KandyPens Rubi Review: The Rubi That Vapes Like a Juul

The KandyPens Rubi is a device for oils and e-liquid that uses refillable vape cartridges. The liquid capacity of each pod is 1ml. The vape’s battery has a capacity of 250mAh and can output 8W of continuous power.

Its exterior resembles a flash drive, and the device with the pod stands only four inches tall. The outer chassis of the device features anodized aluminum with a single LED light in its center. The internal battery uses USB charging, and the battery can power through a full pod and around 25 or 40 puffs.

Table of Contents

• KandyPens Rubi - General Overview
• What’s In the Box?
• Build Quality and Design
• Battery Life
• Pods and Coils
• Performance
• The Competition
• KandyPens Rubi Specifications
• Pros and Cons
• Closing Thoughts on the KandyPens Rubi

A First Look at the Rubi

KandyPens Rubi is a close competitor to the Juul with one crucial distinction: Rubi pods are refillable vape cartridges. Apart from that important difference, the two devices are very much alike. The vape has an anodized aluminum exterior with a single LED light to show battery life and when a user installs a pod. The surface is super thin and lightweight.

The device comes in six different colors running from Rose Gold to Black to Red and Navy Blue. There is a USB charging port at the base of the unit, and the kit includes a USB charging cable. Unlike the Juul, however, KandyPens Rubi does not have the tactile sensor that shows battery life on the Juul.

The vape does have refillable vape cartridges, which gives it a considerable advantage over the Juul. The pods apart from being refillable are also compatible with either e-liquid (nic salts preferred) or low viscosity THC/CBD oil — another plus. The coils inside the pod use ceramic cell technology and the wicks inside each pod are organic Japanese cotton.

The fill port for the KandyPens Rubi pods is on the side. It is stopped by a rubber grommet that is not attached to the pod but comes off entirely, making it easy to lose. The fill port itself is not so vast, so users might need to use a needle-nose dropper or a syringe to refill the cartridge. The pods snap easily into place inside the Rubi.

The connection is not magnetic, but the pods stay in place. The KandyPens Rubi is air-activated, meaning it is free of buttons. There are two air holes on either side of the KandyPens Rubi vape that allow air into the battery and pod. Users could cover the holes to give a tighter draw, but the airflow for these air holes offers excellent resistance and impressive cloud size.

Kit Contents

KandyPens Rubi is a simple and easy device to set up. In reality, there are very few settings up to do. Users need only charge the battery, fill the pod and let it sit for around fifteen minutes for the wicks to absorb the liquid, after which they insert the pod to start taking hits.

The Look and Feel of the KandyPens Rubi

The KandyPens Rubi has an effortless design. KandyPens meant the Rubi to be a competitor to the Juul, another device famous for its easy-to-use style. The plug-and-play aspect of that other pod device is at work in the Rubi as well. Users need only fill the pod, plug them into the vape, and start vaping.

The fact that the pod also contains the mouthpiece, another aspect borrowed from Juul pods, is another thing that keeps the Rubi simple. There are three separate air holes on the top of the mouthpiece where air enters to create more massive clouds. As said before, the air holes on the side provide the air that activates the battery, when users first take a pull.

The vape also has rounder, softer edges than the hard-edge Juul. Holding it, though, the Rubi feels a lot like the Juul, as they both have similar form-factors. As both the Rubi and Juul have no buttons, they are easy to take on-the-go, as their buttonless design prevents any accidental firing when in a pocket or bag.

Battery Performance

The device has a very low-capacity 250mAh battery, which is a lot more than the Juul’s 200mAh capacity. With that said, do not expect a long battery life from the Rubi vape. The battery has an eight-second cutoff time, so it tries to save on battery life, but a lot depends on usage.

A full pod and a fully-charged battery should get someone between 20 and 40 puffs with the pod running out before the battery. With a low capacity battery, there is the trade-off of short battery life, but a quick charging time. To recharge a completely drained battery will take around half an hour, more or less.

The KandyPens Rubi Pods

KandyPens Rubi pods are plastic in construction, but inside uses a ceramic core with organic cotton wicks. The coil has a rating of 1.6-ohms, so it does have some mouth-to-lung properties. Vapers could also get some large clouds if they inhaled long and hard enough.

The pods come with a mouthpiece attached from which users inhale the vapor. Although not visible right away, when a user inserts a full pod into the device, there is a small viewing port next to the air hole. This viewing port allows users to check their liquid levels.

The little rubber grommet that stops fill port does not attach to the pod. If a user is not careful, they can lose the grommet. Losing that small piece would mean the entire device is useless unless a user can devise some hack that secures the fill port. The one thing often mentioned in KandyPens Rubi’s reviews is that the pods are leak-proof. That statement holds up most of the time.

Pod Life

As KandyPens designed the pods for use with thinner, nicotine salt e-juices, thick oil could clog the juice ports and the airflow. One right way to solve this problem is by thinning out cannabis oil with some PG or VG, depending on what is available.

Users could also use THC e-juice or some other variation that does not run the risk of damaging the pods. The vaping life of the pods varies greatly. Some say the pods can last between seven and fifteen refills.

Vaping the Rubi

Despite the straightforward assembly and use of the device, one point of contention has to be the fill port on the pods, which are a problem. It is tiny, and users without a syringe or a needle-nose dropper will be hard-pressed to fill the pods without spilling the liquid.

The grommets are also a problem. They are so small and dropping one or, worse yet, losing one could kill the entire device. (Sidenote to KandyPens: connect the grommet to the pod!). The small fill port and the disappearing grommet are foreseeable problems, meaning they could happen and disrupt the user experience, but they are not game-killers.

Once the pod is full, and the liquid has seeped into the coil, after around five to ten minutes, the vapor production on the Rubi is excellent. Despite the 1.6-ohm coil inside, a user could do a direct-lung inhale by taking a soft, deep pull. The mouth-filling pulls of a mouth-to-lung vape are also possible by taking short pulls.

The 1ml liquid capacity is enough to last for about twenty to forty puffs. The coils drink up liquid and oil even more so; frequent refilling is a fact-of-life for the Rubi. The pods were the first to go. The battery lasted for a little longer than an hour and a half. The vape does not use pass-through charging, so there is no vaping while charging the battery.

The Vape-Off: Rubi vs. Juul vs. the Smok Fit

The Juul

The Juul only uses pre-filled, e-liquid pods of a unique nicotine salt blend with content ranging from 5% to 7% nicotine. The pods come with several, one-flavor e-liquid pods and are disposable unless a user decides to hack the pods to refill them.

The liquid capacity is 0.7ml, so a little less than the 1ml size for the Rubi pods. The Juul pods also have silica wicks and nichrome as its coil, which is different from the organic cotton wicks and a ceramic coil of the Rubi. The Juul has a 200mAh battery, so the Rubi beats it in operating time, as it can last longer and charge faster.

The Smok Fit

The Smok Fit has an aluminum alloy exterior similar to the Rubi. Its measurements are also identical, as the two devices both measure around four inches long. The Fit also uses refillable vape cartridges, but only works with e-liquids and not oils, unlike the Rubi, which can vape both. The Fit has a battery capacity of about 250mAh, which is a little less than the KandyPens Rubi but makes little difference in terms of vaping time.

The Fit battery can output between 10 and 16W on a full charge, which is a little higher than both the Rubi and Juul. The Fit also uses a bottom USB port to charge, like the Rubi, but unlike the Juul that has its proprietary charger.

Pros and Cons

The Last Word on the KandyPens Rubi

The KandyPens Rubi is an ideal device for casual vapers, not too concerned about power, durability, or performance. This vape, as it caters to both e-liquid and cannabis vapers, accomplishes the goal of being portable, easy-to-use, and discreet. The pods are well-built, leak-proof, although they have some deficiencies like the loose rubber grommet and the small fill hole.

The battery is small enough that it does not last for a long time, but it charges fast. The pods are another matter, as no one can agree as to their vape life. Ten to fifteen refills are an average, so let’s leave it at that. The KandyPens Rubi appeals to people who want a Juul-like device, but also want the variety and versatility of using their vaping liquid, whether it be nicotine liquid or cannabis oil.

Are you a fan of pod devices? Do you prefer them to other vaping devices like box mods or pens? Do you vape e-liquid or other oils and concentrates? Let us know in the comments section what you think of the KandyPens Rubi or other pod vapes.