Why vape distillates?

Simply put, distillates are some of the most cost-effective medications in the program. Since I’m most familiar with them, I will use Trulieve for an example: Their 600mg THC vape carts cost $77, but one gram of Truclear (averaging around 850mg THC) costs $60. Even after buying the pods to fill up with distillate (which are linked below in the “helpful links” section), you spend around $60-$65 for 850mg THC (and no MCT oil) vs. $77 for 600mg THC in a cart that has been cut with MCT oil. As we can see, this difference can quickly add up to significant savings over a period of weeks and months. Most cannabis patients on Reddit prefer filling up VFire pods, which are the same exact pods that Trulieve uses for their Trupod product, with various distillates from the program. The VFire pods work with both the TruStik and ALD Amaze VFire batteries (which are the same battery with different branding); the ALD Amaze starter kit is $23 and comes with a free empty pod vs. spending $35 for a TruStik. The advantage to the TruStik is that Trulieve will replace it for free if its damaged or defective, so the pros and cons of the various devices will need to be weighed out. It can be said for certain that VFire pods are a great product: they’re easy to fill, create quality vapor, and are fairly inexpensive.

How to fill a pod with Distillate

This process can seem somewhat intimidating for a patient that has never done it before. The idea of making a mess and losing product can make the process seem more complicated than it is. I can attest that it is very simple; it takes me less than 5 minutes and my first time attempting a fill was a success. The key to remember is that the edge of the distillate syringe (after you pop off the little plastic/rubber screw stopper) fits down into the pod perfectly and allows for an easy fill.

1.) Remove the mouthpiece, rubber stopper, and metal screen: The first part of the process of filling the pod will be to get the mouthpiece off. VFire pods have 3 parts that comprise their mouthpiece, which are easy to identify due to them being made of 3 different materials. I have also taken a photo that shows all the separate parts and made it the featured image of this post for your convenience. You will have the plastic mouthpiece itself, which is the part you actually hold to your lips when inhaling vapor. The other two parts are the rubber stopper and the metal screen. If you were loading these 3 parts back into an empty pod, the metal screen goes first, then the rubber stopper, and then the plastic mouthpiece is clicked into place.

Most VFire pods I’ve gotten from LighterUSA are shipped with the plastic mouthpieces already taken off, leaving only the rubber stopper and metal screens to remove. Both are pretty easy to get out. If you need to remove the mouthpiece, it just pops out of place, and will take a little bit of force to work it out of the tiny grooves it latches into. For the rubber stopper, I will pinch one of the edges with my fingernails and pull it until I’ve worked it out of the pod; it’s not very hard to do. The metal screen has holes in it that a bobby pin or something similar will easily help you pull out. Once all three of these pieces are removed, you will be left with an empty pod that is ready to fill.

2.) Remove the plastic/rubber screw cap from the Distillate syringe

Most all distillates like Truclear have recently added these little rubber stoppers to the end of their syringes, but these can actually be popped off pretty easily as long as you do not push out any of the distillate before attempting to do so. The distillate acts like glue when it tries, and will bind the cap to it and make it really hard to force off. Do not pry too hard as the nose of the syringe can and will break, creating a mess and possibly an injury if the sharp broken edges cut your finger like they did mine.

If you remove this cap first thing, it should be fairly easy to pull right off. Once this is done, the nose of the syringe will fit down into the pod perfectly.

3.) Heat your distillate

Distillates are thick by nature, making it somewhat difficult to push them through for filling the pods. To make the distillate more of a liquid consistency, it needs to be heated. In my opinion, the easiest way to do this is to use a hairdryer with medium heat on the syringe for about 20-30 seconds (be careful handling the syringe; it will be hot). This makes the distillate very easy to push out. Other methods of heating distillate involve putting the syringe in a plastic bag and letting it soak in warm water, but I prefer keeping things dry and clean.

4.) Put the nose of the syringe into the pod and fill it up

Once all the above steps have been completed, carefully insert the nose of the syringe into the empty VFire pod and push it in. The distillate should flow out freely; fill up the pod until it reaches the level where the metal screen and rubber stopper will be. You will most likely have a small amount of distillate left in the syringe; I typically use this for edibles or for refilling the pod later.

5.) Put the pod back together

Now it’s time to do the reverse of what we did earlier. Put the metal screen in first. The rubber stopper will be next – the side with the larger two outer holes and smaller middle hole needs to be facing upward so the plastic mouthpiece can fit down into it. Finally, push the plastic mouthpiece in until it clicks into place. That’s it – you’re done, and ready to put the VFire pod into a battery to vape!

How many times can I use a VFire Pod?

The general consensus on Reddit is that a single pod is good for 2 total fills, with 3 being the absolute max before the taste and vapor quality both begin to suffer. Patients have noted that the taste begins to take on a “burnt plastic” quality around the end of the second fill. Some patients have claimed to have used a single pod as many as 15 times, but also stated that the taste was terrible after the third fill.

In general, each VFire pod can be expected to retain excellent vapor quality and taste for 2 fills.

Enjoy. This is the only method I use to vaporize my cannabis distillates and has been for many months after I tried it at the suggestion of fellow patients on Reddit. This is the generally accepted best and most affordable method to vaporize cannabis distillates in the Florida medical marijuana program.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through any of the methods listed on this site’s contact page. As always, I hope this article has been helpful, and thank you for taking the time to read it.

Be sure to bookmark this page as an easy reference for filling pods in the future!











