Product Specs and Intro
Pod systems are becoming increasingly popular in the world of vaping and for good reason. Their compact nature makes them perfect companions for on-the-go vaping, and when paired with nic salts they can offer a satisfying and satiating vape. While SMOK may be best known for its range of high-power offerings, the SMOK Nord shows that the company isn’t afraid to innovate and can easily create a pod system that both performs and impresses.
In terms of specs, the SMOK Nord utilizes 3ml pods, and a variety of replaceable coil heads, suitable for both direct lung and mouth-to-lung vaping. The device contains a 1100mAh internal cell and an output of 15W. The device is currently offered in 13 distinct colours, as well as in unique cobra patterns and resign-style designs.
Colours: Black, Prism Rainbow, Prism Gold, Bottle Gold, Red, White Black
Resin Edition: Black/White, Red/Yellow, Blue/black, Gree/Red, Yellow/Purple, Blue/Brown, 7-Colour Rainbow Resin Streak
Build Quality and Overall Design
It’s almost impossible to look at the SMOK Nord and not compare it to the SMOK Novo, though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In many ways, the SMOK Nord serves as an upgraded Novo and even shares many similar design aspect. First, both devices come with the same cobra panels and rounded rectangular shape. Both devices are also constructed from a similar durable plastic shell, but the Nords is slightly chunkier to accommodate the larger battery and internals. The chunkier size of the SMOK Nord actually works in its favour, in terms of ergonomics, as the device fits comfortably in the hand and slips easily into pants or shirt pockets.
Unlike most pod systems, which are usually incredibly light, the SMOK Nord does have some heft to it. This isn’t to say it’s heavy, but at 80grams it does have a presence in both the hand and the pocket. In terms of size, the Smok Nord’s dimensions are 94 x 30 x 18.8mm, making it 8mm wider and 4mm thicker than the Novo but the larger size of the Nord allows for double the battery capacity.
Unlike the Novo, which is draw activated, the SMOK Nord does utilize a single button for activation. Like with all vape devices, five clicks will turn the device on and off, and you should really turn the device off when not in use. The button itself is placed in a very convenient spot and offers a satisfying clicky response.
SMOK Nord Pods
With a 3ml e-juice capacity and a hard plastic shell, the SMOK Nord pods are quite robust and should last vapers a while before needing to be refilled. There are currently four types of coils available for the SMOK Nord, including the 0.6ohm direct lung mesh coils and 1.4ohm standard mouth to lung coils that come with the kit. Vapers can also purchase a 0.8ohm mesh MTL coil and a 1.0ohm ceramic MTL coil, which are sold separately.
The pods feature an open design, meaning vapers can easily fill them with whatever e-juice they prefer. The pods are incredibly simple to fill and a simple silicone plug ensures that e-juice does not leak out of the pod when it’s not in use
Performance
Because there are so many different coils for the SMOK Nord we’ll only be looking at the two that come with the kit in this review. As mentioned before, in the SMOK Nord pod kit, vapers will find a 0.6ohm DTL mesh coil and a 1.4ohm standard MTL coil. It should be noted that neither coil produced much of a throat hit, even with 50mg nic salt, because of its given airflow configuration.
As the name and ohmage suggests, the 0.6ohm DTL mesh coil offers an impressive amount of cloud, but it’s still not comparable to the volume of vapour produced by a sub-ohm tank. Flavour is quite good on this coil and the vapour produced is fairly cool, due in part to the abundant airflow of the device.
On the opposite end of the coil spectrum is the 1.4ohm MTL coil, which offers far less vapour but doesn’t sacrifice flavour. The vape produced by this coil is more akin to traditional coils, simply because it doesn’t use mesh within its coil structure. This isn’t to say the vape produced is bad, it’s just closer to the performance you’d get off an Aspire Nautilus, but with a more open airflow.
Battery Performance
The Nord can be easily turned on and off by clicking the fire button five times. Once the device is turned on, the SMOK Nord will display its battery life by using three coloured LED lights, which can be brought up by clicking the fire button two times. When carrying the device in your pocket or bag don’t forget to turn it off as the button is quite sensitive and autofiring the device could damage the coil and battery.
- Green: 70-100%
- Yellow: 30-70%
- Red: Under 30%
Thanks to the 1100mAh battery capacity, I was able to make it through most of the day on a single charge, but if you are chain vaping you may find the device empty by the evening. Thankfully, the SMOK Nord does come with passthrough charging capabilities, but you will need a longer cable than the one included.
Conclusions
As far as pod systems go, the SMOK Nord is almost perfect as a daily driver for both new and experienced vapers. The compact size, impressive performance, and open-pod design make it ideal for most vapers, while still being incredibly affordable. It should be noted that the open airflow may not appeal to all vapers, but for some it presents a sub-ohm vaping experience in a portable package.
