Smok RPM Lite Kit Review – Smok Nails Latest MTL Pod Kit!

The Smok RPM Lite kit is a new device in the “RPM” range.

As you can see this does follow similar styling to the RPM80 and RPM80 Pro and the original RPM 40.

Can the little RPM Lite perform as well as its bigger siblings?

Let’s get stuck in and find out!

What Can We Expect From the Smok RPM Lite Kit?

As mentioned above this is the sort of “entry level” vape kit in the RPM range with an internal 1250mAh battery and a variable wattage output from 1-40W.

Although you might think this is the “starter kit” of the range catering to MTL vapers – this is also supplied with a lower resistance coil which could be classed as “DTL”.

If the terms DTL and MTL are making you scratch your head – they are vaping styles – DTL = Direct to Lung and MTL = Mouth to Lung. We tell you more in our guide to vaping styles.

Talking of coils this is compatible with the RPM range of coils found in most Smok pod devices now such as the Alike Kit and Pozz X.

There are lots in the range to choose from as you can see.

• Mesh 0.4ohm (included in kit)
• DC 0.8ohm (included in kit)
• Quartz 1.2ohm (available separately)
• SC 1ohm (available separately)
• MTL Mesh 0.3ohm (available separately)
• Triple coil 0.6ohm (available separately)
• And of course the RPM RBA coil which you can build to your own requirements within the resistance and power limits of the device (available separately)

The device is controlled by the IQ-R chip and you have a 0.96in screen to display all your vaping data.

There are 5 colours to choose from:

Silver, Gun Metal, Blue, Gold and Red.

Inside the Box

• Smok RPM Lite Device
• Pod
• RPM Mesh coil 0.4ohm
• RPM DC 0.8ohm coil
• USB cable
• User manual

Smok RPM Lite 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

Design and Build Quality

I received the gold version of the kit and it was well packaged. The device had a protective cover on the screen area and everything arrived in pristine condition.

I am also really liking the instructions, a 10 page little booklet in English only – so as you can tell they are pretty comprehensive.

Smok RPM Lite – the Device

It is not the most stunning pod device I have ever seen – however it is not dull or ugly in real life.

It has a kind of U shaped profile with the battery side being rounded and thicker than the screen side.

The main body has a wrap around panel which is a brushed gold metal and it does look great and feels nice in the hand. This metal panel makes the device feel nice and sturdy without being heavy at all.

The base and screen side are shiny black plastic. Above the screen is the fire button which is nice and firm and clicky.

Below the screen are the adjustment buttons and micro USB port.

On the base are the required legal logos, vent hole and battery / chip specs.

The RPM Lite branding is on both sides of the metal panel and the “Smok” logo is above the screen.

I have noticed two dents in the side of my device – see picture below – not sure when they happened but the metal is “dentable” if that is a word!

Smok RPM Lite – Screen

This comes with a lovely colour screen located on the side, on which you can also change the colour scheme and I love the purple.

It is laid out really well showing the battery icon and percentage at the top.

Below that is the wattage setting and the lock symbol.

You can independently lock just the fire button or just the adjustment buttons, which is really handy. I use it with adjustment buttons locked so I won’t accidentally ramp up the power and knacker up my coil.

Below that the voltage is displayed when you press fire, the coil resistance, puff time and puff counter are clearly displayed.

At the base of the screen display is the colour palette showing which theme you have selected.

Smok RPM Lite – the Pod

I received the standard version (not the TPD version for the EU) so my pod has a larger capacity at 3.2ml.

In the TPD regulated areas the pod will only be 2ml.

It’s well designed, with a great fill port located on the side. I did find trying to hold the port plug open whilst trying to refill was a bit fiddly.

However I had no issues with airlocks or using larger bottles to fill.

The drip tip is the right size but sadly is not replaceable.

My only huge gripe with the pod is how dark it is.

The part that is visible is completely black, not transparent at all.

Therefore to check the level you do need to remove the pod. It is a very tight fit – you will see some marks on my pod where I had to resort to pulling the sodding thing out with my teeth…several times…

At least the pod won’t fall out on its own – it has 2 magnets and is tighter than a gnats chuff…

The coil is easy to remove and replace.

I have had zero leaks and so far not even a smidge (technical term) of condensation or “moistness” in the well where the pod sits.

I did find sometimes after filling it would gurgle a bit so I blew down the air inlet hole to clear the excess liquid and it worked a treat.

Smok RPM Lite Kit – Quick Start Guide

The kit arrives with the pod located on the device but no coils installed.

So to get up and running you will need to install the coil, fill the pod and charge up.

Fear not I tell you how below!

As always don’t get firing up the device with an empty tank as it will bugger your coil up and spoil your whole day…

Smok RPM Lite – Basic Operation

• Turn on/off – fast click 5 times
• Lock/unlock fire button – fast click 3 times
• Vape – hold down fire button
• Change power level – use the up and down adjustment buttons
• Lock/unlock adjustment buttons – press and hold up and down at the same time
• Change screen theme colour – press fire button and up button
• Clear puff counter – press fire button and down button

Warning Messages

• Battery Low = recharge
• No atomiser = install a pod/coil
• Pod detached = install the pod correctly
• Ohms too high = install a coil with a lower resistance than 2ohm or there is an open circuit – check all connections or try another coil
• Ohms too low = install a coil with a higher resistance than 0.3ohm or a short circuit has occurred – replace coil.
• PCBA too hot = the circuit board has overheated and high temperature protection has kicked in
• Time over = the fire button has been held down for over 8 seconds
• Locked = the fire or wattage buttons have been locked

How To Charge The RPM Lite Kit Battery

• Use the included charging cable and install the small end into the USB port on the device.
• Install the larger connector into a suitable USB outlet.
• The charging progress will display on the screen.
• When fully charged the display will show 100% and turn off.

I found this took bang on 1 hour to charge from empty using a 1A charging plug.

How To Fill the Smok RPM Lite Pod

• Remove the pod from the device by pulling it.
• On the side of the pod is the fill port which is covered by a rubber plug.
• Lift up the plug to expose the fill port.
• Add e-liquid through the port whilst observing the level through the pod.
• If a new coil or first time use leave to stand for 10 minutes for the coil to absorb the liquid.

How To Replace The Coil

• Remove the pod from the device by pulling it.
• You can replace the coil with the pod about half full – if you stand it as shown in photo below.
• The coil is located on the base of the pod and is removed by simply pulling out. There may be a bit of resistance from the O-rings.
• Install a new coil making sure the flat areas on the coil base align with the locators on the base of the pod and push in firmly.
• Add e-liquid and leave to stand.

How Does the Smok RPM Lite Kit Perform?

I will add here this is the first time I have tried any of the RPM coil range – so sadly am not able to compare it to other devices that use this range.

I was a huge fan of the Nord coils so I have high hopes!

As there are two different types of coil in the kit I will use different types of e-liquid to test them.

The 0.4ohm coil I will be using a higher VG and lower nicotine strength than I would with the 0.8ohm MTL coil.

We tell you more about types of e-liquid in the guides below:

• VG and PG in E-liquid – all you need to know
• Guide to Nic Salts
• Beginners guide to E-liquid

Smok RPM Lite – RPM Mesh 0.4ohm Coil

This coil has a recommended power rating of 25W.

I used a 80%VG e-liquid – Fruit Salad by Stika Bombs made up to a 3mg nicotine strength.

I started my test at 20W and already way more flavour than I was expecting – blimey!

Moving up through 24W and this is getting better and better!

At 26W there is tons of flavour – almost up to a proper sub-tank level. In fact I have been using the Eleaf Melo 4 tank a lot and I would say the flavour is on a par with this – from a weeny little pod at only 26W! As Victor Meldrew would say “I doooont Beeeelive it!”.

Beautiful – although the MTL coil suits my needs more – I could still happily vape on the 0.4ohm coil all day long.

Smok RPM Lite – 0.4ohm Coil Airflow

This has a much more open airflow than the MTL coil so it does appear the airflow adjustment is taken care of by the airflow in the actual coil.

On a scale of 1-10 I would put this about a 7. Not fully open but little restriction.

I think the airflow is spot on – but I do think airflow adjustment would be a good option to have as this might not suit every vaper.

If you are a DTL vaper, used to big cloud chucking tanks, this wouldn’t be a replacement for that but as a second device for out and about you are not having to compromise much!

Smok RPM Lite – RPM DC 0.8ohm MTL Coil

I am using my usual CrazySaltzzz Bubblegum e-liquid which is 50/50 VG/PG 20mg nicotine salt.

I use the same liquid in my Drag Nano and Caliburn.

The coil is rated at 16W and I moved up to 15W and love it right there!

The flavour has reminded me how good my e-liquid actually tastes!

Beautiful – even better than the already great Nord coils. Bags of flavour and a wonderful throat hit too.

I will be getting some more of these on order – just on the strength of this coil (this was the first I tried!) I love this kit!

Smok RPM Lite – 0.8ohm Coil Airflow

Having owned the Smok Nord and been a huge fan – especially the 1.4ohm coils – I was worried as the airflow on the RPM Lite is not adjustable. The original Nord was quite airy for a MTL device.

However I need not have worried at all, the airflow is spot on. Not the tightest I have tried (that badge goes to the Innokin EQ kit) but is still a lovely MTL setting.

I am comparing it to my Drag Nano – which has pretty much the same resistance, and the Uwell Caliburn – the Caliburn is slightly tighter. Also I have the Geekvape Aegis Boost and on its lowest airflow setting it is still more airy than the RPM Lite.

So on a scale of 1-10 – 1 being virtually closed and 10 being wide open I would rate this about 3.5.

I really think this is perfect airflow and if it did have adjustment I would leave it in this setting right now!

Smok RPM Lite Device Performance

This is great to use – pretty easy but obviously total beginners or technophobes might be a bit freaked out by installing coils and adjustments.

The fire speed is instant I don’t notice any lag and for some reason it’s hard to believe at 15W I am getting this much flavour!

I love the screen – bright, clear and you can make it look pretty – hehe!

I use this more than my new Geekvape Aegis Boost – I prefer the RPM Lite! I have been mainly using the Drag Nano as the battery life and e-liquid consumption are amazing but the flavour is below par compared to the RPM Lite.

I love my Caliburn but the battery life is not great which drove me mad. So I now have my replacement for every day usage. And I am a heavy user as I am just coming up to a year off the ciggies so my vapes get a right hammering!

Plus the quick charging leaves my other kits sat on the desk!

Smok RPM Lite Kit – Battery Life

This will always vary according to your vaping habits – however I timed my own usage.

At 15W with the 0.8ohm coil and 20mg nicotine salt I got around 12.5 hours which was 537 puffs.

Even right down to 4% the power output was the same as it was at 100%!

Which is pretty epic in my eyes!

Pros

• Great packaging and instructions
• Good size fill port and no airlock issues
• Large range of RPM coils to choose from
• 0.8ohm MTL coil is wonderful with a great MTL airflow
• 0.4ohm coil gives lots of lovely flavour and the airflow suits this style well
• Clear bright colour screen
• Adjustable wattage allows more versatility
• Great battery life
• Quick charging

Cons

• You have to remove the pod to see the liquid level as it is really dark. The pod fitment is super tight too.
• The metal panel on mine did dent.
• Can be fiddly to fill whilst trying to hold the fill port plug open.

These are not massive “Cons” just things which would have made this kit better:

• USB C charging would be an improvement
• Airflow adjustment may have also been a nice feature
• Could look a bit funkier but that’s just my opinion but still not ugly or dull.
• Removable drip tip would have been nice if you wanted to customize

Final Review Verdict

I will be honest when I first wrote the preview for this kit I was skeptical as to what the point of it was. We already had similar 40W pod devices from Smok and I thought this was an odd release.

However after reading reviews for the other kits there did seem to be an issue with the MTL airflow not being quite tight enough.

For me the RPM Lite has perfect MTL airflow – even without adjustment. So I think this kit is a huge improvement and a very welcome addition to the RPM range.

With the 0.8ohm coil and nic salt I am loving vaping on this. The battery life, flavour and airflow are really spot on – in fact I am tempted to buy another! I already have a pack of 0.8ohm coils on order!

With the 0.4ohm coil the flavour output is impressive – hard to believe this little device can do that!

The screen is clear and bright and easy to use and I found the power output to be excellent even down to 4% battery capacity left!

Another winner from Smok in my eyes – their best MTL set up I have tried!