Long time no see!
Today we dive into the insanely fast-growing trend of pod systems. Pod systems seem to have taken over the vape game in just under a year I’d say. The last time we had a trend like this was squonking. Remember those? The little devices with a silicone bottle inside them? Yeah, this trend of pod systems is why those are obsolete now. It absolutely blew them out of the water. When the first successful pod system was made, it spread like wildfire. From there, manufacturers were racing to see who could put out their own version first and who could make it better than the last. Now its taken over. People have always wanted small and portable, but when you add ease of use into the equation, well I guess you strike gold. We’ll be breaking down what a pod system literally is, the difference between them and that of a regular vape, with a few of our personal favourites sprinkled in of course.
Shall we?
SO, WHAT IS A POD SYSTEM?
Pod systems get their name from the look of the device, as well as how it operates. Instead of a threaded on tank, or a built-in tank, these “tanks” are fully removable and most times disposable. The “pod” is your coil and tank, all in one. This eliminates the maintenance that comes along with some devices since in most cases the device’s coil is built into these disposable “pods”. So when your coil burns out, there’s no coil changing or mess, just simply throw the pod away, fill up a new one and vape on! This is why the pod system craze continues to grow. With new vapers, usually, the biggest turn off of vaping is the maintenance that comes along with it. When I was quitting, I didn’t want to worry about the upkeep of my device. I just wanted it to do its job and keep me off the smokes. Now that we have devices that require little to no knowledge of vaping, the success rate has shot through the roof. Even higher than it was before.
THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF POD SYSTEMS
Just like normal vaping, when it comes to Pod Systems, there are two different kinds. Not in the sense of how it vapes (MTL vs DTL), but in the sense of the pod itself. See, we have pod systems like the one I just described above. Built in coils, all in one pods that are thrown away once burnt and replaced with a new one. This is what we call a “proprietary coil” meaning it cannot be removed or changed. Now though, we also have pod systems that allow the coil to be changed, opening up more options to the user. In these kinds of pod systems, the pod section is fully removable and replaceable just like others, but the coil can be removed and replaced. This means you can change coils as they burn out, or just replace the whole pod. Entirely up to you.
Take a look at the image above. To give you an idea, in the white Smok device one the right coils are “proprietary”, they cannot be removed from the pod, and the whole pod itself must be thrown away and changed once the coil burns out. The pod is enclosed in the device, simply magnetized in, and can be removed by pulling on the black mouthpiece.
Whereas with the Black Breeze 2 on the left, you can change coils as they burn out, or replace the entire pod. Most times, when people have devices like this they will continue to use the pod for maybe a full pack of coils (usually five) then switch the pod for a new one. Its like being able to buy a fresh new tank every couple weeks but at literally a fraction of the cost.
Nine times out of ten, these pod systems use “auto draw”, meaning there is no button. Simply just take a puff on the device and it will vaporize. Although there are still systems that continue to use the button activated draw, so don’t worry if that’s not your cup of tea.
OPEN SYSTEMS VS CLOSED SYSTEMS
The other difference in pod systems is open and closed. When we refer to a closed system, this means you cannot put your own juice in it. Pods are bought pre-filled and pre-nic’d and only available in the flavours and nicotine strengths provided by the manufacturer. Some people enjoy this, but it can get a little pricey when you compare it to an open system. Open systems are when pods are bought empty, and filled with your own choice of juice. Simple enough, right?
When we compare open to closed, its like night and day for most people. If you break it down, closed systems are kind of a money grab. In most cases, you’re buying a three (sometimes four) pack of filled pods for anywhere from $22 to $26. Each pod has at most 2mls of juice in it. That’s 8mls of juice… for $26. You can buy 30mls of juice for less than that.
Now like I said, some people prefer this method, and that’s totally cool. To us, whatever helps you quit is great. Doesn’t matter. Although we wouldn’t be doing our jobs very well if we didn’t at least keep you informed of your choices.
IS THIS THE TYPE OF VAPE FOR ME?
Ah, the ultimate question. Is this what you need? Should this be where you spend your money? Is this what’s ACTUALLY going to work this time?
To be completely honest, if you’ve tried vaping before the pod system craze and it wasn’t for you, I strongly encourage you to give it one more try. Like I said before, we’ve seen our success rates jump more than they have in a long time. It tends to change when new types of devices like this are introduced into the market, but never this intensely. It’s right back to the whole point of ease. Ease, ease, and more ease. The less time you have to spend worrying about your device, the easier it’s going to be. The less time you spend on maintenance, the easier it’s going to be. These kinds of devices require none of that. They require a simple change of the pod and the occasional charge. All you need to do is puff and worry about staying off the smokes. Its never easy, but this definitely makes it easier than older vaping methods.
If you would like to see the pod systems we carry, they can be found here.