Whilst the rest of the world has been busily losing it's damn mind on a daily basis, your 'ol buddy EG has been hard at work deep in the PRC Ministry of Research Labs to bring you the unbiased skinny on several devices and PRC's coveted GREEN CRACK vape oil.
No, Tyrone, not THAT crack!
First device we'll look at, and I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's feedback 'cos I know you got 'em: the Mythology Hydra:
PRC made a great choice in stocking this unit, and at a price way below what online vape shops offer. It's got a pretty sheckshy look to it IMO, in shiny gold and black trim that coordinates well with most cart tips. (That's right. I care that my devices accessorize properly. You got a problem with that?) Got a nice heavy, solid feel in the hand. 4 voltages, although I usually prefer the lowest (red) setting. Pretty durable, I've dropped mine lots and it keeps going. Mine has survived several (most unfortunate) cart dumps without failure. With the world's smallest torx bit, you can even open up the bottom and clean the goop out if need be. For standard vape cart usage, this is absolutely my #1 go-to device, hands down. Got a pile of other batteries to choose from, and this unit has held the coveted 'favorite device' position for several months now.
Present research involves viability studies for ceramic cart applications, which seem to hold much promise for this particular material. Cotton wicks can burn out and/or flood, and anybody who's had a nasty dry hit knows how foul that taste is. Initial observations include visibly solid construction, smooth hits, and no clogs or leaks reported by trial subjects. This study is incomplete, but prototype results are very encouraging. Some good related reading for the next time you're on the shitter:
https://ecigone.com/e-cigarette-basics/ceramic-vape-wicks-pros-cons/Having used Boulder's most excellent Aspen Air with FHI's juices and being very happy with that unit's bulletproof design/performance, I decided to see what they might have on offer more suitable to modern materials. Sure enough, they took the basic design of their very popular Boulder Rock pod device and tried to tune it specifically for concentrates (or so they claim - it's green, at least?). The result: the Boulder Viridian:
https://bouldervape.com/alt-vapes/the-boulder-viridian/#
Pretty straightforward 'USB Stick'/pen design. No charger required, the end literally pops off a cap just like a flash drive and plugs directly into any USB interface...which are literally everywhere nowadays. You could damn near drop it and have it land in a socket by random chance, I'm just sayin'. Rectangular mouthpiece takes a little getting used to, but is serviceable and comfortable enough. Filling the pods is a little bit of a bitch - there's only one port on one side of the pod, and it requires either a unicorn bottle, syringe, or similarly diminutive delivery device to fill. Very lightweight but rugged, this would be a great piece to fill and take out on a day trip adventure.
Major weakness: I'm assuming the wick is cotton; in dry state, you can plainly see that the wick does not fill out the diameter of the hole between the coil and the reservoir. end result being your precious juice dribbling right out and into the pod socket. Nothing like waking up to sticky mess, eh?
A little experimentation finds that the wick responds much better if primed with some standard PG/VG du jour and the pure vape oil mixed in on top.
Overall, this is also a great device for the oils, with the caveat that you must use a straight primer and cut with a little standard vape juice as noted. This also adds in a chance to drop a little flavor in as well...personally, I have always leaned hard toward blueberry-flavored juices.
Last in today's hardware roundup is the Smoant Pasito, a "pod/mod" highly recommended by the Evil Wife. A very visually attractive device, I went for the blue one (of course).
*Ahem*..yeah, anyways...
Like I said, very pretty unit, aesthetically speaking. Functionality is very similar to the Hydra, with 5 power levels, only with this square pod instead of typical carts. Comes with a 1.4 ohm and 0.6 ohm coil, which I thought was nice. Main reason for trying this one is that with proper assembly, there is no way for the pod to really leak out precious oil - it is a 'closed tank' design that uses a kind of uptube for air intake. On paper, it all sounds great. Reality was a little different. 1.4 ohm coil seems to really flood out, leading to a lot of gurgle and spit. MMMMMM nothing like spewing hot pot lava on the tip of yer tongue!
Actual footage from the PRC test chamber:
Sure enough, it hasn't leaked a drop though, so there is that. I suspect that with a little more care in priming and PG/VG mix, better performance could be achieved. Dropping to the sub ohm coil might help as well. This is an experiment in progress here at PRC labs, and science is never done, after all. The allure of this unit was leak resistance, which it has proven most capable in. This is a pretty far 'off label' use for this device.
PRC hardware testing was conducted using only the finest Train Wreck and Green Crack bulk vape oils. Both of these oils taste great and get the job done fabulously without fail. Train Wreck is pretty sedate, but still a perfect everyday. As one might expect, the Green Crack is much more energetic - if you're like Steve Jessup and YOU GOT SHIT TO DO, this is an excellent choice.
Just be careful and don't suck molten glass into your lungs or anything...
That's all for today boys and girls! If you're still reading this, you have too much goddamn free time.
BE SURE TO TUNE IN NEXT TIME, WHEN...
