TUG 2.0 eRig Review

Background

The new TUG 2.0 eRig has a 360° Ceramic coil, a beautiful glass bubbler, four temperature levels, and haptic feedback. But most importantly, it retails for $110 (actually $99 if you use coupon TVG10 at vape-smart.com), making it the cheapest eRig you can buy today. But is it any good? We'll find out in this review. 

TUG 2.0 Kit

The TUG base, with the glass, coil, and carb cap. We also got two ruby “terp pearls,” a dab tool, a charger, cleaning swabs and alcohol wipes, and a replacement silicone gasket. And it all comes in this hard carry case, which is pretty nice.

Design

The rig itself has a plastic base with one activation button and a USB-C port in the front. The coil sits on top, and we'll look at it in a second.

The bottom has a silicone plug, and its height can be adjusted to fit glass bubblers of different sizes.

The bubbler looks like a ball or a sphere and is pretty unique. It has this mushroom-looking percolator with small laser-cut air holes at the bottom.

Heating element

The heating element is a deep ceramic bowl with a coil embedded into the walls. It distributes heat much better than coils that have a heating element only at the bottom.

This type of coil is used in more expensive vapes, such as the Puffco Peak or the Utillian 8. To clean the coil, I unscrew it and dip the whole thing in ISO for a couple of minutes, then wipe and let it air dry overnight.

Carb cap

The carb cap is made from aluminum, and there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. It has two air intake holes right here. Notice how these are at an angle. They don't go straight down. Follow this hole; it starts right here on top, then goes down and across. This creates air with a vortex or a circular motion. The carb cap injects air into the bowl and circulates it very well.

This is even more effective when you add the two included 4mm terp pearls into the bowl.

Terp pearls

The pearls spin as you inhale through the mouthpiece. This makes a huge difference in terms of performance.

If you're unfamiliar with terp pearls, here is a quick explanation: they heat up as the bowl gets hot and increase the surface area of the bowl. Especially when they rotate as they do here—they stir the extract for more even and consistent heat distribution. Terp balls can be used with almost every dab rig, but they don't always rotate as smoothly as in this case.

How to use

As far as usage goes, it's pretty standard stuff. Once you load your concentrate: five clicks to unlock and three clicks to toggle the four settings, blue being the lowest.

I can press and hold the button for manual activation, or I can double-click to start a session.

The light will pulse as it heats up. It becomes solid, and the base vibrates once it's ready to inhale.

Performance & vapor quality

The TUG really surprised me with its performance. And I think it all goes back to one very clever design feature—the angled holes of the carb cap. They circulate the air so well and, together with the terp pearls, produce very thick and dense vapor.

I used it in the first and second settings; there was no reason for me to bump it to three or four.

Of course, at this price level, you don't get real-time temperature control like the new $220 Puffco Peak, and the “heat levels” here are actually voltage-based. But it looks like they are calibrated pretty well. The flavor was remarkable throughout the entire session. And just a reminder, use coupon code VG10 to save 10% at vape-smart.com to save 10% on both of these.  

Short vapor path

The TUG has an aspect that feels like very direct inhalation. The vapor path is relatively short, and you can see the entire path. It's very satisfying to use.

With the coupon code, you can get this rig for $99, which is an outstanding value. Easily the best dab rig in the price range. It punches way above its weight class in terms of performance.

Bottom line

If you don't care about size and you're a home user, there is no reason not to buy this over a dab pen. The price is the same, but the vapor quality is much better, and the device is a lot more powerful. The TUG is easily the best eRig under $100.

I usually use it “dry,” meaning without water in the bubbler. The vapor is still very good, and the water filtration is unnecessary at the lower temps I use.

Tips for best use

• Use a hot knife. It's a heated dab tool that can help you handle sticky concentrates. Do not scrape wax on the edge of the coil.
• Mop after each use. Use a little glob mop to soak up any residue after each session. This will keep the flavor pure and increase the longevity of your coil.
• Start inhaling while it's heating up to gain access to amazing flavors that are not accessible at higher temps.