Anthropolis
Canna Jedi in training.
Greetings friends, Anthro here again with a review of the Pulsar APX portable vaporizer. It's a fairly great little unit, is indeed a true vaporizer, comes in a nice kit, and has a retail price of $60.
[Disclosure: as a member of the test team, it would be good etiquette to state that this is NOT a sponsored review. I bought it for myself to use.]
As you are likely aware, there's currently no shortage of portable vaporizers on the market, but there's a couple caveats to consider. On one hand, there's tons of cheap pen style units, but are almost always of the heating coil type, relying on conduction to combust the herb or concentrates. These aren't true vaporizers, but are still an okay method to deliver medicine.
On the other hand are typically ridiculously expensive portable true vapes like the Pax, the DaVinci's, the Fireflies, ect. Really and truly, it still hasn't been explained to my satisfaction why a four inch piece of aluminum with a few circuits and five year old technology should cost three or four hundred dollars, but that's just my own opinion.
It was just a matter of time before a company built one for a realistic price, and here we are!
--------
Unboxing and packaging: ***** 5 Stars
The unit arrives in a plain brown box with nothing signifying its contents. Return address is just "Shipping Department" with address. Very discreet!
Product packaging is modern and informative, is in nice color but not flashy, and devoid of any of the old cliché cartoonish pot marketing that we all got tired of long ago. It presents as a quality medical tech product.
Digging into it, you have a very nice fold out booklet in color, detailing its use and maintenance. (There's just two things missing from the booklet and I'll highlight that in a moment.)
Then there's the unit itself right there on top, presented nicely in the felt foam. Pulling it out you notice that it has five temperature settings in Fahrenheit: 356°, 374°, 392°, 410°, and 428°. These options seem more than adequate to me. There's also just one nice satin metal button to operate the device and options. At first I thought just one button would be cumbersome, but actually it works really nicely, it is intuitive, and now I'm glad there's not more buttons.
This particular design version is the THC molecule, and being a science nerd, I found it very neat. I also bought the Woodgrain design for when I'm feeling classy haha.
On the bottom of the unit is the ubiquitous Micro USB charging port. The unit can NOT be operated while charging. It comes with a USB cable even though you probably have a drawer full like me haha! It doesn't have the wall charger part but that's just fine as we all probably have a drawer full of those too. In case you're wondering, this port area is where air is intaken from, so don't cover it with your fingers during use.
Now you remove the foam layer (this is a little tricky, it could have used a pull tab), and beneath is the goodie set in a bag. Included is everything you need to operate and maintain the device: the aforementioned charging cable, the metal adapter cup for concentrates like oil / hash / wax, a set of tweezers for inserting and removing the concentrate cup, a small dab type tool actually great for removing the spent herb, a small cleaning brush for the chamber, and some extra screens.
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Ergonomics: ***** 5 Stars
The unit is very comfortable, it has that soft rubberized grippy feeling around the body. The button is confident and smooth, doesn't feel cheap. The mouthpiece is comfortable enough, it does get a little warm on the lips during use but not overly so. Overall it sits well in the hand, there's a couple ways to hold it that feel good. If you have big monkey paws like me, it's possible to almost entirely palm the unit stealthily.
--------
Value: ***** 5 Stars
It couldn't get much better for $60. Several reviewers online mentioned that it could easily pass for one of the $150-$200 units, and I agree. The bag of tools and extra screens really seals the deal.
--------
Usage: ****1/2* 4.5 stars
Alright already so how does it perform!? The unit works very well overall. As stated in the documentation, it needs to go through the full initial charge of 3 hours before first use. Subsequent recharges take 1.5 hours from full discharge. After first charge, I took it out for a first use, stuffed full of Mephisto's sativa dominant Phantasmo Express. There was an initial plasticy taste which went away after a few pulls. It heats up in 40 seconds so it says, and that seemed about right.
The unit really is only ever in one of two states: completely off, or on and heating. From off, you click the button 5 times and it turns on and begins heating. It remembers the last temp setting and goes to that. While on, you may hold down the button for 3 seconds to cycle up to the next higher temperature. You may also continue holding down the button beyond 3 secs to continue cycling up the temperature selections and back around to a lower temperature if desired. (the manual left out this tip). Now the unit will be on and heating at your chosen temp for 5 minutes, and then will switch itself off. That's a good time because that's about when the chamber is spent anyway. You can also click the button 5 times again anytime while on to turn it off.
The vapor is silky smooth, has pretty good flavor, and the medicinal effect is very strong and fast. Caution though, something about the vaporization makes it really kick in about ten minutes from medicating. So it's possible to get a stronger dose than you think you're getting at first! Remember there's no smoke, so it can be tough to titrate your dose at first.
For myself, I've found that a full chamber of dry herb is about exactly the right dosage for daytime personal use. If your tolerance is very high, or if you're sharing around, then you'll need to be prepared to empty and repack the chamber at least once. For personal use, the chamber is big enough.
The herb comes out just as it should, well crisped yet without a trace of combustion or burning.
Here's the unit after a full charge to discharge of use, still squeaky clean! That little brush works well!
It handles concentrates beautifully too! Some vaporizers struggle with this, because you really don't want concentrate residue stuck in your chamber nor dripping down into the heating element below. Pulsar solves this with a nifty cup!
All I had on hand to test was some quick wash ethanol evaped hash, it was only once loosely filtered so it's more like old school hash than shatter. It is just fine for this. So get out the tweezers and the metal cup, and prepare to stick some in.
The booklet left out this important tip: carefully unscrew the lid of the cup and place the concentrate down into the cup on the mesh, then screw the little lid back on, then insert the cup into the chamber.
It also comes out just as it should, nothing burnt. The medicinal effects by this route are very strong and can really sneak up on you. Also, the metal cup will be very hot for quite awhile, so use the tweezers to remove it, don't burn your fingers!
Really the only reasons I dinged half a star: the booklet missed a couple usage points, and the design of the mouthpiece has it get quite warm. From a design perspective, a decoupling / insulating layer in the mouthpiece (of ceramic, Kevlar, or porcelain) would only add under a dollar per unit yet provide much happier lips. Still, it's just warm, not overly hot.
--------
Battery life: ****1/2* 4.5 Stars
It claims to last 1.5 hours of continuous use, and that seemed about right. I used it a few times a day, for full 5 min sessions, for several days before it was fully discharged. If you plan on using this as your main medicine delivery, or have a very high tolerance, then you might just get a day out of it between charges. It should handle a big heavy group session being passed around too. In other words it should handle whatever you need it for.
Two things do concern me per the documentation. It says the battery is a 1600mah, which is okay but a little on the light side for 2016. But remember, the cost is low. Also of concern, the booklet says the battery will handle 300 charge / discharge cycles, and that's not a lot if you need heavy use to medicate. That could be a year or maybe less for some people, for me that might be about two and a half years. Still, again, probably more than adequate for the price.
So just those future concerns had me ding half a star. Still excellent performance so far.
--------
Final thoughts: I'm very impressed, and am a difficult person to impress with tech devices haha. It hits all the marks and beyond expectations. Let's face it, it's tough to expect Ferrari performance for the cost, but it very well delivers Mercedes feelings for Honda prices! The booklet needs to be improved just a smidgen, and I have concerns about the battery longevity, but that's me really looking hard for something to grump about. Everything else is golden and smooth sailing!
I really like the ergonomics of it, and it disappears stealthily in a pocket and even in hand! It will be a perfect low key way to medicate during the daytime, but I don't think it's replacing my big heavy pipe for late night insomnia knockout.
I would recommend this to anyone and everyone really. It could fit in great as a beginner vaporizer, someone on a tight budget, or as a backup for the fishing tacklebox! It could also be a good device for a much older user who maybe hasn't seen herb since the '70s but now is looking for a careful, accurate, smoke-free way to medicate modernly.
The woodgrain model is even more beautiful, but can be tricky to find in stock, so it must be popular.
Thanks for tuning in, I'll be back around for the second post to update on how it's feeling after a month or so of use. Peace and love!
--------
Links:
Company: http://www.pulsarvaporizers.com/
This Product: http://www.pulsarvaporizers.com/apx-dry-herb-vaporizer-kit
Product user manual PDF download: http://www.pulsarvaporizers.com/manual/ApxManual_print.pdf
[Disclosure: as a member of the test team, it would be good etiquette to state that this is NOT a sponsored review. I bought it for myself to use.]
As you are likely aware, there's currently no shortage of portable vaporizers on the market, but there's a couple caveats to consider. On one hand, there's tons of cheap pen style units, but are almost always of the heating coil type, relying on conduction to combust the herb or concentrates. These aren't true vaporizers, but are still an okay method to deliver medicine.
On the other hand are typically ridiculously expensive portable true vapes like the Pax, the DaVinci's, the Fireflies, ect. Really and truly, it still hasn't been explained to my satisfaction why a four inch piece of aluminum with a few circuits and five year old technology should cost three or four hundred dollars, but that's just my own opinion.
It was just a matter of time before a company built one for a realistic price, and here we are!
--------
Unboxing and packaging: ***** 5 Stars
The unit arrives in a plain brown box with nothing signifying its contents. Return address is just "Shipping Department" with address. Very discreet!
Product packaging is modern and informative, is in nice color but not flashy, and devoid of any of the old cliché cartoonish pot marketing that we all got tired of long ago. It presents as a quality medical tech product.
Digging into it, you have a very nice fold out booklet in color, detailing its use and maintenance. (There's just two things missing from the booklet and I'll highlight that in a moment.)
Then there's the unit itself right there on top, presented nicely in the felt foam. Pulling it out you notice that it has five temperature settings in Fahrenheit: 356°, 374°, 392°, 410°, and 428°. These options seem more than adequate to me. There's also just one nice satin metal button to operate the device and options. At first I thought just one button would be cumbersome, but actually it works really nicely, it is intuitive, and now I'm glad there's not more buttons.
This particular design version is the THC molecule, and being a science nerd, I found it very neat. I also bought the Woodgrain design for when I'm feeling classy haha.
On the bottom of the unit is the ubiquitous Micro USB charging port. The unit can NOT be operated while charging. It comes with a USB cable even though you probably have a drawer full like me haha! It doesn't have the wall charger part but that's just fine as we all probably have a drawer full of those too. In case you're wondering, this port area is where air is intaken from, so don't cover it with your fingers during use.
Now you remove the foam layer (this is a little tricky, it could have used a pull tab), and beneath is the goodie set in a bag. Included is everything you need to operate and maintain the device: the aforementioned charging cable, the metal adapter cup for concentrates like oil / hash / wax, a set of tweezers for inserting and removing the concentrate cup, a small dab type tool actually great for removing the spent herb, a small cleaning brush for the chamber, and some extra screens.
--------
Ergonomics: ***** 5 Stars
The unit is very comfortable, it has that soft rubberized grippy feeling around the body. The button is confident and smooth, doesn't feel cheap. The mouthpiece is comfortable enough, it does get a little warm on the lips during use but not overly so. Overall it sits well in the hand, there's a couple ways to hold it that feel good. If you have big monkey paws like me, it's possible to almost entirely palm the unit stealthily.
--------
Value: ***** 5 Stars
It couldn't get much better for $60. Several reviewers online mentioned that it could easily pass for one of the $150-$200 units, and I agree. The bag of tools and extra screens really seals the deal.
--------
Usage: ****1/2* 4.5 stars
Alright already so how does it perform!? The unit works very well overall. As stated in the documentation, it needs to go through the full initial charge of 3 hours before first use. Subsequent recharges take 1.5 hours from full discharge. After first charge, I took it out for a first use, stuffed full of Mephisto's sativa dominant Phantasmo Express. There was an initial plasticy taste which went away after a few pulls. It heats up in 40 seconds so it says, and that seemed about right.
The unit really is only ever in one of two states: completely off, or on and heating. From off, you click the button 5 times and it turns on and begins heating. It remembers the last temp setting and goes to that. While on, you may hold down the button for 3 seconds to cycle up to the next higher temperature. You may also continue holding down the button beyond 3 secs to continue cycling up the temperature selections and back around to a lower temperature if desired. (the manual left out this tip). Now the unit will be on and heating at your chosen temp for 5 minutes, and then will switch itself off. That's a good time because that's about when the chamber is spent anyway. You can also click the button 5 times again anytime while on to turn it off.
The vapor is silky smooth, has pretty good flavor, and the medicinal effect is very strong and fast. Caution though, something about the vaporization makes it really kick in about ten minutes from medicating. So it's possible to get a stronger dose than you think you're getting at first! Remember there's no smoke, so it can be tough to titrate your dose at first.
For myself, I've found that a full chamber of dry herb is about exactly the right dosage for daytime personal use. If your tolerance is very high, or if you're sharing around, then you'll need to be prepared to empty and repack the chamber at least once. For personal use, the chamber is big enough.
The herb comes out just as it should, well crisped yet without a trace of combustion or burning.
Here's the unit after a full charge to discharge of use, still squeaky clean! That little brush works well!
It handles concentrates beautifully too! Some vaporizers struggle with this, because you really don't want concentrate residue stuck in your chamber nor dripping down into the heating element below. Pulsar solves this with a nifty cup!
All I had on hand to test was some quick wash ethanol evaped hash, it was only once loosely filtered so it's more like old school hash than shatter. It is just fine for this. So get out the tweezers and the metal cup, and prepare to stick some in.
The booklet left out this important tip: carefully unscrew the lid of the cup and place the concentrate down into the cup on the mesh, then screw the little lid back on, then insert the cup into the chamber.
It also comes out just as it should, nothing burnt. The medicinal effects by this route are very strong and can really sneak up on you. Also, the metal cup will be very hot for quite awhile, so use the tweezers to remove it, don't burn your fingers!
Really the only reasons I dinged half a star: the booklet missed a couple usage points, and the design of the mouthpiece has it get quite warm. From a design perspective, a decoupling / insulating layer in the mouthpiece (of ceramic, Kevlar, or porcelain) would only add under a dollar per unit yet provide much happier lips. Still, it's just warm, not overly hot.
--------
Battery life: ****1/2* 4.5 Stars
It claims to last 1.5 hours of continuous use, and that seemed about right. I used it a few times a day, for full 5 min sessions, for several days before it was fully discharged. If you plan on using this as your main medicine delivery, or have a very high tolerance, then you might just get a day out of it between charges. It should handle a big heavy group session being passed around too. In other words it should handle whatever you need it for.
Two things do concern me per the documentation. It says the battery is a 1600mah, which is okay but a little on the light side for 2016. But remember, the cost is low. Also of concern, the booklet says the battery will handle 300 charge / discharge cycles, and that's not a lot if you need heavy use to medicate. That could be a year or maybe less for some people, for me that might be about two and a half years. Still, again, probably more than adequate for the price.
So just those future concerns had me ding half a star. Still excellent performance so far.
--------
Final thoughts: I'm very impressed, and am a difficult person to impress with tech devices haha. It hits all the marks and beyond expectations. Let's face it, it's tough to expect Ferrari performance for the cost, but it very well delivers Mercedes feelings for Honda prices! The booklet needs to be improved just a smidgen, and I have concerns about the battery longevity, but that's me really looking hard for something to grump about. Everything else is golden and smooth sailing!
I really like the ergonomics of it, and it disappears stealthily in a pocket and even in hand! It will be a perfect low key way to medicate during the daytime, but I don't think it's replacing my big heavy pipe for late night insomnia knockout.
I would recommend this to anyone and everyone really. It could fit in great as a beginner vaporizer, someone on a tight budget, or as a backup for the fishing tacklebox! It could also be a good device for a much older user who maybe hasn't seen herb since the '70s but now is looking for a careful, accurate, smoke-free way to medicate modernly.
The woodgrain model is even more beautiful, but can be tricky to find in stock, so it must be popular.
Thanks for tuning in, I'll be back around for the second post to update on how it's feeling after a month or so of use. Peace and love!
--------
Links:
Company: http://www.pulsarvaporizers.com/
This Product: http://www.pulsarvaporizers.com/apx-dry-herb-vaporizer-kit
Product user manual PDF download: http://www.pulsarvaporizers.com/manual/ApxManual_print.pdf
