Hi Ecigssa members, In this review i take a look at the Herakles Pod Mod Kit from Sense. The Sense Herakles Pod Mod Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Ella from Sourcemore.
https://www.sourcemore.com/sense-herakle...m-kit.html
Introduction
Sense originally known for their series of Herakles sub-ohm tanks have been very much part of the pod/AIO scene since it's invasion of the vaping market. The Smok RPM with flashy lights, i mean the Herakles pod mod really is so similar looking to the Smok RPM40 which also brings advantages as the Smok RPM coils are interchangeable.
The LED's i like as although LED's on vaping devices is nothing new we now have a pod mod option for those into their colourful LED's. A TPD version is on it's way and the standard version has a whopping 6ml capacity, an extra button to control the LED's and 1500mAh in-built battery, let's give the Herakles Pod Mod a look!
___________________________________________________________________
In The Box
Contents:
1 * Herakles pod mod kit
1 * Replacement empty Pod
2 * Replacement mesh coils(0.4ohm)
1 * Micro USB Cable
1 * User Manual
1 * Warranty Card
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Herakles pod Mod comes in a cardboard box with outer cardboard sleeve and when opened we find all items on one layer. I received the Gunmetal version, the colour options are Gunmetal, Prism Red, Prism Grey, Prism Green, Rainbow and Rose Gold.
The form factor like with the Smok RPM40 reminds me of the Cube X from OBS but slimmer and of course instead of fitting a tank up top we have the Black protruding squared off mouthpiece of the pod/cartridge. The device is a nice portable size and weight and build quality overall is very good with the LED's either adding aesthetically or making the device a bit tacky, really depends if you like LED's on a device or not.
On the face we have a Black panel which houses an horizontally positioned oval fire button at the top and 3 function buttons that form a "T" towards the bottom, in-between we have a large coloured screen. Both sides have small upper rectangular Carbon Fiber panels then the rest of the sides are tinted translucent plastic panels, the back of the device has a nice mirrored finish with branding.
Where the pod/cartridge meets the top of the device we have indented sides to the pod which form air slots to allow air down to the coil, finally moving to the base we have a central micro USB port and some safety marks.
___________________________________________________________________
Herakles Pod Mod Specs and Features:
Dimension: 27mm*25.2mm*104.5mm
Liquid capacity: 6.0ml (TPD version being released)
Side Fill System - Silicone Stopper
0.96" TFT Display
Material: Zinc alloy, PC
Battery capacity: 1500mAh
Three Adjustment Buttons
Regular, Flash, Display, OFF Lighting Modes
Output wattage: 5-40W
Input voltage: 3.3-4.2V
Charge rate: 1.5A
Coil option: 0.4ohm mesh coil
0.4ohm coil:15-30W
Compatible with Smok RPM coils and RBA Coil Head
Compatible with Reewape Rouk RBA
6 Colours: Gunmetal, Prism Red, Prism Grey, Prism Green, Rainbow, Rose Gold
___________________________________________________________________
The Pods/Cartridges
The pods are a cube shape with Black squared off mouthpiece, two pods are included which will last a while because they will be good for many coil changes. Two sides of the pod are indented so when it gets placed in the pods bay slots and channels are formed to lead air down to the base of the coil.
On one side of the pod/cartridge we have a large bung that can be pulled out via the outer edge leaving the bung still attached to the pod/cartridge. The fill port is one of the biggest i have seen on a pod/cartridge just make sure you have the pod/cartridge on it's side then you can fill quickly and absolutely mess free.
Looking at the base of the pod/cartridge with installed coil you can see the round central positive and negative surround spit in 2 parts (allowing pod to be fitted 2 different ways), we also have a magnet on each corner of the pod. The pods/cartridges have no adjustable airflow and as mentioned plenty of air is allowed to get to the base of the coils so any control is done by the bore of the coil heads.
The pods are tinted but lighten with the addition of liquid so no issues with the visibility of your juice inside the pod.
___________________________________________________________________
The Coils
You get 2 coils included neither of which are pre-installed in the included pods/cartridges. They are both the same 0.4ohm mesh Herakles coil heads which are rated between 15 to 30W. An antibacterial cotton is used for the wicking material which is healthier and also claimed it gives purer flavour and zero cotton taste but more of that later! The coil head just gets press fitted into place and has an o-ring seal.
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Pod/Cartridge
Looking inside the pods bay we can see the positive and negative Gold plated, spring loaded contacts and a magnet in each corner which line up with the magnets on the base of the pod. The pod secures very well and has no play whatsoever, in fact it takes quite a tug to pull the pod free. It's not too much of a con with the pods having a 6ml capacity but like with the Smok RPM40 the pod needs removing to check your juice level and also top-fill would be more convenient.
___________________________________________________________________
Smok RPM40 Coil Compatibility
One of the biggest pro's for the Herakles Pod Mod is that the Smok RPM coil family including the RBA head fit the Herakles pod, this doesn't just increase coil head options but also means their will be no problem obtaining suitable coils.
It doesn't stop there though as the Reewape Rouk RBA also fits the pod. Unfortunately the Smok RPM40 pods themselves are not interchangeable as this would of also added the choice of Nord coils and even using one of the many Adaptors that allows standard tanks to be used!
Reewape Rouk RBA
___________________________________________________________________
The Display
The Herakles has a bright colourful display with colour added by having square colour icons running vertically down each side of the lower section of the display, these are options for the LED's.
Top left we have "SENSE" and then top right the battery status bar, underneath centrally is the wattage. The rest of the info is centrally orientated with the colourful icons either side, first is the resistance with the seconds of the current vape next to it. Underneath Resistance is voltage followed by puffs, finally we have the LED mode boxed central bottom.
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Herakles Pod Mod
The device is the usual 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on 3 clicks locks and unlocks the whole device so it won't fire. There is also a lock Wattage only option which is + and - together which still allows the device to fire. As well as the + and - buttons we also have the LED mode button which i will cover in the next section but pressing this button together with the - button resets the puff counter. Using the + and - buttons the wattage adjusts from 5 to 40W in 1W increments then simply press fire to vape.
___________________________________________________________________
The LED's
Having LED's will not be to some peoples liking but then the device comes with the lights set off as default so just don't use them. For those that do like LED's from time to time even if it's just when at home so not drawing attention the Herakles offers plenty of options. Each three second press of the LED mode button takes you to the next mode, the options are Regular, Flash, Display and Off.
Regular mode lights the LED's to how they are set via the icons on the display, to change which icon is in use while in regular mode press the LED mode button and + together which now allows the use of the + and - buttons to scroll through the options until you highlight the one you want. In regular mode the lights come on when fire is pressed and stay on for a further 3 seconds after the fire button has been released.
Flash mode also only activates when the fire button is pressed and again stays on for a further 3 seconds after the fire button is released, in this mode while activated the LED's go through various flash sequences.
Display mode is for those really into their LED's as this mode see's the LED's always on and not just when the fire button is pressed. This mode is similar to the combination option on Christmas Tree lights giving quite a varied light show.
Off mode is the mode which really in my opinion means i just don't get those that would moan about the LED's as you have the choice to just never use them, some people though are never happy unless they have something to moan about!
___________________________________________________________________
Protections
8S Auto Cut-Off
Low Voltage Protection
Short-Circuit Protection
Over-Charge Protection
Over-Discharge Protection
___________________________________________________________________
Charging
The Herakles has a 1500mAh battery and claimed 1.5A charge rate and although i don't have the equipment to test how close to both the device actually is it took 1 hour 8 minutes to charge so i would say close to both so i'm perfectly happy!
___________________________________________________________________
How It Vapes? And Thoughts!
I will get the LED's out the way first which i won't put as a con or pro as they are entirely subjective however i will have as a pro that the LED's have plenty of options including being able to turn them off.
One definite con for me is just how much the device looks like the Smok RPM40 and a bit more of an original design would be much more preferable but again how much that matters to people will vary.
I also don't like the micro USB port being on the base of the device as i don't like needing to lie devices down to charge and also all devices in my opinion should now be coming with Type C USB, after saying that 1.5A charge rate is very good and more than happy with the device taking just over an hour to charge while also supporting pass-through. Battery life was pretty much as expected comparing well to the likes of the Smok RPM40 and similar devices so again happy!
The pods fit even better than the Smok RPM40 pods (and they fit securely) due to really strong magnets and like with the Smok RPM40 i would much prefer top-fill and viewing windows to see the juice level but at least the 6ml capacity makes both of these less of a pain than they might of been. Filling actually is quick and mess free due to the very large filling port and then just the occasional tug to remove the pod is needed to check the juice situation.
Plenty of air gets to the base of the coils and the airflow can only be adjusted via how wide or narrow the bore of the coil head is, the 1.2ohm RPM coil will possibly give a loose MTL but really the draw on the device is restrictive direct lung.
The supplied coils have antibacterial cotton as the wicking material and it's claimed gives zero cotton taste but actually i found although the coil gave plenty of flavour there was a musty like cotton taste present which took a pod full of juice to get rid of, to make sure it wasn't just the one coil i tried the other supplied coil which again gave the same musty taste. Once the musty taste was gone though the flavour matched the 0.4ohm RPM coil which is one of my favourite stock coils of late although the RPM coil is superior in my opinion as there is no cotton taste present. Also being able to fit any of the other RPM coils, RBA and the Reewape Rouk RBA is a massive pro. The supplied coils i found best at 20W but if you like a warmer vape i had no issues with wicking even at 35W which is 5W over their recommended rating.
Leaking pods is also something vapers don't like and like the Vaporesso PM80 the pod leaks slightly when using the supplied coil heads although not what would concern me unlike with the Vinci which i found leaking to be an issue, i suffered no leaking when using RPM coils.
___________________________________________________________________
Likes
Well made device
6 colour options
Portable and ergonomic
Plenty of options for LED's including the option to turn off
LED mode button
2 Coils included
2 Pods included
RPM coils compatible
RPM and Reewape Rouk RBA's compatible
Flavour from coils after cotton taste goes is very good
All coils i used gave a nice restrictive direct lung vape with a really good flavour, vapour balance
6ml Capacity
Mess free quick filling (very large fill port)
suffered no leaking when using RPM coils
Suffered no flooding
Pods fit very securely
Puff counter
Vibrant Display
Battery life compares well to similar devices (1500mAh)
Option to lock whole device or just navigational buttons
Charges in just over an hour (1.5A charge rate)
Supports pass-through
Cons
Not original enough (looks too much like Smok RPM40)
Supplied coils gave musty taste for first few ml
No adjustable airflow
Need to remove pod to check juice level
Need to remove pod to fill
Very slight leaking when using supplied coils
USB on base
Type B USB
I would once again like to thank Ella from Sourcemore for supplying the Sense Herakles Pod Mod Kit for the purpose of this review.
https://www.sourcemore.com/sense-herakle...m-kit.html
___________________________________________________________________
https://www.sourcemore.com/sense-herakle...m-kit.html
Introduction
Sense originally known for their series of Herakles sub-ohm tanks have been very much part of the pod/AIO scene since it's invasion of the vaping market. The Smok RPM with flashy lights, i mean the Herakles pod mod really is so similar looking to the Smok RPM40 which also brings advantages as the Smok RPM coils are interchangeable.
The LED's i like as although LED's on vaping devices is nothing new we now have a pod mod option for those into their colourful LED's. A TPD version is on it's way and the standard version has a whopping 6ml capacity, an extra button to control the LED's and 1500mAh in-built battery, let's give the Herakles Pod Mod a look!
___________________________________________________________________
In The Box
Contents:
1 * Herakles pod mod kit
1 * Replacement empty Pod
2 * Replacement mesh coils(0.4ohm)
1 * Micro USB Cable
1 * User Manual
1 * Warranty Card
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Herakles pod Mod comes in a cardboard box with outer cardboard sleeve and when opened we find all items on one layer. I received the Gunmetal version, the colour options are Gunmetal, Prism Red, Prism Grey, Prism Green, Rainbow and Rose Gold.
The form factor like with the Smok RPM40 reminds me of the Cube X from OBS but slimmer and of course instead of fitting a tank up top we have the Black protruding squared off mouthpiece of the pod/cartridge. The device is a nice portable size and weight and build quality overall is very good with the LED's either adding aesthetically or making the device a bit tacky, really depends if you like LED's on a device or not.
On the face we have a Black panel which houses an horizontally positioned oval fire button at the top and 3 function buttons that form a "T" towards the bottom, in-between we have a large coloured screen. Both sides have small upper rectangular Carbon Fiber panels then the rest of the sides are tinted translucent plastic panels, the back of the device has a nice mirrored finish with branding.
Where the pod/cartridge meets the top of the device we have indented sides to the pod which form air slots to allow air down to the coil, finally moving to the base we have a central micro USB port and some safety marks.
___________________________________________________________________
Herakles Pod Mod Specs and Features:
Dimension: 27mm*25.2mm*104.5mm
Liquid capacity: 6.0ml (TPD version being released)
Side Fill System - Silicone Stopper
0.96" TFT Display
Material: Zinc alloy, PC
Battery capacity: 1500mAh
Three Adjustment Buttons
Regular, Flash, Display, OFF Lighting Modes
Output wattage: 5-40W
Input voltage: 3.3-4.2V
Charge rate: 1.5A
Coil option: 0.4ohm mesh coil
0.4ohm coil:15-30W
Compatible with Smok RPM coils and RBA Coil Head
Compatible with Reewape Rouk RBA
6 Colours: Gunmetal, Prism Red, Prism Grey, Prism Green, Rainbow, Rose Gold
___________________________________________________________________
The Pods/Cartridges
The pods are a cube shape with Black squared off mouthpiece, two pods are included which will last a while because they will be good for many coil changes. Two sides of the pod are indented so when it gets placed in the pods bay slots and channels are formed to lead air down to the base of the coil.
On one side of the pod/cartridge we have a large bung that can be pulled out via the outer edge leaving the bung still attached to the pod/cartridge. The fill port is one of the biggest i have seen on a pod/cartridge just make sure you have the pod/cartridge on it's side then you can fill quickly and absolutely mess free.
Looking at the base of the pod/cartridge with installed coil you can see the round central positive and negative surround spit in 2 parts (allowing pod to be fitted 2 different ways), we also have a magnet on each corner of the pod. The pods/cartridges have no adjustable airflow and as mentioned plenty of air is allowed to get to the base of the coils so any control is done by the bore of the coil heads.
The pods are tinted but lighten with the addition of liquid so no issues with the visibility of your juice inside the pod.
___________________________________________________________________
The Coils
You get 2 coils included neither of which are pre-installed in the included pods/cartridges. They are both the same 0.4ohm mesh Herakles coil heads which are rated between 15 to 30W. An antibacterial cotton is used for the wicking material which is healthier and also claimed it gives purer flavour and zero cotton taste but more of that later! The coil head just gets press fitted into place and has an o-ring seal.
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Pod/Cartridge
Looking inside the pods bay we can see the positive and negative Gold plated, spring loaded contacts and a magnet in each corner which line up with the magnets on the base of the pod. The pod secures very well and has no play whatsoever, in fact it takes quite a tug to pull the pod free. It's not too much of a con with the pods having a 6ml capacity but like with the Smok RPM40 the pod needs removing to check your juice level and also top-fill would be more convenient.
___________________________________________________________________
Smok RPM40 Coil Compatibility
One of the biggest pro's for the Herakles Pod Mod is that the Smok RPM coil family including the RBA head fit the Herakles pod, this doesn't just increase coil head options but also means their will be no problem obtaining suitable coils.
It doesn't stop there though as the Reewape Rouk RBA also fits the pod. Unfortunately the Smok RPM40 pods themselves are not interchangeable as this would of also added the choice of Nord coils and even using one of the many Adaptors that allows standard tanks to be used!
Reewape Rouk RBA
___________________________________________________________________
The Display
The Herakles has a bright colourful display with colour added by having square colour icons running vertically down each side of the lower section of the display, these are options for the LED's.
Top left we have "SENSE" and then top right the battery status bar, underneath centrally is the wattage. The rest of the info is centrally orientated with the colourful icons either side, first is the resistance with the seconds of the current vape next to it. Underneath Resistance is voltage followed by puffs, finally we have the LED mode boxed central bottom.
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Herakles Pod Mod
The device is the usual 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on 3 clicks locks and unlocks the whole device so it won't fire. There is also a lock Wattage only option which is + and - together which still allows the device to fire. As well as the + and - buttons we also have the LED mode button which i will cover in the next section but pressing this button together with the - button resets the puff counter. Using the + and - buttons the wattage adjusts from 5 to 40W in 1W increments then simply press fire to vape.
___________________________________________________________________
The LED's
Having LED's will not be to some peoples liking but then the device comes with the lights set off as default so just don't use them. For those that do like LED's from time to time even if it's just when at home so not drawing attention the Herakles offers plenty of options. Each three second press of the LED mode button takes you to the next mode, the options are Regular, Flash, Display and Off.
Regular mode lights the LED's to how they are set via the icons on the display, to change which icon is in use while in regular mode press the LED mode button and + together which now allows the use of the + and - buttons to scroll through the options until you highlight the one you want. In regular mode the lights come on when fire is pressed and stay on for a further 3 seconds after the fire button has been released.
Flash mode also only activates when the fire button is pressed and again stays on for a further 3 seconds after the fire button is released, in this mode while activated the LED's go through various flash sequences.
Display mode is for those really into their LED's as this mode see's the LED's always on and not just when the fire button is pressed. This mode is similar to the combination option on Christmas Tree lights giving quite a varied light show.
Off mode is the mode which really in my opinion means i just don't get those that would moan about the LED's as you have the choice to just never use them, some people though are never happy unless they have something to moan about!
___________________________________________________________________
Protections
8S Auto Cut-Off
Low Voltage Protection
Short-Circuit Protection
Over-Charge Protection
Over-Discharge Protection
___________________________________________________________________
Charging
The Herakles has a 1500mAh battery and claimed 1.5A charge rate and although i don't have the equipment to test how close to both the device actually is it took 1 hour 8 minutes to charge so i would say close to both so i'm perfectly happy!
___________________________________________________________________
How It Vapes? And Thoughts!
I will get the LED's out the way first which i won't put as a con or pro as they are entirely subjective however i will have as a pro that the LED's have plenty of options including being able to turn them off.
One definite con for me is just how much the device looks like the Smok RPM40 and a bit more of an original design would be much more preferable but again how much that matters to people will vary.
I also don't like the micro USB port being on the base of the device as i don't like needing to lie devices down to charge and also all devices in my opinion should now be coming with Type C USB, after saying that 1.5A charge rate is very good and more than happy with the device taking just over an hour to charge while also supporting pass-through. Battery life was pretty much as expected comparing well to the likes of the Smok RPM40 and similar devices so again happy!
The pods fit even better than the Smok RPM40 pods (and they fit securely) due to really strong magnets and like with the Smok RPM40 i would much prefer top-fill and viewing windows to see the juice level but at least the 6ml capacity makes both of these less of a pain than they might of been. Filling actually is quick and mess free due to the very large filling port and then just the occasional tug to remove the pod is needed to check the juice situation.
Plenty of air gets to the base of the coils and the airflow can only be adjusted via how wide or narrow the bore of the coil head is, the 1.2ohm RPM coil will possibly give a loose MTL but really the draw on the device is restrictive direct lung.
The supplied coils have antibacterial cotton as the wicking material and it's claimed gives zero cotton taste but actually i found although the coil gave plenty of flavour there was a musty like cotton taste present which took a pod full of juice to get rid of, to make sure it wasn't just the one coil i tried the other supplied coil which again gave the same musty taste. Once the musty taste was gone though the flavour matched the 0.4ohm RPM coil which is one of my favourite stock coils of late although the RPM coil is superior in my opinion as there is no cotton taste present. Also being able to fit any of the other RPM coils, RBA and the Reewape Rouk RBA is a massive pro. The supplied coils i found best at 20W but if you like a warmer vape i had no issues with wicking even at 35W which is 5W over their recommended rating.
Leaking pods is also something vapers don't like and like the Vaporesso PM80 the pod leaks slightly when using the supplied coil heads although not what would concern me unlike with the Vinci which i found leaking to be an issue, i suffered no leaking when using RPM coils.
___________________________________________________________________
Likes
Well made device
6 colour options
Portable and ergonomic
Plenty of options for LED's including the option to turn off
LED mode button
2 Coils included
2 Pods included
RPM coils compatible
RPM and Reewape Rouk RBA's compatible
Flavour from coils after cotton taste goes is very good
All coils i used gave a nice restrictive direct lung vape with a really good flavour, vapour balance
6ml Capacity
Mess free quick filling (very large fill port)
suffered no leaking when using RPM coils
Suffered no flooding
Pods fit very securely
Puff counter
Vibrant Display
Battery life compares well to similar devices (1500mAh)
Option to lock whole device or just navigational buttons
Charges in just over an hour (1.5A charge rate)
Supports pass-through
Cons
Not original enough (looks too much like Smok RPM40)
Supplied coils gave musty taste for first few ml
No adjustable airflow
Need to remove pod to check juice level
Need to remove pod to fill
Very slight leaking when using supplied coils
USB on base
Type B USB
I would once again like to thank Ella from Sourcemore for supplying the Sense Herakles Pod Mod Kit for the purpose of this review.
https://www.sourcemore.com/sense-herakle...m-kit.html
___________________________________________________________________
