The Orion GO was arguably the most important pod vape of last year. Now in 2019, Lost Vape has released the second edition, the Orion Quest (Q). It’s a paired down version of the original Orion Go for a little less than half the price, but without the most unique electronic features of the GO.
The Orion Q has a 950 mAh internal battery and the power output is set for 17 watts only. No adjustability and no Evolv DNA board. The device comes either by itself with no pods, or you can get the kit that comes with a single 2 mL pod housing a 1.0-ohm Kanthal coil (the only official Quest pod).
From the outside looking in, there’s virtually no difference between the two versions. What remains for the Quest is the build quality and design. But is that enough to compensate for the lack of all the other features?
Frame colors: stainless steel, black, blue, gold (all come with carbon fiber panels)
Price: $27.95 (at Element Vape)
As mentioned, the Orion Q is basically the Orion GO with a different chip. If you’re not familiar with the GO, then I’ll discuss the Quest as it is.
The Orion Q is a quality-built and well-designed pod device. It’s got some heft to it, although it doesn’t interfere with it being an easy carry. It’s a rectangular pod vape made of a stainless-steel chassis and carbon fiber panels. With the thick plastic pod in, the Quest weighs about 85 grams and its dimensions are 93 mm x 37 mm x 13.5 mm. The pod has dual-slotted adjustable airflow from a knurled ring in the base of the proprietary mouthpiece, and a screw-top fill port on the top of the pod. Filling the pod is completely straightforward. You can practically pour juice in it, but because there is a lot of cotton in the pods, I’d recommend waiting at least 15 minutes for these to totally saturate.
Once the pods are in the device, they’re incredibly secure. There is a track and catch system that the pods go into, and they’re removed from a sliding switch on the side of the device. To insert the pod, angle the base of the pod (the mouthpiece side) to the back of the pod housing; then push down on the on the refill top until you hear a click.
Under the pod release switch is the circular fire button. It’s raised enough to easily find it without looking, and it’s responsive. Mine has the tiniest bit of rattle, but only when shaking it vigorously.
The performance of the Orion Q is good and I enjoy using it, but it’s not as straightforward as it sounds. Although the pods vape quietly, and they don’t leak, spit or pop, some have far too much cotton in the coil. That increases the time to saturate and the time to break-in the coil. Sometimes a good portion of the first fill tastes off, to the point of it tasting like a burnt hit. Also, all that cotton means the flavor carry-over lasts longer than normal.
After the coils break-in, the pods last me each about a week (or 1-2 refills a day) before the taste drops off. The 1.0-ohm Q pods vape well with flavor and vapor, but mainly with DL lung hits or restricted lung hits with high VG juice. It seems counter-intuitive to do DL hits on a 1.0-ohm pod, but it works. Unfortunately, the Q doesn’t do so well for me with MTL — the 17 watts on the 1.0-ohm coil make the tip uncomfortably hot when taking successive hits when the airflow is closed off.
For compatibility of the Orion GO pods on the Q, the 0.25-ohm GO pods fall outside of the resistance range of the Q and won’t fire them. The 0.5-ohm pods will work, but the performance has been hit or miss for me lately. Sometimes it vapes well and other times it gets too hot. Also note that the Q pods will work on the Orion GO, but you will have to go into Escribe and fiddle with the settings.
Originally I said the 0.5-ohm GO pods were working fine on my Q, and they were. But lately they've been getting too hot and now it's not something that I'm doing. Now I only use the Q pods on the Q.
The front/bottom micro USB port is placed well (unlike with the GO), but it’s solely meant for charging. In the GO, the oddly-placed bottom port is also for firmware updates and using Escribe.
There is a small LED right above the micro USB port that represents the charge status in three colors:
As for battery life, it’s been great whether I’m using the 0.5-ohm (GO) or the 1.0-ohm (Q) pods. Even when my light is red, it seems to last much longer than the percentage available. I always get more than a day, and sometimes two full days out of a charge. I clocked the charge at more than 90 minutes while plugged into my computer — too bad there is no pass-thru charging because it’s a long charge. When the charging is complete, the light will be blue (so don’t wait for it to go out). All in all, if you want a little pocket-carry device that will last, the battery life of the Q is a plus!
For half the price of the GO, the Q is a solid buy. The Q has its faults, but it’s better than the majority of pod vapes on the market. I hope Lost Vape cuts down on the cotton in the pods because that’s the one thing I think hurts the vape quality. But even with that, for a long-lasting battery plus a quality build and design, the Q is hard to beat. It doesn’t have all the electronic features of the GO, but not everyone needs or wants all of that, especially for the higher cost.
I feel confident in recommending the device as it is for DL or restricted lung hits with low mg e-juice, and I would recommend not using this with high strength nic salts. Also, remember that Lost Vape is saying to only use the Q pods with the Q.
I just bought this today. I have bought several vapes and just did not give me the rignt hit like a cigarette. I went to a knowledgeable place and hooked me up with this one. So far this is perfect . It gives me the perfect hit. It is slim which is also perfect for women who carry small purses or can slip in a pocket and not be bulky. So far I totally recommend this
I’ve had my Orion Q for about 3 weeks now. I use mango and watermelon Nic salts in it. When I started using it I had a problem with tasting the cotton for the first day of each pod, but solved the problem by gently combing the cotton a little with a toothpick to thin it out. Since then I love everything about it. Im assuming since I use very sweet juices I get about 3-4 days out of a pod before it starts tasting burnt. This doesn’t bother me too much since they still end up about 1/4 of… Read more »
Can you please go into detail on how you were able to use the orion go pods on the Q? I purchased some to try but cannot locate the firmware online.
Hi,
The Q is not compatible with Escribe. It’s just regular power mode working with the 0.5-ohm SS coils in the pods. But, LV only recommends the Q pods for the Q and the GO pods for the GO. Plus, lately, I’ve had some issues with the coil getting too hot on the 0.5-ohm GO pods on the Q. I’m not sure what’s going on with it, so I am going to stick to what LV recommends.
the Orion q is not made for the .50 coils they do fire and i love using my Q when it does fire but those coils are not made for the Q
I been trying to find out if you can use the Orion Q w both reg ejuice and nic salts. Do you know if both can be used? Other than that great write up
Hi Doug, It all depends. If by nic salt you mean super-high nic strength, then I would say the Q is not ideal. It can be done, but I’d stick to low to medium strength juice, whether nic salt or regular. The PG/VG ratio it can handle is around 50/50 to max VG, so it’s less about viscosity and more about the draw. The draw on the Q is more geared to a direct lung hit or maybe a restricted lung hit. I vaped up to 60 mg in mine but stopped because it wasn’t as enjoyable as it is… Read more »
Hi..if I am a transition smoker..which one would you suggest?
I’m a bit confused with 1.0-ohm Q pods don’t work well for MTL and it wasn’t as enjoyable as it is in more strict MTL vapes.
What does it mean?
Sorry because I’m new with vaping.
Good review by the way. Thanks.
Hi Jimz, Let me see if I can break this down simply… MTL means mouth-to-lung, or similar to the draw of a cigarette. Normally, coils that have that type of resistance, a 1.0-ohm or above, are best for a tight draw (MTL). The best way I can put it is the 1.0-ohm Q pods (and the Orion Q in general) work best with low-nicotine and a draw similar to a bong hit, called a direct-lung (DL) inhale. The Orion GO has two types of pods, a 0.25-ohm and a 0.5-ohm pod. The 0.5-ohm pod works best for high nic and… Read more »
Thanks for the explanation.
From your saying, I can conclude Q 1.0 ohm doesnt work as it supposed for MTL draw.
And if I want to have the same satisfaction as smoking, its better to opt for GO 0.5 ohm.
Am I right?
For me, putting aside the price issue, i’d better be buying the expensive rather than buying cheap but then having to make another buy.
I just picked my Orion Q up at Wild Bill’s in Southgate, MI. I didn’t know it didn’t come with any pods so I’ll post again after I give it a test. I’m very familiar with the Orion GO as I have had three so far, (DONT TAKE IT OFF THE LANYARD) that’s all I gotta say, lol. But the GO is by far my favorite pod/cartridge device ever. I’m hoping the Q works similar or just as well. Update coming soon..
Hey Justin! Nice to see another Michigander here. Sorry your kit didn’t come with the pods. Some do, but I guess Wild Bill’s don’t carry that kit. Did you get any pods for it yet? I’m curious how it’s working for you.
This thing is great. Bought it about a week ago and been loving it since.
It’s been working really well. I enjoy the great amount of vapor the 1.0 ohm pods create. It definitely is a good option for somebody who would want similar quality as the original Orion DNA but don’t want to fork over the $65 plus for it. I love it, but I just got my Orion DNA back from warranty repairs so I’m back on that using the .25 ohm pods. Love this coffee juice from Kalamazoo Vapor on it. Just regular freebase at 18mg. I use my Orion all day as I did the Orion Q. Definitely the best pod… Read more »
Wow. Kalamazoo Vapor! I remember them from way back in the day.
It’s funny you mention getting your Go back. I had to send in my two Orion Go devices back to LV because they both stopped working. They sent them back to me super fast and now everything is smooth sailing again.
Yeah, I sent it out on a Saturday and had my repaired device back the following Thursday. I’m pretty sure they just sent me a refurbished one and kept my old one for parts. Either way I’m super happy at the turn-around time of the whole process.
I had thought they did that with mine, but mine had some easy-to-identify scuffs that let me know I actually got mine back. Either way, I am sure happy they fixed the issue. A lot of companies would’ve said I was outside of the warranty. They didn’t hassle me about receipts or anything like that. They simply fixed them and sent them back. I think I may start buying up dead Orions! LOL.