Source
r/vaporents•
trnzone

Expert advice needed: Which vape should I buy?

NSFWHelp

First post here, checked the rules and believe this is allowed. Apologies if I screwed up.

Background: Long-time smoker who has exclusively vaped with a Grasshopper the last 3 years. (It was a gift. Just died.) Buying my first vape, but the options are pretty overwhelming.

Only material need is herb. Primary use in bed before sleep or around the house. I’d occasionally take it out while waking the dog, with friends, at events, so would like something relatively discrete.

Not on a budget but don’t want to spend a ton unnecessarily. Ideally don’t want to waste material. Vapor “flavor” (I see people talking about that) matters but not most important. I’d like something relaxing to pull and not harsh. Good warranty and battery life is probably ideal.

After a lot of research I’m down to the Pax 3, DaVinci IQC and Crafty+. I had narrowed to Pax/IQC for discreetness.

Are those the correct finalists? Which should I get and why? Is there something I’m not considering?

I will quickly respond to any advice, help or follow up questions. Thank you all so much for reading and potentially helping. This is such a tough decision.

Posted Sep 15, 2021, 4:13 AM UTC

046
vortexx111Arizer VTower- Air 1- Pax 2- V3 Pro - Vapcap M- FM Slick•

Consider the healthy rips Rogue for good battery life and vapor quality.

6
Cici_Lane•

Agree!

1
Dan2845•

I'd also add to that the tinymight or dynavap. But you really can't beat a crafty or mighty for convenience

3
trnzoneOP•

Dynavap I looked at but seems to be a bit “less” than what I want. I’ll check out the other you mentioned.

Crafty is basically a less feature rich version of mighty, right? Cause I’m definitely not spending what the mighty costs as a light user.

Why do you say that over Pax or IQC?

2
Dan2845•

I get that ,I totally do , but pair it with an induction heater and you'll love it. Sounds good.

Kinda , i can only speak to the og crafty and mighty cause I have them .so the crafty has no screen and the mighty does but the crafty connects to your phones app. So it's basically a toss up there , then battery is different . Aside from that and cooling , not too much. It's not to bad if you pick up a pre owned I've seen them hover around 2 bills.

I haven't owned a pax 3 but I have a 2 and it's a good device , but the flavor and how it hits from the tinymight is amazing , same with the arizer solo 2. The IQC I know nothing about .

2
trnzoneOP•

Interesting. I saw the pax has a 10 year warranty and the crafty only 2. So that interested me also.

1
Dan2845•

Gotcha , that makes sense. I didn't even know the warranty info lol. The other factor for me was with the crafty or mighty you have dosing capsules . I've heard of bud cups for the pax .

1
DanIsCookingKale•

The dynavap is a great vape but I wouldn't say it's the best to use in bed, and it definitely is on the harsher end of hits.

I would avoid the pax personaly, I never got what I wanted out of it and they're expensive, and if you care about flavour at all the pax is dog shit, it's the kind of vape that makes people question if vaping works (though I'm in what I'd say is an area where most people that smoke have a tolerance)

If you don't have much in the way of tollerance I'd say go with the argo, it's definitely neither fast nor heavy, just a light vapour to puff on

1
trnzoneOP•

I have tolerance. I’m just not a heavy user. Usually most nights for a personal session in bed or occasionally out and about.

I had looked up Argo yesterday from a suggestion here and added to my list. Do you have thoughts on that vs. crafty? Is one convection or conduction?

1
DanIsCookingKale•

I don't have any experience with the crafty but both would be somewhere on the hybrid spectrum. Some claim arizer is convection but those glass stems get hot when they're in the vape, not on the mouth end though so you don't have to worry about that.

I have heard good things about the crafty though so it's worth looking into if it's in your budget

1
slapnutz40The Lotus Vapman TB 510 Gang•

Any session vape is going to be underwhelming coming from a hopper, maybe a Tinymight or tetra or something like that would be good for you

3
trnzoneOP•

Why would they be underwhelming by comparison? Isn’t it the same as what I’ve been using? This has certainly not been a great device.

1
slapnutz40The Lotus Vapman TB 510 Gang•

You didn't mention that in post and since you had it 3 years, plus it's reputation (when they actually work) for being an on demand heavy hitter, session vapes wont extract anywhere close to what you're used to (if yours performed well)

1
trnzoneOP•

Gotcha. Yeah this hasn’t been great by any means but it never died until now. You can definitely get a rip but I’ve never once had a big cloud from it.

Would you briefly explain what a session vape means or is by comparison? Like how do they differ?

1
slapnutz40The Lotus Vapman TB 510 Gang•

Session vapes generally mean slower extraction and longer session time where an on demand can extract more thc faster, bigger hits bigger high basically. Some on demand vapes can extract the entire amount that would take you 5-10 minutes in a session vape in 1 hit

1
sonnyzk1DC Elev8tr•

Please don’t buy a Pax it’s no good, especially when you’re asking to get a solid device that is nothing close. It’s weak, smelly, messy. It pains me that so many people end up buying it, I fucking bought one too way back in the day. Get a Tinymight, Boundless tera, or a fw7 if you really want the hardest hitters that are semi descreet. Crafty is good too I think it would fit your needs if you don’t have a high tolerance and aren’t looking to get abosultely clobbered. However if that IS what you’re looking for get the TM

2
trnzoneOP•

I’m a light user. Couple hits before bed. Occasionally more if I’m out with friends. Don’t want or need a heavy hitter per se.

Knowing that, anything besides the Crafty or do you recommend that?

1
sonnyzk1DC Elev8tr•

Crafty or Arizer ArGo, honestly I’d get the ArGo, cheaper at $150 on planet of the vapes, very small and discreet Uber simple and very solid performing vape for what it is. should suit your needs well.

3
trnzoneOP•

Looks interesting thanks.

1
rnbarista•

There’s a strong anti-PAX crowd although I liked mine as my first vape. The sessions lasted almost longer than I wanted (considering they weren’t more productive than sessions with my mighty or dynavap). It’s also a huge pain to clean, or I thought it was, at least. Some people find the PAX to smell more than other vapes. I had a Da Vinci Miqro (not the same obviously) and hated it. I may have had a lemon, but the vapor was weak, the draw was unreasonably tight, and the cleaning was also not great. Cleaning wasn’t as hard as the PAX, though. I’d go for the Crafty+ out of these options; I love my Mighty and they’re pretty similar vapes. I love being able to preload capsules; the sessions are a good length; the battery is good; cleaning is super easy. The Crafty+ would be a strong winner from my experience. I use my Mighty as a portable, and I use a BB9 Dynavap with an induction heater and bubbler at home. Best of luck and happy toking!

1
trnzoneOP•

Thanks for the detailed answer. I saw for Pax there is something called budkups you can fill that makes loading easier and keeps it clean! So that would be part of my process if I got it.

It looked to me like Crafty didn’t have a loading/preload option and was a pain to do by hand. Am I wrong?

Is there anything beyond what I mentioned that I should be considering or you like? Dynavap I thought was more like a one hitter?

1
rnbarista•

Budkups are definitely the best move with the Pax. I could be wrong about the Crafty; I just know the Mighty has dosing capsules. The dynavap gets a few hits, but it hits like a tank. Some people say they get 2-3 hits, but I usually get around 5 solid ones. It’s not the best portable just because I hate using a torch

1
trnzoneOP•

Yeah I want a contained unit so dyna is out for me. So for the mighty it’s a capsule you fill yourself and insert like a budkup?

1
jonnydemonic420Sticky Brick•

Yep the mighty/crafty have dosing capsules, same thing as budkups. I will say this, the dyna is awesome if you’re down with the ritual. I wouldn’t call it an on the go, just because it’s too much work when you’re out and about. The pax is just underwhelming in my experience, the budkups help for keeping it clean but the hit wasn’t near as satisfactory as a packed oven and even that was weak to me. Very little vapor production and I found myself packing over and over.. The mighty has been the portable end game for me so far, and from what I understand the crafty is just it’s little brother with a couple different nuances like the app etc. If I were in your shoes I’d go for the crafty. Good luck!!!

2
DrMagna21•

My first gen crafty is a beast. Good for occasional smoke sessions and pretty damn discrete. The vapor quality is top notch but can definitely be harsh at higher temps. Definitely recommend, especially with some of the third party mouthpieces out there that can help smooth out the vapor.

1
trnzoneOP•

Do the third party mouthpieces make it bulkier and less discrete? I realize that’s not an issue at home. Just curious.

Why do you like the Crafty compared to the others?

1
DrMagna21•

You can detach the mouthpieces so the crafty would still be highly portable. But i haven't tried the other vapes. The other mobile vaporizer i have is the arizer solo. That's a great vape too but definitely not in the league of the crafty. Much cheaper though.

1
trnzoneOP•

Yeah I want to get something that’s quality if I’m going to spend the money.

1
DrMagna21•

I'd say go with the crafty+. Definitely worth the bang for the buck. Everybody who's tried it with me is impressed

1
Hhshdjslaksvvshshjs•

Out of your list I’d second the Crafty+. The new one with usb c charging seems like a terrific balance between quality and size.

1
rnbarista•

Hey OP just curious what you ddcided

1
trnzoneOP•

I haven’t! Giving the Crafty a second look after comments below. Also giving the AR-GO a look. No one answered about the DaVinci.

1
eatdinnergotosleep•

i've been pretty happy with my fury edge, which to me seems kind of similar to the pax, but i like it a lot more. the dosing capsules make cleaning very easy and they're great for on the go. although, if i were going to buy a new device now i think i'd go with the tiny might since it's full convection, on demand, and has dosing capsules

1
trnzoneOP•

What do you mean by on demand? Is that different than a session vape? I’m trying to understand the differences.

Also convection vs. conduction benefits.

1
eatdinnergotosleep•

an on demand vape heats up in a few seconds and as far as i know for the tinymight just stays on while you're you're holding the button, but it also has a session mode.

in my experience with the conduction heating on the pax it gets more of a burnt flavor and can blacken the abv, but convection won't burn the herb and tastes better

1
trnzoneOP•

I see. So for a session vape can you not use it just to take 1-2 hits?

1
eatdinnergotosleep•

you can do that, but on demand would be better for that type of use. the fury edge has a 5 minute session and if i'm using it by myself i usually just take a few hits and then turn it off after a minute or so

1
MunicipalBlack•

You can but then your bowl continues to cook as it cools down. On demand is better for a hit here and there.

1
eatdinnergotosleep•

one more thing i just thought of regarding convection vs. conduction, since convection won't be burning the herb it's less smelly. my pax 2 was much smellier than my fury edge and desktop da buddha

1