The StemPod Si 2.0 by ModPod Labs is a rebuildable full convection 510 threaded dry herb vapouriser. It has fully adjustable airflow and power, ideal for users that want a customisable experience. The StemPod Si has all replaceable parts and comes with a card listing all screw and o-ring types for easy self replacement. It works very well with Kanthal A1 coils used on wattage mode. The wattage required will depend on how dry your herb is, how it is packed into the chamber, how finely it is ground and how fast you draw air through the vapouriser. We will add our suggestions for various setups below. This atomizer will need a little tuning in by the user to find the optimal settings for your requirements.
The 2.0 Version has an extra set of small holes for restricted airflow as well as the original two airflow ports.
We suggest grabbing the StemPod Si with 2 x Dual Juggernaut Kanthal A1 upgrade coils for improved performance, exclusive to Recommended Vape Supplies.
Designed to be a ersatile on-demand convection vaporizer, the StemPod Si is capable of producing large tasty clouds of vapour and a surprisingly even cook of the chamber when set up appropriately. It has a 0.05-0.3+g capacity which is very impressive for such a small unit. This is probably our favourite portable convection vaporizer since it does exactly what you tell it to, it is easy to build on and has all replaceable parts that don't break your budget.. all while providing a top notch convection experience! Being a convection vape inhalations of around 10 seconds are needed to heat and vaporize your material. Hold upright during use for the most even cook of your chamber contents.
The StemPod Si Can be fully disassembled and cleaned. Do not soak the silicone housing in ISO, wipe this down if needed then rinse with hot water and allow it to dry. This part can also be replaced if desired. Before running it for the first time check coil screws are firmly in place before use and fire the coil at 45w until the coils glow. Then you're good to go. Don't worry if one glows a bit hotter than the other, this will be effectively cancelled out when the air mixes above the coils. It's also a good idea to check the 510 pin in the base is screwed in firmly, ours were a little loose on arrival.
For easy water tool adaption you can simply pop a V4 Silicone Adapter in the top of the cooling stem or stealth stem. Replacement Coils can be found through this link.
We have a range of high performance wires by Vandy Vape which can be found here for those that want to make their own enhanced performance coils using a coiling kit.
Replacement Mesh Filter Screens are available here.
There are a few different ways you can run this atomizer which we will outline now, our favourite is method 3, we strongly suggest doing this first and not even bothering with the alternatives unless you just want to see what it's like!
Method 1: Insert the mesh herb chamber and fill it loosely with herb, do not tamp. Insert the stem into the StemPod Si. Close the airflow so it is maximum 1/4 open and set the wattage between 25-34W. After each draw hold the main body of the StemPod and rotate the glass stem 1/4 turn to help the contents of the chamber cook evenly.
Method 2: Fill the glass chamber loosely with herb, without the mesh chamber. Set the airflow to around1/4 open again but this time keep the wattage between 32-38W.
Method 3: Bend a 15.8mm mesh screen into a dish shape around the end of your thumb or finger. Insert it into the glass chamber so it sits level at around 0.5cm from the airflow holes in the top of the chamber. This can be tricky and take a few tries but once it's in there doesn't need adjusting or replacing for some time. Alternatively if you're struggling with this you can take the provided mesh chamber and carefully cut around the top with kitchen scissors, removing the solid metal ring, leaving only the mesh basket screen. This can then be easily inserted into the glass chamber right into the top by the airflow holes inside the glass chamber. Doing this will allow for the increased airflow you get while using the mesh chamber, but with the ability to fill the whole glass chamber. This modification vastly improves airflow through the contents of the chamber and provides the most even cook of your material. For this setup you can open the airflow up, all the way if desired, and keep your watts between 38-50W. Fill loosely with no more than 0.15g of medium ground material and do not tamp.
If using our exclusive Dual Juggernaut coils we suggest using 53-60W and allowing for a 3 second pre-heat as there is a lot more metal to heat. These coils provide enhanced vapour production and the airflow can be adjusted as desired. We tend to leave the airflow 1/4 to 1/2 open and run the coils at 56-58W. A dual battery sub-ohm compatible mod is suggested for these coils. As with all coils they will need a little adjustment after installation just to line them up nicely.
Method 4: This is only for 18-18mm or 18-14mm water pipe adapters. Insert a 15.8mm mesh screen into the water pipe adapter in the same manner as described in method three. Modified mesh basket screens cannot be used for this setup. Shut down the airflow to 1/4 max, fill the chamber loosely and set the watts to between 50-60w. We have found the higher wattage is required as these adapters are much more free flowing than the alternatives since they don't have the small holes in the glass chamber as the limiting factor.
With all these methods you should start inhaling no later than one second after firing the atomizer up, the coils will get hot very quickly and can burn your material if air isn't being drawn through the system.
Cleaning
- Soak mesh in your chosen cleaning solvent then rinse with water and dry.
- Wipe down silicone with ISO then rinse with warm water and allow to dry.
- All other parts can be soaked in ISO to clean them, then rinsed with hot water and dried, excluding the o-rings which should be treated in the same way as the main silicone body.
Things to note
- Never grind you material finely as it can fall through the mesh onto the heater and ignite. If you prefer a fine grind use two mesh screens instead of one. We have these in the way.
- The glass stem can get very hot when vaping at higher wattages, allow it to cool before removing it or install a silicone fat mouthpiece and hold it by that. The fat mouthpiece can also be used on your stems (only fits part way onto the long cooking stem due to its width) to protect your lips from heat, this is how we like to use it.
- Tapping your glass stem against the silicone body of the StemPod Si while holding them above a waste pot is the easiest and safest way to empty your vapouriser without using a tool or accidentally smashing the glass.
- This is a full convection vapouriser, this means the first draw will always provide less vapour than consecutive draws. The first draw will produce some vapour and dry out the herb, after this vapour production will kick in more significantly.
- Always check your coils and connections are fully tightened and the coils are sitting no higher than 5mm above the airflow-in holes in the base.
- Being full convection the chamber can be loaded with either a little or a lot of herb, without the need for any further adjustment.
- Silicone is resistant to 240C, no parts of this atomizer except the coils come even close to this temperature. Due to the design there is only a very small amount of silicone the vapour path since it acts as a gasket/seal to hold the glass stem in place. The vapour path is mainly metal and glass. To ensure you do not overheat the silicone never allow coils to heat for more than one second without air being drawn through the atomizer. This is very much an on demand convection vape, pre-heat is not required or helpful here.
- Medium ground material seems to provide the best mix of even vapourisation of material and airflow. Too fine and the airflow can be reduced, too course and you will lack the surface area required for producing large amounts of vapour.
- If you're running higher wattages and your mod is getting hot you can use a 25mm heat sink in between the Mod and the atty.
- For best battery life we suggest using a dual battery mod for this setup, ideally with a 15 second + cut out. We stick to the Wismec Gen 3 with AFF as this has auto-fire function with a 60 second cut out.
- Never use with the airflow fully shut as you will very likely combust your material.
- Stick to kanthal coils as these are the most resistant to oxidation so are the best material for use.
- Sub ohm capable mod required.
- Not compatible with the Eleaf Pico X without the addition of 2x22mm heat sinks underneath.
In the Box
- 1 x base with 2 x coils installed + Black Stempod Si silicone housing
- 2 x Upgraded Dual Juggernaut Kanthal A1 Coil - a RecVapeS exclusive
- 1 x Long Cooling Stem
- 2 x Mesh baskets
- 2 x spare o-rings,
- 4 x spare screws
- 2 x spare coils
- 1 x Allen Key
Requires a 510threaded sub-ohm capable mod box for use.