A Hot Pod

not sure what the shit music is exactly? live aid, i think.

but thats what happens when you search 'christmas' on your internet radio. lolz



CLICK ME

I think George Michael was still straight back then

My Pod is kinda jealous of that hat now though, I shouldn't have allowed him to watch that video with me

Always good to see more pics, vids & findings though I hope everyone survived the holidays!

ps: funny you should mention that SD, mixing in some kief and/or hash has become my fav way to use my Pod. It's pretty relaxed to be able to hit it and hit without having to stir, refill or whatnot when watching a movie or playing a video game. I hadn't even thought about mentioning the pro's in comparison to my other logs in that department btw

The Pod arrived yesterday, so naturally I've been much too "busy" to write up a review

Will update in a more sober state with obligatory Pod Porn and reviews ^_^

Couple of days ago I had the privilege of a Hot Pod session with the inventor himself!! Here are my first impressions of the beta version.

It was the first time I'd seen the device in person. The first thing that struck me was the interior glass tube glinting through the holes, something I hadn't noticed in any photos posted on FC. The photos don't really do it justice, the Pod is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL object in its own right, before even thinking about its function. It wouldn't look out of place as a fancy candle holder on a dinner table, or a decorative shelf object in a modern apartment.

When I held it, I was surprised by how hard the wood feels. I didn't realise the interior of a Banksia seed pod would be so solid. There are a quite a few different colours and textures in the wood which I found really attractive to the eye, I kept on finding myself studying all the nooks and crannys, turning it over in my hands. The areas in between the holes have a pattern that looks like canvas, but are very smooth to touch. Overall, the patterns of the wood reminded me a little of Australian indigenous art, and also of rocky outcrops in the Outback. It captures that special kind of 'rough beauty' which is typical of Australian landscapes, flora and fauna. Its the perfect size to hold in the hand, and is also quite light, but not too light. The workmanship is 100%, really well made with a lot of attention to detail.

First off, Hazy filled up a direct draw stem for me. He wanted to see how I would use the Pod without any instructions, to use it in my own way.

Most of my vaporizers use GonG type connections, where the stem would be a tight fit with no possible movement. The design of the Hot Pod means the stem has a little room to move, so I wasn't sure if I needed to hold it in place to make a seal. For the first few hits, this threw me off a little. But after a few more hits, and looking more closely into the design of the heat chamber, I realised that having that GonG-style tight fitting stem isn't necessary with the Hot Pod.

I went a little far with first hit off the Hot Pod, the exhale was quite a cloud which made me cough. This was a very good sign, because it means the Pod produced thick and strong vapor more quickly than I expected, compared to other hand-held vaporizers I've used. I naturally took a deep, long pull because thats what I'm used to doing, but after that first hit I was a little more conservative with my draws.

So that was my first impression of using the Pod in direct draw mode - it can give you thick clouds very quickly, if thats what you want. The flavour was excellent, I didn't notice any wood taste or anything else other than the fresh vapor. It also seems very efficient, I got around 5 good hits off quite a small amount of weed (Hazy started me off with a smaller amount, as I'd just had a few weeks tolerance break)

When that bowl was done, we carefully dumped it out to check the consistency of the ABV. It comes out in a neat little circular brick. There was a very thin ring of still greenish weed around the edges, where it was touching the glass. Less than 5% of the overall volume, I would guess. When we broke the 'brick' in half, the inside parts of the bowl were very well extracted. Personally I wouldn't bother stirring and revaping, the amount of active ingredients left would be minuscule. So overall the direct draw experience was very positive indeed. Its comfortable to hold, not too hot for my hands unless I held it tightly in the same hand for 10-15 seconds, and only then it started to get slightly too hot for comfort. So I found myself rolling it around and passing it back and forth between my hands when I wasn't using it.

Next, we tried out the GonG stem with my Lux bubbler, the one pictured here: http://i.imgur.com/DvJgY.jpg

We used the variable power supply this time, because Hazy wanted to test the 13.5v temperature that has been recommended by other users for glass purposes.

Hazy gave me the first bowl. I was amazed how quickly the bubbler filled up with vapor! I've used Da Buddha and a Herborizer with the same bubbler, and find with both of them it takes a couple of hits before the bubbler properly milks up. Not so with the Hot Pod, at least when its at 13.5v, it milks almost instantly.

I was lifting the Hot Pod off the bowl to clear the bubbler at the end of each hit, at the point when I could see the vapor becoming too milky for my liking. This prevented the weed from getting too overcooked. This is different to other peoples technique though, I've noticed some people prefer to leave the vaporizer sitting there for the duration of the bowl. Hazy also used this technique. We both agreed that the 13.5v temperature was too hot for this purpose. The heat built up too much and came very close to combusting the weed in the middle point of the bowl. There was a spot that was VERY dark, and almost a little greyish. I think the small size of my bubbler is also a factor here, but 13.5v was just too hot, unless you're willing to regulate the heat by lifting the Hot Pot off the bowl as I did. Its possible that with a much larger bong, 13.5v would be more suitable, but I can't be certain.

After that, we tried a few lower temperatures, including the default 12v that you would get without the variable power supply. 12v was enough to get visible vapor, thats for sure. It didn't give that instantaneous milking that I got on my first hit at 13.5v, but the downside of the 13.5v is the chance of combustion if you're not careful. This all comes down the individual users preference. I'm a vaporizer enthusiast, so I would definitely get the variable power supply, but I'm not sure about going as far as 13.5v, it seems a little too hot to me. I think I would settle on around 12.5 to 13v depending on the size of the bubbler.

Hazy also showed me the final power supply, the black one (not the one with clear cables). The black power supply is very solid. Its almost exactly like one of those oldschool Nokia mobile phone chargers, seems indestructible.

Overall, I was absolutely blown away by my Hot Pod experience, I LOVE this vaporizer and I'm extremely excited to see its release and wild success, representing Australia on the international vaporizer market. I can't say enough good things about it. Its physically stunning, elegant, beautifully made and designed, and works amazingly well. Aside from that, there is something else about it which I can't quite put into words. It has that 'X factor', a special character/spirit that gave me an emotional reaction, probably also because I'm Australian. When I was a kid, we went camping by the beach where there are hundreds of Banksia trees, and we'd play with the seed pods, collect them, throw them around etc.

Big thanks to Hazy for the experience!

Nice write up man, I wish I could have joined you guys

So he finally got to try his Pod through water aye? I wonder if it tasted like more..

I suppose you didn't bring a camera?


I could never combust with mine on 13,5V btw. I don't even think it's possible at 14,9V to be honest, that's why we keep on driving these things so damned hard, lol. But I only tried that once and not for a very long time myself, I'm sure Dorkus can tell you a little more about it though. I suppose the one that Hazy uses has a very low resistance?

Oh boy... Australia is a long way from Europe... My Pod still on the way... Last beta reviewer I might be...

Thanks OTA! It would have been cool to have you there.

I did take my compact camera, but only took photos of the Melbourne skyline I'll definitely take some proper photos of the Pod in the future.

That was a very interesting evening that I spent with bleak and his bubbler. Thanks bleak!

I have no idea what you guys are doing but even at 13.2V I was burning the top of the load. It wasn't like totally combusting or anything, there was no actual smoke, but it felt pretty close. It tasted absolutely disgusting!!! I backed off the power to 12.0V and everything worked as normal. I got 4 nice clouds followed by a wispy 5th hit. Here's the ABV:



Looks fairly well done to me. There are some little bits of green in there, which is the material that was directly in contact with the glass tube (which is obviously cooler). I think this material got hot enough to produce vapour, because I revaped this ABV the following day when I was straight, and although it produced half a wispy hit, I felt no effect whatsoever.

I'm not going to call you guys liars or anything! But there must be something I'm doing differently to get this result. I feel completely satisfied at 12V and personally can't see much point going above this. There may be scope to tweak it up a little but I will need to do some more experiments. I'd like to figure out how we are getting such different results.

~~~~~

Thanks guys for all the comments and reviews! Keep them coming! I've learnt a lot from your experiences, and hope to continue to improve the pod. My sincere apologies to gvape for getting a mouthful of screen/weed My current manufacturing technique has given me inconsistent results but I think I have figured out a way to make the screens grip the inside of the glass much better without changing the design much.

Again, gvape, sorry about the power cord. These cords have been a surprising pain in the arse so I won't be offering them in future. Some of you have the black cords and I will be offering those instead.

I will keep the top hole of the pod basically the same. I agree that it is important to have a nice fit of the stem into the pod. It would have been nice to use other stems but I suppose I can't have everything. The good news for OTA is that I have found a GG joint with an internal diameter the same as the DDS I will get some with my next batch of glass.

Got my Pod girl this morning and she's a HOT redhead from Down Under!!! More when the VVPS arrives in a few days and photos are uploaded. So far, plugged to a cheapo chinese 12V I had lying around, I am very very impressed coming from portable vaporizers. This thing has some power! Already vaked as you might have guessed! Straight or through glass it looks like I just might have found my next all day vapor companion...

Perhaps the voltage discrepancies could be attributed to difference in load sizes?

With both my Underdog & VXC, they excelled at taking just enough to cover the bottom screen, cranking the temp, and getting one thick, dense, potent rip out of it. Maybe with a 1/4 or 1/2 hit after and then its cached.

That's the way it seemed to work most efficiently with glass. In my video I did have a pretty big load but it required stirring @ that voltage.
(I will note though, I don't think I've gone over 14.5V)

Using it direct draw however, I did prefer a much lower voltage but with a bigger load. Great for sipping efficiently-absorbed little to medium sized clouds.

there was some talk on the UD thread regarding those of us that use very different voltages and the possible reasons why.

Some factors discussed were how old the wiring in the house is? are you using an extension cord?
is it the same on a different outlet? is it the same at someone elses house.
plus a few other things that escape me ATM.

and it seems that these things maybe a factor.

I am running my pod at 15v, and sure I if I dont pay attention to how i pack the load it will get some dark spots and it tastes like ass. But, pack the load correctly and its awesome!

My UD runs at 13.5v and i dont know of ANYONE who is running theirs at that voltage. Every now & again I will combust in my UD at that voltage, but its always after cleaning the screen & not positioning it correctly.

so, in my case I suspect its the 50 year old wiring in my hovel of a house & the extension lead i am using.

Coupled with the fact, I like my vapor, the same way I like my women........................

hot, thick & dense.

My house is fifty years old too & I run the UD @ 13.5-13.8! Haven't combusted in any vaporizer for over 3 yrs (easyvape)

Is there a simple way with a voltmeter to find out if the VVPS @ 13.5 is really putting out 13.5 volts?

There isn't a "simple" way to use a voltmeter to measure the power supply. The power supply needs to be plugged into the vape to get an accurate reading, so you need some way of exposing the power leads so that you can put the probes on them. I used a plug and socket pair that has screw-in terminals for the wires. This way I can put it inline with any power supply and vape, and put the probes on the screw terminals to get a reading.

All that stuff about house wiring etc only applies to unregulated power supplies. All variable power supplies are regulated, so it doesn't matter how crappy the power in your house is, the regulation circuitry in the power supply will keep it at the exact voltage.

With this discussion in mind I unplugged the Pod last night and let it cool down over night, and plugged it back in set at 12.00V while I was at work. Now home with a free weekend before me I will be testing over the next few days. Right now at 12.00V the Pod is warm to the touch, but just barely. I am able to get what I would call 1 & 1/2 hits out of a stem exactly equal to a Zap stem. My ABV is a green/gold in color, not nearly as dark as I know this vape is capable of. For my tastes this would be the lower end of my vaping range. Over the weekend I'll be increasing the voltage .25V at a time and retesting. The upper point of my range will be when I reach a med/med dark ABV and am getting 3+ hits out of a stem. When I'm done I'll post some photos, in one post, for comparison of the ABV along with their voltages.

To be honest I don't think the different preference in voltage has anything to do with discrepancies in power output/supply, but are purely caused by different user preferences & to some extend by the resistance of the heating element. My first UD had a resistance of over 23ohms and I needed to take that one close to 14V to be satisfied, but my newer UD with it's 19ohm heating element outperforms it at a meager 11,8V for example. Adding a watertool to the mix will make the differences even larger because that will usually cause us to breath a bit faster thus cooling down the hot air quicker, so we need to compensate for that a bit by turning up the voltage as well. Ime experience the draws last longer thus are bigger through water too, which may cause a need for even more volts as well possibly.

If the desire for the effects is strong enough you'll get used to that taste pretty quick Hazy. It only takes a little time to associate the bad taste with the wonderful effects & then you'll start loving it soon enough ime. I remember that after the first month I was vaping with my SSV (first real vape I owned) I made a thread here and let people check out my ABV to see if I was doing it right. I vaped my herbs until the flavor got so bad I couldn't stand it anymore at that time before tossing it out to reload. Turned out there were so many green bits in my ABV left, I even got comments that my ABV had more trichs still in it then some of the stuff others were able to buy even

That being said, just from looking at that ABV pic your posted, you're a pretty wasteful user yourself man. There is so much left in what you posted there ^^. No way you'll find any green bits in my ABV jar EVER.

I know you think it makes no difference, but just try this if you're curious enough:

Grind up a nug large enough for two bowls & split it in half (this is to make sure both bowls are of equal quality since there can be some potency difference between nugs depending on which part of the plant they come from). Use one half to vape a bowl like you normally would while trying to keep an eye on the size of your hits just so you'll keep them as equal as possible. Count how many hits you get out of that bowl.

Now take the other load and load it up and vape it, but dump the load after every hit or every other hit to stir it and count the total number of hits you'll get out of this one as well. I'm willing to bet you'll get at least 3 or 4 more hits from my method, if not more.

The more potent your herbs are, the longer it will keep on going after another stir.

If you do that properly on a high enough voltage you should get something like this:





& trying to get there ^^ should be enough to make you understand our need for higher voltages

Believe it or not but I still left 2 or 3 hits in there ^^ btw, I used to take it a bit further even but I started leaving some goodies in there for a butane run some time ago (which doesn't seem worth it at all in hindsight, lol).

Sorry I still haven't emailed you back btw, things have been a little hectic around here but I haven't forgotten about it! I still haven't tried my HI heating element in the Pod so there wasn't much to report anyway to be honest. Other then just regular daily use I haven't done any specific testing lately, my mind is just in to many different places at once at the moment. But to be honest I don't expect to notice much difference though. From what I've seen so far the Pod seems much less effected by the herb-to-heating-element-distance then my metal-cored Ohmite-based vapes. & they both measure in around 22ohm so not much difference there either.

That is awesome news about the GonG HS stems! As it happens I decided to retire my bubbler recently so I'm back to the 14mm standard now & to be honest my HS works a lot less pleasant without a 18 to 14 reducer adapter stuck to it. It just moves around in there all the time. Do you think you could make/order them just a tad longer then the current GonGs perhaps? About a cm would be more then enough, depending on how deep they fall in to a female 14mm joint of course.

I wouldn't mind settling for some Melbourne-Bleak-skyline pics if there are no artsy HP shots on the way

@OTA There's no way you'll find any green bits in my ABV either. That photo I posted is just to show that vaporization temperature has been reached at 12V as there is plenty of dark brown in there. It's not the light colour that some have described. When I revaped it the next day something did come out of it as I mentioned, and the result was that the ABV ended up dark brown like in your pictures. The way I usually vape with the direct draw stem is to take hits until they become wispy, then leave the stem in the vape for about 5 mins and hit it again. The amount I get this second time varies, but can be substantial. By this time the ABV is thoroughly brown. Without even trying it, I'm sure that your technique extracts the maximum possible from the weed. Maybe I'm lazy, but I don't want to constantly mess around with the load just to get maybe an extra hit out of it. I think it is user preference. Regardless, I don't think this has anything to do with my observations regarding voltage. For me, 12V seems to be giving me results while some of you need 13V or so. I know it is not the pods themselves because every one I have tried has behaved consistently the same. It must be something to do with draw speed, grind, and pack. These are the only other variables I can think of. Honestly, when I vaped at 13.2V, that was just totally wrong. The surface of the load was charred, it was beyond black. It really tasted like shit. I actually dumped the load (twice) after the first hit, that's how bad it was. I really can't imagine that is what you guys are trying to achieve. I can also assure you that I've had plenty of experience playing around with voltages ranging from no vapour all the way through to combustion so I should know what thick rich vapour tastes like.

I hear you regarding the slightly longer GG stem. This first batch I made was a bit experimental and there are some slightly different lengths amongst them. There's a chance you got one of the shorter ones.

I am pretty vaked right now, my crop never tasted better, never got me higher and I never had such simple and calm sessions with another vape. I now realise that all the questions I had in my head all these years and the ones I asked in this forum about log vapes were completely out of reason... So this is true convection vaporisation??? Coming from battery powered units alone, I am stoked with the power this ridiculously harnesses behind it's little mouths and cannot believe the flexibility it gives you over your sessions. And all these only at 12v and 13.5V... Can't wait for the VVPS! Hazy... Good luck with ruining your life! I pity your woman who'll miss you a lot while you're trying to assemble all these Pods you'll need to ship.
I'll report more when the VVPS is here and my smaller bubbler returned to me. So far the Pod is the best vape I have ever tried for every day use. My INH will stay filled with goodies and ready for the next excursion, the Solo will be used to evangelise vaping to friends and the FlashVAPE will probably stay by my bed ready for the knock out or when friends come by... I feel so complete! Thanks Hazy mate! You have earned yourself a vacation place in Greece!

So it's Saturday morning. Last night I tried 12 & 12.25 and although I was able to vape it wasn't until I got to 12.50 that I started getting the results I am looking for. The ABV is coming out a nutty brown, and I am getting good vapor for at least the first 2 hits. I'm going to hang out at 12.5 for a while and report back.

Hazy, is there a chance for a longer GonG stem? It really begs for larger loads and more room to stir... The screen always ends up lower than it should for it to maintain friction and all the bits and pieces go around the screen and out of the stem if it goes down there where the ground glass begins...

My sessions last 2-3 mins now with maybe 2-3 hits before the load is completely spent and with some stirring in between. Through my Saxo bubbler. Very fast and efficient. No more throat, teeth and tongue issues for this poor man. Oh my red-haired beauty is a beast!

Ohhh! And there is no drug whatsoever. My INH is a thick milkshake compared to this... I wouldn't mind some more drag. It would be easier when straight hitting it, so you can puff it more like a cigar. It's easier on the throat this way. Any chance for extra, different ID heater tubes so each can find his/her sweet spot? That would be a first too! Adjustable airflow. More room for experimentation for the advanced vaporist!

Gotcha Hazy. I thought that was how your ABV looks in general but I misunderstood then, never mind.

And you're right, packing methods and load size really effect results too. Perhaps it is just that, although I do feel I did try a decent variation of those already.

I am still a little puzzled at how you can (almost?) scorch a bowl with your Pod at that voltage though, would you mind sharing the resistance of the one you are using?

I have tried to go back to a lower voltage myself a few times now but I just couldn't be satisfied below 13V. Especially with the GonG stem, it needs about half a volt more to get the same results with that one as my HS stem. But it is no secret I'm a sucker for think dense clouds so that shouldn't be to much of a surprise to anyone. So it's still about 13,3V for the HS and 13,8V for the medium sized stem for me, I don't think that's gonna change.


Farmer, there are 3 different sizes of stems right now. The GonG is the medium size and then there is a narrower one and a wider one. Which one did you pick?

You can create more drag by packing your herbs a bit tighter, a denser screen also helps after a couple of bowls since those clog up quickly

The denser screens are noticeably sturdier though, and stay in place a bit better as long as you fit them properly. But I'd play around with the one you have first, if you take it out and bend it a little wider and reshape it a bit you might get it to stay in place a little better perhaps?

Hey OTA! I 've got the GG, the DDS and the DDL. The GonG is for my bubblers of course and I think I prefer the DDS for my straight hitting once in a while. Too hot for everyday use without a glass. I hope by dropping below 12V it will make direct hitting more comfy when I get the VVPS. I have locked my PS at 13.7V for the time (it says 13.5V but we measured it at the shop at 13.7V) and by moving the load a bit further and by not packing at all (very loose load), I find I can do 2 dense, full of flavour hits and a third whispier. I believe it is easier on the throat and it produces much more vapour when you allow enough airflow through the load by not packing at all, just light sucking for the loading of the stem. That's how convection works its best right? You need a little extra attention with such high voltage but it's easy enough to control by adjusting your draw speed and time. The flexibity I feel this Pod gives is amazing. Easier to grasp it's ways than most of my portables!
The screen is great and it grasps the sides beautifully the way Hazy has bent it but the Pod has enough power and airflow to support even greater loads. I cant bent it further cause putting it in and out of the stem is not easy like that. It just needs some more space to keep the load loose. Otherwise the top always blackens before everything else and you need to stir a lot. By having the looser possible load in the stem you practically don't need stirring. The air passing around every bit and piece of the herb is enough to do a thorough baking.... I will try mating one of my DD stems with the GonG using some silicone tubing and place the load deep in the DD stem just to see how much I can put loosely in there and still get vapour from the whole load.

- maybe its warmer where you are than where others are that need higher temps???
i know w/ the temp change around here, i notice the vape working weaker at nights at the temps i normally use.. also my vape is set up near the window ha..
- maybe draw speeds combined w/ ^^^????

* Nice vape... I'd love to get one.. about how much will they go for?

Thanks for looking into this, I'm very interested to see how it goes.

OTA, knowing how thorough you are, I am sure you would try every conceivable combination! To be honest I have only tried the GG briefly but I had to mention the results here, even though it is too early to come to any conclusions. I'd like to do some more experimentation to see if I can use a higher voltage successfully, and see what it is that I need to do differently.

Natural farmer, those are some great suggestions regarding packing etc. I used to pack loosely but I will experiment with it again. I should probably also try grinding more coarsely so that the load doesn't pack down when air is pulled through it.
So now you want more drag? You were one of those who motivated me to minimise drag! The only way you can achieve more drag is by packing the load. You can go from very loose to very tight, it's up to you. Being an ex joint smoker, I too like to sit back and puff away on a stem as if it were a joint. A bit of drag helps simulate the experience. Sorry to hear that you too are the victim of one of my crappier screen efforts. I've made a few more screens with my new technique and they seem to be gripping well. It's also interesting that there is yet another request for a longer GG stem. You might be able to maximise load volume by flipping the screen upside down so that it hangs down like a bowl. I haven't tried it myself, I just thought of it while I was typing this!

EDIT: Buildozer, I just saw your post, and you are right, the ambient temperature can make a difference. Although it is summer here, the weather has been quite mild lately so the pod shouldn't be getting much hotter than usual. I'm still thinking about the price but they won't be expensive.

Hazy my dear friend, I am glad to tell you your screen effort was top notch and you have to show us how it's done at some point. Unfortunately when it goes down the GG stem enough it meets the part where the stem has the curve before the ground part and from there of course there is no grip anymore. Just turned the screen upside down and it gives more space, great idea, but I would still prefer a longer one cause the screen works better as was. Is there any online source to get a longer one?

Here is my first quick vid by the way... I've got some Benny Hill music I was listening to in there so it might not be visible to the states and some other countries but I will edit it when youtube is done with it first and lets me change the music after a while.



I love my Saxo too... It works so much better with the Pod than the other portables... I need to say here that these were not the densest hits as it was just a quick session and I wanted to finish it quickly. Hence I drew faster than usual. Hence the temps were lower and the ABV was yellowy brown.The standard with the GG and about 0,05 in there is 2-3 thick hits and a final wispy one. More vids to follow!!!

And Hazy... I wouldn't imagine there would be that kind of difference with my Solo and even the Inhalater.... You left it wide open and it works great this way. Packing can adjust this for sure. Keep it like this! It seems to me as free flow as breathing now and the Saxo has begun to look bigger than it should be. I need some more lung room I feel. But I like it!

how does one become assimilated by the POD?? i would like to be a POD person too!!!