Hydrology9 NX Review

Is the Hydrology9 NX worth it?

If you’ve been looking for a water-infused portable dry herb vaporizer, then you may have come across the Hydrology 9 NX as one of your best options. Instead of worrying about having to use vape bubblers and bong adapters, the bubbler is integrated into the design to make it a hassle-free and more portable experience.

Is the honey worth the possible bee stings though? In this review, we’ll be giving you the in-depth pros and cons of the Hydrology 9NX so that you have a good idea of what you’re getting yourself into for your next vaporizer.

Is the dual-use vape worth it, or does it have some holes in its boat? Let’s find out.

Hydrology9 NX Specs + Ratings

Key Features

• Swappable atomizer
• Flower Chamber
• Concentrate Atomizer
• Adjustable Temperature Dial
• Swappable 1900mAh battery
• Integrated dab tool
• Micro-USB Charging

What’s in the Box?

• Hydrology 9NX Vaporizer
• Herb Chamber
• Concentrate Chamber
• Magnetic Lid
• Magnetic Lid with Carb Cap
• 2 x Spare Silicone Vapor Paths
• Ceramic Bucket
• Quartz Bucket
• Silicone Heat Sleeve
• Magnetic Charger
• Dab Tool
• Cleaning Brush
• User Manual

Choice of Atomizers

Off the bat, the Hydrology 9 NX is pretty unique because the heating element is almost fully modular. There are two different included atomizer chambers that you can slide into place on the body of the vaporizer. These are the dry herb ceramic chamber oven, and the wax atomizer with a ceramic and quartz bucket.

The buckets are pretty big and on par with most other E-Rigs these days, so that’s a pro, but the dry herb atomizer seems to be only around 0.15g, or about the same as the DynaVap M Plus. The airflow holes are also noticeably big, so I was a bit cautious about using too fine of a grind and having the herb get burnt underneath the chamber.

I’d have to say that off face value, the wax atomizer coils looked to be the better option, as well as the big buckets for easy loading and cleaning.

Dry Herb Vapor Quality

With the dry herb atomizer in and a bit of flower, there is some hybrid heating going on in the chamber which was a significant upgrade over the original device.

Overall, I’d put it in the middle of the pack in terms of vapor quality. It was pretty consistent, but not anything to write home about. While the bubbler made it a bit more fun to hit, I’d put it on par with the Pax 3 for vapor quality ranking.

Wax Atomizer Vapor Quality

Overall, like my first impression, I was impressed by the wax atomizer. It was way stronger than I had imagined in my head.

I was using water hash and it produced noticeable vapor quite quickly. But maybe a bit too quickly? After the first hit, the vapor quality took a deep dive and it lost all of its flavors and tasted a bit smoky.

While the water-cooled it significantly, I think that the temperature settings are a bit overtuned for what they should be. For a similar comparison, the Utillian 5 through the Utillian 5 Glass Bubbler simply performs much better.

Portability

One place where the Hydrology 9 NX shines is in its portability because of the integrated bubbler for improved vapor quality. While it might not fit into most pockets because of the atomizer jutting out, with a Smellproof Vape Carrying Case, it’s possible to carry this vape around with you without it being a hassle.

For when you want to use it out of the house, I recommend slipping on the silicone sleeve to help with grip and some added durability.

Where the portability takes a bit of a hit is in the discreetness of your sessions outside.

At night, the LED lights in the bubbler make this thing look like a lightsaber, or dildo, depending on who you ask. But, if you’re at a party and want to show off, this could be a riot. While walking the dog though, this is going to be a definite no from me.

Battery Life

The battery specs on the Hydrology 9 NX have their pros and cons. Despite the small 1900mAh swappable battery, it does a decent job at the total amount of sessions probably due to the smaller bowl sizes in the dry herb atomizer.

While it definitely can’t give you as many sessions as the 5000mAh Arizer Air Max, the 9 NX has decent battery life.

One place where the battery takes a bit of a hit in my eyes is the charger. On the opposite side of the atomizer chamber is a three-port magnetic battery dock. With the included Micro-USB brick, it will magnetically secure itself to the dock for charging.

To me, the whole battery dock is an outdated concept though, and I would have liked USB-C charging.

Manufacturing Build Quality

There are three main parts to the Hydrology 9 NX:

1. The Body of the Vaporizer (including borosilicate bubbler housing)
2. The Threaded Mouthpiece
3. The Swappable Atomizers

• The body is made from aluminum, and the bubbler is durable enough to withstand daily wear and tear.

The LED lights are one of the coolest parts about the vape since they light up all your water at once very cinematically.

Aside from that issue, I dig the form of the H9 and love the temperature dial to adjust the preset temperatures. Having each atomizer use a different temperature scale was also pretty crafty.

My only complaint here is that six pre-sets would have done just as fine as 4, and would have lessened the learning curve of the awesome temperature dial.

Hydrology 9 vs Hydrology 9 NX

While the new NX version of the H9 is bigger and bulkier, the improvement made to the overall design is enough to justify the $100 price jump in my opinion. The ability to vape both concentrates and the dry herb is a huge boost to overall versatility.

The improved temperature control scheme is also a nice jump from having the older model’s button scheme. With the improved LED lights, it’s also just more satisfying to use the 9 NX version.

How to use the Hydrology 9 NX?

There are two main components to understand when setting up your NX:

• Loading the Bubbler
• Setting up the Atomizers

Let’s take a look at how sample sessions look like:

1. To load up the bubbler all you have to do is unthread the mouthpiece cap and fill it up 1/3rd of the way full before putting the mouthpiece back on.
2. For the atomizers, you can slide them in and out of the body.
3. For the wax atomizers, you’ll want to make sure that you line up the airflow divot facing toward the vape, and then make sure that you put the metal lid back on.
4. When you slide the atomizer back into the body of the vape, put the silicon sleeve on, and then push from the other end to get the atomizer to the perfect spot.

Maintenance

While the design is fully modular, I’d advise you to keep it as simple as possible with just an isopropyl alcohol or Orange Chronic Cleaner swish in the bubbler, and then using Vape Cleaning Sticks on the airpath and inside the atomizer chambers after every use.

• This will ensure that nothing gets gunked up over time and will keep your 9 NX working its best

If you want to try it for yourself, Cloudius 9, the manufacturer, has stated that the modular parts are dishwasher safe, but um, ya, I think I’ll pass on that for now.

Community Consensus

The general community consensus is generally positive, but there are lots of stories of defective units, or of water ruining the battery. The warranty claim process appears to be super easy though, with the manufacturer shipping out new units without needing a return of the original.

The common theme in community forums seems to be that it’s a great device to introduce friends to vaping flowers because of the awesome flavor, but that connoisseurs will find that it can’t compete with more modern devices like the AirVape Legacy Pro.

Hydrology 9 NX Pros

• Unique and Sleek Design
• Consistent Vapor Quality
• Swappable Battery
• 1900mAh battery performs well
• Cool & Changeable Atomizers
• Modular Design Connoisseurs will Love

Hydrology 9 NX Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Micro-USB charging dock
• No included vape case
• Outshined by modern vapor cups like the Pulsar Sipper

Who’s the Hydrology 9 NX not for?

• The Hydrology 9 isn’t for beginners, I just want to get that out of the way.

The 9NX is for anyone that got tired of wonky WPAs and Bubblers sitting atop their vape and wanted an all-in-one solution. There are a lot of parts to become acquainted with on this vape and overall, I would say unless using a bong adapter on your vape is a total deal breaker, there are simply easier options out on the market today.

Still, the 9NX does have its place in the market though.

For anyone that likes the bubbler design and long-lasting battery, this is a great vaporizer for parties or sharing with your roommates.

Final Thoughts

Most users are going to find that the Hydrology 9NX does an overall decent job at just about everything, but that’s about it.

If you’re going to be using just flowers, I’d say stick to the original model. For the dab enthusiast, I’m going to say just stick to the PAX Plus, while picking up a third-party 3rd party bong adapter for it that you can use on a bubbler that you want. In the long run, the simpler design and smartphone app control are just way more worth it in my opinion.

But at the end of the day, this is just my opinion. Let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments section!

Until next time – To health and high times.

• If you’re still looking for a unique 2-in-1 E-Rig, you might be interested in reading our Dr. Dabber Switch Review!