timwis Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the ALIKE 40W Pod Starter Kit from Smok. The ALIKE 40W Pod Starter Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Ella from Sourcemore. Introduction Unless you have just landed from another planet you will Know the vaping world has gone pod mod mad and of course Smok are right in the mix with countless products. The Alike is actually not alike the usual Smok styling and in fact something quite different bringing us a device more akin to the Aegis devices, it's a very rugged yet aesthetically luxurious device with a tri-proof rating of IPX7. Underneath the aesthetics and palm sized ergonomic form factor though it's practically the same device as the RPM40 just a premium version, let's check it out! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: Standard Edition/US Edition 1x Standard Edition/US Edition 1x ALIKE Device 1x ALIKE Empty Pod(5.5ml) 1x RPM Mesh 0.4ohm Coil 1x RPM DC 0.8ohm MTL Coil 1x USB Cable 1x User Manual EU Standard Edition 1x Standard Edition/US Edition 1x ALIKE Device 1x ALIKE Empty Pod(5.5ml) 1x RPM Mesh 0.4ohm Coil 1x RPM DC 0.8ohm MTL Coil 1x USB Cable 1x User Manual EU 2ml Edition 1x Standard Edition/US Edition 1x ALIKE Device 1x ALIKE Empty Pod(2ml) 1x RPM Mesh 0.4ohm Coil 1x RPM DC 0.8ohm MTL Coil 1x USB Cable 1x User Manual ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Alike came in cardboard packaging and inside we have a device not of the usual Smok styling but something quite different. I received the Matte Blue version, it's available in Matte Green, Matte Gold, Matte Red, Matte Blue or Matte Gun Metal. The device is quite busy looking which i won't describe too much but i will leave that to the photos. It has many traits to the Aegis with stitched leather on the spine and both sides and also between the leather and main chassis a bracket which sweeps right round the device in the colour of choice. The main chassis has a rubber coating as does the top of the protruding pod, to one corner on the base we have a watertight silicone bung which when removed reveals the micro USB port. The device has tri-proof protection making it along with it's palm size form factor very suitable for carrying around and using on the go with piece of mind it shouldn't get damaged. ___________________________________________________________________ Alike Specs and Features: Size: 77 x 43.2 x 23.4 Battery Capacity: Built-in 1600mAh E-Juice Capacity: 2ml/5.5ml Standby Current: ＜120uA Input Voltage: 3.3V-4.2V Output Voltage: 0.5V-4.0V Output Power: 1W-40W Charging Current: Max 1.1A Charging Voltage: 5V Coil: RPM Mesh 0.4ohm coil and RPM DC 0.8ohm MTL coil Larger 1600mAh battery for longer vaping time 1-40W wattage adjustable IPX7 grade, designed for worry-free use Widely compatible with RPM40 coil Colours: Matte Green, Matte Gold, Matte Red, Matte Blue, Matte Gun Metal ___________________________________________________________________ The Pod The pod is rectangular rather than the square shape that came with the RPM40 and while both an RPM and Nord pod are available only the RPM pod is included in the kit. The capacity of the pod is 5.5ml unless you get the TPD version which then is reduced to 2ml. The pod is very transparent allowing good e-liquid visibility and has the same style silicone flap on the side of the pod which needs lifting up to reveal a generous size fill port. The top and spine side of the pod has a rubber casing and down the spine side are grooves for grip which assist the removal of the pod from the device, Up top is a removable 510 drip tip so you can fit your own if you prefer. Moving to the base of the pod we have the opening for the coil head to be press fitted into place and to either side large magnets. ___________________________________________________________________ The Included Coils And Fitting Them 2 different coil heads are included none of which are pre-installed in the pod. We get the RPM Mesh 0.4ohm coil which has been included in many other RPM compatible kits and is rated best at 25W and we also receive a MTL option. The MTL option is a Kanthal vertical round wire coil head, 0.8ohm and rated best at 16W. The coil head just gets press fitted into place and the air enters via the base of the coil, the device has no adjustable airflow so the tightness of the draw or lack of is controlled solely by the bore of the coil. ___________________________________________________________________ Other Available Coil Options As well as the 2 coils included with the kit any of the countless RPM coils will fit the pod including the RPM RBA head. Also there is a Nord pod available for the Alike allowing Nord coil heads also to be used. A lot of people who will be interested in this device will have other Smok devices so as well as having RPM coils will most likely have Nord coils knocking about so i feel not including the Nord pod with the kit is a big con. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Pod Looking at the pods bay we have it open at the spine area of the device where the grooves of the pod will be and on the floor of the bay we have the spring loaded contacts positioned centrally and a magnet each side to line up with the magnets on the pod. The pod secures into the bay with a real snap due to the strength of the magnets and it takes quite a tug to remove. I really wish there was a viewing window as to check the e-liquid level the pod needs removing which isn't ideal but not too bad with the 5.5ml standard version. ___________________________________________________________________ Tri-proof Protection One of the main features of the Alike is it has waterproof, dustproof and shockproof protection with a rating of IPX7 which means it can withstand being immersed in water between 15cm and 1 meter for 30 minutes but not quite got the total dust protection the Aegis has and while feeling a tough durable device again not quite Aegis standards in this regard. ___________________________________________________________________ The Display The colour display is very bright and impressively sharp with all the information needed on show. Top left we have the battery status bar then top right we have the battery life given as a percentage. Underneath we have the wattage and below this the time of your vape. The wattage and vape time are within a circular design and underneath we have the resistance followed by voltage and then your puff count. Bottom left we have a painting pallet icon followed by 6 different coloured squares in an horizontal row. The main information is in white but added icons and the mentioned circular design can be customised to be one of 6 colours. Yes you heard a smok display without "SMOK" being displayed anywhere! ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The Alike The Alike may have a pod/cartridge that fits to the device but the device operates just like any other variable wattage regulated device. The device is the usual 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on the wattage can be adjusted in 1W increments from 1W to 40W, it round robins. We do have a number of combination key press features which include pressing fire and left together resets the puff counter and fire and right together moves to the next colour option if you want to change the colour of certain items on the screen, the colours to choose from are Red, Orange, Blue, Magenta, Green and White. Pressing the fire button 3 times locks the whole device so it will not fire, alternatively you can lock just the navigational buttons by pressing them both at the same time. Finally as expected the device has the usual safety protections and if one kicks in a message is displayed on the screen. ___________________________________________________________________ Protections High-Temperature Protection 8 Seconds Cutoff Short Circuit Protection Low Voltage Protection ___________________________________________________________________ Charging To charge the silicone plug needs pulling out (it stays attached to the device) which is positioned on one edge of the base of the device. I really would prefer the micro USB to be positioned elsewhere so the device could be charged standing up and also wish it was Type C. While charging both a status bar is shown and the current charge is given as a percentage, it also displays how much time the device will take to be fully charged which i really like. The device supports pass-through so you can vape while charging and has a 1A charge rate, it took nearly 2 hours to charge which in 2020 seems sluggish for a 16oomAh battery i would find about 1 hour more acceptable. ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Alike And Thoughts! This will surprise many as it's rugged build quality with really nice hand feel and overall styling is a real departure from the usual Smok device although lately looking at other devices like the Fetch they are obviously trying to release more unique looking devices instead of having that familiar Smok look. It might have a completely different look and feel but performs just like the other 40W RPM compatible devices such as the RPM40 with the vape quality from the RPM Mesh 0.4ohm coil being identical to with other devices i have used the coil with. I like this coil head, it gives quite a cool vape which won't suit everyone but gives bags of flavour and keeps up fine if cranking up an extra 5W to 30W for a bit extra warmth. I do like the inclusion of a MTL option which is the coil i used most as i know the RPM Mesh 0.4ohm coil very well. Like with all these type of devices that lets plenty of air to the base of the coil and then relies on the bore of the coil head for it's restriction it's not a tight MTL but a mid to loose draw but still a MTL option which is a pro. This coil gave much more warmth and again no complaints about flavour, the recommended 16W is spot on in my opinion. The fact there is so many coil options available including an RBA is a real pro as is the fact a Nord pod is also available but find it a con the Nord pod wasn't included. Over time i did get some e-liquid in the pods bay but i have known much worse and the bay is liquid tight so the device won't get damaged so not a major issue in fact many reviewers will probably not even mention it as it's minimal. I like the device it gives a real nice vape with the RPM coils and battery life is good especially when using with the 0.8ohm coil which will give most vapers a full day. Amongst other pros are the device is simple to use, the display can be customised, the pod has a 5.5ml capacity and you can fit your own 510 if you wish. As well as not receiving the Nord pod the only real cons i have for the device is it doesn't have adjustable airflow, the pod needs removing to check the e-liquid level and charging takes about 2 hours which is far too slow in my opinion. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Nice build quality Nice ergonomic hand feel Plenty of colour options Portable, ergonomic device Supports Nord and RPM coils (Nord pod not included) Tri-proof IPX7 Large fill port (mess free filling) RBA head available 2 different coils included DL and MTL option (although mid to loose mtl, not tight) Good flavour both coils Adjustable wattage 1W-40W (1W increments) Puff counter (can be reset) Sharp, bright, colour display Display can be customised Battery status given as percentage Large capacity 5.5ml (standard pod) Pod fits securely Can use your own 510 Supports Pass-through Great feedback during charging including charge time left Cons Need to remove pod/cartridge to see juice level No adjustable airflow Takes about 2 hours to charge Not Type C USB Micro USB on base of device Nord Pod not included I would once again like to thank Ella from Sourcemore for supplying the ALIKE 40W Pod Starter Kit for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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