Review Summary
The Atomic-9 is an affordable small dry herb vaporizer that offers cool features such as a built-in shovel, magnetic mouthpiece, cooling chamber, and runs on a hybrid heating system. This is an entry-level device for people who are looking to try and vape herbs. However, if you’re looking for a better vapor quality and cloud production, then go for a bigger, more advanced vape.
Pricing Info ⓘ
Specifications
Atomic9
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|---|---|
| Score (1-5) |
4.2 Current Review |
| Retail Price |
$59.00 |
| Release Date | February 2019 |
| Compatible With | Dry Herb |
| Heating Method | Hybrid |
| Body Material | Aluminum |
| Mouthpiece Material | Aluminum |
| Heat Up Time | 30-40 |
| Precise Temp Control | ✓ |
| Temperature Range | 355-420°F |
| Oven Capacity | 0.3gr |
| Oven Material | Ceramic |
| Battery Type | Internal |
| Battery Capacity | 900mAh |
| Sessions Per Charge | 6-9 |
| Charge Time | 1-2 Hours |
| Charger Type | Micro-USB |
| Display Type | LED Indicators |
| Smartphone App | ✗ |
| Session Mode | ✗ |
| Adjustable Airflow | ✗ |
| Warranty | 2 Years |
Background
Atomic-9 is a budget dry herb vaporizer by Cloudious9 (visit homepage) which offers some interesting features that you might not expect at this price point. At under 4″ tall, this vaporizer has a dual-layer heating technology, built-in herb shovel, vapor cooling chamber, and six adjustable temperatures—making it stand out in this increasingly crowded field in a variety of different ways.
Cloudious 9 previous products were unique- the Hydrology9 (Review) is a large herb vape with built-in water filtration, and the Tectonic9 (Review) is a vibrating grinder that easily dispenses herb right into the oven or chamber or any dry herb vapes. The Atomic9 is their latest and smallest vape, aimed at beginners with not much vaping experience.
Design & Features
The Atomic-9 has a small and slim body made out of anodized aluminum so it's pretty durable. It only weighs 73 grams and a little under four inches tall which makes it comfortable to hold and slip in and out of pockets easily. The design doesn't stand out too much but it does have some nice details like a hinged mouthpiece, funnel-shaped loading area, and the power button on the side of the device.
The power button can toggle temperature settings like simple vaporizers but what makes it unique is the temperature indicator of this device shows the actual temperature numbers unlike from comparable vaporizers that use LED lights.
Herb Loading Shovel
This is definitely one of the standout features of Atomic-9 since this is a convenient feature you won't see in more expensive vaporizers that cost four times as much as the Atomic-9. The shovel is located beside the heating chamber and can be easily operated using a slide located on the side of the Atomic-9—it makes scooping up the ground herb easily even if you're on the go.
Heating Oven
The heating oven is located just below the mouthpiece. When in session, I noticed that the heat distribution inside the oven is great, you don't need to stop halfway through to check if the herb is “burned” properly. However, I find that the oven is a little bit small, which I think, won't be an issue for beginner vapers or casual users.
Easy Loading: the Atomic 9 has a funnel-shaped loading area which makes it easier to load the herbs, especially when using the built-in herb shovel.
Easy Cleaning: The Atomic-9 features a cleaning chamber that catches any residue and can be easily removed after every few uses to keep the vape clean. From time to time, you’ll need to clean the oven with a cleaning brush.
Mouthpiece
While some comparable vaporizers failed to make the magnetic mouthpiece sturdy enough not to snap off while in your pocket or bag, Atomic-9 does an impressive job. It has a hinge as a support and also has a detachable cooling chamber underneath it. It cools down and conditions the vapor before it hits even though it has a pretty short airpath.
How To Use
Before you start, make sure to ground-up your herb with a good grinder such as SLX Grinder (Review). The reason is a properly ground herb would cause your herb to burn evenly which means you'll be able to get more vapor from your weed vape.
- Open up the mouthpiece and use the button on the side to extend the loading shovel.
- Use the shovel to scoop up the herb into the chamber and then retract the shovel and close the mouthpiece.
- Press the power button three times to turn on the device.
- Hold down the power button for five seconds and wait until the LED light blinks, and then press the power button to cycle through the temperature presets.
- Once the temperature has been selected, hold down the power button for three seconds to start heating.
- Once heating is complete the LED light will turn green and then you can inhale from the mouthpiece.
Temperature Settings: 356°F | 374°F | 392°F | 410°F | 428°F | 446°F
Atomic-9 VS G-Pen Dash
The G-Pen Dash (Review) and Atomic-9 are both small and stealthy vape for beginners. They may look identical by their shape, size, and weight but what makes them different from one another? Let's find out.
- Price: Both vapes are considered “entry-level” vaporizers meaning they are relatively cheap compared to other dry herb vapes. The Atomic-9 is about $10 cheaper than the Dash.
- Build Quality: Both vapes are sturdy and are made from high-quality materials, The Atomic-9 is made out of anodized aluminum while the Dash is made out aluminum-alloy.
- Vapor Quality & Flavor: The Atomic-9 uses a detachable cooling chamber to cool down the vapor while the Dash has an isolated airpath with a helix insert that cools down the vapor.
- Mouthpiece: Both vaporizers have mouthpiece magnetically connected to its body, the difference is the Dash has two pins at the side while the Atomic-9 is supported by a hinge.
- Interface: Both features a one-button interface but Atomic-9 has no haptic feedback compared to the Dash.
- Temperature Setting: The Atomic-9 has 2x more temperature presets than the Dash and includes a small LED screen on the side of the device to indicate the temperature.
- Heating Method: The Atomic-9 uses a hybrid heating method while the Dash uses a simple conduction heating method. Both perform well and choosing between the two is a matter of preference.
- Loading Features: The Dash doesn't offer a herb loading shovel-like Atomic-9, however, it has a smooth surface that shapes like a funnel on top of the oven which can be used to easily slide herbs.
Performance & Vapor Quality
Performance
The Atomic-9 takes between thirty to forty seconds to heat up which is pretty average for a small vaporizer. However, given that it's small, running a convection heating method is a bad idea—the device gets hot when running on higher temperature settings.
Vapor Quality
The vapor quality of the Atomic-9 is surprisingly good for its price but it can't be compared with better vaporizers like Utillian 722 (Review) or Fury Edge (Review). Still, if you consider the price it's better than expected. The vapor quality is the best at the lower presets since it retains more flavor from the herbs and not too harsh for beginner vapers.
Battery Performance
I think this is the biggest weak-point on this device, with a 900 mAh battery, it's extremely small compared to AirVape Xs Go (Review) or Yocan Hit (Review) but thanks to its hybrid heating technology, it is more efficient compared to these two.
Bottom Line
Overall, I think the main feature that makes Atomic-9 good is its affordability—you get more than what you pay for. I recommend this vaporizer for beginner vapers out there who are looking for a decent portable dry herb vaporizer. For experienced vapers who are looking for better vapor quality and long battery life, I suggest you take a look into AirVape X (Review).
