This article is brought to you by Vessel, vape pens obsessively engineered with unforgettable design and top-of-the-line performance in mind.
The Vessel vape pen is a great way to step up the style game and performance of your standard vape pen, all in one step. To get a better sense of how it works in real life, Information Writer Dante Jordan and Producer Ian Chant got up close and personal, using the Vessel every day for ten days. Here’s what they thought.
Vessel vape pens are available in numerous styles. (Julia Sumpter for Leafly)
Ian Chant: You’ve been using the Vessel for a few weeks now, Dante, which means you’ve got a little more experience than me. What are your thoughts?
Dante Jordan: Well, one of the things I like the most about the Vessel is the look of it. If I go to a party and pull this out, it’s not getting lost in the shuffle. It’s something people are ‘oohing and aahing’ over because it’s a pretty piece of machinery that really stands out.
IC: Yeah, it’s got a real eye-catching quality that you don’t get with a lot of other vape pens you see out there. And it’s really refreshing, actually, to see a pen that is trying to make a statement, rather than trying to be anonymous.
OK, so we know it looks good, but what did you think of how it performs?
DJ: Oh, it performs great. It’s got three adjustable temperatures that are very easy to cycle through, though I’ve been mostly sticking to the yellow ‘medium’ setting.
IC: Yeah, I’ve been all about that blue life.
DJ: That’s the lowest setting, yeah? I get that. I think for me, the highest setting is probably a little much, though it’s still more moderate than other pens that can really burn your throat.
IC: Totally. I get why people like that highest setting, because you can get some really big puffs and blow some impressive clouds there.
DJ: Right, where I’m always trying to get the best flavor and keep those terpenes intact, and that’s a job for that middle-range.
Lights over the power button indicate the Vessel’s temperature. (Julia Sumpter for Leafly)
IC: One thing I was a little concerned about was that it’s a little on the larger side, and I was worried it was going to feel clunky in my pocket.
DJ: I hear that. It’s on the larger side for a vape pen, but you can absolutely put this in your pocket and forget it’s even there.
IC: Yeah, and since it fits most 510-threaded cartridges, there are a lot of options as far as what you’re using with it. What’s in yours right now?
DJ: This is actually a cart that I got last week from the folks at Oleum that’s from their personal stash. It’s a little bit of an experimental extraction that’s really heavy on terpenes. It’s for sure the best tasting cart I’ve ever tried, and the Vessel gets the most out of it.
IC: Yeah, the Vessel is a nice smooth draw for sure, and just like the heat, you can adjust that to your preference. It’s got this great air intake that you can open and close, and also cover like a carb, all of which let you control how much vapor you’re getting.
DJ: Yeah, I actually also found an alternate use for that too. If you’ve got a cart that’s clogging on you, you can suck through that air intake a bit and help clear things out. But you’ve been using this too, so how do you think it compares to other vape pens you’ve used?
IC: I’d agree that the first thing is the aesthetic and feel of it. I use a lot of 510 vape carts and pens, and most of them seem sort of interchangeable, you know? But I’ve been using the silver and walnut one, because I’m a total sucker for wood grain, and it just feels more grown up. And I think it kind of spoiled me, because I didn’t realize I wanted a battery that looks and feels better than the ones I was using, until I had it in my hand.
DJ: Yeah, and because it is so unique-looking, if you’re in a party setting with a lot of people, you can let it float around a little, because you’re always going to know which one is yours. But at the same time, there’s a lot of design options so whatever look you’re going for, you’re going to find something that works.
IC: Yeah, you could even run a collection of these where you have different styles of Vessel for different purposes—say one that’s for hikes and being outdoorsy, and another that just stays handy in your bedside table.
Vessel vape pens arrive fully charged right out of the box. (Julia Sumpter for Leafly)
DJ: We should talk about the battery life, too, because I’ve been using this regularly for a minute now, and I haven’t had to recharge it once. It tells you when you need to with these little lights. It came out of the box fully charged, which is a great touch, and I’m still at two lights, so I could probably get a couple more days out of this.
IC: Yeah, the battery life is impressive, and it’s nice not to worry about running out of juice.
DJ: Oh totally. That’s just the worst feeling, when you’re going to hit a vape pen and you just get that flashing light that says nope, actually you’re not hitting this.
IC: Yeah, and it’s always at the worst possible time. It’s never when you’re at home, about to go to bed. It’s always, like, during the first song of a concert or something. But the battery life on the Vessel just slays, and I think the automatic shut-off feature does a lot to help that.
DJ: Does it have an auto shut-off?
IC: Yeah, did you not notice that?
DJ: No, Ian, I turn things off when I’m done using them.
IC: OK, well, I am notoriously terrible at turning things off when I’m done with them, whether it’s lights or coffee makers or vape pens, so the Vessel identifying when I’m done and shutting itself down is awesome for people like me.
DJ: Since you have charged it, what did you think of the magnetic charger?
IC: It’s another thing where I didn’t realize I wanted that until I was using it, because I didn’t have to spend like ten seconds playing ‘which side is up on this micro-USB cable.’ I just put the cable-end near the Vessel, and the magnets did the rest.
A magnetic connection makes charging the Vessel a snap. (Julia Sumpter for Leafly)
DJ: Yeah, man, it’s just a really well-made product. It’s also built so that it protects the cartridge, which is great, because I’ve dropped this a couple times, and not only is the Vessel unscathed, I didn’t have to worry about the cart breaking inside of it, which always sucks.
IC: Absolutely. That does bring up one thing worth mentioning, which is that while this fits the vast majority of 510-threaded carts, there are some that it’s just not shaped for.
DJ: Really? I haven’t run into that.
IC: Honestly, I think it’s a matter of people getting a little cute with their cartridge design, I’m not gonna put that on the Vessel. But yeah, there are a few cart designs that won’t fit this pen.
DJ: Well, that makes it easy. Just buy the ones that do.
IC: Yeah, exactly. And the ones that do are, like, most of them. If you’ve seen what we can all agree is a standard 510 cart these days, it fits like a dream, so that’s what you’ll want to stick with if you’re buying carts with a Vessel in mind.
