We have go on before about how pod systems have taken over and for the most part they do the job but lack the performance or experience of a nice mod with a great atty on top. Finally we have a contender that fills in a lot of the gaps while looking pretty damn dope at the same time. Meet the Lost Vape Orion, easily the most expensive pod system out there, but also packing more features and benefits than most as well.

The design is rather unique and really original. The Pods and the viewing window for your juice level have angles you would expect to see on a Star Trek console screen. And the solo metal bar up one side that includes the pod locking switch looks imbalanced at first but grows on you. The fire and mode buttons are nicely placed and feel natural in their layout out/positions. Really there is a feeling of class to the Orion all over, the all-metal body, tiny LED indicator, the side panel textures (either real Carbon Fibre or Ocean Scallop) all contribute to a solid and comfortable hand feel that makes the price tag seem worthwhile. Even the charge port cover in the bottom corner of the mod hides any unsightly ports to keep the lines clean and smooth. Simple the Orion is Beautiful.

We were wondering if and when Evolve would get in the pod system ring and they have with their new chipset the DNA GO. It’s basically a 30W system with the ability to reach a max of 40W with a boost function. What makes it interesting is the Replay function that tries to replicate your favourite vape, while extending battery life and preventing dry hits when the pod runs dry. It’s an attempt at super simple temp control and it works! All you do is vape at one of the 3 preset wattages and when you find that perfect haul you hold the button for 2 secs, the LED turns green and you are set to go. Out of the box Lost Vape and Evolve have created 3 presets for either the 0.25 or 0.5 Ohm pods and you can fine tune or add more presets in Escribe but we found they work fine as is. Also we found the two lower settings for each pod to be best, too much power and the wicking can’t seem to keep up. There was a problem on chipsets made before Oct 2018 that could result in your Orion bricking or becoming non-responsive that Evolve has now fixed with the release of a firmware update. Now if your device is bricked you will have to send it in for Evolve to fix, but if it hasn’t update it asap to stop the possibility of it happening in the future. It’s included in the latest service pack (SP19) of Escribe. There are links below or go here to grab an updated version.

Flavour is aways important to us and most likely you too. And while the Orion is dope looking it isn’t the strongest in the flavour department. That’s not to say it isn’t good, but there are pod systems with better. This is a situation of form over function, if you want the style and quality of the mod you give up a little on the flavour department. But again that’s not to say it’s not still a rather good vape.

Airflow and vapour production are good. The AFC under the drip tip works well and allows for a lot of variety or variation to keep most vapers happy. We like our airflow closed down to barely nothing to maximize the flavour. It gives a nice MTL draw. But that’s not to say you can’t get a nice open direct lung with it fully open.

The first thing that impressed us about the pods were the quality of them. They don’t look disposable, you almost feel bad tossing them. The next is their longevity, they easily handle 6-8 refills before they are done. Meaning they can go through about 18-24ml of juice and last more than a week of heavy vaping. Sure they cost about $7 each but with that kind of life span they aren’t so bad. And getting a new drip tip as part of the deal is a nice touch, however it would be nice to use your own. There is talk that they can be removed with a lot of force but we haven’t tried. There are some third parties about to release accessories for them though.

This is the one. If you are into pod systems, the Lost Vape Orion is king of the hill right now. There are none better with more features or quality and fit & finish. The price tag isn’t cheap but you get what you pay for and in this case you get a great little mod. We would love to see if the chimney area could be reduced more to increase the flavour intensity, but it hasn’t stopped us from being able to put ours down. Finally a pod system worth talking about. With the software issue sorted out (which scared a lot of people away), now is the time to go and grab one.