The first Mod we reviewed by Smoant was called the Knight V1. (reviewed here) This mod/tank combo-thing was nothing if not heavy, difficult to control, or even refill, but the worst part had to be the weight. It felt as is the Knight V1 was made of lead. In any case, the first device we reviewed by Smoant was given the score of “D”. I didn’t write that review, but had it been me, I would have scored the Knight  V1  an “F”. Written back in May of 2016, since that time, Smoant has created several more devices built on a sharp upward climb that resulted in better and better Mods, like the Cylon, Charon, Battlestar, and it’s newest…. the Smoant Ranker… the subject of this review.  Smoant is learning the vape community quickly, and like Vaptio, Smoant is becoming a formidable company.

The Smoant Ranker is a dual-18650 Mod with a wattage spread of 1W to 218W,  using just two hi-amp batteries. The Ranker has a minimum resistance  of 0.05-ohm (!), and uses the advanced Ant218 V2 Chipset which provides for a myriad of features, most notably it’s accurate temperature control suite. (never mind that TC is not nearly as popular as manufacturers want you to think) The new Ant218 chip also allows for TCR adjustments and powers the huge 1.35” full color IPS HD display with 10 customizable wallpaper backgrounds.

The Smoant Ranker is larger than a dual-186500 Mod needs to be, but in this case its part of the aesthetics. There is also a leather wrap-around grip, an oversized firing panel, and that unforgettable display, making the Ranker Mod a  vaping device with a growing fanbase. And, the Smoant Ranker is certainly affordable.

Lastly, this might not sound like anything to mainstream vapers like myself, or perhaps you, but one of the coolest benefits of using the Smoant Ranker is that it has an “instant fire rate”  (the time from pressing the fire panel to drawing vapor from the drip tip) at a wicked speed measured at 0.015 seconds from when the fire panel is pressed to vapor being drawn into the lungs.

This Mod is also equipped for firmware upgrades when available.

I don’t particularly  like the name Ranker for a Mod, but with hundreds of mods on the market, and hundreds more right behind, you start to run out of cool names. Anyway, names aside,  looking at the Ranker from an aesthetics and performance position, there is much to like about it. The Ranker is a good looking, powerful Mod with plenty of the right features.

Above I mentioned that this Mod is larger than it needs to for a dual-18650 Mod. However, to accommodate its huge display, and to create a forceful vaping instrument with a large fire panel, it was probably the smart thing to do. There are plenty of smaller, mid-wattage mods with dual 18650’s and if Smoant had followed that design trend it might have gotten lost in the already over-crowded marketplace. Additionally, I don’t want to sound sexist, but the Ranker is also a handful for these male hands of mine, I have my doubts that most ladies would find the large grip comfortable.

I’ve spent several days with the Smoant Ranker, and my impression from day one till right now, some 10 days later, has not changed.

The Smoant Ranker is a 5-click on/off device. To enter into the menu system is a simple matter of doing the 3-click maneuver with the Ranker on. Turning the device off or on happens very quickly, a “tell” that a chipset is powerful. Even getting into the menu system is faster than the usual everyday Mod.

With the Ranker powered up, 3 clicks on the fire panel opens the large color display and reveal 4 icons, VW-Mode, TC-Mode, Settings, Wallpaper. The screen is certainly large enough to handle touchscreen technology, but unfortunately it isn’t a touchscreen. Using the two adjustment buttons under the display, the user moves from menu icon to menu icon. When an icon is highlighted is increases in size substantially, 

Each of the main icons have several sub-menu options, when the user first begins to set the Ranker up, it’s a good idea to go through all the options to set up a custom vape, choosing a hard or soft punch (ramp up) on firing the mod, to choosing the wallpaper for the HD display. Switching to and from TC Mode is the cleanest, easiest system I’ve seen in some time. Throughout the setup, choosing an option will then bring the user back up to the main display.

With the Smoant Ranker Mod, the minimum resistance is an ultra-low 0.05-ohm, allowing for the use of the entire field of atomizers. From sub-ohm vape tanks to full-blown RDA’s with complex coil builds, nothing is beyond the Ranker’s ability.

During the 10 days with the “tarnish” color finish Ranker (with a brown leather grip) I used the following vape tanks;

TFV12 Prince and Baby Prince

FireLuke Mesh

Uwell Valyrian

Vaporesso Cascade

The only vape tank that required me to take the ‘punch’ from hard (Max) to Normal was the TFV12 Prince. For some reason, the corbra drip tip became too warm after just a few pulls. The others, however, did fine with the maximum ‘punch’. Inside the VW Mode I could also set the VW Curve, which I set to a short 40W while using the Prince. This kept the drip tip nice and cool while providing very smooth, dense vapor, with plenty of flavor.

Going through the vape tanks I was able to obtain optimal vapes for each one with just a few seconds of experimentation. Although the FireLuke Mesh looked almost too small for the large Ranker Mod, it outperformed the others with the Ranker Mod. I was surprised. The Cascade certainly produced the most vapor, but the Mesh was the perfect balance of flavor and vapor. Go figure.

Smoant, like Vaptio, is gaining experience with each new device they build and release. The Smoant Ranker is, in my opinion, the best one yet. It’s huge 1.35” full color display is sharp as a tack, the leather grip feels good in the hand, and although the device does not have a center 510-connector Pin, its wide enough to accommodate 30mm atomizers without any overhang.

Learning the retail price of the Smoant Ranker at Element Vape, where it is available now, I expected it to be more expensive then it was. If you’re looking for a 200+ wattage mod with super low resistance capabilities, and a large, high-def display, the Ranker should be on your short list.

Score: A

Had the Ranker been just 15-20% smaller overall I may have awarded it an A+, for the simple reason that it might appeal to a larger number of Vapers that would find this Mod just too big to use. As you can see by one of the photos and the video that accompanying this review, it is a handful. But, it works beautifully, and with the extra nice accoutrements it provides an excellent vape.

Smoant Ranker Mod Features:

• Smoant Ant218 V2 Chip Set
  • 1 to 218W
  • 6.4 to 8.4V
  • 0.1 to 5.0 ohm Atomizer Resistance Range
• Temperature Control Suit
  • Ni200 Nickel Support
    • 0.15 ohm Recommended
  • Titanium Support
    • 0.5 ohm Recommended
  • Stainless Steel Support
    • 0.5 ohm Recommended
  • TCR Functionality
    • Temperature Coefficient of Resistivity
  • Resistance Read and Lock
  • 200 to 600 Degrees Fahrenheit
• Customizable
  • 10 Choose-able Wallpaper
• Three Button Control Face
  • Oversized Side Grip Firing Button
  • Two Convenient Buttons on the Bottom of the Screen
• 1.3 Inch Multi Format Colored TFT IPS HD Display
  • Switch Between Various Display Arrangements
  • Output Wattage
  • Output Voltage
  • Output Temperature
  • Battery Life Indicator
  • Battery Voltage
  • Atomizer Resistance
  • Colored Background
  • Real Time Clock
  • Changeable Wallpaper
• Micro USB Charge and Update Port
• Slide and Lock Bottom Battery Access Door
  • Accepts Two High Amperage 18650 Batteries
  • Sold Separately
• Zinc Alloy Construction
  • High Quality Leather Finish
• 26mm Stainless Steel 510
  • Spring Loaded Gold Plated 510 Connection
• Reverse Polarity/Short/Low Voltage/Low Battery/Overheat Protection

Smoant Ranker Mod  Dimensions:

• 60mm by 31.5mm by 92mm

Smoant Ranker Mod  Includes:

• One Smoant Ranker 218W Box Mod
• One Micro USB Cable
• One Warranty Card
• User Manual