Smok R-KISS Review – Absolute Simplicity

Introduction to the R-Kiss Kit by Smok

Today we’re having a look at the R-KISS by Smok, which sees a new ‘back to basics’ style mod paired with the TF Mini V2 tank.

“Keep It Simple and Stupid” – Smok’s words, not mine.

This tiny dual 18650 mod has one mode, wattage control. No bells and whistles or flashy lights, just pure and simple wattage vaping with the added bonus of being ultra portable.

I haven’t really used anything by Smok since I moved on from my old Alien 220w and TFV8 Cloud Beast tank and I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ve changed and grown over the past couple of years.

Will this be a breath of fresh air and a welcomed change in direction from Smok? Let’s find out!

Disclaimer: I received the Smok R-KISS kit for the purposes of this review. All opinions are based on my own experience and testing.

What’s In The Box?

• Smok R-Kiss Mod – Red/Black
• Smok TFV-Mini V2 tank Red/Black ( 2ml EU edition, 5ml standard edition)
• Mini V2 A1 coil
• Mini V2 A2 coil
• USB cable
• Spare parts
• User manual

Specs and Features

TF Mini V2 Tank

• Size: 25.4x65mm
• Capacity: 2ml EU edition (5ml Standard Edition)
• Coils: Mini V2 coils A1 & A2 included
• A1 – 0.17 ohms 90-140w
• A2 – 0.2ohms 70-120w
• Coils wicked with antibacterial medical cotton
• Sliding locking top fill cap
• Bottom adjustable airflow
• Available in Black Red, Red Black, Silver Black, Gold Black & Navy Blue and Prism
• Chrome

R-KISS Mod

• Size: 78x44x28mm
• Battery: 2×18650 (not included)
• Weight: 120.3g
• TFT Colour display
• Output: 6w min 200W max
• Resistance range: 0.1-2.5ohm (VW)
• Output Voltage 0.5ohm – 8.2ohm
• Firmware upgradeable
• Side fire bar
• Selectable screen colour schemes
• Available in Black Red, Red Black, Silver Black, Gold Black & Navy Blue and Prism Chrome

Design and Build Quality

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the build quality on the SMOK R-KISS kit.

Paintwork has a nice finish and is still in perfect condition after a month of being in and out of my pocket and being sat down on numerous different surfaces.

The 510 is gold plated and spring mounted with a nice amount of throw for those longer pins.

The side fire bar has a good amount of tension and is satisfyingly ‘clicky’, with the up and down buttons following suit.

The usb port is situated directly below and between the up and down buttons for ease of charging (although I would always recommend you use an external battery charger).

The sliding battery door can be a little stiff but I’d always prefer that over a battery door that you feel may pop open at any minute.

Threading and o-ring tolerances on the TF Mini V2 tank are spot on. Airflow control is super easy to move and adjust without being loose enough to move on it’s own.

I really like the slide to open top fill mechanism, especially with the addition of the button to make sure it stays closed.

One of my biggest gripes with the TFV8 was the top cap opening in my pocket and dousing me with e-liquid, however, this one has yet to budge at all unless I’m deliberately opening it.

Hand Feel

I love the feel of this kit in the hand. It’s size is absolutely perfect for an out and about set up. The fire button is comfortable when using either my fingers or my thumb. I love the centred 510, although due to the size of the mod you won’t get away with using your 30mm atomisers without some overhang.

Menu Functionality and Firmware Upgrades

Simple really is the aim of the game with the Smok R-KISS. There’s no menus to cycle through, none of the usual 3 clicks and onto endless options. What you see on that main screen of the new user interface is literally what you get, pure and simple wattage mode.

Battery indicators in the top right corner allow you to see easily when it’s time to change batteries. Ohms, volts and a second counter are easy to read along the bottom of the screen.

Your current wattage is displayed clearly in large numbers in the middle of the screen and the little coloured dots in the top left corner displays which colour theme you’re currently using.

To change the colour theme, simply press the up and down at the same time and you will cycle through the colour options: yellow, red, white and blue. The TFT screen produces really crisp, clean colours and makes it a doddle to read the information.

Turning the mod on and off is easy too, just click the fire button quickly 5 times to turn on and the same again to turn off.

One thing I am slightly disappointed by is the lack of a locking function and believe me I have tried every button combination known to man!

Firmware upgrades are available from Smok’s website and easily done with the included usb cable.

Aesthetics

I really like how this little mod looks. With it’s clean, cuboid shape and basic two colour design, it’s a refreshing change from flashing led lights, obnoxious cut outs and over branding.

The finish on the paintwork is excellent and although not matte, it’s not quite a shiny fingerprint magnet that I feel the need to polish on my t-shirt all the time.

That theme of keeping simple has been carried throughout the design too and it works really well.

Now for the TF Mini V2 tank…

TF Mini V2 Tank

The TF Mini V2 come with two coils, the Mini V2 A1 (0.17ohm) and the Mini V2 A2 (0.2ohm).

The A1 is a massive single mesh coil with a suggested range of 90 – 140 watts and the A2 is a dual core coil with a cobra style mesh and is a suggested wattage range of 70-120 watts.

Bottom fed airflow is easily adjusted via the air flow control at the base of the tank and the movement of the airflow control is nice and smooth. It stops at either fully open or fully closed. The coils heads are nicely threaded and super easy to install.

Unfortunately the plain black drip tip is proprietary 16mm which fits over two o-rings so you won’t be swapping it out for your favourite custom 510 or 810 tip.

How Does The Smok R-KISS Kit Perform?

For this review I’ve been using Apple Jam from The Vapours Dozen, a sweet fruity vape from the UK e-liquid manufacturer. 70/30 VG/PG 3mg/mL nicotine content. First, we’ll quickly go over the filling and coil change functions.

How To Fill

• Hold the tank firmly and push the locking button
• Move the top cap out counter clockwise
• Fill with e-liquid through the small kidney shaped hole
• Close the top cap and push until the locking button clicks into place

How To Change Coil

• Screw the drip tip and top cap off the tank
• Unscrew the old coil
• Screw in the new coil in a clockwise directly until it’s firmly in place
• Prime your coil by placing a few drops of e-liquid onto all the the exposed cotton
• Screw the top cap back on
• Fill with e-liquid and leave the tank to sit for several minutes to the cotton completely saturated

Mini V2 A1 Coil

Firing up the A1 coil, I found a comfortable vape around 110 watts. I’ll be honest, I absolutely hated this coil head. Nothing I did in terms of changing the airflow or changing the wattage altered the fact that flavour was terrible.

Nevertheless, I persisted until day 3 when it gave up on me and I found half of the cotton burnt. Rather disappointing when it ploughed through my favourite e-liquid at an alarming rate.

Mini V2 A2 Coil

The A2 coil featured a slightly higher resistance and was definitely my favourite of the two. With two smaller coil heads, the vapour felt much more concentrated and therefor produced a more dense thick cloud and with it, a little more flavour.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t massively impressed by the flavour from either of these coils but the A2 certainly gave much more than the A1. Coil life was also significantly better giving approx 12-14 days before I noticed a massive drop in flavour and that distinctive taste of ‘ burned out’ coil.

Although neither coil blew my socks off, the A2 was certainly winner. Part of the issue seems to be the massive amounts of airflow fed through the airflow slots on the bottom of the tank. Closing that down by 2/3rds greatly increases performance but everything really heats up if you take more than one or two puffs in quick succession.

R-Kiss Mod

I’ve been really impressed by the SMOK R-KISS Mod, particularly when paired with my favourite RDAs. It fires up quickly when the button is pressed and has never hesitated on me. It recognises coils and resistances as well as any of my other dual battery mods.

As for 200 watts? I have no way to test if it truly is reaching its maximum output but when testing against the DNA 250c chip, I got pretty much equal amounts of heat, flavour and vapour when using the same atomiser.

Going back to basics with this board, chip and user interface has been an excellent decision from Smok.

Pros

R-KISS Mod

• Centre mounted 510
• Dual battery but small in size
• Simple UI
• Wattage Mode only
• Solid build quality
• Good battery life
• Nice, simple design

TF Mini V2

• Good range of coils available
• Easy sliding top fill with lock
• Smooth airflow control

Cons

R-KISS Mod

• Small size means larger atomisers will overhang
• No screen/fire button lock function
• No Temp control (subjective)

TF Mini V2 Tank

• Coil longevity is average from Smok at best
• Way too much airflow even closed half way
• Flavour muted and dull
• Proprietary drip tip
• Size limited to 2ml for EU version

Final Verdict

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the Smok R-KISS mod, even if I was completely disappointed by the TF Mini V2 tank. If this had come with the mod only then without a doubt, this would be a rave review.

The new UI and wattage only mode is perfect for beginners and hardened vapers alike and, for me, it’s dinky size is perfect for the pocket and super comfortable in the hand. It really is a shame that the TF Mini V2 tank lets it down so much.

I’d love to see some real innovation from Smok in their tanks, the same way they’ve done with this mod.