What’s up vapefam!
SirRisc here with another gear review!
On todays testbench is a new fancy feat from the lovely folks over at Smok, the H-Priv 220W!
The H-Priv was sourced from Smoktech!
Premise.
I’ve said this before and I’ll probably keep repeating it for a while to come, Smok is putting out some serious stuff lately.
And I’m not just saying that because I’ve been able to test out most of their gear, though I do consider myself to be very lucky to do so.
I’m saying that because the recent generations of Smok gear have been on pointe, and they’re not stopping anytime soon.
The love for Smok mods started with the XCube II for me, that was after a bad spill with the Xpro M45 that fell apart after a few days of use.
The XCube II was a fun mod, with its LED lighting, its big and chunky firing button, and its huge poweroutput.
It was one of those mods I hated to put aside, I just wanted to keep using it. And sometimes I still do, though not very often.
When I heard there was a successor coming, I was curious… and and it seems all my expectations were right.
The H-Priv is a more mature mod, smaller in profile yet equally impressive.
So how does it perform?
Let’s dig and find out, shall we!
Specifications.
- Dual 18650 battery powered
- 220W maximum power output
- Temperature control for Ni, Ti and SS316
- Custom TCoR
- Adjustable initial resistance
- Micro TFV4 included (22mm, 2.5 or 3.5ml capacity)
- Firmware upgradeable
- “Hidden” firebutton
- Top mounted OLED display
- Available in black, silver and white
Packaging.
The packaging of the H-Priv is standard Smok packaging.
A black box with a white and grey wrap around it.
On the front is a depiction of the mod in black and red, on the back is the basic info and contents of the box.
The slogan Smok is using for the H-Priv is “Creativity is beyond imagination”, as someone who has been working in sounddesign and music in general I can’t disagree there.
On the side of the wrap you’ll find 2 QR codes for easy access to the official Smok app called “Vaping Tour”.
Vaping Tour is essentially their social platform and newsoutlet rolled into an app, which also serves as the platform to change settings on their Bluetooth enabled mods.
It’s a nice app, though it can get a bit confusing and busy at times. Personally I’ve had no problems running it on a couple of Android devices but I can’t speak for the iOS version.
Taking the wrap off and opening the box reveals the mod sitting in a black foam insert.
The mod sits tightly jammed in there but I would advise on taking it out before you pull the ribbon to lift the foam insert out.
Underneath the foam insert is another foam insert which holds the tank itself, the spare coil, the spare glass which is larger than the one already mounted on the tank (more on that later), a vapeband to fit the color of the mod, a USB cable for the firmware upgrades, and a bag of various spare parts.
Also included is the usual battery safety card, which I still think is one of the best practices for any manufacturers (Innokin have also picked up on this).
A nicely illustrated usermanual with plenty of info on using the mod and filling the tank, and a warranty card.
Not included in the package is the H-Priv t-shirt, that one was a perk for me. 
Performance.
Right, this may be a bit of a long one so grab a vape and sit back.
The H-Priv, as said, is the successor to the XCube II. Those of you who owned or used an XCube II know that it was packed with features and the H-Priv is no different in that regard.
It’s packed with handy features, but it’s also more refined. That’s why it’s the successor after all, right?
Starting with the menu system which is bery similar to most (if not all) Smok mods, you’ll find a few small differences with the XCube II.
For one, the absence of the LED settings because Smok left out the flashy lighting on this one.
While some of you may have liked the LED lighting, a lot of people found it to be too flashy and too much geared towards the candyraver inclined folk among us.
Personally I quite liked the LED lighting on the XCube II when I was on stage. In fact, I’ve converted a couple of smokers because of it. It was a great conversation piece to break the ice.
Other than that though, the menu structure and functionality is very similar. Even the way you enter settings is pretty much the same.
You select by either short presses of the firebutton or by using the plus and minus buttons, confirming a selection is done by pressing the firebutton for a longer time.
The display which is also similar to the XCube II’s display is mounted on top, just next to the 510 connection.
This has both positive and negative consequences. The positive is that you get to read your display while vaping without having to cross your eyes and hold your mod like a contortionist.
The negative is that it does get the brunt of condensation sticking to it. So far, none of my H-Privs have had condensation getting underneath the protective screencover though.
Moving on from that, we get to the functionality. The H-Priv can deliver 220W of power, though we all know this is very much dependent on the state of the batteries and such.
That isn’t to say the poweroutput isn’t accurate, but the full 220W will only be achieved with fully charged and healthy batteries.
With the current shitstorm about the Sigelei 213 only hitting the 155W mark, the H-Priv was actualy named as one of the mods to look at for accurate power output.
The maximum output I’ve been able to get from it was 218.2W on a 0.24ohm coil, and that’s measured at the posts with some minor loss from contacts and such.
This means the H-Priv really does put out what it’s intended to put out, it doesn’t make promises it can’t keep.
With that said, the H-Priv does have a few more tricks up its sleeve in terms of temperature control.
Much like the XCube II it has a couple of menu options specifically to finetune your experience when using Ni, Ti or SS.
This starts when you attach a tank and select the material of the coil, the mod will then ask you whether it’s a single coil or a dual coil.
Then it will proceed to ask you whether you want a soft, normal, hard or maximum rampup time. Essentially what this does is heat up the coils quicker for a second or two, it doesn’t affect the temperature of the coils once it hits the set temperature.
And if that’s still not enough, you can go into a different menu and set the initial resistance. This is especially easy when you have an atomizer that deviates a bit.
Going even further into finetuning you can also set a custom TCoR if you’d like. While the adjustement of the TCoR is still limited, it does allow for the use of other SS alloys like 304 or 317L, or even the use of NiChrome.
Of course the kit also comes with a tank, like most kits do. In this case the TFV4 Micro is included in the kit, and I’ve reviewed this before.
I won’t go into detail again about it, if you want to know more I highly advise checking out my previous reviews.
There are a few small things different about the TFV4 Micro in this kit though, the most obvious one being the driptip.
I didn’t like the standard widebore driptips Smok used to include, they pooled up condensation between the two layers and they muted flavor too much for my liking.
This new one looks like a chuff cap of sorts and does a much, much, much, much better job. It’s comfortable, it’s easy to keep clean, and it doesn’t look half bad actually.
Another difference is the capacity of the tank. It comes standard with the smaller glass installed, which means the capacity is 2.5ml.
But Smok also includes a larger glass section and an adapter to elongate the chimney, which then brings the tank up to 3.5ml capacity.
In a sense you’re getting two tanks in one, it’s working perfectly in both configurations with the Micro coilheads.
Aesthetics.
The H-Priv is a stunning mod in my opinion, no matter which of the three colors you get.
The black does have my preference, but the white and silver ones are just as beautiful.
This is all subjective of course, as tastes do differ, but the black one just looks a bit more distinguished.
Combining that big red triangle with a matted black body just feels like it’s meant to be.
Anyway, enough rambling about the black one. They’re pretty mods regardless of color.
I’ve compared the H-Priv and the XCube II throughout this review, and explained why they’re similar but still different enough to be kept in their own right.
The H-Priv is considerably smaller than the XCube II, and it has lost some serious weight too.
Those were two of the things that made the XCube II a difficult mod to carry around for me, the H-Priv is a lot easier to pocket in that regard.
The decreased size also makes it a fair bit more comfortable to hold and operate, especially because the firebutton is also less clunky.
Whether you put a dripper or a tank on the mod, they’ll all sit flush. Even my Velocity (first version) which has a slightly longer 510 sits flush without having to crank down on it.
The spring inside of the 510 is soft and smooth and has quite a lot of give to it.
The display however does get fogged up on the outside from the condensation, which the XCube II also struggled with.
So far, neither of my H-Privs have had any of the fog get underneath the protective screen, but I would advise to clean of any condensation as soon as you notice it to be sure.
On the bottom of the mod is where the batteries go in. The battery door is a small plate held in place with magnets and a clip.
It’s fully removeable and sometimes a bit hard to get back into place because of the rather hefty springs inside of the mod.
Smok also chose to paint the cover in the same red color as the firing button, which honestly looks quite fancy. It breaks the monotone black body a bit and pulls together the theme.
Pros and Cons.
Pro.
- Looks awesome
- Works great
- Good batterylife
- Firmware upgradeable
- Smaller and lighter than the XCube II
- Lots of functionality for the price
- TFV4 Micro included in the kit (with optional capacity upgrade)
Con.
- Display fogs up with condensation
- Firebutton can rattle slightly sometimes
- Batterycover is small and easily lost
- Firmware upgrade doesn’t always go without issues
In conclusion.
I like the H-Priv, maybe even more than I liked the XCube II. They’re similar mods in a couple of regards, but they do both have a place of their own on the market.
The H-Priv is definitely a more classy looking mod and offers a bit more refined functionality.
It’s cheap for the amount of gear you get, and if you go for the kit it’s vey much a complete setup that will serve you well.
I’ve been carrying the black version around for the most part, but the white and silver are equally pretty mods. It’s up to personal preference really.
The H-Priv would certainly be the mod to look at if you want to upgrade from an XCube II.
Overall I have very little negatives about the kit, it’s serving me very well.
In closing I would like to thank Smoktech for sending out the H-Priv kits!
Thanks for reading, join me next time as I take a look at a US designed product that’s been sitting on my desk for way too long, the Vaptio S150 Ascension!
Need to reach me? Head over to my website.
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Want to know more about DIY? Head over to ELR.
#staycloudy !
SirRisc disappears in a cloud of Tigers Blood scented vapor
DISCLAIMER: This review is based on personal opinions and is not intended as a promotion, endorsement or advertisement.
The publisher is not sponsored, affiliated or compensated in any way.
