Cool SMOK TFV4 review

Thought i could write a mini review on the TFV4 since i have been using it now for a while.



The price point is good as with all SMOK products. Packaging is nice as well, never had issues there.

The atomizer comes with 2 coils, a triple and a quad coil as well as a RBA head, a replacement glass tube, some spare parts and a screwdriver.
Now the screwdriver cough my eye, it is very nice, larger than what you usually get and has a 2mm diameter so you can use it to make the coils for the RBA head.

Build quality:
The build-quality is nice, everything looks clean but i washed it anyway as one should. I noticed that the bottom hardware has a silicon ( i guess) ring, the one that is there to connect with the glass tube, this ring was partially melted to the glass tube and pulling it off some pieces remained on the glass and had to be scratched off and washed.
This might not be the case on every unit but I'm sure it is not an isolated case.

Features:

PRO:
- Tank capacity is great, 5ml.
- Top refill cap is AWESOME, click, slide open and there you go. there is a silicone cover with an opening that will let you insert whatever bottle tip or syringe you use without scratching against the steel. Very nice!
- offers a diversity of stock coils with more stock coils for TC announced.
- comes with a SC RBA head and a DC head can be purchased as well.
- easy to unscrew, not build of too many parts
- comes with a fancy double barrel drip-tip that has it's own adjustable airflow, get's less hot.
- the RBA head has a pretty nice, large base.
- Great Airflow
- comes with a 2mm screwdriver that you can use to make coils

CONS:
- (minor) can't have it all i guess but a design where you can remove the base to make a new wick without having to drain the tank like on Billow V2 would have been awesome.
- (minor) not build of many parts but cleaning and drying of some of the parts can be a little bit tedious, removing the rubber-rings from the bottom hardware it is not easy to get inside the gap and the inside of the drip-tip is not easy to clean as well as the area where the top cap slides open.
As i said this is very minor and since i have a UC i will not really have this issue.
- the RBA head comes with a nice base but building on it is not very comfortable. you have to screw it in and as you can see on the picture, once it is fully screwed into the bottom hardware the juice channels are covered up for the most part, that can make wicking it a little bit messy as you should get the cotton down the juice channels and you have to saturate it so it does stay in shape and does not get into the thread of the cap. Not horrible by all means but could be better.
- (minor) will replace the screws on the RBA head, they are not bad but slightly rounded at the bottom and since i build thin wire under the screws only i prefer more flat screw heads.


Does it even Vape?
Hell yes it vapes, the stock coils are nice, liked the triple coil, the quad coil makes nice clouds (eats a lot of juice too).
usability is just great really, the refilling makes it so easy to use, but let's see if the top cap will still work well after a couple months, hopefully it will still lock well.
The adjustable airflow is great (4 large slots) and the airflow hole under the RBA head coil is large, cools the coil well.
I made a .25 Ohm nickel build for it, vapes like a champ!
All in all i am really happy with this Atomizer and can totally recommend it.

 

a little update on my mini TFV4 review.
i am a bit unhappy with the atomizer's 510 pin, it is not adjustable from the outside (no threading) and tends to move up, affecting the
connectivity.
Also some quad coils seem to have a slightly shorter threading than the triple coils, that can sometimes result in poor connectivity as the 510 pit will get pushed in.
The Pin can be pushed out from inside the bottom hardware but after a while it barely protrudes the threading area. I am using it mostly with the x-cube II (ironically) and the resistance values sometimes vary from by ~ 0.07 that of course can suck big time, especially with TC and subohm builds, so be careful to always double check the Ohm reader and compare the values.
If the x-cube shows wrong Ohm value, do not adjust it in the firmware, unscrew the atomizer, clean the connector and repeat the process until you get the right value.

 

Thanks for the feedback @Vaping Kitty. I haven't experience this yet but will keep an eye on it.

 

I have a small collection of TFV4's after comparing them to several other tanks. The triple and quads don't do anything for me as I use single cell mods because they fit my hands so well. Even at the max on my SX Mini M, there just isn't enough power to light these up. Plus, I'm a medium-density user, so I'm generally running at 25 Joules and around 400°F. So, the I give the multi-coiled units away to friends with dual battery mods.

I found the design of the TFV4 to be elegantly simple and not too distant from the Kangers, but with several distinct advantages. First being air and juice flow. The juice channels are capacious. It takes some practice to establish a balance between too much wicking in the juice channels and too little. But time, experimentation and some unpleasant messes later, I've got it. It's also a very clean looking unit, sans the internal framework of the Kanger as an example. Top filling? Yes, please. The silicone seal requires attention when closing up the lid after filling, but the click of tongue and groove closure is very reassuring. I use the Smok bands around the tank top cap just to insure the lid doesn't open accidentally while in my pocket.

The other thing that spins my wheels with the TFV4 is its simplicity and comparatively few o-rings and seals. Easy to clean, easy to maintain and easy to replace a seal if needed. I clean my tanks routinely and thoroughly. Also, I use a drop or so of juice on all the seals when doing the final assembly the tank. It makes it much easier to put it together and reduces the friction load on the seals, which in theory, should help them last longer.

I only have the TF-R1 decks at the moment. Soon, I'll look at the R2 deck when back in MY. Meanwhile, there's a lot of room for creative building, given the capacious amount of room in the assembled atomizer. The mounting post hole for the wire will easily accommodate 3 strands of 28g wire. I've built monster triple strand twist 3mm coils with 28g Ni200 with incredible results. No battery life to speak of, but it will put mother nature to the test when it comes to fog.

My favorite build on the R1 at the moment is actually a dual coil set-up. It also takes time and practice, but the results are stellar. This too is a juice and power consumer, but I can run my mods down around 375°F and at 25 joules and get very nice hits without a hint of burning. Wicking takes some precision, as does the wiring set up and coils alignment, but you can space/separate the two coils over the intake chimney and not restrict the airflow in the slightest. And at these lower settings, the taste from the juice is immaculately clean. Can't wait to see an R2, given what can be done with an R1.

Some pix. Not tempered, squeezed and fully centered, but no shorts or clearance issues. Wonderful.

 

Not sure if that is a good idea, the pin is supposed to make contact with the bottom of the coil, that is why it slides in when mounted.

**Updated**

yeah the tank is great and very easy to maintain, i mainly use the SC RBA, but depending on the mod there can be connectivity issue because of the pin.
the triple and quad coils perform really well but at 60-80 W or so.
i usually build a single ni200 coil and vape at 280C, sometimes Ti1 but Ni200 TC works better on xcube than Ti. huge clouds, great flavor.
i keep the threading always well cleaned and dry, from my experience if you get juice into the threading it can dry up if the tank get's hot and then is hard to unscrew.
I rinse the tank with cold water before unscrewing the parts, metal expands when hot.
for cleaning i use UC for most of my gear.

> The silicone seal requires attention when closing up the lid after filling

never had issues with the seal, it just needs to be in place properly, easy to check when you look at it from the bottom.

It's a great tank really, my fav along with the Uwell Crown.
i like the airflow on the Uwell better tho, when you set it to a tighter draw it just vapes better while the TVF4 feels a bit muffled.

 

my TFV4 leaks a bit. Especially after refilling. I clog the juice holes with cotton and use 70/30 vg/pg. Do you have any tips?

 

Are you able to identify where the juice is leaking from precisely? That information would be very helpful. Thanks! It's usually quite easy to fix these things.

 

At the airflow adjustment. I had it pretty tight but opened it up now and it seems to have stopped leaking / have massive amounts of condensation

 

Not really started to use my TFV4, but when disassembling to give it a first clean (even though as Kitty said it did seem really clean out of the box) anyway, on my version also the glass tank section seemed to be 'stuck' to the silicone seal on the bottom section, and I also got some silicone stuck to the glass which required scratching off and washing thoroughly- strange.
Not sure why, but my unit only arrived with one coil, the triple, no 4 coil and NO RBA, which for me was all I wanted- didn't seem to be any empty sections in the boxing, so it appears that it was never intended to be included. I've ordered one separately from FT.
It certainly looks like a well engineered tank, not sure why certain units come with more or less parts, though.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

 

There is two kits; one with extra coil and rba, one without.

 

Thanks Rick, typical that I get the cheap one!

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
Never mind, the RBA (single) is on its way and that's the only deck I wanted.

 

The only way I could get the TFV4's at Plaza GM in Chow Kit, MY was with one triple coil pre-built which to me is useless given my single batter mods, highest of which will run 60w, which ain't enough. I bought a few of the RBas for about $10.00USD/unit. One of my little "helpers" when rebuilding the atty is to put a drop or two of juice in the channeling where the tank seat on the top and bottom caps. I use a little screwdriver to gently move the juice around each channel so the glass tank pops in like buttah! Also, put some juice on the little o-ring at the bottom of the deck where it screws into the base cap and another little drop on the bottom of the upper chimney where there's an o-ring for the coupling to the atomizer cap.

The one thing about the TFV4 which takes some practice and guess-timation is how to wick the juice uptake channels for find the optimum balance between too much cotton and too little. I'll cut the wicking longer than necessary after getting it situated in the coil, pulling back and forth to check for slight resistance, insuring it's not too tight in the coil as to restrict the capillarity of the wicking in the coil(s). Once that's done, I'll fan out the wick ends and use my precision-grade scissors to taper the ends to about 10° angles. Wet up the wick completely, and then fold over and start packing the ends into the juice channels to see if they fill the channels without protrusion, as the cap, when installed, will mush the excess and cause a restriction. Ideally, the wicking will end just below the threaded portion of the dech as shown in the photo, leaving the lower portion of the juice channel open to maximize the uptake of juice.

In my experience, the only part of rebuilding a TF-R1 single coil deck that requires some patience, practice and precision is the wicking. Lots of juice has ended up in the bin with an appreciable amount of kleenex in the beginning, but once you get it, it's nothing to re-wick an R1 in less then 10 minutes. Skinny q-tips come in very handy for cleaning the chimneys along with some basic rubbing alcohol, just be sure to flush everything thoroughly with water afterwards and dry it all off before carrying on.

I plan to make yet another (yawn) video on the TFV4 and the R1 and cover some of the details and options in regards to this wonderful little critter... Hope this helps! In case you were wondering, this is my dual coiled R1. Oh, baby... does she deliver the goods!

 

I'm still waiting for the RBA deck from FT, but I will pay attention to what you are suggesting, thanks.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
Incidentally, that's the dual coil RBA deck, by the look of it?
Wrong, just looked back to your previous posts.
That's the single deck coiled as a Dual.

 

Yeah, haybilly! It's exciting when new little treats arrive in the post... Be prepared to have some patience, have a box of kleenex handy, a trash bin and some shitty-cheap juice that you don't care about wasting as you get the routine down. Standard tool kit as I'm sure you're already in possession of.

Given the size of the fully assembled deck & cap, there is a lot of room for creativity, build-wise inside. The stock post holes for the coil leads will easily accept a 3-strand twist of 28g wire, which can make for a monster of a single coil @ 3mm or 3.5mm (but haven't built 3.5 yet). 4 strands of 28g won't fit, however. And believe it or not, I went to the Home Pro in Phuket and bought a couple of 1/16" (I think) bits and drilled out the wire mounting holes to try out a 4-strand braid. Didn't work though - Ω too low. Oh well, it was fun trying.

Just remember; once you've mounted, heated and compressed the coils (I don't use spaced coils) re-check the tightness of the wire fastening screws as the pressure will certainly change after the wire has been heated/compressed and they will be too loose. If you're working with Ni200, it's easy to over-tighten the screws and snap the leads off as well.

Have fun and let us know how it goes once you're up and vaping!

Cheers!

**Updated**

Correct. And that's what I mean about how cool this thing is. It's a bit of a fiddle-fest to get it right, but again, fog-city - here we come and the flavors, especially at lower settings is off the chain. Scroll up a bit and you'll find my detailed shots prior to finalizing the build and wicking it.

**Updated**

Yeah, that's it. Really easy just as you say, but I make sure to press it down with the smooth shaft of a small screwdriver right where the lid begins to slide over the top cap seal. A little juice on the seal makes closure easier and also decreases the likelihood of the lid snagging on the seal and moving it out of its recess when closing it up.

There was a YT vid where the guy was rotating the seal slightly to make the filling port smaller before closing up the unit and claimed a hit benefit to it. I didn't like the idea, because on the bottom side of the lid seal, there's actually a small lip that fits into the steel filling cap slot, and this practice would smush the lip and damage the manufacturer's intention for the mounting of the top seal. Wouldn't recommend that one...