.The Brass Knuckles lawsuit comes down to issues with pesticides in their THC vape cartridges causing illness. Added to the lawsuit are Xzibit and SC Labs. Here we go through the case claims and provide insight. Be sure to also check out our Brass Knuckles vape cartridge review and our vape pen pesticides list.
Update 10/29/2018: Uncovered further information showing the other owner of Brass Knuckles.
Dirty Vape Cartridges Makes Brass Knuckles Customers Mad, Sick, and Pursuing a Lawsuit
We first saw the Ignacio Lee lawsuit reported on TMZ. Brass Knuckles contacted TMZ and on May 11, 2018, TMZ updated the post with a statement from Brass Knuckles spokesperson that they were in compliance and that their oils were clean. Then comes Datdude4150 on Instagram cartridge strength and cleanliness de-bunker extraordinaire with a recently posted test showing Brass Knuckles as dirty again.
Here are some real Brass Knuckles cartridges
Who really owns Brass Knuckles? Not just Xzibit
Below are pages from the original letter complaint regarding Brass Knuckles non-compliance with California’s all encompassing Proposition 65. This is not the lawsuit filing, but a “NOTICE OF VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 25249.6” based on Prop 65. These letters are sent out to build up a lawsuit for later.
Most noticeable is that the lawsuit is addressed to Regina Herer in Tecopa, CA. A further search finds that she is also known as Jeannie Herer, the wife of the late Jack Herer. She is sent this letter because she is listed as the registered agent. She does not appear to operate a professional registered agent service. Therefore, it is safe to assume Jeannie Herer is one of the owners, if not the main owner of Brass Knuckles.
Dragged into the lawsuit… is Xzibit!
Named as a defendant in the Brass Knuckles lawsuit is Xzibit. He is a part owner of the company and its celebrity spokesperson, but the manufacturing process is not managed by Xzibit. He is responsible for helping sell the product. This is how the American legal system works, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Plaintiffs end up with nothing if attorneys cannot go after deep pockets. For consumers this is a good thing.
Plaintiffs do not want $0 if the company goes bankrupt
For example, Brass Knuckles is probably a corporation or LLC that can go bust if the lawsuit is too big. They do not use a trademark logo on most of their items and it is a federally illegal product so it is likely there is no trademark or anything really besides Xzibit endorsing it and a bunch of ads that keep it going.
By suing Xzibit, they can try to collect on an individual should the company not be able to pay out the lawsuit judgment. Maybe that would make us feel a little better, since we remember him as the guy from Pimp My Ride who fixed up people’s cars for free.
Statement by Xzibit on the Brass Knuckles lawsuit and clean oil
His real name is Alvin Nathaniel Joiner. As spokesman for the company, he responded to the lawsuit’s claims via his Instagram account, stating: “Our oil is clean” in one post and in another that the product is “COMPLETELY pesticide AND contaminate FREE.”
This statement proved not to be true as Brass Knuckles tested dirty after he made that statement. It may have been uninentional, as I doubt Xzibit has much to do directly with the manufacturing process.
SC Labs also named as a defendant in lawsuit
SC Labs is included in the lawsuit as well. The company claims that the dirty cartridges are fakes. There are a lot of fakes out there. However, so many bad tests have come back of real cartridges as well. It makes Brass Knuckles and SC Labs both hard to trust. Steep Hill is the lab used by Plaintiffs in that case that showed the vape carts as dirty.
Fakes are all over the place.
Brass Knuckles and Heavy Hitters have similar issues
Just like Heavy Hitters testing dirty just recently. They used the same claim that Brass Knuckles now uses to say their oil is clean. It might be, but how can we trust them after so many issues? In their defense, fake Heavy Hitters is a problem too.
Legal allegations and claims against Brass Knuckles, Xzibit, and SC Labs
Allegations directly from the complaint sum up the basis of the suit:
“Defendants prominently advertise and label the Products as being ‘Lab Tested, Contaminant Free’ … when in fact they are contaminated by harmful pesticides. Defendants also prominently advertise and label the Products as being the ‘Most Potent THC Cartridge Available.’ However, the THC content of the Products is actually substantially lower than that of many competing vape cartridges. Defendants are able to charge substantially more for the Products than they would otherwise if consumers knew that the Products were contaminated with pesticides and not as potent as promised.”
The legal claims brought by the defendants asserts causes of action for negligent failure to warn and violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL, codified at Business & Professions Code sections 17200 and 17500 et seq.), breach of express and implied warranties, and California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA, codified at Civil Code section 1750).
Pesticides exceed California limits
They claim that the pesticide levels found in Brass Knuckles vape cartridges exceed the maximum allowed by California law. The pesticides found on the test by Steep Hill labs were: bifenazate, etoxazole, myclobutanil, trifloxystrobin, permethrin, bifenthrin and carbaryl.
More than just regular damages
The types of causes of action included in the suit are important because they allow for collection of additional monies from the defendant’s if they win. These causes of action include recovery for: restitution, attorney’s fees, legal costs, disgorgement of profits, injunctive relief, and punitive damages.
Attorney’s fees and punitive damages
These are both very important parts of damages in a case. Attorney’s fees being recoverable is important because it means there is no cost to the Plaintiffs to litigate. Most cases of this type the attorney or law firm will take the case with no actual out of pocket cost to the client, and recover fees upon winning the suit. This can make litigation much more expensive for the other side.
Punitive damages are important. They punish the defendant for participating in a bad activity. See a full explanation on punitive damages here. This means at the end of this case, if they win, the Plaintiffs will get a larger verdict against the Defendants. The point of punitive damages is to discourage the same activity in the future. For example, Heavy Hitters might see this lawsuit and make a better effort to keep their vape cartridges clean.
Perspectives from a litigation lawyer
According to litigation attorney Ian A. Stewart, this is the start of a new wave of multiple lawsuits that will be filed. In his analysis of the Brass Knuckles lawsuit, he also stated that insurance carriers are denying and will continue to deny claims related to pesticides (and probably residual solvents too) in vape cartridges. This leaves companies with no other choice to go bankrupt at the end.
In conclusion, the Brass Knuckles lawsuit is only the start of keeping THC vape cartridges clean. The easiest solution is for California to get serious about regulating the industry. Tests are coming back dirty from various companies even after the July 1, 2018 deadline. California needs to commit to consistent batch testing procedures like those followed in Nevada. For now, we can hit cleaner (and often better quality) stuff in Las Vegas than in Los Angeles. Who would have thought that would be the case 10 years ago?
Have you gotten sick from Brass Knuckles or other dirty vape carts? Post your comments below or discuss in our forum!
Body and Mind (BaM) has come out with a THC vape cartridge that uses the G Pen Gio vape pod. Doing this in depth review of BaM cartridges that use Gio pods I found the oil quality to be top notch, while the G Pen Gio pod system could use some work. Despite it’s lackluster hardware, BaM’s oil is so awesome it still made our list of the best THC carts in Nevada.
UPDATE 7/10/2020: The Gio pod has been updated to a wickless ceramic heating core. We’ll be updating this review soon.
BaM cartridges are super tasty BHO with high strength, top notch oil
BaM cartridges hit hard and the battery is cool, but the Gio pod lacks in quality and brings down the product overall. Next time I would be extracting this oil out and using it in another vape system. Better yet, BaM should offer their oils in syringes or standard CCELL cartridges. This would bring the overall product up a lot in quality.
Bubble Gum from Body and Mind, a fire among fires.
I preferred the Bubble Gum over the Lemon G. Lemon G was still good, but Bubble Gum was truly exceptional in quality.
On par with any other major brand, Lemon G was still good.
Wicks are no longer winners for vape cartridges, and build quality suffers here
The G Pen Gio pod system ensures a strong hit on any type of oil. Reason? The wick burns. Odds are you are hitting a burnt wick for a large portion of the time you are hitting anything off the Gio pods. I was told by others (not G Pen) that it was a ceramic core system. Well it is, but it just draws to a wick, so it means nothing and someone get us out of 2013.
Below is a picture of the entire heating element broken down. Note the burnt wick in the bottom right.
Note the burnt wick on this BaM cartridge.
The burnt wick is a bad sign for design. Pulling towards a ceramic core or anything without a wick is better than wicked. This is the same reason we thought Pax Labs failed in our Pax Era review, we found Stiiizy pods to be top notch, and when comparing the two very similar form factor devices, Stiiizy crushed the Pax Era.
Below is a full breakdown of the entire atomizer including mouthpiece, tank body, wick, ceramic core and connected pieces.
BaM can do better. So can G Pen.
The coil is wrapped around the wick. You would not find this unless you really break it down into pieces. I could even see the people at G Pen being told by their manufacturer that this is a ceramic core atomizer. It’s really halfway there.
Despite its wick, the body design is awesome.
I am sure our readers would want ceramic core that is not burning off a wick at the end of it. I have not been a fan of G Pen vape pens in the past. Nothing new that the product is not of good quality.
Body and Mind’s THC Oil Quality is simply awesome
The strains I tried were Bubble Gum and Lemon G. Bubble Gum came in at a very legit 91% THC. I trust the results a little more since these cartridges were purchased in NV (at Nevada Made Marijuana in Laughlin, NV to be exact). The oil has a cognac color and is made via BHO extraction.
Oil matches the table, mahogany color.
I wish this oil was in another cartridge or pod system. Better yet BaM should make THC syringes as well. There’s hope G Pen might change the Gio pods to a true ceramic, non-wicked core. We can only hope.
Lemon G comes in at a lighter, amber color.
Above you can also see the Lemon G had a lighter color. Generally I prefer lighter color oils, but that Bubble Gum was super fire.
BaM cartridge strength was high on both, 91% THC Bubble Gum was on par with best of best
Both BaM cartridges had great strength, but Bubble Gum was best of best level. I would put BaM’s Bubble Gum on par with refilling a Stiiizy pod with high end distillate. Definitely ahead of Brass Knuckles or Heavy Hitters, which are both very popular.
Body and Mind’s Bubble Gum test results were stellar.
BaM’s other cartridge was on par with other major high quality brands, like Select Oil. Part of the strength in hits comes from the burning wick, unfortunately. This oil would still be strong in any other cartridge. In the future I will take out the oil and put it in something else. A reverse of doing a G Pen Gio refill. This probably would ensure a better result than hitting the same oil out of the Gio pod.
Taste was great until wick got more used
Body and Mind cartridges taste excellent until the wick gets used more and more. You can tell they are doing a great job on the oil, but they just selected poor hardware to match to it. Things taste a little more burned after about 2/3 of your way through the Gio pod. Can’t wait for them to come out with syringes.
View from the official DabConnection review headquarters for the week, the Aquarius.
The G Pen Gio pod is efficient, I will give it that
The BaM cart got used to almost the very very end. Efficiency was not an issue at all for the Gio’s pod system.
Number of Puffs Was Good
Total puffs on the BaM cartridge was comparable to other pod systems. It seemed efficient and did not burn off too much oil at all.
Interesting packaging. I thought I was going to break it when pulling it out.
Value was good considering the quality of the oil
It was about $50 for a Body and Mind G Pen Gio pod. The Bubble Gum was totally worth it and the other strain was worth it too, but not as good a value. At 91% THC, $ per ml of THC is a good ratio.
All your standard warnings. Really better not to drive, that Bubble Gum is strong.
In conclusion, I would buy a BaM Gio pod again, especially if they have the same 91% Bubble Gum cartridge. However, it would be much preferred they switch over to a CCELL, something else without a wick or just give us that dank oil in a syringe (and include a metal tip). We hope G Pen makes a better pod system and that would fix it as well. Body and Mind extracts are certainly top notch, and it needs hardware that matches its level of quality. You can learn more about BaM and their extracts here.
What are your thoughts? Like the Gio or has it made an otherwise great oil worse for you?
The following data and information show the test results of brands of prefilled vape pen cartridges also known as oil pens. Pesticides are a constant issue in these cartridges and strength is often incorrectly claimed. These tests are both for pesticides and residual solvents. Please note that the results are those taken at the date listed on the test. Testing is becoming mandatory in more states so in the future many of these same vapes may be clean or already be clean now.
Much thanks to @dat_dude41510, @dankbustersofficial (deleted account), @dabpengod2, and @thedojaapp on Instagram for allowing us to use their test results and starting awareness about this. We are including other test results as they become available. Cartridges’ results will be in alphabetical order by brand name. The FAIL indicates a fail on pesticides. Strength was also tested, but that can vary slightly test to test, so we did not put a FAIL if only strength was off. The cartridges tested are from California. A full list of cartridges that tested clean from this list is listed at the bottom of this page. We have recently partnered with cannabis lab consultants Digamma Consulting to provide more tests and should have these results up soon.
710 King Pen fails the test for pesticides. See our full 710 King Pen review.
Alpine Vapor Pesticides Test – FAIL
Alpine fails test for pesticides. Close up of the results.
Below is the full sheet of results for Alpine Vapor showing strength tested as well. You will see it comes in pretty weak at 33% THC. This is the Skywalker OG cartridge.
AkAlpine Vapor is pretty weak and also dirty.
Alpine Vapor has been in the game a long time, we expected better. See our full Alpine Vapor review.
Apex Labs Pesticides Test – FAIL
Here we have the lab result for Apex Labs – Tangie Sativa cartridge. Beware of this cartridge because this is one of the dirtiest that is out there. The result shows positive for 9 pesticides over the legal CA limit. Check more here.
Bloom Farms Vape Pesticides Test – PASS
Bloom farms test on 12/05/2017 came up clean. See below.
Bloom came out with a new test published on the back of their cartridge. Passed for pesticides. See below.
Coming in clean, yay!
It is good to see things are turning around for Bloom Brands, but we do keep a record of previous tests, as shown below.
Bloom is riding dirty.
Glad they came through clean recently.The oil came up dirty for pesticides in this test on 12/20/2017. At least it is pretty strong. Bloom Brands is not to be confused with Bloom Farms below, which tested clean.
Brass Knuckles Pesticides Test – Current PASS, Previous FAIL
Brass Knuckles has had their vape oil tested two times since and have passed. SC Labs is being sued in the Brass Knuckles lawsuit. Currently, Brass Knuckles has switched testing providers and that information is shown below. There are other tests as well, but they passed too, so we are showing one for simplicity.
Brass Knuckles cart in Strawberry Cough
Current Passing Test
Comes out clean, page 1.Comes out clean, page 2.
Previous Failing Test
Previous test was a fail.
Brass Knuckles vapes have been exposed for pesticides before, but now it is passing which is great! They taste good and deliver good strength. Check out our Brass Knuckles review for more info.
CaliCarts Pesticides Test – FAIL
A warning to anyone planning to get this black market cartridge. This CaliCarts tested positive for 19 pesticides. It also tested positive for Lead and Mercury but within CA legal limits. Just don’t risk your health on this one.
And here’s the alarming lab result.
California Dab Company Pesticides and Residual Solvents Test – FAIL
California Dab Company’s Cannabis Infused Vape Cartridge – Sour Apple will do good with its 67.5% strength. Unfortunately, we all have to be wary specially if we still have to know whether the company is licensed or not.
California Dab Company – Sour Apple Cannabis Infused Vape Cartridge
Below test result shows 67.5% THC content.
In terms of strength, 67.5% is considered okay.
Tested positive to contain 7 CAT 1&2 pesticide, would you still sesh on it?
Test result shows pesticide contents.
Cap’n Crunch Pesticide and Heavy Metal Test – FAIL
We have here a lab test result from BelCosta Labs for the Cap’n Crunch – Blueberry Pancake Crunch. This one failed the Pesticides test.
Cereal Carts Pesticides and Strength Test – FAIL
Cereal Carts have provided official lab results with images of the actual cartridge, Honey Nut Cheerios.
Shown above, Cereal Carts has failed the pesticide test. Containing 5 different types of pesticide and a low of 68% THC
Dank Vapes Jack Herer Pesticides and Strength Test – FAIL, Additional Result For Hardcore OG – FAIL
Again we’ve looked into test results of Dank Vapes and we have the new packaging shown below. As the test showed below, it came out dirty and was tested positive for 1 pesticide over the CA legal limit.
Dank Vapes Jack Herer Packaging
Keep in mind that there is no ‘real’ Dank vape company. Anyone can buy this packaging online and fill it themselves.
Certificate of Analysis for Dank Vapes
Dank Vapes tested positive for Fenhexamid as shown
It also tested positive for LEAD but within the CA legal limit. FENHEXAMID – is a synthetic floral fungicide that is used to control plant pathogens. Fenhexamid exposure is detrimental to respiratory systems, digestive tract, muscular system, and the central nervous system. This synthetic fungicide may also induce severe eye and skin irritations.
Update: Below we have another lab result for the Dank Vapes Hardcore OG. This one also failed the test for pesticides, showing 11 pesticides that are outside the CA legal limit. Check for yourself:
Dank Vapes Pesticides and Strength Test – FAIL
Dank Vapes pesticides result is finally out however it should be stated that there aren’t any pictures to show the actual item. Only direct lab results are shown below.
Dank tested positive in at least 5 types of pesticides. Bad news for Dank lovers out there.
The Dank Vapes strength test is shown below.
Dank Vapes strength test result is 70%.
The results shown above came from PSI Labs through Permafrostlabs. Although it should be noted that no pictures of the actual items tested were shown. There’s a big chance they tested a fake Dank cartridge as they are made available everywhere. It’s really hard for us to verify this test yet.
Dank Vapes Pesticides and Strength Test – PASS
So I went straight ahead to PSI Labs and here’s the result from their website. Also, shoutout to Zack for pointing this out.
Below is a screenshot from PSI’s page showing Dank Vapes’ King Louie test result. Results showed 65.15% total THC.
Dank Vapes King Louie with 65% total THC.
Below shows the indication of a pesticide-free concentrate.
Test results showed no foreign materials, pests, mold or fungus for Dank Vapes.
Dark Hawk Pesticides and Strength Test – FAIL
Dark Hawk lab results show that it is pretty weak at 70.66% THC. It also failed for 2 different pesticides. We have here a picture of Dark Hawk.
Here we can see the lab results for Dark Hawk – Ice Cream.
Delta 9 Pesticides and Residual Solvents Test – previous FAIL / Deltamax 2.0 PASS
Delta 9’s vape cartridges came in pretty strong at 76.5%. However, they failed for 5 different pesticides. Below is a picture of what a Delta 9 vape cartridge looks like.
Cartridges from Delta 9 may be riding dirty.
Below are the strength and residual solvents test. Delta 9 passed the residual solvents test.
Delta 9 THC cartridges have pretty good strength.
Pesticides are shown below for Delta 9 in the test results.
Failing for 5 pesticides is not a good look for Delta 9.
Deltamax 2.0 Pesticides Test – PASS
We have here the Deltamax 2.0 – Strawberry AK passing the pesticide test. This is expected as per @dojaapp since its coming from a fully licensed dispensary in CA.
DynaPuff Pesticides Test – FAIL
Dyna Puff Tangerine Dream
DynaPuff came in dirty for a wide range of pesticides in their test. See below.
DynaPuff tests dirty for pesticides.
The strength test for DynaPuff was very surprising. It came in super weak with a 16% cannabinoid profile.
DynaPuff is one of the weakest vape carts out there.
Eden Extracts Carts Pesticides Test – PASS
On our recent review on Eden Extracts we’ve discussed how Eden stands out from the crowd in so many ways. From its incredibly high-quality distillate and amazingly good in-house designed cartridges. Below, you’ll see the test result for Eden Extracts.
Eden came out strong and clean as shown on the test results below. It’s great they are keeping everything clean and the strength is the same as it says on the packaging.
ExoticCarts Pesticides Test – FAIL, Additional Result FAIL
Exotic Carts testing result is out. One of the most popular vape cartridges right now and widely pirated. Tested positive for 13 pesticides under Category 1&2. A cartridge with this much contaminants, would you still try it?
Has widespread availability but you might want to avoid this brand as much as possible.
Here’s the pesticides test results of Exotic Carts. As datdude41510 mentioned, a THC profile wouldn’t matter for a stuff that pops out at least 13 different pesticides and fungicides.
Exotic Carts is highly contaminated as shown in this result.As expected of a black market/street cart, it tested positive of pesticides.
Flavorz Pesticide Test – FAIL
This particular packaging was purchased at semi-legit but not BCC licensed shop in CA.As shown by @TheDojoApp, Flavorz has failed in their lab results.Flavorz results show lead, which causes developmental delays, abdominal pain, neurologic changes and irritability.
Flavorz lab results show very negative here, displaying for 16 pesticides and lead over the La legal limit.
FlavRx Pesticides Test – FAIL, Additional Result FAIL
FlavRx came out with weak and dirty cartridges. It comes in at less than 60% THC. No extra charge for the pesticides. It should be noted that FlavRx also has cartridges in Nevada, and there if it tests dirty they don’t sell. So it might still be safe to vape in NV.
Update: We have here another lab result from their old packaging. This one is for the Gorilla Glue. Unfortunately, this one also failed for pesticides test. It shows that it contains 3 pesticides that are over the CA legal limit. Below is the lab result.
Update: FlavRx has recently rebranded to Flav. Check out our Flav cartridge review for more information.
Flight Farms Pesticides Test – Pass
Datdute41510 tested this and came out clean. When the actual test shot is available we will post it as well.
Flight Farms came back clean and strong.
At 81% cannabinoids, Flight Farms came in strong and clean.
Friendly Farms Residual Solvent Test – PASS
Here we have a lab result for Friendly Farms that shows it passed the Residual Solvent test. The only thing that bothers us is that it contains 2066.67 ppm of n-Butane. Its still within CA legal limit of 5000 ppm per gram but still, this is somewhat alarming.
See the lab result below:
Heavy Hitters Pesticides Test – FAIL, Additional Result PASS
Heavy Hitters came in fairly strong at 71% THC. Pesticides not looking good though. The test is of the Girl Scout Cookies strain vape cart.
At least Heavy Hitters has some strength.
Another disappointment as HH is pretty strong and seemed like a good value. See our in-depth Heavy Hitters review for more info.
Adding to this another product from Heavy Hitters was tested, it is the Sky Walker OG and the bad news is, the pesticide test failed. Although it has a good amount of THC on it Heavy Hitters should make it safe as well. You may check the results below.
Sky Walker OG
Below is the disappointing result of the most recent pesticides and solvents test. Heavy Hitters fails again.
Unsafe…
We have another addition of one most recent pesticide test for HH. This time they got a PASS for the Northern Lights – Indica strain. Hopefully, this will continue with their coming products.
Heliosphere Solutions Heavy Metal Test – PASS
Here we have a Heavy Metal Test result for the Heliosphere Solution – Sour Tsunami Glass. They’re one of the promising brands to look for this 2020. Check the result here:
Himalaya Pesticides Test – Pass
Himalaya has a wide variety of cartridges from different strains, to name a few they are the Strawberry Cough and Super Silver Haze from the Sativa strain. Below you will see the THC and Pesticide tests of the two featured cartridges.
Strawberry CoughSuper Silver Haze
You can check the test for your self to prove that the cartridges are made safe and has enough strength.
Himalaya Rattlesnake Diesel Pesticides Test- Pass
Himalaya vapor packaging
Himilaya is a small batch company reigning from norcal, creating strain specific, clean meds at affordable prices. Previously we had a test result of Himalaya Vapor and it came out clean. Again, Himalaya has proven itself and still came out clean through all the tests made.
Test result for Himalaya vapor showing how clean it is
Results show active cannabinoids with THC: 78.2% CBG: 2.2%, CBC .8%, CBD .28%. Also it’s tank construction is made out of glass and ceramic manufactured by ikrusher . This oil is some of the best you’ll ever try. This Company uses cannabis derived only terpenes, and zero terpene diluents or solvents. They source norcal outdoor flower, and extract it themselves, and refine it for a cartridge.
Honey Cut Pesticides Test- PASS
Honey cut oil
40% distillate? there’s an official COA on this bullshit from belcostalabs now. but have all the compounds found in this diluting agent been tested for what they may turn into when heated?
COA for honey cut
Cartridges put out temperatures of over 350 degrees Fahrenheit. That intense blast of heat can change the chemical structure of some compounds. such as a common pesticide: myclobutanil that turns into hydrogen cyanide when burned.
so thehoneycut where’s the ingredients list?
HoneyVape Pesticides Test – Pass
Still looking for the original test and will add when available.
HoneyVape consistently comes up clean.
Hitone Pesticides Test – FAIL
Hitone is a brand out of the L.A. area.
Hitone is riding dirty folks.
Besides failing the pesticides test, the oil is not super weak at 63% THC.
Ignite Sunset Sherbet Cartridge Pesticides Test – PASS
Ignite Cannabis Co. makes cartridges, nugs and pre rolls. Their Sunset Sherbet vape cart has been tested and came out clean of pesticides. However, we are unable to show its cannabinoid profile and residual solvent results.
Ignite Cannabis Co. – Sunset Sherbet Cartridge
The test results below show Ignite’s Sunset Sherbet is totally clean from pesticides.
Ignite’s Sunset Sherbet vape cart is pesticides free.
Interstate 710 Pesticides Test – PASS
One of the few to pass! THC not super strong, but I would take clean over strong any day.
Test reveals this vape cart’s oil is free from pesticides.
This brand might not be available everywhere, but they do come up clean.
Jetty Extracts Pesticides Test – PASS
Jetty Extracts comes away with some clean stuff that also is strong.
Jetty comes in clean and strong.
The THC content was advertised at 3% higher. However, this is a small enough variation within reason. Would like to try Jetty oil in a Stiiizy style setup.
Kingpen Pesticides and Heavy Metal Test – Current FAIL, Previous PASS
Kingpen claims that their oils are distilled 5 times to ensure that it passes tests. The lab results that we have here are for their Jack Herer strain, which is named after the renowned marijuana activist, Jack Herer. Combining a Haze hybrid with a Northern Lights #5 and Shiva Skunk cross, Sensi Seeds created Jack Herer hoping to capture both the cerebral elevation associated with sativas and the heavy resin production of indicas. Its rich genetic background gives rise to several different variations of Jack Herer, each phenotype bearing its own unique features and effects. However, consumers typically describe this 55% sativa hybrid as blissful, clear-headed, and creative.
Kingpen Jack Herer carts
As shown in the lab results below, KP Jack Herer passed for heavy metals. There were no issues with the THC profile coming at 82.075%. It was slightly higher than what the product claims, which is 70%.
The heavy metal testing shows all passed results.
King Pen Jack Herer Lab Results
Here we have the lab result for KP Super Lemon Haze and KP Gelato cartridge. These are black market cartridges that’s why we cannot test it for Pesticide and Heavy Metals. But if you will see the result, both of them has a Total THC that is not close to what they claim in the box.
Korova Super Silver Haze – PASS
This test result came was shared to us by Korova. The test results show that Korova Super Silver Haze came off clean and strong. As you can see in the summary, Korova passed in all types of tests. It has a total cannabinoids of 91.95%. Total THC is 86.94% which is pretty strong.
To know more about this product, check out our review on Korova cartridges.
Here’s a summary of the test.
Kurvana Vape Pesticides Test – Current FAIL, Previous PASS
So, this test result was pulled out from Kurvana’s website. The test lab results show it tested positive on cumene and o-xylene. As per Wikipedia, “The main effect of inhaling xylene vapor is depression of the central nervous system (CNS), with symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. At an exposure of 100 ppm, one may experience nausea or a headache. At an exposure between 200-500 ppm, symptoms can include feeling “high”, dizziness, weakness, irritability, vomiting, and slowed reaction time.”
Test results showing levels of o-xylene and cumeneKurvana test result
Previously, Kurvana’s test results came off strong and clean. The test below was of the Blueberry strain vape cart.
Clean and pretty strong.
Kurvana’s ASCND line shows great promise. Coming with an impressively strong with 87.95% cannabis content. See the test results below.
Strong content for this oneKurvana ASCND is pesticide free
See our full Kurvana vape review here.Should be noted that’s a review of the original Kurvana. Newer versions are supposed to be better.
LA Kush Pesticides Test – Previous PASS, Recently FAIL
LA Kush comes from the same makers of Flight Farms. Good strength at 79% and it passed clean for pesticides on the original test. New tests now show it coming up dirty.
LA Kush makes clean and strong vape carts.
Below is the new test results for strength pesticides for LA Kush. It came out pretty weak for THC content, but it did pass for solvents.
These cartridges are pretty weak at 48.5% THC.
Below is the pesticides test for LA Kush. This time it failed.
Failing for pesticides, LA Kush goes to the dirty column.
Unfortunately, LA Kush went from a previous pass to a fail.
Lion Extracts Pesticides Test – FAIL
Lion Extracts will give you a good hit at 72% THC. But, never good when it gives you pesticides as well.
Lion Extracts failed with 4 pesticides.
Mario Carts Pesticides Test – Previous FAIL, Additional Result FAIL
A new product is added here and it is the Mario Carts Strawberry Pie. But sadly the pesticide test failed. And for the THC content, we will consider it as low at nearly 70%. To check it yourself here are the results below.
Looks simple… Mario Carts!
Here is the result of the pesticide test.
How sad for Mario…
THC content…well a bit low for the strength.
I thought Mario is Strong but looks a bit weak…
Well, let see if Mario Carts will improve their cartridges.
Update: Here we have an additional lab result for Mario Carts Skunk OG. Not only that this one failed the pesticide test again, the result also shows that this one contains Lead that is 33 times the legal limit allowed by CA Law.
Health is always a choice. We don’t want to force you on what to smoke, we’re just here for you to be informed.
Mimosa Exotic Carts Pesticides Test – FAIL
Here we have a lab result for the exotic cart “Mimosa”. This cart tested positive for 9 pesticides of which 4 were over the CA legal limit.
Let’s see the breakdown of its lab result here:
You will see below all the types of pesticides found on the said sample of cart.
MKX Sunset Sherbet Cart Pesticides Test- FAIL
The Midknightxpress brand is not safe. As shown on the test on the second page by PSI Labs, this cart has failed it’s test. And the thing is they’ve been producing products since 2017.
Here’s the test result by PSI Labs which gives us proof and reason to stay away from this brand.
Moxie Pesticides Test – FAIL
This was surprising. Moxie is known for making exceptional quality extracts. Turns out they have pesticides in them, as Moxie failed the pesticides test. This is a California cart Luckily, we used a Nevada cartridge in our Moxie cartridge review. In NV they do batch testing, so Moxie is probably still safe over there.
Strength test for Moxie came out good with a 77% cannabinoid profile. Still would not hit it if its dirty though. They also should update their cartridge style.
Strength is good for Moxie.
NUJ Premium Jack – PASS
The pesticide test was done on the Jack Herer strain of NUG. Fortunately, they passed the lab test. There were five tests done it total for this. NUG Premium Jack has a strength of 68.23% which is pretty good. It contains 64.78% THC. See the full test results below.
NUG provides full transparency on testing
Good thing that it also passed the test for solvents.
Another test that was done was for chemical residues. NUG passed on that area as well.
Go and check out our NUG Vape Cartridge review for more information on this brand and what we thought of it.
OCPharms Pesticide Test – FAIL
OCPharms fails for five pesticides and it’s strength is a joke. Not that much more THC than regular weed.
I’ll take datdude41510’s word for it.
Here are the test results:
Only 33.01% THC content for OCPharmsOCPharms fails on a couple of chemicals here
Platinum Vape Pesticides Test – Fail Currently, Previous Fail
One of the most requested vapes to get tested. Platinum Vape Michigan lab test result is out. Sorry Platinum Vape users but your favorite has tested dirty.
Update: We have contacted Platinum Vape to see if they actually carry a VFire pod.
Lab results of Platinum Vape.
Below is PV’s pesticides analysis showing they are positive with contaminants.
PV pesticides analysis.
Second round of test for Platinum Vape. This time Sour Apple and Fruit Punch varieties got tested. Big thanks to Herb & Legend for posting these results.
Platinum Vape Sour Apple and Fruit Punch
These Platinum Vape cartridges were purchased from a licensed dispensary in Northern Michigan. Please below the lab results.
Platinum Vape Fruit Punch lab result.
Platinum Vape positive with pesticides the second time around.
Platinum Vape tested positive of pesticides.
Plug and Play Vape Pesticide Test – Pass
Plug and Play Fire OG
Plug and Play Vape pods had a good amount of THC at nearly 79%. You may want to check out our Plug and Play vape review. Below is the strength test.
THC strength was pretty good on the Plug and Play.
The second page shows that the Plug and Play OG is safe.
A clean result is nice to find.
PMO (Pure Michigan Oil) Pesticides Test – FAIL
Pure Michigan Oil vape cartridges have been around some time in 2018. They’re on the low end of THC strength based on the results below.
PMO has 47% THC strength.
Below test results show contamination of 2 pesticides.
Pure Michigan Oil tested positive with 2 pesticides.
Pop Carts Pesticides Test – FAIL
I have not encountered this cartridge and no one has requested for Pop Kart to get tested. Anyway, remember Pop Kart pops pesticides!
Pop Kart pops pesticides!Pop Kart’s colorful packaging.
Potters Cannabis Co Pesticide Test – PASS
Potters Cannabis Co recently changed their formula to a stronger THC percentage. 80.3% is good! We will be updating our Potters cartridge review soon. The first page is the strength test.
Coming in strong.
The second page of the report shows the results of the pesticides test. Potters is clean.
Clean across the board.
The last page is the lab certifying the tests.
Signed and approved, Potters cartridges are clean
Potters Cannabis Co comes through strong and clean.
Private Reserve Pesticides Test – FAIL
This Brass Knuckles look-alike tested positive for Myclobutanil which converts to Hydrogen Cyanide when heat is applied. Please beware! This is straight poison.
Here’s the lab result that shows other pesticides present in this cart:
Raw Garden Dosi Punch x Clementine Cartridge – PASS
Raw Garden released this Dosi Punch x Clementine creating a very interesting terpene profile which has a total Cannabinoids of 93.59%! Raw Garden also came out clean and free from pesticides.
This hits hard and has the perfect high in it, well that explains the 87.29% THC content, 4.8% CBG and terpenes totalling at 5.9%.
Raw Garden Lime Mojito Pesticide Test – PASS
Raw Garden Lime Mojito cartridge came strong at 87.71 total active Cannabinoids and also free from pesticides which is great!
The second page shows the test results where Raw Garden Lime Mojito cartridge came out clean and free from pesticides. The test also shows the result of 80.65% of THC and 3.33% of THCV which is impressive.
Red Dragon Extracts Pesticides Test – FAIL
The Red Dragon Extracts cartridges tested positive for 5 pesticides… 3 of which were ABOVE THE CA LEGAL LIMIT. Below are the test results.
Rove Vape Pesticide Test – PASS
In our Rove cart review we found some strong, thick oil. Well turns out it really is strong and it is free from pesticides.
Rove comes in clean and strong.
The few, the proud, the clean. Rove is delivering quality and decent strength at 70% THC. In Addition to this a test was made with Rove Featured Farms and it is not a surprise that it is strong and safe.
ROVE featured farms
Below are the Pesticide test result.
Pesticide Test…SAFE!
And here is the THC content test…
Look how strong it is…
Savage Sticks Pesticides Test – FAIL
Savage Sticks Wedding Cake and God’s Gift varieties lab results are out. Both popped pesticides.
Savage Sticks Wedding Cake with 66% THCWedding Cake tested positive of 4 pesticides.This got 69% THC.
Savage Sticks Gods Gift tested positive with Myclobutanil – 20x more than the limit set by Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
Savage Sticks God’s Gift tested positive with Myclobutanil.
Select Oil Pesticides Test- PASS
Select Oil comes out clean.
See our Select Oil vape review. The Select Elite cartridge was used in this test and it came out clean. Strength was decent too.
In addition to this, another product from Select Elite cartridge has taken the test and passed, it is the Select Elite Island Sweet Skunk. Below you will see the results of the test for pesticides and thc content of this said cartridge.
Select Elite Island Sweet Skunk
The test for pesticides came out that it is safe to use.
Pesticides test…Pass!
And for the THC content… You will not regret it, it has a very good amount in it.
At 86% THC content, you will love this…
Sure thing that the Select Elite cartridges are doing good.
These cartridges came to be strong, having a high THC level percentage.
Solace Pesticides Test – FAIL
Here we have a lab test result for Solace cartridges. It tested positive for 5 pesticides but only 1 came in over the CA legal limit. Stay healthy and remember that your health is always a choice!
Lab result shows that it contains Bifenazate – this is sold under the name Floramite used to control mites. In our industry, it’s commonly used to control spider mites.
Space Vape Test – PASS
Space Vape
As shown below. Space Vape came out at with a positive test. Passing with 91% THC as well as being pesticide free.
These cartridges came out to be very strong and potent.
Stiiizy Pesticides Test – Previous PASS, Now FAIL For Benzene
Stiiizy Premium THC Pods
The latest Stiiizy test failed for Benzene, which is a solvent. See the below results.
That’s pretty disappointing. Stiiizy seemed like a really good product.
Stiiizy did not come out super strong. Maybe its strength is in the vape tech.
This vape might be more about its delivery system than the strength of its oil, but it does hit stronger than anything else we have tried as far as prefilled THC carts go.
Clean as a whistle. Sure does taste clean.
Stiiizy does pretty well and out of the box hits very strong. See our full Stiiizy review for more information.
Suicide Girls Pesticides Test – FAIL
Suicide Girls are getting dirty on pesticides.
Pretty strong at 70% THC, but it does not make up for the pesticides in it.
Supernova Pesticides and Heavy Metal Test – Current PASS, Previous PASS
Here we have the lab result for Supernova – Maui Wowie strain. It passed both categories of pesticide and heavy metal testing.
We now have here the lab result for Supernova – Green Apple OG. It tested positive for 2 pesticides. Even though they’re not carcinogenic, they should still not be having them on their carts.
Below shows the lab result for Supernova – Peach Dream. This one passed the pesticide test unlike the previous one. We hope that they stay consistent with what they do on their products.
We have another lab result entry here for Supernova – Dosi Mango. This also shows that Supernova is already being consistent with what they do since this one also passed the pesticide test.
Updated 01/27/2020: Here’s another addition to Supernova’s consistent performance on passing the pesticide test. We have here a lab result for Supernova – Mandarin Cookies.
Supreme G Extracts Lab Test – Current PASS, Previous FAIL
The latest lab test results for Supreme now passed this time around. The tests show no pesticides, all pure THC content. See the updated test results below.
Supreme G extracts passed lab test resultsHere is another test result using another sampleSupreme has turned things around this time
It was bad that Supreme G Extracts were called out before for faking test results. Hopefully, this is now a chance for them to redeem themselves.
Below are the fake lab results that Supreme G Extracts posted this lab result. The reason why we tagged them as FAIL the last time.
Supreme G Extracts posted this lab result. It’s fake so we tagged this result as FAIL.DatDude4510 – “So supreme posted some test results from Steep hill showing that they have clean product. Here’s the problem when contacted not only did Steep hill say the batch #’s were invalid, they went on to state that they’ve never tested supreme.”
Supreme G Extracts Lab Test – Current PASS, Previous Pass
This is the current lab test for Supreme. Again, the tests show no pesticides, all pure THC content. See the updated test results below.
test shows that they still keep everything cleanHere’s the Concentrate:
It’s a good thing that they keep everything clean. We hope that they keep up the good work and for those who want to know more about their carts, you can check out our review here.
Supreme Hybrid Pesticides Test – FAIL
Supreme brand may sound interesting but for its cartridge the Supreme Hybrid there is a different story. A test was conducted and the result is not good for the safety of the consumers. Below you can see the test results.
Check this out this is the Pesticides test.
Unsafe!
For the THC content, let’s say that it needs some improvements.
LOW…
Let us hope that Supreme will improve its cartridge.
THClear Vape Pesticides Test – FAIL
Not out of the clear on pesticides.
Strength is OK, pesticides are not OK.
The Clear Pesticides and Residual Solvents Test – PASS
The Clear with their Classic Variety in Golden Goat flavor cleared on any pesticides. Only problem is it might not be strong enough to a regular user with sub 50% Total Cannabinoids. Check out the product below.
The Clear Classic – Golden Goat flavor
Below is the strength and residual solvents test. The Clear with 48.9% total.
The Clear with sub 50% total.
The Clear cleared on pesticides. See results below.
The Clear came out clean of pesticides.
The Clear came out clean without any trace of Category 1 & 2 pesticides but might be too weak for regular users. I’d say to each his own as some want to last the whole day vaping while some choose to puff with instant big hits.
The House Brand Pesticides Test – FAIL
This vape pen called “The House Brand” failed the pesticide test. This is another Myclo-infused pen. It tested positive for 5 pesticides and FAILED for MYCLOBUTANIL. By now, we should all know and be aware that when heated it converts to Hydrogen Cyanide. See below the lab results:
Treebase Klear Pesticides Test – FAIL
Pretty dirty but strength OK.
Strength not too bad at 62% THC. Dirty on the pesticides.
VVS Vape Pen Pesticides Test – FAIL
Sad results on pesticides but it is strong.
VVS does come in with some really strong THC. The delivery system of its dispoable battery is what made it seem so weak in our VVS vape pen review. 83% THC is the highest on this list.
Waky Willy Pesticide Test – FAIL
The results show to have a really low percentage of THC.Waky Willy cartridge showing negative results and present pesticides
Waky Wily Sunset Sherbert tested negative, with a low of 59% THC and with 4 different pesticides.
WVapes Pesticides Test – FAIL
Decent strength.
Strength is decent for WVapes. Below is the pesticide test.
Riding dirty on four items.
Being pesticide-free is more important than being strong, but dirty is dirty.
Meet The Clean Team
The following cartridges came out clean in alphabetical order:
Bloom Farms, Brass Knuckles, Flight Farms, HoneyVape, Interstate 710, Jetty Extracts, Kurvana, Potter’s Cannabis Co., Raw Garden, Rove, Select Oil, Space Vape, Supernova, Supreme G, The Clear and Rove.
Cartridges that were clean and then later tested dirty:
Kurvana Vape, LA Kush, Stiiizy
These are California cartridges that were tested. States with strict testing laws may not have these same issues. These tests are from random cartridges by the above brands and it does not mean all their cartridges are dirty or all the above are clean. If you have any additional testing data you would like to submit, please post on our forum!
I first saw Potters cartridges on Weedmaps. The delivery service I frequently order from had added this new CCell prefilled vape cartridge on their menu. It was the glass mouthpiece that caught my attention that ended up being plastic. Already, before I even vape the Potters cartridge, the review was off to a bad start. The packaging itself was some of the best I’ve seen from prefilled vape pen carts. I was surprised to see that the actual product I received was different than the image on Weedmaps for this company. I decided not to complain to my delivery driver because I thought perhaps after this Potters cartridge review it would turn out to be a nice product.
Potter’s updated their cartridges by May of 2018. We got a new version of their cartridge in the end of June 2018. This new version is much better. Although our initial review was not good, Potter’s has improved things substantially, and is now one of the better carts out there. It also is a bonus that Potter’s is one of the few companies that tested clean on our list of THC oil pen pesticides tests.
UPDATE 06/08/2018: Potters Cannabis Co has recently changed their formula and many of the new cartridges out there are made of this new, stronger formula. We will be updating the review soon to reflect the change. Potters also tests clean for pesticides which can be seen on our vape pen pesticide tests page.
UPDATE 07/02/2018: Post updated as we have now extensively tested the new formula. The cartridge is on the latest CCell hardware. THC strength is now at 80%.
The Potters cartridge looked different from what I saw on Weedmaps.
Potter’s cartridges now do come in latest style CCell cartridges with 5 holes. See below.
This is probably the best non-pod cartridge you can get.
Potters cartridge THC oil taste has greatly improved
The initial Potters cartridge review didn’t result in a high score for taste because it had a medicine taste to it when vaped. I didn’t like the first cartridge Sour Diesel strain from Potters Cannabis Co. and it reminded me of another product I’ve had that was also ethanol extracted. The new cartridge was Jack Herer, but it is more than just the strain that was changed from the previous cartridge. The terpenes added to its cannabis extract oil have been changed. The entire formula is different.
On Potter’s new cartridge, taste was completely changed. They have terpenes in it but not too much, as THC is still at 80%. The hardware change definitely is helping the taste too. The new CCELLs taste great, and that is exactly what Potter’s is using. I am not sure that they are using ethanol extracted cannabis anymore either,
The packaging looked great on the Potters vape cart.
Medium High Price Range, But Worth It For Clean Oil
The new THC oil inside of these prefilled cartridges is a lot better than the previous version. Potter’s went from being one of the worst carts to one of the best carts with their recent up date. A half gram cost $30 USD from my local cannabis delivery service, which is reasonable given the quality and that it tests clean for pesticides. I have noticed a trend on some vapes, the flashier the packaging most of the time the product turns out to be less impressive. That was the case with the old Potter’s cart, but the new one lives up to the flashy packaging. Also, every prefilled cartridge I tried that came in a plastic tube turned out to be no good.
Potters cartridge review reveals high strength THC.
I couldn’t find any lab test for the total amount of THC in these prefilled cartridges. Nor was there any information on the nice packaging. The new packaging displays this information on the bottom as shown below.
80.3% THC is pretty strong!
The THC oil is definitely stronger now on the updated cartridge. It is on par with Brass Knuckles vape cartridges and Heavy Hitters carts, but still not as strong as Stiiizy pods. I would bet this oil in a Stiiizy style pod would be stronger than Stiiizy’s own oil though. This prefilled vape cartridge is stronger than others I have reviewed such as the Pax Era pods, Alpine Vapor, and Gold Drop cartridges that all cost the same or more as Potters Cannabis Co. cartridges.
Potters cannabis cartridge uses CCell vaping technology that is very efficient
I have noticed a trend from prefilled cartridge companies switching to CCell cartridges. This has been seen with Kurvana vape cartridges and Americanna cartridges too. As I stated above Weedmaps shows a different image for Potters cartridges, I didn’t know I was going to get the new CCell cartridge. The CCell cartridge makes it easy to vape huge clouds with a box mod. I didn’t have to turn the volts up to experience it. The newer version of the Potter’s cartridge also has the latest CCell cartridge.
Number of hits vary on the size of your hits.
This CCell cartridge allows for big hits without much effort. It’s easy to take some huge clouds at a higher voltage but it won’t be as smooth as taking huge clouds from a Stiiizy pod. Flavor is, of course, sacrificed with high temps. On lower temps the flavor is great! The CCell cartridge can be good if it has some good cannabis extract oil inside of it, which this new version definitely does.
Value is good on Potters vape cart with new formula.
This cart presents a lot better value with the new fomula. Flavor is better and strength is on par with Brass Knuckles vape, Justdab, and Heavy Hitters. The packaging is nice and the most important part is pesticides. Potter’s has tested clean for pesticides. Cannot say that for everyone else.
Tried New Formula, And It Was Great
In conclusion, this CCell cartridge vape pen did not impress on flavor on the first version. After getting the new cartridge everything was greatly improved. What initially was dissapointing now turned out to be one of the better cartridges out there. I do think that this same oil from the new blend put into a pod-style vaporizer would hit extremely hard as well. I will be looking to see if there is a Potter’s distilalte syringe in the future. The fact that they come up clean and now deliver a strong oil on the latest CCell, makes the Potter’s Cannabis Co. vape cartridge a great choice.
Justdab Extracts might not advertise, but Dino locals know it's bomb.
The Justdab cartridge did not fail to impress.
You can taste the quality on this vape cart. Hits were smooth yet strong. Atomizer build is good and oil quality is excellent. We’ll go through the details of this vape cart in this Justdab Cartridge Review.
Update 5/2/2019: After reviewing a whole lot of carts, we have added Justdab to our list of the Best Cartridges in California.
Design and Build: More metal, less glass exposed.
The atomizer housing on the Justdab cartridge had more metal covering the glass than most other vape pen cartridges. I did not drop the item, but this does lead me to believe it could withstand a solid drop. The core of the atomizer appeared to be ceramic. The atomizer tasted clean until the very end. It was not burny or gross at the end, but you knew it was done. Overall, they picked a great cartridge to pair with their oil.
Nice packaging.
Oil Quality – It’s live resin.
Justdab Extracts claims everything is nug run and from 100% indoor flowers. The vape carts contain live resin, which is generally more expensive than shatter. I believe their claims. The oil had perfect viscosity and vaped evenly the whole way through. The oil does not have added flavors. I was using the Critical Jack strain on this cartridge review.
Strength of the Justdab cartridge is good
The Justdab cartridge is on point with the better pre-filled vape carts out there and one of the stronger ones I have tried. It beats the offerings from Kurvana and FlavRX substantially. Even though it’s made from live resin, I still have yet to see a cartridge that is as strong as a dab on a good vape penlike the Omicron v5 with straight shatter in it. After this vape I will try Justdab shatter next time I see it. Pre-fills are better than they were a few years ago, that is for sure.
High THC content on this Critical Jack strain vape.
Taste is pure. Nothing added.
The Justdab cartridge did not taste like any flavoring is added either via terpenes or fragrances. Personally I prefer this straight whaterver-it-is taste. I would think among our readership nobody likes fragrances, but some people like terpenes added like that saucy wax. Combine the clean live resin and the
Value: $30 for a half gram is good at this quality
The quality of the Justdab cartridge justifies them not making this cheap. I got mine for $30 at There are cheaper carts out there and they usually are not very good. Exceptions exist like the cheaper-per-mL Heavy Hitters carrtridge, but their have been claims of impurity issues for HH. Dollar for dollar on how medicated you get on this cart, the value is good.
The half gram lasted well and vaped evenly.
Efficiency: Down to the last drop!
Justdab chose a great quality cartridge that resulted in excellent efficiency. The atomizer appeared to be wickless with a ceramic core. Upon opening it everything looked of excellent quality. Do not open the cart until done. You might tear the O-ring. I tore it just by opening it, but not until I vaped the entire thing. The residue left over was minimal.
Overall: Justdab Cartridges Are Now A Favorite
When I go to the dispensary for a pre-fill and I see the options, I will be picking up Justdab vape cartridges if they got them. I hope they make their way into more shops soon. From oil quality and taste to the build quality of their cartridge, Justdab is on point. You can learn more about Justab here.
The VVS vape pen has some nice looking product packaging. They are trying to promote their disposable vape pen as a premium luxury product. I wasn’t too impressed by their premium luxury disposable wax pen. My favorite thing about this VVS vape pen review was the convenience of the product, unfortunately, after that, there wasn’t too much more I was impressed with. The design of the vape pen itself is nice however didn’t feel luxury or premium to me.
Update 01/16/2019 – VVS Presidential OG – Geoff:
After testing the VVS vape pen, I agree wholeheartedly with the original assessment. As far as premium and luxury go, there isn’t much to find. The idea is that you can get several uses by buying the VVS syringes for refills. As for the oil itself, it was flavorful and with strong effect. One gram, however, vapes up faster than most .5 gram cartridges.
Looking for a better THC oil vapes than VVS? Check out our picks for the best cartridges in CA.
Design and Quality is the same as some others.
The VVS Vape pen does not have a unique design, a friend of mine purchased a prefilled vape pen from another brand (thclear) that was the exact same design. Alpine Vapor uses the same vape pen. These versions are an improvement over what companies like Bumblebee are currently using. The hits are significantly bigger and the cannabis oil tastes great.
Geoff – VVS features their products, as other brands do, in these all-in-one disposable pens. They all use a similar design with the battery and cartridge being one piece. Screw off the top and they’re super easy to refill. Like the other designs, VVS disposable pens have a small window so you can see the level of the remaining oil. Note that the battery has a safety shut off with a very short window. You can just repress the button if you want an extended hit.
Strength was there with this VVS vape pen.
My favorite thing about reviewing the VVS vape pen review is the strength of its cannabis oil. It’s more potent than other disposable vape pens such as the Bumblebee vape pen. There is no information available about the exact THC amount in these wax pens. I prefer to have that data when selecting a cartridge.
Geoff – The concentrate is strong with the VVS Presidential OG vape pen. You are able to get big hits by resetting the battery a couple times. Like the original review, the VVS Presidential OG has no information about THC content.
VVS Presidential OG Refillable Vape Pen
Flavor was not bad, but not impressive either.
The taste reminded me of the Bumblebee. VVS vape pens have a fragrance added to them as stated on their website to allow for discreet vaping, but on the same page they say nothing is added. They could be referencing not having anything to additionally dilute, and not be including their fragrance. This strain really reminded of the flavor profiles of the strain J1 I tried from the Dab Face dab applicator. I am assumingterpenes are added for flavor.
Geoff – There’s nothing different, besides the strain, with the VVS Presidential OG. The flavor is enjoyable, but not superb. Hints of pine are all that is present with the earthy aroma taking over the palate.
Decent price for a full gram of potent cannabis oil.
There are many other disposable vape pens available for less that are superior. This pre-fill vape pen does not offer enough for me to want to buy it again. The average selling price for a VVS vape pen is $45.00 for one gram in the Bay Area. If you have a battery better options are there, but if you do not this might be a convenient option.
Geoff – Price in North San Diego County is just a bit lower than in the Bay area at $40.00. This may be a clearance price at this point. This is for a one gram pen, but the fact that it vapes up so fast drives the value of the pricing way down. $10.00 – $15.00 would be more reasonable.
Efficiency at vaping huge clouds is great.
The VVS vape pen battery lasted long to my amazement. The battery lasted for three days of consistent usage. I had other disposable vape pens such as hmbdlt, now known as Dosist, battery die with oil remaining in the cartridge.
Geoff – Perhaps when you compare the VVS vape pen to other similar brand styles, the oil lasts longer. But head to head with most disposable cartridges, it doesn’t last anywhere near as long. This is really a huge disappointment with the VVS vape pen in general.
Clean premium cannabis oil without anything extra in the ingredients.
VVS claims their oil is pure without any dilutents added. I couldn’t find any lab results online for this VVS vape pen review. Many other disposable pre-filled cartridges or vape pens don’t only claim it but back it up with lab results online. A great example is Kurvana including lab results with their cartridges. While at a poker game with some friends I found myself hitting this pen more than the Brass Knuckles Cartridge I had with me.
Geoff – There isn’t any new information to report with the VVS Presidential OG pen. You are welcome to visit the VVS website, though their homepage is under construction at the moment. You can still view their products, though they make no mention of any lab testing. Not even on their FAQ page.
Number of Hits are not the same as a 510 prefilled cartridge.
VVS vape pens are comparable to other disposable pre-filled vapes I have tried and didn’t long as long as a pre-filled 510 cartridge. I personally recommend 510 pre-filled cartridges over disposable vape pens, the reason is that they vape better and last longer. My friend actually prefers buying this VVS vape pen over cartridges, the reason for it is because she is always losing her vape pen batteries. Let’s not forget either that throwing away a battery every time is not good for the environment either.
Geoff – This reiterates the point that the VVS disposable vape pen just doesn’t last that long. You’ll get way better mileage from almost any disposable cartridge.
Final Thoughts On My VVS Vape Pen Review
In conclusion, I will not purchase this disposable vape pen again for my on the go vaping needs. I purchased it for this VVS vape pen review and that was it. Other companies are using the same type of vape pen for their cannabis oil such as Alpine Vapor and THClear. I recommend going with a battery and a 510 pre-filled cartridge over a disposable pre-filled wax pen. See my comparison of Heavy Hitters vs. Brass Knuckles for a side by side of two more popular 510 pre-filled cartridges. To learn more about VVS vape pens, see here.
Geoff – Unless it’s one of the very few options you have in a dispensary, spend your money on something else. Value for the price on the VVS Presidential OG is horrible at $40.00. Consider getting a cartridge, wax, or just plain nugs and you’ll be glad you did.
What do you think about VVS Vape Pens? Have you tried any flavors that stood out more than others? Post your comments below!
The 710 King Pen company was started in October 2014 and was founded in Los Angeles, California. The 710 King Pen has its positives and negatives like any vape. The quality of this concentrate cartridge is above others in the same price bracket. I can definitely recommend this cartridge for those who want to experience a dab feeling on the go. As most other cartridges I reviewed, this cart has flaws that prevent it from being perfect. Here we go into an in depth 710 King Pen review.
UPDATE 9/11/2019: DISCLAIMER: In light of more recent news, it has become apparent that black market cartridges, counterfeit cartridges, and fake brands of cartridges have become more widespread than we had ever realized. We urge readers to apply their own discretion, and caution that at no point should readers assume that a review of a cartridge on our site is a guarantee of its safety. We advise readers to always verify their cartridges as coming from a legitimate source.
Design and build quality on the 710 King Pen is better than your average pre-fill cart.
The 710 King Pen cartridge was made with a ceramic heating core and it seems to not get hot enough to heat at combustion levels. This pre-filled CO2 oil cartridge was made to provide only a vaping experience. This cart is made out of glass with a steel mouthpiece. This cartridge survived drop after drop impressively.
Packaging was decent, build quality was on point.
The THC strength is higher than your average pre-fill cartridge.
The strength on this 710 King Pen vape cartridge was not disappointing and I only needed a few hits to find myself completely stoned to satisfaction. The THC strength feels the same as Heavy Hitters cartridges. I did some research online and found a resource that provided lab test results showing 87% THC content.
Flavor is exactly like the cannabis strains. 710 King Pen flavor is on point!
The flavor is the second best thing about this cart that I discovered in this 710 King Pen review. Each hit reminded me of smoking cannabis as it kept its real flavor from the strain. The vape hits smooth and is not harsh at all. The vape smells and it is not recommended to smoke in public areas due to the cannabis smell.
Price is fair for the quality of the product.
The average price for a half gram 710 King Pen cartridge is $30-$40.00 dollars in the Bay Area. The price is acceptable because of the high quality extracted cannabis oil and good cartridge design. I can recommend this vape cartridge for those who don’t need a full gram. I purchased a half gram at Harborside in Oakland, California.
Great efficiency at vaping big clouds.
Not all prefilled cartridges hit the same and the 710 King Pen cartridge proves just that! This cartridge can produce clouds. See it in the video below and you can see the clouds are pretty big. In comparison to other cartridges for the same price, the 710 King Pen outperforms most with its cartridge vaping performance. It is ahead of the original Kurvana cartridge by miles. But behind the offerings from Americanna and Brass Knuckles.
Quality control isn’t perfect: but many vape carts have this issue
Many prefilled hash oil cartridge companies have been failing to maintain clean products and the 710 King Pen has failed as well. Search online for “710 King Pen pesticides” and the issues come up. The top search result lead me to a lawsuit against King Pen vapes.
The lawsuit originates from San Francisco and can be read here. Myclobutanil is in the King Louis OG strain 710 King Pen vape cart according to testing. I found a link to SC Labs on the front page of Google for the keywords “710 King Pen lab test” and it was removed from the SC Labs website and I found that to be suspicious.
Number of hits are plenty.
This cartridge provides a lot of hits and it felt like this cartridge lasted longer than others. I didn’t have to take as many hits to get medicated efficiently. Hits are controlled by pressing a button or inhaling, depending on the battery you are using. The longer you hold the longer and harder the hit gets. Use any 3-volt vape pen battery for the best results. If you are using a mod battery, make sure you have the settings low, probably in the 3.2-3.7 volt range.
In conclusion, the 710 King Pen cartridge review pleasantly identified another great pre-filled vape cartridge. This company needs to focus on quality control. The product could be better. Its strong but it failed lab test for pesticides, but this is the perfect example of why we do need government regulations to protect us the consumer from buying toxic cannabis oil products. It also shows that at this time, Cali is way behind some other states on clean meds.
Select Oil Cartridges are affordable with High-quality Cannabis Oil
You can get a Select Oil cartridge in the Bay area for a very affordable price. I first purchased this cartridge for $26.00 at Harborside in Oakland California. This company is from Portland, Oregon where the legalization of recreational marijuana occurred a year before California. This has allowed them a head start innovating cannabis oil cartridges, this definitely shows with the select cartridge.
UPDATE 5/3/2019: See our new Select Elite review that covers more strains over two states and their new potent distillate formula. Select Elite is the premier version of Select Oil cartridges with higher THC percentages. They made our best of California and best of Nevada cartridge lists.
UPDATE 9/11/2019: DISCLAIMER: In light of more recent news, it has become apparent that black market cartridges, counterfeit cartridges, and fake brands of cartridges have become more widespread than we had ever realized. We urge readers to apply their own discretion, and caution that at no point should readers assume that a review of a cartridge on our site is a guarantee of its safety. We advise readers to always verify their cartridges as coming from a legitimate source.
Licensing Information: CDPH-10001355
The Select Oil Cartridge Design is not your typical 510 threaded cart
I really like the design of the Select Oil cartridge, it does not use any silica wicks or coils. Instead, it has organic Japanese cotton and a ceramic core. Vaping with this cartridge is smooth and enjoyable, you can vape big clouds. Glass has been replaced with plastic which prevents damage from drops. Also, this cartridge will vape every last drop of THC oil.
Oil Strength compares to brass knuckles and heavy hitters
The co2 oil in this prefilled cartridge is fantastic! The Elite selection ranges from 75-95% THC. I tried the cookies strain which was over 80% and enough to get quickly medicated. Additional good information to know is the serving of THC per hit is 2.7mg each. The only other prefilled vape pen that has this information is the hmbldt vape pen, they claim each of their hits is 2.25mg. I have experienced some of the strongest cannabis oil in this cart.
Size Comparison: Select Oil Cartrdige vs. Hmbldt Dose Pen
Taste of Vape is Great
Not all oil taste the same and this holds true with Select Oil cartridges. This is some of the best-tasting cannabis oil I have vaped at this price. I really liked the taste of cannabis with the Cookie Kush strain I vaped. I recommend this prefilled pen to anyone who enjoys the same taste of cannabis. Make sure to use a low voltage vape pen and not a mod. A mod battery was too harsh when I tried it and then I used a 3.5-volt volt vape pen that worked perfectly with this prefilled cartridge.
Select cartridges are high quality with a budget Price
I paid $26.00 dollars for a half gram cartridge I did not expect to have such a great experience with this pre-filled oil cartridge. This is the best CO2 cartridge for the price it’s going. The Americanna cartridge cost around the same and cannot compete with the performance of Select. This is the best prefilled vape cartridge sold at this price and that is why it’s now our number one budget recommended cart to buy. Unforunately, select cartridges can not be reused like others such as Brass Knuckles and Heavy Hitters vape cartridges.
Number of puffs are as much as others that cost more
I vape frequently throughout my day, this half a gram lasted me 2 days which is what other brands usually last me and there are well over 50 puffs available so you can share with friends. Each puff produces a lot of vape clouds. Select Oil cartridges let you take huge puffs and enjoy them too which is what others in the same price bracket do not.
Final thoughts on the Select Oil Cartridge
The Select Cartridge review has passed our test. Its now our number one recommended budget hash oil pen without any sacrifices. I encourage you to pick one up if you’re lucky enough to be in California or Oregon.
Select Oil has some pretty nice packaging.
We notice Kurvana has copied their design with their new cartridges. You must be doing something right to have others mimic you. Let us know your own review in the comments if you tried this magnificent prefilled vape pen. The Select Oil Elite cartridge review was a true pleasure. More info on Select Oil can be found here.
Brass Knuckles vape pens prefilled THC cartridges could use some improvements. We have now tested Brass Knuckles vapes in two states and over multiple cartridges. The hardware is dated and needs an upgrade. Learn why this has become a cartridge we are not a big fan of in this in-depth Brass Knuckles vape review.
UPDATES
UPDATE August 9, 2017: Based on testing performed by @clean_meds_cali, Brass Knuckles may contain some toxic materials. See report picture below.
UPDATE February 25, 2018: Recent results for Brass Knuckles products show them as clean. See results at SC Labs.
UPDATE October 12, 2018: Information on Brass Knuckles updates on new cartridges and comparison to other currently popular brands in beginning of review. Information related to other Brass Knuckles issues including lawsuits are added at the end of the review. This review covers almost two years of Brass Knuckles use. Updates by Bert Blaze.
UPDATE May 11, 2019: Brass Knuckles oil is put into better hardware and we test it out.
Brass Knuckles testing shows it might contain harmful chemicals.
At this time in 2019, Brass Knuckles has had a lot of issues. They have consistently failed pesticides tests. See our vape cartridge pesticides test page for the most up to date information on Brass Knuckles vape pen carts and other brands. They are currently being sued as are their promoters. It has been a tough year for Brass Knuckles. They also are no where near close to the best vape pen cartridge anymore.
Recently Brass Knuckles has posted up clean results, such as the one pictured below for their Banana OG strain.
Not a great THC percentage.
We find it interesting that they have switched labs. SC Labs is also named in one of the Brass Knuckles lawsuits which is discussed further below at the end of this review.
Brass Knuckles has this lab showing a pass, I hope all the carts pass.
We recently reviewed the Napalm OG cartridge and found it to be underwhelming, but it was from a Nevada dispensary and so it is very likely that came out clean.
Many vape cartridges are now better than Brass Knuckles
There are now hundreds of THC vape cartridge brands out there. Many of these cartridges are better than Brass Knuckles. To keep it easy, here are some of the more well known brands that are common to be found in the same areas as Brass Knuckles, but are better: Select Oil, Justdab, Kabunky, and W Vapes. This list could go on and on. Brass Knuckles just cannot live up to the other fire that is now out there. The point is Brass Knuckles advertises a lot but does not deliver on quality.
Design Quality of Brass Knuckles Vape Pen
The packaging is very nice, its nicer than any other I’ve seen. Brass Knuckle’s offers top of the line quality. The mouthpiece was designed to allow the perfect amount of air flow for a very pleasant hit and major clouds. Compared to other traditional mouthpieces this one seems to have better airflow. The Brass Knuckles vape pen logo on the mouth piece looks great, but it might take away from discretion. You get pure flavor with these cartridges. I learned during this Brass Knuckles vape pen review that this company does in fact focus on creating a better product than any other on the market. This cart did have its flaws which we will go through below.
Brass Knuckles vape pens are the prefill you want to buy, you can vape ever drip unlike other disposable vape pens like the Bumblebee which wastes a lot of concentrate.
Bert: We can not say that Brass Knuckles is of that high quality anymore. They use an old style cartridge and CCELL currently blows it out of the water, especially when paired with a CCELL Palm. Other systems like the ALD vFire used on the Plug and Play vape and the Stiiizy Pen are also better. They both use the same heating element. Brass Knuckles is stuck in the past with their cartridge technology. They could use an update or go to CCELL like many other manufacturers have.
Trying out Brass Knuckles vape oil in CCELL hardware
Convinced Brass Knuckles had poor quality hardware and having the Napalm OG cartridge fail on me, I wanted to try the oil in a CCELL TH2 cart. Check out the video below.
Ease of Use on the Brass Knuckles Vape Pen
Throw on standard 510 threaded battery and it’s ready to go. Open the Brass Knuckles vape pen package and screw on the cart to get started, that’s it. I am hitting this with a variable voltage battery that allows me to go as high as 4.7 volts. I am using this cart at 3.0 volts for smooth refreshing big clouds. These carts can go as high as 5 volts. Go too high and you might burn it out! Be careful if you are running these on a mod battery. Make sure you have the correct settings.
Bert: Brass Knuckles is still easy to use.
Strength – Brass Knuckles Is Not as Potent As Others
As of right now, these are some of the strongest prefilled cartridges available with a minimum of 80 percent THC. These feel more potent than other prefilled cartridges that claim they are 80.00% THC content. Jack Herer turned out to be the strongest among the three strains I tried in my personal experience. I purchased Jack Herer twice thats how much I enjoyed this strain.
Bert: Brass Knuckles is no where near the strongest anymore. Even on their own tests as shown above THC is at 68%. Select Oil’s Casino Kush is 91% and they have another vape cart that is 94%. The hardware in the Stiiizy, Plug and Play, and any new generation CCELL cartridge also will make a comparable oil hit harder than the Brass Knuckles cartridges with their mediocre oil.
Efficiency – Some Failures Before, But Now More Reliable
Malfunction
I had 1 of the 4 carts malfunction, so Brass knuckles vape pens are not perfect. It started crackling and sizzling and gave me the most bitter burnt taste. The dispensaryI purchased this cart from gave me a free replacement right away. Even after one of these carts not working correctly I can still highly recommend these after going through three different strains.
Bert: There are a lot less malfunctions than before with these carts and with other brands. In the past couple years vape cartridge reliability has improved substantially.
Lots of Hits, Some Stickiness
I can say with confidences that each 1 gram of Brass Knuckle will give you a minimum of 200 hits. I always took big hits from the beginning to the end which is why I highly recommend this cart for its consistency. Oil stuck to the top of one of the prefilled cartridges and I could not vape it. This might have been a bad batch. I had to put a lighter underneath the stuck oil to melt it down. Other prefilled carts more consistently had this problem compared to the Brass Knuckles vape pens. One-third isn’t too bad, nothing major to be upset about but just a little inconvenient. One critical discovery in this Brass Knuckles vape pen review is it’s easier to vape every last drop of concentrate, while others made it difficult and even wasted a lot. I did not get as much of a crap taste towards the end of this prefill cartridge either.
Bert: Other cartridges get more hits now. The ones that get less hits like CCELL or Stiiizy hit a lot harder so it is worth it to get less out of it.
Portability
Very sleek and small makes this cart is easy to take with you anywhere. The packaging it comes with makes it easy to travel with in case you need to store it away for later. Portability here is also going to tie into what battery you use. Use a mod battery and it’s a little less portable. Use a small 510 battery and its ultra portable.
Bert: Portability remains the same. Still easy to get these vape carts around.
Taste
The taste is very flavorful and enjoyable. There is a hint of artificial flavoring, but the flavor of the strain is also noticeable. My absolute favorite is the Grape Ape! If you like the taste of sweet grape kool-aid, then the Grape Ape Brass Knuckles vape pen prefilled cartridge will be your next favorite vape. I approve of their almost perfect cocktail of THC with added natural terpenes. It has a more pleasant taste than every other prefilled cart I’ve tried. I have yet to try the Moxie cartridges, but have heard those have excellent taste as well.
Bert: The THC carts from Brass Knuckles still shine on taste for the most part. Whoever is handling the terpenes is doing a great job. We need that same effort on the rest of the vape pen cartridge. Taste issues with Brass Knuckles can arise if the cart gets burned though.
Brass Knuckles Strains
Brass Knuckles vape cartridges now come in a wide variety of strains, each with a different taste. Below are all the Brass Knuckles vape pen cart strains. We have sorted them into Sativa, Indica, and Hybrid.
Brass Knuckles is coming out with new strains here and there, so look for updates on that.
Value: Just Not There
I paid $55.00 each for a gram of Jack Herer, Girl Scout Cookies, and Grape Ape from my local dispensary in California. All the cartridges lasted me five days and provided over 200 hits each. That’s only eleven dollars a day to stay medicated all day and night. I praise the Brass Knuckles for making a great tasting a product that is more economical and very high quality than their competitors.
Bert: Brass Knuckles is no longer a good value. I would rather buy a half gram of select and pay almost the same price as a full gram of Brass Knuckles.
Current Brass Knuckles Issues: Fakes and Lawsuits
The main issue we have with Brass Knuckles is continuously deceiving customers that they had clean products. We hope now that the cartridges they are producing are clean, but it is hard to trust a company that has lied so many times. The lab testing industry in California is not really reliable. We might trust a BK cart in Nevada where there is strict batch testing, but why go with an untrusted brand when there are so many better ones already out there?
Fake Brass Knuckles vape cartridges are everywhere
We did an extensive post on fake Brass Knuckles. The company does not post an authorized retailer list. They post their own less informative guide on how to spot fakes, but really what we need is a list of authorized retailers. Take a look below at the fakes made by Summer Vapor.
The Summer Vapor fakes are easy to spot because there is no strain information on the bottom. That’s great for the easy to spot Brass Knuckles fake cartridges.
These cartridges are really good fakes. Even using the Brass Knuckles guide one could not tell it from a real cart.
The above fakes are from Shenzhen eBoat. They are very convincing. In fact, if you relied on Brass Knuckles’ own guide those would pass for real. If they really cared about their customers, Brass Knuckles
Nevada residents are probably safe due to strict batch testing, but California is a lot more people. If Brass Knuckles cared about consumers they would get a better grip on these fakes by making a comprehensive, updated list authorized retailers. Plain and simple.
Brass Knuckles Lawsuits: Yes, There Is More Than One
The Class Action Lawsuit: Ignacio Lee vs. Brass Knuckles
Many people search for Brass Knuckles lawsuit, but there is actually a big class action lawsuit going on. The first reported legal issue was the lawsuit filed by Ignacio Lee. He claims he got sick from the pesticides that were present in Brass Knuckles vape pen cartridges. The particular strains he complained about were Candy Apple and Sour Diesel.
The Brass Knuckles company, which has been linked to Jeannie Herer was sued in this case as well as Xzibit himself. His real name is Alvin Nathaniel Joiner. As spokesman for the company, he responded to the lawsuit’s claims via his Instagram account, stating: “Our oil is clean” in one post and in another that the product is “COMPLETELY pesticide AND contaminate FREE.”
SC Labs also included in the lawsuit
SC Labs is included in this one to make it more interesting. They were including the stickers on Brass Knuckles cartridges that were sold. The company claims that the dirty cartridges are fakes. SC Labs is included in the suit. Their stickers are on the cartridge. Makes the fake oil claim hard to believe. I do not trust them either anymore. Steep Hill is the lab used by Plaintiffs in that case that showed the vape carts as dirty.
If you are familiar with their testing stickers, you can look up the batch online (unless the company blocks it from being public). Making fakes would be difficult considering these unique identification codes are linked to certain batches.
I have never seen a fake Brass Knuckles vape pen cartridge ever have an SC Labs sticker on it. Someone would have to go to extraordinary lengths to make that all match up. They are not adding them in China.
First, I should state as of May, 2018, that Brass Knuckles claims they are now 100% compliant due to California’s new testing requirements. Second, Xzibit was probably wrong when he made his clean oil statements, but it may not have been intentional. I doubt he has much to do with the manufacturing process. California’s testing requirements are not getting implemented like they are supposed to even now in 2018.
Just like Heavy Hitters testing dirty just recently. They used the same claim that Brass Knuckles now uses to say their oil is clean. It might be, but how can we trust them after so many issues? In their defense, fake Heavy Hitters is a problem too.
Overall: I Would No Longer Recommend a Brass Knuckles Vape Pen
The improved features this prefilled cart has over others had me extremely satisfied. Xzibit, the founder of this product, has stated on the Youtube channel Between Two Strains, “Everything that we disliked about all the other carts on the market we improved on and put it into Brass Knuckles.” This statement is accurate which I learned after trying this out for myself. I highly encourage others to try this cart out as will. Brass Knuckles does indeed solve many of the problems of previous carts from other companies.
Bert: There are better cartridge brands with more reliable reputations. They also produce stronger oil in better hardware. Don’t buy into the hype on Brass Knuckles vape pen cartridges.
PuffCo Pro 2 doesn't have great airflow, but you can feel the quality.
PuffCo Pro 2 Review: Small & Sleek, but Falls Short
PuffCo’s third vaporizer the PuffCo Pro 2 is their smallest yet. It’s a fancy looking, solid feeling little pen. It features a stainless steel body and an easy to access single coil chamber. PuffCo claims to be “the New Standard.” So let’s see how this $90 pen measures up! We do expect a lot at that price point!
Note: The review unit was purchased independently to provide an unbiased honest review.
UPDATE 4/18/2019: Puffco is now facing a lawsuit over the Peak dab rig.
After testing other Puffco products, we found the Puffco Plus to be their best dab pen.
Design & Quality
Includes:
1 430mah battery (Internal)
510 Threaded
3 Power Settings
1 Single Coil Ceramic Rod atomizer
Kanthal Coil (Confirmed by Co. / No Documentation)
Mouthpiece
1 PuffCo Flat Dab Tool
1 Shock-Proof Travel Case
1 Charger
The PuffCo Pro 2 sits in between a ‘thin’ 11mm and a ‘standard’ 14mm pen at 12.5mm wide. It feels very solid thanks to its stainless steel construction. They’ve placed a shock-absorbing silicone cap on the bottom in case of drops, a nice touch for durability’s sake. A silicone splash guard has been placed inside the mouthpiece, and to power the Pro 2, a squishy cloud-shaped button is used to activate the vaporizer and cycle through three heat settings:
Green for low, Blue for medium, and White deliver high power hits; double click to activate “Sesh” mode at any power setting. Sesh mode sends power for twelve seconds straight. Press four times to get to the next heat level. Five presses to turn the battery on and off, all explained on the enclosed instruction card.
The heater and battery thread together easily. The chamber’s been hiding this whole time – keep twisting once the atomizer seats, and the mouthpiece easily twists off clockwise. There’s a high level of precision in the fitment of the mouthpiece to the atomizer chamber. The fitment allows each part to be as small as possible with minimal to no tolerances. This means frequent cleaning of the atomizer and mouthpiece walls is needed.
Heating element
The most important part of an oil vaporizer is its heating element.
The PuffCo Pro 2 employs a single white ceramic rod with an “Iron/chromium/aluminum alloy” wire wrapped around it four times. PuffCo support confirmed they specify Kanthal heating wire, and join their heating wire to non-resistance leads with crimps, but couldn’t satisfactorily answer why our heating wire had a large blob of unknown material inside the ceramic cup.
Top view of the PuffCo Pro 2’s heating element
White ceramic is fairly non-porous, it doesn’t have the capacity to absorb or wick oil. For that reason, the white rod the wire is wrapped around serves mostly to hold the wire in place. A bit of oil adheres to it when initially loaded. Once the oil gets hot it tends to run away from the hot wire as well as that non-wick. The thin wire wrapped only four times doesn’t provide much surface area for heat transfer, and locally hotter temperatures are thus needed for the oils loaded in the chamber to reach vaporization temperature. The air inlets have been moved for better airflow across the heater (a positive improvement), and the vape needs a bit of cool-down draw to prevent clogging.
Ease of Use
The PuffCo Pro 2 comes in a small plastic case that holds the battery side by side with the atomizer and mouthpiece, a flat, wide loading tool, and a thread-on USB charger. The carrying case unfortunately can’t accommodate the assembled Pro 2. It requires unthreading the atomizer off the battery each time you put the pen in the case. The Pro 2’s brushed stainless body holds up well in a pocket, even against keys, so the inconvenience of the carrying case wasn’t a big factor for me.
The threaded charger requires you to unthread the atomizer for each charge. Having to thread and unthread the atomizer so often is an unnecessary hassle. So is having to remember to bring that special charger along in the first place. A micro USB port could’ve made this a much easier vape to use. Instead, PuffCo spent time on a “Sesh mode” that holds the button down 12 seconds for you, so that you don’t have to pulse the button twice. If you use this mode on Blue or White, buckle your lungs up, there’s a lot of vapor coming your way. I only enjoyed it on Green (and honestly, I prefer just pulsing the button twice).
Pushing the button, cycling through settings, and taking a draw are all simple steps that PuffCo keeps easy. The one surprise I found was how hard it is to inhale through the Pro 2’s atomizer. Even before the first load, the Pro 2 had a very restricted airflow, similar to sipping through two coffee stirrers, and almost as restrictive as that of a typical pre-fill cartridge. The airflow on the PuffCo Pro 2 disappoints compared to other pens. Once I began using it, I noticed each time how much effort I had to put into each draw.
Strength
Strong hits are one of the PuffCo Pro 2’s strengths. Despite the restricted airflow (and perhaps partly in thanks to it) the Pro 2 effortlessly delivers clouds. Even the lowest setting churns out visible vapor hits, medium creates a hazy clouds and White is hot enough to choke me out. Have no fear of weak hits here. The Pro 2 packs a lot of power in a small package. However, the single wick coil doesn’t have the same quality of vapor or vapor production at a given heat level compared to a dual coil atomizer. A dual coil could put out the same amount of vapor with less peak heat, and better flavor.
Efficiency
The PuffCo Pro 2’s high powered heating wire ensures efficient use of your oils, so long as they’re loaded sparingly. 2-3 hits worth works well. More than this and you’ll end up splattering unvaped oil on the chamber walls and inside of the splatter guard. The guard is effective at preventing splatter from reaching your mouth, but it’s also really effective at collecting a lot of unvaporized oil and reclaim of vaporized oil. Its shape makes it fairly difficult to recover the oil off of. I ended up taking it out and leaving it that way.
The airflow seems to be under the ceramic rod for more airflow across the heater. I’m not sure if this contributes to the restricted airflow, but it helps with vapor production. Without a real wick to feed oils into the heater, a little oil pooling is unavoidable.
Here you can see how the glob of wax can get spread out, pooling on the sides.
Versatility / Atomizer Options
The Puffco Pro 2 supports only one style of heating element, their single white ceramic rod with four wraps of a thin gauge unknown alloy wire, fit to the Pro 2’s mouthpiece. Their other vaporizer, the PuffCo Plus also has a single type of atomizer, a ceramic plate coil-less atomizer. PuffCo Pro “1” owners were already upset at the need to purchase a complete new vaporizer with a very similar form factor to experience the new heating chamber. PuffCo explained that the Plus’ battery is more powerful than the Pro, so it was required.
Now the story repeats itself with a twist, because there’s no way the PuffCo Pro 2’s heater requires more power. Why the new PuffCo Pro 2 atomizer could not work on the Plus doesn’t make sense. Today’s vaporists like flexibility in the vaporizers they use. PuffCo’s decision to require complete units to try different heating elements seems out of touch.
It baffles us that you can’t use their own PuffCo Plus atomizer with this model. In 2017 when most vape pens have at least a coiled and coil-less option available for a vape pen, the Pro 2 feels very 2015.
Portability
The PuffCo Pro 2 is one of the smallest wax pens I’ve ever used and is very portable on its own. If you’ll need to charge it you’ll have to bring along its special USB thread on charger. Without a micro USB port you can’t simply use an existing charging cable. If you have a shatter or pull & snap, you may want to use a different loading tool, but if you bring the case along you’ll have their included flat tool, too.
PuffCo Pro 2 comes with a battery, atomizer, charger, and dab tool.
Discretion
The small size of the PuffCo Pro 2 allows you to pocket it and bust it out anywhere you see the need. It’s pretty shiny and it would be nice to see it available in a darker color scheme for those who really prefer discretion. Other than that, there isn’t much that could be improved upon here.
Taste
With PuffCo Pro 2’s emphasis on ease of use and cloud production, there’s no surprise that flavor isn’t a big factor here. The first hit of a load on a freshly cleaned chamber tastes great, and after that the flavor degrades pretty quickly; even with very small loads (2-3 hits per load). The small heater must heat up quite hot in order to vaporize a given load. This is evident by test firing the heating element when totally clean, even on Green a glow may be seen on the wire on the third pulse. On higher heat settings cloud production goes up, and flavor goes down.
When kept on Green (low heat) the taste stays decent for some time, and the first hit or two taste nice, and fresh. After those first few hits I never get the same level of flavor until I do a full on deep clean. One accidental high power blast on White is all it takes for a flavor chaser to require a full clean. Even after trying PuffCo’s suggested high temp burn off suggestion and going back to a fresh load on Green, the taste could not be restored. If you are looking for a vaporizer to deliver fantastic flavor from terpene rich oils, keep looking, this one’s meant for heavy hitters.
Value
Priced at $89.99 the PuffCo Pro 2 is positioned at the top end of the wax pen market. Its packaging and looks certainly give an impression of quality, as does its solid build quality and precision fitment of parts.
However, the four-wrap Kanthal wire around a single ceramic rod heating element and chamber seems quite dated compared to many other of todays pens which employ dual coil heating elements, porous black ceramic wicks, quartz walls & rods. Not to mention wireless, donut style heaters, and the next gen of sealed chambers like PuffCo’s own Plus model, Kandypens Galaxy, or Source Nail & Terra 2)- the flavor and performance of the Pro 2 reflect the technology its heater contains.
The high costs of high class for a restricted draw with low flavor potential and one atomizer don’t seem worth the price of admission.
The best price on the Puffco Pro 2 as of July 12, 2017 we could find is at Puff Avenue. After using coupon code “SUMMER” the total comes to $62.99.
Puff Avenue had the cheapest Puffco Pro 2 we could find.
With the discount, when you can get it, the Puffco Pro 2 is much more reasonably priced.
Replacement Costs
The Puffco Pro 2 replacements for its white ceramic single coil are $19.99. That is more than a fifth of the cost of the complete kit. They don’t tend to have coupons to get them cheaper, so you’re stuck paying the full $20 for replacements. That’s a real high price for a low-tech heater of the white ceramic single coil with four wraps of aluminum-alloyed metal. It’s not offered with any savings if purchased in bulk.
Take good care of your coil and keep your metal tools away, these will get expensive to replace over time.
Final Thoughts
If a slim, polished look is most important to you, the Pro 2 might be just what you’re looking for. If tons of taste or cost-affordable vaping options matter more. Than this is probably not the pen for you. If you do like the sleek design of Puffco, but want an overall better vape pen, check out our Puffco Plus review.
The current lowest Puffco Pro 2 price from an authorized reseller we could find is $75.99 at GotVape.
Constant readers may be familiar with the fact that we already reviewed the Zeus Arc GT vaporizer a while ago, and had good things to say about it. So why go over it again? Because that was the 2nd generation; this is the 3rd generation of the Zeus Arc dry herb vaporizer and lucky us, we get to review the complete Zeus Arc GTS Hub Kit.
This is a super-deluxe weed work station! No extravagance has been spared here, it even has gold-plated components. You get a grinder that doubles as a pod-filling system, a set of refillable pods, and the Zeus Arc itself, plus a generous selection of accessories, for a reasonable price just shy of $250.
Pros:
Quality build
Complete one-stop kit
Customizable and feature-packed
The only dry herb vape pod system you will ever need
Cons:
Why are the pods so tiny?
Why is the grinder so huge?
May be overkill for casual users
Recommendations: None off the top, but I have to wonder how broad the market for this product is.
This is One Heavy Box!
The Zeus Arc GTS Hub Kit package is a hefty box loaded with accessories:
The Zeus Arc GTS dry herb vape (gold packing tool attached)
USB cable
glass spacer screen
pipe cleaners
Qtips
alcohol wipes
a poker tool
XTruder
15 ArcPods + lids
The Hub itself – doubles as a tray for storing and cleaning out pods
Complete documentation in four languages
This is a complete system designed to take in full flower plant matter and convert it into 15 pods plus a vaporizer to enjoy them with. Ideally, you keep the Hub Kit at home and use this workstation to fill pods, then take your charged-up vape + a pocketful of pods and skip out the door on your merry adventures.
The XTruder System
This is a gigantic grinder / pod-packer in one. You load an empty pod sans lid in the bottom, load your herb in the top, and grind away. When the pod is filled, the bottom compartment automatically pops out. You can then switch pods and continue grinding, for as many pods as you want to fill.
The tray itself is part of the system. You have slots to seat the filled pods, and a deep tray with a prong in the middle for cleaning your vaped herb out of the pods.
So, let’s go over some advantages we have over other dry herb vapes here:
Pods are cleaner, extending the life of the vape
Pods allow for tightly controlled doses for medical / therapy use
Multiple pods let you switch out to use a different strain easily
I think that is probably the target market for the Zeus Arc GTS Hub Kit: Medical users. You’d want a specific set quantity per dosing capsule.
Don’t Forget the Zeus Arc GTS Vaporizer
Even when we reviewed the Zeus Arc GT vaporizer a couple years back, we had next to no complaints. The Zeus Arc GTS carries over the same quality build and great vape experience with very little changes. The operation is very simple.
long-press to activate the unit
1x click to switch between 3 power levels
shake the unit twice to display charge level
draw on demand
auto-shutoff when sitting still for 30 seconds
If perhaps you feel constrained by this rigid system, you can still just load plain old weed into the vape oven without a pod and vape it anyway. Albeit, if you’re going to do that, you’re better off just getting a vape by itself. As I say every time, we are spoiled rotten for choice in the dry herb vape market.
My Biggest Issue: The Tiny Pods
On the site, the specs say that these pods each hold 0.3 grams of material. I am skeptical of that claim, unless the XTruder packs these very tightly. Compare the oven chamber on the Boundless CFC Lite; it’s 0.4 grams, and you can see where at least two ArcPods would fit in there.
In any case, these pods look like 1-hitters. Which is fine for those who want that, but heavier users, recreational users, or simply people who like more than one puff between repacking rounds, will want a bigger capacity. Now that could be just me; we generally smoke our weight in ganja around here, so my tolerance is through the roof.
One other small issue I have is with the XTruder, which is huge and bulky, but also not transparent. So you load nugs in the top and screw extruded pods out the bottom, but what about material stuck in the middle? You can’t really see into the mysterious bowels of the XTruder, so if you have weed left in there, it’s anybody’s guess.
The Zeus Arc GTS Hub Kit is Right For Devoted Pod Users
Grinding weed into 15 pods is a lot of commitment for vaping a total of (claimed volume) 6 grams of weed. You don’t get this kit as your first vape. You get this kit when you want a system that works exactly like this and no other. So, “for people who like this sort of thing, this will be the sort of thing they like.” It is ideal for those who want to ensure a consistent measured dose every time.
This system has certainly had some intense thought and design put into it, so I’ll have to give them that much credit. For the price of $239, it’s a ton of bang for the buck. Find the Zeus Arc GTS Hub Kit system here. Readers, tell us your pod preferences and Zeus stories here in the comments or in our secluded forum.
This time we’re having a look at the Bloom One vape pen, particularly the Pineapple Expressstrain. cartridge, AKA the Bloom One PEX. The Bloom One is a single-unit disposable oil pen with an atomizer and battery built in. It’s made for being a “Weekend Warrior” as the site puts it, then thrown away. The Bloom One PEX turned out to be a disappointment.
Upon locating the Bloom PEX hybrid cartridge, it’s disappointingly small at 350mg.
Nice packaging on the Bloom vape
The packaging was good, but the oil was weak.
It feels as if Bloom One is more focused on public image rather than actual cartridge itself. There’s an excess of material, flashy and attention-grabbing. Inside, there’s a pen secured with a button tab and twist mechanism that takes some fumbling to get loose, with a tiny button to eject the cap.
Big hitters won’t be satisfied with the Bloom One vape
The Bloom PEX cartridge is not built for heavy users. The packaging says the THC level is 85%, but it feels like less. The first hit is milky, lightly searing your back throat like cayenne pepper. The box recommends that you hit the THC pen for three seconds, but that doesn’t seem to yield much difference in results. The instructions even caution to draw slow and easy and only use once per hour.
Taste is artificial and some might like that, but many will not
Even for casual users, there’s better options available than the Bloom PEX. The flavor is artificial-tasting, bringing to mind a Brass Knuckles cartridge. This is pineapple too, which is pretty hard to mess up considering it’s a common hybrid strain that’s very well-supported by terpenes. The tropical tastes are just muted.
The pineapple hybrid strain is noted for its anti-stress and anti-depression properties, but it would help if the cart was stronger. As for artificial tasting vapes, Airo Pro might be a better choice for most since is substantially stronger.
Safety features: auto-shut off
The Bloom One battery allows for 10 second pulls on full charge and the first few hits. As the cartridge nears empty, the system will limit the amount of time you can pull it. It might be a nuisance to some but seems like a safety measure to keep it from burning. When the oil is completely emptied, the battery will start to flash while inhaling. It’s a disposable cartridge, so that’s the end of its story. Not a bad feature though as many vapes you might keep burning it.
Overall, the Bloom One could use improvement, but we will try it again
If they make it stronger we will definitely try it again.
For what it’s worth, the Bloom One PEX seems to be designed for one target market to the exclusion of all others. It is discrete and portable, made to do its humble job and be disposed of. Overall, it could do a lot better.
Have you had a Bloom One Vape?
Post your review below! Questions or comments? Post below or in our forum!
Bloom Farms Vape Pesticides Test – PASS
California Dab Company Pesticides and Residual Solvents Test – FAIL
Dank Vapes Pesticides and Strength Test – FAIL
Update: FlavRx has recently rebranded to Flav. Check out our 
Heavy Hitters Pesticides Test – FAIL, Additional Result PASS
Korova Super Silver Haze – PASS
MKX Sunset Sherbet Cart Pesticides Test- FAIL
Raw Garden Dosi Punch x Clementine Cartridge – PASS
Rove Vape Pesticide Test – PASS
Space Vape Test – PASS
Supreme G Extracts Lab Test – Current PASS, Previous FAIL
See below the lab results:
Treebase Klear Pesticides Test – FAIL
