Universal Baller

Overview

• Device: Universal Baller
  
• Category: Ball Vape
• Price Range: ~$360-$500
• Where to Buy: TerpChasersClub » (use code BUDBOSS for 10% OFF)

This kit is one of my favorites because it has a nice look & feel, it can be used in a variety of ways, and most importantly the performance is excellent.

Design & Build Quality

• Materials Used: Stainless Steel, Titanium & Quartz
  

The newest version of this kit has a housing made of both stainless steel and titanium, with the earlier model shown in some of my videos being Ti only. Inside of the housing is a quartz insert, shaped like a cup, that holds the 2mm rubies.

I really like the new design of the heater housing and the matching bowl, it's pretty subtle but I think it makes it looks premium. And remember, "look & feel" is one of the main things you should consider when buying a ball vape, it's one of the few things that differentiates them.

The overall weight or mass of the heater is about average.

Heater Details

• Style: Diffusor
• Coil Size: 25mm
• Ball Type: 2mm Rubies
  

The UB is a diffusor-style heater which means it fits over the entire bowl, instead of being inserted inside of it. Side note, they do have an adapter kit available that allows you to change the heater housing, and one of the options is changing it to an injector, so it can technically be used both ways with the additional parts. 

The heater sits in a standard size 25mm coil or "hot hole", which is housed in the included stand, and it does have a heat shield. I appreciate the coil guard because surprisingly not every kit out there comes with one.

Normal heat-up time from a cold start is around 5 minutes which is pretty average for ball vapes, the housing and balls need to "heat soak" before you can start using it. 

There are two "modes" with this kit, or two ways you can set it up. The way it comes is in "quartz mode", with the rubies being housed by a quartz insert inside the housing. They also include parts to convert it to "Ti mode", where you replace the quartz insert with titanium screens, and add in some more rubies. 

It works great in both modes. This review is based mainly on the quartz setup, but I did test it many times with the titanium and the performance is definitely there. I think the main thing that changes with the different modes is the complexity of the flavor, which is quartz' strength. 

Bowl Size

The standard Universal Baller kit comes with their full size "hybrid" bowl which is glass-lined, and it has a 18mm glass joint. This bowl can be loaded with a minimum of ~0.1g up to a maximum of ~0.25g for optimal performance. 

They do offer a "micro-dose" bowl as well which is the same width as the full-size bowl but it's shallower. Technically, you still need to load ~0.1g minimum, so it's not quite micro, but it does bring your bud closer to the heater. The closer your flower is to the heater the lower the temperature needs to be, and the lower the temp the higher the vapor quality (this goes for almost all ball vapes).

Performance

What's cool and different about the UB is the combination of metal and glass in the heater (Ti, SS and quartz). This gives you the best of both worlds in terms of performance - the smoothness that usually comes with Ti or SS, and the flavor boost from the quartz. 

The vapor it produces is smooth, dense, flavorful and potent. I like that it can provide a really well-rounded experience overall, it's very enjoyable to use. 

They recently updated the fritted ceramic disc inside the heater, and it has better airflow now. They used to include a second "high airflow" disc that you could swap out, but now to make things easier the kit comes with just the new fritted disc installed. I'd say the draw resistance is right around average for ball vapes, which is still pretty open airflow. The wide diameter of the bowl and the 18mm joint also help with this. 

If you're going for OHE or "one hit extraction" I recommend a setting of ~550F on the temperature controller (PID). Load about 0.1g in the bowl and finish it off in one big rip.

If you prefer loading more and taking multiple draws from a single bowl, I would go a little lower with the temp, maybe between ~500-525F. 

Potential Drawbacks

The handles that come with this kit are pretty basic, nothing too special, so you might be interested in upgrading to aftermarket ones like I did. The handles that you see in my pictures are from Tree's Hardware Corner, you can check them out here and use code BUDBOSS for 10% off. 

This review is based on the quartz UB kit which is at the higher end of the price range for ball vapes. If your budget is mid-range they do also offer a "starter kit" which is basically the same setup but in "Ti mode", meaning it's a titanium/ruby heater without the quartz insert. It comes with a basic glass bowl as well, but it's over $100 less than the full kit. 

The stand included with both kits is fairly basic, but I find it to be functional, and I appreciate the heat shield on the coil. I'd love to see the stand spruced up in the future, maybe a little fancier looking to match the rest.

Final Thoughts

Overall I think the Universal Baller is a well-rounded ball vape setup with excellent performance. The look & feel is great and the ergonomics of the kit are good too, it's really easy to use. There are a couple of areas that I think could use small improvements, but I'm pretty nit-picky, so don't let that deter you. 

Click here to buy this kit direct from the manufacturer, and use discount code BUDBOSS for 10% OFF.

Stay up!
-Bud