Smok Rigel Review: A Beast of a Vape Mod
If you’re defined as an intermediate to experienced vaper that has successfully switched from smoking, you may want to step up your progress by dropping your nicotine levels with a larger more advanced ‘vape mod’.
A prime example of this is the powerful and attractive Smok Rigel, which followed on successfully from the popular Smok Alien. The Rigel itself is a dual 18650 battery device that offers a range of features which can be modified to adjust the performance levels.
It’s intended for use with thicker high VG (Vegetable Glycerine) vape juice which produces larger clouds and sweeter flavours.
The question remains – why do vapers seek a mod like the Rigel, capable of vaping up to 230W of power – when it quickly reduces battery life and e-liquid levels? We explore all its benefits and drawbacks with a comprehensive review.
Smok Rigel Specifications:
- 230W of adjustable power!
- TFV9 2ml stainless steel tank
- 0.96-inch TFT front of device display
- Rubber coating grip
- Required dual 18650 batteries
- Six colour schemes
- Ramp up time of 0.001 seconds
- Replacement glass tube
- Multiple safety functions such as over-heating protection
- Childproof top fill cap
- Weight: 168g
- 510 thread connection
- 48 mm x 28.8 mm x 88 mm (mod dimensions)
- 28 mm x 56 mm (tank dimensions)
SMOK Rigel Kit Contents:
- 1 x Rigel Mod
- 1 x V9 Meshed 0.15 Ohm Sub-Ohm Coil (Pre-Installed)
- 1 x TFV9 Tank (2ml)
- 1 x V9 Meshed 0.15 Sub-Ohm Coil
- 1 x Type-C Charging Cable
- 1 x User Manual
The Look and Feel of the SMOK Rigel Vape Mod
It’s a stunning mod ready for action that feels great in the hand and performs equally well. The overall look and feel of the Rigel made by Smok is all about high-quality and built with excellent materials. From front to back, there is a honeycomb-styled panel on the back with the Rigel embossed at the bottom and at the front there is the display screen in the middle, with the fire button at the top and the up and down menu buttons below the screen.
In addition, the 0.96-inch TFT display makes operating the device and navigating the various features a breeze.
Each Rigel not only performs to a very high level upon hitting the fire button but stands out with an impressive display and array of colour schemes. As well as the traditional black model, there is also black-red and black-blue to choose from.
The accompanying TVF9 Tank which has been around for a while is made of premium stainless steel with removable glass which is handy for cleaning. The drip tip is a 510 connection and large enough mouthpiece to accommodate large cloud performance.
Adding and removing the batteries is simple with a removable panel at the back to add your 18650 batteries.
How is the Battery Life?
It’s not just the process of swapping the batteries after charging or replacing for new ones that’s straightforward.
The dual 18650s design of the Smok Rigel ensures a powerful capacity to provide support for the wattage output that the device can produce. Not that you’ll need to fire up to 230W, but it’s nice to know the option is there.
What a dual 18650 battery mod also provides is a quick way to vape when needed throughout the day, especially if you carry two extra fully charged spares.
As an example, say you have been vaping frequently throughout the working day and they have reached the limit of use inside the mod, if you have spares you don’t need to wait around for a full charge, which can take some time with a high-powered mod if the battery is internal.
Therefore, wherever you’re in the world regardless of what you’re up to, there is no need to look around for a USB port to charge manually. Instead, just swap two old 18650s for two new ones or recharged batteries.
Using the Smok Rigel – Easy or Difficult?
The device is very easy to use for a mod, as our quick setup guide highlights below. Each TFV9 tank displays the e-liquid through the clear tank, so you can always see your e-liquid levels. It’s a slide fill mechanism, so you just lift and open at the top via the direction of the highlighted arrow to access the fill port for your chosen e-liquid.
Quick Setup Guide
- Five clicks of the fire button to turn on or off.
- The display when activated highlights the dual batteries charge left, the wattage, voltage, Ohm’s counter, puff counter and time display highlighting how quickly the Rigel fires.
- Adjust the wattage by pressing the left or right buttons below the screen.
- Lock all buttons by holding the left and right buttons together.
- To change the screen colour, hold the fire button at the same time as the left button.
- The dual 18650s means convenient high cloud performance vaping without needing to charge
- Quick firing speed of 0.001 seconds
- Large 0.96-inch display
- Easy to operate slide top fill mechanism
- Bottom adjustable airflow is a handy feature
- Compatible with a range of coils
- Multiple protection settings built in
- Fairly heavy weight at 103.5g
- Professional design but not very colourful
Verdict
The Smok Rigel has been around for a couple of years now but still delivers fantastic results as a standalone Sub-Ohm mod. Capable of firing huge clouds very quickly, and with two 18650s needed, it’s one of the easiest mods to vape at a high power.
As a brand, Smok are well-known for their impressive cloud box-mods with a sleek design and performance. The Rigel follows on from the Smok Alien as a big mod that provides maximum flavour at the simple press of a button!
