I recently purchased a Smok Prospect e-pipe from Sweet-Vapes.com, along with an EHPRO Kayfin Lite Plus V2. This e-pipe is my first mod of any type, and the Kayfun is my first rebuildable atomizer tank. I've been successfully vaping for about 3 years, but had never gotten into an RBA of any sort before this. My interest in both of these devices was a combination of curiosity and an interest in continuing to get a good vape as I drop down in my nicotine levels. I had recently switched to my first variable voltage device, an iTaste v3, which I like and still use, but wanted something without quite as long a form factor, that could hold batteries that would last longer than 800mah on a single charge.
Unlike the older model Smok e-pipe, the Prospect e-pipe includes a 7 amp safety fuse that allows use of an 18350 IMR battery without the need for an extension tube. The Prospect e-pipe accepts Smok e-pipe extension tubes. I had seen one or two pictures of this online, but had never actually read anything anywhere that confirmed that in writing. I just had to purchase the extension tubes and hope they worked. They do, so those allows the use of 18500 (18450) or 18650 IMR batteries, a nice plus for the Prospect e-pipe.
The new Smok Prospect e-pipe has a magnetic button switch and rotating button lock ring. These are features that the older model Smok e-pipe (which is a bit more of a true mech mod) does not have. The smok e-pipe could only use button top batteries, while the Prospect e-pipe can take flat or button top batteries. Without extension tubes, the Prospect e-pipe still has the same small form factor as the older Smok e-pipe. It easily fits in the palm of your hand, but if used without 1 or 2 of the extension tubes you are limited to using a single 700-800mah IMR battery.
Screwing on one extension tube allows the use of a single 18450 or 18500 (1100mah) IMR battery. Screwing on two extension tubes allows the use of a single 18650 (2000-2600mah) IMR battery, or the use of a 18450-18500 IMR battery combined with a Kick battery regulating device. I've yet to try a Kick on this e-pipe, but plan to in the future. This is why I only bought 18350 and 18450 IMR batteries to use for now. The 700mah 18350 Efest IMR batteries only last a few hours, but I get closer to around 6 hours of use with the 18450 AW IMR batteries. That's with pretty regular, near chain, level vaping.
With one battery extension tube screwed on I can still easily fit the Prespect e-pipe in a shirt pocket, but this e-pipe is on the heavy side for its size. It is made out of some sort of metal which is chrome plated. Some websites say this e-pipe is made out of stainless steel, but I doubt it. I believe it is made out of the same metal as the previous Smok e-pipe, but is available in a larger variety of colored chrome finishes. I got a straight chrome finished one, to match the extension tubes that only come in that same style finish. There is also a gunmetal finished one, a gold one, a blue one and a few other colors (including a purple one), but not a true black like there is available in the earlier Smok e-pipe model.
The straight, bright chrome finish goes well with many chromed or stainless steel toppers, but it is a fingerprint magnet. It looks good, with just a touch of simple shaping to it that makes it look a little more modern than the older style Smok e-pipe. A rubberized finish, or some finger grooves, or something like that would have been nice to help keep a grip on the device, but I've yet to ever drop it. I'd prefer it if the body of this device was mostly made out of something lighter weight, like aluminum, or polymer, combined with a thin inner metal tube. That would make for a much handier and pocket-able device, but this e-pipe is perfectly suitable as is. Its heavy construction should be able to put up with some physical abuse. It gets a little slippery as the device warms up with use and your hands get sweaty.
The chrome finish will probably start to chip away if it takes too many hard falls, though the finish appears to have been executed fairly well. The aftermarket battery extension tubes are of a slightly smaller outer diameter. This is hardly noticeable, and actually provides a bit of a finger groove grip between the main e-pipe body and its battery cap. The chrome finish on the battery extension tube threading is not as well done as on the e-pipe itself, but that is not noticeable while the extension tubes are screwed into the e-pipe for use.
Unlike the older Smok e-pipe, the Prospect model has an eGo/510 threaded topper connection. The older Smok e-pipe just had a 510 threaded connection, with a slightly longer stem off the main body of the device. The Prospect's thread stem is very short and close to the e-pipe's main body. If using a 510 topper, like a Nautilus tank, or an RBA, or RBT, you will probably want to use a beauty ring to cover the gap between the eGo threads and the topper. I used a Nautilus beauty ring for that purpose when using the Kayfun Lite RBT. This worked fine, but there was still about a 1mm gap left uncovered. That was a minor issue with the Kayfun, not the e-pipe itself. Other 510 toppers fit without any visual gap issues. Regardless of whether or not there was any gap, all the toppers I tried functioned normally.
The Smok Prospect e-pipe can stand up on a flat surface with no atomizer device attached, but will fall over once nearly any kind of heavy topper is attached. With at least one battery extension tube attached (including an applicable extra long battery) this e-pipe will actually stand up on a flat surface if a very lightweight atomizer topper is used, such as the iClear 16 or the original Kanger EVODs. Usually I just lay the entire assembly down on its side, rather that worry about it toppling over, even when using the lighter weight toppers.
While I originally planned on carrying this e-pipe in a shirt pocket, that tends to weigh down my shirt pockets a bit too much. At least when carried assembled in a shirt pocket, mounted toppers stay pointed mostly upwards, and the e-pipe is not prone to falling out of the pocket - even when bending over. (The weight of the e-pipe laying on its side in a pocket tends to keep it down fairly well.) Despite that, I prefer to carry the assembled setup in a pant pocket, with the e-pipe's fire button locked off. I'm not really a fan of that, so I don't end up using this e-pipe while I'm out-and-about as much as I had originally intended.
I'm new to the whole RBA thing, so while I have successfully made, tested and mounted several coils for the Kayfun Lite, I've had a lot of issues getting a good organic cotton wick properly setup for the device. I get a lot of dry hits when using high VG juice. When everything is working right, the flavor and vapor delivery of the Kayfun on this e-pipe is very good, though the flavor delivery hasn't been quite as impressive as the extra vapor I'm getting. I'm not yet getting good consistency in either though, so I'm still mainly using off the shelf clearomizers on my Prospect e-pipe. So far, for that purpose, the iClear 16 dual coil clearomizers and the Kanger EVOD BSC clearomizers seem to be working best compared to the Aspire ET-S or Mini Davide. Neither the iClear 16 or EVOD glassomizer look all that great on the Prospect e-pipe, but at least they work pretty consistently.
The iClear 16 TDC actually does very well on this e-pipe. The EVOD works okay, but (like with many of my other toppers) it really needs the e-pipe to be outfitted with some kind of variable voltage/wattage regulating device in order to get the most out of it. The Prospect e-pipe has some electrical insulating type of black tape lining the inside of the battery tube (which the extension tubes do not have). I'm not sure if I want to try removing any of that in order to install a Kick type of device so that it has the metal tube contact it needs in order to work. Anyone reading this have any experience with doing that?
In the meantime, until I get better at wicking my Kayfun coil builds, or get some kind of Kick type device, I'm not really using this Smok Prospect e-pipe much. In fact, for portability, at least for outside the house use, I'm looking at just getting some Kanger EVOD 650mah eGo type batteries and using the iClear 16 clearomizers for that instead. The Kayfun Lite is a kind of a beast of a device in size anyway, so I don't think I will be using that much other than at home on the e-pipe (once I figure out the right coil and wick setup for using it with high VG juices). I'm a little disappointed in the Prospect e-pipe, but that is mainly my fault. Though it works perfectly fine, it just isn't filling the need I was hoping it would - at least not yet.
Unlike the older model Smok e-pipe, the Prospect e-pipe includes a 7 amp safety fuse that allows use of an 18350 IMR battery without the need for an extension tube. The Prospect e-pipe accepts Smok e-pipe extension tubes. I had seen one or two pictures of this online, but had never actually read anything anywhere that confirmed that in writing. I just had to purchase the extension tubes and hope they worked. They do, so those allows the use of 18500 (18450) or 18650 IMR batteries, a nice plus for the Prospect e-pipe.
The new Smok Prospect e-pipe has a magnetic button switch and rotating button lock ring. These are features that the older model Smok e-pipe (which is a bit more of a true mech mod) does not have. The smok e-pipe could only use button top batteries, while the Prospect e-pipe can take flat or button top batteries. Without extension tubes, the Prospect e-pipe still has the same small form factor as the older Smok e-pipe. It easily fits in the palm of your hand, but if used without 1 or 2 of the extension tubes you are limited to using a single 700-800mah IMR battery.
Screwing on one extension tube allows the use of a single 18450 or 18500 (1100mah) IMR battery. Screwing on two extension tubes allows the use of a single 18650 (2000-2600mah) IMR battery, or the use of a 18450-18500 IMR battery combined with a Kick battery regulating device. I've yet to try a Kick on this e-pipe, but plan to in the future. This is why I only bought 18350 and 18450 IMR batteries to use for now. The 700mah 18350 Efest IMR batteries only last a few hours, but I get closer to around 6 hours of use with the 18450 AW IMR batteries. That's with pretty regular, near chain, level vaping.
With one battery extension tube screwed on I can still easily fit the Prespect e-pipe in a shirt pocket, but this e-pipe is on the heavy side for its size. It is made out of some sort of metal which is chrome plated. Some websites say this e-pipe is made out of stainless steel, but I doubt it. I believe it is made out of the same metal as the previous Smok e-pipe, but is available in a larger variety of colored chrome finishes. I got a straight chrome finished one, to match the extension tubes that only come in that same style finish. There is also a gunmetal finished one, a gold one, a blue one and a few other colors (including a purple one), but not a true black like there is available in the earlier Smok e-pipe model.
The straight, bright chrome finish goes well with many chromed or stainless steel toppers, but it is a fingerprint magnet. It looks good, with just a touch of simple shaping to it that makes it look a little more modern than the older style Smok e-pipe. A rubberized finish, or some finger grooves, or something like that would have been nice to help keep a grip on the device, but I've yet to ever drop it. I'd prefer it if the body of this device was mostly made out of something lighter weight, like aluminum, or polymer, combined with a thin inner metal tube. That would make for a much handier and pocket-able device, but this e-pipe is perfectly suitable as is. Its heavy construction should be able to put up with some physical abuse. It gets a little slippery as the device warms up with use and your hands get sweaty.
The chrome finish will probably start to chip away if it takes too many hard falls, though the finish appears to have been executed fairly well. The aftermarket battery extension tubes are of a slightly smaller outer diameter. This is hardly noticeable, and actually provides a bit of a finger groove grip between the main e-pipe body and its battery cap. The chrome finish on the battery extension tube threading is not as well done as on the e-pipe itself, but that is not noticeable while the extension tubes are screwed into the e-pipe for use.
Unlike the older Smok e-pipe, the Prospect model has an eGo/510 threaded topper connection. The older Smok e-pipe just had a 510 threaded connection, with a slightly longer stem off the main body of the device. The Prospect's thread stem is very short and close to the e-pipe's main body. If using a 510 topper, like a Nautilus tank, or an RBA, or RBT, you will probably want to use a beauty ring to cover the gap between the eGo threads and the topper. I used a Nautilus beauty ring for that purpose when using the Kayfun Lite RBT. This worked fine, but there was still about a 1mm gap left uncovered. That was a minor issue with the Kayfun, not the e-pipe itself. Other 510 toppers fit without any visual gap issues. Regardless of whether or not there was any gap, all the toppers I tried functioned normally.
The Smok Prospect e-pipe can stand up on a flat surface with no atomizer device attached, but will fall over once nearly any kind of heavy topper is attached. With at least one battery extension tube attached (including an applicable extra long battery) this e-pipe will actually stand up on a flat surface if a very lightweight atomizer topper is used, such as the iClear 16 or the original Kanger EVODs. Usually I just lay the entire assembly down on its side, rather that worry about it toppling over, even when using the lighter weight toppers.
While I originally planned on carrying this e-pipe in a shirt pocket, that tends to weigh down my shirt pockets a bit too much. At least when carried assembled in a shirt pocket, mounted toppers stay pointed mostly upwards, and the e-pipe is not prone to falling out of the pocket - even when bending over. (The weight of the e-pipe laying on its side in a pocket tends to keep it down fairly well.) Despite that, I prefer to carry the assembled setup in a pant pocket, with the e-pipe's fire button locked off. I'm not really a fan of that, so I don't end up using this e-pipe while I'm out-and-about as much as I had originally intended.
I'm new to the whole RBA thing, so while I have successfully made, tested and mounted several coils for the Kayfun Lite, I've had a lot of issues getting a good organic cotton wick properly setup for the device. I get a lot of dry hits when using high VG juice. When everything is working right, the flavor and vapor delivery of the Kayfun on this e-pipe is very good, though the flavor delivery hasn't been quite as impressive as the extra vapor I'm getting. I'm not yet getting good consistency in either though, so I'm still mainly using off the shelf clearomizers on my Prospect e-pipe. So far, for that purpose, the iClear 16 dual coil clearomizers and the Kanger EVOD BSC clearomizers seem to be working best compared to the Aspire ET-S or Mini Davide. Neither the iClear 16 or EVOD glassomizer look all that great on the Prospect e-pipe, but at least they work pretty consistently.
The iClear 16 TDC actually does very well on this e-pipe. The EVOD works okay, but (like with many of my other toppers) it really needs the e-pipe to be outfitted with some kind of variable voltage/wattage regulating device in order to get the most out of it. The Prospect e-pipe has some electrical insulating type of black tape lining the inside of the battery tube (which the extension tubes do not have). I'm not sure if I want to try removing any of that in order to install a Kick type of device so that it has the metal tube contact it needs in order to work. Anyone reading this have any experience with doing that?
In the meantime, until I get better at wicking my Kayfun coil builds, or get some kind of Kick type device, I'm not really using this Smok Prospect e-pipe much. In fact, for portability, at least for outside the house use, I'm looking at just getting some Kanger EVOD 650mah eGo type batteries and using the iClear 16 clearomizers for that instead. The Kayfun Lite is a kind of a beast of a device in size anyway, so I don't think I will be using that much other than at home on the e-pipe (once I figure out the right coil and wick setup for using it with high VG juices). I'm a little disappointed in the Prospect e-pipe, but that is mainly my fault. Though it works perfectly fine, it just isn't filling the need I was hoping it would - at least not yet.
