Hello All, Having been loving my Volcano Digit for a while now, I am finally interested in getting a portable vape for when I'm not at home. What is the best in your opinion as of April 2013? (And if there is something just months away that I should wait for, please chime in as well.) Here is the critera that are most important to me. I understand there is almost certainly not a portable vape that meets all of them, but I'll mention them all just to put them out there. 1) Best overall experience. A little vague, but more specifically this means as little draw resistance as possible (I hate sucking through a straw), relative quickness to heat, and general ease of use, loading, cleaning, etc. 2) Health - Not interested in anything that uses butane or some other fuel. Might be pointless paranoia, but it's what I prefer. 3) Stealth isn't terribly important, but it should be portable. No Plenty, for instance, that requires a plug. 4) Cost is not an issue - I prefer to buy once to give something a really fair shot, not get a cheap one, get a false impression of the experience, etc. 5) Good taste would be nice, but thick smoke clouds are NOT a priority. I usually use my Volcano around 186c, and sometimes as low as 179c. Smooth vapor with as little lung irritation as possible is what I'm interested in, not extracting every last bit of THC out. Thoughts? Thanks for your opinion.
Hey now... I also have a digital Volcano for home use and I have a Pax as my portable. I really like the Pax and if I'm home alone I'll often use it instead of the Volcano. With your criteria: 1) Too subjective... Can't answer this one. With the Pax you are not sucking through a straw but you do have to breathe through the mouth piece of the device and suck a bit to get the vapor through. 2) Rechargeable battery, great design, no complaints. 3) I thought stealth was not important until I got the Pax. I've used my Pax in movie theaters (Hey the hobbit was a long movie), at Magic Mountain, and even during putt putt golf. It's perfect for concerts. You really appreciate stealth once you have it. 4) Pax is a bit pricey but has a great warranty. I preordered and had one of the first units. When I saw they redesigned the mouth piece I sent the whole thing back under warranty and got a brand new unit in under 48 hours. 5) Pax has 3 temps... I find middle is best tasting... Highest is great if you don't reuse you ABV for tincture or something. I've never used the lowest setting. Just my .02
Thanks for your comments! I will indeed reconsider the importance of stealth, which I know is one of the best selling points of the Pax. I've heard a lot of bad things though about it being convection only, and that means it's always cooking your herb, etc. For what it's worth, I usually only vape at home, and usually not until I'm done leaving the house for the night. I have gone grocery shopping before and such with my wife, and it was a somewhat paranoid experience. However, I have thought quite a bit about using herb to enhance otherwise awesome experiences like hiking, watching a movie, etc so I'll consider it further.
If you're not worried about stealth and price, I've heard good things about the Arizer Solo. It's a little on the larger side for a portable so it's not super discreet, but it seems that doesn't matter as much to you
The Da Vinci Ascent hands down, it has an all-glass vapor path, glass screen, and ceramic heating element ensuring the best taste over anyother portable vaporizer. It has a digital temperature control, unlike the Pax with its' preset temperatures and its fairly portable, I beleive its the size of a small walkie-talkie. Its battery powered too so you dont have to worry, theres a video floating somewhere around.. Ill find it and post a link it http://forum.grasscity.com/vaporizers/1229487-da-vinci-ascent-video-review.html Also the original Da Vinci is a very good product too and is only around 110$ on Ebay, the Ascent is going to be about 250$ when released.
if you go to fc combustion and look at the reviews for portables you will soon see that the arizer solo is by far the most popular portable and for good reason. I had mine for 1&1/2 years now and have been in the market for a backup vape in case mine ever went down. Well I've decided on my backup vape after spending months reading and it is going to be another solo. The only category that the solo is not at the top rating is stealth, and stealth means fuck-all to me also. I wanted for the longest time the new ascent, watched the thread and reviews and for the money spend $90.00 less and buy the solo. The water attachment for the ascent looks like an accident waiting to happen.I've ordered the new solo with the pa adapter , I have a pvhegong and bubbler to go with them. This thing really rips thru water also.
I have been looking for the best vape pen out there. I have spent over 500 dollars on lots of different kinds. I have had the Atmos RX, The Vapor XRT, The Sticky Pen, The Omicron, and a no name black cartomizer that did C02 oil. There is no great individual pen straight out of the box. Each had its own distinct advantages and short comings. The RX worked really well for the first month, but after the 10th or 11th time the coil stopped heating up all the way and I was only able to pull small rips. Also it has a timer on the battery so it shuts off by itself. It does oils and dry herbs but dry herbs in personal vapes are a tease.... The XRT is awesome because it has a vertical ceramic heating element with a oil cup that allows you to take great oil hits. The downside is as it oil melts it fills the bottom of the cartridge with goop and only vapes a small amount so you have to scrape and refill your cup often. It has a lock on the battery so to prevent accidental activation. It also does dry herbs which is why I bought this model in the first place. Wouldn't recommend it though, one good pull maybe two then you have to refill... The Sticky Pen. Biggest waste of 60 dollars ever. The only nice thing about this P.O.S. was the dab tool that came with it. I was able to use this unit 3 times before it broke. The first heating element broke after the first use, I was able to get a few pulls but then it just stopped heating up. Waste of oil #1. Used the second cartridge and it worked for about 3 days. The forth day the battery flashed empty.(2nd Cartomizer filled with oil Waste #2)When I plugged it into the wall the light showed green or charged. Tried leaving it plugged in for a day. Nothing. Called stickypen customer service. Nothing. I now use the battery to pack my vapor whip, and I tossed the rest of the chincy shit and I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, EVER. The Omicron, by far the biggest hitter out of all these guys. This is by far my favorite cartridge, consistent large hits and you don't have to refill this cartridge everyday I fill mine about every 10 DAYS . Best concentrate cartridge for the do it your self er. It even comes with a funnel to load your extracts. The only downside is the battery these things come with. Different settings and different ohm's can be confusing to someone who is new to vaping. That and other than a few online shops nobody carries these carts! Wish they were more readily available locally. The no name black c02 cartomizer. It cost 40 bucks. It performed better than the sticky pen but still broke after a few uses. (Waste of oil #3) Bottom line you get what you pay for. The more expensive pens WILL last longer and give you a better experience. My favorite combo is the Atmos RX battery with the omicron cartridge. It looks kinda funny, but it fits in the palm of your hand, doesn't look overly suspicious(more like an E-Cig than most pens) and hits like a BEAST! Anyway this is my .02 hope it helps. Big ups GC Massive
OP here - Thanks for the great comments! Sorry to disappear there for a while. I'm finally ready to purchase now..has anything changed in the past few months since I last posted?
Yeah....... don't buy the Ascent until they have their QC issues under control. At this point in time, I strongly suggest getting the Solo.
I'm going to suggest you look into the Pinnacle Pro. I had never heard of the Pinnacle or the Pinnacle Pro until I decided to sell my Davinci Ascent and needed to find a replacement. It just came out last week, and my unit arrived yesterday afternoon. It's a very nice vape that can produce some big clouds. It's also stealthy, very efficient, and the "bullet" system works very well. You can buy a mini water tube with it (you can do a package deal or get them separately) that fits right on the top of the unit for portable (or at home) vape-bonging, you can use it while it charges (awesome) and it has the ability and temperature range to do oils and other concentrates. I've only had it for a day, but I'm really REALLY enjoying it so far. No fussing or anything, it just works.