Do you have a bad opinion of Smoktech? Hang on. Our Smok Species review will highlight some pleasant surprises that might change your mind. We know Smok makes great tanks but there mods have maybe not been as good as some others. A few years ago, Smok was the hottest name in vaping. Mods like the Alien and H-Priv were terrific. Now, the company seems to be making a comeback with the Species.
The Smok Species is a 230 watt dual 18650 vape mod. We recommend Sony VTC5 18650 high drain batteries. The mod comes in several different color combinations. The Species is a touch screen mod. The full color display screen is interactive and the menu is easy to navigate. The kit comes with the TFV8 Baby V2 tank.
The cost is in the $65 to $75 range. This kit is a good value for an vaper looking for a new sub ohm mod kit and tank combo. Be very careful, however, as counterfeiters often target Smok products. In other words, the market will be flooded with fake, counterfeit Species mods. Check the Smok Species authenticity here. Just a tip, if you see a Smok Species being sold for a very cheap price, be aware that it may be a fake. With that caution out of the way, we shall carry on with the Smok Species mod kit review!
Smok Species Review
The Smok Species review begins with the basics. This is a dual 18650 powered 230 watt mod with temperature control capability. This is a very compact dual 18650 mod. The touch screen functions work fantastic. There is no lag when you touch the screen. That is a good start! Many touch screen vape mods are very fussy and slow. Smok has done a great job with this screen and menu.
The Smok Species is 82 mm tall or 3.3 inches. It is 48 mm or 1.9 inches wide and 29.8 mm or 1.1 inches thick. The device is slightly wider at the top than at the bottom.
Instead of a fire button, the Species has a fire bar running down the side of the unit. To activate the fire bar just give the device a squeeze. The fire time is responsive with no lag to report. Plus, the 510 connection is centered, which is always a plus in our book. The 510 can take atomizers up to 26 mm with no overhang. One more note about the 510, there is a silicon seal inside the connection to prevent any vape juice leaks from getting into the electronics. Very good!
Smok Species Mod Specs
Next up in the Smok Species review we lay out all of the features and specifications:
- 82 mm or 3.3 inches tall
- 48 mm or 1.9 inches wide
- 29.8 or 1.1 inches thick
- Centered 510, looks to be gold plated
- Constructed of zinc alloy
- Weighs 153 grams and 245 grams with batteries
- Fires from 1 watt up to 230 watts
- Atomizer resistance range for VW is 0.1 ohms to 2.5 ohms
- Voltage output range is from 0.5 V to 8.2 V
- Temperature control range is from 200 F to 600 F
- Or, 115 C to 300 C
- Atomizer resistance for TC vaping is 0.05 ohms to 2.0 ohms
- TC vaping with Ni, SS, Ti, and TCR.
- Input voltage range is 6.8 V to 8.4V
- On-board battery charging is at 1.8 amps
- Range of safety features including reverse battery, short circuit, etc.
There you have it! Near the end of the list of the Smok Species specs you will see where it has 1.8 amp charging. That is correct, you can charge your batteries with the mod. We do recommend using a separate vape battery charger, but if you don't have one you can use the mod. You can even vape while it is charging.
Smok Species Build Quality - 8.5 / 10
A couple of years ago, Smok came out with the Alien mod. It was a huge hit. As was the H-Priv, which had the first fully functional fire bar. Both the Alien and H-Priv were regarded as two of the best mods of the time. But, things are cyclical in vaping. In more recent years, Smok mods have not been at the level of their competitors. Companies like Geekvape and Vaporesso have been stepping up. Well, the cycle is now tilting back in Smok's favor and the Species mod will be the catalyst.
The build quality score for the Smok Species review is based on the readily apparent quality, durability, touch screen, the 510 and the battery door. There are no rattles in the device. The battery door is especially well made. I opened and closed it 100 times or more and the spring loaded doors still works like new.
Likewise the firebar stands up to heavy use. The quality materials make the difference and the compact design adds to comfort. The colorful touch screen display is beautiful and bright. The user can choose from a number of display colors. Overall, the Species is a very well built mod.
Smok Firmware - 8.2/10
Smok firmware is very solid. The access to special features and menu navigation are very well thought out. Although not at the high end for firmware, Smok is very good and reliable. In addition, the firmware is upgradeable.
During testing for the Smok Species review, I did a lot of experimenting with the custom firing feature. You can choose from the following four options:
- Soft - a mild ramp up for a softer hit.
- Normal - fires the atomizer at the selected wattage.
- Hard - delivers a harder hit by firing at a slightly higher wattage for the initial burst.
- Maximum - a very hard hit by firing the atomizer as a more substantially higher wattage for the initial burst.
I vaped the Species in Normal for the majority of the time, however, I do occasionally like a harder initial hit. The "Hard" mode was plenty for me! The "Maximum" mode was too strong for me. But, I do like having all of these options and I think you will, too.
Ease Of Use - 8.5/10
The ease of use I found during the Smok Species review earned the top score of all the categories. The touch screen is terrific. The plus and minus buttons are on the screen. The wattage or temperature reading is in the center of the gage, which kind of looks like a speedometer. The menu button is at the top left and inside the menu you can control the vaping mode, screen color, ramp up, TCR, and puff counter. Having the touch screen makes it easier than paging through options by various numbers of clicks on the up and down buttons.
The screen and mod are easy to lock. The lock button is on the front of the device. When using a touch screen mod it is very important to lock the screen and the mod. You do not want to accidentally change settings with an unintentional touch of the screen. Press the lock button once quickly to shut down the screen. That’s something that I want to stress to anyone that has never used a touch screen before.
Vaping The Smok Species - 8.5/10
The most enjoyable part of the Smok Species mod kit review was the vaping! I won’t waste too much of your time other than to say the vaping is fast, reliable, and thoroughly enjoyable. I did use battery power faster than usual but that is normal for a touch screen mod. We do recommend turning off the screen when vaping. By doing so the user will keep the settings in place and conserve some battery power.
I like the feel of this mod. It is not exactly lightweight, but it is not heavy either. It simply feels solid and comfortable. This is the best Smok mod in a long time and perhaps the best Smok mod to date. For the price, you get a fun and reliable kit that vapes beautifully.
Smok Species Vape Mod Review Total Score - 8.4/10
How To Use The Smok Species
- Put in two fully charged 18650 batteries.
- The device will boot when you close the battery door.
- Click the fire bar five times to start using the Species mod.
- The Smok Species vape mod requires that user to verify age before each use. The screen will show a prompt asking the user to confirm age by pressing either yes or no.
- Use the plus or minus button on the screen to adjust wattage.
- Three clicks of the fire bar locks the mod. Also, hold the lock button until the padlock indicator on the screen appears closed. Reverse either of these processes to unlock the screen.
- Press the menu button at the top left of the screen to access the menu.
- Menu options include vaping mode, puff count settings, screen color, and vaping settings.
- In the vaping settings, choose between variable wattage or temperature control. Once the mode is selected, the user can choose the wattage or temperature as well as the ramp up or “pre-heat”. Choose from soft, normal, hard, or maximum. We recommend either normal or hard,
- In temperature control, make sure to select the right coil material. Choose from stainless steel, titanium, or nickel. From there you can fine tune the TCR if desired although that is not actually necessary. Unless you understand TCR (temperature coefficient of resistance) just go with the default setting. It will work just fine!
The menu items that are used the most are setting either variable wattage or temp control. Most vapers using Kanthal coils will only need to worry about variable wattage. Remember that when starting to use a brand new coil, vape at the lowest recommended wattage and slowly increase until the desired wattage. This will help break in and extend the life of vape coils. Keep an eye on the battery level as well. Try not to let battery power go below 30% before recharging.
Smok TFV8 Baby V2 Review
The Smok Species Kit comes with the TFV8 Baby V2. We are going to offer a quick Smok TFV8 Baby V2 review although not as in depth because our focus was on the mod. The TFV8 Baby V2 is a solid tank that does use mesh coils. We would not rate this tank as high as the Freemax Mesh Pro tank, but it is a good tank that you get for a song when you buy the full kit. It is well worth getting the complete kit.
The TFV8 Baby is nothing new. Many are disappointed that the Species does not come with a newly designed tank. But this is not the same TFV8 Baby. The TFV8 Baby V2 is a new tank! In fact, the coils are not interchangeable with TFV8 Baby coils or even TFV12 coils. That could be either a pro or a con. It is a pro in that it is something new with larger, and I think better, coils. Smok is making three different coil options so that is also good. And, the coils are very good and long lasting. Maybe the best Smok coils I have tested to date.
TFV8 Baby V2 Specs
- Made of stainless steel.
- Large 16 mm Delrin drip tip, not a 510 or 810 drip tip.
- 5 ml vape juice capacity.
- Comes with straight glass tank and a bubble tank.
- 54 mm tall.
- Triple airflow.
- Comes with pre-installed Baby V2 A1 mesh coil (Kanthal 0.17 ohms, 90 to 140 watts)
- Comes with Baby V2 A2 dual coil (Kanthal 0.2 ohms 70 watts to 120 watts)
After testing for the Smok Species vape kit review using the TFV8 Baby V2, I recommend vaping the A1 at 100 watts and the A2 at 90 watts.
Smoke Species Mod Kit Review Summary - 8.4/10
The overall score of the Smok Species mod kit review reflects the overall value. That’s really the key! And this kit gets a strong score for value. For a vaper looking for a good quality complete kit at a low price, this kit fits the bill. The vaping is excellent and the flavors stand out. Especially when using a top rated vape juice brand like Freeman!
Vaping the Species and accessing the menu of features is made simple by the touch screen and intuitive menu. While perhaps not the mod you want for a cloud competition, if you want an affordable kit with a reliable, well-built mod then the Species is a good candidate. The best Smok mod kit to date.
