Vaporizers are all the rage these days, so we were excited to find out that ZEUS Arsenal was getting in on the action with the Thunder Pen Vape. It’s a relatively small vaping device with a cool PVD coating that’s super abrasion resistant. It measures around 6 inches in length with the wax tank attached, and about half an inch wide. Aside from being able to vaporize oils, waxes, concentrates and loose leaf herbs, it’s capable of handling propylene glycol “juices”, which turns it into a regular e-cig. That’s some pretty cool versatility. The battery is 650 mAh, which isn’t as large as some of its competitors but still lasts for a good 300-400 puffs. We’ve tested the unit for the last few weeks, and it’s quickly become our favourite way of consuming our consumables.
Read on for our full impressions.
The Hardware
Our review package contained the battery, as well as a tank for oil/”juice”, one for wax, and one for dry herbs. There was a spatula for various purposes, as well as the charger cables and instructions. The craftsmanship on the Thunder Pen Vape is amazing. The PVD coating feels cool and solid, and does resist the kinds of scratches you’d expect to see when carrying it in your pocket with your keys or loose change. That’s in sharp contrast with the rubberized finish on a lot of its competitors’ offerings. The oil tank contained two wicks, which would bring the liquids up to the heating element, while the wax tank featured a rather massive coil at the bottom of a small funnel-like opening.
The Performance
As an e-cig, we were pleased but not blown away. For anyone who’s used vape pens before, you should know there’s no variable voltage on this unit, nor do we know exactly the resistance figure so we can’t say if it’s a sub-ohm vape. Most likely not. The vapour quality however was excellent, but not exactly plentiful. Also, the tank featured one coil and a fiberglass wick, which (as any vaping enthusiast will tell you) ends up tasting a little off after prolonged use. We prefer wickless atomizers, but for the price and overall functionality that the Thunder offers, this is a small sacrifice.
As a wax vaporizer however, the Thunder excelled. It was a little awkward trying to get sticky wax directly onto the heating coil, but once there, performance was amazing. Vapour quality was top-notch, rich and consistent. Puff after puff produced the same results, up until the moment the battery died. We were worried upon finding out that it’s a 650 mAh battery in light of the 1,300+ mAh offerings from its competitors, but we found that it uses what capacity it has quite efficiently and rarely found ourselves lacking.
As an herb vaporizer, the Thunder was once again great. Loading and unloading the herbs was simple and quick, while the vapour produced was tasty and thick. We don’t know what temperature the vaporization process happens at, which is one of our only gripes, but we can’t say this was a big issue.
Conclusion
Overall we are more than happy with the Thunder Vape Pen from ZEUS Arsenal. From the packaging to the craftsmanship of the products themselves, you can see this is quality stuff and not some “Made in China, flea market” garbage. Carrying the pen in our pockets has become our favourite thing to do, as it’s very small, durable and discreet. For $100, you get more than your money’s worth.
my thunder pen should be arriving in a few days. i’m mucho excited to add it to my vape collection.