# Could This Be The Best Pod Device For Most People?



## daniel craig (29/1/19)

With pod devices becoming the new ‘in-thing’ and gaining a lot of popularity in 2018, it was about time Renova Vapor came up with their very own pod device to compete amongst the thousands of other pod devices in the market. For those of you that don’t know, Renova Vapor is a division of the popular vape manufacturer, Vaporesso - A company that needs no introduction.
Vaporesso has gained a lot of popularity in 2018 and are responsible for producing some of the best starter kits at affordable price tags. Their Armour Pro mod is still one of my favourite single cell mods to date. Today I will be reviewing their latest pod device called the ZERO.






Spoiler: Manufacturers Specs:



*Manufacturers Specs:*

Dimensions – 31mm (Length) by 13.5mm (Breadth) by 80.2mm (Height)
All-In-One Pod System
Intelligent OMNI Board Mini
2mL Juice Capacity – PCTG (Food safe & BPA Free) Refillable Pod
Integrated 650mAh Rechargeable Battery
Wattage Output Range: 9-12.5W
Minimum Resistance: 1.0ohm
Auto Temperature Control
Low Liquid Detection
Direct Voltage Based Output
ON/OFF Button
Colourful LED Light Battery Indicator
Press-to-Fill (PTF) Mechanism
Vaporesso CCELL Coil Technology
1A Micro USB Charging Port
Short Circuit Protection
No Load Protection
Low Resistance Protection
Overtime Protection
Overcharge Protection
ESD Circuit Protection
Pass-Through Protection
Available in Black, White, Silver, Rainbow, Orange, Arctic Blue, Red, Green, Blue









Spoiler: Included in box:



*Included in box:*

1 x ZERO Pod System (650mAh)
1 x PCTG Refillable Pod
1 x 10mL E-Juice Filling Bottle
1 x USB Charging Cable
1 x User Guide
1 Warranty Card







*Design:*
The Renova ZERO features a similar design to Vaporesso’s first pod device, the Nexus AIO. This is a very sleek, flat designed device that is pretty small and convenient to carry around. The ZERO is a simple All-In-One device that requires almost ‘ZERO’ effort from the user. Being a pod device, the only thing you need to do is refill, charge and change out the pods. Vaporesso made use of a 'draw activation' system for this device as well which is a nice touch towards making this device extremely simple and user friendly.

Starting at the mouth piece, the ZERO has a duck-bill shaped mouthpiece which to me feels more comfortable than other mouthpiece designs. The width of the mouth piece as well as it’s symmetrical design makes it very comfortable to use. The pod lacks adjustable airflow options which is fine for a pod device as it’s catered mainly for MTL and High Nicotine e-liquids. The ZERO has a loose MTL draw. It feels looser than the draw of a cigarette but it’s still a MTL vape. Personally, I think it has the perfect amount of restriction to it.

The pod is secured by strong magnets holding it in place. When secured, the pod won’t be going anywhere or falling out. You can pick up the device from the pod and even shake it without the pod coming off. According to Vaporesso, the pod for the ZERO is constructed from PCTG (Poly - Cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate Glycol). Don’t let the long name scare you because PCTG is one of the better plastic materials out there. PCTG has excellent toughness and good heat resistance at ~120˚C. It is also food safe as granted by the FDA, and so will not emit BPA. PCTG also has great transparency and therefore seeing your juice levels isn’t very difficult provided you are not in the dark.

The pod makes use of Vaporesso’s popular CCell Ceramic coil heads which is a massive plus. The use of ceramic coil heads makes the flavour the ZERO produces that much better. I would gladly say that the CCell coils seem to give better flavour than other coils used by other devices. I think every manufacturer should consider offering a ceramic option for their tanks or pod devices.




Looking at the device itself, it has a really nice and smooth finish. Underneath this beauty lies a 650mAh battery which is a decent capacity to expect from a pod device. Depending on the colour option you settle for, you might get a different finish. The Rainbow colour option has a metal construction as is quite the fingerprint magnet although it looks really good. The other colour options such as the Arctic Blue however, have a matte finish which doesn’t hold any fingerprints and is a more practical option for those that can’t stand fingerprints on a mod. It would’ve been a nice touch if the Rainbow option had some sort of clear coat on it to prevent fingerprints from getting onto the device.

On the side of the device you have a little branding. I had no issues with peeling of paint or anything like that on my device even with heavy usage.

Towards the bottom of the device you have a single adjustment button which is also the LED indicator which let’s you know more or less how much battery life you have left. This LED lights up each time you take a puff and changes colour depending on your battery life situation.
*Battery light indicator:*
_Green – High (Above 70%)
Blue - Medium (30-70% Battery life)
Red – Low (Below 30% life remaining)
_
In addition to being a battery life indicator, this LED Button can also be used to Switch the device On/Off and can also be used to change the power output.
*Operation:*
_To Switch the device On/Off – 5 Click of the button
To Switch between power modes – 3 Click of the Button_
*Power Modes to choose from:*
_Green – High (12.5w)
Blue – Medium (10.5w)
Red – Low (9w)_
* To view what mode you’re in, simply hold down the LED Button*_._

Beneath the device is the USB charging port which is capable of charging this device at 1A – a pretty fast charging speed. According to Vaporesso, this device should charge from 0-100% in 45 minutes which is quite impressive.
*
Using the device:*
The first thing you’ll want to do when you get this device is to prime the pod. Being a pod device, priming it isn’t as convenient as you would an RTA, RDA or normal coil head. You will need to fill up the pod and then let it sit for around 15 minutes to fully saturate before you can begin using it. I would recommend refilling it and then while the pod is off the device, cover the airflow and take a few primer puffs to speed up the priming process.
The ZERO makes use of a PTF (Press-To-Fill) system which is actually really nice and mess free. If your juice comes in Chubby Gorilla or Unicorn bottles, this pod should be really easy to refill. You simply place the nozzle on the juice port and press down. This is similar to the system used when refilling gas in a lighter. You may run into issues if your juice comes in glass bottles but Renova do include a 10mL carry bottle so you would need to decant your juice into that bottle before refilling.
Once setup, the Renova ZERO just works from the get go without you having to fidget around. The power output from the default setting is just perfect. You could change it to make it stronger (warmer) or weaker (cooler) but I preferred it at it’s default wattage output.



*
How does it vape?*
The Renova ZERO has got to be the most impressive pod device I have used. I used pod devices alongside my normal setup last year but since December I have used the ZERO almost exclusively as my daily driver. The flavour you get off the CCell Pods combined with the nicotine delivery is just great. There’s no debating that the ZERO produced the best flavour out of all the pod devices I have tried previously and the power output from the device doesn’t leave you with an unsatisfying vape. I believe that the OMNI Board Mini is the reason why there’s little/no ramp up time when inhaling which is a massive pro for me. The Temperature Control on this device seems to work and you’ll notice that the vapour production will decrease when there’s little liquid left in the pod. The use of TC in the ZERO helps with prolonging the pods lifespan. Speaking of lifespan, the ZERO also has the best pod lifespan I have come across so far. I was able to get throw 15-20mL of e-liquid through a single pod before it needed replacing. Since you don’t go through a lot of juice, that is a pretty great lifespan to get from your pod. Keep in mind that using sweeter juice and higher VG juices will result in a shorter pod lifespan. When I tested out a sweet juice, I was only about to get through 10-13mL of liquid before it started tasting crappy. As for VG ratios, I suggest sticking to juices below 60VG for optimal performance and pod lifespan.

The 650mAh battery is sufficient and is pretty good and it is possible for it to last you the whole day provided you don’t chain vape it or use it at its highest power output. The biggest con I have found for this device was that the charging light doesn’t switch off when the device is fully charged. Sometimes, your light turns blue, indicating that your battery life is below 70% and then you put it to charge. A few minutes later, it’ll be green but you won’t know if it’s 100% or 71% since the LED doesn’t switch off when the device is fully charged. This is an oversight by Vaporesso but not such a major issue that will make me hate the device. Another con was that it only came with a single pod. This is a pretty common trend amongst pod manufacturers but I hope that they move away from this trend and start including a spare pod with their devices.




*Pro's:*

*Great Flavor*
*Great Pod Lifespan*
*Decent Battery Life*
*Small/Compact Design*
*Temperature Control*
*OMNI Board Mini Chip*
*Affordable Price Tag*
*Adjustable Power Outputs*
*No Leaking*
*Mess Free Filling System*
*Cons:*

*Only 1 Pod Included*
*Charging Light Doesn't Switch Off When The Device Is Fully Charged*
*No Adjustable Airflow Option*

*Conclusion:*
Vaporesso/Renova has created yet another excellent product. The ZERO is probably one of the nicest pod devices available and at a really affordable price tag. The use of their popular CCell Pods make this device a step-up from every other pod device in the market. I believe that this device has what it takes to stand out from the thousands of pod devices flooding the market. If you know of a smoker looking to make the switch, the ZERO should definitely be one to consider. The cheap price tag along with the long-term cost of using this device makes it a very affordable option.

Reactions: Like 5 | Agree 2 | Winner 2 | Informative 2


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## Hooked (29/1/19)

Great review, thanks @daniel craig!

It's a pity that a sub-ohm coil isn't available as well for regular juice.

Reactions: Like 2


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## KZOR (29/1/19)

I like the pod systems with these "duckbill" mouthpieces. Most comfortable in my opinion.
Great review ... thanks for the time and effort put in. 
Looking for a new system so will defo look into this one.

Reactions: Like 3


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## ace_d_house_cat (29/1/19)

Great review! 

Maybe this is the device that I can replace the wife's TWISP Cue with. R50 a pod is becoming a tad steep, considering the rate she goes through them... That's if you can find some to buy. 

I'm definitely looking further into this one!

Reactions: Like 2


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## daniel craig (29/1/19)

Hooked said:


> Great review, thanks @daniel craig!
> 
> It's a pity that a sub-ohm coil isn't available as well for regular juice.


I see Vaporesso have made that change with their latest pod system, the Aurora Play. If I'm not mistaken, the Aurora Play takes a 1.3 ohm CCell pod as well as a 0.65 ohm CCell pod.

I'm not sure how good it will be for regular juice. Almost every pod device I've used struggled to wick anything higher than 70/30 efficiently and when it did, the flavor wasn't that grand so I just stuck with 50/50 or 60/40 all along. I'm hoping they designed their 0.65 ohm CCell pod to work with higher VG e-liquids because it may be a bit difficult to find a 3mg or 6mg 50VG/50PG juice.

Reactions: Like 2


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## daniel craig (29/1/19)

KZOR said:


> I like the pod systems with these "duckbill" mouthpieces. Most comfortable in my opinion.
> Great review ... thanks for the time and effort put in.
> Looking for a new system so will defo look into this one.


This one is worth a look at. I have used quite a few pod devices and this one stands out from them. The pod lifespan and the adjustable power output makes it that much better in comparison to all the other devices. The only pod device in its price range I think may compete would be the SMOK Nord which uses mesh coils. I heard good things about the Nord but didn't test it out. 

Depending on which vendor you get the ZERO from, you can find it for as low as R395 for the device (At Vape rite) and the pods cost around R70. Before you make a choice, check if the stores near you stock the replacement pods.

I was surprised to find that in Durban, only 1 vendor had the replacement pods for this device.

Reactions: Like 2


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## daniel craig (29/1/19)

ace_d_house_cat said:


> Great review!
> 
> Maybe this is the device that I can replace the wife's TWISP Cue with. R50 a pod is becoming a tad steep, considering the rate she goes through them... That's if you can find some to buy.
> 
> I'm definitely looking further into this one!


This will be a great option. When it comes to the juice, I think your wife would prefer throat hit more than nicotine strength (CUE is I think 21mg). To make your savings even bigger you could buy a 100mL 50/50 18mg juice from Vapour Mountain for R375. VM's juice is also 'cleaner' than these international salts I've been using so I'd assume you'll get good pod lifespan. 

I use 35mg or 20mg Nicotine Salts and the throat hit isn't so 'strong' but the nicotine strength is. For example if I were to take like 10 puffs consecutively, I'll feel it in my chest but it won't be harsh on the throat.

As always, before committing to a pod device, check the replacement pod availability at the stores near you.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Hooked (29/1/19)

daniel craig said:


> I see Vaporesso have made that change with their latest pod system, the Aurora Play. If I'm not mistaken, the Aurora Play takes a 1.3 ohm CCell pod as well as a 0.65 ohm CCell pod.
> 
> I'm not sure how good it will be for regular juice. Almost every pod device I've used struggled to wick anything higher than 70/30 efficiently and when it did, the flavor wasn't that grand so I just stuck with 50/50 or 60/40 all along. I'm hoping they designed their 0.65 ohm CCell pod to work with higher VG e-liquids because it may be a bit difficult to find a 3mg or 6mg 50VG/50PG juice.



@daniel craig All Day Vapes https://alldayvapes.co.za/product-category/e-liquid/ @ADV-Des makes juice to your specifications: VG/PG ratio and nic strength. Easy-peasy!!


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## Geldart39 (30/1/19)

Very informative review @daniel craig 

Not sure if this is the right place to add my input but:

I bought my first Zero middle of November 2018 from Vaperite. It was a great device to have in the car, walk around with and pop in the pocket or at home. I was really loving it until one day in the middle of December while on holiday after a refill i took a pull and the battery light would come on, as if I was taking a normal pull, but no vapor or any coil firing or anything happened. I thought maybe the coil was faulty or at its end so I refilled a new coil, waited 20-30mins and popped it in and nothing again. So frustratingly i plugged the pod in to ensure it was fully charged and tried again and nothing. The battery light was reading I was taking a pull but nothing was happening on the pod end. So I took the pod out and looked inside the battery cavity area and 1 of the 2 golden pins, which i guess are spring loaded, was pressed all the way in, almost collapsed, and the other one was still "springy" with no issues. At this point I tried everything to try pull the collapsed pin out but had no success so I put it back in the box and headed to vapeking at south coast mall. Showed them the pod and they agreed there was nothing they could do to try get the pin out and even if they could I think when the pod went back in it would just push the pin back down again. So I bought another Zero from them because I thought maybe it was just a defect and last week the new Zero did the exact same thing. So i'm really not sure what could be causing it as it is such a simple to use device and very little can go wrong. I always make sure that no excess juice is sitting on the pod before I place it back into the battery.

So now I am sitting with 2 Zero devices that don't work anymore and while I enjoyed them I am very hesitant to get a 3rd one in case this happens again. Also does anyone know if the warranty covers something like this? Any ideas @Vaporesso?

Reactions: Useful 1


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## ace_d_house_cat (30/1/19)

Geldart39 said:


> Very informative review @daniel craig
> 
> Not sure if this is the right place to add my input but:
> 
> ...



Maybe take the Vaperite one back to Vaperite and the VK device to VK. Given what seems like a manufacturing defect, they should honour a warranty.

Reactions: Like 2


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## daniel craig (30/1/19)

@Geldart39 I haven't experienced anything like this. I agree with @ace_d_house_cat The vendor should honour the warranty. Some vendors will give you a 6 month warranty while others should give you a 30 day warranty.

Quick question. How is that gold pin giving you problems/breaking? I would assume that the only way for that part to break was if you had physically hit it or if it was too tall, causing it to break frequently.

Did you by any chance blow into the device?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Geldart39 (30/1/19)

The 1 gold pin seems to be pressed in or collapsed while the other is still sitting proud and able to make contact with the coil. I have attached both my black and white zeros and you can see the 'sunken' in pin. The pods were never dropped, a abused or blown into. The gold pins if you feel have a slight spring to them that retract when the pod is installed to make contact

Reactions: Like 1


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## Geldart39 (30/1/19)

@ace_d_house_cat I will pop to the vaperite shop tomorrow. Will any store honor a warranty or must it be from the store you purchased it from?

@daniel craig I have uploaded some pics of the inside of my zeros


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## daniel craig (30/1/19)

Geldart39 said:


> The 1 gold pin seems to be pressed in or collapsed while the other is still sitting proud and able to make contact with the coil. I have attached both my black and white zeros and you can see the 'sunken' in pin. The pods were never dropped, a abused or blown into. The gold pins if you feel have a slight spring to them that retract when the pod is installed to make contact
> 
> View attachment 157239
> View attachment 157240
> ...


That shouldn't have happened. Check if the store would honour the warranty for this. I just checked mine and both gold pins protrude.


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## daniel craig (30/1/19)

Geldart39 said:


> @ace_d_house_cat I will pop to the vaperite shop tomorrow. Will any store honor a warranty or must it be from the store you purchased it from?
> 
> @daniel craig I have uploaded some pics of the inside of my zeros


The warranty will only be honoured by the store you purchased the device from.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Geldart39 (30/1/19)

Ok so the one at vapeking south coast mall is out cos I'm in joburg. Will pop into vaperite and see what they say.

Reactions: Like 1


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## daniel craig (30/1/19)

Geldart39 said:


> Ok so the one at vapeking south coast mall is out cos I'm in joburg. Will pop into vaperite and see what they say.


You can go to Vape King in JHB. Vape King is a franchise so I think they should still honour the warranty at any Vape King store. You can maybe send me PM to @Gizmo or @Stroodlepuff to confirm.

Reactions: Like 2


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## lesvaches (30/1/19)

Geldart39 said:


> Ok so the one at vapeking south coast mall is out cos I'm in joburg. Will pop into vaperite and see what they say.


the pin isn't maybe stuck under the edge of the gold "washer" edge / sitting skew? if your warranty isn't honored i would try and press the pin down a little more and center it to see if it jumps back up.

Reactions: Like 1


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## daniel craig (30/1/19)

lesvaches said:


> the pin isn't maybe stuck under the edge of the gold "washer" edge / sitting skew? if your warranty isn't honored i would try and press the pin down a little more and center it to see if it jumps back up.


If the vendors blame it on 'User Error', contact support@vaporesso.com and see what they say before attempting fixes. Sometimes manufacturers are more understanding/lenient than vape stores.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Geldart39 (30/1/19)

I have tried and tried and tried...wiggled it, pressed it down and tried to move it like you suggested, tried to use something to pull the pin up to see if it releases the spring...the guys at vapeking south coast mall also had a go at it. Will check with the shops tomorrow and if they arent able to honor it I will try more attempts on the white one

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## Geldart39 (30/1/19)

daniel craig said:


> If the vendors blame it on 'User Error', contact support@vaporesso.com and see what they say before attempting fixes. Sometimes manufacturers are more understanding/lenient than vape stores.



Will see what the stores say tomorrow and take it from there.

Reactions: Like 2


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## lesvaches (30/1/19)

same problem exists on the Juul:


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## ace_d_house_cat (31/1/19)

Geldart39 said:


> @ace_d_house_cat I will pop to the vaperite shop tomorrow. Will any store honor a warranty or must it be from the store you purchased it from?
> 
> @daniel craig I have uploaded some pics of the inside of my zeros



Given experience, I think it's from the store you purchased from.

Therein lies the problem. Most (not all) bigger vape shop chains although franchised they buy into the name, pay royalties, etc. It's then no longer a "corner vape shop" and becomes a store where certain company policies, procedures and operations must be adhered to. I firmly believe the guarantee, warranty, and return policy should form part of this.

In general, I buy from major chain stores because the benefit of returning a defective item at another branch outweighs the premium price versus a smaller, startup business.

Just my 2c.


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## ace_d_house_cat (31/1/19)

Geldart39 said:


> The 1 gold pin seems to be pressed in or collapsed while the other is still sitting proud and able to make contact with the coil. I have attached both my black and white zeros and you can see the 'sunken' in pin. The pods were never dropped, a abused or blown into. The gold pins if you feel have a slight spring to them that retract when the pod is installed to make contact
> 
> View attachment 157239
> View attachment 157240
> ...



This has manufacturing defect written all over it.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## daniel craig (31/1/19)

ace_d_house_cat said:


> This has manufacturing defect written all over it.


Definitely. I tried looking up online for solutions and I saw that a ton of Juul users faced the same problem as @lesvaches pointed out. I'm curious to what the vendor will say.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## Geldart39 (8/2/19)

Ok bit of an update...took the white pod back to Vaperite and they checked it out and confirmed it was a manufacturing defect. They honoured the warranty (which was ending in 5 days) and replaced the zero with a new zero. I have yet to still take the black pod back to Vape King and see if they say the same thing. Even tho the zero is a great pod device I do not think I am going to open this new one and use it. Will rather stick with my normal squonkers and drippers

Reactions: Like 4


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## daniel craig (8/2/19)

Geldart39 said:


> Ok bit of an update...took the white pod back to Vaperite and they checked it out and confirmed it was a manufacturing defect. They honoured the warranty (which was ending in 5 days) and replaced the zero with a new zero. I have yet to still take the black pod back to Vape King and see if they say the same thing. Even tho the zero is a great pod device I do not think I am going to open this new one and use it. Will rather stick with my normal squonkers and drippers



I'm glad the vendor honoured the warranty and that you got a replacement.

It's worth trying out to confirm that the new one isn't defective. The ZERO is a pretty awesome pod device and worth giving a shot if high nic is something you're looking for.

I would say, if you don't need high nic or a stealthy vape, a squonker and RDA should give you the best vape experience due to having better flavor.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Puff the Magic Dragon (8/2/19)

Well done to Vaperite for honouring the warranty. Too many B&Ms blame everything on user error.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Geldart39 (8/2/19)

daniel craig said:


> I'm glad the vendor honoured the warranty and that you got a replacement.
> 
> It's worth trying out to confirm that the new one isn't defective. The ZERO is a pretty awesome pod device and worth giving a shot if high nic is something you're looking for.
> 
> I would say, if you don't need high nic or a stealthy vape, a squonker and RDA should give you the best vape experience due to having better flavor.



The main reason I tried out the zero was mainly because it was a high nic device I could use in the car without blasting out massive amounts of smoke haha. This week I've been using my pulse 80w with recurve as my car vape and it's been going well, besides the massive amounts of smoke lol

Reactions: Like 1


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## ShamZ (21/3/19)

Mine has stopped working after 2 tanks. I find if I pull REALLY hard I get a split second of a draw. Wonder what's up...

I was really enjoying it

Reactions: Like 1


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## daniel craig (21/3/19)

ShamZ said:


> if I pull REALLY hard I get a split second of a draw.



This sounds like a faulty draw activation sensor. I'd say to be 100% certain, try an old pod that worked fine or a new pod just to see if the issue continues. Sometimes a faulty pod could be to blame. If the issue does continue, I would say return it to the vendor. Unfortunately, with draw activation devices, a problem like this does occur due to manufacturing defects. 

I will see if I can find more info on this issue and get back to you.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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