Is the Lost Mary Tappo Pod Kit the perfect alternative to disposable vapes? We ask a group of disposable fans to give us their verdict...
With the big vape brands moving their focus away from disposable vapes and onto less wasteful rechargeable pod kits, manufacturers are already halting the production of disposable vape ranges.
As a potential UK disposable vape ban approaches, we fully expect to see far more pre-filled pod kits and refillable versions come onto the market. The lost Mary Tappo is one of the first kits of its kind, being squarely targeted at disposable vape users. Here, we take a look at it.
About Lost Mary
Lost Mary are a relatively new vape brand who have recently overtaken the UK market with their innovative products. The sister brand of the vape giant Elf Bar, they have a reputation for delivering appealing vaping experiences that cater to the evolving needs of an enthusiastic vape market.
With UK vaping undergoing a significant shift following a Government-announced ban on disposables, Lost Mary are future-proofing their brand by introducing a compact rechargeable pod system. While Elf Bar created the Elfa Pro, Lost Mary based their offering on the popular design of their BM600 device, and the Tappo Pod Kit was born.
With a sleek and compact design and disposable pods containing the same Nic-salt-based e-liquids as it's disposable counterparts, users can upgrade to a rechargeable device whilst maintaining most of the convenience and reducing their environmental impact.
The Tappo Device
The Tappo, which means cork or stopper in Italian, is quite similar in size and shape to Lost Mary's other "box style" disposable vapes and comes in a range of 2-tone colour schemes, with an option of solid metallic colours such as silver and bronze.
Whichever colour you choose, one pre-filled e-liquid pod is supplied to get you started and the flavour of the included pod is dependant on the colour device selected:
- Dark Bronze - Blueberry Sour Raspberry
- Blue Green - Lemon & Lime
- Silver Stainless Steel - Strawberry Ice
- Green Pink - Watermelon
The device is perfectly palm-sized and lovely to hold, and my metallic bronze version feels cool (in temperature) and is super-shiny. Many other brands have imitated the iconic BM600's shape and design for disposables, but this is the first BM600-style pod kit we have seen.
It features an upgraded aluminium casing, the battery has improved from a disposable 360mAh to a rechargeable 750mAh version, and pre-filled 2ml disposable pods are available in 15 popular flavours, including some from the Elfa range.
Each pod features a QUAQ ultra-fine mesh coil designed to deliver outstanding flavour with less e-liquid wastage. With this vapourising technology, the Tappo will likely give tough competition to other devices in the compact pod kit vape sector.
The Tappo Pods are available in a range of popular Lost Mary flavours, with the introduction of Mix Berries, Tropical Fruit and Banana Ice, which have come directly from the Elf Bar Elfa flavour range.
The Tappo device is compatible with the new range of Tappo pods. It is also backwards compatible with Elf Bar's original ELFA and ELFA Pro pre-filled pods, allowing a vast range of flavour options from the two brands combined. Incidentally, the Tappo pods will also work in both the ELFA and ELFA Pro Pod Kits.
Unboxing
The device is well-packaged and, as you would expect, includes the standard compliant warnings and authenticity QR code. At first glance, an attractive and impressively shiny nugget-shaped battery sits alongside one free pre-filled pod to get you started. In my case, it was the Blueberry Sour Raspberry flavour (a different flavoured pod is supplied depending on the device colour chosen).
The device feels solid; the reassuring weight indicates that it is well-constructed, yet it remains easily light enough to carry comfortably in your pocket.
In terms of power, the battery is more than double the size of a Lost Mary disposable battery and is rechargeable (unlike a disposable). There is a handy LED battery light at the front, which glows red when the battery is low, blue when it is medium, and green when it has a high remaining charge.
Testing
There has been a bit of confusion from customers experiencing burnt coils or dry hits due to the new style of Tappo pods. Some have assumed they can pop the pod in and start inhaling like they could with an older Elfa/P1 pod; this is not the correct activation process for the Tappo set-up.
The Tappo pods, newer in design but identical in style to the Elfa Pro pods, store the e-liquid separately from the coil to maintain freshness until use. To activate the pods, you must first press/click the button in the base to release the e-liquid onto the coil. After that, you need to wait for about 5 minutes to ensure the coil is fully saturated before vaping.
As an avid reader of instructions, I found these activation steps hard to miss! They are clearly shown on the website, on the pod packaging, on each individual foil pod packet, and on a large sticker placed over the base of each pod, which must be removed before use.
There is a satisfying magnetic click as the pod is inserted. While the pods are semi-translucent, having a clear view of the liquid level within is tricky, although possible.
Performance
The Tappo produces a decent amount of vapour. From the first puffs, the performance from such a small, simple-looking device is excellent, presumably a consequence of the more powerful battery.
In switching to a pod kit format, the flavours have lost none of their Lost-Mary-ish sweetness and intensity; I found some really impressive flavours I liked that I would use repeatedly, but also some that were just too much for me. Each is similar to the same-name disposable flavours, as you would have hoped when switching.
The battery life was great; it arrived partially charged, which was nice, but when fully charged, the Tappo's battery lasted me well over 24 hours with light to average usage. However, I found that the pod's flavour intensity faded a little when the battery charge was lower.
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