Smok RPM 5 & RPM 5 Pro Review – Almost – But Not Quite…

The Smok RPM 5 and RPM 5 Pro are two new pod kits – similar but with a difference.

I will be reviewing both kits in this review.

The RPM range have been steadily growing from the original RPM 40, then onto the RPM 80, RPM 80 Pro, followed by the lovely RPM Lite, RPM 160, RPM 2, RPM 2S and then the RPM 4.

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What Can We Expect From The Smok RPM 5 & RPM Pro…

Both of these are classed as “Pod Kits” with a main device and a pod (or Tank) section.

The main difference between both kits is the battery. The RPM 5 has a 2000mAh internal battery and the RPM 5 Pro uses a 18650 battery which is not included.

Both devices have a USB type C port which charges at up to 1.4A charge rate.

Output wise both devices are the same with a Variable Wattage output of 5-80W (0.8-4V).

A 0.96in colour TFT screen is provided to view all of your vaping data.

An airflow slider switch is located on the rear to give you full control of the incoming air.

The pod is removable and refillable via the slide top cap.

In the standard kit this has a massive 6.5ml capacity – however in TPD regulated areas this is reduced to 2ml.

This uses the new RPM 3 range of coils – there are 2 resistances – 0.15ohm and 0.23ohm and both are included in the kit.

There are 8 colour options to choose from: Brown Leather, Grey Leather, Black Leather, Matte Gun Metal, White, Black, Beige White Leather and Prism Rainbow.

Inside the Box

• Smok RPM 5 / RPM 5 Pro device
• 0.15ohm RPM3 Meshed coil (installed)
• 0.23ohm RPM3 Meshed coil
• Type C USB cable
• User manual

Smok RPM 5 & RPM 5 Pro Kit Specs

• Size: 89.2×31.2×29.5mm (RPM 5) / 95.8×31.2×29.5mm (RPM 5 Pro)
• Output: 5-80W (0.8-4V)
• User modes : VW
• Battery: 2000mAh (internal – RPM 5) / 1×18650 (not included – RPM 5 Pro)
• Display: 0.96in TFT colour screen
• Resistance range: 0.15-2ohm (RPM 5) / 0.15-2.5ohm (RPM 5 Pro)
• E-liquid capacity: 6.5ml (standard) / 2ml (TPD)
• USB Type C – 1.4A Max
• Pods: Refillable replaceable coils
• Coils: RPM 3 Coil range
• Slide open top fill
• Airflow adjustment
• Child resistant pod design

Smok RPM 5 & RPM 5 Pro Design and Build Quality

I received the kits in the Beige White Leather (RPM 5) and Grey Leather (RPM 5 Pro). It is worth noting I did get the 6.5ml versions. If you live in a TPD regulated area you will only get a 2ml pod.

The packaging is excellent and there is a thin protective film over the screen area for you to remove.

Another great safety feature is the isolator sticker on the base of the pod to prevent you firing the device before you have filled it.

The instruction leaflet is exactly the same for the RPM 5 and Pro and has 16 pages in English only. I am pleased with the instructions there is plenty of info and clear diagrams to show you what to do!

A verification QR code sticker was stuck to the rear of the mods – you can scan it to verify the device is genuine or visit the Smok Verification Page.

Smok RPM 5 & RPM 5 Pro Mod

These are very similar apart from the height, location of USB port and obviously the Pro version has a battery compartment on the base.

The main shell material is not specified but it is a matte finish metal – with lovely rounded edges. The Beige version has a Black metal finish and the Grey version has a Gunmetal metal finish.

This metal area features on the top and bottom of the mod and a panel going down the rear of the mod.

The rest of the mod has a padded leather finish which is lovely to grip. The Beige version is a standard leather whereas the Grey version is a suede type finish.

A Smok logo appears at the top of the front of the mod and the rear has the model logo in a shiny Silver finish.

On the base of both devices are the required legal logos. The RPM 5 base also has a rubber edge to the base so it doesn’t clunk when you put it on a hard surface!

Screen & Controls

This has a 0.96in colour OLED screen and it is beautiful! It is super clear to see and not at all cluttered.

In the top corners are the battery icon and percentage.

Below that is a padlock symbol to indicate if the device is locked or unlocked.

Then you have the wattage value selected. Below that on the left is the coil resistance and on the right is the volts which display when you press fire.

You then get the puff timer and puff counter.

You can change the colour of the display theme and I am loving the purple!

Above the screen is the large square fire button which has a nice indent for your thumb or finger to locate on. This is nice and clicky and super responsive.

Below the screen are the adjustment buttons, again responsive and nice and clicky. There is no button rattle on either devices when you give them a good shake. The only noise you hear is that bucket of e-liquid in the pod sloshing about!

A USB type C port is provided below all the buttons – the location is slightly different between the RPM 5 and Pro.

Airflow Adjustment

This is super clever!

There are 2 slotted airflow inlets around the sides of the device.

On the rear is a slide switch to adjust this airflow. When you move this slider the side airflows both open or close – it is great to watch!

The slider lever only protrudes around 1mm so shouldn’t catch in pockets but you do tend to have to move it with a finger nail as there is some resistance to adjustment.

Battery Compartment (RPM 5 PRO)

The base of the RPM 5 Pro is the battery compartment door.

To open it you slide up the catch which is quite difficult to grip – especially when a battery is installed.

The compartment door pops open and inside the mod is the + battery symbol in Red. On the rear of the door is the – symbol so these should help make sure you get the battery polarity correct.

A good spring action pops the door open and it does latch closed – but you might have to push it down a bit – especially when a battery is installed.

I am not convinced this is the best design as it doesn’t seem to give a positive clonk when the door is fully closed. A few times I have assumed it was closed but when I pushed down on it, it popped back open. So it is worth giving it a good push down to make sure it is fully locked.

The door is quite sturdy and does have a little wobble side to side when open. I am not sure how hard-wearing this will be. The rest of the mod is so well made I have the feeling that the battery door could be the Achilles heel. I have had no issues with it though other than making sure it is fully locked.

Smok RPM 5 & RPM 5 Pro Pod

Not only is the main device design impressive – the pod is too!

The pod is virtually a cube shape with rounded edges and a 810 sized fixed mouthpiece.

It is frosted but not stupidly dark, you can still see the level clearly.

On the top of the pod is the slide cover which slides open to reveal the fill port. A discrete arrow indicates where to push the cover.

Once the cover is open the approx 3x6mm fill port is exposed. This has a gasket which opens when you push the nozzle of your e-liquid bottle into it.

Instantly I had an issue. I am using a 100ml bottle. The edge of the bottle butts up against the mouthpiece and I had to bend the nozzle in order to get it into the fill port. You can see this on the photo below.

A 50ml bottle however was fine and didn’t pose this problem.

On the base of the pod are 2 strong magnets which hold it securely in the mod with no wobble at all.

The pod can be installed in only 2 ways. If you can’t get the pod to fit just rotate it 90° and it should push into the mod and the magnet will pull it in.

The coil is installed through the base of the pod and the Red plastic thing is a catch to hold the coil in position. I imagine with it being a push in coil it might have stayed attached to the magnet in the mod body when you remove the pod. So to prevent this the catch swings closed to secure the coil. If you want to remove the coil simply swing this catch out of the way.

Quick Start Guide

The kit comes with the 0.15ohm coil installed. There is an isolator sticker on the base of the coil to prevent accidental firing. If you fire up the device with no e-liquid in the pod you will ruin the coil.

So fill up the pod and then remove the isolator sticker.

Charge up (RPM 5) or install a battery (RPM 5 Pro) and off you go!

Basic Operation

• Power On/Off = press the fire button 5 times quickly.
• Vaping = press the fire button to vape. It will cut off after 8 seconds.
• Change screen colour = press the fire button and + (up) adjustment button at the same time. Keep pressing until the screen colour you want appears.
• Adjust wattage = use the up and down adjustment buttons.
• Lock / unlock fire button = press the fire button 3 times quickly to toggle the lock on or off.
• Lock / unlock adjustment buttons = press the + and – at the same time to toggle the lock on or off.
• What wattage should I select? = If you are unsure as to what output to select, a range is printed on the actual coil – start at the minimum suggested and work up until you are happy. It is best to not exceed the maximum limit as it could burn the coil. Also vaping at a lower setting than the minimum could cause spitback.
• Airflow = to adjust the incoming airflow slide the airflow adjustment lever to suit.
• Clear puff counter = press the fire button and – (down) button at the same time. Using the adjustment buttons scroll through the options and press and hold the fire button to select the option you want. The puff counter will clear after the puff count reaches 9999.

Protections

As this has a screen when a protection kicks in the screen will tell you the following:

• Battery Low – time to charge the battery!
• Power Off – the battery needs charging as the device has no power.
• Ohms too low – the coil resistance is lower than 0.15ohm.
• Ohms too high – the coil resistance is higher than 2.5ohm.
• No atomiser – the coil or pod is not installed. If they are check all the contact areas.
• Atomiser Short – a short circuit has been detected, check all the contact areas, replace coil. If this doesn’t clear the fault the device is faulty.
• Time Over – if the fire button has been held down for more than 8 seconds this warning will display and the fire operation will cut out to prevent damage.
• PCBA Too Hot – device has overheated, allow it to cool down before use.
• Power Locked – fire button is locked – press 3 times to unlock.
• Wattage Locked – adjustment buttons are locked – press them down together to unlock.

How To Charge The Battery (RPM 5 & RPM 5 Pro)

The charging rate is specified as 1.4A.

• Using a USB type C cable connect the small end into the USB port on the mod.
• Connect the large end of the cable into a suitable USB outlet.
• The screen will display the charging progress and also an estimate for how long left until fully charged.

The charging time for me for the RPM 5 was around 1 hour 15 mins – this was with a faster charging (2A) plug – but the mod will only take the charge it is regulated for – so 1.4A.

How To Install The Battery (RPM 5 Pro)

Make sure to use a good quality battery in good condition.

We tell you more in our Guide To Batteries – but basically you want no tears or damage to the outer cover (wrap) of the battery, and check for damage or bulges in the battery itself. Anything you are not sure of I would use another battery to be on the safe side.

Included in the kit is a battery safety card – illustrating my points above!

• Turn the mod upside down.
• Push the battery catch slider towards the hinge.
• The cover should pop open. If you have a battery installed remove this now.
• Install a new battery with the Positive (+) end inside the mod.
• Push the battery door closed firmly and it should make a slight click.
• If you are not sure if the door has fully locked, push down on the door. If it pops open again it didn’t fully lock. If it stays closed then all is cushty!

How To Fill the Pod

• Look for the arrow on the top of the pod.
• Push the top of the pod in the direction of the arrow to reveal the fill port.
• Push the e-liquid bottle nozzle into the fill port.
• Fill up the pod whilst watching the level through the side.
• If this is the first fill allow the pod to stand for 10-15 mins to allow the e-liquid to soak into the coil. This is called Priming and is a very important step. If not fully primed you could burn the coil out and your throat lining in the process!

How To Replace The Coil

I would suggest you need to have an empty or maximum half full pod when you change the coil to avoid spillage.

If the pod is full make sure to have tons of absorbent thingys around you as liquid comes out of the base and the mouthpiece!

• Remove the pod from the mod.
• Swing the Red lever so the catch is away from the coil.
• Pull out the coil if installed. You can use a fingernail or screwdriver in the base ledge of the coil to pull it out if it is difficult to shift.
• Push in the new coil making sure to align the straight edges on the coil with the straight edges on the pod.
• Swing the Red lever into the closed position.
• If this is the first fill allow the pod to stand for 10-15 mins to allow the e-liquid to soak into the coil. This is called Priming and is a very important step. If not fully primed you could burn the coil out and your throat lining in the process!

How Does the Smok RPM 5 & RPM 5 Pro Perform?

Smok recommend a VG / PG ratio of 70%VG / 30%PG.

This is designed to be a Direct to Lung (DTL) device therefore I am using thicker (Higher VG) e-liquid in here with less nicotine.

My e-liquid of choice is from Dispergo – Fizzle Drip – Cherry and Strawberry Fizz. I will be reviewing this liquid on another review! It is 70/30 VG/PG as recommended.

As this is a shortfill e-liquid there is no nicotine included and I haven’t added any for this review.

I am normally a MTL vaper, but did use DTL stuff years ago – so let’s see how the experience has improved over the years!

• MTL V DTL – A Guide To Vape Styles
• VG and PG in E-liquid – all you need to know
• Beginners guide to E-liquid

I used the same pod and coil on both kits – just so I could get an idea of coil life.

0.15ohm RPM 3 Meshed Coil Performance

The power limits for this coil are specified as 40-80W so doing as I am told I started at 40W.

Already the clouds are huge but the flavour is a bit wimpy. At 50W there is a huge jump in flavour quality – it has improved a lot and there is some heavy clouding of the room already!

At 60W there is a lovely gurgly sound which tells me the coil is heating the e-liquid nicely now. It is definitely warmer and “hissy-er”!

At 70W the clouds are massive, such a small kit can really kick out the vapour!

When I got to 80W this was quite a warm vape, it felt too hot and a bit dry really.

My happy wattage was 60W which should help with battery life too. At this level the vape is tasty but missing some of the finer details of the e-liquid profile.

But even in this mid range setting the vape is still slightly harsh – it’s so hard to describe! There is quite a hiss from the coil and the vape is really warm – close to being a dry hit but not quite.

So far I am on 3x6ml refills and the flavour is exactly the same as when I started.

This for me is more of a cloud chucking coil than a flavour coil. Don’t get me wrong the flavour is good but the coil itself feels harsh.

Leaks

Sadly after 3 refills this coil started leaking.

I think it has to be the coil as there is nowhere else it could be from – it is more than just “condensation”.

So as I had another 0.15ohm coil in the other kit I have swapped over to see if that stops the leaking.

Although I like the flavour from this coil if they are going to be unreliable and leaky I have dropped some points for it in the end of the review.

Sadly the second coil was the same. I did leave the filled pod with a new coil on some tissue for several days before use to see if it leaked and it slowly emptied itself!

Anyway I managed to use this coil long enough to get a battery life reading for the RPM 5 Pro kit and then had to give up.

0.23ohm RPM 3 Meshed Coil Performance

The power limits for this coil are specified as 20-45W. I used the same e-liquid as for the other coil.

Starting at 20W with the airflow half open there was a surprising amount of vapour and flavour that properly took me by surprise!

I could feel the sherbet like fizz of the e-liquid coating my tongue instantly. This coil already seems a huge step up in flavour.

Wow am loving this already!

Moving up to 30W and more of the same just a bit warmer – this is really delicious!

At 40W I felt there was a slight drop in flavour but the clouds increased.

Personally I am enjoying this at about 25W.

This is the flavour coil of the kit – but it still provides plenty of vapour but in a smoother less in your face way.

As for vapour production – this coil at 25W is equal to the 0.15ohm coil at 60W!

Honestly! I have both kits on the go with the two different coils and alternating between them the vapour is exactly the same.

The 0.15ohm coil is like a shot of Whisky on its own, the 0.23ohm coil is like a nice Whiskey with Lemonade and ice.

Definitely my favourite coil of the two, I had no leaks – there was a bit of expected condensation in the pod bay but no leaking.

Sadly this happiness did leave me when the coil started tasting burnt after only 4 refills (approx 20ml). So the coil life isn’t great to be honest.

Airflow

With the airflow fully open this is basically like breathing – there is virtually no resistance.

With it fully closed you can still vape but it is pretty restricted. This feels slightly like a loose MTL although you couldn’t class this as a MTL device.

I am a kind of “middle of the road” gal and preferred the airflow in the mid setting to get the best heat and flavour.

Mod Performance

RPM 5

I did find the mod could get a bit hot when taking a lot of vapes.

Also there was some weird battery stuff going on. I charged this fully and within 6 vapes it suddenly dropped to 87%.

Then using it at 25W I only had an hour of vaping (70 puffs) before it had dropped down to 50%! Using this at 60W I got a total of 4.5 hours – so at 25W this should be a lot better? But it wasn’t?

I am suspicious of how well the battery is performing to be honest, at 25W this should be going for a few more hours than 60W?

The voltage reading is around 2.5V which seems to be the same as the RPM 5 Pro.

When the battery was down to 1% the vape felt exactly the same – so the output is very well regulated. When it is too weak to reach the desired output it will shut down.

I would also note that the charging time estimates are not very accurate, I was told it would take 115 mins to charge – when it was actually all done in 75.

RPM 5 Pro

There were no issues with this mod at all – it did get hot the same as the RPM 5 version.

The power output was consistent right until 1% where it went noticeably weak. However the “battery low” warning came on at this point.

I did use the USB port to charge and it worked fine.

Battery Life

This is a huge variable based on the coil, wattage and your own vaping habits. But to give you a guide here are my results…

RPM 5

With the 0.15ohm coil at 60W I got 4.5 hours and 197 puffs.

With the 0.23ohn coil at 25W I got 4.5 hours and 200 puffs. But as mentioned above I would ignore this as the battery charge readings have been a bit erratic? Surely this coil at 25W would give better battery life? It seems that it doesn’t?

RPM 5 Pro

I used a Samsung 25R battery in here which has 2500mAh capacity – so not far off the 2000mAh of the RPM 5.

With the 0.15ohm coil at 60W I got around 4 hours and 165 puffs. But my battery may be old or I could have taken longer puffs – it’s hard to be precise!

With the 0.23ohn coil at 25W I got 4.5 hours and 186 puffs.

Pros

• Both devices are absolutely stunning.
• Excellent build quality.
• Protected well in packaging.
• Very clever airflow adjustment system with a large adjustment range.
• Stunning large and clear colour screen.
• Slide top fill.
• Great flavour from 0.23ohm coil.
• Easy devices to use with lockable buttons and nice texture in hand.

Cons

• Battery issues on RPM 5.
• I am not convinced the battery compartment door on the Pro version will be as hard-wearing as the rest of the mod.
• The Battery door slide lock is quite stiff to operate.
• If using a large e-liquid bottle the mouthpiece gets in the way when filling.
• Not compatible with previous RPM coils.
• No 510 adaptor available as yet – would be great to be able to use other tanks on here.
• Leaky 0.15ohm coil (Twice)
• 0.23ohm coil only lasted for 20ml before tasting burnt.

Final Review Verdict

Firstly both kits look absolutely the nuts. People who I have shown them to are like “Wow”. I point to their single battery 80W mod and say this does exactly the same and holds more e-liquid than your sub ohm tank and they are shocked.

Smok really did well with this design – I also loved the RPM 4 though!

Sadly the old Smok crept back with 2 leaky coils. Although the coil performance was great I had to deduct points for that fact that both of the 0.15ohm coils leaked. This is not cool.

The 0.23ohm coil was amazing for flavour but with a coil life of only 4 refills I had to mark this down too sadly.

For me the coils let these kits down massively – the 0.15ohm leaking and the 0.23ohm had a poor coil life. What a bloody shame.

Plus the odd battery level readings on the RPM 5 had me scratching my head.

A few little niggles on the battery door and refilling also occurred.

I have dropped them (the RPM 5 mostly) and they have rolled about on hard floors and apart from fingerprints and dust they still look immaculate.

One thing I would have liked is for them to be compatible with previous RPM coils – as I had quite a few of them knocking about for MTL.

Another idea would be a 510 adaptor for the top of the mod so you could use it with other tanks if you wanted to. Are you listening Smok?

Would I Buy This Kit Myself?

Personally no as I am mainly a MTL pod mod user.

If this was compatible with the MTL RPM coils I have then I would 100% buy another!

I would probably be very wary of the 0.15ohm coil leaking though and the odd RPM 5 battery stuff.

If I was to choose between the two I would pick the RPM 5 Pro as I just don’t trust the battery on the RPM 5.

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