SMOK Nord Review: Powerful Performance From a Pod Vape

Product intro and specs

The SMOK Nord is a versatile pod vape from SMOK. It has a lot in common with the Novo, while introducing some of its own unique advantages. The Nord utilizes 3 mL pods and different types of replaceable coil heads, suitable for both direct lung and mouth to lung vaping. It has an 1100 mAh battery capacity and an output of up to 15 watts. The Nord is currently offered in 13 different colors, featuring a cobra pattern or resin-style design.

Price: $49.99 / coils: $9.99 per 5 pack (at Element Vape)

Colors: Black, prism rainbow, prism gold, bottle gold, red, white black

Resin edition: black/white, red/yellow, blue/black, green red, yellow/purple, blue/brown, 7-color rainbow resin streak

Build quality and design

Before I purchased the SMOK Nord, I had already been using the Novo for a couple of weeks. Both vapes have the same cobra-style panels and rounded rectangular shape. The Nord has a similar durable plastic outer shell, but with a slightly chunkier body. It fits very comfortably in my hand, and slips easily into my pocket. The Nord weighs about 80 grams, double the weight of the Novo, and its dimensions are 94 x 30 x 18.8 mm.

Sure, it's heftier than most pod vapes, but at just 8 mm taller, 6 mm wider and 4 mm thicker, it has over double the battery capacity of its little brother. The overall construction feels solid, and it seems promising in regards to durability. The USB charging port is located at the very bottom of the device.

The SMOK Nord is button-activated. Remember to turn it off when it’s not in use, or it will go off in your pocket! This has happened to everyone I spoke to about it at least once. I fell asleep with it in my pocket and woke up to a burnt coil.

SMOK Nord pods

The Nord pods hold 3 mL of e-juice and feature a hard plastic shell. There are currently four types of coils available for the Nord. The 0.6-ohm direct lung mesh coils and 1.4-ohm standard mouth to lung coils come with the kit, while the 0.8-ohm mesh MTL coils and 1.0-ohm ceramic MTL coils are sold separately.

Unlike the Novo, the Nord coils can be removed and replaced, so each pod could potentially last a while. They utilize a rubber plug that is easy to pull out and stays on so you can't misplace it.

The pods are super easy to fill, just be sure to do it on a slight angle in order to fill it up to max capacity. You can actually get the rubber plug to stay in place by folding it over and hooking it under the black part of the mouthpiece. The fill port is large enough to accommodate most normal dropper bottles.

The pods don't exactly click into place, but they do have a very snug fit. The mouthpiece is a bit wider and chunkier than your average vape, but it actually feels comfortable on the lips.

The included 0.6-ohm coil wicked perfectly using 70% VG e-liquid and the 1.4-ohm MTL coil performed better with a 50/50 blend due to the smaller size of its wick holes. It could handle 70/30 VG well, but the DL coils are more suitable for this. From my experience, I can usually can get through about at least 10-15 mL per coil head when using the SMOK Nord.

Performance

The mesh coil provides a relatively loose, restrictive lung hit. The MTL pod seems to be a little tighter, but it still much looser than a regular cigarette or a JUUL for example. I didn't experience much of a throat hit at all, even with 50 mg nic salt, probably due to the given airflow configuration. Still, I personally wouldn't go past 35 milligrams on the Nord, even with the 1.0-ohm coils.

I heard from other reviewers that the ceramic coils don't seem to perform as well as the regular 1.4-ohm MTL coils, but I haven't tried them out to verify. The device shines using the mesh coils, but works well with nic salt using the MTL ones.

The vapor production is still impressive with the MTL coils, you'll definitely get more of a cloud than your standard pod vape. The 0.6 mesh coils put out an even more decent cloud, but not comparable to that of a sub ohm tank. The flavor I get from both of the coils is on point, up until the fourth or fifth refill. It gives you a fairly cool vape due to the abundant airflow and the overall flavor is fantastic.

The only dry hit I experienced was when I got a little carried away and forgot to monitor my liquid levels. The liquid detection window is fairly small and not very easy to see how much e-juice is left without physically removing the pod. In my experience so far, I haven't had leaking issues, just a bit of condensation on the bottom of the pod, which is very normal. Overall, the coils were consistent and performed really well.

Battery life and LED

Turn the Nord on and off by clicking the fire button five times. Once it's on, the Nord will indicate your battery life using three colored LED lights if you click the fire button two times. Don't forget to use the off switch when you are done vaping on the device.

The SMOK Nord has a large 1100 mAh battery capacity. I was able to get through most of a full day on a single charge using both coils. If you're chain vaping all day long, you might find yourself out of luck by the evening — especially if you are using the mesh coils. It has pass through charging abilities, but you'll need a longer cable than the one included.

Pros / Cons

Verdict

I am really digging my SMOK Nord. It delivers exactly what I would have hoped from it. Sure, you're not going to get identical performance to their sub ohm tanks, but it's on the money, especially considering it's only a compact pod system.

The loose draw isn't going to satisfy strict MTL vapers, but using 35 mg nicotine salt, it will quench your nicotine cravings quickly. If you enjoy a nice restrictive lung hit, then you are going to enjoy these 0.6-ohm mesh coils with your favorite freebase nicotine e-liquids, or even lower strength salts.

If you're new to vaping, this is a fantastic all-in-one solution. If you're more of a seasoned vaper that just wants a compact device that performs at a similar level to a full-sized vape, the Nord is still for you. I was never a SMOK fanboy, however I still use some of their products to this day — and this is certainly one I will keep on using. I highly recommended the SMOK Nord is to anyone looking for an inexpensive pod vape with solid flavor and vapor production. What do you think of the Nord? Leave a comment below.