Best Pod System for THC/CBD E Juice…pay up
Pods for THC/CBD E Juice have become very popular these days. The first I heard of them was the Pax Era. My initial feeling when I saw it was sticker shock. A ½ gram of concentrate in California averages $20-$45. The Pax Era comes in at $50-85 depending on whether it’s a single strain or no. None of these prices include Tax, unfortunately. Now Juul pods have taken the lead for “most popular”. The main problem with both, aside from price, is that neither are made to be refilled.
There are youtube videos showing how one might “hack” the pods in order to refill but I have seen that the success rate is, on average, 1 in 4. This may not be a very good solution for those who wish to turn concentrates into vape oil with Wax Liquidizer.
Best Pod System for THC/CBD E Juice: Known Issues
Most all of the systems seem to share the same quirks i.e. flooding/spitting, low battery life, ill-fitting pods making poor battery connections and lotsa plastic. The spitting and flooding stems from the fact that the pods are made for Nic Salts. The VG/PG ratios are the same but the Nicotine content is much higher and thus vapes differently than liquid Nicotine e juice. This only matters to us in so far as how the tech behaves with our Wax Liquidizer mix.
If you do use Nic salts and still have spitting or flooding you may need a higher salt content, I am told. During testing, I put 0% regular e juice in some pods. It vaped very poorly ie no clouds and got crazy hot…like boiling on the coil but not vaping. I’m guessing the ill-fitting pods are due to the heat and plastic interacting poorly. Most coils lean towards ceramics but there are a few with kanthal and cotton.
I’m not sure how long the craze will continue as I have heard many grumblings from the industry pod-people that these things are a fad. Thus R&D is being limited and production life is uncertain. Therefore, If you like any of the systems and find one you want…buy extra. They average around $30 so not too bad.
Best Pod System for THC/CBD E Juice: Testing The Asmodus Flow
When visiting Asmodus in order to remedy the problem with the Spruzza I was given a couple of prototypes for their “Flow” pod system to try with Wax Liquidizer. While discussing its usage I inadvertently dry fired it by inhaling, thinking it was a push button battery. Don’t do that. I ruined it and wouldn’t find out until I got home and dealt with the flooding. Luckily, they had given me two.
The Flow consists of 3 parts; the battery, the pod and a top cap mouthpiece. Also included is a micro USB charger. The battery is a 450Mah lio and I have seen suggestions of a 200 recharge-cycle life-expectancy. Though I haven’t had it for quite so long myself so can neither confirm nor deny.
Filling It Up
The pod is filled by removing a rubber plug from the top, which is held in place by the cap mouthpiece, and holds 2ml. It is best to use a blunt tip syringe to fill as it is still a small opening. It is suggested that you only refill the pods 3 times before replacing. I would say that is about accurate. The mouthpiece locks over the top so that the plug cannot come out accidentally. The pod itself is secured by magnets and is a tight fit in the battery housing. There is no chance of it dislodging from the battery.
As this is a prototype I don’t know how much additional pods will cost. I hope they come with the mouthpiece so that you can carry several pods, as without the cap the plug would surely pop out. With the mouthpiece/top cap on the pods are secure and travel-friendly.
When fully assembled the Flow is roughly the same size as a highlighter at 19*110*11.5mm and feels very solid. The case is aluminum and has “Asmodus” engraved on one side. Due to the size and modest looks it is very discreet.
Less discreet is the size of its clouds. It chukks very decent clouds for such a small thing. You can pull on it MTL style or with a looser lip grip achieve some DTL happiness. Either way flavor is decent and clouds are nice. The coil is located at the bottom of the pod which makes vaping every last drop much easier.
One important thing to note with the Flow is that the ceramic coil seems to be very porous and therefore your mix needs to be closer to a 1ml:1gram ratio. Sometimes that is difficult to achieve depending on the concentrate.
Pod System for THC/CBD E Juice: Wax Liquidizer Ratio For Asmodus Flow
If using the microwave method; do 10 seconds, stir until the shot glass/receptacle is cooler but still warm to touch. If not yet mixed, nuke for another 6 seconds and stir again. Repeat the 6 second process until mixed. If you repeat a 3rd time and it has still not fully mixed increase the ratio by another .25mls to a max ratio of 1.5ml:1gram. Any more will flood the system.
Pod System for THC/CBD E Juice: Vapedynamics Cora
The two piece Cora is made of plastic but doesn’t feel cheap. There is scarce info on the Cora even with the included manual. Given the proprietary features I assume they want it that way. Not sure on the battery size but I believe it to be 500Mah. The Cora itself is slightly taller and thinner than the Flow. It has smaller pods at 1ml which are secured to the battery by magnets. The pods are filled by twisting the base which reveals the juice portholes. It is pretty snug when closed and there is a little click from a plastic catch but I would take extra caution when carrying additional pods. I wouldn’t put them in a tight pocket, for example, where some tension or torsion might somehow untwist it.
There are silicone filling joints for putting over the ends of droppers or thicker bottle tips. However, the holes are very small so I recommend using a blunt tip syringe instead. When filling, do so gently. The air vents are at the top of the pod and if too much pressure is applied some mix can flow out during filling.
It is a push button battery and has a proprietary magnetic charging cable. I know some people will be put off by the fact the cable is not universal but don’t be. The great feature of the charger cord, especially for a “Happy” Vaper is the magnetic connection.
More than once I grabbed the Cora, forgetting it was still plugged in. Instead of violently jerking the plug from the wall or usb port there was a slight pull and then release from the magnets. Moreover, connecting the cord is much easier than searching for the little usb port and making sure it faces the right way.
The magnets in the pod attachment are sufficient but there is a bit of a wobble in the housing and I could see the pod becoming dislodged from the battery under the right/wrong conditions…though it would not happen easily.
Pod System for THC/CBD E Juice: The Cora In Use
The draw on the Cora is more restrictive than the Flow but it is still possible to achieve awkward DTL puffs with the same loose lip grip. Clouds are slightly smaller than the Flow but taste is much much better. I put that down to the type of ceramic used. It is far less porous and can handle the typical 2mls:1gram ratio. It also handles thick ratios very well. I have noted that the Cora tends to darken the mix more than the Flow when overheated but taste somehow remains great. Again, the ceramic type and design matters.
The darkening tends to happen more when the level is lower as the coil for the Cora is not situated at the very bottom of the pod. It seems like a strange design idea but I think it is meant to allow firing horizontally. Whereas the flow’s coil placement seems to suggest vertical firing especially when level of the mix is low. I have not had a problem vaping everything in either pod. The Flow was much better at it though.
Pod System for THC/CBD E Juice: How Does The Cora Stack Up?
Pros
Flow: Solid and durable construction, Larger clouds, Larger and travel friendlier pods, universal charging port/cable.
Cora: Great Taste, Great Taste (that’s not a typo), ability to handle thinner and thicker mixes, Magnetic charging cable. Battery charges quickly and only required charging twice to finish the pod. Pods are smaller and as the mixture can be thinner are much less costly to fill. The Cora will work with CBD oil and can handle the typical 2:1 THC/CBD concentrate ratios as well as the lower 1:1 for CBD oil ratio. No spitting or flooding: It is the only one I have found which can boast the same!
Cons
Flow: A bit floody and spitty as it needs a much thicker mix; I have found liquid on the battery connectors which leaked from the bottom vent and some juice in the airpath is normal. This is typical of most pod systems. The high performance of the cloud chukker takes its toll on the battery as well. I recharged 6 times to finish the pod. The Flow will need almost 2 grams per pod due to necessary viscosity. Because of the viscosity requirement I would not suggest it for CBD oil or distillate with Wax Liquidizer, as it would be too thin. Full spectrum CBD wax or shatter would be fine however.
Cora: Pod feels loose in battery housing, Plastic housing; Gets warmer quicker plastic (It is the Vapor which warms the mouthpiece so no worry of melting), proprietary cable (yes it’s a plus and minus;) .
Which Is The Best Pod System for THC/CBD E Juice: The Asmodus Flow Or The Cora?
Both systems work with Wax Liquidizer, yay!
I suppose my pick is a moot point as you can only buy the Cora at the moment. But it is a great little machine. Be sure to pick up some extra pods. I get my pods from ebay. Also, whichever pod system you choose be sure to follow the same advice I give in my Best cartridge for THC/CBD E Juice article i.e. do not ride the heat into oblivion and allow the device to cool every few huge inhalations.
There are soo many of these pods coming out every day that I plan on continuing my search for the best refillable pod for THC or CBD e juice and will update later.
As always, thanks for reading and be sure to check back for my next article.
Happy Regards,