Videos on this post are from the February 9th, 2024 livestream. Watch the full stream here.
The Pockety smacks on a budget, with precise controls!
The Pockety isn’t brand new to the market, but it’s a pretty fresh budget e-rig (starting at $169) that’s gotten popular in the enthusast circles, and I can see why. The build feels nice and solid, and it has a ton of options – perfect for us vapor nerds!
Like other e-rigs, this baby consists of a base (power and controls), an atomizer, and an integrated glass bubbler. The base has the features you want for your dabs – precise digital temperature control, a battery meter, and a puff counter all on the screen to take in at a glance. Charge it with the USB-C charge port, and turn it on with a long-press of the single button. A double-press will activate and deactivate the heater, while the up and down arrows change the temperature.
The glass I got is nothing special, but works fine. I don’t like it because it shoots straight up, and I’d rather have a bent-neck piece for a relaxed hit. But don’t worry – remember all the options I mentioned before? They have plenty of glass to choose from, including something just my style.
But the real action, and what enthusuasts love, is the atomizer. It should work well, because it’s a straight rip of the excellent Puffco atomizer, except you can also change out the insert for your favorite material. This will be too much work for the average user, but enthusiasts will love all the options. Mine came with a ruby insert, and a quartz insert to the side. But they also sent titanium, SiC, and ALN inserts (something I’d never heard of). We’ll go through these inserts tonight and try as many as we can!
Tips, thoughts and early impressions
See all those inserts in the pic above!?! That’s what I’m talking about when I say lots of options! From top left to bottom right they are quartz (dirty), ruby, titanium, SiC, and ALN. So far I like the quartz best, but that’s only compared to the ruby and SiC – I haven’t hit the other two yet. The differences are real and it’s nice to dial things in just the way I like. I’ll probably stick with quartz for the long haul, like I have with my other rigs.
Who is JCVAP? I have no idea. We had very little interaction with them other than some Instagram messages. I think they’re a Chinese company, given the large amount of Engrish on their site. Thanks to the community response to the Pockety, my only concern is if Puffco comes after their atomizer. I don’t know if they can, but parts of the Pockety atomizer connection are a clear copy of Puffco’s. I’ll keep an eye on this!
- I had some hiccups with my unit at first. The base unit showed up dead on arrival with a bad battery, so they sent me a replacement base.
- The Pockety worked fine until I took the atomizer apart to use other inserts. It had a sensor error, so I cleaned the contacts on both the atomizer and base unit to get it back to normal.
- I was a little worried to take the atomizer apart before the stream. The dish was stuck to the heater cup from use, and I didn’t want to twist it or break the heater wires below. Eventually it came out without issue.
- It heats up pretty quickly!
- It appears to have two different temperatures to adjust, like a Temp 1 and Temp 2. Single click the power button to toggle between them. This is pretty cool if you like to vape a lot at low temps, followed by high temps. It confused me at first.
- I like the build quality. It reminds me of the Core 2.0 from Crossing Tech. That’s a compliment, because they make good shit.
- The atomizer heats from below and all sides, so the cook is nice and even. I haven’t spotted any chazz yet. The only junk is between the dish and heater, and that will probably stay there forever.
- The heart of the Pockety is the atomizer, and I’ve been very happy with it. A directional carb cap and all these insert options on an e-rig is pretty sweet!
Big Ass Gallery
Here’s some eye candy while you wait for us to start the stream Friday night!
The Pockety with all its goodies in its carrying case. I got ruby and quartz inserts, swabs, a dab tool, charge cable, shoulder strap, and a brush (this feels like a remnant from when they were selling dry herb atomizers for it – they sucked so they stopped selling them).
The Pockety, off and waiting. The shape feels kinda like a Mighty+ in the hand – wide and shallow.
The Pockety, on and waiting.
The Pockety backside.
USB-C charge port below, and the power button above. The power button is located where I like to place my finger, but I haven’t turned it off by mistake yet.
The screen and temperature control buttons. It says “concentrate”, but it doesn’t have an herb atomizer anymore, so this is a remnant that should be cleaned up…unless a better dry herb atomizer is coming.
A closeup of the screen. Please excuse the dust. The bottom temp is the set temp, and the top is the actual temp.
The vapor path. Line the hole on the bottom of the glass with that hole on the base and you’re good to go.
The directional carb cap is pretty nice. The inlet is on the side so you can press against the top and direct it without blocking the air flow.
A look down into the atomizer with the quartz dish installed. The dish is clean. That junk is underneath on the heater below, and gathered there during my first 15 dabs with the ruby insert.
JCVAP said “fuck Puffco”! The atomizer design feels like it’s 90% the same as theirs. The difference is the inserts, and is why enthusaists love it.
The atomizer parts taken out in order from top left to bottom right. It’s really simple, but more than the occassional user will want to mess with.
Atomizer parts in the back with all the inserts in front.
I love me some inserts and options! Grab your favorite material, or try them all to figure it out.
Planet of the Vapes
Planet of the Vapes sells a curated selection of respectable vaporizers and they take care of their customers. Buy with confidence!
Which e-rig would be for someone who only does dabs maybe 2 times a week.
For that amount of use, I would get as cheap as I could that is still good. This Pockety fits that bill, if you’re good with fiddling with the atomizer every now and then.