Another look at the SMOK TFV12 Baby Prince – There are few people that are bigger fans of the SMOK TFV12 Prince Sub-Ohm Vape Tank than I am. I have spent an inordinate amount of money on these tanks, including one of the latest colors that has become my favorite of the collection; the Matte Black. This is not just a black Prince, it’s a true matte finish with a black cobra resin drip tip. In all honesty, I probably won’t stop buying this 8mL Prince until I own all 18 colors. Yea, I’m that kinda stupid.

When the SMOK TFV12 Baby Prince arrived, I ordered several for myself based strictly on the performance of the 8mL Prince. And while one of its selling points is that the owner of the tank can use the older V8-Baby Coils, SMOK has whipped up new V8-Baby Coils that comes close to matching the TFV12-Prince coils used in the full size, 8mL Prince tank.

Note* Please keep in mind that the SMOK M-series of prebuilt coils are for Direct Voltage Mods, not variable wattage. Unless you are using a Direct Voltage Mod, don’t bother buying any of the M-series. In fact, unless you have a bunch of the older V8 coils, I wouldn’t bother buying them at all. Stick with the newer Baby Prince coils, the Q4, the Baby Mesh, or one of the T12’s.

Included in the box of the SMOK TFV8 Baby Prince is a new preinstalled V8-Baby-Q4, a 0.4-ohm quad coil with a wattage range of 30-65W, an optimal range of 50-60W, and of course, a Kanthal and organic cotton “core”. Previously, SMOK TFV8 Big Baby Beast used the V8-Baby-X4 as its preinstalled coil, and the TFV8 Baby Beast used the V8-Baby-Q2 as its preinstalled coil. Before the Baby Prince there was no V8-Baby-Q4. Most vendors do not yet have the Baby-Q4 replacement coils in stock, but do not substitute the Q4 with a Q2 or X4 coil, they vape differently.

The additional prebuilt Coils inside the TFV8 Baby Prince Vape Tank are also new; the V8-T12 0.15-ohm Duodecuple coil and a phenomenal V8-Baby-Mesh, a 0.15-ohm coil. (specs on all the coils are below). 

The coil that can handle the most wattage is the V8-Baby-T12, which has a wattage range of 50-90W, and optimal range of 60-80W, and lights up when power from the Mod is sent to it.  The V8-Baby-Mesh provides a near instant ramp up and massive clouds of vapor which surprisingly low wattage; a range of 40-80W and an optimal range of just 60-70W.

The best Mesh Coil I’ve ever used was in the FreeMax FireLuke Mesh vape tank, which has great flavor fidelity, massive clouds, and the longest life of any coil I’ve ever used in 7 years. This new Mesh Coil by SMOK, which you can try yourself as it is included in the box, is every bit as good, except in one area; coil life. So far, the FireLuke Mesh coil has provided excellent performance for nearly 3 weeks and counting, while the SMOK V8-Baby-Mesh lasted 11 days using a 70/30 VG/PG e-juice blend. Mesh coils have a larger heating surface, providing more surface to vaporize e-juice fast and evenly.

With a wider diameter of the TFV8 Baby Beast and Big Baby, but narrower than the full sized TFV12 Prince, it’s 26mm width will fit most modern Mods, and all modern SMOK Mods. It’s height, something most people don’t bother considering, is 55mm, which makes its width and height look great on smaller Mods and larger Mods. I’ve used the Baby Prince on several of my own Mods and it looked great on all of them. Now, having said that, I have to cop to the fact that the Baby Prince looks best on SMOK Mods like the X-PRIV, the Majesty Mods, the SMOK Mag Kit, and the ProColor and G-PRIV 2 Mods. Hell, it even looks good on the now-defunct SMOK G150 internal battery Mod (a box mod I have a special affinity for). Though it looks a little lost on the triple-cell T-PRIV 3.

For a non-specialized vape experience SMOK chose well to make the V8-Baby-Q4 its preinstalled coil. Most users will try a new tank with whatever prebuilt coil is preinstalled, and with the Q4 there will be few complaints. As long as the coil is primed well, once it’s broken in (about 3 hours of use) the performance is generally excellent for most e-liquids. But, if you’re not in a hurry to try it out, you have the option to install the most powerful coil, the T12, which also lights up Red (the T12 is also available with a green or orange LED light inside.

The Baby-T12 will provide the option of denser and massive clouds, with good, but not great, flavor. That’s not to say the flavor fidelity isn’t good, it is, but there is a better coil for flavor, the V8-Baby-Mesh.  While I’m for or against coils that light up when vaping with it, I can say that without a doubt the new SMOK Mesh coil is the star of this show. The flavor this mesh coil is capable of producing, along with the thickest vapor of the 3 included coils.

With a juice capacity of 4.5mL, more than the Baby Beast, less than the Big Baby, you’ll find yourself refilling the tank more often than you would with a full size TFV12 Prince. But, like the Prince, the TFV12 Baby Prince has the patented locking mechanism on its top cap. Pressing the little button allows the user to open the hinge top-fill cap easily and swinging the top cap back and locking it into position provides a lot more confidence than the older button-less swing away top-fill system.

V8 Baby-Q2 Dual Core

• Dual Coil Design
• 0.4ohm rated for 40-80W, recommended 55-65W
• 0.6ohm rated for 20-50W, recommended 30-40W

V8 Baby-M2 Dual Core

• Dual Coil Design
• Compatible with 3.7V Mechanical Mod
• 0.3ohm rated for 25-45W, recommended 35W

V8 Baby-X4 Quadruple Core 

• Quad Coil Design
• 0.15ohm rated for 30-70W, recommended 45-60W

V8 Baby-T6 Sextuple Core

• Sextuple Coil Design
• 0.2ohm rated 40-130W, recommended 70-90W

V8 Baby-T8 Octuple Core

• Octuple Coil Design
• 0.15ohm rated for 50-110W, recommended 60-80W

V8 Baby-T12 Duodecuple Core

• Duodecuple Core
• 0.15ohm rated for 50-90W, recommended 60-80W

V8 Baby-T12 Duodecuple Core – Light-Up Series

• Duodecuple Core
• LED Lights – Red, Green, Orange
• 0.15ohm rated for 50-90W, recommended 60-80W

V8 Baby Mesh

• Mesh Core – Faster Heating Process
• 0.15ohm rated for 40-80W, recommended 60-70W

Something that many Reviewers in this business seem to forget is that every good sub-ohm vape tank cost real, hard-earned money. Today, the Baby Prince will cost you about $30, the bigger Prince is about $35, and the Baby Beast is about $23. Unless you’re a hard-core Vaper, a collector, who has the money to buy every new tank that comes to the vape community? Most people own 2, 3, or maybe 4 vape tanks, and every purchase can be felt in the wallet or pocketbook. (I exclude myself not because I can afford it, but because I buy wholesale, and every purchase is a business expense, deductible every April) My point is this; unless you have plenty of disposable income and you don’t care how much you spend on your vaping hobby, is the Baby Prince the right tank for you right now?

As much as I like the SMOK TFV12 Baby Prince, I have to ask; why was it made? Was it made for you? Was it made to make your life better? To make vaping better? The answer has to be “No”. It was made because the vaping industry is a living industry, the shark in the ocean of industries. It must keep moving in order to survive.

As far as I’m concerned, the TFV12 Prince is the pinnacle of SMOK’s sub-ohm vape tanks, and the Baby Prince serves no other purpose than to entice owner of the Prince, or owners of other SMOK vape tanks, to buy something new. Sure, it’s a good tank, but it’s certainly not better than the TFV12 Prince, though with the new coils I would say it is much better than the Baby Beast, or Big Baby. But it’s the coils, coils that should be able to be used in your older SMOK TFV8 tanks.

So, if what I am saying is true, and it is, who should pop on over to Vapor Authority right now and purchase a Baby Prince or two? I think I know….

The cost difference between the 8mL Prince and the 4.5mL Baby Prince is $5. If that $5 means a lot to you, then by all means try the Baby Prince. Use the Mesh coil, and the T12 light up coil (if you like lights), and don’t look back.

If the $5 doesn’t mean a lot to you, then I’d say go for the full size 8mL Prince…. And then hope SMOK is generous enough to develop and release a full size TFV12 Prince Mesh coil… that’s right, as an enticement to sell you the Baby Prince SMOK developed the V8-Baby-Mesh, a prebuilt coil that provides the best vape experience for a SMOK vape tank (though as I said, the FireLuke Mesh lasts longer), but does not offer it on the 8mL Prince.

Honestly, with its 8mL capacity, and the Prince’s V12-Prince-X6 coil (0.15-ohm, 50-120W, optimal wattage range of 80-100W with pure flavor goodness and massive clouds), makes up for the loss of the Mesh coil of the Baby Prince… for me anyway. Though when I am vaping with a Baby Prince on a smaller mid-wattage Mod, I’m using the Mesh coil anyway. But for now, I would have to say I use the full-size Prince 10 times more than I do the Baby Prince.

So, if you want a vape tank that looks like the Prince, and offers a Mesh coil, and like the idea of spending $5 less, than the Baby Prince is an excellent choice. Otherwise, the 8mL Prince is the way to go.

Despite SMOK’s reputation for lack of Quality Control on their prebuilt Coil assembly line, they make some of the best vape gear on the market. Most of the Mods and Vape Tanks I use are made by SMOK, and I am looking forward to the new SMOK products that are always coming out, including the soon-to-be-released Devilkin Kit (8mL Prince), Mag Baby (Baby Prince), Resa Stick (with the new Resa Sub-Ohm Vape Tank), and the new 8000mAh V-Fin Kit (Baby Prince). Preview looks at all these new Kits coming very soon.

If I had the choice of owning just one tank, the Baby Prince or the “adult” Prince I’d choose the adult Prince every time. I gave the 8mL Prince an A+ score, but because of the new coil options with the Baby Prince, I would also score the Baby Prince as an A+ vape tank.

Score: A+

It all comes down to what you want more…  the Baby Prince is not just a smaller version of the TFV12 Prince.

AVAILABLE NOW AT VAPOR AUTHORITY