Hi Vaping Underground members, In this review i take a look at the Balapod pod system from Yummycig. The Balapod was supplied for the purpose of this review by Better from Yummycig.
https://www.yummysun.com/Balapod
Introduction
Not long ago i reviewed the debut release from Yummycig the Triumph Variable Wattage Squonk device which was Variable Wattage only but done well as the chip surprised me by it's accuracy and the device fired instantly with good ramp up. Here we have their second product and yes you've guessed correctly, it's a pod system called the Balapod. At the time of writing this review the Balapod comes in 3 colour options although i know a Rainbow option is in the pipelines. It's a draw activated device with a 400mAh battery and features 3 constant Voltage output settings. The pods hold 2ml of e-liquid and house a 1.5ohm coil (material?) so will give low wattage making it suitable for nic salts and high mg e-liquid, let's give it a look!
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In The Box
Contents:
Balapod Battery
1 Pod
USB Cable
Manual
QA Card
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Balapod comes in cardboard box packaging with cardboard sleeve although mine is a sample so retail packaging may differ. I have heard there could be a Rainbow version out soon, i have seen a picture of it and it looks really nice but for now the colour options are Black, Blue and White, i received the Black version. The design concept is supposed to be the shape of a Blue Whale which i kind of get when looking at the device from the side but it certainly has a form factor a bit different to what i have seen previously and coming up with a unique form with all the pod devices out there can't be that easy so a pro for that.
The device is very curvy and wider at the lower section where the bottom is rounded, the protruding tinted mouthpiece of the pod blends into the overall shape very nicely. The front is Zinc Alloy with a fingerprint magnet gloss finish, towards the top we have "BALAPOD" embossed into the metal and towards the bottom a round Black translucent fire button which lights up settings and protections indications, it is concaved making it easy to feel. The Back is a plastic panel with branding and safety stamps embossed into the surface surrounded with circular groove design. The plastic panel has a metallic Silver Rim around it which on mine breaks up the all Black colour nicely. On the base of the device we find the micro USB port, the device is made well and feels very comfortable in the hand, it's size is larger than the average pod device but is still very pocket friendly and quite light.
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Balapod Specs and Features:
Dimension:82.0mm*47.3mm*13.4mm
Weight:54g
Pod capacity:2.0ml
Pod resistance:1.5Ω
Battery capacity:400mah
3 Voltage settings 3.4V, 3.8V, 4.2V
Product material:zinc Alloy&PC
Colours: Black, Blue, White
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The Pod
The Pod is quite a common shape i have seen many times but no surprise why the shape is used so often as it is comfortable when vaping. I do quite often moan about tinted pods as the e-liquid level is hard to see however despite this pod being tinted it's transparent enough to see your juice level in all lighting so no issues there. On the base we can see the 2 contacts central with the very small opening to lead to the membrane switch between the two. Both sides of the base we have silicone pieces with a flap to the outer edge of each which are easy to get hold of to lift the silicone sections which reveal 2 good sized filling ports (most nozzles will be fine). The silicone stays attached to the pod and can be turned 90 degrees so you don't need to hold them while filling, fill using one port and the other port allows air to escape. As mentioned the pod is transparent so when filling you can clearly see the juice level, the pod holds 2ml of e-liquid. The pod houses a 1.5ohm coil with organic cotton as it's wicking material but no specs for the coil material is given, you only receive one pod which i find unacceptable, 2 pods minimum should be included. I have been told there will be two options available a 1 pod option and a 2 pod option so people will have the choice which is good but in my opinion i wouldn't have the 1 pod option but just 1 option which includes 2 pods.
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Fitting The Pod
Looking inside the bay where the pod will sit we can see the central Gold plated, spring loaded contacts with the small membrane switch opening between them. The pod just gets press fitted into place but fits impressively securely with no movement whatsoever. With the pod fitted on one side there is a little notch to get your fingernail in to help remove the pod and it's needed as without it trying to remove the pod would be a struggle, good job!
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Balapod
The Balapod is a draw activated device so fires with the suction of your draw and has no physical fire button. It doesn't have a fire button but it does have a function button which can be used for turning the device on and off and changing between voltage output settings. To turn the device on or off is 5 clicks of the function button and the button flashes 3 times in the current voltage setting colour to confirm the action. The Balapod has 3 different constant voltage settings which are indicated by which colour the function button lights up, Red is 3.4V, Green is 3.8V and Blue is 4.2V. To change between voltage settings is 3 clicks of the function button and the button flashes 3 times in the colour of the new selected setting. When you take a vape the button lights up the colour of the voltage setting you are using and you can also check by holding down the button. When charging the device the button stays lit Red until the battery is fully charged then the light goes out.
The Balapod for me only has 2 cons, one quite major and both are to do with the battery. In this section i will mention the major con as far as i am concerned and it's not that it has poor battery status indication, it has no battery status indication whatsoever so while using the device i had absolutely no idea how much charge was left on the battery at any given time apart from when it had just been fully charged. Although Yummycig didn't find a way of using the LED to give battery status indication it does give indication if any safety protection kicks in with various flashes.
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Review Continued Below:
https://www.yummysun.com/Balapod
Introduction
Not long ago i reviewed the debut release from Yummycig the Triumph Variable Wattage Squonk device which was Variable Wattage only but done well as the chip surprised me by it's accuracy and the device fired instantly with good ramp up. Here we have their second product and yes you've guessed correctly, it's a pod system called the Balapod. At the time of writing this review the Balapod comes in 3 colour options although i know a Rainbow option is in the pipelines. It's a draw activated device with a 400mAh battery and features 3 constant Voltage output settings. The pods hold 2ml of e-liquid and house a 1.5ohm coil (material?) so will give low wattage making it suitable for nic salts and high mg e-liquid, let's give it a look!
___________________________________________________________________
In The Box
Contents:
Balapod Battery
1 Pod
USB Cable
Manual
QA Card
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Balapod comes in cardboard box packaging with cardboard sleeve although mine is a sample so retail packaging may differ. I have heard there could be a Rainbow version out soon, i have seen a picture of it and it looks really nice but for now the colour options are Black, Blue and White, i received the Black version. The design concept is supposed to be the shape of a Blue Whale which i kind of get when looking at the device from the side but it certainly has a form factor a bit different to what i have seen previously and coming up with a unique form with all the pod devices out there can't be that easy so a pro for that.
The device is very curvy and wider at the lower section where the bottom is rounded, the protruding tinted mouthpiece of the pod blends into the overall shape very nicely. The front is Zinc Alloy with a fingerprint magnet gloss finish, towards the top we have "BALAPOD" embossed into the metal and towards the bottom a round Black translucent fire button which lights up settings and protections indications, it is concaved making it easy to feel. The Back is a plastic panel with branding and safety stamps embossed into the surface surrounded with circular groove design. The plastic panel has a metallic Silver Rim around it which on mine breaks up the all Black colour nicely. On the base of the device we find the micro USB port, the device is made well and feels very comfortable in the hand, it's size is larger than the average pod device but is still very pocket friendly and quite light.
___________________________________________________________________
Balapod Specs and Features:
Dimension:82.0mm*47.3mm*13.4mm
Weight:54g
Pod capacity:2.0ml
Pod resistance:1.5Ω
Battery capacity:400mah
3 Voltage settings 3.4V, 3.8V, 4.2V
Product material:zinc Alloy&PC
Colours: Black, Blue, White
___________________________________________________________________
The Pod
The Pod is quite a common shape i have seen many times but no surprise why the shape is used so often as it is comfortable when vaping. I do quite often moan about tinted pods as the e-liquid level is hard to see however despite this pod being tinted it's transparent enough to see your juice level in all lighting so no issues there. On the base we can see the 2 contacts central with the very small opening to lead to the membrane switch between the two. Both sides of the base we have silicone pieces with a flap to the outer edge of each which are easy to get hold of to lift the silicone sections which reveal 2 good sized filling ports (most nozzles will be fine). The silicone stays attached to the pod and can be turned 90 degrees so you don't need to hold them while filling, fill using one port and the other port allows air to escape. As mentioned the pod is transparent so when filling you can clearly see the juice level, the pod holds 2ml of e-liquid. The pod houses a 1.5ohm coil with organic cotton as it's wicking material but no specs for the coil material is given, you only receive one pod which i find unacceptable, 2 pods minimum should be included. I have been told there will be two options available a 1 pod option and a 2 pod option so people will have the choice which is good but in my opinion i wouldn't have the 1 pod option but just 1 option which includes 2 pods.
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Pod
Looking inside the bay where the pod will sit we can see the central Gold plated, spring loaded contacts with the small membrane switch opening between them. The pod just gets press fitted into place but fits impressively securely with no movement whatsoever. With the pod fitted on one side there is a little notch to get your fingernail in to help remove the pod and it's needed as without it trying to remove the pod would be a struggle, good job!
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Balapod
The Balapod is a draw activated device so fires with the suction of your draw and has no physical fire button. It doesn't have a fire button but it does have a function button which can be used for turning the device on and off and changing between voltage output settings. To turn the device on or off is 5 clicks of the function button and the button flashes 3 times in the current voltage setting colour to confirm the action. The Balapod has 3 different constant voltage settings which are indicated by which colour the function button lights up, Red is 3.4V, Green is 3.8V and Blue is 4.2V. To change between voltage settings is 3 clicks of the function button and the button flashes 3 times in the colour of the new selected setting. When you take a vape the button lights up the colour of the voltage setting you are using and you can also check by holding down the button. When charging the device the button stays lit Red until the battery is fully charged then the light goes out.
The Balapod for me only has 2 cons, one quite major and both are to do with the battery. In this section i will mention the major con as far as i am concerned and it's not that it has poor battery status indication, it has no battery status indication whatsoever so while using the device i had absolutely no idea how much charge was left on the battery at any given time apart from when it had just been fully charged. Although Yummycig didn't find a way of using the LED to give battery status indication it does give indication if any safety protection kicks in with various flashes.
___________________________________________________________________
Review Continued Below:
