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Sense Herakles Review – There’s a great line in the old slapstick movie, “Top Secret,” in which a character introduces himself as “Deja Vu,” and the other person goes, “Have we not met before?” I think I wet myself AND did a spit take when I first saw it….
The Sense Herakles pod mod system is the Deja Vu of pod vaping. Time-honored lineage, solid performance and reliable operation usually equals a good score. (And the Herakles doesn’t earn a BAD one, for the record.) But there’s an amazing sense of “been there, done that” that we just couldn’t get over when reviewing this device. Here’s why.
Specs
- Dimension: 27mm * 25.2mm * 104.5mm
- Material: Zinc alloy, PC
- Battery capacity: 1500mAh
- Output wattage: 5-40W
- Input voltage: 3.3-4.2V
- Liquid capacity: 6.0ml
- Coil option: 0.4ohm mesh coil
- 4ohm coil:15-30W
- Charging current: 1.5A
- Filling: Side filling
- 6 Colors: Gunmetal, Prism Red, Prism Grey, Prism Green, Rainbow, and Rose Gold
Kit Contents
- Herakles pod mod kit
- Replacement empty Pod
- Replacement mesh coils(0.4ohm)
- Micro USB Cable
- User Manual
- Warranty Card
Aesthetics of the Sense Herakles
To be blunt, we’re not impressed by the Herakles pod mod’s look and feel. Not because it’s not attractive. It’s just that we’ve already seen this format so many times before. The entire SMOK RPM series, along with offerings from Voopoo, Vaporesso and others, has rendered this design fairly dull and predictable.
(And before you come back at me with “all box mods are ripoffs, too!” — honestly, there’s practically ZERO difference between the Herakles pod mod and its predecessors, so let’s be real, here…)
The Herakles Pod Mod might be derivative, but it’s made well. The mod’s chassis is constructed from a sturdy zinc-alloy and composite plastic. The beveled edges of the mod and tapered mouthpiece both look and feel good. And the TFT display panel remains a good choice for these types of pod devices. Overall, the fit and finish is top notch… as it was the 100 other times we’ve seen this design.
Vaping the Sense Herakles Pod Mod
Let’s get the important stuff out of the way first — the Sense Herakles Pod Mod creates great flavor and vapor for a 40-watt device. The 0.4ohm mesh coils (there’s two in the box) provide a warm, but still mildly restrictive vape to users.
But this is Sense, after all. And they’ve always done well with coil performance and longevity. My concern was with how they sit in the pod itself. While they sat securely, the dark hue of the plastic pod frame made it near impossible to see juice levels without holding it up to a direct light source.
But the magnets and pods themselves were secure, never coming loose, even when walking with the Herakles in a front pocket.
Like has been the case so many times with this style of pod devices, the Herakles pods are near-impossible to fill without spillage. The rubber gasketed side port has a tiny hole that will only accommodate the smallest bottle tips. Standard droppers? Yeah, you might want to transfer those to needle tip bottles, otherwise kiss most of those milliliters goodbye.
Using the Herakles is pretty straightforward — there’s not a huge range of menu options to choose from beside adjusting your wattage, puff counter etc. But, there are some handy functions built in like a locking mechanism and designated wattage range,to keep users from scorching their coils unnecessarily.
Overall, we’re suitably satisfied with the performance of the Sense Herakles. But we probably could have expected it before even firing the device.
PROS:
- Reliable performance and good flavor
- 6mL juice capacity
- Long-lasting coils
CONS:
- Lousy fill port
- Boring, overdone design
- Tough to gauge liquid levels
Bottom Line of the Sense Herakles
No one can fault Sense for releasing the Herakles pod mod. It’s a huge market, and the design they chose is proven within the industry. But if you’re seeking something innovative and refreshing, this isn’t gonna fit the bill. There are simply too many other newfangled pod mods and AIO systems for me to heartily recommend the Herakles over a different device.
In short, try one and see for yourself. Maybe we’re just cranky and overthinking things. (But it’s not likely…)
Score: B-
