The Core E-Rig Review – Hardcore Melting

Updated: March 26, 2024
The Core is a straight forward, no frills electronic dab rig or e-rig. It offers users a great introductory into the world of e-rigs and e-nails without the expensive price tag usually associated with them. We’re really excited to dive into The Core and see how it stacks up against units like the Puffco Peak and the Focus V Carta. Read on to learn more!
If you would like to see how this electric dab rig stacks up against other popular units check out our Best Electric Dab Rigs & E-Nails article. Alternatively, you could also check out our wax pen guide which goes on detail about e-rigs as well.

Review: The Core E-Rig

The Core E-Rig Review

Core-E-Rig heating chamber

How it Works

As with any device, we highly recommend charging it fully before your first use. Next, make sure you fill the bubbler up with water to about ? of the way up the percolator. Press the power button 5 times rapidly to turn it on.

Press the button 3 times to change between temperatures. Load your concentrates onto the coil. Press the power button twice rapidly to automatically heat to your chosen temperature.

It will vibrate when it reaches temperature and remains hot for 60 seconds before cooling down. If your dab isn’t finished, press and hold the power button for your desired amount to activate manual heating. It will maintain heat until it is released.

 

Core-E-Rig-Review-temperature-flexibilityTemperature Flexibility

The Core e-rig has four voltage settings – red, blue, white and green. Red is the low, Blue is medium, white is medium high, and green is high.

Red is 2.6V, Blue is 2.9V, White is 3.9V and Green is 4.2V. There are a couple of rules with regards to using which coils with which temperatures that we’ll get into below.

Core-E-Rig mouth piece

Vapor Quality

There’s a couple things that is clear in the manual that I think are important to understand, before we get into vapor quality.

For the triple titanium coil, make sure to use it on the red and blue settings only. For the titanium and the quartz buckets, only use the white and green settings.

The Core can pump out a serious amount of vapor, especially on the higher settings. This is where the water filtration comes into play – on the green and white settings, water filtration is especially important to enjoy your draws. It cools the vapor down really nicely so you can enjoy the terpenes of your favourite concentrate.

The biggest thing to note here is the number of coils that this rig comes with. There is a lot of customization in terms of the vapor you can get. I’ve had some face melters off of this guy and some tasty, less vapor hits as well. Take my advice with a grain of salt, though, because I’m a lightweight when it comes to wax, that’s for sure.

The flavor on the triple titanium black ceramic coils is probably the best of all of the atomizers in my opinion, but that’s not saying much, as all of them work really well. 

The coils included are very versatile in terms of the type of concentrate you want to use as well. For anything a little more liquid, I would highly recommend using the bucket atomizers so that your precious cargo doesn’t slip underneath the coils.

For anyone who is a fan of 2-in-1 units that are capable of handling your wax and flower, I would recommend checking out the Focus V Tourist, a great device that has different attachments for dry herb and concentrate.

 

Core-E-Rig front display

Manufacturing Quality

There is a lot to love about the quality of the Core. The unit is sturdy and durable, and all the pieces fit snugly inside each other. 

It functions really well and it comes with an awesome amount of kit. I spoke earlier about the amount of atomizers this comes with, which is a huge plus. But that’s not even the half of it. There’s a travel case, dab tool, wall charger (which for some reason is curiously absent in a lot of devices these days), wipes, swabs, and a wax carrying case. 

In terms of its build, though, it functions really well and the glass is tempered to prevent breakage. I’m not a huge fan of the shape of the glass piece, but that’s not really a function note, just aesthetics. In terms of function, haptic feedback is also appreciated as it vibrates when it is turned on and off and when it reaches temperature. Another important note to make is that Shenzhen has improved some features in the new Shenzhen Core 2.1 by adding a non rebuildable atomizer which allows for easier use and higher build quality overall.

 

Core-E-Rig-Review-Main

Once you factor in the price point, I would argue that this is one of the best bang for your buck E-Rigs on the market, and I believe narrowly beats out the Puffco Peak and gives the Focus V Carta a run for its money.

Puffco Peak usb slotBattery Life

The Core has a 3000mah internal battery that usually lasts me 15-20 draws before needing to top it back up.

Not a bad life span on an e-rig at all. And with USB-C charging and a wall charger (again, I will say how much I liked the fact that it comes with a wall charger) it’s really not hard to charge it up.

The Core displays battery life when you turn the unit on, with Green=Full, White=Medium, Blue=Low, Red=Very Low.

Core-E-Rig with armor case

Portability

The Core is relatively portable, with that travel case, but I still, like most E-Rigs, probably wouldn’t hit it while waiting in the dentists’ office. You can take it from place to place, but I’d recommend setting it up when you get to that place, and leave it in the case while on the go. 

As per usual, I will say this is just my recommendation, so don’t take my word as law. If anyone is taking my word as law for anything, I couldn’t possibly recommend more than you DO NOT.

For those of you looking for something a lot more portable, I would recommend taking a glance at the Utillian 2.

Core-E-Rig Review ease of use

Ease of Use

Like most e-rigs on the market, the Core is simple to use. 5 taps to turn on, 3 to switch between temperatures, and 2 to start the automatic heating mode. Press and hold the power button to work that heat yourself. One drawback that Shenzhen realized is that the original glass mouthpiece bubbler can sometimes overflow when tilted if you fill the atomizer, therefore they created the new Side mouthpiece Glass bubbler which fixes this issue.

Cleaning is pretty simple as well, just getting into that vaguely boob shaped glass might be your only issue – but I don’t really see that being a huge problem. I have had no problems with a little isopropyl alcohol or some ZEUS Cleaning Solution and a cotton swab.

Core-E-Rig Review overall experienceOverall Experience

I’m impressed. The Core is a great device with a lot going for it, including the price point, the kit it comes with, the interchangeable coils and the vapor quality off of the hits you can get.

Just to touch on the kit one more time, you get some great atomizers with this device and the vapor can be customized to fit your needs.

The literal only issue I had, when I picked it up out of the box, was that the glass piece looked a little weird. But hey, that’s the dumbest note I could possibly have. It functions really well and I would highly recommend it.

For those who want a wax vape with a similar vapor experience without the bulky size, I would highly recommend checking out the Utillian 5 and its companion bubbler, which will allow you the same vapor experience and water filtration in a more portable package.

If you happen to still be on the fence on whether vaporizing is healthier than smoking, check out our inside scoop with a bonus video demonstration of how these two methods of heating dry herb differ inside your lungs!

If you have questions about our Core E rig review or just want to let us know what you think, feel free to drop us a comment below! Thanks for reading and as always, keep vapin’.

Score 7.5 Good
  • 7.5
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About Author
Avatar for Alex Karakatsanis

Alex is a cannabis enthusiast, long time vaporizer lover, writer and filmmaker. He is also a board and video game nerd with a penchant for hosting a weekly board game night. Partygoers have been heard saying things like “is anyone else going to show up?” and “I don’t think I can make it next week”. He strives to make people laugh at every opportunity and sees cannabis as a helpful tool in doing so.

The reviews and ratings are based on personal and decade-plus of industry experience. Such content is based on the opinion of the Editor/Author. They are solely provided as a basis for research and should be used only as guidance. We encourage thorough research by all visitors to attain the most objective viewpoint before purchasing.