
type/replaceable
One of the most significant issues in the vaping industry is the enormous number of fake products on the market. It has become an especially big issue due to the recent vaping illness outbreak. The first cases were identified in Wisconsin and Illinois in April 2019. By the beginning of 2020, an estimated 60 people died after using a vaping product, and 2,700 others ended up in the hospital.
In virtually every case, those who got sick had used a black-market THC or nicotine product. Though the precise culprit is unknown, there is a strong suspicion that vitamin E acetate is involved. It is a thickening agent often used in vape cartridges. At one point, most brands used a low concentration of it. However, a combination of high demand and lower supply of cannabis vape products resulted in some products containing over 50% of the thickener.
A national survey concluded that over 5.3 million high-school and middle-school students used e-cigarettes within the last month. Now, there is a ban in place for flavored vape juices, though you can still purchase cannabis and CBD vape products. Today, we look at the Brass Knuckles brand. The above information is relevant to this company because it is the subject of a lot of rip-off products.
Highlights of Brass Knuckles
The Brass Knuckles range of vape cartridges has a lot going for it, despite having faced some controversy in recent years. Let’s take a quick look at its pros and cons:
Pros
- Compact, portable, and discreet
- Easy to use
- Great flavor
- Created using top-shelf quality strains
- High terpene content
- No wastage in the cartridge
Cons
- The concentrate can become sticky and lose flavor over time
- The brand has come under scrutiny concerning pesticide use and failed lab reports
- Many fakes exist on the market which are hard to spot
- The poorly designed website does little for the brand’s credibility
Brass Knuckles Vape Review
There is some debate as to who founded the Brass Knuckles brand. Alvin Joiner, better known as Xzibit, is a founder. However, the identity of other parties involved in the company isn’t as well known. There is a strong suspicion that Jeannie Herer, wife of the legendary Jack Herer, is Joiner’s co-founder. Internet rumors claim that Dr. Dre is also involved, but there is little evidence of this.
Brass Knuckles operates out of Los Angeles, California. For a long time, Brass Knuckles vape cartridges were among the best and most potent on the market. At one point, its Forbidden Fruit concentrate tested at an incredible 90% THC content. However, the brand reduced the THC percentage.
With such star power backing it, there was an element of inevitability in the company’s rise to the top. Today, it still claims it is the industry leader in super-premium cannabis oil. However, it was the subject of numerous lawsuits with users claiming they got sick after using a Brass Knuckles product. The thing is, the brand is one of the most ripped-off on the market. There is every chance that those who became ill used a black-market version. Let’s find out more about the brand in this exclusive review.
Brass Knuckles Design
Brass Knuckles vape cartridges are sleek and stylish. They are slim, compact, light, and portable. And perhaps more importantly for some, the cartridges are also discreet.
The cartridges have a metallic sheen and are embossed with the Brass Knuckles logo. The designers have paid close attention to everything from the packaging to the batteries, and it shows. The cartridges are 510 threaded and easy to stick on to the battery.
Brass Knuckles Features
The feature that Brass Knuckles is most proud of is its flavor. The brand only uses premium marijuana strains to create its concentrates and uses CO2 extraction. The oils also contain a wide range of terpenes, further adding to Brass Knuckles’ signature taste.
The vape cartridges are available in indica, sativa, and hybrid varieties. There are also several limited editions from which to choose.
Here is a quick overview of the range of flavors per category:
Indica
Sativa
Hybrid
Current Limited Editions
- Brass Woods
- Gushers (By Connected Cartridge)
- Kush Kola
- Napalm OG
- Abracadabra
- Los Angeles Kush
Each pre-filled cartridge contains a full gram of cannabis concentrate, enough for around 200 hits. One of our favorite features of the Brass Knuckles vape is that it uses every last drop of concentrate. This is unlike some other brands which leave a frustrating amount of residue in the cartridge. Also, the THC content is around 75-80%.
Brass Knuckles Performance
Brass Knuckles vape cartridges are straightforward to use. Just connect with a 510-thread battery and go! Batteries are available from the company in gold or wood effect, further adding to the visual appeal of the device. You might wonder whether Brass Knuckles have chosen style over substance. However, you get plenty of juice from each charge.
The batteries have adjustable settings, and the cartridges can handle up to eight watts. However, you should avoid using too much power with a vape device as you risk burning the concentrate and ruining the cartridge.
There are reports of Brass Knuckles cartridges malfunctioning. The company has steadily made improvements, however. There are now far fewer issues with failures than there were a couple of years ago.
One other downside of the Brass knuckles vape is that the oil can become thick and sticky over time. The oil can also lose some of its flavors as it gets to the bottom of the cartridge. It even takes on a burnt taste in some cases. Even so, it performs better than most similar products. It is easy to see why Brass Knuckles initially got its reputation as a premium brand.
Brass Knuckles Controversy
Despite its reputation as one of the market leaders, Brass Knuckles has faced its fair share of controversy over the past few years. It all began when a regular user of the brand became sick and posted about it online. Also, multiple independent lab reports found high levels of potentially harmful pesticides in the concentrate.
The company quickly responded to these accusations, stating that its products are clean and the offending cartridges were counterfeits. One of the unexpected downsides of being such a well-known brand is that fakes are everywhere. Some of them look so close to the genuine article that it is difficult to tell the difference.
Lab tests from early 2018 showed that Brass Knuckles concentrates were free from harmful pesticides and safe to use.
However, for some people, the damage was already done. Many loyal customers lost trust in the brand and took their business elsewhere.
Brass Knuckles is still trying to recover from this setback. As well as dropping its prices slightly, it has also posted many informative articles on its website. These guides describe how to spot fake cartridges and where to buy the original product.
Genuine Brass Knuckles vape cartridges are currently only available in licensed dispensaries in California and Nevada. We recommend that you avoid buying your vape online or from any other source. Otherwise, you could end up with a dangerous fake.
If you are still concerned about Brass Knuckles’ safety, consider buying in Nevada as it has much stricter rules regarding batch testing than California. Therefore, vape cartridges purchased in the Silver State are far less likely to contain contaminants.
Brass Knuckles at Present
There is a class-action lawsuit in motion that was filed in May 2018. SC Laboratories Inc. is also in it. Brass Knuckles has had to engage in a major clean-up operation in recent years. Many of its reported issues are from 2017 and 2018.
For example, testing from August 2017 revealed that the brand’s products could contain some toxic materials. In February 2018, further lab reports showed that the testing, carried out by SC Labs, revealed ‘clean’ products. In May 2019, the brand’s oil was placed in better hardware. It posted further results online, but you won’t find them on the website.
Brass Knuckles’ existing cartridges are likely free from toxins and safe to use. However, the issue with fakes remains. Some of these fraudulent products are so convincing that spotting the difference is almost impossible. The company doesn’t have an authorized retailer list. As a result, customers search for ‘Brass Knuckles’ products online and pick whatever is on the first page. Such products are often fake.
You can identify fakes by making sure the company hologram sticker is on the packages. Also, keep your eye out for misspellings and the lack of a logo. Furthermore, fraudulent products don’t have California law or health policy-compliant stickers. Finally, only buy Brass Knuckles products from a licensed dispensary in Nevada or California.
You can find out the dispensaries that sell official Brass Knuckles products on the brand’s website.
Brass Knuckles Vape: Final Thoughts
The Brass Knuckles brand has faced difficulties over the past few years. There are reports of users falling ill and lab tests that show illegal levels of pesticides. However, the company has made improvements, and its latest lab results seem clean.
Aside from these issues, the Brass Knuckles vape is still a decent product that is small, stylish, and easy to use. The brand also sells among the best flavors of any vape cartridges currently on the market. However, there are simply too many ticks against it. There are also several better alternatives, which means we can’t realistically recommend it.
We would love to hear about our readers’ experiences of using Brass Knuckles cartridges. Let us know in the comments below!
Final Verdict: 7/10