Why is Smok so popular?

[Steve Parry]

I have a smok alien, an Osub 80, and an Osub King. They all work fine. Only issues are the King faded badly and the paint wore off on the Alien. I've had no operational issues with any of them. I've had far better luck with them than Wismec or Kanger. Either way, they're all cheaply made and priced products. You can't expect too much out of a starter kit that runs under $100.

I think you can narrow it down with what you posted. smok is the most widely available line. Thus, you're bound to find more people who have used them. As a result, you will find more people who have had issues with them. So they get a bad reputation online, but amongst newbies who don't research they are popular because they work about as well as anything else.

 

[IgnorantCig]

I've never tried anything from smok, so I don't have any opinion about their stuff, but I do know that I wouldn't have had 3 bad experiences with products from the same company, because one bad experience would be enough for me to try something else.

My last few devices have been from vaporesso. I was happy with the first one I bought, so I stuck with the same for my next one. If it aint broke why fix it I guess. I also like their coils, especially the ceramic, since I don't make my own.

 

[Doctorvapes]

When I first started vaping I thought smok mods were really good but now am not so sure based on what I've read. I've never owned one though.

I can say though after about a year of use and many, many uses by two people 4 out of 5 of the eleaf mods we have are still going. The one got messed up by a really hard drop. But I'm impressed for all the torture they've been through

 

[Edwin Betz]

I’ve had the worst luck with Smok. An alien mod crapped out on me after only three weeks, coils for the baby tank it came sometimes die in a day, and my ex husband’s vape had to be tossed from the car because it overheated to a critical point. Yes, it was an internal battery mod, which was ill advised anyway but he’s my ex so he never asked me what to buy. I heard about it after it happened.

So, with three bad experiences, I’m curious on how and why Smok is literally everywhere. There are some local vendors by me that pretty much ONLY have Smok to sell. Is my experience just really craptastic luck, or do they have some serious issues going on that are being ignored?

I don't have anything bas to say about Smok. My first high wattage mod was the Mag 225w with TFV12 Prince. I have had nothing but good experience with it. However, a friend of mine at work had his crap out on him after 2 months. I guess you could say it's the luck of the draw, but life is like that anyway. I own a wide variety of brands and each has its good points and it's bad points. If my Mag takes a cheap on me, yes I would probably get another one to replace it, because I like the way it is designed. All in all I can't say I like one brand over the other. I've had bad experiences with Kanger, but if I find one for a good price I will probably try it again.

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

 

[alvitae]

Why is Smok so popular? It's what the shops offer. When a newbie walks into a shop it's the flashiest looking mod there usually.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

I've never tried anything from smok, so I don't have any opinion about their stuff, but I do know that I wouldn't have had 3 bad experiences with products from the same company, because one bad experience would be enough for me to try something else.

My last few devices have been from vaporesso. I was happy with the first one I bought, so I stuck with the same for my next one. If it aint broke why fix it I guess. I also like their coils, especially the ceramic, since I don't make my own.

Technically I suppose you can say I’ve had two bad experiences. Replacement coils and a mod. My ex husband makes up the third. I can’t tell him what to buy. He simply comes to me when something goes wrong. I do kind of like their Baby tank when it has a good coil in it, just good coils seem hard to come by so I HAVE stopped using it.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

Why is Smok so popular? It's what the shops offer. When a newbie walks into a shop it's the flashiest looking mod there usually.

That’s why I got one. Because it was what the shop had. I stopped vaping for a while and when I started again I went to a shop because I figured I knew nothing anymore. It was done on a whim, so I didn’t research prior. I trusted this shop in the past, before Smok took over everything. I kind of
fear for any newbie these days. This is now all that some shops carry.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

I don't have anything bas to say about Smok. My first high wattage mod was the Mag 225w with TFV12 Prince. I have had nothing but good experience with it. However, a friend of mine at work had his crap out on him after 2 months. I guess you could say it's the luck of the draw, but life is like that anyway. I own a wide variety of brands and each has its good points and it's bad points. If my Mag takes a cheap on me, yes I would probably get another one to replace it, because I like the way it is designed. All in all I can't say I like one brand over the other. I've had bad experiences with Kanger, but if I find one for a good price I will probably try it again.

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

I’ve had a couple bad experiences with Kanger. I hated the tank that my last Kanger mod came with, and had some issues with coils, but they still meet my minimum standard for devices like this. 1) none have tried to blow up. 2) they work 2 out of three time when I hit the fire button. Smok has not met my minimum requirement. One tried to blow up and the other died way too soon. Even for coils, if two out of three last a decent while, fine. For me, Smok coils are only good 50% of the time. I don’t think I’m trying to hold them to an unreasonably high standard.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

When I first started vaping I thought smok mods were really good but now am not so sure based on what I've read. I've never owned one though.

I can say though after about a year of use and many, many uses by two people 4 out of 5 of the eleaf mods we have are still going. The one got messed up by a really hard drop. But I'm impressed for all the torture they've been through

To be honest, many people who frequent forums like this hold devices like this at higher standards then the should be held at for what they are. I don’t think that’s the case for Smok though, due to me fantastically bad experiences with Smok.

 

[Zaryk]

Smok is the reason I was an on and off vaper for 2 years. The coil lottery smok makes us play put me off in a major way, the mods are lack luster at best. It really bothers me that they simply reuse the same board in everything and slap it in a different shell. My mods were (sometimes) functional, and their tanks needed more attention than a trophy wife. If I didn't come across a new vape shop when I did, I would never had stuck with vaping.

I live in a small town (when I say small I mean very small, 2 stop lights, no police department, and if you stand on one side of town, you can see where it ends on the other side). I have to travel almost an hour to get to the nearest vape shop in the next town over. The shop I went to pretty much carried smok and cig-a-likes. I didn't shop online back then because I like physically handling the product before buying.

Out of all things smok that I bought and owned, only my AL85 survived. I still have it for my MTL back up rig, but I still don't trust the brand at all and will NEVER give them any of my money again. Though I will say, the new paint they use seems quite a step up from the old stuff and is quite durable.

I also want to mention that most of their more recent designs are way to flashy and hipster for my taste. I'm more of a simple and adult styling kind of guy. Looking at the newer smok stuff, I can absolutely see where someone outside the industry would say teens and young adults are being targeted by vape companies.

 

[Budgie]

I have 2 SMOK Mods, the G-PRIV 2 and the Alien, the tanks they came with and TFV 12 Prince, the Prince is the only one I use now only because :-
1, The stupid EU regs that require me to use a tank that holds as much e-juice as a gnats bladder.
2. It's a very good tank.
I've only been sub ohming for a few months now, but they do the job I want of them, they cost me what I wanted to pay at the time, I reviewed them no end on YouTube and the net, and found no reason not to buy them. I've had no problems with them at all. I guess I'm just lucky to have bought good ones, (early days I know, I might be back tomorrow swearing my head of because they've blown up or something), time will tell.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

I have 2 SMOK Mods, the G-PRIV 2 and the Alien, the tanks they came with and TFV 12 Prince, the Prince is the only one I use now only because :-
1, The stupid EU regs that require me to use a tank that holds as much e-juice as a gnats bladder.
2. It's a very good tank.
I've only been sub ohming for a few months now, but they do the job I want of them, they cost me what I wanted to pay at the time, I reviewed them no end on YouTube and the net, and found no reason not to buy them. I've had no problems with them at all. I guess I'm just lucky to have bought good ones, (early days I know, I might be back tomorrow swearing my head of because they've blown up or something), time will tell.

I wish you luck. It really seems to be a matter of luck.

 

[DeloresRose]

I've never tried anything from smok, so I don't have any opinion about their stuff, but I do know that I wouldn't have had 3 bad experiences with products from the same company, because one bad experience would be enough for me to try something else.

My last few devices have been from vaporesso. I was happy with the first one I bought, so I stuck with the same for my next one. If it aint broke why fix it I guess. I also like their coils, especially the ceramic, since I don't make my own.

I had several bad experiences with it, not because I was optimistic that the next product would be good, not because I was stupid, not because I thought they were pretty, not because I thought all vape gear was probably just as bad.

It was, quite simply, the only thing available and I was determined to vape.

I think that’s Tink’s point in the OP, that for too many people, especially just starting out, they’re going to go to a shop and look for guidance. And the advice they’re going to get is Smok.

I wish eleaf or Vaporesso had been available. Far more reliable. It’s got to be hard to run a shop with higher priced gear though. There’s little overhead with online shops, and the b&m markups look like a ripoff in comparison.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

My only experience with a Smok mod was an Al85 that died within weeks of unboxing.

I have two Baby Beasts with the RBA. They perform very well. Only one is being used.

I use the TFV8 RBA in a Geekvape Illusion tank. It's excellent--it turned a 5ml cloud monster into a 5ml flavor monster.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

I had several bad experiences with it, not because I was optimistic that the next product would be good, not because I was stupid, not because I thought they were pretty, not because I thought all vape gear was probably just as bad.

It was, quite simply, the only thing available and I was determined to vape.

I think that’s Tink’s point in the OP, that for too many people, especially just starting out, they’re going to go to a shop and look for guidance. And the advice they’re going to get is Smok.

I wish eleaf or Vaporesso had been available. Far more reliable. It’s got to be hard to run a shop with higher priced gear though. There’s little overhead with online shops, and the b&m markups look like a ripoff in comparison.

B&M satisfies the instant gratification thing. I know things are marked up, but I still go in occasionally when I don’t want to wait on vape mail. I use them mostly for juice, because I always think of ordering it too late. One B&M by me delivers so I use them a ton. I actually should go into that one soon to see if they’re only selling Smok. Because they deliver, I haven’t walked into the place in a long time. They used to sell some high end stuff and they have an online shop and a couple of other locations as well, so I would think they could afford to carry other brands of starter kits.

 

[Anise]

Then may I suggest to STOP buying SMOK brand coils for it. There are a LOT of other brand coils that work in the Baby tanks.

Baby Beast and Big Baby compatible coils:

• Eleaf HW coils [30W Pick! - Consistent build quality]
• Eleaf HW-1 SS316 coil [TC Pick! - Only TC offering]
• E-XY T1 coils
• Geekvape iM1+4 coils
• iJoy XS coils
• Jomo Tech Smartvape TC80 coils
• Joyetech ProCore Aries coils [Do NOT fit 22mm tanks]
• Joyetech ProCore C1-S MTL coil [MTL Pick! - Only MTL offering]
• Sigelei SLYDR SM coils
• Vapefly Fantasy Mini M8 coils
• Vaporesso NRG coils [50W+ Pick! - Fantastic wicking w/o flooding]
• Vaportech M4/8 coils
• Vaptio Frogman coils
• WOTOFO FLOW coils [40W Pick! - No spitback]

Thank you for the list. I can't answer the original question but most of my tanks are smok babies or kangers. Only one I got myself was a smok procolor because it was on sale and looked cool. Now I know more coils I can use until I learn to make my own. Thanks again!

 

[stols001]

Too bad the mods weigh too much to hang.

Actually, it's not. My mom went on a kick about having "real" candles on the tree a few years. I would open Christmas presents nearest the door, with a smoke extinguisher handy. Christmas trees combust in about THREE minutes. I was 12, but i was not taking any chances, LOL.

They really really burn super fast. LOL.

I think smok's popular because it's cheap, because a lot of it is being sold to younger vapers who frequent vape shops, and they really specialize in cheap, not so durable, sub0hm gear. Smok can be great (if you get one that passes QC for REAL) and you are very careful with your mods. But, may folks actually WANT the next latest and greatest, and smok releases a new mod about every five minutes. So, they have their audience.

Last vape shop I went into it was all smok and kangertech. I don't use either brand, but I'm hard on mods. Yet, I see folks successful with them all the time. Not me, I can look at a KT funny and it dies.

But, I hope you find a maker that suits you better. I look for durability above all else, but I know myself. As it were. LOL.

Anna

 

[Coyote628]

Anybody here who has read any of my previous posts knows me well enough to know that i cannot complain about my tpriv or my tfv12 king tank. The ONLY thing i can say is that sometimes a new coil tastes a bit off for a tankful or two. Sometimes i feel like the only person in the universe that has a smok setup that actually works like its supposed to. Whyyyy!!!!!! All kidding aside, it would seem that quality control over at smok just might be out to lunch while the factory is on auto pilot. Which is too bad really. Yes, i have a good one, and yes someone else has a bad one. I have another mod im running through its paces and its not a smok. But never fear, i have the tfv12 on top. Even like this, smok is still functioning excellently. I guess this is what makes smok so popular. And also, the fact that they are like santa claus, they're everywhere.

 

[Edwin Betz]

I have 2 TFV12 Prince tanks, and a TFV12 Cloud King and usr them all the time on various mods, including the Mag 225w (the only Smok mod I've ever owned). As far as coils go, I don't care for factory made coils, period! I build 99.9% of all my coils whether it be via RBA, RTA, RDTA, or RDA. I just like having the control I guess, and I enjoy building them. I've only ever had 1 bad factory made coil and it WAS a Smok Prince coil, but that point really don't matter anymore since I use the RBA now.

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

Actually, it's not. My mom went on a kick about having "real" candles on the tree a few years. I would open Christmas presents nearest the door, with a smoke extinguisher handy. Christmas trees combust in about THREE minutes. I was 12, but i was not taking any chances, LOL.

They really really burn super fast. LOL.

I think smok's popular because it's cheap, because a lot of it is being sold to younger vapers who frequent vape shops, and they really specialize in cheap, not so durable, sub0hm gear. Smok can be great (if you get one that passes QC for REAL) and you are very careful with your mods. But, may folks actually WANT the next latest and greatest, and smok releases a new mod about every five minutes. So, they have their audience.

Last vape shop I went into it was all smok and kangertech. I don't use either brand, but I'm hard on mods. Yet, I see folks successful with them all the time. Not me, I can look at a KT funny and it dies.

But, I hope you find a maker that suits you better. I look for durability above all else, but I know myself. As it were. LOL.

Anna

I have a Lost Vape Paranormal coming. Also, Kangertech has worked for me as well as could be expected for the price. Same for Wismec. Not all the time, but enough for me not to complain on a forum about them. Smok has just been awful for me and people I know. Seriously, a 100% fail rate on their mods among my family and friends (my brother also had a Smok mod that failed I just found out) and a 50% fail rate on coils.

We can’t all be abusing our stuff. My ex husband may be, but my brother and I do not. We both got into building and mech mods and all that. We know what we are doing, what batteries to use, how to take care of our stuff, etc... I just don’t have the time and energy for building with the kids, and my brother just used the Smok for work as dripping there is a pain. If the paranormal and the multiple tanks I bought all fail, I may just dig out those mech mods and RTA’s again.