We at Vapinghardware were kindly sent 6 of the Friobar 500 pre-filled disposable pods of different flavors from the guys at Freemax to review and find out what our thoughts were of their device.
The Friobar 500 Disposable Pod, designed and manufactured by Freemax, is available in 10 different flavors and is a closed pod auto-draw activated system. The shape and size of them resembles that of a large firearms bullet measuring 107mm in length and 15.2mm in diameter. It has an internal 400mAh non re-chargeable battery and holds 2ml of e-liquid, coming in strengths of 20mg (2%) nicotine salts for EU countries or 50mg (5%) nicotine salts for non EU countries.
Incorporating the industry leading FM SaltCoilTech nicotine salt and patented Tea Fiber Cotton Formula, the flavor produced from the coil should be impressive as we’ve come to expect from Freemax.
The life-cycle of the disposable pod is a single use and specified to last for approximately 500 puffs. Operation is as simple as it comes, no buttons to fiddle with, nothing to set up and adjust, you just un-pack and use. When it’s finished you simply dispose of it and use another one.
There is a small red LED at the bottom of the disposable pod that illuminates when you draw on the device. When the Friobar 500 is at its end of life i.e. the e-liquid has all been used, the little red LED blinks approximately 10 times in quick succession to let the user know it’s time to open a new one.
I would like to thank the guys and girls (Tina) at Freemax for sending me the Freemax Friobar 500 disposable pods to review. As always this review is completely unbiased and is my honest opinion based on my findings.
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Review
Contents
Features and Specifications
What’s in the Box
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Design and Appearance
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Performance
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Flavors
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Price
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Verdict
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Summary
Features and Specifications
- Dimensions: 107mm x 15.2mm
- Weight: Approximately 25 grams
- Pod Capacity: 2ml of (2% or 5%) Nic Salts E-Liquid
- Draw-activated (Up to 500 puffs)
- Battery: Internal 400 mAh non-rechargeable battery
- Coil Resistance: 1.4 ohm coil (non-replaceable)
- Output Power: Around 9.3W
- Output Voltage: 3.6V Constant Output
- Material: Tea Fiber Cotton + PC + Stainless Steel
- Red LED indicator at base of device
- Airflow: Single airflow intake hole
- 10 Different Flavors available
What’s in the box?
Not too much to write here other than there is NO box! The Friobar 500 disposable comes in a transparent plastic tube with black rubber stoppers at either end. The transparent tube is sealed and wrapped in a printed plastic film highlighting the ingredients, nicotine warning, flavor and a scratch and scan barcode.
Inside the plastic tube is the Friobar 500 device with a clear silicone rubber bung inserted into the mouthpiece and a yellow sticker covering the single airflow hole at the base of the pod.
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Design and Appearance
The Friobar 500 measures 107mm in length by 15.2mm in diameter, is shaped like a bullet and weighs in at approximately 25grams. Because it’s a disposable, the battery is non-rechargeable and non-replaceable and incorporates an internal 400mAh battery.
E-Liquid capacity of the pod is 2ml and comes in 10 different flavors with a nic salt strength of 20mg (EU countries) and 50mg (non EU countries). The e-liquid is pre-filled and not re-fillable. It states on the outer wrapping that the ingredients contain PG, VG, Nicotine and Flavoring BUT it doesn’t specify the ratio of PG vs. VG. We are guessing due to the nature of the pod that it’s a 50/50 mix.
In keeping with the tradition of Freemax, this disposable pod incorporates their patented Tea Fiber Cotton formula and applies FM SaltCoilTech making this the first disposable of its kind using this technology.
Each Friobar 500 produces a 3.6V constant output providing around 9.3W of power and is draw activated. Freemax specify the amount of draws (puffs) is up to 500 before the device becomes unusable.
Again, because this is a disposable, the 1.4 ohm integrated coil is not replaceable. When the pod is finished i.e. either the battery has depleted or the e-liquid has run out, the Friobar 500 is simply disposed of.
The bullet shaped mouthpiece of the Friobar 500 tappers down from the 15.2mm diameter body to approximately 6mm diameter at its end, with a 4mm circular opening.
This provides quite a tight Mouth to Lung (MTL) draw resembling that of a conventional cigarette.
At the base of the Friobar 500 is a single airflow intake hole together with a red LED that illuminates when the pod is drawn. When the e-liquid has depleted, the red LED will flash approximately 10 times in quick succession indicating end of life.
The top (mouthpiece) and the bottom of the pod is colored black with a colored foil wrap, corresponding to the individual flavor, around the body. Each flavored pod has the flavor name and the words Friobar 500 printed on one side.
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Performance
Simply take out of the packaging, remove the silicone mouthpiece bung and airflow sticker and vape. It’s definitely a MTL draw, being pretty tight and the flavor was very pronounced with a decent throat hit and good vapor production. The disposable pods we received contained pre-filled 2% (20mg/ml) Nic Salts and found these to be just right in terms of flavor strength.
The draw activation worked every time and we found that the tightness of the draw limited each draw to no more than a 2-3 second single puff which we found to be just right.
Each disposable pod lasted us around the full day mark of average vaping. We didn’t monitor the exact amount of “puffs” to verify the stated 500 puffs specified by Freemax but would say it was probably somewhere near this figure.
The intensity of the vape remained the same throughtout the duration of use up until the point the red LED started blinking.
We were very impressed with the flavor and performance of these disposable pods. The flavors we tried were all very smooth and very flavorsome without being too overpowering. What really impressed me was the icy (coolness) on all of the flavors we tried was NOT strong, giving just a hint of an icy taste.
Vapor produced was about right for the type and duration of the draw.
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Flavors
Freemax were kind enough to send us 6 of their available flavors to try and they didn’t disappoint. We received the 20mg (2%) nic salt strength variants and found these to be spot on in terms of throat hit.
The 10 flavors available in the Friobar 500 range are Passion Fruit, Lemon Tart, Mango Ice, Blueberry Ice, Peach Ice, Pink Lemonade, Menthol, Banana Ice, Watermelon and Apple Pie.
Obviously we cannot comment on the entire range of flavors, only the ones we were supplied and tested. We’ve given a brief description of each flavour and what we thought.
Passion Fruit –
Even though it doesn’t say ice, it has a coolness on the draw intake. A really nice fruity taste and I found it left a nice lingering aftertaste in the mouth.
Lemon Tart –
Quite a strange flavor for me this one. In my many years of vaping I’ve never actually had a Lemon Tart flavor. I like Lemons and I like Tarts but I couldn’t say this one resembled either.
This is not to say I didn’t like it, in fact the more I vaped it the more I liked it. A slight coolness on the intake followed by a really pleasant aftertaste.
Mango Ice –
I’m a lover of Mango flavors and I have to say this really was up there with the best of them. A really very nice sweet juicy flavor with just a refreshing hint of ice on the intake. I could vape this all day long. Reminded me of a Malaysian Mango that I often mix.
Blueberry Ice –
A very smooth authentic Blueberry taste. Again a slight ice coolness on the intake which did linger in the mouth. The flavor was quite sweet but very pleasant. Like the Mango flavor, I could vape the Blueberry all day long.
Menthol –
Loved this one. More often than not, it can be hit and miss when choosing a Menthol flavor. With this, it was a really nice Spearmint taste with an ice intake. Not too strong and left a nice refreshing aftertaste. The coolness (ice) was not overpowering at all.
Banana Ice –
A really nice ripe Banana taste, very smooth and again quite sweet. The ice wasn’t too strong on the intake and left a cool aftertaste. I did find that after a short while of vaping this, I began to lose the flavor. Switching to another flavor for a short while, then coming back to the Banana, did bring back the flavor to my palet.
Flavor Summary
Of all the 6 different flavors we tried, they all seemed very smooth, very flavorsome, quite sweet at times but really enjoyable. Each one had a hint of coolness on both the intake which lingered in the throat leaving a fresh feeling.
Irrespective if the flavor included Ice in its title or not, all 6 did contain a cooling agent but this really was subtle and we did find all 6 flavors very enjoyable.
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Price
At the time of writing this review, the samples we received were pre-production models and were not available in any retailers hence we cannot comment on the price.
Hopefully these are not too expensive and are comparable with other disposables in the market.
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Verdict
Pros
- Extremely comfortable to hold
- Simple and easy to use
- Lightweight and fits easily into a pocket
- Great flavor and performance
- A smooth and quiet draw
Cons
- It’s a disposable
Friobar 500 Disposable Pod Summary
So what did we think of the Friobar 500 Disposable Pod?…
Flavor and performance wise we couldn’t fault them, all the flavors we tested were really nice. The draw activation worked every time and the draw was very smooth and quite. It was really nice that the “ice” was not overpowering and gave just a hint of coolness.
We can’t comment on the overall price of the disposables but can only assume they will be favourable with others in the market.
As with any disposable vape device, the environmental issues around these are a big concern. These disposable pods only last a day at best before they have to be disposed of. If we look at the packaging, it’s plastic. The pod itself is part plastic with a lipo battery. Disposing of these pods after such a short use is neither efficient or eco-friendly.
Again the big issue with any dispoable pod device is how and where to dispose of it correctly.
I can see the advantage of these devices if a smoker is looking at transitioning into the vaping world to see if they like it and want to switch BUT I would honestly recommend switching to a re-usable pod or mod soon afterwards. Not only will you be helping with the enviroment, you will also find that the cost of vaping will drastically reduce when using a conventional pod or mod.
Hope you enjoyed this review on the Friobar 500 Disposable Pod and found it useful. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave us a comment below.