vape cartridge - search results

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October 14, 2023

While we usually don’t review cartridge hardware itself, we got wind of the Drillor project and decided to check it out. Drillor is a new model of 510-threaded vape cartridge, with some new design features and a built-in social equity program. But we’re mainly here to focus on the cartridges themselves. This is another case where a new product is launching and our details are developing as we type, so hang onto your hat if it gets bumpy.

First off, a contact reached out to us and offered the cartridge for review. Our people told their people “we don’t review empty cartridges” which somehow left off “perhaps a nice press release about your product launch instead” and went on to “fill the cartridges and then we’ll review them.” And so they did, dutifully filling ten cartridges with a CBD distillate – for which they included a lab sheet. Then, somebody in shipping must have gotten in over their head, because the cartridges arrived to us in a hodge-podge assembly of ziplock baggies and a glass jar, which was sealed with plumbing tape. They also shipped the Artrix box, still sealed, with ten empty slots which would have been a dandy spot to put the cartridges.

Did I mention that filling _one_ cartridge would have sufficed? Oh well, anyway…

Designed for Social Equity in the Cannabis Vape Industry

As reported by the initial press release this month, Artrix, a cannabis industry solution provider, is launching the Drillor 510 Cartridges with a social equity pledge, giving away the first 100,000 units to cannabis businesses and brands in need of support. View more about their social equity program here.

So that’s certainly a commendable gesture! It’s also a shrewd move to help introduce a new hardware line. But what of the cartridge itself?

New Design in 510 Threaded Cartridges

The Drillor boasts a few innovations in its design. Chiefly, the mouthpiece, which is a molded cone design with fringes around the side. I can attest that vaping on it is comfortable, and provides better airflow than narrower mouthpieces out there.

At the other end, the base of the cartridge now has a gnarled grip surface, making it easier to thread and unthread cartridges. You can appreciate this feature if you’ve ever had a cartridge get stuck on the battery. Finally, there is also a fill mark on the side of the cartridge, so you have a standard fill-line.

That’s about the long and short of it. Despite the brutal packaging and shipping adventure I described, the cartridges arrived none the worse for wear. Threading one onto my trusty Doteco TIK20, I vaped a few puffs of the tasty oil and noted that this was as fine a performing cartridge as any other I’d used. The mouthpiece really is generous, allowing the user to pull a king-size cloud. All the flavor comes through, and I haven’t had one clog on me yet, despite oil so thick it was almost tree sap.

So, all in all, I can recommend this hardware for your oil. At least, it does everything I expect from a cartridge.

Artrix is launching more products later

More confusion with the product shipper straightened out, and apparently their initial objective was to have us review the battery, but that isn’t ready yet. But the new disposable Artrix will debut is the “Demo” billed as “the smallest cannabis vape in the world.” Here I just mentioned the TIK20; Artrix has some mighty small shoes to fill on the compact mini-vape market. Artrix is also launching a pod system, the “Fitty,” looking very much like the compact Stiiizy oilpen design.

We hope to circle back to this company when everything is launched. In the meantime, if you have a cannabis business that qualifies for social equity help, go ahead and sign up for some free cartridges.

Readers, what is your feedback about vape cartridge hardware? What features do you think we could still consider? Puff your opinion at us in the comments below or in our cloudy forum.

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Ghost Brand Vape Cartridges | Ghost Company Too?

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September 5, 2023

Just to be clear up front: We’re here to investigate or attempt to verify the brand Ghost Carts, vape oil cartridges by a brand called – yes – Ghost. We’re seeing enough people ask about them in the interest of consumer safety. With the questions, as we will show, coming in about whether they’re a legit brand or fake wholesale packaging filled with mystery oil. Let’s send the Fake Cart Detective on the case.

VERDICT: Possibly legit-sketchy/widely faked

Advise: Accept only from your most trusted professional licensed dispensary. Otherwise, pass!

Preamble blah blah…

We are a review website for the cannabis industry first and foremost – which as reviews with any product, can be good or bad. We maintain our standing 5-year+ integrity as an online source of credible information about the cannabis industry, for the advocacy of the consumer. And we love our pot, and we want healthy pot everywhere so everyone else can enjoy it responsibly too. That’s why we advocate for greater legalization, regulation and consumer information that helps responsible, health-conscious users of herbal products know the closest science-based and objective truth about these products and the possible risks thereof. It is in this interest that we advise this write-up in the spirit of constructive criticism towards an improved experience for the medical and recreational cannabis community.

And when it comes to health risks and sketchy gas-station-offering carts, boy howdy! There’s a lot that can go wrong. Visit our vast archives on the subject of the black market in vape cartridges to catch up, if you have time to kill on that rabbit hole. But I digress…

Ghost Carts Fact #1: Fakes on Black Market Sites

Most of you are probably here reading wondering “Is MY Ghost vape real or a knock-off?” It’s probably a knock-off if you got it from a non-reliable source. That’s ranging from your high school bathroom friend in the hoodie, a street plug, or the local corner “smoke shack” with the glass case full of fake and backdoored vape brands…

But we have your Ghost brand in empties sold for pennies each to fill in your own garage, right here at the usual retailers for the black market, from the likes of made-in-China, DHGate, VAPACC (vape accessories) and many more package retailers.

So that’s your first answer, in the most objective sense. Yes, it is possible for you, me, or anybody to buy vape carts and packaging in the Ghost brand and fill it with whatever and sell it. We will in fact return to the many, MANY abundant variety of sources of Ghost vapes, because there’s a point wirth circling back to.

If you got it from a reputable dealer in your best judgment, well, even then we have questions in the case of the Ghost brand and whom owns it.

Ghost Carts Fact #2: Dueling Websites

To invoke a cliché, 1000 words in a picture. This is a screenshot from GhostCarts-DOT-com about-us page. Right there at the bottom you see the disclaimer warning against scam imitators like GhostCartsOfficial-DOT-com. *Cue Dueling Banjos theme*

*Sigh*. Verily, the two sites appear side-side on search, with the rest of the hits for “Ghost carts” being black market, spam-and-scams, and everyone asking if these carts are real. You don’t have to be a web marketing major to know that this is unusual for a licensed company with a facility producing a regulated cannabis product.

Ghost Carts Deduction: Way too spread all over on the web to be single source vape oil!

In these crazy days of AI imitations, who knows what’s fake and what’s real? The two dueling websites appear as near twins of each other. And both claim something extra-weird for a vape cartridge brand: “sales agents”! That is something you claim when you’re running a multi-marketing pyramid scam. Then they “brag” about sales figures and cite that 800+ customers trust us.

Really? Did you catch that? Eight whole hundred customers of a vape cart brand? Wow that’s really something to remark on. I know mom and pop cultivators that beat that number their first month. If that were the truth, I wouldn’t print it, and remarkably both dueling websites list different numbers for the same pointless variables. Why should you, a customer about to send 500-degree cannabis oil with this company’s logo on it into your lungs, care how many sales agents they have?

Remember I said I’d circle on back to this point? Yeah, here’s the thing – for the “official” home of this brand, both those sites together don’t support the vast hits we get for searching this brand name. These go on for hundreds of hits. There are more than 800 distributors of Ghost carts alone, very nearly all of them black market.

Ghost Carts Fact #3: Reports of illness from Ghost carts?

On our Reddit /r/fakecartridges forum, many users ask about Ghost carts.

* Thoughts on these 2g ghost disposables? (link)
* Ghost cart? (link)
* Has anyone seen these pens? Ghost. Gelato 33 but my new plug has a bunch of different colors (link)
* GHOST – I’ve on one group on tg where plug selling these pods. Is it real or fake? (link)

That last link bears closer examination, as one commenter on that thread reports they “almost died” and “had a 30 min seizure” after hitting a Ghost cart.

Granted, forum chatter is all heresay, but the thing is that normal, licensed, regulated brands don’t have 90% of the information about them being people asking “who the heck runs this brand”?

Conclusions: Dispensary or nothing!

Ghost is yet another California brand listing some bland Los Angeles skyscraper as its address while purporting to sell cannabis vape cartridges, and yet have completely ethereal business channels. Nowhere on either version of the Tweedledee/Tweedledum websites is there a list of distributors, as in locations of dispensaries selling their product.

I would avoid these anyway, as there are a hundred million vape cartridge brands out there that don’t raise this many red flags. Anybody find one of these with a dispensary sticker, PM us! As for any source BUT a licensed dispensary – avoid it like a ghost!

Readers share your Ghost cart sightings and other paranormal vape activity, here in the comments or in our haunted forum.

DabConnection – Vape Cartridge Reviews, Cannabis Extracts Reviews and Information #2

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August 13, 2023

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Tronian Nutron Vape Cartridge Battery | Best Value Battery?

Batteries

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We’re having a 2-for-1 review here with Tronian vaporizer products. They sent along the Nutron, a vape cartridge battery for 510-threaded vape cartridges, and the Tronian Milatron, a dry herb vape, which we’ll review separately next time.

The Tronian Nutron is a minimalist, but top quality, 510-threaded pen-style battery, going on their website for $18.99! That price point puts it in line for the cheapest batteries – compare Doteco MGear4 and TIK10 – while offering a far higher quality unit.

But for the video, we combined both. We’re efficient that way. Check out the full video review of the Tronian Nutron here.

Pros:

Cheap!
Easy to use!
Quality design
Smart USB charge connector

Cons:

Mmmm, maybe should have a 4^th voltage preset?

Recommendations: None

Minimalist Perfection

Personally, I’ve reviewed vape cartridge batteries of every size, shape, price point, and description around here. I have seen several competing design philosophies out there, especially the socket models (like the Rizo) vs. the pen models (like today’s battery, shaped like an oilpen). And I think the winner is the modest and minimalist oilpen design!

I think there’s a handful of aspects you could say you want for a cartridge battery, and then you’re overthinking it:

compact
cheap
simple
efficient

So the minimalist designs, especially with oilpen builds, are really winning me over. I really don’t think most of you are looking for a bunch of features on a cart battery. The whole point of carts is to be convenient. So why not keep it dead simple: Thread on, click temperature, draw, done.

The Tronian Nutron is built with solid engineering distilled to a hyper-efficient design.

Innovative threaded USB charger

To start with, the unit comes with a USB charger which threads right into the top of the battery. So we have a USB device that sticks right into your USB port or adapter with no cord to untangle. The unit glows when plugged in; it was yellowish for me and turned green when fully charged.

That right there was such a handy feature, I’d say the whole industry needs to adapt this method. The thread connector is the charge port. Brilliant! As long as you take good care of it and don’t let leaky cartridges clog it, it should be fine.

The Nutron is super simple!

We have the standard one-button design. Click 5x on/off. Click and hold to draw. Double-click to cycle between three preset temperatures, green – 2.6V; blue – 3.3V; red – 4.0V.

That’s it! We’re done! The airflow and flavor are both great. It heats and draws in seconds, and gets the job done with minimal fuss. I honestly can’t find anything to complain about here.

The best part of the thread-on USB adapter is that you can simply thread it back onto the unit when you’re done, and now you have all the parts together. No cord to misplace. It’s one of those designs that make me ask “Why haven’t we been doing it this way from the beginning?”

The price is wallet-friendly!

$18.99! Compare (aside from the Doteco offering a very similar MGear4 at about the same price) other batteries such as the feature-poor CCELL Rizo ($30) or the maxed-out deluxe PCKT Two ($80), this is at the bottom end of battery prices. The only one I can find cheaper is the Yocan STIX Plus at $14.99, and it doesn’t have a charging indicator.

For all that, this is a solid build that doesn’t skimp on materials. It should prove to be a reliable daily-use battery, in a discreet pocket-pen size. We have also reviewed other Tronian products, such as the Tautron and the Pitron, and had good things to say about them too.

Find the Tronian Nutron here. Readers, share your thoughts on battery philosophy here in the comments or in our forum.

Opinion: Maybe We Need To Ban Vape Cartridges Altogether?

Culture

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November 16, 2022

NOTE: This is an opinion piece, and feedback is welcome. This piece does not necessarily reflect the opinions of DabConnection staff; it’s just Penguin Pete on his ranty little soapbox.

In my four+ years blogging for DabConnection and the cannabis community in general, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to re-examine the phenomenon of vape cartridges. That’s these little tubes of oil, where the oil is allegedly extracted from cannabis plants. I’ve even reviewed a few, including a whole week last week where I reviewed nothing but cartridges and their sibling, disposable oilpens.

I usually say something like “I don’t like cartridges, but different strokes for different folks.” But not this time. In the few years since the cannabis industry has gained legal ground in North America, I’ve seen cartridges go from a public health hazard, to a pestilence, and then to a threat to legalized cannabis itself. I am now convinced, despite my most idealized beliefs, that cartridges are no good for anyone, and they should be banned.

Yes, I understand, that makes me unpopular. I’m sure legions of vape fans are firing off hate-mail as I yet type. But hear me out…

#1: Nobody Died From Consuming Cannabis Until Cartridges Came Out

The plant, marijuana, has been cultivated since at least 12,000 years ago. For 11,970-ish years after that, the way we consumed cannabis was (1) smoking it, or (2) eating it. Do you know how many people died from consuming cannabis this way? ZERO! There are no known overdose deaths from smoking or eating cannabis. Asterisk: * This of course does not cover deaths that involve marijuana, e.g. accidents from driving while stoned. Smoking over a lifetime can expose you to gradual carcinogenic effects, true. But as far as the plant itself, by all of our evidence, it is as safe as milk.

But along came vape cartridges! The VAPI (Vaping-associated pulmonary injury) epidemic broke out in 2019, racking up 68 deaths and thousands more hospitalized. The initial culprit turned out to be vitamin E acetate, which black market cartridge makers were adding to their oil mixture. While the word got out that the vitamin E acetate was a no-go, there has since been no end of other contaminants found in black market cartridges, nor any end of sickened victims.

As we point out in our post sampling vape-related illness reports, a steady trickle of people injured, sickened, or hospitalized by black market cartridges has continued to this day.

There is much more that can go wrong with a vape cartridge than with any other cannabis consumption medium. With a cartridge, you have to worry about:

heavy metals
residual solvents
pesticides
mycotoxins
cutting agents
additives

…and frankly, the old joke about boof cartridge oil, that it’s just hot dog water, is not outside the realm of possibility either. But even the legitimate, lab-tested, top-quality cartridge brands have things that can go wrong. Making safe vape oil is practically the hardest thing in all of the pharmaceuticals.

#2: We Will Never Get Cartridge Safety Standards Right

In the beginning, we preached the gospel of vape cartridge safety: “Buy your cartridges only from legit dispensaries and check their lab testing.” We have repeated that over and over. I chased down every fake brand I could and outed it. We have reviewed and approved many a legit cartridge brand on here.

But it is starting to dawn on all of us that this is going to be impossible. Here is everything that has gone wrong with the dispensary+lab-tests plan:

Dispensaries may not be licensed at all – they get busted all the time
Laboratories may fake their results – they get busted all the time too
Altcans (alternative cannabinoids like delta 8, HHC, etc.) are here to stay – but they are not regulated like THC products are
Most people do not know what they are looking at when reading a lab test results sheet
Legit brands can come up with anti-counterfeit features all day, but the black market just copies and undermines them
The jackstraw chaos of legalization in North America is the worst-case scenario for safety – it’s legal here, not legal there, sorta illegal but overlooked over there, while there are no nationally standardized safety practices

Now on top of that, you have the deluge of misinformation out there on the Internet. In a world where a sizable chunk of the population was led to believe that they could treat the COVID pandemic with a horse de-wormer drug, what hope do we have of educating them on proper cartridge safety?

When you come down to it, it is impossible to assure the safety of a vape cartridge. It’s a sealed capsule. You can’t smell it or taste it prior to vaping it. After you vape it, it’s too late.

By contrast, even black-market cannabis flower is safer. It’s a natural plant that grows out of the ground; it is impossible to fake. Burning cannabis smells only like burning cannabis, one of nature’s most distinctive odors. Ditto for flavor.

Even dabbable concentrates and extracts are far safer than cartridges. Again, cannabis resin and rosin is recognizable. You can make it yourself at home starting with flower. It comes in a jar; you can inspect it and even test a dab before inhaling it.

Likewise edibles. Come to that, your stomach is several times more resilient than your lungs, so edibles aren’t as much of a concern. There is just less that can go wrong with an edible. If you have ever experienced the unhappy occasion of food poisoning, you know that the body has defense mechanisms to expel the toxic substance as quickly as possible – vomiting and so on.

But your lungs have zero defense mechanisms against inhaling toxic substances. Once you are coughing, choking, or gagging, it’s too late.

On top of all this, vaping itself is a new pastime, barely 20 years old. Johns Hopkins University carried out a vape study in 2021 – well after the VAPI epidemic – and discovered “thousands of unknown chemicals and substances not disclosed by manufacturers.” What do these chemicals do to us? We may know in twenty or forty years when users start dying like flies, exactly the way we went from cigarettes endorsed by doctors to discovering, whoops, they cause cancer.

#3: The Majority Of Cartridges Are Fakes With Boof Oil

There is us, a consumer safety and advocate website. Add to that the cannabis community, the cannabis industry, and law enforcement at all levels: All of us working together! And yet we have not managed to dent the black market for vape cartridges by a single hair. The cannabis black market, with vape cartridges its top product, still thrives and even dwarfs the legal market.

Bear in mind that the biggest argument for legalizing cannabis in the first place was to stamp out the black market. And by all common sense, that should have panned out! We legalize tobacco and alcohol; when was the last time you saw counterfeit cigarettes or backyard moonshine going around? Yet somehow, the almighty vape cartridge has actually beaten a natural, harmless plant at its own game.

Being able to tell legal from illegal is just one issue though. As I point out, especially with the alternative cannabinoid scene, vape regulation is barely there in the first place. Legit, commercial brands test dirty all the time too. But beyond that, most people vaping cartridges have never seen an actual cannabis dispensary in their lives. Instead, these cartridges are sold at gas stations, truck stops, vape shops, smoke shops, bodegas, swap meets, and everything but a clean dispensary environment.

Where are we now? I can think of maybe a few dozen brands of cannabis vape cartridges that are actually legit and have good testing and safety practices. The black market fakes? The list never ends! One member of our staff is now on 24/7 illegal cartridge watch; their whole job is just updating that list. It is a Sisyphean task. People are inventing fake cartridge brands faster than we can even track them.

The cartridge black market is swamping the entire cannabis industry! It is giving political opponents ammunition to argue for making cannabis illegal again. It is causing damage to the reputation of cannabis legalization. And it is interfering with those of us who just wanted to smoke a plant and be done with it, whether for recreational or medical purposes.

#4: Cartridges Are All Crap Anyway

NOTE: I rest my case with the above points 1, 2, and 3. This part here is just my purely subjective opinion. To clarify a side point, I have met actual disposable oilpens that were quite good; this post really just applies to 510-threaded vape cartridges. Yes, I know others out there have found a local brand that is delightful – just hasn’t passed my plate yet. When it does, I’ll note it. But I’m writing from the point of view of the average US consumer from “flyover country” with less access. Sorry, we can’t all move to Los Angeles; we’d drink all your water.

As a reviewer here, I have access to the very finest products that the cannabis community has to offer. Lucky me! And while I have reported my delight in sampling flower, dabs, edibles, and every other cannabis extracted product, when it comes to cartridges, every cartridge I have ever tried sucks.

SUCKS!

Inevitably when I draw on one, I’m thinking from the first puff: This is IT? This is what everybody is raving about? God help us all if this is as good as it gets. If there were no other way to partake of cannabis but vape cartridges, I would live my whole life without it. Heating plastic-flavored artificial oil to 500 degrees and inhaling it, to be rewarded with choking rancid vapor and nothing that resembles an actual cannabis high in any shape, is not my idea of a good time. Not only are we suffering all this trauma over the one cannabis delivery medium that causes all of our problems, but we’re doing it for the lousiest way to consume cannabis!

Never mind whether they are fake. Most cartridges are GARBAGE to start with. I guarantee you, if you are a habitual cartridge vape user, try smoking a bowl of actual cannabis flower and see if you don’t notice a difference. Whatever you’re getting out of cartridges, it’s not cannabis!

I have never encountered the vape cartridge that tasted like pot, felt like pot, smelled like pot, or connected with pot as I know it in any guise. I am now convinced that vape fans do not want the cannabis experience. They must be addicted to the Vegetable Glycerin or Propylene Glycol instead, or else there is something else in vapes – K2/Spice, Fentanyl, or some other chemical – that is getting people hooked. I can’t prove that statement yet, but the convincing evidence is mounting.

Over and over again, I see daily consumers posting to defend black market vape cartridges. Saying that they prefer street vapes to everything else. These people are definitely high on something, or at least addicted to something, but it has nothing to do with marijuana.

Am I the Bad Guy For Saying Maybe Carts Aren’t Worth the Trouble?

It won’t be the first time I had an unpopular opinion… and it would also not be the first time that I turned out to be right later. That’s the prophet business for you.

I realize that banning all cartridges won’t stop the black market, which will spam the vacuum of outer space for all eternity just because it can. But it WILL stop people from mistaking a black market cartridge for a legal one. It WILL stop gas stations and vape shops from stocking pseudo-cannabis cartridges openly. It WILL eliminate the ambiguity – if 100% of all cartridges are banned, then none of them are legit. Problem solved.

Finally and most important of all, we can get back to cannabis flower, extracts, and edibles, and enjoy a legalized, unfettered market for them. Right now, cartridges are the albatross around the legal cannabis industry’s neck. Most of us have not had time to think about normal cannabis, because it’s been cartridges cartridges cartridges for years now.

Readers, you can take this all for an opinion, perhaps even just speculation. If you love vape carts, well, I dunno what to tell you. It would be a nice world if we could trust safe vape carts, I’m just telling you why that may never happen. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Everything Wrong With the Vape Cartridge Black Market in One Stupid Picture

Culture

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November 10, 2021

Gold Cost Clear is a THC vape cartridge “brand” which we originally covered in March 2020. They are one of dozens of unlicensed, unregulated, sourceless cannabis concentrate cart “brands” which we point out are printed in China, shipped to US buyers empty, and filled with whatever mystery oil in somebody’s basement.

We get HELLA backlash from street cart vendors when we point out that they function without licensing and regulation. Sometimes they even write us emails threatening legal action or just threatening in general. Hey, it comes with the job. Pissing off Internet Tough-Guys has been my mainstay for this entire fifth of a century and beyond.

Reading yet another butt-hurt retort from a boof plug, I seldom have a visual to fill in my picture of what such a person looks like. But then THIS happens…

These 2 Idiots Claim Responsibility For Gold Coast Clear

The complete video is posted on Reddit. Do not miss that thread; it is the fake cart thread of the century! I’ll call them “Jay and Not-Silent Bob.”

So their point is this rebuttal to the “haters,” (people like me mad about 64 deaths and thousands hospitalized from VAPI, some as young as 15). While Jay tries to hit their own cart without coughing up visible blood, Not-Silent Bob tries to reassure us that even though fakes of their brand are known to be out there, what they produce is pure gas! And that’s it, just a plug for their, ah, product, which I’m guessing is brewed up in the bathtub right behind the roach cabinets.

I keep watching this clip, but my brain just will not take it in. These two wanna-be dealers, standing in their welfare-ass motel kitchen in their thift-store rags, too stupid to know how hats work, too inept to know to retake a video if your partner is choking so loud that it drowns out your pitch, and THAT is the industry standard for the vape cartridge business?

I see from the comments on that Reddit thread that I am not the only person who sees something wrong with this picture.

Look, I have nothing against small businesses, entrepreneurs, and cottage-industry artisans plugging their wares from their garage workshops. But anything you heat up and inhale into your lungs is a health matter. Would you buy a gallon of milk from this set-up? Would you accept a vaccine from these people? Because God help you, I wouldn’t trust these two morons to walk a dog.

When Your “Brand” Is On DHGate – You’re Out of Business!

Let’s reiterate: Merely typing “Gold Coast” + “cart” into Google images brings you this gallery of “dealers” for Gold Coast Clear. Dozens of fake cart vendor sites, doubtless some of them rip-off scams as well. You may well say “well sorry there’s fakes,” but that doesn’t do any good! You either lawyer up and do something to control the counterfeiting of your brand, or you give it up and go start a new brand.

Here’s the screen when we type “Gold Coast Clear” + “empty”:

DHGate, Alibaba, and several more of the usual suspects. The only exception? Our site! We’re the only one pointing out Gold Coast Clear is boof, the way we do a hundred other brands.

Recall this story from somebody reporting their brother now institutionalized from synthetic cannabinoids in a Gold Coast Clear cart. Jay and Not-Silent Bob: This is on YOUR heads! When you make a product and that product blows up on the black market and starts hurting people, if you can’t control the black market and defend your brand, then the onus is on you to close shop! You can start up a new brand, having damn well learned your lesson. People who vape boof with your logo on it can’t get new lungs.

By staying in business, even if you get licensed, you are lending legitimacy to every street plug in the world who can buy your packaging off the Internet for a penny and fill it with vitamin E acetate. You are making it harder for consumers to make an informed safe choice. It is TOO LATE to clear Gold Coast Clear, its reputation is permanently burned.

Regulation Exists For REASONS

Some people might read us raving about licenses and think we’re pro-bureaucrats for big, intrusive government. We’re not, but we are pro-safety, and even though nobody likes staggering government bureaucracies, they’re still the best way we have found to regulate products for public safety.

People complain about the hassle of getting a license and lab-testing product. But let’s not forget, before there was product safety regulation, we had…

- lead-based paint on toys and in houses making people brain-damaged

- unsafe cribs that were causing infant deaths

- unsafe cars that were killing people in traffic accidents

- products with dangerous chemicals going out to households without warnings

- foods contaminated with insects, rats, and bacteria

It’s funny, everybody complains about big government until they find a dead rat in their lunch. After that, boy howdy, all of a sudden they could go for some government oversight!

I’m tired of getting called a “hater” by some meatball in a baseball cap who doesn’t care who gets hurt or killed. So, uh, allow us to occasionally retort. As may you, in the comments or on our forum.

Trulieve Vape Cartridge Review – Good Taste/Smell But a Little Overpriced

Cartridges

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Today I will be reviewing a cartridge filled with the legendary strain Chem Dawg. Trulieve is a medical marijuana dispensary leading the industry in Florida with 78 convenient locations throughout the state. They currently offer a wide variety of flower, cartridges, edibles, concentrates, distillates, and topicals also they have accessories and a clothing line.

Pros:

Good Taste/Smell
Tiny air bubble, completely filled
Good oil quality

Cons:

Price
Have to vape at low temp

Recommendations: Evaluate the price to match the quality of the product

An interesting strain origin story

There are many versions of the story of how this strain was bred however, they all originated in the early ’90s when some growers/breeders followed The Grateful Dead. The most accurate story I got was from an article by Danny Danko for High Times magazine. I took some excerpts from the article:

‘’ It’s June 1991 in Deer Creek, Indiana, and the Grateful Dead and their entourage are pulling into town for a two-night run. Little does anyone suspect that marijuana history is about to be made….”

“As the story goes, Chem met P-Bud and Joe Brand on the lot in Deer Creek and purchased an ounce of a strain called Dogbud for $500. Later, he asked Joe to mail a few more ounces to him in Western Massachusetts, one of which contained 13 magic seeds.”

EDITOR’s NOTE: For you younger readers, the Grateful Dead was a psychedelic / jam band beloved by Boomers, with a heavy presence in drug and especially head shop culture. They broke up in the mid-90s, but still get together for revivals up to now. Having to explain this makes us feel very old indeed, but their music is still timeless.

Joe Brand managed to get some Dogbud in Crested Butte, Colorado

Joe Brand says he got a few pounds of Dogbud from some friends of a friend in Crested Butte, Colorado. Allegedly, the strain originated somewhere on the California/Oregon border. They called it the Dog, but Joe thought it tasted “chemmy” and nicknamed it Chem. Some called it Chemweed and others Dogbud. Chem combined the two names and came up with Chem Dog.

As P-Bud himself recently recounted to me, “It’s amazing that the Chem Dog strains have been preserved all these years. When I first saw the Dogbud in 1991, I could not believe what I was seeing—I’m so glad Chem found those seeds and did what he did with them. And it was never ‘Chem Dawg’—it’s always been ‘Chem Dog.’ It’s a combination of ‘Chemweed’ and ‘Dogbud.’ Joe Brand and I started calling the Dogbud ‘Chemweed’ because it tasted so strong. Chem took the words ‘Chem’ and ‘Dog,’ and there you have it …. ”

When Chem got home from the tour, he popped the first four of the 13 seeds. One plant was a male and unfortunately discarded. The three females were dubbed “Chem Dog” (now known as the Chem 91), “Chem Dog A” (now Chem’s Sister), and “Chem Dog B.” The 91 immediately became the most desirable and went on to serve as a parent for many of the most popular strains of the last 25 years, including Sour Diesel, OG Kush, and their many offspring.”

Chem Dawg is a strain that has come a long way

Nowadays Chem Dawg circulates all over the market. They have different versions of this hybrid, some more on the Sativa side, and others on the Indica side. In addition, Chem Dawg is a parent to OG Kush and Sour Diesel and they both spawned their own lines of strains ‘’OG’s & Diesel’s”.

This Chem Dawg cartridge by Trulieve costs $48.00, weighs 400mg, and is made of pure cannabis oil extract concentrate that has no added cutting ingredient. Other available strains by the Trulieve line of cartridges are Gorilla Glue, Sherbert, Strawberry Switchblade, and Truberry.

I bought this cartridge at my local dispensary for $48.00. This might seem pricey for a half a gram cartridge – and it is in most recreational states – however in Florida, we are still in the early stages of medical marijuana. Patients aren’t allowed to grow their own medicine yet, so the prices are high due to the demand of the product and the small amount of supply and limited permits that allow suppliers to grow and distribute legally. The THC levels are 78.020%. The CBD levels are 0.410%.

Good quality oil

The oil was a really clear extract and the cartridge was filled to the rim with a tiny air pocket. The flavor was really gassy and diesel-like with earthy piney, skunky, kush after-taste. I noticed that when I set my battery at any temperature over 3.5, the oil was harsh on my throat. Some pens don’t have temps or they have low, mid, and high temp settings, so you have to find the temp of your preference.

When vaping this cartridge I stayed productive through the day and uplifted, somewhat relaxed but not tired at all. I stayed awake and alert even though this strain is an Indica dominant hybrid. Another thing I noticed is that it barely got me hungry.

Effects are uplifting and relaxing

-Uplifting

-Happy

-Indica body high (but awake)

-Euphoric

-Relaxed

-Minimal Munchies

Very good taste

I have tried some “Chem Dawg” cartridges before when I lived in California. The one I can remember well was ABX Absolute Extract ($30.00 1gram). They both tasted awesome and the high in both was really good, the ABX wasn’t as harsh as the Trulieve when vaped higher than 3.5.

Concluding our Trulieve vape cartridge review

In conclusion, I give this cartridge a 7.6 total. After adding Pro’s and Con’s I think it’s a fair rating. There’s a few things I want to add because some people use cannabis recreationally, some medically, and for different purposes. I took this out of the Pros and Cons list: The fact that it didn’t trigger the munchies and that it kept me up and didn’t make me feel like napping or tired. That is because some people need medical marijuana to eat, some to sleep, others want the opposite. It all depends on what your needs and wants are, so it’s up to the reader if this is beneficial to you or not.

It was an awesome strain with really good effects and after effects. As far as taste and quality of the oil, it was good quality. The only complaint was the harshness after a few hits. The price is high, but then again everywhere in Florida the prices for half gram cartridges range from $45 to $65. Another piece of advice would be to upgrade the hardware; this will improve the appreciation of flavors. You can check the brand Heavy Hitters for example, and see the difference in hardware.

If you’re asking if I will continue to buy this product the answer is Yes. Overall the cannabis is valued over the price.

You can find out more about the Trulieve products here. Have you tried some? Let us know in the comments or on our forum.

Vape Cartridge Discoloration : What To Know

How To

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January 22, 2021

In the few years since vape cartridges have become popular for both nicotine and THC vapers alike, many alert users have noticed an odd phenomenon: vape oil turning different colors inside the cartridge. Ever since the vape lung health epidemic, vape users are especially wary of vape oil that appears to have something wrong.

We’ll give you a complete guide to cannabis products vape oil discoloration here to the best of our present research. Through this guide, you’ll hopefully know when and when not to be concerned.

Bottom line: Some discoloration is normal, more is a problem

Vape oil comes from the cannabis plant and other sometimes hemp, or plants in the case of botanical terpenes. Like any organic compound, these various cannabinoids, terpenes, and other bioactive chemical agents can be affected by a number of factors. Chiefly, vape oil can discolor due to any of these reasons:

Time – Vape cartridges actually have a shelf life! Over time, the oil in a cartridge left to sit will just change on its own due to oxidization
Temperature – Heat is the number one factor in most chemical changes
Sunlight – Like any extract from plant matter, sunlight can affect it
Moisture – Plain old water vapor can also play a role in breaking down organic compounds
Contamination – Other agents such as mold, mildew, bacteria, or invasive chemicals or additives, can all affect the appearance of the oil

So, to avoid cartridge discoloration and protect the ingredients of your cartridges, you should store them in a cool, dry, place out of direct sunlight. By “cool” we mean normal home temperature. A drawer in your air-conditioned home is ideal. However, do NOT freeze a cartridge! Not only will this cause moisture to form inside, but taking a cartridge from the freezer to vape it can cause it to heat up too fast and break.

Experienced coffee drinkers know the drill: Treat vape cartridges like coffee beans and they’ll stay fresh longer.

The ordinary electric lighting in your room should have no effect, as the light that can break down your ingredients is UV radiation from sunlight. However, you’re still better off keeping your cartridges in the dark if you use tanning beds or sunlamps, or have windows nearby.

As for the time factor, this varies. Extracts (for dabbing) last three to six months when properly stored. Vape carts may last up until one year.

See also: This comprehensive study on “Long-Term Storage and Cannabis Oil Stability.”

What does vape oil discoloration mean?

Most of the time, cart oil changing color is a sign that the oil is losing its potency. THC and THCA may degrade into to CBN or delta 8 THC. Delta 8 THC has a decreased psychoactive effect while CBN does next to nothing at all. This process is most commonly caused by sunlight and oxydization.

Furthermore, terpenes can also be separately affected by the same environmental factors. For instance, humulene has a boiling point of only 223°F (106°C), while also reacting quickly with ozone in direct sunlight. So the terpenes can be affected even if the THC is still potent, resulting in less flavor and entourage effects.

So it’s not like an older cartridge showing discoloration is going to hurt you. It is, however, likely to lose its potency.

Discoloration happens more often when you buy a cartridge on sale!

Let’s think this one over: Your local dispensary has a sale going on a cartridge brand. More likely than not, this is because the carts are going to expire soon. Dispensaries, like any retail business, have to manage their inventory and be careful not to overstock. When a brand doesn’t sell as fast as they’d hoped, they have extra sitting around and when that batch is getting near the end of its shelf life, they price it to move.

Some dispensaries might also be less aware of how cartridges are handled. So they might have carelessly left a case in the sun too long or transported it in a hot van, and other mishaps. Some dispensaries might have inexperienced employees that don’t know better. So if you add these affects together, an improperly stored and handled cartridge that’s six months old might deteriorate further than a year old cartridge that has been properly stored.

Cartridge discoloration affects all cannabis and hemp by-products

Not only THC vapes, but CBD and delta 8 vapes, can also become discolored. In most cases, the best color for cartridge oil is a transparent hue of light yellow or amber color, close to the shades of lemonade to honey. Some vape oils, particularly delta 8 THC cartridges, are as clear and colorless as water.

Things to watch out for in vape cart oil:

Darkening
Banding or stripes
Gradient color (darker at the top, clearer at the bottom)
Cloudiness
Crystals
Specks or grit floating in it
Bitter or sour taste
Extremely harsh on the throat when vaping

One rule of thumb is that if it looks extremely weird or tastes nasty, there’s probably something wrong with it. Logically, any full-spectrum cannabis derivative should have some marijuana flavor to it. With experience you can quickly tell when something is off.

Things to never do with a cartridge:

Leave it in the car on a hot summer day
Leave it on a sunny windowsill
Carry it around in your pocket, since that is also warmer than 70°
Keep it in the freezer (this is bad for coffee too, which is where this urban myth comes from)
Store it someplace damp or frequently moist like a sauna, poolhouse, bathroom, or greenhouse
Leave it sit for a whole year
Leave it sit attached to the battery for an extended time of weeks or more
Vape at too high a temperature

If you do have to transport vape carts on your person or in your car on a regular basis, consider investing in a carrying case. Carrying them in an external pocket, such as a coat pocket or tote bag, is preferable to cramming them in your jeans pocket.

Readers, share your other safe handling tips – or horror stories about mishandled cartridges – in the comments or in our forum.

Where Do Your Black Market Vape Cartridges Really Come From?

Culture

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September 17, 2020

We here at DabConnection were one of the first cannabis review sites on the web to indicate the problem of fake THC vapes. Even before the lung injury epidemic hit, we were already noticing the worrisome trend of cheap, but anonymous, vape cartridge brands showing up everywhere. Since then, we’re one of the leading authorities on the subject.

But we seldom get a chance to show readers the exact path of a black market product, from manufacture to your “plug from Cali.” Because there’s a story behind it that is a lot bigger than just black market vapes. It’s more like an economic war between China and the US, which the US is losing.

Begin in China

Americans have a completely flawed idea about China. Many in the US think that because China is “Communist,” that means that they don’t have free enterprise, commerce, and even money. Yes, China has money, always has. While the Chinese version of Communism still keeps to a Marx-Lenin-Zedong standard as far as upper government is concerned, they have long ago modernized things at the commerce level. This starts with the Chinese economic reforms from 1979 to the present.

China has a stock exchange. China has corporations. China has malls.

Here’s a Chinese gas station. They drive cars, pull up to pumps, and gas up just like we do.

Here’s a Chinese mobile phone store. They line up at China Mobile for the latest gadget release just like we do at our Apple stores.

Behold: A Chinese McDonald’s! They can plop down and eat a Big Mac just like we do. In fact, they have Chinese KFC too. That’s right, the most popular fast food chain in China has that familiar American icon smiling down at all who enter. Mind blown yet?

The Chinese Southeast commerce zone

There’s three provinces in China where basically all of the manufacturing and export occur: Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. They proceed from north to south along China’s coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, and are the richest areas as far as good old Capitalist commerce goes. The saying in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, goes “The mountains are high and the emperor is far away,” meaning that the city functions largely on its own with little government oversight.

Reason magazine has an eye-opening read on the black market in Zhejiang, where everything from banking to roads have been privatized. Despite American misconceptions about China, one of the best realizations of Libertarian Anarcho-Capitalism is right there on the China shore.

Fujian and Guangdong

While the black market in Zhejiang mainly seems to be focused on producing goods for local consumption, the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong are both the export manufacturing heart of China and where a lot of the counterfeits and fakes come from.

As you see in our banner image, we’ve traced a lot of Chinese vape cart packaging manufacturers down to just these two provinces. But there’s far more to these areas than just vape carts. Here’s a video on the counterfeit shoe market:

And how about fake condoms? Fake iPhones? Fake sports gear? Fake cosmetics? Fake COVID-19 masks? Fake whiskey, which also makes people sick? And for the ultimate slap in the face: Fake money? No wait, we have a better one: $2 billion in loans based on fake gold?

There is no end to the Chinese black market and what they will counterfeit. They will counterfeit anything with impunity, and the Chinese government condones it unless pressured by international intellectual property laws. Somebody should take an air sample in China to test it and find out if the air’s fake too.

The United States loses up to $600 billion per year to counterfeit goods, with 87% of those coming from China. It’s a problem in the rest of the world, too. As far as international trade goes, China appears to be aimed at undermining every corporation from every other country. As the NY Times points out, fake goods infiltrate even Amazon without their knowledge, to the point that consumers won’t buy certain brands on Amazon.

Alibaba Group and other sales channels into the US

We wrote up a post on intellectual property laws vs. vape companies and how they need to be enforced more. We mention the chief culprit is Alibaba Group, which also runs Wish.com, DHGate, and several other online retail sites. They have indeed been sued by countries from around the world over their tolerance for counterfeit goods.

While there’s always stories about how China, under pressure from other countries, is cracking down on the counterfeit market, there’s one good reason to think that they won’t do much about it: Alibaba Group is a huge corporation, basically the Amazon of China. They have had $72 billion (CN¥509.711 billion) in revenue in 2020 so far. Compare that with the United States’ Walt Disney Company, which made $69.5 billion in 2019.

Alibaba Group is as big as Disney. Let that sink in.

As we constantly point out, DHGate.com is where we find the majority of fake THC vape cartridge packaging, all of it sold for pennies on the unit. DHGate is owned by Alibaba Group. But there’s far more to the online vape cart packaging market:

Vapes Wholesale – Basically an Alibaba just for vape packaging. The biggest supplier of fake vape gear after DHGate itself.
Carts Packaging – Exactly what the name suggests, plus knock-off edibles and flower bags.
Cheapest Vape Supplies – Really small site, barely anything.
Made in China – Another vape package wholesaler, rubbing it in with the name.
420 Vape Bulk – Mid-sized site, becomign a bigger player in the fake cart game.
420 CBD Pen – They seem really confused at what CBD is, because they have mainly THC vape fakes.

That’s not even all the sites, just the major ones we find. When we’re searching the web for a vape cartridge brand being knocked off or a fake brand altogether, that’s when we stumble upon a new empty vape package distributor we never heard of before. And then sometimes on one of these sites, we’ll encounter a new fake brand we didn’t know about before, which completes the cycle.

As we demonstrated in our recent write-up on fake Moxies, it’s quite easy to find out the Chinese province of origin for any vape counterfeiter hosted on one of these sites. Find the cart, click “seller,” go to the seller’s home page, click “about us,” and the province and country will be listed there.

Conclusions

We hope this has been an eye-opening view of the big picture, behind the illicit vape market. This isn’t just about your health or about your local plug. This is an international issue, affecting the world. China, whether by intention of official policy or not, is on a path to counterfeit everything in the world until either all of our economies collapse or we’re all dependent on China. With so much more commerce moving online in the wake of COVID-19, that path is accelerating.

The bottom line: When you buy fake vapes from an untrusted source, odds are good you’re helping China get even more power over the rest of the world. And not just in vapes, but with literally everything that you can buy with money, you should be careful to scrutinize the merchandise so you’re not getting a rip-off.

Join us for further discussion in our forums!

Cartsdom vs CartBudy: Comparison Of Two Vape Cartridge Holsters

Cartridges

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January 2, 2020

Cartsdom Roulette and CartBudy are two of the most popular cartridge holsters out there. We’ve reviewed both Cartsdom Roulette and CartBudy here before, but now we compare them both.

Below is our video comparison of Cartsdom Roulette vs. CartBudy. Then keep reading on for the in-depth analysis.

Both do the same job at the end of the day, one smoother and pricer

The main difference between these two cartridge holders is build quality. The Cartsdom Roulette is clearly a high quality build. With that comes smoother operation all around. However, the CartBudy really does do the same job and is cheaper.

The price is higher on the Cartsdom, but you get a better build and feel. It just comes down to whether $40 for a Cartsdom is worth it to you when a CartBudy in plastic is about $22. Most of us here at DabConnection would take the Cartsdom over the CartBudy since they get a lot of use.

Cartsdom Roulette is the high-end cartridge carrier

Cartsdom Roulette is a cartridge holder that uses high-end materials and feels solid and a little bit stronger. It is smoother and feels nicer than CartBudy. Besides that, the actual functionality is very similar to each other. There are also some finishing touches on the Cartsdom Roulette that are better than the plastic CartBudy.

CartBudy is the cheaper build quality and cost

Similar to Cartsdom Roulette, CartBudy holds up to 7 different vape cartridges, 6 on top and 1 on the bottom. Unlike its competitor, this one uses plastic material. Overall it is still a good product and does the same job on making sure that you get the most out of your vape cartridges, it just runs a little rougher.

Conclusion: It’s up to you whether the Cartsdom is worth the extra over the CartBudy

cartsdom vs cartbudy

The only thing that would make you decide which one to get is your budget and frequency of use. If you want something that feels solid and uses high-end materials, then go with Cartsdom Roulette. However, if you want something affordable and does the same job, then get the CartBudy. If you hardly ever swap carts, CartBudy might be the way to go.

Comments or experiences with either Cartsdom Roulette or Cartbudy? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below or our forum.

Wind Vape Cartridge: Extreme High and Decent Flavor

By

Dominique

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Wind Vape cartridges, by Sunderstorm, have a pure THC distillate. Sunderstorm extracts the oil in these vapes from clean cannabis that is grown free of pesticides. Wind vape cartridges are manufactured and distributed by Sunderstorm, a company native to Los Angeles.

They are available throughout Northern and Southern California and they are known for their purity and potency. This Wind vape review revealed a high-quality cartridge that really packs on the strength.

Pros:

Amazing oil quality
Big thick clouds
Fast-acting
Works with any 510 thread

Cons:

Might be too intense for some users

Recommendations: Not much to change here, the cartridge is great.

Update: 11/27/2019 – Added new packaging from Wind Vape by Sunderstorm

Disclosure: Dominique the writer of this review works at Sunderstorm, but in order fulfillment.

Licensing Information:

State: California
Dispensary license: C12-0000057-LIC
Manufacturing license: CDPH-10002689
License verification
Other license verification

Wind Vape cartridges are fantastic overall

Sunderstorm manufactures and distributes their own products so they take particular care in what they do. Their Wind vape carts are on exception. The carts are built sturdy and have a pure distillate that smokes smooth and hits hard. For this Wind vape cart review, I tested out the Jack Herer strain, which is an intense sativa.

Cartridge design is nothing unique but it is great quality overall

Sunderstorm doesn’t skimp on quality with their Wind vape cartridges. With a mouthpiece and base made of metal, the carts are quite sturdy and feel very substantial when held. Wind vape cartridges have a thick glass tank, which I prefer over plastic, to ensure no plastic permeates their pure oil.

Wind Vape carts have a nice long mouthpiece that has great airflow

The mouthpiece on this cart is quite large. It isn’t too much larger than other carts, but it has a large tube that really helps with airflow. The airflow is quite open and without any resistance so I can take huge hits and make thick clouds. At times, however, it can be so smooth it’s a bit hard to tell if I got any vape.

The oil quality is the star of the show in this cartridge

Sunderstorm takes care to provide the purest solvent-free distillates to put into their Wind vape cartridge. They start with strict pesticide-free cannabis cultivation and extract the oils using C02. They triple distill their oil and purge it completely to achieve unmatched purity before putting the golden fluid into a cartridge.

Wind Vape cartridges have spectacular potency and high

I warn you that these distillates smoke very smooth and they hit very hard. Testing at 90% THC, this batch of Jack Herer really packs a punch. However, what really makes it so intense is the fact that the distillate has CBD present. The high potency of THC mixed with CBD gives Wind vape cartridges a hallucinogenic effect that is very intense and I love it. The only other cartridge I have experienced this with is Roam’s entourage effect.

The Wind Vape cartridge by Sunderstorm — The Wind Vape by Sunderstrom is really strong.

Updated Packaging — We got here the updated packaging for this specific strain.

This cart has a very mild flavor but it is naturally derived

Though perhaps not considered full-spectrum, Wind vape cartridges do have a number of terpenes present. The terpenes add a fruity and slightly musty flavor that is in no way overly potent. Wind vape cartridges have are smooth and zesty without leaving a bitter aftertaste. For a similar experience but a more robust flavor, Raw Garden is a great choice.

The terpenes in Wind vape cartridge distillates really add to the overall effect of the high

Terpenes do more than give this oil flavor. The overall high of this cart is amazing and the terpenes make it a great experience. If it weren’t for the terpenes and CBD the high would have been a lot less intense and complex. The purity and cleanliness of this distillate really give a clear high, but terpenes make it well-rounded.

Relevant data — Good Info on the stickers

The distillates are the purest I have seen on the market

Most cartridge companies don’t take the time to make their distillates 100% solvent and filler-free like Wind vape carts are. According to the COA this batch of distillate tested negative for nearly everything and it makes the effects feel very clean and intense. This is great because I don’t get any sort of headache when vaping Wind carts.

Efficiency on the Wind vape cartridge was industry standard

This cart didn’t re-invent the wheel when it comes to efficiency. Like most cartridges of the same design, I could not completely empty the tank. The tank still has a little bit off oil left, but the wick doesn’t suck it up and so it remains. Although I’m just being greedy because I want to finish the oil all up.

The Potency gives you a great bang for your buck

I only take one big puff of my Wind vape cartridge to be sent spiraling into an intense high. The cartridge is a standard 1/2 gram in size but because I really don’t have to use much to feel the effects it lasts a good while. The high itself peaks quickly and lasts, quite intensely, for about 4 hours. This will probably extend my Wind vape cart to last about 3 or 4 weeks which is great.

This pen is totally worth it and I am going to be purchasing it again

Wind vape cartridges are an absolute value. They average at $35 per cart and although that price is pretty average, the distillate is not. For that price, the distillate’s smooth and tasty vape caught me off guard. Not to mention that more steeply-priced vape pens come nowhere near the intensity of Wind vape cartridges.

Sunderstorm wind vape cartridge — Very smooth and clean

Concluding my review of Wind vape cartridges…

Updated Wind Vape cartridge Jack Herrer - Sativa — New packaging for the Jack Herrer- Sativa.

The distillate within Wind carts is really a testament to what a clean and pure distillate is capable of. These cartridges have the purest and cleanest feeling highs I have ever felt and they take effect almost immediately. Overall it’s an experience that is well worth the cheap price and can entertain even the heaviest smokers. I wouldn’t recommend vaping it on an empty stomach.

You can find more information about Wind on the Sunderstorm website. You can find out about their availability here.

Have you tried Wind before? Post your review below! Questions or comments? Post below or in our forums!

RAD Vape Cartridge Review: Weak and Bad Hardware

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The RAD vape cartridge appears to use THC distillate but it might be CO2 Oil. Overall this turned out to be the most disappointing vape cartridge I purchased in the past year. It tastes really good, but even at almost 85% THC, I feel almost no effects from this cartridge. On top of that, when I open the cartridge, originally its already leaking out from the bottom due to the poor quality of the hardware it uses.

Pros:

Great taste

Cons:

Very week effects
Hardware leaks

Recommendations: There’s something off with this formula that results in almost no effect. Also, change the hardware to something good like the CCELL or SPRK Cartridge.

See our video review of RAD vape Cartridge below. Keep reading on for a more in-depth review.

The RAD vape cartridge is disappointing

I did not like anything about this vape cartridge except for the taste. The taste is really awesome. The strain we tried here is the Hawaiian Punch and it really does have a great Hawaiian Punch taste to it. However, there’s absolutely no strength which is odd considering the THC percentage is fairly high.

We’ll go more into the details on the RAD vape cartridge below, but I can say that it’s not something I would recommend in it’s current state.

RAD vape cartridges have poor build quality, leaked out of the box

When I first opened the RAD cartridge and looked at the rubber piece at the bottom, you can see that the oil already dripped in. I pulled it off and the oil is already leaking out of the bottom airflow holes from the cartridge. This is not normal, and not something you normally see. I noticed that RAD is using some type of cartridge that is not that common and it appears to be of cheaper quality. It actually looks like the type of thing that you would see on exotic carts.

Definitely, they should use better quality here. However, I did take this oil and put it in an old Caliva cartridge which is actually a CCELL. Even then, changing the hardware did not save it.

RAD vape cartridges lack strength

RAD cartridge — It does taste like Hawaiian Punch.

I’m not the only one to claim this, but I checked out other reviews online and other people were saying that the RAD Vape has no strength. Not sure what’s missing here. Maybe it doesn’t have that much THC as they say or maybe there’s something that is not properly blended with the terpenes, myrcene or other items in the cartridge.

Overall, there’s really just no strength here. I ended up giving half of this cartridge away after doing a test on in a CCELL as mentioned above and realizing that this oil doesn’t do anything for me. Maybe it will do something someone who is a very light user, but this cartridge will take you back to 4 years ago when THC vape cartridges were extremely weak.

Taste is the one thing that the RAD vape cartridge has going for

The taste is really good. The strain reviewed here is Hawaiian Punch and it actually tastes like Hawaiian Punch. Some people don’t like these types of flavored cartridges, but I don’t mind them.

There has to be an artificial flavoring as it doesn’t taste natural. I would prefer a straight, nice distillate taste like Aces extracts, but this still tastes better than the trim run oil that you find on brands like Select Elite. Since Select is so much stronger, I would still take Select Elite over this.

Efficiency is not so good because it already leaked right out of the box

When I took off the rubber piece on the bottom of the cartridge, it was already leaking. I lost oil without even using the product and overall efficiency cannot be scored higher because of that.

On top of that, the hardware is not really good and it’s not delivering every hit. There’s more efficient hardware out there. I would say that this is probably more efficient than the pods out there that seem to pull oil on the sides. That has happened to all of them including the G Pen Gio, CCELL Dart, Uno, and the Yocan Trio.

RAD vape is standard cost, sub par performance

A full gram RAD vape cartridge is $60 at Pure Life in Placerville, CA. That’s the standard price that they have for all one gram cartridges. I would much rather grab a Select Elite at the same place for the same price.

I would rather pay $42 for a half gram Aces Extracts disposable vape pen over the RAD cart. I will get more effects from that half gram than the RAD full gram, simply because it is so much stronger per hit. I can hit the RAD vape 30 times in a row and it would not be as strong as hitting the Aces Extracts vape 5 times.

Concluding our RAD Vape Cartridge review…

The RAD vape turned out to be a big disappointment. It looks cool and the THC percentage is high but it uses poor quality hardware that leaks and there’s something off about the formula. We hope they can re-formulate this at some point and make this a good cartridge.

A lot of these companies are just a couple of steps away from going from a low-quality product to a high-quality product. At this point, I cannot recommend RAD vapes but if I see a hardware change in the future I will give it another try and update this review.

Have you tried the RAD Vape Cartridge before? Post your review below! Questions or comments? Post below or in our forum!

Cartnite Is A Fake Vape Cartridge Brand

Culture

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September 25, 2019

We’ve seen these going around for awhile. At first glance, the cartoon art style might lead to thinking that they’re an offshoot of Bart Carts or South Carts. But they’re actually a new fake “brand” on the black market, meant to be a riff on the popular video game Fortnite.

Cartnite carts are a widely spread fake brand

This time it’s targeting a video game popular with a teen and young adult audience, so then we’ve seen a little activism among the fan base. YouTubers such as Auxlan and OutofOrder posted expository videos over the summer, which confirms sightings on the street as far back as May of 2019.

The flavors could all be the same oil. Cartnite is just a packaging type.

They’re on WeedMaps, which is really becoming a slum for suspect products and unlicensed dispensaries. We were told they would clean up their act a month ago.

Varieties depicted include “Cookies,” “Gelato,” “Sour Diesel,” “Purple Punch,” “Gorilla Glue,” “Mimosa,” “Banana OG,” and “Lemon Cello.” Of course, since these are all sold empty on the black market and filled by whim of whatever the dealer has on hand, they could be any liquid at all.

Personally, the Present Author would be embarrassed to smoke anything out of such sad packaging, even if they made the oil right in front of me. They’ve become a tired old joke on Reddit already.

An extreme warning post about Cartnite — May or may not result in death, we cannot confirm that.

This is going a bit too far – it depends on what the cart is filled with. Still, we can’t disagree with the overall intentions.

more Cartnite examples — The hardware for Cartnite has not been tested for heavy metals.

“Cartnite” obviously violates trademark

Epic games, the company which makes Fortnite, is a software and gaming company rounding its third decade in business, employing a head count of 1K+ worldwide. Among their other claims to fame is the Unreal game engine. Obviously, they wouldn’t allow a THC cartridge company to use this franchise tie-in.

Come to that, to this date, not one, single legitimate cannabis product has used any promotional tie-in with any character, cartoon, TV show, movie, book, or any other media. The closest we’ve seen is real-life celebrities promoting their own brands, such as Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, and Tommy Chong, as we mentioned before.

Black market cartridge brands are a gamble with your life

As always, we point out that these cartridges are bought empty online from offshore distributors and filled by home re-sellers using “whatever and who knows.” And while it’s possible that they were filled by somebody who was conscientious in preparing the oil and ensuring quality, you have no way of knowing without a lab test.

Given that making your own cartridges is a labor-intensive, painstaking process and even legitimate distributors get it wrong sometimes, the more likely scenario is the bootleg cartridges being filled by somebody cutting corners. Which can have deadly consequences, due to potential contaminants including vitamin E acetate, MCT oil, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, heavy metals including lead, lipids, or pesticides.

At the least, it could just be bunk oil for the classic rip-off.

Anybody have stories about Cartnite to share?

Or any Fortnite players want to share their epic castle builds in Creative mode? We’ll take those too. In the comments or in the forums.

Runtz Is A Fake Vape Cartridge Brand

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August 19, 2019

In researching fake vape cart brands and counterfeit knock-offs of real cart brands, we often find ourselves visiting some very weird corners of cannabis culture. But the Runtz story, without a doubt, is one of the most confusing rabbit holes we’ve ever dived into. We could fill a documentary just with a Runtz case study.

Let’s get right to the first point:

UPDATE December 2020: A legit Runtz brand now exists, registered by Cookies LLC. It is not to be confused with the long-standing fakes we post about here.

Runtz vape carts are from a 100% fake brand

There is no controlling or regulating company we can find. Not a dispensary. Not even one of those lifestyle brands selling Tshirts. The entire brand is conjured out of thin air. The packaging is for sale anywhere and everywhere:

Notice that the Runtz cart packaging often crosses over with other fake or ripped-off brands. We’ve seen mutations of “Chronic” and “Gruntz,” but more than that, Runtz packages tend to pop up in the same page with other fake / rip-off brands we’ve covered before: Jungle Carts, Dank, and Cookies. Anything goes, it seems.

The “Gruntz” “brand” seems to be taking off as a spin-off now:

There’s also lots of flower bag packaging and even canisters with the Runtz brand:

What is White Runtz strain?

To this date, we have no confirmation of any strain called “white Runtz,” “pink Runtz,” or any other color or variety of Runtz. Runtz itself is alleged to be a strain, but even that seems to be poorly sourced. For “white Runtz,” there is literally one paragraph on WeedMaps and a couple reviews which are themselves ALSO showing this fake black market packaging. If you go to any source and they show you a picture of packaging like anything you see here, it’s bogus!

Is Runtz a real strain?

Since we posted this, a new brand of cartridge has launched called “Runtz,” by Cookies LTD. We have it on utterly sworn testimony that a strain called Runtz exists out there, but this may have come about after the fact. You have to take into account that “Runtz” for a while there in 2019 was the most hyped term on the Internet. It has now been claimed by an actual company in the spirit of commerce.

Brand Analysis: Runtz is just packaging

The official name “Runts” is a fruit candy brand owned by Nestlé. Note the ‘s’ in the spelling. The Willy Wonka brands of candy were also licensed by Nestlé, directly from British author Roald Dahl, of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame. Here is an example product from the real life candy company:

In the Runtz packaging, you can see the elements of the Wonka design with the whimsical font and the hat made famous by the late Gene Wilder’s character. Indeed, the Wonka candy line also runs brands like Nerds. Are there Nerds carts too?

You bet your sweet bippy! In fact there’s a whole Wonka cart thing out there too:

Still going with the same hat. Seriously, guys, what did Gene Wilder do to you?

Obviously, there is no way that a commercial company could get away with this without Nestlé suing them into next century.

The fake calling out the fake!

We found a page calling out a fake Runtz brand. They claim to speak for the “real” Runtz brand. It even says “we know the owner and creator of the Runtz brand.” They link to an Instagram page for “@runntz,” purported to be the authentic source of Runtz brand packaging. This is what we found:

Didn’t we just mention Cookies? And there’s “Chilly Wonka” now. Leave Gene Wilder alone!

At this point, this is one of the mother lodes of fake cannabis branding. It’s like one of those conspiracy theories that ties all the other conspiracy theories together.

But wait, there’s a YouTube link and an Instagram image that shows “Yung LB and the RVNTS GVNG.” It also has the “Joke’s Up” logo even though the nutter we mentioned earlier savaged “Joke’s Up” for being the fake and then linked to this page as the real McCoy. Where does the YouTube link go? Well…

It links to a channel called “Runtz Media” with a whole three videos up. Two of them are “official” music videos for Runtz-themed hip-hop songs and one guest vocal for something unrelated. One of the Runtz songs is titled “Runtz Yo Life Up.” While this flyer clearly proclaims that you can buy tickets “@RuntzLoudandUncut,” there is no such account at any social media platform anywhere, writing at this time only two weeks until the proposed event date on that flyer.

We’re getting suspicious of this whole hip-hop artist’s career. So we searched around and found a hashtag #RuntzYoLifeUp, like the song title, but going to an entirely separate social media account:

We’re back to Danks again. The rabbit hole never ends, folks. At this point, it would take David Lynch to make sense of the narrative.

“Runtz” was originally alleged to be a cannabis strain

Runtz is the alleged name of a hybrid bred from “Gelato” and “Zkittlez.” Fake vape cart packaging tends to latch onto these names and slap them onto every cart and label, even if it makes no sense. There’s even just a #runtz hashtag on Twitter, popping up on the kinds of posts that spin the hashtags for every random fake vape cart brand.

So that tells us something about what’s going on. What is happening is a counterfeit “brand” comes out, then other counterfeiters copy that, and it just goes around.

There’s just one thing left we’d like to ask…

Does anybody actually own the copyright to the Runtz T shirts, at least?

Because we found a Runtz.com, an Etsy store, and dozens more outlets for random Runtz-branded merchandise and none of them seem to be the definitive owners of the brand either.

UPDATE December 2020: A legit Runtz now exists!!!

Runtz is now a registered trademark brand – note the lack of Willy Wonka copyright infringement. Note also that not until November of 2020 was the status of the original patent application changed to “NON-FINAL OFFICE ACTION ISSUED,” which means it’s still not final and has until May of 2021 to file the next step. However, given that they’re launching actual products with the trademarked name from actual dispensaries now, that’s a good enough trademark for us. Note that the other Runtz products we cover here (all the carts) are still not legit, as they came from other sources.

The Runtz trademark owner is “Cookies Creative Consulting & Promotions, LLC,” the same outfit behind the Cookies dispensary, strain, and product line. This company has a record of being extremely casual (to put it as nicely as I possibly can) when it comes to tending to the bylaws of business, so it comes as no surprise that “clarification” is needed. Welcome to the mystery world of Runtz, USTPO!

Have you encountered fake Runtz products out there in the wild? What else is out there? Anybody from Gene Wilders’ estate or Nestlé care to weigh in?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below or in our forum!

South Carts Vape Cartridges Are Spreading

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August 12, 2019

There’s one big reason why everybody in cannabis culture needs to be concerned about fake cartridges. These fake cartridges are hurting the reputation of the legitimate weed legalization movement. Case in point: Fake cartoon-branded cartridges were seized in Wichita, Kansas. They were “intended for medical marijuana use.”

cart toon cartridges — Here are some Cart Toon carts that pre-date South Carts, but have South Park images.

This is the kind of thing that gets into the public mind and discourages them from voting to legalize. It is also the exact kind of scenario cannabis advocates assured the public would not happen.

South Carts are still being produced

Since we already posted about cartoon-branded vape cartridges a few months back, various reviewers have spotted these in the wild. More reports keep coming in, getting weirder every day. This YouTube reviewer (warning: NSFW language) found an “official” Instagram page for the South Cart source with animations of the cartoon characters. It’s still up. Most disturbingly, the hashtags at South Cart’s Instagram include those for medical cannabis.

Know what you are getting: random oil from random vendors

The empty cartridge kits are available all over the Internet. You can buy the empty carts with matching packaging and fill the cartridges with whatever home-brew concoction. Then you can sell them with no regulation or oversight.

South Cart isn’t the only fake brand with copyright-infringing theming, of course. We mentioned before that cartoon cartridges are available on Alibaba and DHGate, but would you believe…

…Amazon carries Mario Carts? Of all companies, you would expect them to know better.

Our best bet as a community is to raise awareness about this

We need to let the non-smoking public know that this isn’t the cannabis community’s doing. We need to let government know that legalized cannabis was supposed to be regulated, and more regulation needs to be done.

As reported over at Leafly, Grenco Science, manufacturers of the G Pen, sued 65 different online retailers for selling counterfeit versions of their products. That worked with a vape pen product and they were awarded $47 million. They might be able to do the same for cartridges once it is fully legal.

Have you seen South Cart vape cartridges in your area? How did they perform? Comment below or in our forum!

NUG Vape Cartridge Review : Good Value Buy

Cartridges

By

Lucas

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NUG is the brand name for a line of products manufactured by Bloom Innovations. Bloom both grows cannabis and manufactures a wide variety of cannabis products which they then distribute under the NUG brand name. They are decidedly more rigidly corporate in structure and protocol than many cart manufacturers out there. Their growing methods, extraction methods and cartridges have all been designed in-house by a dedicated R&D team. The carts they produce are filled with a CO2 extracted distillate.

See our video review below, then keep reading for the in depth review.

NUG cartridges are available in California. In this review we’ll be trying their Premium Jack Herer see how their carts stand up against the competition.

Pros:

Good flavor which maintains throughout
Adjustable airflow for thicker or lighter hits
Easily cleaned and refillable cartridge design
Affordable cost

Cons:

Hits are never particularly thick
Oil drains quickly
Cartridge clogs constantly

Recommendations: Fixing the clogging issues with the cartridge and giving it a better heating element to provide thicker hits would make it truly great for the low price point. If they went with a CCELL, all problems fixed.

Licensing Information: CANN Distributors, Inc., license number C11-0000451-LIC

NUG packaging front — NUG’s packaging is simple but functional.

NUG offers good value and unique design

The CCELL design of cartridge has become so ubiquitous that it’s sometimes a bit of a surprise to see designs that stray far from it. NUG, however, has a proprietary cartridge design that is clearly different in several notable ways, but similar to the style of Rove and Cannabiotix.

NUG THC carts are filled with a particularly tasty distillate which provide excellent flavor from the start to finish. Unfortunately they tend to drain fast. An incredibly low price point offsets any real complaint over the lifetime of the cartridge itself, however. They also clearly post information for you to find test results for the distillate batch in question on their packaging, something precious few companies have caught onto yet.

NUG packaging back — They clearly post a link to find verified test results on all their carts.

Unusual but interesting design in NUG carts

The visual appearance of a NUG cartridge is not uniquely striking at a glance but upon close inspection many differences arise. It’s a 510 threaded design that is almost entirely metal housed save for the glass oil chamber. The chamber, and entire main body, is larger than most half gram carts. It sports a large headspace over the liquid even when full, something that may at first seem negative but, as we will see later, helps to make it even more easily refillable.

It also has a particularly unique set of adjustable air vents, allowing you to control the strength of your hits. This feature is quite nice, though it would be more appreciated if it hit heavier than it does in the first place. Compared to a CCELL cart the clouds it puts out are a bit anemic.

Under the mouthpiece is a small metal band which rotates. It covers or opens three air inlets on either side of the cart.

Excellent flavor at a low price from NUG

One place where I can’t fault NUG at all is on their flavor. The Premium Jack Herer cartridge was a delicious citrusy, floral flavor that I enjoyed every moment of. For anyone whose primary focus is flavor it’s not a hard recommendation to make. I can’t think of any others at such a low cost that manage to deliver both natural and full bodied flavors as well as avoid the burnt flavors toward the end. It blows carts like Atlas Extracts completely out of the water.

This is only hurt by the light hits and rate at which the cartridge drains. Lighter hits do make it easier to savor the cartridge but if you want any kind of decent high and you have some tolerance it will take quite a number of hits to deliver. The high is a decent length for the price of only $25, lasting a few hours at a time, but it ultimately only lasted me a couple of days of heavy use.

NUG cart internal packaging — The internal packaging on the cartridge follows the trend of simple but functional. Just a plain plastic tube and some rubber stops.

Readily available testing verifies cleanliness

NUG provides a link to easily verify the posted strength and the absence of contaminants on the packaging of all their carts. The full testing results for this cartridge can be found on our cartridge testing page.

Premium Jack Herrer testing info — NUG provides full transparency on testing.

Easy refills provide an edge for NUG’s cart design

To further enforce the budget nature of the NUG cartridge they have gone with a design that is incredibly easy to open, clean and refill. The mouthpiece of the cartridge is held in place by a central pin down through the center of the oil chamber. This also serves as the air inlet for drawing hits. It opens quickly and easily with a twist and goes back on just as easy. Once opened it’s not difficult at all to clean out with a few alcohol cleaning pads to then fill with your choice of concentrate. For someone looking for bargains and convenience this is a feature worthy of note.

NUG cart opened — The chamber is marked so you don’t overfill. Once filled and the pin is back in place it also serves as a roughly 50% marker due to displaced volume.

Good flavor, low price from NUG cart

This cartridge was clearly designed with the bargain hunter in mind and, for the most part, it delivers on that. Its strength does make it hard to recommend to those with a higher tolerance. But the exemplary flavor makes it something that may be attractive to others just looking for more of a tasty treat. I’d say it’s not a bad cart on a budget and it’s definitely a treat when it comes to taste.

If you are looking for higher strength with good flavor, but at a higher cost, check out Airo Pro. They made our best THC cartridge lists for both California and Nevada.

Empty NUG cart — No burnt bitterness at the end of the cart makes for a good experience at a low price.

Concluding this NUG cart review…

Overall I would rate NUG’s cartridges just a bit above average, with its flavor winning me over in spite of its lack of strength. For the price it’s something that’s hard to beat on a tight budget if you’re looking for cartridges to deliver your high. Their proprietary cart design could use some improvements but it’s nice to see some companies change things up a bit. You can find NUG carts near you here. You can read more about NUG and Bloom Innovations on their website here.

DabConnection: Dab, Vape Cartridge, And Cannabis Related Reviews

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April 21, 2019