Pulsar RöK Review

Background

Pulsar is a US-based brand that boasts a product line of over 1000 varied products. They make everything from vaporizers, water pipes, rolling trays, dabbers, and glass bubblers. Definitely keeping their finger on the pulse of the market – Pulsar is now pushing the envelope further with the Pulsar Rök (buy)- a dab rig that is compatible with wax/concentrates, and with dry herb.

The Rök sets itself apart from other dab rigs on the market with its inverted design. While most devices have their bubblers set above the battery, the Rök’s borosilicate glass bubbler and beaker sit at the base of the device. the beaker also houses a disc percolator which helps filter the vapor even more- ensuring the only the purest results. The Rök also features 3 pre-set temperatures, Rök mode (session mode), a 1350mAh battery and comes with an included ceramic atomizer for dry herb vaping.

Design & Features

The Pulsar Rök (Rök means smoke in Swedish by the way) looks like a space-age tea kettle which is kind of unique to see on portable dab rigs. It’s 6.75″ tall and fits comfortably in my hand.

Since it was first released, Pulsar has made the Rök even more interesting by making it available in a myriad of colors and finishes – from sleek and simple, to ultraviolet and very flashy.
The Rök has an interesting design that is divided into two: the body and the base.

Body

The body is made out of metal with a matte black finish that looks good and feels durable. It has a narrow section in the middle, and when I hold it, it feels like an actual bong that I can easily pass to my friends. It has a single button that allows choosing 3 voltage settings which are indicated by the Pulsar logo.The body has three sides and each of them is connected to the following:

Mouthpiece: The metal mouthpiece has a silicone splash guard that prevents hot concentrates from splashing into the mouthpiece. It feels smooth on the lips and it feels a little more natural since I don’t need to hold it directly beneath me to inhale. I can just hold it out in front which I think is more comfortable compared to most of the portable dab rigs.

Atomizer: The atomizer is located at the opposite end of the mouthpiece. It’s a ‘coil-less’ quartz bowl which has the attribute of both quartz rod coils and ceramic coils. It means that it has a fast heat time while preserving the purity and flavor of the wax. It has a silicone collar that prevents me from getting hurt whenever I accidentally touch the coil when heating up. Lastly, it has a glass carb cap that traps the temperature which I can twist around to control the airflow.

AirPath Tubes: The two metal tubes are located at the bottom of the body. These tubes are where the vapor travel which is separated from the electrical circuitry that might affect the purity of the vapor. The silicon housing that’s also located underneath the body connects the base and the disc percolator.

The Base

The base of the Pulsar Rök is a water bubbler that’s made from borosilicate glass which is durable and has a high resistance to thermal shock. This means you don’t have to worry about breaking or cracking it when placing it on any surface. Slamming it down is another matter, but you shouldn’t be doing that with any vape anyway. 

Battery

The 1350mAh battery on the Pulsar Rök is good for twenty-five to thirty sessions but it does take two hours to charge. The charging time seems a little disappointing since it uses a micro-USB port when other similar devices use a USB-C connection. In that respect, The RöK seemed left behind even though portable dab rigs are new in the vaping industry.

How To Use

The Rök is pretty simple to use since it has a one-button interface which is something we expect on portable dab rigs. To use it, you need to:

1. Fill the glass base of the RöK with water, but do not fill past the halfway point.
2. Attach the downstream/disc percolator to the underside of the body of the RöK.
3. Place the glass base on a solid, level surface, and then place the body of the RöK on to it.
4. Once the two parts of the RöK are lined up, gently press down on the RöK to lock both parts into place.
5. Dab your wax into the quartz coil.
6. (Optional) Replace the quartz coil with the ceramic coil to vape herbs.
7. Press the power button five times to turn on the device.
8. Press the power button three times to cycle through the temperature settings.
9. (Optional) Press the power button two times to engage RöK mode, press it two times more to end it.
10. Once heating up is done, place the carb cap over the coil and inhale from the mouthpiece.

Voltage Settings: It has 3 color-coded voltage settings: 3.4v/680°F (Green) | 3.6v/780°F (Blue) | 3.8v/850°F (Red)

Sesh-Mode: The device automatically heats up to the desired temperature for 30 seconds by pressing the power button twice.

Instruction Manual: You can access the instruction manual here.

Cleaning and Maintenance

The Rök is the highest maintenance rig I’ve tried so far. Since it has an unusual inverted design, it consists of more parts than most of the rigs which means that they each need to be cleaned individually. To sum it up, here’s how to clean the Rök:

• Atomizers: They can be cleaned by using the included alcohol-filled cotton swab. You can clean them while they are attached to the rest of the RöK. Also, you need to clean the threaded connection of the atomizer to make sure that the connections remain intact. 
• Glass Parts: Once the glass parts (water bubbler, disc percolator, and carb cab) are removed from the rest of the RöK, they can be cleaned by soaking them in isopropyl alcohol. Once cleaning is complete, the glass parts should be rinsed with cold water and then left to dry.
• Air Path Tubes: The included cleaning brushes can be used to remove any clogs in the tubes. Once the clogs have been removed, the tubes can be soaked in isopropyl alcohol. After they have been cleaned, they should be rinsed out with cold water and then air-dried.
• Mouthpiece: Remove the mouthpiece and clean it with soap and water. Allow it to air dry before reattaching them to the rest of the device.

Performance & Vapor Quality

The RöK heats up quickly and does a good job of vaping the wax. It stays cool to touch and even while the RöK mode is active. It has a low draw resistance but the vapor path clogs easily which makes it hard for me to inhale the vapor. I got the best result in the middle setting and probably got 5-7 hits before dabbing my wax again.

Vapor Quality: I must say that the RöK produces a cleaner and more flavorful vapor compared to its competitors. It’s because the disc percolator brings out more terps and makes the vapor purer. It also has an isolated airpath that further helped with the purity and flavor of the herbs since it doesn’t come into contact with any electronics.

The RöK has three temperature settings and I liked playing around the middle setting which provides flavorful vapor that doesn’t feel too harsh. Experienced vapers can try the highest setting if they dare, but they shouldn’t be surprised if they experience a cough—or two or three or four or more—when they do. So, no matter which setting you choose, you are guaranteed to get some huge clouds, so both flavor chasers and cloud chasers will be satisfied with the RöK.

Rök Mode

The RöK mode is the equivalent of session mode that is found in some portable rigs and other types of extract vaporizers. It maintains the selected temperature for thirty seconds so you don’t have to constantly hold down the power button. It also has an included ceramic atomizer to vape dry herbs which is something I don’t usually see on portable dab rigs. Though it’s a good additional feature, I recommend you not to try it out since the temp settings are too high and could burn the herbs.

Bottom Line

The RöK is easy to use, has a long battery life, and heats up fast which is something we should expect from portable dab rigs. Yes, it functions well and produces decent quality vapor but not comparable to the best dab rigs of [year]. Overall, this is an appealing choice for a first portable dab rig as long as you don’t mind the assembling, cleaning, and scorching temperatures which take time to get used to. 

The RöK might have a higher learning curve compared to the rest of the pack but once you learn how to use it efficiently, it will yield a good result. So if you’re looking for other dab rigs that will fit your needs, I’d say the KandyPens Oura or the New Puffco Peak (Review) is worth checking.