Portable e-nails have become a staple in the concentrate community, however most of them are eerily similar to one and other. Source Vapes decided to shake things up with their Source Nail XL, and we’re pretty stoked about it. It may look like most other e-nails at first glance, but there’s a few key differences that really set it apart from the others.
Source Nail XL Review
The Source Nail XL will cost you a cool $149.95, which is about standard for most e-rigs on the market. Unlike other e-nails that come with a nail attachment, the Source Nail XL actually comes with 3 different atomizers which make it more of a hybrid vaporizer pen / e-rig. If you’ve had a chance to check out some of our other Source Vape reviews you’ll know that we are big fans of their atomizers, so being able to use them in their e-rig is a huge bonus!
Found in the box:
- Source Nail XL
- Quartz bucket coil-less atomizer
- Ceramic bucket coil-less atomizer
- Titanium bucket coil-less atomizer
- Split glass bubbler attachment
- Glass globe attachment
- Magnetic carb cap
- Titanium tipped dab tool
- USB charger
Let me clear up what I meant when I said the Source Nail XL was a hybrid vaporizer pen / e-rig. Source Vapes made the Source Nail XL compatible with their series 3 / 4 / XL atomizers. While the bucket atomizers they provide with the e-rig perform essentially the same as a conventional nail found on similar portable e-rigs, they look quite different from other nails. I’d hesitate to even call them nails really, but that’s not a bad thing.
When using the glass globe attachment the Source Nail XL is transformed from a portable dab rig into more of a vaporizer pen. I’d suggest turning the temperature down a notch when using the globe because the vapor is a bit harsher.
Operating the Source Nail XL is fairly straight forward thanks to the 1-button design. Holding the button down will heat the device up (like most on-demand vaporizer pens), or double click the button to set the device to preheat to the set temperature setting.
The Source Nail XL doesn’t come with any concentrate containers, which seems a little odd… Instead, Source Vapes built a silicone lined compartment into the bottom of the e-rig so you can easily store and transport your concentrates without having to carry around extra containers. It’s a feature that we fell in love with on their Source Slim 4 vaporizer pen, and I was thrilled to see it featured on their e-rig as well.
The split glass bubbler attachment is almost the exact same design as the Dr Dabber Boost. We weren’t the biggest fans of the Boost’s glass attachment because water would often find it’s way into your mouth when hauling. Source Vapes seems to have remedied (for the most part) the situation by splitting the glass attachment into 2-pieces. The real reason they split the glass attachment into 2-pieces is to allow users to hook the rig up to their favorite 18-mm waterpipe.
Source Vapes goes above and beyond when it comes to the quality of the materials they use and the build quality of their products as a whole. Their atomizers are top notch and provide some of the tastiest pulls available, and this is true of all the SV vaporizers we’ve tested out. My only real beef with the Source Nail XL is the way you operate it, and it’s only an ‘issue’ when using it as an e-rig with the bubbler portion attached. It just feels a little bit too much like a vaporizer pen for my liking, but that could very well be what they were aiming for. Overall I’m thoroughly impressed with the Source Nail XL and will gladly sit with the button depressed in order to get some top quality vapor rips.
Pros
You get quite a bit for your money compared to other portable e-rigs on the market.
The Source Nail XL is quite versatile thanks to the split glass bubbler and glass globe options.
While I gave the 1-button operation a bit of flak earlier, there’s no denying that it’s very easy to operate right out of the box thanks to the straightforward design.
Smoooooth & tasty rips. When it comes down to it, it’s all about the quality of the vapor. Thanks to the SV atomizers and 3-temperature settings it’s easy to get fantastic tasting vapor again and again.
Cons
The bubbler attachment will undoubtedly splash some water into your mouth from time to time. This is true of virtually every e-rig bubbler attachment though, so it’s hard to fault SV for this.
Three temperature settings is great, but I’ve yet to find anything that tells me exactly what temperature each of the settings uses. Not really a deal breaker, but it would be nice to know.
Final Thoughts
As someone who enjoys concentrates (maybe not quite as much as a good o’l joint) I’d be lost without an e-rig by my side. There’s a few great choices out there, and the Source Nail XL is certainly one of the best.
Purchase your e-rig from Source Vapes and rest easy knowing that the materials used are top quality. Get some serious bang for your buck and pick yourself up a Source Nail XL today… assuming you’re in the market for one.
Get yours here: SourceVapes.com
