Surge Ultrasonic Pod Kit
Manufactured by Innokin
Hello folks. Welcome back to another overly-done review by myself. Just kidding, this review should be pretty short and to the point (hopefully).
The product I'm about to introduce to you is rather simple to use, just like many other mini-pod devices on the market. This device however, is even simpler - it has cut the coil out of the picture. One less thing to worry about, right? Today we'll be taking a closer look at Surge Vapor's new and innovative ultrasonic pod device. Apparently ultrasonic vape devices have been produced in the past, but with very little success. The only other ultrasonic device I've used near my mouth is my toothbrush, but you don't have to worry - you won't be experiencing any humming or vibrations. This is my first experience with an ultrasonic vape and I have to say, I'm quite impressed with it. There are some caveats however, as I don't believe this pod device is for everyone. I'll get more into that down below.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I want to thank
@Innokin_timmy and the Innokin team for continually pushing the envelope of innovation and improving their products. These Surge starter kits were sent to me for the purpose of this review. As always, I will remain fair and unbiased.
(Photos can be clicked on to enlarge)
You're probably wondering-
What's in the box?
- 1x Surge Battery Mod
- 1x 1.8mL Surge Pod (Polar Mint - 18 mg/mL Nicotine)
- 1x USB Type-C Charging Cable
- 1x Quick Start Guide
- 1x Ultrasonic Info Pamphlet
Key Features:
- 112 * 21 * 13 mm Dimensions
- Internal 700 mAh Battery
- Non-refillable Prefilled Pods
- Ultrasonic Heating Technology (no coil)
- Auto-draw Activation
Color Options:
From left to right:
- Aurora Purple
- Space Grey
- Sunset Pink
- Spartan Green
- Black
I received the Sunset Pink and Black colorways. The Black is a solid color choice for those looking to be a bit more discrete, but is harder to admire up close. So, I'll give you a closer look at the Sunset Pink Mod.
A Closer Look:
This is the front of the Surge Kit. The ultrasonic emblem lights up when taking a pull and also flashes blue and red when removing the pod. While charging, this light has a slow pulse until it's fully charged and then displays this constant blue light. Take a peak in the Starter Guide for various other light indications.
Here you'll notice that the finish is a polished aluminum (aluminium for some of you). There's an elegant gradient from pink to light pink toward the top where the pod sits. On the right side of the mod is where you'll find the USB Type-C port for charging. This device charges at 1.4A which is both speedy and healthy for a long battery lifespan. Also you'll see on this side, the single airflow hole allowing a great loose MTL vape. Since this vape device is auto-draw activated, you can simply use a finger to cover the airflow hole to slightly tighten the draw. I would still consider it a loose MTL, but it's tighter than not covering the airflow hole.
On the top where you place your pod, you'll see toward the middle the two spring-loaded brass positive and negative connector pins. Toward the outer edges, you'll notice the circular magnets that firmly secure the pod. On the bottom are 5 ventilation holes for the battery and on the back toward the bottom, you'll see its battery information. This battery will fully recharge in about 30-45 min. Very convenient for the amount of vape time. This device also allows you to safely vape while it's plugged in and charging.
The Pods:
On one side of the pod, you'll see a nicely placed Surge logo which is hidden when you insert the pod into the battery. On the other side, each pod is individually labeled what e-juice flavor it contains and the nicotine content. This is conveniently nice for those of us that like to switch flavors on a whim. When I throw a new pod in, I don't like the idea of having to vape the entire thing before switching out the flavor. If you have half a dozen pods sitting about that are partially used, and they're all unmarked, are you really interested in tossing each of the pods back in to figure out what flavor pod is the one you're looking for?
Toward the center, you'll see 3 brass receptors for the positive and negative pins located inside the top of the battery allowing you to drop the pod in either way. Toward the outer ends of the pod, you'll notice the round magnets that match up nicely with the magnets in the pod housing of the battery, and 2 airflow holes that give a nice loose MTL and is also the device's way of determining auto-draw activation.
How exactly does the Surge Pod Kit work?
The Surge uses an ultrasonic chip that vibrates 3 million times per second (3.0 MHz) to aerosolize e-juice. This is advantageous for a few reasons:
- You'll never have to worry about hot lava spit back
- You'll never have to worry about dreaded burnt hits
- You can comfortably vape the entire pod cartridge
- From what I can tell, you get a longer amount of use between recharges (of course this depends on how often you vape and how long your pulls are)
It should also be noted that aerosolizing e-juice via vibrations, you're heating the juice at a lower temperature than with conventional coils. Nicotine does not interact with heat very well, and some of its potency is lost in the traditional ways of vaping. Cutting the coil out of the equation allows the nicotine to be aerosolized at a lower temp, thus destroying less of it as it is being inhaled. Furthermore, as noted before, you'll never have to worry about dry hits. For anyone that's vaped for any extent of time, this is the very bane of vaping. And for those that my have metal allergies or fear the release of toxic chemicals from heating metal (there really is no danger unless the coils are somehow reaching 1200 deg. F which no mod that I own can do), you'll never have to worry about that with the Surge Pod Kit.
You really can vape this to the last drop!
Impressions and Observations:
I was asked to compare the Surge Pod Kit with the RELX Pod Kit while doing this review. I will paste the notes I had written about the RELX, and then will compare and contrast notes with the Surge Pod Kit.
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RELX
Can use Type-C 3.0 QC *
Can vape while charging
Flavor is very short-lived in menthol *
Menthol has decent throat hit *
Fairly stealthy vape *
Excessive amount of waste - each pod is encased in plastic/rubber
Nic delivery is good
Pods are fully sealed, no leaking
Surge
1.4A Charge with cable provided – Does not pick up QC 3.0
Watermelon Ice package had one leaked pod – using it seems to not have any problems
Menthols "Ice" flavors have a strong throat hit
Both tobacco flavors have a very strong throat hit
Watermelon Ice - ice overpowers watermelon; still a good combo
Polar Ice – decent ice potency
Green Mint – too minty, heavy throat hit; almost feels like brain freeze
Blueberry Mint – best overall flavor/ice ratio
Smooth Tobacco – has a peanut buttery tobacco flavor (first time trying tobacco flavor)
Rich Tobacco – has a fairly natural tobacco flavor, much like an American Spirit; rather harsh throat hit
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Almost everything I experienced with the RELX, I also got with the Surge, but with a few preferential caveats. Anything I marked with an asterisk in the RELX list was different with the Surge Pod. I'll address them in order:
- RELX picks up 3.0 QC Type-C USB charging. The Surge does not however, almost all vape products are not recommended to be charged at 3.0A simply because it heats up the battery quite excessively while also heating up the chip that runs your device. If you're okay with frying the chip and lowering the lifespan of your battery at the convenience of recharging a few minutes faster, then by all means.
- The RELX menthol flavor was rather short-lived after each puff. In the Surge pod, it's quite the opposite. With flavors like Green Mint, if you're only looking for a hint of menthol in your vape, this pod is not for you. I actually received what felt to be brain freeze from this pod flavor. If you love menthol/ice, then you're going to love this pod. In my opinion (but I'm also not much of a menthol vaper), the other 3 menthol/ice flavored pods were pretty heavy with ice, but it felt fairly natural in comparison to other disposables I've tried from other vapers. I will say that with the Watermelon Ice and Blueberry Ice, that the menthol is more prevalent than the fruit flavor.
- The Green Mint and both Tobacco flavored pods offer a very strong throat hit. Like a 9 mg/mL freebase throat hit - too much for my liking. If you like a strong throat hit, these are your flavors. The other 3 felt like a 3-6 mg/mL freebase throat hit.
- Depending on the flavor choice, the amount of stealth vape varied. I think with the flavors that offered a smoother throat hit (less), I was taking longer draws and therefore producing more vape clouds.
I've been vaping the Surge Pod for around two weeks now. I did run into a pod that had leaked inside the package. In doing a review, I felt it necessary to use the pod to see what sort of adverse effects I experienced from it. Usually for pods, this is a very bad sign, but I must admit that after pulling it out of the package and using it until it was empty, I experienced no other leakage or altering of the device in its ability to vape. I took a picture just before doing this review to show you the inside of the battery where the pod sits to prove this.
For a size comparison:
== PROS ==
- No leaks
- Well constructed
- Good hand feel
- Pod seats firmly via magnets
- Never a dry hit
- Can vape every drop
- Metal allergies friendly
- No fear of toxic metallic fumes
- Long battery usage per cycle
- Fast charging (30-40 min.)
- Type-C USB
- Can vape while plugged in
- Very simple to use - pop the pod in and vape
- Hair-trigger Auto-draw activation
- Each pod is individually marked with flavor and nicotine content
- Pocket-friendly
- Mouthpiece feels comfy in lips
- Successfully innovative
== CONS ==
- Might be hard to clean if leaks were to happen (as are most pod devices)
- Mod/battery gets slightly warm if chain vaped
- Loose MTL - not much variance in airflow options
- Prefilled pods
== Preference Considerations ==
- Overall a strong menthol
- A few flavors (to me) give very strong throat hits - I vape mostly 3 mg/mL juices.
Overall Rating:
8.5 - In comparison to other mini-pod devices similar to the Surge
I will end this with some last thoughts to consider. Surge pods come with 18 mg/ML (1.8%) nicotine. I feel the nicotine hit just as hard as the RELX 50 mg/ML (5%) nicotine pods. I feel this has a lot to do with the use of ultrasonic heating lessening the degradation of nicotine versus conventional heated coils. This in turn should lessen the cost per pod, as nicotine is the most expensive component of the juice. Hopefully this should help keep the prices down when buying more pods.
In regards to flavor, it's purely subjective. I'm a fruit kind of person, so I enjoyed the Watermelon Ice and Blueberry Ice. Polar Ice wasn't bad for a purely menthol flavor without being over the top. I wasn't a fan of either tobacco flavor, but you might like them. And if you're a glutton for menthol punishment, then Green Mint is for you, lol.
You can purchase the Surge Pod Kit and replacement pods via their website at
surgevapor.com. As of writing this review, they are currently out of stock and so you can scroll to the bottom of this page to find authorized retailers also selling this device for 9.99 Euros and pods (2 per pack) for 7.99 Euros.
Cheers and happy vape hoarding.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
