SMOK R-Kiss 2 Kit
Si takes the biscuit with his latest review of the Smok R-Kiss 2 kit
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by Si Davies
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Supplied by TECC (the Electronic Cigarette Company) for review
https://www.theelectroniccigarette.co.uk/smok-r-kiss-2
£40.99 including two Free E-liquids
Smok have a special place in my heart as the T-Priv 2 was my first ‘proper’ DL vape, and I’ve always been a fan of their interesting designs. It’s pretty obvious that the R-KISS 2 is more sensible than previous releases and it follows the principle of KISS, which means Keep It Simple and Stupid, but I have no idea what the ‘R’ stands for? Rubbery? Well it does have a rubberised coating but I don’t think that’s it, but ‘Rubbery Kiss’ brings back some weird memories!
Smok have played it pretty safe with this kit overall; a simple and basic interface, an uncluttered large and clear screen, simplistic styling, and it uses the popular TF V8 Mini (aka Baby V2) tank. The inclusion of this superb tank made all the difference for me as personally I think it’s Smok’s best tank to date despite it being over a couple of years old.
- Tank capacity - 2ml
- Coil resistance - 0.15ohm mesh
- Output wattage - 5-200W
- Battery compatibility - 2 x 18650 (sold separately)
- Dimensions - 138mm x 46mm x 30mm
- Assembled weight exc. packaging (approx.) - 182g
- Variable Wattage or BYPASS modes
- Rubberised coating
- TFV-Mini V2 Tank
Unboxing
I was in for a welcome surprise when I opened the TPD edition box; a spare glass! Recent Smok TPD kits have often missed this which I found annoying, not only do we have to suffer 2ml but we get less in the kit too, so the spare glass restored my faith. Better still, it’s a proper glass unrestricted one, I don’t know the capacity but it’s more than the double walled preinstalled one – shhhhh let’s hope nobody notices!
The actually packaging is the normal sturdy two piece black box with an outer sleeve showing the details, contents and authenticity bumf.
You get two coils which are exactly the same (S1 0.15ohm) which I think is a wise move as it again keeps it simple for new vapers. The coils are superb and make it easier to find replacements. There are other coils available though. There’s also some spare colour seals to change the look of your tank, a USB-C cable, and a trees worth of paper manual (Multilanguage jobbie).
First Impressions and Overview
The mod feels very light without batteries, but is solid and grippy. It weighs 116g. The tank weighs 65g and the kit with batteries weighs in at 275g which is reasonable for a dual battery kit.
The shape is a pretty simple box mod with rounded off corners. The front face has the screen panel, control buttons and charging port, the fire bar is on one side and it clicks at the top with a satisfying quality feel.
The 510 tank connection is centred on top and should accept tanks up to a whopping 30mm without overhang, the included tank is 25.5mm diameter.
The overall design is fairly featureless, the screen is the main bit of styling. It is all very tame for Smok which will please a lot of folks that don’t like busy mods, branding is kept down to a reasonable level too.
I guess the main design feature is the rubberised, dimple coating which is pretty grippy and of high quality. It just feels nice and comfortable, and the smoother fire bar feels intuitive. It’s not innovative though as Vaporesso did this years ago on their GEN series.
The battery door is on the base and has a simple slide friction fit. Although there is no lock, it does feel secure once the batteries are fitted. The battery door has almost no wobble and has clear battery orientation markings in white as well as internal red on white markings.
TFV-Mini V2 Tank
I’ve only ever known it as the Baby V2, but they are one and the same thing. I really like the styling and construction of this tank, and the S1 coils are just superb. Prior to this tank, Smok’s coils were a nightmare lottery, some didn’t even last a day and others would last 10 days if you were lucky, but the S1 lasts me a good three weeks of full flavour and no dry hits.
The construction is minimal and it is very easy to maintain. Essentially there are just four parts, coil fitting is an old-school screw fit into the base. Unfortunately the mouthpiece (drip-tip) is fixed and is plain black, it would have been nice to have the option of changing it but it looks okay and the tapered bore is pretty good.
The S1 0.15ohm mesh coil is single bore and is quite large, there’s a lot of metal but one of the main reasons this coil performs so well is the large wicking ports that really get the e-liquid flowing to the coil when vaping and chain vaping.
Another reason why I rate this tank is the top filling cap which locks, simply press in the tab and swivel for easy access to the generous fill port, it’s always easy and mess free with no chance of it flipping open in your bag or pocket.
Controls
I’m having to remind myself of ‘KISS’ here as the controls are VERY limited, in fact you only have two power options, and one of those should be avoided at all costs! BYPASS is fierce and seems to whack far too much power through. I braved a few hot puffs, but that was enough to know never to use it again. Even if you could tolerate fire eating, it will kill your coil in no time.
The screen is superb, and the sensible and uncluttered layout makes it easy to read the info you want. The welcome battery percentage is one of the few I can actually read without my glasses. The colour schemes are nice, and the choice of font is also easy to read. Brightness wise, it’s fair to middling – nice and bright indoors, but trickier outdoors. Shading it with my palm made it readable.
So there are only a handful of options to go through:
- 5 x Fire = Turns device On/Off
- 3 x Fire = Enters the farty menu
- Press Fire & Down = Clear puff counter Y/N
- Press Fire & Up = Cycles colour schemes
- Press and hold Up & Down key = Locks adjustments
So the huge menu features the following:
- WATT MODE
This is the main variable wattage mode and the only mode you are likely to use. - BYPASS
Just NO! – RUN AWAY! - POWER LOCKED
This was a bit pointless, you can go through the menu routine to lock all buttons, but this was more of a faff than just clicking Fire x 5 to turn it off and on.
So basically, don’t bother with the menu. I’m all for keeping it simple, but this all felt too simple for the current gen of vape kit, I felt it should have had at least ‘Auto Wattage’. I’ve seen better options in pods, so to find a dual battery mod with such limitations is a bit pants if I’m honest. This mod would be rubbish for RTAs, and there is zero chance for TC users.
Performance
Putting the limitations aside, it was time to vape. The S1 Mesh 0.15ohm coil is rated between 40-80 watts and is best between 60-70 watts. From experience, I knew my sweet spot was 66 watts (I usually go for 66.6 watts but there are no decimal places, BAH!).
The vape quality is just superb, a full airy and flavourful draw with plenty of vapour production, it’s one of those tanks where I enjoy a really long draw. The airflow control goes from a very airy draw down to a cheek pulling RDL.
Battery life will depend on which cells you use, but most will easily last a full day and evening. The charging screen shows separate battery icons and percentage, and it charges at a reasonable 2 Amps. The longest I had to wait was 1 ½ hours, but under an hour on average as I don’t like to run my batteries too low so a top up charge here and there will give you longer use.
Is it a Smok?
I own many Smok kits and this is the only one that doesn’t quite look or feel like a Smok kit to me. Apart from the tank, it could have had any brand stamped on it and I would be none the wiser. This is good news for those folks that dislike crazy looking gimmicky kits, but I’m not one of those as I love interesting designs and shiny-shiny fingerprint magnets.
Just popping it amongst a few of my other lovely Smoks, it looks lost and shy. For me, it isn’t one that stands proud in my collection but one man’s rubbish is another’s treasure. I sound harsh perhaps, and to be fair it’s not ugly and I’m sure it suits others tastes more.
I see it as a rich tea biscuit, a nice biscuit that most people like, but it’s no jammy dodger
Overall Conclusion
With the TFV-Mini V2 tank and S1 coils, this was always going to produce a great vape. As basic as the mod is, it feels comfortable to use. A good screen and 2 Amp charging makes it a great choice for vapers wanting everything as simple as possible, Smok have achieved the KISS principle but at the cost of user experience in my view. If it is aimed at new vapers, then auto-wattage should have been included.
But putting my experience aside and ignoring the controls, I am simply picking it up with wattage locked at 66 watts and I am getting a guaranteed great vape. You soon forget the mods capabilities and it does what it should; power delivery to the coil.
But I don’t think this is right at all…….
200 watts banging through a coil rated for 60-80 watts is a recipe for not only a dry hit, but is also a coil killer. Trust me and ignore this ‘feature’.
Pros
- KISS – Mission accomplished
- Rubberised coating looks and feels great
- TFV Mini V2 tank is superb
- Large clear screen
- Extra glass (shhh it’s our secret)
- Takes up to 30mm tanks
- Classic box mod styling
Cons
- Very limited mod functionality
- BYPASS?
I’m not going to list ‘boring’ as a con as that is purely subjective, just as some will be reaching for a sick-bucket looking at my other Smoks.
Final Thoughts
As a basic dual battery box wattage only mod with a superb tank mounted on top, then this kit should appeal to a lot of vapours that want both flavour and clouds as it delivers both in buckets.
(I have resisted calling it the aRse KISS throughout)
Score: 8/10 – Kept It Simple Smok
Si Davies
Reviewer at POTVMy background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!
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