What do people here think of the Cora?

[Nate5700]

Hey all, back to ECF for the first time in a while. Trying vaping again after it not sticking the first few tries, I think my biggest hangup has been the pain of maintenance along with dealing with flooding, leaking, etc, as well as the fact that the trend in the industry seemed to be going to sub-ohm with bigger and badder coils and batteries. I didn't really know pod systems were a thing until I read an article about the Juul, but I thought that might solve a lot of my issues so I gave it a shot. I think it does help with a number of my problems and it's a nifty little device, but as has been noted on a number of threads, $4 a pop for a pod with less than a milliliter of liquid is way too much, even with the higher nic level. To try to mitigate this I've been refilling pods and am finding it to be a horrible pain, mainly if you want to reuse it more than a couple of times you have to clean it and I'm finding they just weren't meant for that.

So, I tried doing some research and it looks like the device that may meet my needs is the Cora, the pods aren't cheap but with the ceramic coil and glass tank it looks like they can go for more than a few refills, and it just looks like an all-around solid device. So I went ahead and ordered, but now I'm curious as to what folks on the forum think, what should I expect? I'm sometimes a little too quick on the trigger when it comes to buying things...

 

[Nate5700]

Well I got it today, since nobody seems to have had anything to share I thought I'd post my initial reactions to the Cora if that's helpful to anyone.

I came home during lunch and my package was waiting in my mailbox. I bought two kits and two additional pods (so 4 pods total). I took one of the devices and a charger back to work with me to get it fully charged so I could go to town when I got off work. First thing I notice is that it takes some practice to fill the pod. The holes are tiny and a very small funnel is provided with the pod for filling. The funnel drains slowly and I squeezed too hard on the dropper the first time and spilled some juice. The second pod I filled went much more smoothly. Should be OK if I can keep from losing the little funnels.

The pods are solid, sturdy looking metal chimney which conceals what I understand to be a ceramic coil, and I believe the outer tank is glass (kinda hard to tell, just judging from weight and that the tank is more shiny like glass is than plastic). I'm guessing this will take several refills. When you first fill the pod it takes a couple of hits for the vapor to get going, but there's no burned taste from hitting it dry. Once I got vapor production there have been no dry or burned hits, nor leaking, flooding, or juice in the mouth. Vapor production is good for a MTL hit, I'm using a high-nic juice from White Cloud so I get a good nic hit without guzzling juice, which I like. Flavor is good, maybe a bit muted compared to the Juul but you get a much cleaner flavor than from when you refill a Juul pod. Battery life seems to be what you'd expect for a device of this size, I vaped on and off for about 2 and a half hours before switching to my second device, chain-vaping at times. I'm not really sure if the battery was really dead when I switched, vapor production had gotten weaker but I'd just switched pods to change flavors and there was some juice on the bottom of the pod, so when I switched devices vapor production was still weak until I wiped the juice off the bottom to get a better electrical connection. The first device has now recharged while I've been vaping the second, so if you get two no worries about having to wait for one to charge.

All in all my initial impression is that this is a winner. It has most of the advantages of the Juul, and aside from the trickiness refilling (which is still better than having to open pods with a screwdriver, IMO) doesn't really have a lot of downside. I think I'm going to enjoy vaping this for a long time.

 

[spaceman84]

From what I can tell it was designed for marijuana concentrates so ecig performance is just okay. There's a bunch of refillable pod systems that are very similar to the juul and cora these days. I would be looking for a newer device that was designed for ecig use.

 

[Nate5700]

Well I think I'll give an update after using this for a day or two: You get two, maybe three fills before the pods start tasting burnt. One pod in particular got really bad after only two fills, maybe it was the juice I was using but it was so gummed up you couldn't really draw through it anymore. But the pods are so solid that my first thought was "not to worry" and I soaked it in vodka overnight to clean it. Didn't help. Tried vinegar. Didn't help. Finally I decided to try to take the pod apart to see what was going on inside. First I should say that it turns out the tanks ARE plastic, which I found out as I had to utterly destroy the pod to get it open. If there's a way to open it without destroying it I haven't found it. When I did get it apart, I found what I had understood to be a "ceramic" coil according to the manufacturer, but it was a dinky wire coil no different than the Juul coil. It could possibly be cleaned by burning the (considerable) gunk off with a lighter, if you could get the pod apart intact, but I don't think this would buy you more than a couple more fills anyway.

Maybe I was a bit naive about this, as solid as the pods looked I was thinking I might get as many as 10 or so fills on them, maybe more. As it is, you're probably doing worse than you would with a Juul pod, and these are more expensive than a Juul pod. I'm ....... This is literally a "back to the drawing board" situation.

Maybe pod systems aren't the right idea for what I'm trying to do, I'm going to continue to do some research on pod systems as well as other vape pen types so that I don't waste my money again. It's disappointing as I had such high hopes and it seemed like such a solid device out of the box.

 

[bombastinator]

It’s listing as a dual use device for both oils and vape juice. As with any multipurpose device I rather doubt its particularly good at either.

 

[chellie]

Well I think I'll give an update after using this for a day or two: You get two, maybe three fills before the pods start tasting burnt. One pod in particular got really bad after only two fills, maybe it was the juice I was using but it was so gummed up you couldn't really draw through it anymore. But the pods are so solid that my first thought was "not to worry" and I soaked it in vodka overnight to clean it. Didn't help. Tried vinegar. Didn't help. Finally I decided to try to take the pod apart to see what was going on inside. First I should say that it turns out the tanks ARE plastic, which I found out as I had to utterly destroy the pod to get it open. If there's a way to open it without destroying it I haven't found it. When I did get it apart, I found what I had understood to be a "ceramic" coil according to the manufacturer, but it was a dinky wire coil no different than the Juul coil. It could possibly be cleaned by burning the (considerable) gunk off with a lighter, if you could get the pod apart intact, but I don't think this would buy you more than a couple more fills anyway.

Maybe I was a bit naive about this, as solid as the pods looked I was thinking I might get as many as 10 or so fills on them, maybe more. As it is, you're probably doing worse than you would with a Juul pod, and these are more expensive than a Juul pod. I'm ....... This is literally a "back to the drawing board" situation.

Maybe pod systems aren't the right idea for what I'm trying to do, I'm going to continue to do some research on pod systems as well as other vape pen types so that I don't waste my money again. It's disappointing as I had such high hopes and it seemed like such a solid device out of the box.

Sorry to hear it's not working out. Pods are just not my thing. I've been vaping for a few years so I think if I was starting out, I'd probably have loved it. I did buy a blu pod --- because it was on special and the draw was pretty good and the pods are super easy to refill. Are you open to other types of devices or are you set on pods? What did you use before?

 

[Nate5700]

Sorry to hear it's not working out. Pods are just not my thing. I've been vaping for a few years so I think if I was starting out, I'd probably have loved it. I did buy a blu pod --- because it was on special and the draw was pretty good and the pods are super easy to refill. Are you open to other types of devices or are you set on pods? What did you use before?

Before? Quite a few things, it seems, best setup I had I think was a Kanger Protank on an Innokin MVP mod. But I had issues with flooding and leaking that I wasn't a fan of, and then everything started going to subohm it seemed like, and I definitely prefer MTL on a smaller setup.

I'm not dead-set on pods by any means, in fact after a little looking around I'm going back to a mod and tank setup, it looks like they still make those for MTL vapers (which could have fooled me because any vape shop you go into now they want to push a subohm setup on you). I ordered an Innokin Goby kit for $25. It's a mod with a 510 connection so if I don't like the tank it comes with I can shop around for something else. The heads for the Goby tank are $2 each, which seems expensive to me but I really didn't see anything cheaper than that. Sign of the times, I guess. Still cheaper than pods.

I still feel like I'm throwing money at things kinda blind, there's so much out there now you try to do your research and you get paralyzed by all the options. Hopefully this works out. I've had good luck with the Innokin brand in the past.

 

[chellie]

Before? Quite a few things, it seems, best setup I had I think was a Kanger Protank on an Innokin MVP mod. But I had issues with flooding and leaking that I wasn't a fan of, and then everything started going to subohm it seemed like, and I definitely prefer MTL on a smaller setup.

I'm not dead-set on pods by any means, in fact after a little looking around I'm going back to a mod and tank setup, it looks like they still make those for MTL vapers (which could have fooled me because any vape shop you go into now they want to push a subohm setup on you). I ordered an Innokin Goby kit for $25. It's a mod with a 510 connection so if I don't like the tank it comes with I can shop around for something else. The heads for the Goby tank are $2 each, which seems expensive to me but I really didn't see anything cheaper than that. Sign of the times, I guess. Still cheaper than pods.

I still feel like I'm throwing money at things kinda blind, there's so much out there now you try to do your research and you get paralyzed by all the options. Hopefully this works out. I've had good luck with the Innokin brand in the past.

I so hear you about the vape shops! The local one near me is manned by a rude staff. AND they also seem to think that the only acceptable setups are the largest, cloud producing beasts they can find. So I order online.

I am a MTL-er. While I can see the usefulness of the pods, they just do not do it for me. I've used a few different set-ups and I remember that I felt like I was throwing money away, too. I don't mind paying - I just want to use something that I like and that satisfies me.

Right now I am using a Kanger Toptank mini which I see myself using for a while. I use the .5 coil which is rated for direct lung but I do MTL and like it a lot. (The vape shops hate that and will say I am doing it incorrectly...). They also make 1.2 coils that I've liked as well. I've started to make my own coils at about .6 and use wattage of around 18-20. It's been very satisfying for me. What I really like is that I have options with this setup. And, I am shocked at how much money I save. I was paying up to $15 for a box of 5 coils and now I easily make my own for what seems like pennies.

The Goby is nice looking and I like that it gives you a number of wattage options. For me, I try to buy items that can grow with me a bit so I now prefer a removable battery. I just carry an extra battery or two and never have to worry about my battery running out of power. And even though I am not a huge fan of integrated batteries, I have a companion tube-style device that works with my setup Kanger SUBVOD Mega Starter kit so it really gives me a lot of vaping options and a lot of expansion options.

Let us know how you like the Goby.

 

[bombastinator]

Before? Quite a few things, it seems, best setup I had I think was a Kanger Protank on an Innokin MVP mod. But I had issues with flooding and leaking that I wasn't a fan of, and then everything started going to subohm it seemed like, and I definitely prefer MTL on a smaller setup.

I'm not dead-set on pods by any means, in fact after a little looking around I'm going back to a mod and tank setup, it looks like they still make those for MTL vapers (which could have fooled me because any vape shop you go into now they want to push a subohm setup on you). I ordered an Innokin Goby kit for $25. It's a mod with a 510 connection so if I don't like the tank it comes with I can shop around for something else. The heads for the Goby tank are $2 each, which seems expensive to me but I really didn't see anything cheaper than that. Sign of the times, I guess. Still cheaper than pods.

I still feel like I'm throwing money at things kinda blind, there's so much out there now you try to do your research and you get paralyzed by all the options. Hopefully this works out. I've had good luck with the Innokin brand in the past.

Subohm sells more juice which is the only thing they make any money off anymore :/ super high excise taxes are killing the B&M stores.

 

[spaceman84]

To be honest, you could have picked any of the newer pod sticks and probably had a better result. Some of the bigger manufacturers have better coils or quality control, but that's about it. Cora is an older device. Things have improved since it was released. I've also noticed a trend with smaller brands where pod quality degrades before the product is no longer supported or a new version is released

 

[Nate5700]

Right now I am using a Kanger Toptank mini which I see myself using for a while. I use the .5 coil which is rated for direct lung but I do MTL and like it a lot. (The vape shops hate that and will say I am doing it incorrectly...). They also make 1.2 coils that I've liked as well. I've started to make my own coils at about .6 and use wattage of around 18-20. It's been very satisfying for me. What I really like is that I have options with this setup. And, I am shocked at how much money I save. I was paying up to $15 for a box of 5 coils and now I easily make my own for what seems like pennies.
...
Let us know you like the Goby.

Thanks for the advice, I may look into the Toptank if the Goby tank is a dud. Having a variety of coil options is a plus. I'll definitely post an update when I get the Goby, I may just link to it here since this part of the forum is for pod system discussion, but you'll hear about it.

Subohm sells more juice which is the only thing they make any money off anymore :/ super high excise taxes are killing the B&M stores.

That sucks. I haven't been tuned in to the policy issues around vaping much lately, I didn't realize they were hitting the equipment hard with excise taxes. Government's gotta get its cut somehow, but since taxing the wealthy is out of the question you gotta push it onto those horrible nicotine users. I better just keep my mouth shut before I go on a rant, this probably isn't the place for it.

To be honest, you could have picked any of the newer pod sticks and probably had a better result. Some of the bigger manufacturers have better coils or quality control, but that's about it. Cora is an older device. Things have improved since it was released. I've also noticed a trend with smaller brands where pod quality degrades before the product is no longer supported or a new version is released

Yeah...sometimes I don't think enough and just "do". I didn't know enough about the product before I bought it and got burned this time. I'm sure there are better pod systems, but the experience made me reevaluate what I'm trying to achieve and I don't think pods are necessarily the way to go for me.

 

[Nate5700]

Let us know how you like the Goby.

As promised, my thoughts on the Goby are here. Enjoy!

 

[chellie]

As promised, my thoughts on the Goby are here. Enjoy!

Nice review! Did not realize how small it is. Great pic really shows how small it is next to a bic! Enjoy!