SMOK Rigel Review

Design & build quality

Classic design meets new ergonomic innovation.

The SMOK Rigel is an old-school treat, a return to the days of chunky box mods which took up a whole fist and commanded attention from those around you.

SMOK have however clearly learned some lessons about ergonomics and comfort from their time spent designing pod vape devices.

The Rigel mod is surprisingly comfortable in the hand, with the flat back section fitting comfortably against the palm, fingers gripped around the carbon fibre panels bordering the unit’s display screen.

For some added protection not only to your surfaces but also against the cold sting of metal in the winter months, the unit is also covered in a thin, flexible rubber coating.

Not enough to be noticeable but you’ll find the Rigel generally more pleasant in the hand than a number of other metal box mods.

The mod stands alone at 44×28.8x88mm, making it impressive but by no means a pocket-killer. The TFV9 tank adds another 28x56mm, keeping things firmly moderate in scale if not vape production, of which there is plenty!

The three buttons on the face of the unit are responsive and satisfyingly clicky, all positioned so as to be in comfortable reach of the fingers and thumbs curled around the body.

The 0.96” thin-film transistor (TFT) display screen is highly legible, and displays readouts from the Rigel in 6 optional colours, easily changed by simply tapping ‘fire’ and ‘up’ at the same time.

The panel for the battery section blends perfectly in with the rest of the Rigel’s body, a small divot left to afford access to the user.

The TFV9 tank which comes included with the SMOK Rigel Kit features a number of child proofing designs, such as a rising/sliding topfill and a thick rubber hatch to keep e-liquid from spilling.

A sizable airflow control gauge rests at the bottom of the tank, atop the 510 thread connector which will attach it to the Rigel mod and the majority of other vape units.

How to use the SMOK Rigel (button functionality)

The Rigel powers on with five rapid taps of the fire button, at which point you’ll see the brief boot-up screen followed by your readout display.

Using the Rigel is as simple as pressing down the large fire button and inhaling directly to lung; use it like an inhaler, don’t draw on it like a straw or cigarette i.e. in the MTL style.

Let go of the button when you’re done and exhale at your own leisure, simplicity itself!

You can adjust the Rigel’s wattage levels with the two buttons at the base of the display, more wattage of course equating to more vapour.

Do have a care; while the Rigel is capable of up to 230W in power output, the V9 coils included with the TFV9 tank won’t be able to withstand such an onslaught, so look into a different tank or RDA/RTA if you want to experience the full potential of the SMOK Rigel.

You can also lock the power settings by pressing both the ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons at the same time, ensuring you don’t accidentally ramp up in transit and dry burn your way to an instantly-ruined coil.

Battery life & charging

External batteries means you last as long as your spares do!

You will need to acquire two 18650 batteries in order to operate the SMOK Rigel, though many will opt to purchase 3 or 4 as one of the main benefits of an external-battery vape is the ability to swap your batteries out for instant use in the event you run your initial batteries down.

Those without extra batteries however will rejoice, as the SMOK Rigel marks a shift away from micro USB towards the far swifter USB Type C, the preferred rapid charger for many laptops these days!

You can expect enough power to see you through the day after a couple hours of charging, and the device can be used while plugged in thanks to ‘pass through’ technology

Performance

Classic clouds from the grandmasters at SMOK.

The SMOK Rigel is a cloud machine and has no illusions otherwise. The 0.001s fire-up delivers intense and deeply flavoursome plumes every time, with the mesh interior of the V9 coil ensuring both rapid absorption and equal flavour distribution.

Many devices display versatility in their ability to handle both MTL and DTL vaping, but the Rigel is very much sub-ohm all the way. Make sure you use an e-liquid with a high VG content, as thinner 50/50 or PG-centric juices are likely to leak from the base of the TFV9 tank.

The verdict

The SMOK Rigel delivers old school big plumes with no complexity.

Buy SMOK Rigel

The SMOK Rigel makes you realise how much you’ve missed box mods. The comfort and ease of use combined with the fantastic flavour conveyance and cloud production makes this both a great reintroduction to sub-ohming and a superb starter cloud kit for those interested in the foggier side of the vaping equation.

SMOK shows with great confidence that this isn’t their first rodeo; despite their recent focus on pod vape systems they’re still the very best at producing an old-school box mod built for fun and function, and we think the SMOK Rigel Kit marks the moment where the pendulum swings back and we start to see some seriously heavy hardware out on the streets again.