If you had asked us in 2020 what the best e-rig is – we would have affirmatively suggested the Puffco Peak Pro. What we used to call the Tesla of dabbing. Since then Focus V has come out with a second version of their Carta e-rig which is giving the Puffco Peak Pro a run for its money. Here is a review from our Founder Aleks who has been using both side-by-side for 6 months now.
Airflow
Winner: Carta II
This one is no competition. Anyone who has used both units will agree that the Carta II has much better airflow. This is one of the biggest considerations when judging a dab rig. The better the airflow, the cleaner and bigger the hit you can get with less strain on your lungs as you try and pull vaporized terpenes and cannabinoids through a passageway that is too narrow. You can dab both rosin and melt out of the Carta II.
Quality Control
Winner: Carta II
As a former distributor of Puffco rigs we do have some data on their failure rate – and it is very high. Over 70% of our Puffco Peak pro units have had to be warrantied for dead units – often 3-9 months into ownership. We will say that Puffco is great for sending replacements, but this only lasts for 1 year. What happens after the one year is up is that you are out of luck. We have been distributing Puffco units for longer than Carta e-rigs but we have yet to have a single Carta II rig die on us- as should be the case. We have a graveyard of over 15 dead Puffco Peak Pro units. Puffco does not even ask for the units back, meaning they are well aware of the problem and it is either not fixable, or cheaper for them to just send you a replacement unit. Either way – not great for the environment and certainly worrisome when you are past the 1-year warranty period. The units often die randomly and will no longer power up – something you do not typically see with such an expensive piece of technology.
User Interface:
Winner: Puffco
The user interface on the Carta II vs Puffco Peak Pro still needs some work. When powering on the Carta II vs the Puffco Peak Pro you have to press the button 5 times to power the unit up. Then another two clicks to get it to start heating up. If you happen to hit the power button 4 times instead of 5 the unit goes into a keypad lock mode. None of this is intuitive and often requires looking up the Focus V manual to figure out what is going on. I have never had to look up the Puffco manual to figure out how to use the thing, something about it is just more intuitive.
Both units have a bluetooth app that is cool when you first get the device but is not something I really use on a daily basis. Both units give you some statistics on daily dabs etc.
Atomizer Design:
Winner: Carta II
The atomizer on the Puffco Peak Pro has an Achilles heel. When the unit is in motion water often gets into the atomizer. They have tried (unsuccessfully) to mitigate this with the sloped design, but anyone who has had a unit in a car or backpack has had the issue of water getting into the atomizer connection. When this happens with the Puffco you get the tragic blue-red flashing lights of death. When you see this – be prepared to not be able to hit a dab for at least 30 minutes while the atomizer dries out. This has never once happened with the Carta II. I am convinced you could send this unit to space and it would still be ready to take you further into orbit.
Aesthetic Design:
Winner: Puffco
The Puffco has a sleeker design. It looks sexy, while my girlfriend pokes fun at me because the Carta II glass looks like an inflated condom. This is subjective of course. But if you look at the two units side by side, and are not aware of their functionality, you would probably pick up the Puffco. For me though function over form- I am grabbing the Carta II all day
Overall:
Winner: Carta II
When it comes to the Carta II vs Puffco Peak Pro- If you value function (and you should) the Carta II is hands down the winner between the two. If you are spending this kind of coin on an e-rig you want something that is dependable and reliable. The Carta II checks all these boxes. This is why this year for Christmas we gifted all of our welders and fabricators a Carta II e-rig.
Sam and his team at focus V have graciously offered friends of Hashtek a discount. Just use discount code ‘HASHTEK’ at checkout for $50 USD off.
Happy Dabbing!
