My Big Natural Hot Pod Review
OK FC... I believe it's time for me to contribute a bit more to this thread as a beta tester after having found my preferred set up, voltage setting etc. It took me a while as the VVPS took a month and a half to reach me from china but after a couple of weeks with it I can say it definitely worth the wait... I'll try to write down a loooong stoney review cause I feel the Pod deserves it! Whoever is bored to read at my rumblings please skip to the end for a quick summary... I also hope my english won't tire my native english speaking fellow vaporists here.
![Tongue :p :p](/i/s/tongue.gif)
I will EDIT a lot for sure!
So, let's get going... I was lucky enough to join the list early on but got my Pod "late on" (??) cause Australia is pretty far from my neighbourhood!
![Tongue :p :p](/i/s/tongue.gif)
Nevertheless I was amazed from the first moment at how tiny it was and how good it felt in my hand. I tend to develop a very esoteric relationship with certain objects/tools/gadgets that keep me company during the day and I could immediately tell that the Pod would be one of those things. Love at first sight it was and our love is burning hot! Even the passing of my fingers over the little seed holes/mouths made a nice sound... It was smooth to the touch and the details of the natural patterns on the Pod could keep you staring at it for several minutes when medicated! Still do sometimes...
![Big Grin :D :D](/i/s/biggrin.gif)
As an added bonus Hazy decided to send me a Pod with a slight imperfection who thought I might like as my forum name implies and he was right!
My Pod had pubic hair!!!
![Yikes! :o :o](/i/s/yikes.gif)
Some remaining plant fibre that the wood-turner had left there for some reason and they were like velvet to the touch! Such a beautiful natural detail... They are almost gone by now but still nice touch! Appreciated mate!
The VVPS cable, a very nice thing for Hazy to throw in for testers asked for one, was a beautiful match to my eyes and adds to the natural looks of the Pod by giving a slight retro/steampunk touch and I love it! Hazy said he may not include a VVPS cable when the Pod hits production and I believe he is right as there were some issues with the right angle plug that goes in the Pod. The MacGyver in me fixed it somehow but I will be looking at more permanent solutions at some point. For the time it works just fine and that's what matters for a cable. It's also very flexible so all good on that front too!
As the VVPS was ordered late I was left with no power supply unfortunately and I had to fork out 14€ to a local shop to be able to try the Pod ASAP. It was expensive cause I chose a good quality one that had settings for 9, 10.5, 12, 13.5, 15 and 17.5 Volts. The bad thing was that the plugs it supplied were of the add-on ones and melted after a couple of days in the Pod at high temps. Anyway, I plugged the Pod straight at 13.5V for the first time for some good bubbler hits with the help of the GonG stem Hazy included. WOW! That thing was quite a different beast from the portables I had experienced in the past... More airflow, more bubbles, near instant vapor production, super smooth hits, extra clean flavour... I was in heaven and I didn't even know how to hit it properly yet! The head-bang was strong too. So that's what it was all about!
I quickly forgot my Solo, I randomly tested the FlashVape, I used the INH only on the road and the Pod took all the vaping time at home! When the plugs of the PS melted I had to use a regular 12V one for 3 weeks or so until the VVPS came. During that time I tried some direct hitting cause frankly, the bubbler hits were so good that far that I totally forgot to try a direct session for several days. It was harsh at first as the high airflow quickly dried out the back of my throat and bunt my tongue a bit. I adjusted my draw to be much slower and the experience was not bad at all. Not bad but not remotely compared with what i experience through water.
My 250ml EHLE (12'') came at about that time too and from the first sessions I knew it would be a match made in heaven! Perfect size for my needs, gave me smoother hits than my Saxo and the airflow was better too. The Pod experience just got better!
And it became even better when the little chinese VVPS finally arrived in my mailbox! I am so glad I am unemployed and have all this time in my hands to do such tests... After a couple more weeks I have found 13.7V to be my sweet spot. There is such a big room for adjustments though, depending on draw speed, airflow of glass piece or stem, variations of speed during the draw that I am confident everybody will find a different sweet spot in the end and it doesn't play a major role. As of now I believe I am in vapor heaven and would not change my set up even if I was offered a titanium Cloud instead!
I thought I would compare the Pod to my Solo mainly when I asked Hazy to join the list but little did I know... The Solo is no match for a log. I better compare it to the other logs out there. I might not own any of those fellas but there are advantages with the Pod's design that deserve to be mentioned and stacked against the competition and Hazy deserves that too for his ingenuity! I will dare saying that right now
the Pod's design is the best out there for the following reasons:
a)
Simplicity and ease of serviceability. A major concern for those among us who don't find that spending more gives you more in life. If and whenever my Pod breaks, I can service it by myself with
minimum cost. You can do it with most logs, yeah, but here things are even easier. Parts can be found everywhere easily. A glass tube... Some silicone... A resistor... A plug... Voila. Even if Hazy stops sourcing those beautiful Pods, I can even get a nice twig from a tree to a wood-turner and replace a broken shell. Hazy took an amazing idea (Alan's Hi) and added tons of creativity to come up with a much better overall design IMHO. It has an underlying danger of a potential customer not giving the cash to Hazy for a Pod but rather build a Pod of his/her won but I frankly see this as Hazy's contribution to a better world. Most people will ask a Pod from Hazy and few will give it a go on their own and I doubt Hazy will mind this. I really doubt if he will be able to make enough Pods for all the future customers actually... Another long Hi list is waiting for us I am afraid. Or not, cause of the simplicity in production.
![Wink ;) ;)](/i/s/wink.gif)
If the wood-turner can supply the Pods, Hazy will have an easy time assembling them. Hazy, get me an acre of land near you and I can help you out if you like!
b)
Safety. As the glass heater tube is recessed in the Pod's body, there is no part on the Pod you can touch and get burnt. I wonder if Hazy had thought of that aspect... It seems very important to me when I watch those exposed metal parts with logs like the UD, Hi, E-Nano etc and even the Cloud. Why should I have a hot surface that I should be aware of while I am baked? No thanks...
c)
Multi talented.
The Pod as others have noticed is a great hand warmer when blowing in the heater tube and holding it with both hands... Nice and toasty they get!
![Big Grin :D :D](/i/s/biggrin.gif)
My girl gets to hold it a lot when I am not there to warm her!
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It can also become a great decorative lamp when needed. Make yourself a plug with a LED instead of a resistor and amaze the crowds!!!
For me the Pod is even a winner when compared to the Cloud or the LSV cause of it's utter simplicity and equal ability to deliver lung busting, flavourful clouds of sweet vapor while being less fragile and user-serviceable at the same time at a fraction of the cost. More efficient too if you need to save some herb... Small loads, big clouds. Dropped my tolerance a lot since I replaced the INH with the Pod for my daily needs. While I would need 0.2grams or a full INH load to get me going, now I just need a GonG stem's worth to get to the same point or just 0.05grams!
![Yikes! :o :o](/i/s/yikes.gif)
That could be associated with the way the cannabinoids are extracted with active convection though... I find my herbs seem more potent through the Pod than through the rest of the tools. For sure the Cloud or the LSV can fog a room easier but the Pod can fog a room ENOUGH! If up to the task you can finish a load in one big hit and fog more but my lungs would hurt a lot after such a hit so what's the point for a HUGE cloud other than being able to do it...
I am sure I had more things in my mind to share but since I managed to fork out most out of my head while medicated I feel ok. If something else comes to my mind I will add it later together with more vids... Last time I tried to make one I forgot to press the REC on my iPhone and was too wasted in the end after a big load of charas in that GonG bowl which totally devastated me! And it was soooo foggy I couldn't believe it... Next time maybe! Oh yeah... I forgot about the screens. I didn't like them a lot at first but I can't see myself with a regular one after a month with them. Up and down, in and out, so easy to clean... We just need a walkthrough from Hazy on how to shape them as great as he does for when they eventually fail from misuse...
All in all, I truly believe a Hot Pod could end the VAS for most people (it did for me) and could ignite a GAS one if you are not easily contempt with a humble EHLE piece like me... A vaporist these days most possibly just needs a Pod (or other log) at home and an Inhalater for a stealthy alternative on the go and that's it...
Natural farmer
APPROVED and
DOUBLE APPROVED and I hope you all get one some day!
![Thumbs Up :tup: :tup:](/i/s/tup.gif)
Hazy! Bravo and thanks!