Smok Novo 2 Pod Kit Review – Simplified Smok Nord – Ideal For New Vapers!

As someone who is a big fan of the Smok Nord kits I was very excited to have a try of the new Smok Novo 2 pod kit.

SMOK as a brand need little introduction. As of 2019 they are back to their best with some excellent mods, tanks and pods.

What Can We Expect From The Smok Novo 2 Pod Kit?

The Smok Novo 2 pod kit, as the name tells you, is the follow up version of the Novo kit.

There are a few differences between this and the original.

The Novo 2 has a larger capacity battery of 800mAh compared with the original only having a 450mAh battery.

Also you get a higher output of 6-25W compared to the 16W of the original version.

The Novo range are a kind of less expensive and simpler version of the very loveable Nord kit. The Nord has replaceable coils and a fire button, whereas the Novo kit has no buttons – it is draw activated plus the pods have fixed coils and are disposable.

You get two pods included in the kit:

• Novo 2 Mesh Pod – this has a 1ohm mesh coil
• Novo 2 MTL Pod – this has dual coils and a resistance of 1.4ohm

But there are also many other pod options you can use including the original 1.2 and 1.5ohm Novo pods, plus an 0.8ohm mesh, Quartz and 1.4ohm ceramic!

There are billions of colours to choose from – have a look at them below!

I received the Smok Novo 2 pod kit free of charge for review purposes but as always I will report back honestly on the device I have in my possession!

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What’s In The Box

• Smok Novo 2 device
• 1.4ohm dual coil MTL pod
• 1ohm mesh coil pod
• USB charger
• User manual

Smok Novo 2 Pod Kit Features

• Size: 88.3×24.5×14.5mm
• Replaceable pod – compatible with original Novo pods
• New 1.4ohm Dual MTL Coil pod and 1ohm Mesh Coil pod included
• E-liquid capacity: 2ml
• Output: 6-25W
• Display: LED indicator
• Battery: 800mAh (internal)
• Charging rate: 0.55A

Build Quality & Design

I received the Smok Novo 2 in the Green and Red Resin version.

I am not a fan of mixed colour resin designs and I know this is personal opinion but this colour version is pretty revolting in my eyes.

The little Novo 2 can’t be slagged off for its looks though as there are a lot of other pretty designs available – the Shell and Black and White versions look a lot nicer and I would have chosen them over this.

The resin design is not real resin but I think a kind of printed laminated surface. It isn’t a sticker at all. The pattern reminds me of Plasticine where you have mixed all the colours up and then dropped it in cat sick. Like I said, not a fan of this colour way 🙂

It is packaged really well and the resin style panels even have protective sticky covers to make sure it arrives to you pristine.

I also like the fact that the pods are separate from the device in the package. If the pod is installed it is easy to accidentally fire this before you fill with e-liquid and kill the pod.

Battery/Mod

This is almost like a miniature Nord to me. Very cute shape and really smooth in the hand. You just want to keep stroking it… (behave now…)

Like the Nord you have metal sides with the patterned panels on the front and rear. You won’t get this to stand up on its own in any way – it is curvier than a blow up version of Kelly Brook.

It is surprisingly small – mad to think there is a 800mAh battery in there it is almost half the width of the Nord!

A tiny LED light sits on the front, which you can actually see when vaping – some kits hide the LED to places where you have to stand in front of a mirror to see it!

Even worse a lot of pod kits don’t even include a decent battery LED – they only tell you when it’s about to conk out so this is another huge plus for this really basic kit.

Further down the front is the SMOK logo and the base houses the micro USB port.

The rear has the Novo 2 logo and all the legal icons required.

The metal sides on mine are a metallic green and the top of the device also has a metallic ring round the top edge which looks pretty classy.

The pod sits firmly in the top of the device – in fact almost too firmly as it can be a bit of a tug to pull the pod out. But equally it isn’t going to fall out either!

Where the pod sits has apparently been redesigned for the second version of the Novo featuring grooves around the electrical connectors to prevent build-up of condensation there.

I am not sure if this was an issue for the original version but I haven’t seen a single drop of moisture in the well where the pod sits.

I find for the price of the Nord and Novo kits they really do feel far more robust than simple plastic pod devices and also a little bit more premium.

Pods

The first thing that struck me about the pods is how well they are marked.

On the base of the pod stamped in the metal is the pod type. I know this sounds a bit trivial but some kits it is so hard to tell the coils and pods apart so this is a great start!

The mouthpiece is a similar shape to the Nord being a flat whistle style. I find these really comfortable and this is slightly smaller in width than the Nord pod.

The filling method again is the same as the Nord pods, not the easiest and cleanest fill method but it works well and once you have done a few re-fills you do master it quite quickly.

E-Liquid Level

You can see the e-liquid level clearly through the pods – until you insert them into the body of the Novo 2!

There is a slight window around the edge of the pod base but to be honest unless you tip the pod about you can’t really see much through here.

So you end up pulling the pod out anyway to check.

As mentioned above these are fixed coil pods so you cannot change the coil. This means once the coil has expired you will need to dispose of the pod and replace with a new one.

There are two ways of looking at this, yes on the one hand it is quite wasteful but it is also quite appealing to those who don’t want to be messing around installing coils.

The airflow is not adjustable sadly.

Quick Set-up Guide

The device comes without the pods installed. So you will need to install the pod, fill up with e-liquid and charge up before you get vaping.

Don’t panic though I will guide you through all this below!

Please remember though – do not vape until you have filled the pod with e-liquid otherwise you will burn out the pod and it will only be fit for the bin!

Basic operation

• To vape = inhale on the mouthpiece – this has automatic draw firing.

That is as simple as it gets huh!

Battery capacity remaining

The battery capacity remaining is displayed on the LED indicator when vaping and when charging.

• Red light = battery capacity lower than 30%
• Orange light = battery capacity between 30 and 70%
• Green light = battery capacity over 70%

Protections

• Short circuit = LED flashes white 5 times
• 8 second maximum fire time = LED flashes white 5 times
• Low voltage protection = if voltage is lower than 3.3V before vaping or lower than 3V whilst vaping the LED will flash white 15 times (this is telling you the device needs charging!)

How To Change The Pod

The pod is a fixed coil type so when the coil has failed you will need to buy a new pod.

• The pod just pulls out of the battery component. It might need a slight force to overcome the resistance of the magnetic connection.
• Install a new pod – there is no wrong way around either as the contacts are symmetrical!
• You will hear a slight click when the pod is fully installed and the LED will flash once.

How To Fill The Smok Novo 2 Pod

• Remove the pod from the battery.
• On the side of the pod is the rubber fill port cover.
• Lift up the rubber cover to expose the fill port.
• Add e-liquid through the fill port watching the level through the side of the pod.
• Tilting the pod slightly may help to get the e-liquid in easier.
• For a new pod leave to stand for 10 minutes before vaping to allow the coil wicking to soak up the e-liquid.

How To Charge The Battery

The Novo 2 can be charged at a rate of up to 0.55A. So make sure to select a suitable charging source.

• Using the USB cable supplied install the small end into the USB port on the base of the device.
• Install the larger end of the cable into a suitable USB outlet.
• Leave to charge and the LED indicator light will cycle through the colours to tell you of the battery charge level.
• When fully charged the LED will go out.

I found it took around 2 hours to fully charge on the 0.5A USB ports on my old PC and 0.55A mains charger. This is slow going really for this battery capacity and this kit would really benefit from 1 or 2A charging capability.

How Does the Smok Novo 2 Pod Kit Perform?

In my Nord I have the 1.4ohm regular mouth to lung (MTL) coil and use exactly the same e-liquid. So I am obviously going to be comparing them aren’t I!

Further reading:

• Guide to Nicotine salts
• What is Mouth to Lung Vaping?
• Guide to VG and PG in e-liquid

Mesh Pod

So for this pod I used the Crazycloudzzz Bubblegum Nic Salt e-liquid. This has 50% VG PG mix and 20mg nicotine strength.

Flavour wise I would say the Nord is slightly warmer and cleaner flavour. But the Novo 2 isn’t far behind. Plus the Novo 2 seems to be giving out far more vapour.

Throat hit between the two kits again is about the same. I am taking longer draws on the Novo 2 than I am on the Nord – possibly due to power level as the Nord does seem to give a warmer vape.

Mesh Pod Conclusion

A lovely little crackle as you vape tells you this little pod is working nicely. A great throat hit and lovely flavour make this my favourite of the two.

This pod might be a bit weak with lower nicotine strengths as I think it is the nic which is providing the throat hit rather than the warmth of the vapour. But with a good long draw you can get some heat coming through.

1.4ohm MTL DC Pod

Again I used the same Bubblegum nicotine salt e-liquid in here.

This is an OK vape – nothing special. I can taste the e-liquid, there is a throat hit and decent amount of vapour. But everything is pretty average really.

Compared to the 1.4ohm coil pods in the Nord and the Uwell Caliburn this feels a bit weak performance wise.

I have used a lot worse pods but there are a lot better ones out there too. To be fair I got zero leaks or dry hits during my time using this pod.

Not saying it is by any means bad it just feels like it could give a lot more than it is.

1.4ohm MTL DC Pod Conclusion

A decent performer but for me with nic salt e-liquid the Mesh pod gives a better throat hit and more flavour.

I have used a lot of pod devices and some of them really fail badly when it comes to the MTL pod. Usually because they use Ceramic coils.

Thankfully Smok have stuck to what works and the simple dual coil arrangement does do the job in an adequate fashion.

Also you rarely have to refill this pod! Several times I have fully removed the pod expecting it to need refilling and it’s still 3/4 full!

Airflow

Calling the Nord 65% restricted would equate to the Novo 2 being around 70-75% restricted in my opinion.

I would say though the airflow on my Caliburn is just 5% tighter.

So it sits perfectly between the two as some say they find the Nord a bit too “airy”.

There isn’t a huge difference between all 3 I have mentioned but enough that you can spot it and have to adjust how you inhale.

You don’t need to suck out a tonsil to get the draw activation fire to work either. In my eyes a pretty decent MTL airflow and rapid firing time.

Both pods have a very similar airflow resistance – in fact I couldn’t tell any difference between the two.

Pod / Coil Life

So far with the MTL pod I have got through 6mls of e-liquid. This doesn’t sound a lot but this is so economical on liquid usage you get a lot of vapes for a small amount of liquid!

The flavour is still exactly the same as the first use of the pod.

I am now on around my 9th refill of the Mesh Pod (around 18ml in total) and this still performs perfectly no dry hits or leaks!

Battery Life

Obviously there are so many variants when it comes to giving an idea of battery life, the pod installed will be the main one plus your own vaping habits.

But to give you a guide with the 1.4ohm pod installed I got 8 hours of vaping. When the red light (less than 30%) came on the power did seem to drop and I was taking a lot longer inhales but it still took quite a while before the battery finally conked out!

Somehow I don’t recall ever seeing the amber LED indicator – i.e. 30-70% battery remaining, it seemed to stay on green forever then drop to red. I may have just missed it?

Pros

• Smooth in the hand and feels robust and classier than all plastic pod devices
• No chance of accidentally firing this in your bag or pocket
• Well located LED indicator light woohoo!
• Plenty of pod and coil options to choose from
• Quick to fire with automatic sensor
• Gives the impression of a device which costs way more than it actually does!
• Pods are well designed and clearly marked
• Really easy to use, fill up, charge up and vape – ideal for new vapers too
• Small size considering the 800mAh battery inside it!
• Lovely flavour and vapour from the Mesh Pod
• No leaks or malfunctions!
• Economical on e-liquid
• Battery life is surprisingly great!

Cons

• Side filling plug isn’t the easiest of fill methods but it works and you do get used to it quickly.
• Cannot replace just the coil – the pod is disposable – but for some people that is a positive thing and no need to get your hands covered in liquid changing coils.
• Airflow adjustment would be nice – the pods are fine for me but won’t suit everyone
• Resin designs are a bit ugly in some colours – but that is my opinion
• A quicker charging rate would be desirable as this takes quite a while to charge at around 2 hours!
• Hard to see e-liquid level, there is a clear area below the pod but it is difficult to see and I often would have to remove the pod
• 1.4ohm MTL Pod was average – not terrible but not amazing either
• My device seemed to only have two LED light settings – green or red – I didn’t see the Orange LED once even when charging? It does take a while after the red LED appears for the battery to die but I would have like the earlier orange warning?

Final Review Verdict

The Novo 2 kit is another winner from Smok in my opinion.

The CONS I have mentioned above are not even really massive deal breakers either.

I know the fixed coil pods will limit the market for this and it will never sell in the huge quantities that the Nord has but it is still a worthy little kit.

This for me is the Smok Nord but for a total novice. It is easier to use with no buttons and you won’t have to mess about with changing coils. But you still get the freedom to use your own e-liquid rather than having to settle for limited ranges of pre-filled pods.

If you know someone who is a massive technophobe and the thought of changing coils would horrify them the Novo 2 would be perfect and still give them a great impression of how good a simple vape kit can be.

The Novo 2 isn’t quite up to the Caliburn or Nord in terms of flavour for me, but the economy of battery life and liquid usage is way better on the Novo 2.

My personal preference was the Mesh pod – the other pod was a bit so-so – but both pods worked perfectly and not a single leak or dry hit in all my time using this kit.

I would like to think the Novo 2 will be as robust as my Nords – it has survived several weeks with me being a clumsy arse and looks exactly the same as when I got it!

Also for those who love the Nord but get annoyed at the accidental firing in pocket/bag scenario – the Novo 2 is draw activated and doesn’t do that!

Did you buy the SMOK Novo 2? Have you used it? Let us know your thoughts and if you have any questions please leave them in the comments below!

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