Smoant Vik ii Pro
With so many great pod kits around, we take a look at the Smoant VIKII Pro Pod to see how it stacks up against the competition
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by Si Davies
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Supplied by Smoant for review
https://www.smoant.com/vikii-pro
Price TBC
Smoant, now there’s a name I haven’t heard from in a while, in fact I’ve only ever reviewed one item from Smoant previously and that was the superb Pasito a few years back, and I liked it that much I bought 3 of the things.
The VIKII Pro is a far cry from the Pasito as it’s a very basic compact pod, simple auto-draw, light weight and aimed to be affordable. I’m left wondering what’s ‘pro’ about it though? Unless Pro means ‘pro’ if you get my drift (is Vikii a pro?).
Unboxing
Things didn’t start off too well as the package got a bit of a battering from Mr Postman, but the device survived without any damage, not that this mattered too much as the Vikii Pro comes in very simple packaging to keep it affordable. I did manage to straighten out the box with a hot iron for photography.
The contents are pretty basic but include all you need (other than e-liquid) to get going, there the device a single pod, a USB-C charging cable, and the documents.
Oddly I was sent the Russian version (at least I think its Russian?), and I was also sent my least favourite colour, they call it ‘Sunset’ but it’s a girly pink as far as I see it so it didn’t get off to the best of starts. Fortunately things got much better as I started vaping the VIKII Pro, but more on that later.
So with that out of the way, onto the actual device. The main battery section is plastic and has a knurled rubberised finish to it which makes it very grippy and easy to keep clean.
The pod is a magnetic fit and is very secure once fitted, it doesn’t matter which way around you fit it as the contacts are in the centre and the airflow is fixed so it makes no difference, just pop it in and it’s good to go.
The actual pod has an e-liquid visibility section at the top which came in handy. The mouthpiece is quite chunky but is comfortable enough.
The airflow holes are located on each side but there’s no adjustment, I’m normally sceptical with fixed airflow but Smoant have got it just right for a tight-ish MTL draw similar to a ciggie.
The USB-C charging port is located on the base, the included charging cable is quite short but that makes it handy for portable charging. The LED light on the one face shows the charging status.
The light is a single colour (white) which stays illuminated during charging and turns off once complete, it’s difficult to judge how much charging time remains but it doesn’t take too long, it took around 40 minutes from low.
The pod features a convenient top fill by flipping the mouthpiece off with your thumb, I found it very easy to lever off but secure enough to stay in place. Once the mouthpiece is removed, it reveals the silicone bung which was also easy to remove and the hole is large enough to prevent air-locks.
I was starting to like the pods design at this point as there was no fiddly bits or messy filling, and the e-liquid visibility rounded it off nicely.
Smoant kindly sent some spare pods so I could test it properly, so with that in mind I decided to be brave and filled it up with a sweet Peach nic salt which would normally kill the coil quite quickly on anything over 0.8ohms or coils with tiny wicking ports, it was a risk but I had little to lose.
Performance
If I’m being honest, I wasn’t in love with the pro called Vikii so far but that was about to change once I started vaping using the 1.0ohm pod. Right off the bat, the flavour was just superb and the draw was tight enough to meet my fussy MTL tastes, Smoant just nailed it when it came to the overall vape quality, and despite my reservations about using he sweet coil killer e-liquid, it handled it effortlessly.
I’ve recently reviewed the NYX Juicy nic salt e-liquid which I loved but you did have to be careful with which device you use it in and the type of coil/pod, not only did Vikii handle it like a pro, she also ‘love me long’ time as the pod lasted exceptionally well, I could get up to 20ml before I noticed any flavour drop off which is unheard of for this eliquid range.
I soon forgave my earlier soured experience (colour/language and crushed packaging) and I was really enjoying how the Vikii Pro performed, the battery life was reasonable though I did find it a pain not knowing the status until the charge ran out and I was left without, this is something I’m used to and always have a second vape at the ready, but I found myself looking forward to the Vikii Pro finishing its charge so I could get back to it.
It’s unfortunate that Smoant used the ‘pro’ for this device, it has no what I class as pro features, it set me off in a bad light as I know what Smoant can produce, the Pasito is closer to ‘pro’ and that is years old, maybe the flavour is ‘pro’? but I really want Smoant to deliver the same vape quality in a Pasito coil – I can only dream….
The Pasito had adjustable airflow, 5 power levels, battery status, a metal body, top-fill, power on/off, and a much appreciated RBA, but for all that it only offered a fraction of the flavour the Vikii Pro offers.
Conclusion
‘All’s well that ends well’ sprung to mind with this one. Although there’s zero innovation, and it is lacking in style or features, it all came down to the vape quality. The compact size and the pods' lifespan made up for anything that it lacked.
With my e-liquid experiment, it also turned out to be an excellent device to sway disposable users away and onto a more sustainable way of vaping as it’s one of the few current vapes that can handle the sweetened flavours used in disposables. The simplicity of the Vikii Pro really eliminates any excuses that disposable users might have.
Pros
- Superb flavour
- Long pod lifespan
- Handles sweetened e-liquids well
- Very light (33g)
- Compact and grippy
- Well-designed pod with top fill
- Affordable? (Price tbc but I expect it will be under 15 quid)
Cons
- Pro? I really don’t see any pro features.
- Limited single LED
Final Thoughts
The Vikii ‘Pro’ really surprised me, I’m still using it well after the review period and that’s with the mingin' girly colour! (I just hide it in public). But it’s the all-important vape quality where this kit excels and it gets a big thumbs up from me.
Score: 8/10 – Vikii knows how to please.
Si Davies
Reviewer at POTVMy background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!
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