enough, reliable enough, or consistent enough.

I tested every single coil SMOK makes for the TFV12 Prince and the only one’s that lasted more than a few days were the T10 type.

And this type of thing, especially from a company the size of SMOK, just isn’t good enough.

In fact, it’s borderline unacceptable – even more so when you factor in the $15 cost per pack of coils (with three coils inside).

SMOK TFV12 Prince

During my time with the SMOK TFV12 Prince, I went through around 20-odd coils and a good 80% of them didn’t last longer than a couple of days.

Do the math, this kind of thing gets very expensive over a prolonged period of time. Almost as expensive as actually smoking.

The UWELL Valyrian, by contrast, has some of the best pre-made coils I have ever used.

They prime easily, the flavor they produce is amazing and, best of all, they’re reliable and consistent.

In a similar usage example, while testing the UWELL Valyrian, I had maybe one dud coil the entire time I used it – 99% of the coils worked brilliantly, lasting from over a week to nine days before the flavor started nose-diving.

If you don’t want to spend a small fortune on coils, the choice is obvious – get the UWELL Valyrian.

Overall Performance | What’s The Best Vape Tank? 

UWELL Valyrian

When the SMOK TFV12 Prince is working – like when you’re running the T10 coils and you’ve primed then correctly – it vapes great, producing epic clouds and really precise flavor.

For me, this is the most annoying thing about the SMOK TFV12 Prince, as it is a great tank when it wants to be; it’s just let down by poor, inconsistent coil performance.

Get the T10’s working, however, and the SMOK TFV12 Prince is hard to beat.

I just wish SMOK could sort out its coils because once you’ve had three or four coils burn out in less than 24 hours, no amount of clouds or flavor is going to keep you using this tank long term – it’s just too expensive.

And this problem is compounded even further by the UWELL Valyrian, which is an exceptional all-round vape tank.

It has everything and more you could want from a sub-ohm tank. The SMOK TFV12 Prince might look swish, but it is grossly let down by its coils.

Conversely, the UWELL Valyrian has great coils that are easy to live with, produce great flavor, and won’t let you down 24 hours after installing them.

FINAL VERDICT

UWELL Valyrian

This one’s pretty simple really. If you want the best of the best right now when it comes to sub-ohm tanks, get yourself the UWELL Valyrian.

It is easily the best value sub-ohm tank on the market right now, packing in great performance, excellent coils, and tons of flavor and clouds.

I do like the SMOK TFV12 Prince, but I simply cannot recommend it to anyone, as the coils are just so bad.

SMOK’s mesh coil heads are a big improvement but you have to buy these seperately, and that kind of sucks.

I don’t know what happened here either, because I never used to have issues with my SMOK TFV8.

As long as they were primed correctly, they functioned great. With the TFV12 Prince, it doesn’t matter what you do to the coils… they’ll just crap out within 24 hours in most cases.

And this, in my book, is just no good.

You Can Pick Up  The UWELL Valyrian via FLAWLESS Vapes For $36.49

Or, If You Want Something REALLY Cool…

Grab The UWELL Valyrian Paired With The Awesome VooPoo Alpha One For $85 via VaporDNA

SMOK MAG 225W Mod REVIEW: Locked N’ Loaded

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SMOK’s back with yet another mod – this time it’s the awesomely unique SMOK MAG 225W

I’ve almost lost count of the amount of products SMOK has released in the last 12 months. But the company is back again with another awesomely unique looking mod called the SMOK MAG 225W – and it’s pretty unusual.

The SMOK MAG 225W is a primo piece of vaping gear. It ships with the brand new SMOK TFV12 Prince and, as you can see below, it looks bloody superb. Pictures don’t really do this mod justice though; it is unlike anything else I have tested before.

The software the mod runs is the same as what you get on the ProCOLOR and the Majesty, though the physical design is A LOT different. This mod is something else. SMOK has really gone to town with the design and the results are pretty significant.

The MAG looks unlike anything else on the market right now. But is it any good? Or is it just another SMOK mod dressed in fancy robes? Let’s find out.

SMOK MAG 225W Review – Design

SMOK MAG 225W

First and foremost is the design of the SMOK MAG 225W; it’s unusual to say the least! The entire look, feel, and aesthetic design of the SMOK MAG 225W is based on, I’m guessing, the handle from a gun.

The styling is super fresh, like a Vaporesso Nebula on steroids and HGH and a dash of Angel Dust for good measure. I really cannot fault the guys in SMOK’s design department though. Not with this one – I love the way it looks and feels.

Thing’s damn near perfect. I mean, just look at it!

SMOK MAG 225W

The fire button is designed to feel like a trigger and the build materials used to construct it scream high-quality. It does feel a bit weird in your pocket at first, especially if you’re used to more normal-shaped mods, but you adapt pretty quickly. I do really appreciate the ergonomics of it, however – it just sits really sweetly in the hand.

You can pick up the SMOK MAG 225W in the following colour options: Black Red, Black Prism, Gold Black, Silver Black, Purple Black, Green Black, Navy Blue Black, Red Black, Pink Black – so, yeah, you got plenty of options.

SMOK MAG 225W Review – Specs & Features

SMOK MAG 225W

Size: 92.3 x 65 x 30 mm
Wattage Range: 6-225 W
Voltage Range: 0.5-9 V
Standby Current: ＜500 uA
Batteries: 2 x 18650 batteries (not included)
Resistance: 0.1-3 Ohm (VW) / 0.05-3 Ohm (TC)
Temperature Range: 200℉-600℉ / 100℃-315℃

As I said, it ships with the SMOK TFV12 Prince which you can read more about in our detailed breakdown of the tank. If you can’t be bothered to read that, here’s what you can expect: new design, new coils, better airflow, improved chassis.

SMOK MAG 225W Review – Performance

SMOK MAG 225W

SMOK’s mods, for the most part, are always solid performers. I know of quite a few users that have experienced issues with elements of the Alien. Personally, mine have always been fine. But it is definitely worth going with a retailer that offers returns and warranty. Better to be safe, than sorry.

With 225W maximum output under the hood, the SMOK MAG 225W has more than enough power for even the most outlandish builds. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and, like the Alien 220W and ProColor, it hits incredibly fast and hard.

Of course, you’re in control of just HOW hard it hits via SMOK’s preheat feature which lets you assign four styles of output: soft, normal, hard, max. I tend to set it to hard and leave it there when using RDAs, as it just gives that extra little push required at lower resistances.

You can get all the usual SMOK bells and whistles too; so, decent TC vaping, if that’s your bag, and respectfully accurate temp and wattage control. I also found the SMOK MAG 225W to be really efficient on my batteries, even at high temperatures, especially when compared to my SMOANT Charon, which guzzles battery life at a seemingly unprecedented rate.

SMOK MAG 225W Review – Battery Life

SMOK MAG 225W

The SMOK MAG 225W runs two 18650 cells, and thanks to SMOK’s efficiencies, it will run a solid day and half on a fresh set of cells with moderate to heavy vaping.

If you’re interested in what the best 18650 cells are right now, make sure you read our feature on The Best Vape Batteries.

SMOK MAG 225W Review – Verdict

I’ve tested A BUNCH of SMOK mods during the past six months. You have the Majesty, the ProCOLOR, the G-Priv 2, and that’s just recently, but I do think the SMOK MAG kind of sits by itself, mainly on account of just how good it looks.

Design is subjective, however, though I will admit I am a massive fan of the way it looks. Performance is very good too. In the time I’ve been using the SMOK Mag it has not missed a beat. Battery power consumption is decent, and it has enough features buried in its settings to get a really specific style of vaping.

If you’re after something a little different, that has plenty of power under the hood, as well as lots of features and vaping modes, the SMOK MAG is definitely worth a look. I have never used a mod that looks anything like this one before, and the more I use it, the more I enjoy it. Sure, it’s weird. But so what? Normal’s boring, anyway!

You Can Pick Up The SMOK MAG Kit via FLAWLESS Vapes For $68 – Down From $85 (That’s A Great Price For a Very Handsome Mod)

 

SMOK TFV12 PRINCE Review: Nice-Looking Tank, Shame About The Coils…

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The SMOK TFV12 Prince is the latest flagship sub-ohm tank from SMOK, and I’ve just spent an entire month testing it…

SMOK TFV12 PRINCE Tank – Quick Verdict

The SMOK TFV12 PRINCE is a good-looking vape tank that is let down, rather spectacularly, by unreliable coil performance.

SMOK’s mesh coils are slightly better but they still suffer from reliability issues. And this is just no good. Not at this stage in the game, anyway.

For this reason, I DO NOT recommend it.

On top of this, SMOK is competing with some truly excellent mesh coil vape tanks. The Sense Screen Tank and the Falcon King Tank are both cheaper and infinitely better options than the TFV12.

For this reason, I’d go with one of them over the SMOK TFV12 any day of the week.

Right now, I’d say the Falcon King is my preferred vape tank right now. It looks immense and its coils are utterly spectacular, lasting weeks at a time. For me, it is currently the benchmark by which all other vape tanks are currently measured by. The Sense Screen would be a close second.

The EPIC Falcon King Tank – Zero Leaks & RDA-Grade Flavor on Tap! 

Falcon King Tank

CHECK PRICES!

Full Review of The SMOK TFV12 Prince Vape Tank

The SMOK TFV12 Prince is the latest (and greatest?) sub-ohm tank from SMOK’s skunkworks.

The tank features a brand new design, a new coil system, and a new drip-tip system.

Basically, it has been redesigned from the ground-up. But is it any good?

I just spent a month testing out the SMOK TFV12 Prince.

I took it everywhere with me, vaped on it all day long, got myself familiar with its coil system, and rocked it atop many a different mod in a bid to build the clearest picture possible about whether or not this tank is worth your time and money.

If you don’t know about SMOK’s line of TFV tanks, I will say this: they’re kinda like the iPhone of the sub-ohm tank space – immensely popular and used by A LOT of people.

I have something of a love/hate relationship with sub-ohm tanks, however, and SMOK’s are no exception.

Normally, if you saw me around, I’d be rocking an RDA or an RDTA.

And the reason for this is that I HATE pre-made coils (but more on that later).

After a month with the Prince, am I impressed? Is the SMOK TFV12 Prince the best sub-ohm tank you can buy right now?

Let’s get stuck into this review and find out, shall we?

SMOK TFV12 Prince Review

Design

SMOK TFV12 Prince

The SMOK TFV12 Packaging. Nicely Done, SMOK!

The SMOK TFV12 Prince feels very well put together; everything slips into place and comes apart very easily.

I do really like the new design, the new convex glass tube means it can hold more E Juice.

Plus, as a side benefit, it makes it look really unique.

The main thing about the SMOK TFV12 PRINCE, though, is the design – it looks completely different to what came before, especially the convex glass tube, showing SMOK still has plenty of ideas when it comes to upping its game.

You can, however, switch out the convex tube for a standard 5ml one if convex isn’t really your style.

The big upshot of the convex design, though, is that it will increase the juice capacity to 8ml.

You can also pick up a selection of Cobra Drip Tips for the SMOK TFV12 PRINCE.

There are six options available and they all feature a pretty nifty design.

My personal favorite is the Red option.

SMOK TFV12 Prince

SMOK has also changed the top-lock mechanism too; it’s now operated via a simple, clicky button.

This means easier access, better locking, and less mess.

SMOK says this tank WILL NOT leak. EVER.

SMOK TFV12 Prince

And like the TFV8 and TFV12 before it, the SMOK TFV12 PRINCE comes with full RBA capabilities, meaning you can build your own coils with the tank, which is great for those that like to build coils.

It also reduces the amount you’ll spend on coils as well.

SMOK TFV12 Prince

Specs & Features

SMOK TFV12 Prince

So what’s new with the SMOK TFV12 Prince?

Quite a bit as it goes, including a new design for the chassis and a new coil model called the V12 Prince-T10 Decuple Coil Head.

The SMOK TFV12 Prince is designed to take what made the SMOK TFV12 great and add in MORE – more flavor, more performance, more clouds, more power.

SMOK TFV12 Prince

  • 25mm Diameter Base
  • 28mm at Widest Point
  • Hinge and Lock Top Fill System
  • Swivels Open and Shut
  • Fill Port
  • 5ml Max Standard Capacity
  • 8ml Max Convex Glass Extension Capacity
  • SMOK V12 Prince Coil Family
  • V12 Prince-T10 Decuple Coil Head
  • 0.12 ohm
  • Patented Decuple Coil
  • 60 to 120W Range
  • 80 to 110W Recommended Range
  • V12 Prince-X6 Sextuple Coil Head
  • 0.15 ohm
  • Patented Quadruple Coil
  • 50 to 120W
  • 80 to 100W Recommended Range
  • V12 Prince-Q4 Quadruple Coil Head
  • 0.4 ohm
  • Patented Quadruple Coil
  • 40 to 100W
  • 60 to 80W Recommended Range
  • Compatible with Additional V12 Prince Coils
  • Dual Adjustable Airslots
  • Stainless Steel and Glass Construction

SMOK Prince Coils

SMOK TFV12 Prince

The coils, as usual, are big, metallic chunks of potential.

They come in a variety of flavors, and there is also support for an RBA, though I didn’t get one with my review unit, so I cannot comment on this.

Overall, my experience with the SMOK TFV12 Prince’s coils hasn’t exactly been great.

Like 100% of pre-made sub-ohm coils in existence, performance is inconsistent at best which means you have bad ones and good ones.

Get a good one, prime it properly using this guide, and you’re looking at BIG flavor, BIG clouds, and BIG performance.

I have gotten a solid week from one coil and then, with exactly the same setup on another, less than 24 hours.

SMOK TFV12 Prince

This is an issue for me, and the main reason I predominantly use RDA/RDTA tanks, as I just cannot put up with this kind of unpredictability – it’s just too costly in the long run.

Mercifully, the SMOK TFV12 Prince does support an RBA-deck, so you can, should you want to, build your own coils and avoid this issue altogether.

The thing that REALLY annoys me about this, however, is that when the SMOK TFV12 Prince’s coils are working as they should, they’re unbeatable for flavour and clouds.

Nothing else comes close in the sub-ohm tank world.

I just wish they could ensure a level of consistency across all models and batches.

Best SMOK TFV12 Prince Coils (Hint: It’s The Mesh Ones…)

You’ve probably heard of mesh coils, right? You know, those new styles of coils that ALL good tanks seem to rock these days?

Well, SMOK now has its own range of mesh coils for the TFV12 Prince, and they’re A LOT better than the normal ones.

Just make sure you know how to prime mesh coils properly in order to get maximum performance.

SMOK TFV12 Prince

The SMOK Mesh Coils ($14.99 Per Pack)

If you’re using this tank, or, like me, were using it but gave up after your coils packed up after about 10 minutes of use, it’s time to dust of the Prince and give him another shot.

I wasn’t convinced – AT ALL – until I actually gave them a whirl, and the flavor and clouds they deliver are seriously impressive. And, unlike most of SMOK’s coils, they actually work and last a good week or so…

However, performance is still far too inconsistent for my tastes. The Falcon King and Sense Screen’s coils are far better in this regard.

Bottomline: if you do get the SMOK TFV12 MAKE SURE you get the mesh coils (they’re $14.99 a pack).

Performance

When the SMOK TFV12 Prince’s coils are playing ball, and they do 60% of the time, you’re in for a massive treat.

This tank, like the TFV8 before it, kicks out immense flavor and clouds.

It is also beautifully simple to live and work with.

The design is a pleasure to behold and the coils, providing you follow our helpful tutorial, are really simple to prime.

SMOK TFV12 Prince

You won’t always get 100% performance from them, but this on account of production issues, not the tank itself – they just need better QC.

When it’s all set up and running properly the SMOK TFV12 Prince is very hard to beat in the sub-ohm tank world.

It vapes like a freakin’ monster and it kicks out ultra-precise, delicate flavors.

The SMOK TFV12 Prince runs super cool as well, regardless of how hard you push it, and the ease with which it all comes apart means you can clean it really easily.

The design aspect of the tank, from a physical perspective, is flawless.

Yes, it’s big. But it looks dope on top of pretty much any mod you can think of.

My only real criticism is the coils.

They need to be more consistent.

I know how to prime them correctly, but even with focused attention on this aspect, you just cannot seem to avoid the odd dud batch and this, when you factor in the cost of coils, is not something you want to have to contend with on a regular basis.

How bad is the margin of error? Impossible to say, really, but of the 10 or coils I tested, I would say about 5 of them were duds that burnt out after less than 24 hours.

And this is just no good, in my book.

What I Liked

  • I love the way it looks. 
  • The convex glass – it holds more E Juice
  • How easy it is to set up and take apart
  • The resin drip tips
  • When the coil gods are working with you, it vapes like nothing else.
  • The new locking mechanism is VASTLY superior to the TFV8’s

What I Dislike

  • The coils are STILL inconsistent.
  • The mesh ones are better, but still not as good as the competition.
  • SMOK needs to work on its quality control.

This is the only downside to this tank.

But please do not think this is a slight on SMOK, because it’s not – a lot of sub-ohm tanks suffer from this, so if you’re using sub-ohm tanks it is just a cost of business.

SMOK TFV12 Prince

The TFV12 Prince is Available In Multiple Colors. Mine’s Green.

That’s why it pays to use vape tanks that have long-lasting coils!

When the Prince is playing ball, it’s great.

The flavor is top-notch! Ditto cloud production.

Maybe some of the best in the business, but you will stumble across the odd, dud batch from time to time.

If you’re a sub-ohm tank user, you will know exactly what I’m talking about here, and I wouldn’t let this put you off getting the SMOK TFV12 Prince, as it is a phenomenal tank when everything falls into place.

SMOK TFV12 Prince Review – Should You Buy This Tank?

I wanted to love this vape tank.

I really did.

But for me, the coils are just too annoying to live with (and too pricey).

And this creates a big problem when recommending this sub ohm tank.

Especially when there are so many other really good vape tanks options around right now.

On the one hand, it is brilliant – the flavor, the clouds, the design. All are very impressive.

But inconsistent coil performance, far too often, swoops in and ruins everything.

And this problem is further compounded when you consider other options that are available right now.

Me personally? Sense Screen Tank over the SMOK TFV12 Prince every day of the week. And twice on a Sunday.