The first of two Reviews for the new SMOK TFV12 Prince Sub-Ohm Tank –

Of all the companies we encounter each week, none are more prolific than SMOK. And when the company finds something that works, they COMMIT to maximizing the brand, with its growing line of sister products. Some offshoots are more successful than others, but all have been consistently reliable, if not entirely innovative.

But this is no normal offshoot. The SMOK TFV12 Prince tank is far and away the best sub-ohm tank the company has released. In fact, pay no attention to the “Prince” name – this is easily the new king of SMOK’s ever-growing lineup.

The SMOK TFV12 Prince makes a commanding first impression. My black and red test model comes across as  a perfect meld of all the company’s previous winning ideas, alongside a nice array of new touches.

The first thing anyone will notice is the convex glass section, which allows the Prince to hold up to 8mL of e-liquid without adding unnecessary height to the proceedings. The glass isn’t the usual “gumball machine/fishbowl” shape, however. Instead, nicely beveled edges and squared-off parts help the Prince appear more svelte than it actually is.

SMOK included a straight glass replacement in the box, but this shaves a considerable amount of capacity from the Prince, rendering it useless to this reviewer. Of course, for a more compact tank, the option is certainly there.

The second item of note is the gorgeous red resin drip tip (subtly called the “Cobra” by SMOK’s marketing gurus). The honeycomb/snakeskin pattern jumps at you, while the resin is a huge step up from the usual Delrin and Ultem offerings. It’s odd to get excited about something as minimal as a drip tip, but in terms of presenting a complete package, SMOK left out no detail.

The final item you’ll notice from the outset is the TFV12 Prince’s new button-release mechanism on the standard swivel top-cap. While I never once faced any looseness or wonky behavior from SMOK’s previous renditions, this button helps add a little extra security by effectively creating a two-step locking system.

Speaking of the top-cap, the kidney-shaped juice port is finally (and mercifully) wider, eliminating much of the pooling and spillage that happened with many of SMOK’s “Baby” line, as well as the TFV8 “Beast.” All of my bottles and droppers allowed me to fill with ease, nearly to the top of its capacity.

Let’s lead off this section with a major positive – the SMOK Prince coils are fantastic. Though it’s near impossible to keep up with SMOK’s naming/numbering scheme for its myriad coil offerings, the three included heads bring users tremendous vapor production, and near-RDA flavor. In fact, it’s closer to drip-quality than any coils we’ve experienced, short of the amazing Uwell Valyrian.

From what we can tell, there are no fewer than four new coil choices – three of which are in the box – designed exclusively for the SMOK TFV12 Prince tank, as well as an RBA deck for build enthusiasts. The key upgrade for these coils lies in the multiple large juice ports – larger than SMOK has done in prior editions – which all but ensured no dry hits would ensue under normal usage.

The pre-installed 0.4-ohm Prince Q4 is the most-reserved of the three, which is saying a lot, considering how easily this quad-coil head fogged my office. This one sat right in my usual comfort zone of 60-80 watts, with the best performance on the higher end of the spectrum.

The 0.15-ohm X6 sextuple coil was another strong performer, with near-equal flavor and a huge boost in vapor production. Though this head is rated up to 120 watts, I found it worked best around 80-90, as flavor quality diminished at higher levels.

Cloud enthusiasts will likely flock to the T10 decuple – a word I just learned – coil head, which is clearly a vapor-focused design. While the flavor was still very good, it was much more muted and less vibrant than in the first two I tried.

But the vapor? Man ALIVE will cloud enthusiasts love the T10. Even at conservative wattages, this coil produced vapor that rivaled some competition RDAs. It was nearly overwhelming, but altogether awesome for users who vape in this manner.

So, what are the negatives? First, it should be noted that the SMOK TFV12 Prince is not for vapers looking to conserve e-liquid. Though fans of these products are well-aware of how they swallow juice at an exponential pace, the Prince practically requires the 8mL glass section, unless you want to refill every 20 minutes.

Secondly, SMOK Prince coils are proprietary. After a week of research and a fruitless email to SMOK, I have seen no evidence indicating these coils are compatible with the TFV12 King and vice versa.

I have called SMOK to the carpet for this practice before, most recently with the oddly proprietary X-Baby tank, and despite the top-tier performance of the included coil heads, I stand behind my belief that this needs to end. Though I’ll never ask companies to stop producing better products, there’s no reason threading and diameter can’t be adjusted to fit multiple devices.

The silver lining here is that SMOK is releasing an RBA deck for the Prince, which will soften this blow considerably. I love the included coils, and will certainly purchase more (especially if they prove to be long-lasting, which some doubt have surfaced recently) but the last thing I want to invest in are a slew of uni-taskers, when so much of SMOK’s design is based on similar design principles.

Getting back to the experience, the SMOK TFV12 Prince is the pinnacle of the three-year progression the company has made since introducing the TFV4. It’s not as obscenely large as the King, not as leaky as the Beast, and decidedly more innovative than any of the countless offshoots of the Baby series. It feels like a new device, simply because it balances vapor and flavor better than its predecessors.

Each of the provided coils went through hours of heavy testing, and none showed any signs of slowing or diminished flavor. The pre-installed Q4 is actually proving to be the best of the bunch, as the flavor is extremely rich and nuanced, and the ramp up time is easily the quickest of the three. Near instant flavor and vapor came from even the most-abbreviated draws.

When I pushed the TFV12 Prince to its higher limits, it never struggled to keep up with the heat. The ample juice ports kept the coils wet, and at no point was there any gurgling, spitting or leaking around the bottom airflow ring.

Even at 120+ watts, the resin mouthpiece proved it offered more than good looks. The entire tank managed to dissipate heat extremely well, but the drip tip never warmed, even on extended draws. I swapped out a standard SMOK Delrin drip-tip from the TFV8, and the resulting draws were much warmer and even uncomfortable after chain vaping.

As mentioned earlier, the SMOK TFV12 Prince is very thirsty. No SMOK tanks can claim to be frugal, but this level of rich flavor and vapor production doesn’t come by accident. That said, I highly doubt anyone will complain once they taste and experience the vapor the Prince produces in every puff

I think it’s pretty clear I think the SMOK TFV12 Prince is a winner. Even with my concerns about proprietary coils, there’s simply no denying how strong of a performer the Prince turned out to be. I’ve always enjoyed the company’s products – some more than others – but I genuinely believe this is the best representation of the TFV series to date, with innovative design changes and a generous coil offering right in the box.

As we approach the end of the year, a lot of people are going to be mapping out their “best of” vape product lists. I already know the SMOK TFV12 Prince is going to join the Uwell Valyrian atop a very competitive list of sub-ohm tanks … and it’s going to be a photo-finish deciding which one proves to be the best of the bunch.

Score: A+

Available Now At Element Vape

SMOK TFV12 Prince Features:

• 25mm Diameter Base
  • 28mm at Widest Point
• Hinge and Lock Top Fill System
  • Swivels Open and Shut
  • Fill Port
• 5ml Max Standard Capacity
• 8ml Max Convex Glass Extension Capacity
• SMOK V12 Prince Coil Family
  • V12 Prince-T10 Decuple Coil Head
    • 0.12 ohm
    • Patented Decuple Coil
    • 60 to 120W Range
    • 80 to 110W Recommended Range
  • V12 Prince-X6 Sextuple Coil Head
    • 0.15 ohm
    • Patented Quadruple Coil
    • 50 to 120W
    • 80 to 100W Recommended Range
  • V12 Prince-Q4 Quadruple Coil Head
    • 0.4 ohm
    • Patented Quadruple Coil
    • 40 to 100W
    • 60 to 80W Recommended Range
  • Compatible with Additional V12 Prince Coils
• Dual Adjustable Airslots
• Stainless Steel and Glass Construction

SMOK TFV12 Prince Package Contents:

• One SMOK TFV12 Prince Sub-Ohm Tank
• One V12 Prince-T10 Ducuple Coil Head
• One V12 Prince-X6 Sextuple Coil Head
• One V12 Prince-Q4 Quadruple Coil Head
• One Replacement Glass Tank Section
  • 5ml
• One Convex Bubble Tank Glass Tube
  • 6ml
• Spare Parts Pack
• User Manual