Smok followed its 2017 Mag mod with the Mag P3, and this review covers what changed. The first Mag (our earlier write-up is here) drew criticism from people opposed to firearms because of its pistol-grip body, firing-pin styling, magazine-style battery release and its name. The P3 is a sleeker, smoother take on the idea. One difference to know before you shop: the older device could be bought as a bare mod or as a kit, while the P3 is sold as a starter kit only, paired with the TFV16 tank. I’ll go through the mod first, then the tank, then the things that bothered me.
Build and durability
The headline feature is toughness. Smok designed the kit to be dustproof, shockproof and waterproof, rated for up to 30 minutes under 3 feet (1 meter) of water, and that protection runs from the base of the mod up to the glass guard on the tank. Paint on the tank and the drip tip can still chip, but for someone who has a mod in hand all day and drops it now and then, this is a hard kit to hurt.
I only understood how once I picked it up. Apart from the touchscreen and the hinged battery door, the whole body is wrapped in a soft, smooth rubber, so you are never gripping bare metal that runs hot or cold, and there is no paint under your fingers to scratch. The front and rear grips carry a carbon fiber pattern in that same coating, and the built-in microUSB port sits under a rubber cover too. On the back is a carbon fiber inlay stamped with the model name. Color choices are Grey Black, Red Black, Green Black, Black Red and Blue Black.
It is a big device. Anyone coming from the small pod mods of the last year or so will need time to adjust. Even so, it sits comfortably in the palm, just as the first Mag did.
Screen and controls
The 1.9” touchscreen is the biggest upgrade. It is high resolution, quick to respond, and the menus are laid out far better than on the earlier Mag. That comes from the newer IQ-S chipset, which gives it a more modern interface close to the one on the Morph219, though without the Morph219’s selectable backgrounds such as honeycomb or carbon fiber. A four-digit passcode can lock the mod so nobody uses it behind your back.
The catch is handedness. The first Mag was offered in right-hand and left-hand versions; the P3 comes right-handed only, and the screen faces you properly only in the right hand. I used it in both. Firing the trigger with a thumb works, and unless you keep checking wattage, battery level or the puff counter, it is a minor annoyance.
Modes and performance
The feature list is long: temperature control, TCR, smart atomizer recognition, memory slots, balanced battery charging, bypass and more. We have a separate guide to using temperature control; for this review I stayed in ordinary wattage mode and it performed very well. It fires almost instantly. Preheat is well judged, never too hot on HARD and still pleasant on SOFT. There is also a setting called “My Mode” that stores your preferred setup, handy when someone else borrows the mod and changes everything.
How much Mag is left
I was sorry to find the metal side button gone. On the original it dropped the battery compartment the way a Glock magazine release works, and it was one of my favorite details. The P3 uses a hinged door instead, opened by pressing firmly on the spot marked “push” on the side. Where the first Mag was meant to look and feel like a gun magazine, this one only echoes the feel of a grip. Nothing else about it, least of all the overhanging handle, resembles a firearm, and I’m not convinced it needed the Mag name at all.
The TFV16 tank
For a long while the TFV12 was the biggest tank around, and I named it a favorite in an earlier review. The TFV16 that ships with this kit was, when I tested it, among the largest and most powerful tanks available. It has a swivel top opened by a push button, a bulged glass section for the e-juice, and swiveling air slots you can adjust for as tight or as loose a draw as you want. Two coils come in the box so you can compare them.
- Capacity: 9mL, which you would not guess from looking at it, since Smok builds its bubble tanks outward instead of upward to keep them from looking awkward
- Width: 28mm, so another mod has to accommodate that
- Power: a mod needs to reach at least 90W to run it
Several coils are available. I like higher wattage, so I went with the 0.12 ohm coil and ran it comfortably at 120W. That single coil lasted me more than a month and kept its flavor through frequent e-liquid changes. I can’t promise every coil will do the same, but lifespan, flavor and vapor output all impressed me.
Filling is simple. The O-ring sits on top of the tank and the fill port is wide enough for a needle-nose bottle tip.
What to watch for
- The top button: it can get pressed in a pocket, which opens the tank, floods the coil and lets juice leak. Not every tank does this, but mine did from time to time when I was careless.
- Battery life: I am a very heavy user, emptying several tanks a day, and got roughly 2-3 hours before the batteries needed a recharge. Keep a charged spare set nearby if you vape like that. I do wonder why Smok did not make room for larger cells. The I-Priv takes 21700 batteries, or 18650 batteries with its included converter, but that mod was very big and heavy, so perhaps Smok felt this one was bulky enough and stayed with the common size.
- Matching colors: mod and tank come in the same finish because they are sold together. Black or white kits mix easily with other gear. The bright green and dark red ones are harder to pair with anything else.
- The rubber sleeve: the tank includes a protective rubber mask that cushions a drop. Even with diagonal cut-outs all the way around, it makes the e-liquid level very hard to read, so you choose between protection with it on and visibility with it off.
Verdict
I came away very happy with the Mag P3. A few things from the old Mag are missed, yet the new touchscreen, the design, the colors and the ease of use made the switch worthwhile. Heavy users should plan on spare batteries, and everyone should expect a hefty mod with plenty of power. If you have used this kit or are thinking about moving up to it, leave a comment below, and contact us by email or phone with any questions.