Smok TFV12 Prince tank today, coils and what it is still worth
The TFV12 Prince is one of those tanks that still turns up in drawers, on second-hand mods and on the coil shelves of vape shops. Its reputation as a cloud machine has outlived several generations of kit. The question is what it is worth next to today’s tanks, and above all which coil to fit, since Smok built a whole family of them.
The TFV12 Prince today, the short answer
The TFV12 Prince is still a sound sub-ohm tank for anyone vaping direct-lung at high wattage. Its strength is a very wide coil family, from 30 W for the most restrained head to 120 W for the hungriest, according to the ranges its maker publishes.
Its limits belong to its generation. Air enters through the base, the original coils need a lot of power, and so a lot of battery and e-liquid, and the UK version makes do with 2 ml. More recent tanks have reworked the first two points.
What the official TFV12 Prince spec sheet says
Figures quoted on shop pages sometimes contradict each other, on the diameter in particular. These are the ones Smok publishes on its official product page, alongside the 2 ml version that UK rules require.
| Spec | Published figure | What to take from it |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 8 ml with the Bulb Pyrex Glass Tube #2 | 2 ml for the version that complies with UK tank rules |
| Size | 28 mm diameter, 63 mm tall | A diameter to check against the top of your mod |
| Weight | 60 g | To add to the mod and its batteries |
| Material | Stainless steel and glass | A spare glass comes in the standard edition box |
| Connection | 510 | The standard thread on mods sold today |
| Filling | Top fill, rotating cap | A patented button locks the cap |
| Airflow | In the base | Below the coil, so exposed if the coil floods |
| Coils in the kit | Q4 0.4 ohm pre-installed, X6 0.15 ohm, T10 0.12 ohm | Three vaping styles in one box |
TFV12 Prince coils, a guide by vaping style
Smok made eight coil heads for the TFV12 Prince, including a rebuildable base. Their wattage ranges, as the maker publishes them, map out three distinct ways of vaping.
| Coil | Resistance | Range | Best range | What Smok highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V12 Prince-M4 | 0.17 ohm, quadruple | 30 to 70 W | 40 to 60 W | Silky, rich clouds |
| V12 Prince Mesh | 0.15 ohm | 40 to 80 W | 60 to 70 W | Strong power and big vapour |
| V12 Prince X2 Clapton | 0.4 ohm, dual | 40 to 80 W | 60 to 70 W | Durability and vapour production |
| V12 Prince-Q4 | 0.4 ohm, quadruple | 40 to 100 W | 60 to 80 W | Deep, rich vapour |
| V12 Prince Strip | 0.15 ohm | 40 to 100 W | 80 to 90 W | Larger heating area, purer flavour |
| V12 Prince-X6 | 0.15 ohm, sextuple | 50 to 120 W | 80 to 100 W | Silky taste, massive vapour |
| V12 Prince-T10 | 0.12 ohm, decuple | 60 to 120 W | 80 to 110 W | Massive vapour, rich flavours |
| V12 Prince-RBA | 0.25 ohm, dual | Not stated | Not stated | Smooth airflow |
Measured direct-lung vaping, under 70 W
The M4, the Mesh and the X2 Clapton sit at the low end of the family. These are the heads to pick on a single-battery mod, or to keep e-liquid use reasonable. The M4 is the most restrained, with a best range of 40 to 60 W.
Generous direct-lung vaping, 60 to 90 W
The Q4, fitted from the factory, remains the all-round starting point. The Strip, described as a porous kanthal heating membrane, steps up with a best range of 80 to 90 W.
Powerful direct-lung vaping, above 80 W
The X6 and the T10 carry the tank’s reputation. They need a dual-battery mod and get through a lot of e-liquid, which keeps them for vapers who deliberately run high power.
Building your own
The optional RBA base takes a dual-coil build of your own. It is aimed at vapers who know how to check the resistance of a build before firing it.
What those wattages ask of your batteries
The ranges in the table can also be read in amps. On a regulated mod, the current drawn from each battery depends on the wattage set, not on the coil, and is estimated for the most demanding case, a nearly flat cell.
The formula is the one used by our battery headroom checker, P ÷ (3.2 V × 0.9). A T10 pushed to 110 W draws 38.2 A from a single battery, against 19.1 A per cell on a dual-battery mod. A Mesh at 70 W asks 24.3 A of a single cell.
Those figures are compared with the continuous discharge rating published by each cell’s maker. The hungriest heads of the TFV12 Prince therefore belong on a dual-battery high wattage vape rather than a compact mod.
How sub-ohm tanks have moved on since the TFV12 Prince
The tank has several years of service behind it. Geekvape’s Z Sub-Ohm 2021, supplied with the T200 mod, serves as a point of comparison here, because its official product page lets you measure the gap in figures.
Air comes in from the top
The airflow of the TFV12 Prince sits in the base, below the coil. The Z Sub-Ohm 2021 takes air in at the top and leads it down to the coil, a layout Geekvape presents as leakproof.
Less power-hungry coils
The X6 and T10 heads go up to 120 W. The Z coils are rated at 70 to 85 W for the 0.15 ohm and 50 to 60 W for the 0.4 ohm, a power level closer to the Mesh than to the T10.
Coil life stated in millilitres
Geekvape rates its Z coils for up to 60 ml of e-liquid, which is thirty fills of a 2 ml tank. Smok simply states a longer life span for its Mesh head, without a figure.
Capacity, fixed by regulation
In the UK nothing has moved. UK rules cap e-cigarette tanks at 2 ml, and the Z Sub-Ohm 2021 also comes in two versions, 5.5 ml and 2 ml.
Who the TFV12 Prince still suits
The TFV12 Prince keeps real appeal for three kinds of vaper, provided they accept its appetite for power.
- Anyone who already owns the tank and wants the right head for their style, as the V12 Prince family is still broad.
- Fans of warm, dense vapour, ready to run above 80 W on a dual-battery mod.
- Anyone after a single tank that moves from measured to powerful vaping just by changing the coil.
It suits vapers less who vape on the move with a single-battery mod, or who want to keep their e-liquid use down. A more recent tank with top airflow serves those uses better.
FAQ
A few practical questions about using the tank, alongside the guide above.
How do you fill the TFV12 Prince?
From the top. Press the button on the cap to release the lock, turn the cap to open the fill port, fill without going right to the brim, then close it.
How do you identify a V12 Prince coil?
Its name is engraved on the body under the words V12 Prince, with its model, such as Q4, X6, T10 or M4. Once screwed in, the mod shows the measured resistance.
Which e-liquid should go in the TFV12 Prince?
One made for direct-lung vaping, usually high in vegetable glycerine, suited to the wide ports of its coils. A very thin e-liquid raises the risk of flooding on the most open heads.
Does the TFV12 Prince leak?
Its locking cap and top fill are designed to limit leaks. When it does leak, check the wattage first, which may be too low for the coil, then the seals and the temperature of the tank.
Are there variants of the TFV12 Prince?
Smok released several, including the TFV12 Prince Cobra and the TFV12 Baby Prince. Check coil compatibility on each variant’s product page before buying spare heads.
The TFV12 Prince, a tank chosen for its coils
The TFV12 Prince is still worth what its coils are worth. Well matched, from the restrained M4 to the hungry T10, it covers the whole of direct-lung vaping, as long as you give it the batteries and e-liquid it asks for.
The TFV12 Prince shows its generation in its base airflow and its high wattages, two points that more recent sub-ohm tanks have reworked. The reasoning stays the same from one tank to the next, the coil first, the mod and batteries after.
More clouds
- RDA vape guide, dripping day to day without leaks
- PG VG ratio for direct-lung vaping, thickness, wicking and coils
- Geekvape T200 (Aegis Touch), the touchscreen in daily use
La Voluterie writes for adults only. Most vaping products contain nicotine, an addictive substance, and nicotine vaping products may not be sold to anyone under 18 in the UK. This is editorial content, not advice to buy anything.
