timwis Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the New Version of the Pal SE Pod Kit from Artery. The updated Pal SE Pod Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Hugo from Artery. Introduction The original Pal SE Pod Kit was released just prior to Chinese New Year which was followed by the chaos the world has been in since with the Coronavirus Pandemic. It had mixed reviews by reviewers and likewise a mixed reaction from the more important people those that bought it. While many liked the original others had leaking issues from the pod with other issues being some not liking the mouthpiece while others found the draw too loose and experienced muted flavour. Apart from now only having one 1.2mm airflow hole rather than 2 the device itself is identical so the upgrade is concentrated around the pod which now has an integrated tinted more ergonomic mouthpiece, filling method moved to the base of the pod and a new 1.2ohm Kanthal regular coil using thinner wire than the previous coils. For those that were disappointed with the original the new kit comes with a letter of apology card which is quite classy and shows they listen and act on criticism which is good to see, let's give the updated version a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x Artery PAL SE Kit (with 1.2ohm Cartridge) 1 x Artery PAL SE Cartridge (1.2ohm) 1 x Lanyard 1 x Type-C USB Cable 1 x Rubber Ring 1 x User Manual 1 x Warranty Card 1 x A Letter of Apology ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Pal SE Pod Kit came in cardboard packaging and on opening i was met by a stylish looking Black device with Carbon Fiber inserts both front and back but other options are available. The colour/design options are Black Carbon Leather, Black & Red Leather, Brown Leather, Black Leather, Black Carbon Fiber or Royal White, the Leather versions have Leather inserts while the Royal White is a White device with Blue fused metallic panels, also included is the obligatory lanyard! The device reminds me of the Caliburn in so many ways and it's form factor is like a much chunkier Caliburn but has some extra weight which in part will be the larger battery. The device has a high quality Zinc Alloy construction and the tinted integrated mouthpiece protrudes from the top of the device. The one i received as mentioned has Carbon Fiber Inserts and has a Black chassis and fire button. The Zinc Alloy large round fire button is towards the top on the front insert and below we have an LED for battery status indication. On both sides we have vertical slots cut out that act as viewing windows to see your juice level, also on one side we have a Type C USB port for charging. Finally on the base we have safety stamps and venting just in case. The device as mentioned has some reassuring weight and is slightly bigger than the average for this type of device but is still both very ergonomic and portable. ___________________________________________________________________ Pal SE Specs and Features: Size: 109 x 23 x 13mm Material: Zinc alloy/PCTG Battery Capacity: 700mAh Wattage: Max 20W Juice Capacity: 2ml Voltage: 3.2V-4.2V Coil: 1.2ohm KA1 Coil One airflow inlet for MTL vape Improved mouthpiece to fit your lips perfectly KA1 thinner wire for 50-70VG juice 1.2ohm coil resistance Bottom refill with 2ml capacity Built-in 700mAh battery Type-C charging port system Tri-colour LED indicator Charging Current: 1A Colours: Black Carbon Leather, Black & Red Leather, Brown Leather, Black Leather, Black Carbon Fiber, Royal White ___________________________________________________________________ The Pod Unlike the original version which included a 1.0ohm and 1.4ohm pod the new kit includes 2 completely revamped pods which both house the same Kanthal regular 1.2ohm coil. The pods now have an integrated mouthpiece and the whole pod is what some refer to has tea-light effect which is a slightly tinted colour which lightens as e-liquid is added making for very good visibility. Moving to the base we have the central contacts and to each side a silicone bung with metallic lids which lift from the side but stay attached, both need lifting when filling so which ever one is used to fill the other allows air to escape. The fill ports are just the correct size for a modern Gorilla needle nose nozzle so larger nozzles are no good and also don't try and save time by only opening one of the ports as no air can escape with just one port open which will cause a mess, the pod holds 2ml of liquid. (tip: the pod fills one side of the pod and takes time to work it's way to the other so alternating the ports while filling quickens the process). The coils are fixed and not replaceable so once the flavour has muted to the point it's no longer acceptable (differs from person to person) the whole pod needs replacing. Finally down both sides of the pod we have protruding rails (one each side centrally) that slot nicely into the cutout slots at the top of the device to form viewing windows, one final con for me is the coils can't be replaced ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Pod Looking into the bay for the pod to be inserted we can see it's very neat and tidy. Visible are the outer magnets and inner contacts, the opening to the membrane switch has a raised rim so if you do get any moisture or a leaky pod (mine were fine) liquid shouldn't get into the device. Also we can see the vertical cutout either side which will form viewing windows with the pod inserted. The pod fits very nicely snapping into place securely, unlike the previous version which had slight play with the pod inserted now there is no movement whatsoever. Once fitted a tug pulls the pod out to allow you to fill the pod as the new integrated mouthpiece doesn't allow for a top-fill design which for me is a con as i much prefer being able to fill pods without the need to remove them from the device. ___________________________________________________________________ Operating The Pal SE The Pal SE is both a draw activated device and has a physical fire button so the device can be used either way. The Device is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off, turning on is confirmed by three Green flashes of the LED while when the device is turned off it's confirmed by 3 Red flashes. The device has no adjustable airflow (very few pod systems of this type do) and is a direct output device so simply decide if you want to use the device with draw activation or using the fire button and vape. The device does have battery status indication which although doesn't have 4 or 5 (my favourite) stages is perfectly satisfactory and is shown by what colour the LED lights while taking a vape. Over 60% and the LED lights Green, between 30% and 60% and the LED lights Blue and when the battery is below 30% it lights Red, you can also check the status at any time by just quickly pressing the fire button but do it quickly as the device fires instantly. The device also uses the LED to indicate any safety protections that kick in. ___________________________________________________________________ Protections: Overcharge Protection Overheat Protection Cut-off at 8 Seconds Short Circuit Protection ___________________________________________________________________ Charging The device has a Type C USB port for charging which is what all devices should now have and another pro is the port is on the side of the device rather than the base, It supports 1A charging so the 700mAh battery charged from empty to full in a fraction under 45 minutes, very happy! ___________________________________________________________________ Performance And My Thoughts The original like many i found very good but then i was one of the lucky ones that didn't receive a kit that contained any of the bad batch of pods that gave others leaking and muted flavour. I have to give great Kudos to Artery who responded to the criticism and included an apology with the updated version. Some of the changes are for the better while a couple in my opinion i preferred the older version. The only change to the device itself is now we only have one 1.2mm airflow hole rather than one each side which i understand as many found the draw just too loose and although still a loose MTL draw it has tightened it slightly, personally i prefer a very loose draw and before always had the option to put a finger over one airflow hole which had the same effect. The only thing about the updated pod i don't like is we no longer have a top-fill design so now the pod needs removing to fill. The mouthpiece is much more comfortable while also looking aesthetically much better giving a more stylish look to the overall look of the set-up. As mentioned i had no leaking issues with the original pods and these new pods are excellent with the new 1.2ohm coil pinging out flavour, this for me is right up there with the Caliburn possibly better. I am now using the second pod, the first pod allowed for 9 refills after the initial fill which once factoring in a bit of liquid is always still left in the pod before re-filling it came to about 15ml of e-liquid with the flavour at it's best which is easily above average for a pod device but needs to be because one of the biggest cons is the coils can't just be replaced but the whole pod. Just like the old pods i found the pod versatile with e-liquid ratios as i used both 50/50 and my own DIY 70VG and had no issues with wicking or flooding. I love that the device can be draw activated or fired via the button and having the physical button also allows the device to be turned off. The device is direct output but no drop off in power was noticed until on the Red and even then the vape quality was very good, when using as a draw activated device the switch responded great, no issues. battery life is good with the 1.2ohm pod and when it does need recharging it takes just under 45 minutes which is great, also having type C USB is a big bonus. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Build quality very good 6 stylish colour/design options Pocket friendly Metal construction Physical Fire or Draw activated Fires as quick as any pod device i have used Pod fits very securely (improvement to original pods) 2ml Capacity (fair for wattage output) 2 pods included New comfortable integrated mouthpiece Excellent flavour Above average longevity Nice loose MTL draw Real competitor to Caliburn Good sized viewing windows Good visibility of e-liquid level Both 50/50 and 70VG liquids worked great Battery status Indication Good battery life (superior to Caliburn) Charges in 45 minutes Type C USB Lanyard Included Cons Would be better if Constant output Coils not replaceable Not suitable for larger nozzles Need to remove pod to fill No adjustable airflow I would once again like to thank Hugo from Artery for supplying the Pal SE Pod Kit (New version) for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts