As demonstrated on this site, HGH Extracts makes some of the finest shatters and saps I’ve seen in area shops, so when I saw that they were now making disposable cartridges to fit my O.Pen battery, I was eager to give them a try. One sunny afternoon a few weeks ago, I drove up to central Santa Ana to one of my favorite new shops to pick one up and give it a trial run.
For the first test, I choose the Tangerine Dream sativa flavor. As soon as I popped the package top, I was hit by a rush of orange flavor. I did notice that the concentrate in the vial seemed to be separated, like oil and water, with the bottom part clear and the top part a golden orange. I never noticed this with any other companies I’ve tried, but I didn’t think much of it, chalking it up to the added terpenes or the like. I tossed the pen in my pocket and began my day running it through my normal paces: a coffee shop to do some work, the park for a walk, then the beach until sundown. Through it all, I was rewarded with a tasty and potent concentrate from HGH. It seemed to vaporize quickly, and despite it’s bigger size, it didn’t last me much longer than the O.Pen brand.
Pleased as punch with the product’s initial performance, I went all in, buying four more cartridges for an extended trip I was taking: two more Tangerine Dream and two Berry OG, the indica flavor. I was going to buy O.Pen prefilled pen toppers but decided to pay nearly double the price for the HGH products. I would soon regret this decision.
The first cartridge failed on me the night before the trip. While packing, I was mindlessly taking hits from the pen, but at one point, I noticed no vapor was coming out. I checked the battery and it was lighting up, indicating it was working. I’ve had batteries crap out on me in the past, so I attached my backup battery. Still nothing. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the wick had come loose from the base and was floating in what was left of the concentrate. That’s number one broken, only half used, before even making it out the door.
The second cartridge broke the next day. I had been using the pen all morning, but around noon, I couldn’t escape an overpowering citrus smell coming from my front pocket. I pulled out my pen and checked it. It was leaking. Not only was it leaking, but it left a stain on my shirt to boot. After removing the top from my battery I saw that it was oozing oil from the air intakes and also from the battery connection. The wick in this cartridge had also come loose, though I don’t know how long it had been leaking in my pocket first.
The third cartridge never even made it onto my battery. As soon as I pulled it out of the packaging, I saw that it had leaked on the sides of the tube. I wasn’t even going to bother trying to use this one in fear of losing another shirt and put it right back in its packaging again.
As I said before, I had high hopes for this product, and not just hopes of getting high. I’m an enormous fan of the O.Pen vape pen and HGH shatters and waxes, so logically a combination of the two would be transcendence, right? Sure, they are more expensive by nearly double than the O.Pen cartridges, but HGH uses no CO2, butane, or alcohol in their extraction process and the glycerine used is organic, kosher, and even gluten free. They are also 25 mg larger than the O.Pen.
However, the real reason I bought into the HGH meditanks the way I did was for the terpenes. These essential oils are the dominant cause of the scents, tastes, and even varied effects of cannabis. Unfortunately, they burn off at a lower temperature than THC and other cannabinoids, meaning most terpenes are lost during the extraction process. HGH selects desired terpenes (leaving out those that may be irritants to some patients) and places them back into the oil after the extraction process. It is was technique that I hoped would separate them from the pack, though all the terpenes in the world don’t matter if the product won’t work.
I have recently begun using the fourth cartridge (Berry OG indica) after switching back to the O.Pen brand for a couple weeks, though I’m wasn’t holding up optimism for getting much use out of it after the first three failed. At this point, I am treating it like a priceless artifact, using white gloves and ensuring the temperature around it stays constant. I’ve even obtained a protractor to ensure it remains at a perfect right angle to the earth at all times. Obviously, I jest, but I certainly don’t plan on tossing it in my pocket or laptop bag for a day out on the town either.
While less sharply acidic than the Tangerine Dream, the Berry OG does have a similar taste profile. The effects though are concisely indica. Unlike with the Tangerine Dream that I took galavanting around town, the Berry OG demands a more subdued setting. Low lights, smooth music, a comfortable couch–all fit the personality of this concentrate. Don’t be surprised if you end up napping, as this traditional OG is mellow and drowsy. As for pain relief, it is minor compared to the sedative effect, but a slight numbing will help take the edge off.
The obvious comparison here is going to be the product leader in this arena, O.Pen vapes. While the design and concept are the same, HGH has a more pronounced flavor and are just a bit more potent. However, they also seem to run out more quickly, which is unacceptable for the price. I’ve had other prefilled disposable pen tops break on me in the past, but never at the high rate of HGH branded products. Did I get a bad batch? Maybe. I can only hope at this point that the dispensary I received them from will replace them, though I’d prefer to just get a different product I could trust. Never with good conscience could I recommend these products to another patient, and that disappoints me.
$40
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