Zeus Arc GTS Hub Review – Dry herb vaporizer with a unique grinder and pod system

I will preface this review and apologise if this is not the subject matter my normal readers appreciate, but I think it is quite an interesting topic. Many countries are now legalising cannabis, and the potential health benefits are well documented.

I will also warn readers that I am very much an amateur with vaporizers. I don’t smoke at all, and I was primarily interested in this for medicinal use to help with my sleep.

I don’t sleep as bad as I used to, but I regularly struggle to get to sleep and wake up a lot during the night. A lot of this seems to be anxiety-related and struggling to switch off.

I have tried pretty much everything for my sleep. I am extremely healthy nowadays, practice good sleep hygiene, avoid caffeine etc. I have used every supplement possible that might aid sleep and didn’t have any luck with various types of CBD either. The only thing I haven’t put a lot of effort into is mindfulness/meditating, but that’s hard work, so I have continued to pursue a chemical solution.

So, a stoner, I am not. I have been curious about vaping for a while now and it is the most logical solution for someone that wants the health benefits.

Due to my limited experience, I also bought the popular and affordable Xmax V3 Pro to compare it with. I also tested it out with my family. They are easily pleased so not much use with critical opinions.

Reddit

When I was initially offered the Zeus Arc GTS Hub Kit to review a did a minimal amount of research and saw positive opinions, hence accepting the review.

Upon further research, I came across r/vaporents and quickly realised that the community really does not like Zeus or any of the brands associated with it.

Other forums don’t seem to have as much of a problem with it.

My opinion doesn’t quite match the users on Reddit but I felt it was important to highlight this issue as my limited experience means my opinion may not match other users.

For clarification, this is not a paid review, but I was sent the Zeus Arc GTS Hub free of charge. I bought the Xmax V3 Pro with my own money based on the Reddit Vaporizer Consensus.

At the time of writing, there are no affiliate links included, so I have no financial incentive to recommend this.

Vaporizer Specification

• COMPATIBILITY:  Dry Herb
• TEMPERATURE:  205°C | 215°C | 225°C
• HEATING STYLE:  Conduction
• HEAT TIME:  80 Seconds
• BATTERY:  3500mAh
• BATTERY LIFE : 90 Minutes
• WARRANTY:  3 Years Hassle-Free
• MATERIALS: Gold-plated Stainless Steel, Zirconia Ceramic, Medical-grade Plastic, Medical-grade Silicone Rubber, Anodized Aluminium

Pods and Zeus Xtruder Grinder

Perhaps the main selling point of this vaporizer is the system as a whole. The Zeus Arc GTS Hub comes with the vaporizer but also includes a Zeus Xtruder grinder that is specifically designed to automatically fit the ArcPods.

You just load the pod in the housing at the bottom, add your dry herb at the top and turn the handle. This will grind it down the funnel-shaped tube and auto-fill the pod.

The little pods are a genius design that allows you to easily load the Zeus Arc GTS and simplify the clean-up process.

For me, the pods are quite appealing as I am not vaporising for enjoyment, I just want to get the deed done as fast as possible then relax before bedtime. I can prefill multiple pods and not have to worry about it again for days if not weeks.

This is also ideal for anyone that vaporises on the move. You can carry the pods with you and load/unload them as needed.

The ArcPods aren’t perfect though. They are made of quite thin aluminium, they are reusable and they are not quite as fragile as I initially thought. However, if you are carrying these around with you, you will want some sort of hard case for them.

With further research, I found that the concept of pods or capsules isn’t unique, but often they are an additional cost and/or a third-party solution. A similar product is the Healthy Rips Fury Edge dosing capsules.

In Use

You can use the Zeus Arc GTS without the pods, but I didn’t see any reason to not use them. They make life much easier. It is simple to fill the pods as well as load and unload them. One issue is that the funnel style grinder does leave some herb within the funnel and it can be hard to get it all out.

Using the vaporizer is quite easy, hold down the power and wait for the three LEDs to light up. Then select the temperature with a single LED being 205°C, 2 LEDs being 215°C and all three being 225°C.

These seem to be quite high temperatures, it would have been good to have a sub-200°C option.

The Zeus Arc GTS takes a bit over a minute to heat up and it is noticeably longer than the Xmax V3 Pro. It is not a huge amount of time, but I did find myself getting frustrated with it in comparison to the Xmax.

There is a very small slit mouthpiece that feels like there is restricted airflow. Due to my novice nature, when I first tried it I wasn’t sure it was even working. In comparison, the Xmax has a more natural feeling airflow.

I found that I coughed quite a bit more with the Zeus. I think this was a combination of the higher temperature and me drawing up harder because I thought there wasn’t much airflow.

The end result was that the overall effect felt greater than a similar session with the Xmax.

While I didn’t cough much with the Xmax, I did feel it on the back of my throat more.

On one occasion I accidentally popped the magnetic cap off from the Xmax. Nothing fell out but it made me realise that it may not be an ideal solution if you want to carry it around in your pocket.

Subjectively, the smell from the Zeus Arc GTS is less strong. I am not overly keen on the smell and don’t want it in my house. I have to keep the Xmax in a sealed tub, whereas I can’t smell quite as much from the Zeus. Again, this seems to make the Zeus favourable if you are carrying it around in public.

Not that it means anything for the review, but there has been a small improvement with my sleep. When using it in the evening I find myself concentrating on TV more rather than feeling wired and compulsively picking up my phone or laptop. So, it hasn’t been a miraculous cure, but it has done more or less what I expected and significantly better than my experiences with CBD.

Price and Alternative Options

The Zeus Arc GTS Hub is priced at £173.99 on tvape.co.uk. It is also on Amazon but at a higher price with £20 shipping.

The Zeus Arc S Hub is just £130.99. From what I can tell, this is identical to the GTS it just doesn’t have the gold plating. I am sceptical about how much the gold plating can help.

I bought the Xmax V3 Pro for around £75

The Healthy Rips Fury Edge V2 is another affordable option for around £130

With the Zeus Arc GTS Hub including a grinder and pods, you’d also need to factor in the cost of these.

A cheap grinder will cost £15 and the Healthy Rips Fury Edge dosing capsules cost £15 for a four-pack.

Overall

I like the Zeus Arc GTS Hub Kit, I don’t love it.

The restricted airflow (in comparison to the Xmax V3 Pro) doesn’t feel as natural when using. However, the overall effect was the same.

The limited temperature settings are less than ideal in my opinion. I found that my virgin lungs were much happier with lower temperatures. The heat-up time seems considerably longer than the Xmax V3 Pro, which I found annoying.

Beyond that, the Zeus Arc GTS Hub is good. I like that it is more compact and discrete than the Xmax V3 Pro. The herb is also more secure within the vaporizer so when carrying it around in pockets, and it seems to contain the smell better than the Xmax.

The pod system also works well for me, and the grinder makes it idiot-proof. The combination of the compact well-sealed design and pods make seem to make this better suited for use when you are out and about. I am more inclined to reach for the Xmax V3 Pro when I am at home.

While I do like the Zeus Arc GTS, I am quite sceptical about the benefits of the gold plating. I’d be more inclined to buy the more affordable Zeus Arc S.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.