Hi there! TheOneVape_Review is back once again with an All-In-One ( AIO ) kit review - The Trinity Alpha by smok. In this review, I will break down into different categories, explain, and show some visual contents for an easier understanding of the Trinity Alpha based on my experience. The following contents are:
--------BASICS --------
Introduction
Specifications & Features
Safety Features
Color Options
Packaging Content
Trinity Alpha Components
-------IN DEPTH-------
Build Quality
Operation
Performance ( Wicking, Airflow, USB Charging, Pod & Battery Life, Flavor & Vapor Production )
------OPINIONS------
Final Thoughts
Pros & Cons
---------PRICE---------
Where To Get
Price Of Trinity Alpha AIO Kit & Replacement Pods
INTRODUCTION
The Trinity Alpha is one of the latest pod system created by SMOK and its exterior look is very similar to quite a few pod system / AIO kit in the market. More companies are taking this design as a benchmark for their pod system / AIO kit, but, of course, with a few tweaks here and there, which was initially released by Lost Vape - The Orion Pod System. But what's important is the performance and not so for the looks. Since the Trinity Alpha has a very similar form factor as the Orion, I will thus, compare those two together and share with you my thoughts if the Trinity Alpha is worth the purchase. Just a quick overview of the Trinity Alpha; It is a Orion-style lookalike device but instead of being a pod system, it is an AIO kit which comes with 2 replaceable coils, rated at 0.6 and 0.8 Ω each, and is also refillable up to 2.8 ml of e-liquid capacity. It has an internal 1000 mAh built in battery and it uses direct voltage that draws power directly from the battery.
How does the Trinity Alpha performs as compared to the Orion and is it worth your money? To find out, let me talk more about it, show some pictures that I took below and give you my final thoughts.
SPECIFICATIONS & FEATURES
Height : 91 mm
Width : 38 mm
Depth : 16 mm
Weight : 90 g
Material : Zinc Alloy
Power Output : 6 - 30 W
Input Voltage : 3.3 - 4.2 V
Output Voltage : 2.1 - 4.1 V
Standby Current : < 100 μA
Charger Output : DC 5 V 1 A
Charging Voltage : 5 V
Charging Current : 0.7 A ( Max )
Resistance Range : 0.5 - 3.0 Ω
E-Liquid Capacity : 2.8 ml ( Standard ) / 2 ml ( TPD )
3 Power Modes : Soft / Norm / Hard
Ergonomically Designed Power Button
Sliding Stainless Steel Top Cap ( Standard ) / Screwing Stainless Steel Top Cap ( TPD )
LED Battery Life Indicator
Fast Charging
510 Drip Tip Compatible
Multi-Colored 510 Drip Tips ( Purchase Separately )
Unique Lock Button For Pod Fixation
Nord Regular / Ceramic Coil ( 1.4 Ω ) Compatible
Two Airflow Channels
SAFETY FEATURES
Pod Detection
Short Circuit Protection
8 Seconds Cut Off
Low Voltage Protection
COLOR OPTIONS
Picture Credits: Smoktech
PACKAGING CONTENT
STANDARD
1 x Trinity Alpha
1 x Trinity Alpha Empty Pod ( 2.8 ml )
1 x Nord Mesh Coil ( 0.6 Ω )
1 x Nord Mesh MTL Coil ( 0.8 Ω )
1 x Lanyard
1 x USB Cable
1 x User Manual
USA
Device and pod are sold separately. You will still receive everything in the kit, meaning you will get what you're supposed to get in the device package and pod package.
TPD
Comes as a whole set, just like the standard, but pod e-liquid capacity will be capped at 2 ml.
Packaging Content
TRINITY ALPHA COMPONENTS
Picture Credits: Smoktech
BUILD QUALITY
BODY
Although the materials used to make both the Trinity Alpha and Orion are different, and it might not feel as premium as the latter, but you would be surprised by how solid the device is. I had dropped the Trinity Alpha by accident at waist level once, and it was still working fine with just a minor chip at the edge of the device. The lever used to attach and remove the pod from the body is working great and has not loosen on me, yet. The black painted finish body of the Trinity Alpha can be a fingerprint magnet but it also depends on the lighting condition; you are able to see the fingerprint clearly in a brightly lit area. The 'resin' looking panels on both sides of the panels were actually made out of plastic. I did not peel the protective plastic off the panels, so I don't know how scratch resistant they are. But, the overall body seems to not get scratches easily after a solid 2 months on usage. The power and mode button are fitted nicely to ensure that there is no button rattles and also to give a satisfying click to it. All the LED lights indicators ( Green, Yellow, Red ) are bright enough to view it in both indoors and outdoors. Using the USB port to charge the built-in battery numerous times did not cause it to be loosen. Although SMOK has an infamous reputation for their quality control, but I haven't had any issues with it and therefore, I will say that the QC for the Trinity Alpha is not bad ( ? )
POD
The pod itself is refillable and can be reused as it uses replaceable coil heads. I have washed it thrice using an ultrasonic cleaner and is still working well as it should be, especially the sliding top cap. The pod itself is also 510 drip tip compatible and all my 510 drip tip fits nicely, but you have to find a shape that sits flush with the atomizer ring for it to not look funky. The replaceable coils fits into the pod nice and snug without being loose, which is located on the underside of the pod. 10 out of 10 time, the pods will click in place to the lever without dropping out although there is a very slight play to it.
Press Fitted Coil
OPERATION OF THE TRINITY ALPHA
FILLING & REFILLING
The fill port is large enough to fit the bottle tip to fill the pod up. If you want to change flavor of your e-liquid and want to wash the pod before switching, you're able to pull the coil head out first and wash the pod. To check how much e-liquid capacity is left, you will need to detach the pod from the device as the transparent part of the pod is being covered by the device.
Sliding Top Cap
CONNECTING POD TO DEVICE
This is a no-brainer. Push the pod down into the device and you will hear a click sound. This means the lever has locked the pod in place. The LED indicator will flash a white light for around 1 second.
CHANGING TO DIFFERENT POWER MODES
To change into the different power modes to suit your vaping style, simply press the mode button ( just right above the micro USB port ) to change into Soft, Normal, or Hard mode.
CHARGING THE DEVICE
Insert the micro USB cable into the micro USB port to start charging. During the charging process, the flashing red light will transit into flashing yellow light and then transit into solid green light. Once charged fully, the solid green light will be turned off automatically, be in using a power bank or a power plug.
LED COLORS INDICATION
Solid Green Light - Battery level is more than 70%
Solid Yellow Light - Battery level is between 30 - 69 %
Solid Red Light - Battery level is less than 30 %
Flash White 3 Times - On / Off the device
Solid White Light - Pod clicked in place
Solid White Light Beside S - Soft Mode
Solid White Light Beside N - Normal Mode
Solid White Light Beside H - Hard Mode
Flashing Red Light Slowly - Device is charging when battery is below 30 %
Flashing Yellow Light Slowly - Device is charging when battery is between 30 - 69 %
Green Light Constantly On - Device is charging when battery is more than 70 %
Solid Green Light Turns Off - Device is fully charged
Solid Green / Yellow / Red Light When Vaping - Your current battery life indicator
PERFORMANCE
WICKING
As always, I would let the fresh coil soak up with e-liquid completely for 5 - 10 minutes before taking the first puff. Both the 0.6 and 0.8 Ω coils keep up with the wicking pretty good at lower wattage but, the 0.8 Ω can't keep up with higher wattage vaping which then causes dry hits. I used 35 mg 50 / 50 nic salts during this testing phase.
As far as leaking problems, 0.6 Ω coil did not give me any leaking issues but it did gurgle on several occasions. The 0.8 Ω coil on the other hand, had some minor leaking at the bottom opening of the coil and will gurgle constantly. It can be quite frustrating at times to use the 0.8 Ω coil as I have to check constantly and use a piece of paper towel to suck away the excess juice from the bottom of the coil to prevent any further leakages.
Spit back issues for both coils aren't a major problem. Yes, I do get juice in my mouth on a fresh coil, but after the second refill, the spit back issues were gone.
AIRFLOW
There are 2 pathways for air to travel. The first opening is beside the sliding top cap and the second opening is at the side of the device. You can always cover the second airflow opening to get a tad tighter draw. The 0.6 Ω coil gives me a very loose MTL / restrictive DTL whereas the 0.8 Ω coil gives more of a tighter, medium restrictive MTL. The 0.6 Ω coil produces a fair amount of sound, including popping and crackling sound while the 0.8 Ω coil give a quieter vape but it also pops and crackles. Overall, the airflow is quite smooth and not turbulent, but I would say the Trinity Alpha is not suitable for stealth vaping in my book.
2 Airflow Pathways / Picture Credits: Smoktech
CHARGING
I timed the charging process from a battery that is completely flat to a fully charged 1000 mAh battery and that took a total of 1 hour 52 minutes, which is quite disappointing to me. But on the bright side, it supports pass through. SMOK should have made this a 1 A or 1.5 A fast charging so that we don't have to wait for a near 2 hours for it to be completely charged. I mean, technology is advanced now so I don't see a reason to not put a fast charging programmed into the Trinity Alpha instead of the slower 0.7 A charging speed.
REPLACEABLE COIL & BATTERY LIFE
The Nord's coil life is pretty average. I get around 3.5 refills for the 0.6 Ω coil and 2 refills for the 0.8 Ω coil and considering the fact that it holds 2.8 ml of e-liquid. Most pods system out there are only able to take in 2 ml of e-liquid and let's say if the Trinity Alpha only supports 2 ml, I will most probably get 5 refills out of the 0.6 Ω and 3.5 refills out of the 0.8 Ω.
The battery life using the 0.6 Ω coil lasted me for around 1⅓ refills and the battery life using the 0.8 Ω coil lasted about 1 refills. The 1000 mAh battery life is actually not that bad after all. But, one thing I hate about the Trinity Alpha is it doesn't give a constant power because it uses direct voltage. As the battery life drops, the performance drops drastically as well.
FLAVOR & VAPOR PRODUCTION
Flavor on the 0.6 Ω coil is pretty good at the start but it starts to lose flavor after the second refill. As for the 0.8 Ω coil, the flavor is good but not as condensed as the 0.6 Ω coil. The flavor is also affected as the battery drops, like I mentioned above. The vapor production is good on both coils if you are looking for cloud chasing with a pod system.
THROAT HIT
The throat hit on the 0.6 Ω coil is between weak to medium, depending on how long you inhale as well. The throat hit on the 0.8 Ω coil is definitely stronger than the 0.6 Ω. Therefore, the throat hit both coils can produced are not very weak nor very strong. It is in the middle although it doesn't really satisfy me, at least it is better than what the throat hit on the caliburn can offer.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In my introduction earlier on, I mentioned that I will compare the Trinity Alpha to the Orion as the form factor on both of them are very similar and will tell you my thoughts if the Trinity Alpha is worth the purchase. Well, I will share my views on them now:
Although both the Trinity Alpha and the Orion have both of their unique looks and features, the Trinity Alpha has more goods than bads as compared to the more premium Orion. The sliding top fill cap on the Trinity Alpha is a more convenient way to refill the pod as compared to the traditional screwing top cap method and it will be nearly impossible to loose the top cap. The way you detach the pod on the Trinity Alpha is a much better solution as all you have to do is to slide the lever and take out the pod EASILY. On the Orion, you still have to use quite a bit of force to detach the pod even after pulling the lever downwards. You can reuse and rewash the the pods on the Trinity Alpha as compared to throwing the whole plastic pod away is a big plus and is definitely more "environmental friendly". There are also more resistance options to choose from to suit your vaping style as the Orion only provides 2 types of resistance range, which are the 0.25 Ω and 0.5 Ω. Flavor production and coil life on the Trinity Alpha is definitely way superior than the Orion. Micro USB port on the Trinity Alpha is in front instead of putting it at the bottom, like the Orion.
Now we will move on to how the Trinity Alpha was overtook by the Orion. The lack of customization on the Trinity Alpha. Although SMOK sells different colors resin drip tips separately to customize the looks of it, the Orion overthrew the Trinity Alpha over by having complete control on customizing the external looks of the pod from the side panels, to the drip tips to give a refresh look. While since I am still at customization, the Orion lets you change the wattage settings via escribe and also, it gives a constant power throughout the whole time. The Orion also supports 1 A charging and charges within 45 minutes for a 950 mAh battery whereas the Trinity Alpha takes almost 2 hours to charge a 1000 mAh battery. The Orion beats the Trinity Alpha in airflow options as you can set the airflow to your vaping needs whereas you can only cover only airflow hole on the latter. The Orion is definitely a better device to choose for stealth vaping as to the Trinity Alpha. You will never face leaking issues on the Orion ( only flooding ) because of how it is designed.
Who is this device for? This device is for vapers who wants a cheaper alternative and has the same form factor as the Orion. It is also for those who enjoys a restrictive DTL / loose MTL from a pod system.
So is the Trinity Alpha worth the money? Yes, it is worth the money and is definitely cheaper than the Orion for sure. What is important to me are these few factors in deciding if the Trinity Alpha is worth it: Build quality, coil life, flavor production, and battery life and all of the pointers made it to my checkbox.
WHAT IS GOOD
- Great Battery Life
- Good Flavor Production From Both 0.6 & 0.8 Ω Coils
- Good Vapor Production
- 0.6 Ω Coil Life Is Average
- 0.6 Ω Coil Wicks Well
- Good Build Quality
- Convenient Sliding Top Fill
- Able To Reuse & Rewash Pod
- Compatible With Several Nord Coils
- 510 Drip Tip Compatible
- Smooth Airflow
- Supports Pass-Through
WHAT ISN'T
- No 1 A or 1.5 A Fast Charging
- 0.8 Ω Coil Life Is Pretty Meh
- 0.8 Ω Coil Can't Keep Up With Wicking At Higher Wattages
- Minor Leaking Problems
- Minor Spit Back Problems
- Not Suitable For Stealth Vaping
- Performance Drops Drastically As Battery Life Decreases
PRICE OF TRINITY ALPHA AIO KIT
ElementVape - $21.95
VaporDNA - $21.95
MyVaporStore - $21.99
PRICE OF REPLACEMENT PODS
ElementVape - $6.95 ( Pod Only ) / 11.95 ( Pod with 1 x 0.6 Ω and 1 x 0.8 Ω Coil )
VaporDNA - $6.95 ( Pod Only ) / $11.95 ( Pod with 1 x 0.6 Ω and 1 x 0.8 Ω Coil )
MyVaporStore - $9.99 ( Pod with 1 x 0.6 Ω and 1 x 0.8 Ω Coil )
PRICE OF NORD REPLACEMENT COILS ( 5 Pcs / Box )
ElementVape - $9.95 ( 1.4 Ω Nord Regular / Ceramic Coils & 0.8 Ω MTL Mesh Coils ) / $10.95 ( 0.6 Ω Nord Mesh Coils )
VaporDNA - $10.99 ( 1.4 Ω Nord Regular / Ceramic Coils & 0.8 Ω MTL Mesh Coils / 0.6 Ω Nord Mesh Coils )
MyVaporStore - $9.75 ( 1.4 Ω Nord Regular Coils )
Thank you for taking the time to read my review on the Trinity Alpha AIO Kit by SMOK. This is TheOneVape_Review, signing off.
REVIEWER DISCLAIMER: I only type reviews during my free time so some products may take quite some time to be posted up. All products are used for 2 weeks or more.
PRODUCT DISCLAIMER: The Trinity Alpha AIO Kit was not sponsored by any companies or shops. This product that I reviewed was bought with my own money.
PICTURE DISCLAIMER: All pictures posted in my threads are purely taken by me and only me. Do not use without my acknowledgment or giving any credits.
