SOC Dab Rig Review

Here's our SOC Dab Rig Review, the SOC is a cheaper alternative to the Puffco Peak and other electronic dab rigs. Like most e-rigs, the SOC Vape (also known as SOC Peak) is a pre-loaded dabbing device that ditches the torch for a more modern dabbing experience. On their site, SOC Vape claims their product and company's goal is to merge the advantages of all other devices of its kind into one. The SOC Vape dab rig, runs at around $130, smashing the price of competitors by $100, and in some cases $200 — but do they really hold their own against the competition?

We just got them into the office a week ago and I, a daily dabber, have been testing it out ever since to see how the dabs compare. 

What Does the SOC Peak Come With?

SOC stands for system on chip, which is a way to say that all of the components that make up the electronic system inside the rig are all on one integrated circuit. Creating the device with a system on chip makes it more cost effective, and considering it’s a main selling point, it’s a fitting namesake. Powered by an integrated 2600mAh battery, this contemporary dab rig uses a single button for easy operation.

The first thing I noticed about my box was how lightweight it is. The box, with everything inside, is probably less than 5 lbs. Now this is not a travel case, but the box and lid are secure and could easily be thrown into a bag if you wanted to travel with your SOC - just don’t forget to remove the water. I’ll definitely be keeping mine for storage and transporting purposes.

When I first opened the box, sitting on top was the instruction manual and a few alcohol filled q-tips, which were appreciated. I took a minute to check out the manual before unboxing my SOC and everything seemed to be pretty standard. The description of how to use the device was straightforward. Click the button 5 times to turn on/off, click the button 3 times to cycle through temp settings, hold the button for 3 seconds to initiate heat up, and then hold for 3 seconds to stop heat up. Very clear cut and easy to operate.

Moving those to the side, everything else inside the box is contained in its own separate two layer foam cutout. It looked like you were opening an expensive electronic item. Here’s everything that came with my SOC:

• Base
• Glass (in base)
• Atomizer (ceramic cup preinstalled)
• Carb Cap/silicone tether
• 1 extra ceramic cup
• 1 quartz cup
• Dab tool
• 3x Isopropyl containing q-tips
• 2x Alcohol wipes
• Micro-usb
• Silicone wax container
• Instructional Manual with Warranty Information

Interesting to note that my instruction manual said that my SoC came with three ceramic bowls, but after looking, mine has 2 ceramic bowls (one pre-installed) and a quartz bowl.

https://www.badassglass.com/products/soc-dab-rig

Instructions - Here's how you use the SOC Peak Dab Rig

1. Make sure the device is fully charged, it will blink white will charging and turn off when complete. 

2. Next, you'll want to add some water to the glass attachment.  Fill from the top and add water just above the slit on the inner dome.  Do not fill the glass while it is attached the unit, take the glass off while filling. 

3. After attaching the glass back to the unit, press the button 5 times to turn it on.  

4. To change the heat setting press it 3 times in a row, there are 4 different heat settings:

• Blue: 450° F; Green: 500° F; Orange: 550° F; White: 600° F

5. After placing your contents in the bottom of the bowl, place the carb cap on top. 

6.  To make it start heating up you hold down the button for 3 seconds, and the light will start pulsing.

7.   Heat up time is around 30 seconds, you will hear a long beep when it reaches the right temperature. 

8.  Good luck and Enjoy! 

My Experience

If you're looking to get into dabs or simply ditch the torch, I highly recommended the SOC. Taking this week to only use an e-rig was different, but rewarding once I got the hang of it. When I first started using the device, I used the ceramic cup that came pre-installed on my SOC. The flavor was great, but they are incredibly difficult to keep clean. About half way through the week I switched over to the quartz bowl and have to say I enjoyed my dabs a lot more. Cleaning was also much much easier once finished compared to the ceramic cup.

I started on the blue setting the first time I dabbed, which is said to be 450F, but I felt that I wasn’t getting enough vapor production. I take low temperature dabs with a traditional nail and torch setup, but it just wasn’t the same consistent heat. Bumping it up to the Medium Green setting, this is where I stayed for most dabs. Red and White are 550F and 600F respectively, but I only used them a few times. They produced huge clouds, which some smokers really like, but I felt it scorched my wax and gave a really unpleasant taste. I kept it on green and was able to get 3-4 good rips with major clouds on it consistently. 

I’ve seen online where people are saying this is a Puffco Peak dupe and that the attachments are interchangeable, but after meeting up with a friend who let me borrow his Puffco Peak I can confirm the stock glass of the Peak does not fit into the SOC. We tried swapping both and neither fit into the other. While the shape is familiar, the SOC is slightly smaller and fits into my hand a little better than the Peak

One of the biggest points of contention I’ve seen online is the fact that this device beeps, and quite loudly. It beeps once when initiating heat up and then twice when complete. I don’t personally have a problem with this, but our hard of hearing smokers may prefer the haptic touch option that some other smart rigs offer. Similarly, our dabbers that are trying to be more discreet may not enjoy the noise being made.

The last point is that there is a sesh mode that extends the sesh by 15 seconds. I had forgotten about it until I was revisiting the manual for this review and saw it again. Unfortunately I was never able to operate sesh mode, but it’s not a feature I would see myself using anyway as my dabs are fine with the 30 second heating time. Like I said, I had forgotten about it until I read the manual again.

For me personally, I see myself grabbing for this quite often. The rips are consistent with other e-rigs I've tried and ditching the torch is a plus for me. It is so easy and you don't have to think about it. Just hold the button down and in 30 seconds you'll have a dab. It's also something I see myself traveling with this where as before I would rely on wax pens that just don't give the same hits. All in all I would definitely recommend this electronic dab rig if you're looking to dab without the torch. Performing just as well as other smart rigs I've tried, this one just smashes the competition on function and price.