# SMOK TFV4 - First Impressions



## Cave Johnson (5/8/15)

Morning Ecigs SA

Got a mini first impressions review of the SMOK TFV4 for you

*Item being reviewed*
SMOK TFV4 Cloud Machine



*Contents of Box*


Also comes with a spare glass
Coils included are the quadcoil 0.15ohm and tri coil 0.2ohm

*Mod*
Evic VT in power mode, full 60W
Smok TFV4 with quad coil

*Juice*
Orion Galaxy 80/20 VG/PG

*First Impressions*
Oh wow look at those clouds!!!
The air flow even on the smallest is quite substantial and on fully open is a lovely wide open effortless draw with fantastic flavour and thick dense clouds. The problem that I had (which I never thought I'd have) was I felt like I needed more power. Purchased the eVic and subox in the past month thinking I am highly unlikely to need more than 50W-60W.

Nonetheless, I thoroughly went through juice testing out the quad as well as tri coil and with chain vaping hit after hit with long draws, I can conclude that both of these coils wick perfectly and there was not even a hint of a muted flavour or dry burning.


*Coils*
Absolutely massive and work 100% as marketed.
Pic for comparison



*Rebuilding*
The deck is a nice size which is a big plus for rebuilding. Juice wells are a bit of distance from the coils so going to take me a few tries to get it to wick perfectly.
Initially tried a nickel build to use with TC and was working well but I feel that defeats the purpose of the tank so out came the nickel and in went a 0.7ohm 8 wrap kanthal build. Thirty watts was enough now with decent wicking and great flavour and clouds. I still have not perfected the coiling and wicking on this device and will be eagerly building until I do find the perfect setup.

*The Drip Tip*
Outer ring approximately 14mm end to end about 7mm inner. Nice that it also has the option to open 4 air holes on the outer ring for more air to cool the vapour. Really makes a difference and depending on my setup, I use both open and closed



*Filling*
Top fill-hands down the easiest from any device I've ever used. I ha a zephyrus prior to this tank which still required unscrewing. This is simple flick the top cap open and the filler cover is rubber allowing expansion if need be to accommodate any dropper or bottle. It will be interesting to see how the hinge and rubber wear over a prolonged period.





*Juice Consumption*
lol


*Overall*
Surpassed my expectations. The office fogged up is now a constant state of affairs.
Best tank I've used. Its 24mm diameter so expected it to look out of place on my mods but actually isn't bad. One needs to bear in mind that your mod needs to be able to fire at low ohms in order to use standard coils. The standard coil resistances are quite low and therefore can't be used on my kbox mini (From subox kit)
Other tanks are going to have a hard time keeping up 








*Pros*
Great flavour
Lovely wide open airflow-its like breathing
Feels like a well built quality item
Looks good
Love the drip tip
Decent tank capacity given the size of the device and those huge coils

*Cons*
Juice consumption
Replacement coils are expected to be on the pricey side
Dual coil deck isn't available yet

EDIT:
*Observations*
With chain vaping in quick succession as well as long hits, the tank does get quite hot when using the standard tri or quad coils. Not just slightly warm, definitely on the hot side. 

*Would I recommend buying it?*

Reactions: Like 6 | Winner 3 | Thanks 1 | Informative 5


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## Gizmo (5/8/15)

Thanks for detailed review. I will definitely be getting one of these bad boys!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Deckie (5/8/15)

Thanks for the review Cave Johnson ... definitely a must buy.

Reactions: Like 1


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## skola (5/8/15)

Great review @Cave Johnson ... When you get a chance, in between changing the weather with those clouds, please post a pick of the RBA deck..

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Cave Johnson (5/8/15)

@skola Here you go!

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


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## skola (5/8/15)

A nickel build would fit nicely in there.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Jan (5/8/15)

I like this


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## method1 (5/8/15)

Thanks for the review. Quite interested in one but don't think my istick will keep up!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Willyza (5/8/15)

Thanks for the Smokin... review.
mine is on its way

Reactions: Like 1


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## Cave Johnson (11/8/15)

UPDATE:
So after a few tries with the deck, finally seem to have built it well and thoroughly enjoying the tank.
I wouldn't say 100% perfect yet, but almost there. 
There's definitely a learning curve with the wicking on this deck. Not as easy as the subtank or zephyrus.


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## jtgrey (11/8/15)

Cave Johnson said:


> UPDATE:
> So after a few tries with the deck, finally seem to have built it well and thoroughly enjoying the tank.
> I wouldn't say 100% perfect yet, but almost there.
> There's definitely a learning curve with the wicking on this deck. Not as easy as the subtank or zephyrus.


Picture pls !


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## Average vapor Joe (11/8/15)

Cave Johnson said:


> UPDATE:
> So after a few tries with the deck, finally seem to have built it well and thoroughly enjoying the tank.
> I wouldn't say 100% perfect yet, but almost there.
> There's definitely a learning curve with the wicking on this deck. Not as easy as the subtank or zephyrus.


Where did you get it?


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## SamuraiTheVapor (11/8/15)

@Cave Johnson this is a very cool review, you pretty much covered the whole atty.

If I may ask, where did you get one of these?

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## JK! (11/8/15)

So the best thing about this is the tri and quad coils, yet no pic of either of them?


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## Cave Johnson (11/8/15)

@SamuraiTheVapor @Average vapor Joe Got it from @Lim from Dragon Vape.


@JK! google is your friend bro. Looks exactly the same as the SMOK website. I have posted pics of them, just not from above. You can't really see the quad individually but here's the tri just for you.





@jtgrey When I rewick it

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 1


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## SamuraiTheVapor (11/8/15)

Thank you


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## Average vapor Joe (11/8/15)

Damn that looks tasty


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## skola (11/8/15)

JK! said:


> So the best thing about this is the tri and quad coils, yet no pic of either of them?







Google image search.. Quad on the Left, Tri on the right....

Reactions: Winner 1


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## Silver (11/8/15)

Great review @Cave Johnson 
Commercial cloud blowing machine!

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## JK! (11/8/15)

skola said:


> View attachment 33363
> 
> Google image search.. Quad on the Left, Tri on the right....



I know what they look like, saw it a few weeks ago already, but if you doing a review focus on the main feature of the product and post the pics.

Anyway, maybe he was just too excited, which can happen.


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## skola (11/8/15)

JK! said:


> I know what they look like, saw it a few weeks ago already, but if you doing a review focus on the main feature of the product and post the pics.
> 
> Anyway, maybe he was just too excited, which can happen.



I'm not sure if you missed the first post, or just didn't bother reading it all together, but the pics were posted already.


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## JK! (11/8/15)

skola said:


> I'm not sure if you missed the first post, or just didn't bother reading it all together, but the pics were posted already.



Where?


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## skola (11/8/15)

Under the sub heading, *Coils*, in the original post, which contained a review of the Smok TFV4. May not be a pic from the top of the coil, but it is a pic of the coils nonetheless.


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## JK! (11/8/15)

skola said:


> Under the sub heading, *Coils*, in the original post, which contained a review of the Smok TFV4. May not be a pic from the top of the coil, but it is a pic of the coils nonetheless.



Ahh, sorry my Xray vision was switched off, I missed it.
Lets not bicker about it and destroy this thread any further, it is a decent review, perhaps I should have been more diplomatic with what I would call constructive criticism.
Ill know for next time!


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## Cave Johnson (11/8/15)

JK! said:


> I know what they look like, saw it a few weeks ago already, but if you doing a review focus on the main feature of the product and post the pics.
> 
> Anyway, maybe he was just too excited, which can happen.



Bro, I typed a review to inform the community.
I did it quite in-depth even though the second line states clearly "mini first impressions review" .Emphasis on "mini" so maybe you got a little too excited and missed that part. 

When other members asked for something, (@skola wanted a pic of the deck) it was done in a tactful manner and I gladly obliged. 

I may have not showed the coils that you hold so dearly but I stated how they perform and even showed how they perform so I think I covered that, thank you.

Anyway, not gonna carry on bickering with you. Peace.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Silver (11/8/15)

@Cave Johnson , you did a great review and put in a lot of effort
I look forward to the next one!

Reactions: Agree 1 | Thanks 1


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## SamuraiTheVapor (11/8/15)

Hi guys, just to let you know. - Skyblue have these and are available right now! 

Click me!

And yes, its the full kit!

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1 | Thanks 1


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## Noddy (11/8/15)

SamuraiTheVapor said:


> Hi guys, just to let you know. - Skyblue have these and are available right now!
> 
> Click me!
> 
> And yes, its the full kit!



But no replacement coils....?


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## wazarmoto (11/8/15)

Noddy said:


> But no replacement coils....?


They'll probably be available soon. How quick will you need to replace em anyways?


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## Cave Johnson (12/8/15)

@jtgrey See the video for his way of wicking. Personally, my method is completely different but this does appear to work as well. Will give this method a go next time. 



@wazarmoto definitely depends on how much you vape. I don't have it long enough to give my experience but I speculate that they should last around 3 weeks.

Reactions: Like 2 | Thanks 1


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## Cave Johnson (12/8/15)

So I've tried this wicking method, but cut the wick about 1.2-1.4mm longer (than in the video) on each side. Vaping at 30W at working brilliantly. Wicking well and no dry hits.

Reactions: Like 3 | Winner 1


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## Imthiaz Khan (12/8/15)

Excellent review @Cave Johnson!
Thanks!

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## wazarmoto (12/8/15)

All in all, excellent review, made my choice. This will be my second tank.

Reactions: Winner 1


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## Phillipvh (2/9/15)

Cave what alternative coil will work with this as i purchased my tfv4 tday but no coil stock. Secondly what lifespan you reckon the triple coil that came with it will have?

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk


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## Cave Johnson (3/9/15)

Phillipvh said:


> Cave what alternative coil will work with this as i purchased my tfv4 tday but no coil stock. Secondly what lifespan you reckon the triple coil that came with it will have?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk



Did you get an RBA Deck with it? If you get the build right it does a pretty kick ass job. 
I only used the stock coils on and off for about ten days so no clear indication of how long they might last. Will depend largely on your juice, quantity of vaping and power that you're using. The stocks I have look perfect still so seems like they might last a couple weeks. 
@Frostbite will be able to hook you up with some coils.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Phillipvh (3/9/15)

Thx

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk


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## Cave Johnson (3/9/15)

UPDATE TIME: Got me the TF-R2 last week-the dual rebuildable deck, oh how I searched for this thing. Good thing, one of the forum vendors got stock and came through.

Overall thoughts on the deck
It's a good deck. The size is it's biggest plus. You can fit in 3mm ID 24g,26g, 10 wrap coils easily. 
It would have been nicer if they added post holes and not just two screws. This means you need to line up both coils perfectly and get your lead lengths right before you tighten which can be a headache. I've built with the leads on the same side of the screw as well as either side of each screw and both methods seem to work well. Having the leads on either side of the screw does however make things a little easier.

Here are some pics of a setup that I built yesterday. It's by no means text book but I found coiling and wicking like this works for me. 
0.35ohms at 50W on the eVic VT and no dry hits, holds up pretty well.









Nice dense flavorful clouds and the vape was not warm. No need to open the additional drip tip airflow. 

Overall rating for the deck: 8.7/10
Gains points for size, airflow, wicking wells, flavour, wicking speed.
Looses points for lack of post holes.

Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 5


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## BumbleBee (3/9/15)

Cave Johnson said:


> UPDATE TIME: Got me the TF-R2 last week-the dual rebuildable deck, oh how I searched for this thing. Good thing, one of the forum vendors got stock and came through.
> 
> Overall thoughts on the deck
> It's a good deck. The size is it's biggest plus. You can fit in 3mm ID 24g,26g, 10 wrap coils easily.
> ...


The TF-R2 looks like a great deck to build some claptons on and I think with regular old 2.5mm coils the airflow should be very flowy. I think I'm going to have to get me a setup like this, I like airy dual coil RBA tanks


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## Cave Johnson (3/9/15)

BumbleBee said:


> The TF-R2 looks like a great deck to build some claptons on and I think with regular old 2.5mm coils the airflow should be very flowy. I think I'm going to have to get me a setup like this, I like airy dual coil RBA tanks



Agreed, will build some claptons on it when I have the patience 

You're right on them smaller coils, here's a 2mm I did last week.






Oh wow look at that shiney medal

Thanks man!!!

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## BumbleBee (3/9/15)

Cave Johnson said:


> Agreed, will build some claptons on it when I have the patience
> 
> You're right on them smaller coils, here's a 2mm I did last week.
> 
> ...


So much space 

and, you're welcome

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


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## Silver (3/9/15)

Awesome build on the dual coil deck @Cave Johnson 
Looks very textbook to me!

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Dr Phil (3/9/15)

Morning guys can some one please share there wicking methods with the single coil base on.


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## Cave Johnson (3/9/15)

dr phil said:


> Morning guys can some one please share there wicking methods with the single coil base on.



Have a look at the video above. What I did was cut the wick 1.2-1.4mm longer than what he did and worked perfectly.
Your cotton will however be a little wider than standard practice.


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## Riaz (3/9/15)

Great coiling @Cave Johnson

Reactions: Agree 1 | Thanks 1


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## MunG (3/9/15)

Ahh Damn, Riaz you beat me to it.

Great review, but i must add.

You need more power to take full advantage.

What I can say so far is just, amazing !

This is a monster tank, with monster cloud and super flavour that loves your 
Juice!



I have been on the rba only, and frankly it kicks all other rebuildables ass.
And this is not even yet the dual. 

Id say, it is worth it, it caters for everyone, especially the upcomming coils.
6x coil, and also the higher normal ohm coils.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Cave Johnson (4/9/15)

@MunG Yipp I agree. Definitely need more power for the standard coils.

For me thus far, I'm happy with 50W on the dual coil set up. It's my all day tank so I can't allow it to be even heavier on juice :rolf:

Definitely looking forward to that 6 coil coming. Will give the dual nickel a chance as well.


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## Varo (4/9/15)

Thanks Cave Johnson for the awesum detailed review, Now i know how to properly wick my TF-R2

Reactions: Like 2


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## Varo (14/9/15)

@Cave Johnson - Did your TF-R2 come with two spare coils? Mine came with two installed and two spares. the Spares were made from thicker wire and bigger diameter but apparently they are all the same resistance. I installed them yesterday , the Xcube was reading it as 0.3Ohms, but the taste wasn't coming through properly. Just wanted to know if you have tried using these spares and how did it work for you?


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## Cave Johnson (14/9/15)

Varo said:


> @Cave Johnson - Did your TF-R2 come with two spare coils? Mine came with two installed and two spares. the Spares were made from thicker wire and bigger diameter but apparently they are all the same resistance. I installed them yesterday , the Xcube was reading it as 0.3Ohms, but the taste wasn't coming through properly. Just wanted to know if you have tried using these spares and how did it work for you?




Yipp i received two spare coils, 3mm ID. They look like they were meant to fit in the single coil deck but cut the leads and made it fit on the dual deck. If memory serves correct, I was reading around 0.35ohms. Took me two tries to get the wicking correct but worked flawlessly once I got the wicking right. 

I recommend a spaced 26g 5-6 wrapped 3mm ID coil. Works like a charm. Using this set up for two weeks now at 50W, no dry hits, wicking perfectly.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Varo (14/9/15)

Cave Johnson said:


> Yipp i received two spare coils, 3mm ID. They look like they were meant to fit in the single coil deck but cut the leads and made it fit on the dual deck. If memory serves correct, I was reading around 0.35ohms. Took me two tries to get the wicking correct but worked flawlessly once I got the wicking right.
> 
> I recommend a spaced 26g 5-6 wrapped 3mm ID coil. Works like a charm. Using this set up for two weeks now at 50W, no dry hits, wicking perfectly.


Thanks Bud. I also thought they were for the single deck at first, I did cut them and made them fit but i think i have to look at re-wicking it. then i screwed it into the base without the top cap, it was reading 0.7ohms and when i hit the fire bar, after 3seconds, it caught on fire lol . thats when i removed it and fitted the quad coil and decided to seek better advice


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## Imthiaz Khan (14/9/15)

@Cave Johnson, how do you vape at 50W?
I'm using the standard rebuild-able deck with the standard coil and I can only go to maximum 20W before I get a burning taste.


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## Cave Johnson (14/9/15)

Varo said:


> Thanks Bud. I also thought they were for the single deck at first, I did cut them and made them fit but i think i have to look at re-wicking it. then i screwed it into the base without the top cap, it was reading 0.7ohms and when i hit the fire bar, after 3seconds, it caught on fire lol . thats when i removed it and fitted the quad coil and decided to seek better advice



Was your wick dry when doing so? lol.

With a bit of practise you'll be making huge clouds thoroughly enjoying yourself


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## Cave Johnson (14/9/15)

Imthiaz Khan said:


> @Cave Johnson, how do you vape at 50W?
> I'm using the standard rebuild-able deck with the standard coil and I can only go to maximum 20W before I get a burning taste.



I'm guessing it's the wicking. Initially with the single deck I was around twenty then when I wicked as per how I stated earlier, easily managed 30-35 on the single deck. 

With this build (as the above pics but spaced and 26g) I manage at 60W with no dry hits but I prefer the 45-50W range. Using 70VG juices upwards as well. Also to note, if my wicks are +-1.3mm longer than what I currently have it, the wicking isn't as good and then I get partial dry hits.

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## Cave Johnson (21/9/15)

Some Clapton love for the TFV4.

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 1


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## Varo (21/9/15)

That looks Awesum Buddy. one day when i am big i will try a Clapton Build  

Whats the details of your coils? I have the R2 RBA and will look at doing something similar in the future when i can get my Coil building skills to not suck! lol

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Imthiaz Khan (21/9/15)

Awesome coiling @Cave Johnson 
How does she vape with the claptons?
Major difference? Better flavor?

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## Cave Johnson (22/9/15)

@Varo it's 26/32, 2.5mm diameter. Just get some UD clapton, works great 

@Imthiaz Khan vapes lovely with the claptons, without question my preferred set up. Flavour is definitely better but you need high wattage. Im at device max of 60W and its quite warm so you need to keep them drip tip vents open.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1 | Thanks 1


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## Imthiaz Khan (22/9/15)

Thanks for the feedback @Cave Johnson 
Glad you enjoying this setup

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## Greyz (16/1/16)

@Cave Johnson did you purchase the dual RBA locally? I really wanna give this the dual deck a go. The single deck works so well that (at this stage) I prefer it over the Quad coil.


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## Dubz (16/1/16)

Greyz said:


> @Cave Johnson did you purchase the dual RBA locally? I really wanna give this the dual deck a go. The single deck works so well that (at this stage) I prefer it over the Quad coil.


http://www.atomixvapes.co.za/collections/rba-rda/products/tfv4-tfr2
http://www.atomixvapes.co.za/products/smok-tf-rca-rba-kit
http://vapeclub.co.za/collections/c...des-the-heat/products/smok-tfv4-dual-coil-rba

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Greyz (16/1/16)

Dubz said:


> http://www.atomixvapes.co.za/collections/rba-rda/products/tfv4-tfr2
> http://www.atomixvapes.co.za/products/smok-tf-rca-rba-kit
> http://vapeclub.co.za/collections/c...des-the-heat/products/smok-tfv4-dual-coil-rba



Thanks @Dubz, The atomixvapes links don't seem to work or is it just me? I just get an openig soon page...


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## Dubz (16/1/16)

Greyz said:


> Thanks @Dubz, The atomixvapes links don't seem to work or is it just me? I just get an openig soon page...


It seems they might be doing site maintenance.


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## Greyz (16/1/16)

Dubz said:


> It seems they might be doing site maintenance.


Ahh ha. I try their site again later on. 
I'm going to go ahead and get one from Vapeclub for now.

Reactions: Like 1


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