This review is of the prizes I won in the most recent contest. I'll kind of jump around between the products in narrative and provide a numerical evaluation for each separately at the end of the post. The prizes consisted of a Hades mythology vape as well as a generously filled cart of Grand Daddy Purple. The cart itself was a bit different from what I've used previously in that it has an adjustable air flow mechanism. Detailed pictures of the vape and cart can be found in the original contest thread. https://thegalaxylounge.org/forum/index.php?topic=6594.0
      The vape unit itself is very compact; only about 2.5" tall, 1.5" wide, & 1" thick. I got a green one, which is probably my favorite basic color, so that was neat. It has a keychain attachment, which I didn't use, but with its compact size the attachment makes some sense and adds to its portability. It would be a bit bulky for me though to carry around though consistently. I tend to try to keep these types of apparatuses away from the eyes of the uninitiated, especially with the current controversy surrounding these types of products. As much as I like talking to random folks, I'm not looking to have a vape related conversation when I hand my keychain to the supermarket person with my shopper's card attached. Other aspects of the mod were more appealing to me personally though. It's easy enough to use/maintain which is a big plus for me. I generally shy away from vape stuff after taking a dip in that direction a while ago. It just gets a bit overwhelming to me with all the options on mods, cartridges, etc. It's a new kind of pursuit and so much changes so quickly. When I compare this new mod to the old one I had a few years ago it's like comparing one of those bulky cell phones from the 90s to current ones. Except the changes occur during a much shorter time frame. It makes it all really tough to follow and keep with unless you have a passion for that kind of thing. I know some folks basically handcraft their own mods and solder that shit together. That's just not my thing. I'm more the kind of guy who had to check and make sure I spelled solder correctly. So I like a few options on a unit, but I wouldn't want anything too complicated with my limited understanding and lack of passion for the subculture. As a result this unit was a nice sweet spot. It's got a preheat feature and 3 voltage settings represented by color. There isn't a numerical display of voltage on the unit, but that's one of the things that really doesn't matter to me. As long as it serves its purpose. About a year ago I got a cart but the pen vape I had at the time wasn't powerful enough to burn it. There were none of those issues with this unit, even on the lowest setting. I typically used the preheat feature, but a few times just went right at it. The preheating burns some oil itself, so I was sure to be inhaling it while it heated or some would have just gone to waste. Am I supposed to preheat it without the cart attached and then screw it on? Since I'm not taking more than 2 hits at a session the preheating seemed even less necessary, as I could get get a decent enough hit during the preheat period. After that short usage I would just turn the vape off immediately. I'm really not sure on how long a charge lasts. It didn't seem very long (I recharged it after about 4 days) but I don't know if the battery was charged fully prior. It comes with a small usb cable and I plugged it in for about an hour when I first got it but don't know if I took it to a full charge, probably not.
    The cartridge itself has 3 holes below the mouthpiece that are adjustable easily by hand to allow more air in than a traditional cart if desired. I really didn't change the air flow for a few days as it was hitting fine on the first 2 voltage settings without it. When I did, it really seemed to improve the overall experience. More air intake allowed me to generate more vapor and I seemed to get more out of the oil effects wise as well. I think it also help extend the duration of the cart since it took less to get me where I wanted to be. I really like this added feature in the cart. Like I mentioned, getting max intake with all 3 holes exposed seemed to yield the best results, prolonging and enhancing the oil. It really didn't taste much different although more intake also yielded a more intense aromatic flavor.

(Review in process. GDP oil review next)  :lama: