Vape Snapshot: Smok TFV12 - The Cloud Beast King

For all the cloud chasers out there hungry for the next generation in massive sub-ohm tanks, the current installment of Smok's award-winning line isn’t just a beast, it’s the beast king! The Smok TFV12 is an upgrade from the TFV4 and 8 series, offering even more airflow, more cloud-blasting capability, and more options than just about any other sub-ohm clearomizer on the market today.

The TFV12 system offers a wide range of coil heads to try out on your mods. The tank itself comes with three coil heads - the T12-V12, the X4, and the Q4. However, there are also another six aftermarket coils (totaling nine in all), which you can purchase separately from Smok. With so many choices, one of them is bound to fit your vaping style.

If you love big clouds and vapor filling all the space around you, than you should fall in love with the Smok TFV12. Living up to its' name, it's a beast of a device. For right now, this design takes the crown as the most powerful tank for your setup in the sub-ohm category.    

The Tank

Smok has long been a respected maker of sub-ohm tank technology and this continues their reign of excellent quality. The tank has a whopping 8ml capacity and stands at 63mm x 28mm, which is considerably bulkier than the V8. It comes in a variety of colors, with a nice rainbow design, a matte black, silver, red, black, gunmetal, gold, blue, purple, green, auto-pink, navy blue, and white rounding out the finish options.

T12-V12

The number of coils Smok packs into the flagship head is almost ridiculous. There are six 'duodenary' coil ports in the head, each double-wrapped for a total of 12(!) coils. All that wire stuffed inside, along with wicking, means the draw is going to be a big tighter on this one than others, but by no means is it anything but a direct-lung vape. Smok recommends you fire this 0.12 ohm resistance head at between 130-200 watts, though it's rated to go as high as 350.

X4

The X4 steps things down a notch, with two pairs of duodenary coils bringing the total wire count to four. With a 0.15 ohm resistance and a lot more room for airflow, expect cooler, flavorful clouds from this head despite its' being rated up to 200 watts and Smok's recommended wattage range of 90-130, which is still higher than most of us are vaping on our clearomizers. Wide, rectangular juice ports make sure plenty of liquid flows through your wicks, which are held back from the coil to prevent overheating.

Q4

The Q4 is also a quad-coil design clocking in at 0.15 ohm resistance, though the center is left wide open to produce one of the smoothest-hitting coils in the King line. Unique lightning-bolt-shaped juice ports feed the wide wicking wrap. Smok says this coil can hit as hard as 190 watts, but you're going to get the best flavor by keeping things between 90 and 160. Because of the wide-open draw, this coil is going to be a good fit for vapers who like high power but still don't want too much heat from their clouds.

T6

Now we're getting into the aftermarket offerings, i.e. the ones that Smok doesn't ship introductory samples of with the purchase of a tank. With six total coils packed into three wraps, the T6 has a 0.17 ohm resistance and fires best at 110-150 watts, though its peak rating is 240. Three juice ports so wide they're almost square line up with each coil stack, and heavier wicking on this head than some of the others means you should expect a denser, warmer vape even at lower power.

T14

If the V12 somehow wasn't insane enough, the T14 packs a ludicrous fourteen coils into a single 0.12 ohm resistance head unit. This is going to be the biggest cloud chucker of the group, with a rating that again goes all the way up to 350 watts, though Smok recommends keeping things between 120 and 200.

T8

With eight coils totaling 0.16 ohm resistance, Smok says this is going to be a good bet for a balance of flavor and vapor, providing a warm hit that avoids getting too hot. The rated range for this one is 70-320 watts, with the sweet spot falling again at 120-200.

V12 Mesh/V12 Strip

These two abandon traditional stainless resistance wire and experiment with mesh and strip coils, providing heating over a broader area for more uniform vaporization and smoother overall draws. We've been seeing more tanks going this way over the last year, and the biggest improvements are probably in the flavor department, though vapor production is in no way compromised. These coils both come with a 0.15 ohm resistance, the mesh version is said to function best between 90-110 watts while the strip coil fires 10 watts higher at either end of the spectrum.

RBAs

There are two custom build decks for those who prefer to treat their clearomizers like an RTA. Both have spacious 25 mm build decks, with the dual-coil version offering Velocity-style side-clamping posts and the triple-coil deck featuring bottom wire capture.

Takeaway

There’s a lot to love about the SmokTech TFV12 Sub Ohm Tank. It’s currently the most popular design from the most popular brand of tanks on the market. It’s big (8ml is no joke), it’s powerful, and it comes with a lot of options. With the power offered, this is a tank that caters to cloud chasers directly. If this isn’t you, than you’re probably not going to like this tank. However, if you’ve already got a bunch of mods, and are already in love with your Smok V8 tank, but want something more, than this is probably just what you need to take your vaping to the next level.