Pulse Mode on the STLTH x Geek Bar 80K is the device's high-power setting. Normal Mode fires one of the two mesh coils; Pulse Mode fires both, so every puff is warmer, denser and hits harder. The cost is e-liquid and battery: the 80,000-puff rating is for Normal Mode, and Geek Bar rates its own Pulse devices at 50–60% of their Normal count in Pulse Mode. You switch with the slider on the bottom of the device, any time, and the screen shows which mode is on. Below: what Pulse Mode actually changes, how to switch, how many puffs you give up, which flavours are worth running it on, and what to check when the device will not charge or will not hit.
Every STLTH x Geek Bar 80K has both modes, so this applies to all 27 flavours at $39.99 on the STLTH x Geek Bar 80K page. It is the same two-mode system Geek Bar builds into the Geek Bar Pulse 2 and Pulse X (Geek Bar calls the low setting Regular Mode; STLTH calls it Normal Mode), so if you have come here from a plain Geek Bar, everything below applies to yours too.
What Pulse Mode actually does
The STLTH x Geek Bar 80K has a dual mesh coil: two separate coils, each fed from its own side of the 30mL tank. In Normal Mode the device fires one coil. In Pulse Mode it fires both at once. That is the whole trick. Twice the heating surface on every draw means more e-liquid is vaporised per puff, and what you feel is a warmer draw, a thicker cloud, more flavour up front and a noticeably harder throat hit at the same 20mg/mL. What does not change is the nicotine strength: the e-liquid is identical, you are simply getting more of it per puff.
The mode slider is also the airflow control. Moving it to Pulse opens the airflow a step further, which is why Pulse Mode feels looser and more direct-to-lung, and Normal Mode feels tighter and closer to a cigarette draw.
Pulse vs Normal Mode: the trade-offs
| Normal Mode | Pulse Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Coils firing | One | Both |
| Draw | Cooler, tighter, smooth | Warmer, looser, dense |
| Throat hit at 20mg/mL | Standard | Harder |
| Puff rating | Up to 80,000 (STLTH's figure) | Not published; roughly 40,000–50,000 on Geek Bar's ratios (our estimate) |
| E-liquid per puff | Baseline | Up to about double |
| 30mL lasts, typical use | Three to five weeks | About two to three weeks if you never switch back |
| Battery per charge | Longest | Shorter; expect to charge more often |
| Best for | All-day use, making it last, tobacco and no-ice flavours | Big draws, iced fruit and mint, the first puffs of the day |
How to switch between Normal and Pulse Mode
There is no button. The slider on the bottom of the device does everything: one position on is Normal Mode, the next position is Pulse Mode, fully back is off. The screen shows the mode you are in next to the battery and e-liquid readings, and it animates when you draw and when you charge. You can change mode mid-session as often as you like. There is no warm-up and nothing to reset, so the usual pattern is Pulse for the first few draws and Normal for the rest of the day.
How many puffs do you lose in Pulse Mode?
STLTH rates the device at up to 80,000 puffs and publishes no Pulse Mode figure. Geek Bar does publish one for its own Pulse devices, and the ratio is consistent: the Pulse X is rated 25,000 puffs in Regular Mode and 15,000 in Pulse Mode (60%), and the original Pulse was 15,000 and 7,500 (50%). Apply that to the 80K and a device run in Pulse Mode from the first puff to the last lands somewhere around 40,000–50,000 puffs. Treat that as our estimate, not a STLTH number.
Two caveats. First, 80,000 is a lab figure taken with short, machine-measured puffs; a real two-second draw counts for more than one of those, so most people see fewer than 80,000 in either mode. Second, almost nobody runs Pulse for every puff. If you use it for the first few draws of the day and Normal the rest of the time, you give up very little. The price per mL does not move either way: $39.99 for 30mL is about $1.33 per mL whichever mode you use; you just get through the 30mL faster. The e-liquid bar on the screen is the honest measure. Watch how fast it drops over a week in each mode and you have your own answer.
When Pulse Mode is worth it
Pulse Mode earns its keep in four situations: the first few puffs of the day, when you want the hardest hit; iced fruit and mint flavours, where the extra vapour carries more cooling; when the Normal draw feels too tight for you; and when you want a cloud rather than a discreet puff. Switch back to Normal for everyday use, for tobacco and the two no-ice flavours (more power tends to make sweet, un-iced flavours taste hotter rather than better), for the last fifth of the tank, and whenever you are chain-vaping. Two coils running back-to-back get warm and the flavour starts to thin; a minute's rest brings it back, and running Pulse in moderation is the easiest way to keep the coil tasting clean to the end of the 30mL.
Which flavours are best in Pulse Mode?
Our rule of thumb: ice on, Pulse on. From the sales ranking of all 27 flavours, the three top sellers are also the three that suit Pulse Mode best: Ice Mint, where the cooling lands harder with the extra vapour; Sour Grape Ice, where the sour edge stands up to the heat; and Mango Peach Ice. Rich Tobacco, Purple Grape and Blue Razz, the flavours without ice, are better in Normal Mode, where the sweetness stays clean.
If it will not charge or will not hit
Most "dead" STLTH x Geek Bar 80Ks are not dead. Work through these in order.
- Give it twenty minutes on charge before you judge it. A fully flat 820mAh battery shows nothing for the first few minutes; the screen comes back as the charge builds. A full charge takes about an hour.
- Change the cable and the adapter. Use a USB-C cable you know charges your phone and a 5V wall adapter, not a laptop port that sleeps or a cheap car charger. If the charging animation does not start on the screen, the device is not getting power.
- Clean the port. Pocket lint packed into the USB-C port is the single most common reason a disposable stops charging. A wooden toothpick, gently, clears it.
- Read the screen, not the device. Battery full but no vapour: check the e-liquid bar. If it is at zero, the device is finished, battery or not. E-liquid showing but no vapour after a full charge: carry on down this list.
- Check the slider. If the screen is dark, the slider is in the off position. Move it to Normal and the screen wakes.
- Clear the mouthpiece. If it gurgles or hits weakly, condensation has collected in the mouthpiece. Wipe it, then hold it mouthpiece-down and flick it sharply into a tissue a few times.
- Let it cool. After a long Pulse Mode session, give it a minute. Warm coils pull the draw down and thin the flavour.
Still nothing, with e-liquid showing on the screen and a full battery? That is a faulty unit, and they are rare. Contact us with your order number and a photo of the screen.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pulse Mode on a Geek Bar?
Pulse Mode is the high-power setting on Geek Bar's Pulse-series devices, including the STLTH x Geek Bar 80K. It fires both coils of the dual mesh instead of one, for a warmer, denser draw with a harder throat hit, and it uses e-liquid and battery faster. Regular Mode (Normal Mode on the STLTH) fires one coil and gives the full rated puff count.
Pulse Mode vs Normal Mode: which is better?
Normal Mode for most people most of the time: it gives the full 80,000-puff rating, the longest battery life per charge and the smoothest draw. Pulse Mode is better when you want a harder hit, thicker vapour or more cooling from an iced flavour, at roughly 50–60% of the puff count if you leave it on. Switch between them as often as you like.
Does Pulse Mode use more e-liquid?
Yes. Two coils vaporise more e-liquid per puff than one. Geek Bar rates its own Pulse devices at 50–60% of their Regular Mode puff count in Pulse Mode. STLTH publishes no Pulse figure for the 80K, so expect the 30mL to last roughly half to two-thirds as long if you never switch back to Normal.
How many puffs does the STLTH x Geek Bar 80K get in Pulse Mode?
STLTH rates it at up to 80,000 puffs in Normal Mode and does not publish a Pulse Mode figure. Applying Geek Bar's published ratio for the Pulse X (25,000 puffs in Regular Mode, 15,000 in Pulse Mode), full-time Pulse use works out to roughly 40,000–50,000 puffs. That is our estimate, not a STLTH number. Mixed use lands in between.
How do I switch the STLTH x Geek Bar 80K to Pulse Mode?
With the slider on the bottom of the device: one position on is Normal Mode, the next is Pulse Mode, fully back is off. The screen shows which mode is active, along with battery and e-liquid. There is no button and nothing to reset; you can change mode mid-session.
Is Pulse Mode on the STLTH x Geek Bar 80K the same as on the Geek Bar Pulse 2?
Yes. It is Geek Bar's dual-mode system in both. Geek Bar calls the low-power setting Regular Mode and STLTH calls it Normal Mode; Pulse Mode is the same name on both. The difference is the tank: 30mL on the STLTH x Geek Bar 80K against 20mL on the Pulse 2, so the STLTH lasts longer in either mode.
Why is my STLTH x Geek Bar 80K not charging?
Usually the cable, the adapter or lint in the USB-C port. Use a cable that charges your phone and a 5V wall adapter, clear the port gently with a wooden toothpick, and leave it on charge for twenty minutes, because a flat battery shows nothing at first. If the charging animation never starts on any cable, the unit is faulty: contact us with your order number.
Why did my STLTH x Geek Bar 80K stop with e-liquid left?
The battery is rechargeable, so a device that stops with e-liquid still showing on the screen has almost always just run flat. Charge it for an hour. If it shows e-liquid and a full battery and still does not fire, that is a fault, not an empty device, and we will sort it out.
Where to buy
All 27 flavours of the STLTH x Geek Bar 80K are $39.99 at UniVape: same-day delivery across Toronto and the GTA, pickup at 335 Yonge Street, or shipping to every province, free over $100. Not sure which flavour? The ranking by sales settles it. Comparing devices? The 80,000-puff page lines up all four 80Ks sold in Canada, and Pulse 2 vs Pulse X covers Geek Bar's own two. Everything from both brands is on the STLTH and Geek Bar pages, and the STLTH guide explains the full range. 19+ only, ID checked at the door.
