Geekvape Sonder U
GeekVape deal a killer blow to disposable vapes with the Sonder U kit
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by Si Davies
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Supplied by TECC for review
https://www.theelectroniccigarette.co.uk/geekvape-sonder-u
£9.49 – Billy Bargain!
I will be honest; I was as excited about reviewing this boring basic pod as I was about doing the dishes and it’s as dull as dish-water, BUT wait, the end result was more than worth it and it is one of the best disposable killers out there. The pricing is key to the Sonder U’s success.
- Pod capacity - 2ml
- Coil resistance – 0.7ohm
- Battery capacity - 1000mAh
- Dimensions - 95.8mm X 26.6mm
- Weight - 40g
- Auto-draw
- USB-C rechargeable
Unboxing
Don’t expect ANY enjoyment with the unboxing, the packaging is a means to an end of protecting the SONDER U and it’s designed to be an easy tear-open to get going right out of the packet (other than e-liquid).
I’m going to assume that GeekVape intended the Sonder U to be an answer to the disposables problem and an ideal starter kit to help convert sway disposable users onto a much better option, and the packaging is exactly like a disposable vape with a tear-open bag.
You have to bear in mind the price before you judge its ‘SO_D__ U ‘ (I call it the Sod You due to its scroogey bundle), you get the bare necessities as in the device and the mini pamphlet manual.
There’s no charging cable or second pod included and normally I would be very bothered about that, but as I will keep mentioning; this kit is a basic, affordable starter kit and for the price I certainly don’t feel cheated. It is what it is, and once you pop some e-liquid in and wait a few minutes for it to prime, you get an instant disposable killer.
First Impressions and Overview
The SONDER U is pretty basic all-round and has very little in the way of looks and styling. GeekVape have put in a little effort though, the main body is moulded plastic with a grippy diagonal line pattern embedded into it, the shape is about as ergonomic as you can get from a basic compact pod, and the only unique styling is in the form of a shiny metal badge with ‘SONDER’ etched onto it, this has no purpose but does give it its own identity.
There’s a small LED status light which is a single colour and lights up as you draw, it also illuminates during charging but there’s no increment warnings for the charge level, it just flashes once the battery is too low. It’s a bit shit but only as shit as normal disposables lighting, but you can at least cover it up if you want to stealth vape. I’m used to three colour LEDs that show increments, but I had to remind myself again of the sub-tenner price.
The USB-C charge port is nicely positioned on the side and is well moulded which makes it pretty faff free to put your cable in. A small thing, but a side mounted port adds to the stability during charging in my experience.
You don’t get a charging cable but it is a standard USB type C which most modern electronics include these days, I would be amazed if you didn’t already have one but if not you can get one for around a quid. I’m going to include no cable as an actual pro as it keeps the cost down and, more importantly, it produces less waste.
The pod fitting is a standard magnetic fit, it simply falls into place and holds well. It is also easy to pull out for refilling, there was no wobble and it stays in place well when stashed in your pocket or bag.
To refill the pod there’s a little silicone rubber bung located at the side of the pod, it’s a little fiddly to grip but simple enough and gives you plenty of access for regular 10ml bottles. Visibility was good, and I found it mess free as you could pretty much fill it to capacity without any airlocks.
Once filled you will need to wait 6-10 minutes to allow the e-liquid to properly soak into the coils cotton (priming), DO NOT skip this step as you will just get a burnt taste and that won’t go away until you replace the pod with a new one.
Performance
The SONDER U simply performs perfectly, the flavour is incredible, the auto-draw is instant, and the airflow is a good balanced MTL draw, possibly too loose for my tight preference but on par with any disposable I’ve tried.
The odd choice of a 0.7ohm pod is a very smart move by GeekVape in my opinion as it makes e-liquid choice far less of a minefield as it copes nicely with the new trend of sweeter nic salts as found in disposables. The pod is designed to last you at least 10ml of e-liquid and I managed to get 20ml before I felt the need to replace the pod, but since I only had the one included I still carried on using it beyond that. You will start to notice less flavour and a slight burnt taste as the pod’s life approaches the end.
The size is very pocket friendly and the 40g weight makes it suitable for shirt pockets too, personally I prefer pods on a lanyard as they are just handier and there’s no ‘where did I leave my f**king pod?!’ but I found an added benefit of using a lanyard as I could hack the airflow:
There are two air inlets on either side of the SONDER U’s body so I found slipping the lanyard partially over these restricted the airflow for a tighter draw which suited me nicely, it’s not essential as the draw is tight enough for most MTL users and I left it as is for the review period.
The 1000mAh battery size was perfect for this kit as the 0.7ohm is a bit more power hungry than I’m used to, but it is well balanced and would last me a full day easily.
Diss-posables
The SONDER U is simply a great choice over disposables for a few reasons including:
- Refillable
- Rechargeable
- Longer battery life
- More reliable
- Massive e-liquid variety
- Much much cheaper
And that’s without including all the preachy environmental benefits such as the sustainability and less landfill impact, you still have to throw away the pod once it expires but even that lasts a good 20x that of a disposable and you’re not throwing away any electronics, it’s also worth mentioning that you’re throwing away less packaging as a result.
As for preaching to the converted, is the Sonder U worth buying for experienced users? I would say yes as the performance makes it a perfect choice for folks like me that enjoy those sweeter ‘coil killer’ e-liquids as found in disposables, normally you have to be very careful which hardware you use for these juices and generally anything over 0.8ohm is a no-no.
There’s a bit of a trend recently with manufacturers going back to basics with their pod kits and I believe it’s the industry attempting to move users away from disposables but keeping the price to be more affordable for vapers on a budget.
I tend to use DIY tanks (RTAs) which is by far the cheapest way to vape but I know many vapers that find it too much hassle, I rarely win that argument so something like these pods are a good thing for them.
That said, I do still use basic pods a fair bit, especially while driving or having a sly toot where clouds are a bad idea. The SONDER U doesn’t look as bling as I'd prefer, but doesn’t look as cheap as it actually is if that makes sense? You won’t be showing it off but you won’t be hiding it either.
Pros
- Flavour is phenomenal
- 1000mAh battery
- Under a tenner!
- Long life pods
- Decent MTL auto-draw
- Ergonomic
- Lanyard friendly
- Absolute disposable killer
- Sweet eliquid friendly
- Beginner friendly
- Compact and light
(I could probably dig out more pros as it impressed me that much)
Cons
- Single colour LED
The single colour LED isn’t a deal breaker but still a bit rubbish these days as you’re left guessing the battery life.
Final Thoughts
I was surprised with how much I enjoyed reviewing the SONDER U pod, for such a basic and stingy kit that had zero innovation with only one pod included, I was actually expecting to slag it right off, but as soon as I started vaping it then it quickly won me over.
Once I factored in the ridiculously cheap price and how much of a disposables killer it was, I started to appreciate it even more
Score: 8.5/10 – Still think disposables are better? SO_D__ U
Si Davies
Reviewer at POTVMy background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!
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