UPDATE: Check out my review of the new DaVinci IQ below, the latest model from DaVinci that blows the doors off the Ascent:
As far as IQ vs Ascent, I think it’s a no-brainer. The IQ scores better in every category that I consider when I rate and review vapes.
Stay up!
Here’s my Ascent review video in case you really wanna watch it:
Video transcription:
So first let me show you the Ascent up close, and then I’ll talk about how it performs.
Alright so here’s what we’re workin with… we have the screen on the front, we have the plus and minus buttons above and below the screen, then there’s another button for like the menu right here.
You got the power button up in the top corner up here, and this is the glass mouthpiece that actually pulls out. You can use your nail and sort of just pull it out like that.
So it’s not like super snug in there you could actually move it around a little bit, and that’s just because the way it’s designed you could actually pull it out all the way to clean it, you could pull out this piece and the other piece which I’ll show you in a second.
Also up here they have a little poker tool, and you could use your nail again to pull it out like that. I think something like a brush might have been a little more useful but this is still kinda cool to help you clean out the chamber and stuff if you need to.
So before I turn it on and it starts heating up let me just show you the actual chamber. So the way you open it is you just pull out the bottom like that. This is where you put your material in the ceramic chamber down here, and then if you flip the vape over this is the bottom piece of the mouthpiece.
The glass pathway is actually a two-piece thing, and the top piece like I showed you pulls out from the top, and then to get this piece out you first push on it from the top, it starts to come out, and then you could get your nail under there or somethin to pull it out the rest of the way.
Alright so this is the piece that’s in there. Now it is fairly dirty, so if you want to talk about cleaning this is basically the part that looks like you’re gonna need to clean.
This was after a dozen sessions or so, so you know that’s about average for a portable vape, they all need to be cleaned occasionally.
The way this one works, I don’t know if you could even see it, it’s probably too small, but it has four little holes at the end of the glass piece here, and that’s where the vapor will actually pass through up tot he mouthpiece.
So after about 4 or 5 sessions these holes started to get clogged, and I had to take a little pin and push it in to unclog them. That allowed me to use it for a few more sessions but it does look like I should clean it now.
To get it back in after you clean it you just push this part back in first, then you could flip it back over, take that other piece, and stick it down the top.
Now if we go back to the herb chamber for a second, it is fairly large so it does hold a lot of material, and it does seem to work best with a full chamber.
There are ways to use less material like a half-packing or so with adding some screens in and things like that, and I thought it worked ok like that. I did experiment with varying amounts of material and I did find that it seemed to work better and it produced more satisfying vapor with a full chamber.
Now on the topic of screens you might notice that at the bottom of the chamber there’s actually four holes, and they’re not large holes but they’re not super tiny either.
So if you’ve seen any of my videos before you’ve probably heard me say that to get the best results in your vape generally the finer you grind your material the thicker the vapor will be and the stronger it’ll be.
The problem I found with this vape is that you wanna put in really finely ground up herb, like for instance herb ground up in the finishing grinder, it did have a tendency to fit down those holes, so a little bit would fall out and it would actually just fall out the bottom of the grill here.
I’m not talkin a lot but just a couple little bits and pieces here and there. And then also when the material is ground up that fine a few tiny pieces did get through these holes and travel up through the mouthpiece – again not a lot but it did happen a couple of times.
What they provide in the box when you get it are these two tiny little round screens, and I would show them to you but I actually lost them already, and that’s one of the reasons I don’t like little tiny screens in vapes because they are so easy to lose.
So anyway what those little screens are for is one of them can go in the bottom of the chamber before you put your material in, then you could pack your herb on top. And in case I haven’t mentioned it yet it does seem to work better when you push your material in and pack it fairly tight. Then after you pack however much you want in there you could put the second screen on top.
It’s not really an ideal scenario, especially for smaller amounts, but it did work and it did work fairly well.
So I was going to use it and I just packed my material I would close it up and then hit the power on the top. When you do that the vape is gonna turn on and just start heating.
The default temperature when you first get it is 375°F, and I did test on a variety of temperatures as low as 355°F and as high as 390°F, and I actually found that somewhere around 370°F-375°F seems to produce the best results.
As I usually say, everyone’s experience is gonna be a little different and everyone’s gonna prefer a different temp so definitely just do some experimenting on your own.
So the vape seems to heat up pretty fast it’s only about a minute or two before it gets to the operating temperature. You’ll notice that there’s a little battery indicator down here, well first you might notice that… soup’s ready.
When you reach the target temp and it’s ready for you to start drawing from it you’ll see this little icon on the front. You may also have noticed this little battery indicator down here, and one of the things that I do wanna mention about that I found that it’s really not reliable and not really correct a lot.
Like right now as you can see it says I have no battery left, but this is about half-charged I know I have half left, and it does seem to just fluctuate so if I turned it off and turned it back on it could show me half battery now, so it seems to be a little inconsistent.
I haven’t with my unit been able to rely on that, I have to just remember how many sessions I’ve used it for so I know how long I have left with the battery.
Now speaking of the battery it does have fairly long battery life, I get about two hours of actual usage before it dies, so that’s an area where I think they did a very good job.
Keep in mind though that this vape is fairly heavy, and if you wanted to compare it to the Pax it is roughly double the size. So if you’re not familiar the Pax has about an hour of usage or battery life and with the Ascent I seem to get closer to two hours of usage before it dies.
But, the Ascent does weigh twice as much as the Pax, and it is almost twice as large. The Pax weighs 94 grams and the Ascent weighs 192 grams. It’s not major, it’s not like this thing’s a brick or anything, it’s just that if you wanted to carry this in your pocket of your light pants or shirt this might be a little heavy for that.
One other small minor annoyance I found with this thing personally is that when you’re going to pack your material in the vape doesn’t stand on its own, it sort of just wants to fall to the side, so you have to physically hold it in your hand while you pack your material, then you could close it up and put it down.
So you could see how the size of the Ascent compares to some other ones real quickly this is the original DaVinci vape, this is the Solo, this is the Pax, and this is the Launch Box.
So in this vape session I packed a full chamber, I have it set on 375°F, and I’m taking slow ~10 second draws.
Now one of the things I noticed when using this vape is that even with a fully packed chamber I don’t seem to get really dense or really thick vapor, which isn’t really bad because most portable vapes don’t produce very thick vapor, but for the amount of material it takes to pack it full I expected just a little bit more.
Now the taste of the vapor is good because of the ceramic chamber and the glass pathway, so that sorta makes up for it. The only thing I noticed about the vapor though is that it kinda feels a little on the warm side.
What I mean by that is that after I’m about halfway through my sessions I start to feel a little scratchiness in my throat, which is not really abnormal especially when you’re talkin about portable vapes, I was just a little surprised that even with the ceramic and glass pathway and stuff it still wasn’t the most comfortable vapor I’ve experienced.
Now just as a side note you may notice a little vapor coming out of the bottom of the unit right here, and this seems to happen sometimes if you’re not holding the vape right-side up.
So it’s a little weird that it does that but as long as you don’t hold the vape sideways or upside-down while you’re vaping it shouldn’t be an issue.
I don’t wanna come off as hyper-critical about the Ascent because like I said I do think the vapor is above-average, but for comparative purposes what you’re seeing here is me taking a draw with the Pax vaporizer.
I actually only have the oven half-packed in this clip so it’s half the amount of material that was in the Ascent, and you’ll notice that the vapor it produces is actually slightly thicker.
So I know a lot of people are curious about how the Pax and the Ascent compare, and that’s what I noticed myself through my own testing, that the vapor definitely tastes slightly different between the two, most would consider slightly better out of the Ascent because of the glass, but the vapor for whatever reason feels a little thicker and a little more comfortable out of the Pax in my opinion.
I’m talkin very slight differences here though this is like really nitty gritty stuff now. The vapor isn’t THAT different between the two, they’re both good vapes.
So a fully packed chamber in the Ascent will produce 20+ draws, which is expected but it’s good. I did experiment with using smaller amounts in the chamber like a half-packing, and the results were fairly similar, obviously you’re not gonna get as many draws and the vapor will be a little bit lighter.
Overall it does provide a satisfying experience so I do think it’s a pretty good vape. It’s kind of on the heavier side but that at least gets you some extra battery life, the taste of the vapor is good just don’t expect it to be as dense as your favorite home unit, and it does seem to work best with a full chamber so just make sure you pack it in there good.
To learn more about some other portable vapes I think are good like the Pax, Solo or Launch Box, check out my website at VapeCritic.com.
I do appreciate you takin the time to watch, and stay up!
i have had this vape for a few years i did have some issues however the company could not have been nicer and took care of my problem right away it is the best. I am looking tom get into wax and concentrates i guess that is what the little jars are for i am a 68 year old and could use some advice about what i can use and the temps to use , thank you for being such a great company with such a great product
i have had this vape for a few years i did have some issues however the company could not have been nicer and took care of my problem right away it is the best. I am looking tom get into wax and concentrates i guess that is what the little jars are for i am a 68 year old and could use some advice about what i can use and the temps to use , thank you for being such a great company with such a great product
First time visitor, pretty impressed at all the detail & thought plus how you present it all.
You mentioned that a packed bowl should be appr. 20 pulls, is there any way to know when the bowl is empty? Sorry if a stupid question but us retired folk need some help some of the time
Cheers & Beers & U Know
Brux … Thanks 4 the effort on reviewing all this 4 us !!!
It is a shame all this simple stuff has to be so expensive :)
Listen, Im a material consumer ;) and I wanna do something 4 my lungs. Havent vaped before and thinking between portable and desktop.
Which one in both categories would you suggest to get decent return in happiness…? In another words which one would get me a great experience as a first time user so I dont think I wasted my money? Id love to own something nice in appearance that doesnt scream eCIGAR as pax.crafty but that is too expensive for a tiny oven… can buy laptop for that and lots of other sh#$…
Anyhoo if you see this in day or two please reply cuz Im gonna buy something soon
Cheers bro, good work ! :p
Hey man I got a question, right now I own the DaVinci Ascent but I’m thinking of getting the Mighty. This because of the long charge time of the Ascent and the glass pathway that is a hassle to clean. Do you think spending 350eu on an extra vaporizer is justified because of the greatness of the Mighty? How far are the Ascent and the Mighty apart in terms of quality?
Hey Bud,
Hope you well? What is the best temperature setting for The Davinci Ascent using find grind herb?
Sure is an easy unit to clean but it really hot. I can’t believe DaVinci is selling a 6 month warranty for $60.00. Thanks Bud. Be well.
The Dawg
No one can seem to help me. This product does NOT work
I recently got my Ascent, I finally bought it on Cyber Monday on a excellent deal. It included the Ascent, a hard vape case ($43 value), a digital pocket scale ($20 value), acrylic grinder (not that good), free shipping and some other freebies for just $159.
At first I was disappointed, couldn’t get any vapor, like none at all and I could only taste plastic. It turned out I wasn’t packing it enough. I was using the amount I usually use on my other vape (WISPR 2) for my solo sessions and was expecting similar result with the Ascent. I even bought the Ascent Glass Spacers and no luck. It wasn’t until I fully packed it that started to feel the vapor. Still the vapor was less than the WISPR 2, but it was a improvement from my previous experiences with the Ascent.
I’m still getting to know to use it, but overall is a good vape and for the price I paid is really nice. I really like the stylish look of it (I have the Burl Wood).
What would be the best way to save my material? I already use the glass spacers, is there another way to reduce the amount needed to work best? I mean, a full bowl last me for several sessions, but still I would like to know if there is any other recommended way to use less and still produce good vapor.
I tested the battery from fully charged until fully discharged and got around 90 minutes. By reading the comments and the review here, I see that 90 minutes is around the average duration of the battery. Sure less than the advertised 3 hours battery life. I even created a table log of the sessions I did, along with the duration and the temp: http://i.imgur.com/vjJDtaQ.png. I also read here and other places that the battery last like a year or so. So I could say that is my only concert with Ascent.
Regarding how fine should I grind my herbs, I’m still learning how to get it right for the Ascent. I had the “Diamond Grinder” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKZj5jh7uxM) and I think is good. It leaves the herbs like this: https://i.imgur.com/q9nTcHb.jpg However, seeing the photos in this review of the filled bowl, I think I should grind them more, so I think I should get other grinder. I was seeing this one: http://i.imgur.com/0EeccLZ.png (4-Piece Herbivore Grinder). What do you think? Should it be better for my Ascent than what I currently have? Or could get very similar results to what I currently have?
Thanks in advanced!
I would like to hear if anyone is having the same problems that i am having.are use getting the runaround like me.Have been waiting for a replacement for three months.If so let me no Thanks
Please don’t tell people to clean holes with a pin, I did it and one hole snapped so know I have 2 small holes and 1 large hole.
After getting a new tube I now clean by soaking in iso alcohol.
Ah damn sorry Bob!! I should specify that it needs to be a super thin pin, these stems are wayy too delicate!
The Ascent is an excellent vape all around with ONE exception: the internal glass stem.
First, the glass stem constantly gets clogged with tobacco pieces, especially shake. Its main problem is the fact that the stem has four tiny holes to draw vapor up. When fully clean it will clog after about two sessions tops. I want to make it clear that it will still draw and function but it is harder to pull and no longer a smooth pull (which is aggravating when smoking). The sticky byproduct of the tobacco leaves residue on the stem, and little shake pieces clog the holes. Pain in the arse, requires dis-assembly and cleaning every other use. Cleaning the sticky residue consists of leaving the stem in a cup of isopropyl alcohol for some time, so the unit becomes a non-functional boat anchor and not the first choice when you are on the go.
Second, is how easy it is to break the glass stem when cleaning the unit. Although one can simply use a small sharp object (ex. small safety pin) to poke open the holes it is still mandatory to clean off the sticky residue inside and out, otherwise it will get clogged right away. When cleaning those little holes out though, anything larger than a very small pin will QUICKLY crack the glass stem or at the least crack small dangerous shards of glass off. To make matters worse, the provided ‘pick’ tool that Davinci supplies for the unit has a small knub that appears to be for the glass holes, but this will indeed crack the glass too. The stem itself is EXTREMELY fragile at the holes, a major flaw and a consistent drain on my wallet. I have accidentally broken two in one month’s time…that is ridiculous.
PITA to clean for something that is this portable. I have resorted to using a second screen on top of the tobacco to prevent the little shake pieces form clogging the holes, but it only helps a little and it adds another annoying process to use this device.
Tossing this out as soon as it has a major failure or I have to spend more money buying more glass stems
Hey thanks for posting and sharing your experience with it, I pretty much agree with what you’re saying, and I’ve broken my stem also when trying to clean it.
Very sorry you’re disappointed!!
what would your best presets be?
I like lower temps better with this one, 375&def; or below.
So I’ve had the Ascent for about 7 months now and have been very impressed with the unit. I have not had any issues even with consistent, often daily usage and proper cleaning. Yes the plastic and/or rubber around the mouth of the chamber and glass vapor pathway do build up a little resin, but its easy to wipe away when hot, so I use the included tool to scrape it away after each use. Screens do help but they seem to restrict the airflow a bit so I usually don’t use them.
Real happy with the battery life, I have yet to drain the battery in one day. It’s been on many road trips and backpacking adventures(with sparing uses), and frequent bike rides and commutes to work. The build quality is very good and has stood up to the rigor of riding, hiking, and a the few falls that come with.
However, the vapor can be slightly harsh (mainly with more dry herb) and its a bit more smelly than the others I’ve used (Volcano, silver surfer, Solo, Cloud and other oil pens).
I definitely get the best results with a full packed chamber of finely ground material 375-395 F. The chamber holds about 3-.5g, which is good for sharing, bad for conserving. Also found that its good to turn up the temp incrementally and stop halfway thru to stir up and even add material.
I think its a very well rounded unit, can be used while charging, vape oils and concentrates, even attach to your preferred water tool. The removable glass vapor pathway is a unique feature that’s great for cleaning and subsequently taste.
Seems that from what I’ve read these units can be hit and miss, since I haven’t had any issues with mine. And I’m curios to how long the battery, if not the other internals, will last. Its a great vape but it leaves me wanting a bit more in terms of vapor quality. I’m thinking about giving the Firefly or a Storz and Bickle a try.
Hey Brad thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I totally agree about the vapor quality, and you nailed it with the Firefly, Crafty & Mighty being better in that department
Both the ascent and pax have problems where odor leaks from the bottom grill on the ascent, and also the magnetic herb chamber seal on the pax. For me odor leakage is a major deciding point, so in your opinion which leakage is more potent, and for which vape is the leakage easier to contain?
Yea you’re right they do smell a little more than most others… as far as portables go I’d say the Crafty, Mighty, Firefly, Solo & V2 Pro give off the least amount of odor.
Hey
The accent by Davinci has the worst customer service after speaking
with them several times begging for a refund.They make excuses for mechanical and design flaws of my unit.Davinci also claims I AM THE ONLY CUSTOMER THAT COMPLAINED. Real con men get the word out the product PRODUCE WEAK VAPOR..
Larry Grabsky
After reading your review, I bought one. The Ascent isn’t the worst or the best. These guys need a bigger oven. Easy cleaning. I cut my own screens for the oven and the bottom glass piece. The screens they sent were to small.No problem with clogging or little pieces falling through. It is still better. The Pax is my go to piece for sure.
Thanks for all the great reviews. I won’t buy it without your reviews.
Hello
I am very disappointed with the accent by DaVinci.The product performance was very poor it did not work as I expected. Malfunctions with temp control out of the box.My first draw was filled with small bits of herb hitting the back of my Throat. The herb chamber has holes at the bottom herb falls out.I spoke to both the retail and to the Manufacture.DaVinci The best advice was use the tiny screens the unit came with. I beg n pleaded with DaVinci the days of using tiny screens date way back to Atmos..to no avail…They are aware of design and mechanical flaws. and are working on it. I asked if I can return the until they fix the problems…..
Larry Grabsky
Larryseliquids
First Ascent I purchased would not hold a charge. Also, the spare draw pipe was cracked. Retail replaced the unit (but would not provide a requested refund) Second unit had a micro-chip in the mouth piece on the draw pipe. I’ve broken both lower “screen” pipes while carefully cleaning with a needle probe. I suspect the tubes get brittle when exposed to heat. Tubes should be better designed and constructed of heat resistant Pyrex — laboratory glassware. Replacement draw tubes are $12.95, plus shipping. Latch on the second unit broke. Edge chipped off. Unit still functions, but this is not “normal wear & tear” as claimed by Davinci. The unit is less than a month old. I treat it with anal retentive care. The latch is puny, weak, and poorly designed. I suspect it too gets brittle from heat. A week on emails to Davinci for warranty work — fix the latch. Davinci claims “this is normal wear & tear and so not covered by warranty.” Piss poor customer service, and so for this reason I vote a big NO on this unit. Get a Volcano instead.
Have to agree with Alison. Davinci has probably the worst customer service I have ever dealt with. Unhelpful and my device has had numerous issues too. Would advise you go with a crafty or mighty. Or if you after the same price range then just go solo (I love mine), or pax and indica are better alternatives that are more reliable and better built.
Also agre with Alison…the latch on mine broke in the first month. Very cheap.
Not to mention that I am on my THIRD internal glass stem and counting…
Hi, thanks for all your reviews. I’ve been vaping for 10+ years and have tried almost all of them. I have the Volcano down to magic flight. My first was Vaportech. Now, I’m using the Herbalizer and Plenty, which I got after your review. I use and Pax and Firefly for portable, mostly Pax. I had been eyeing the Ascent for some time before I got the Firefly. I finally ordered it and after charging it, I couldn’t get it to turn on. After many failed tries, it finally turned on but only when plugged into the charger, then it turned on several times after that but stopped again. I emailed the company. I was given a RMA and was told to send it in. I quickly got an email saying it had been shipped back to me but never an email saying it was fixed. Hmm, so I open it back up, I can clearly see, it’s the same unit. Okay, that’s fine, as long as it works, which it didn’t. In the end, the final response from Davinci was that maybe I wasn’t clear on which where the power button is and I should read the manual and go to the “how this works” section. Sooooo, I ordered the Firefly and the Ascent is sitting in my closet. I have plenty of videos showing me pressing the “actual” power button and nothing happening, if anyone cared. They clearly don’t stand behind their product. I have a lot of vaporizers I’ve bought and didn’t like but I’ve never given a negative review. I draw the line at a company that has such terrible customer support like Davinci. It was so bad, I can’t be the only one.
To turn it on you have to press and hold it for awhile (2 seconds) I let my brother borrow it and he thought it was dead the entire time he had it.
Do you want to sell it?
VapeCritic,
Excellent review. I have the Ascent, the Solo, and the MFLB, and the Ascent is by far my favorite out of all three, for various reasons. However, that’s not why I’m here. I recently picked up the Wulf Mods Tundra Vaporizer (it’s an OEM design, a lot of retailers have it under a different name).
Anyway, while I’m not particularly trustworthy of the materials used, I decided to purchase one for $99 at my local head shop, and wow, I’m impressed, it gets really hot, but it’s one of the most efficient portable convection vaporizers I’ve used. I’d like to see what you think.
Hey man, could you give us a deatiled opinion about the Ascent smell ?
Because i want really really to buy it, but every review I’ve read say this vaporizer smell very very much and say that vapor leaks from the bottom grill.
hey, can someone tell me if I vape the Ascent and do not draw it immediately or I half-draw it and leave the half inside the chamber. Will the remaining vapor still be in the chamber after say two hours or it will dissipate out?
Someone help! TQ
Hey i’m pretty torn between the Ascent and the Pax. I’ve done a lot of research online and the general consensus seems to be that the Pax can be problematic due to its sleek design, and thus builds up residue faster, which can cause the unit to fail. (According to many people) I know that if you keep it clean it should always work fine, but the Ascent seems like a more bulletproof design with its removable glass for ease of cleaning. It’s ceramic and glass vapor pathway, ease of draw, as well as the longer battery life, have me leaning towards this unit.
One question about the Ascent: Does it work well with less finely ground material compared to the Pax? Coupled with the use of screens can this method be a reasonably good way to conserve material with a less than full pack?
However as you’ve said the Pax produces more comfortable vapor, and works better at half-pack. With the Ascent, I’m not worried about having to use screens, as well as its vapor being slightly more harsh. I just want the more reliable unit, that’s less likely to have issues down the line. I’ve read quite a few stories of the Pax breaking down over time, which is a huge turn off considering its price. Out of the box, the Pax seems like the way to go, but I can see the Ascent performing more reliably and consistently in the long run. Your thoughts?
-Thanks for your time
I’m using the ascent with uncrushed flowers, works great!
How is the smell with this vape? I am looking for the best portable vape with the least amount of odor. How would this device work inside? Great review, thanks
Bud, I can’t thank you enough for this review/instructional on the Ascent. I have been doing tons of reading about vapes online and your review, operational insight, and full demonstration helped validate my choice. Big thanks to you, sir.
I am total newbie, other than what I’ve read, and waned to ask you what might seem like a dumb question, for you and/or other readers to enlighten me about.
1) Any reason why the glass mouthpiece and body tube build up the tar-like resin, as shown in your vid? I realize that it probably is a nominal amount compared to combustion, but to my noob brain that signals that there is still burning taking place, albeit a much finer particle. What’s your take? When you clean your glass parts, is it tar that is coming off? This tells a lot about what is taking place in the bowl.
2) We’re almost half done with 2014 and I’m wondering how your unit is performing as compared to when you got it (if you still use it). Anyone experiencing long term satisfaction with it performing as intended?
3) What are those little rubber cap looking things included in the bag of screens? I cannot get those to sit snug on the mouthpiece and can’t seem to find anywhere else they would go?! If you know.
4) Battery/Power question: I’ve heard conflicting reports that it can be used in normal operation while charging. Is that your experience?
We all know that eventually rechargeables diminish in capacity and then expire completely after so many charges…so, I wondered if at that point the Ascent can be used strictly by plugging in…or is it trash?
Sorry for the questions….but it is clear that you’re the expert here and I really appreciate the opportunity to get your advice. Cheers man…and thanks a million.
Hey Bud,
I am wondering what my next vape purchase should be. I am currently on the Wispr which has served me really well and still rolling strong. I am looking for a change and getting the next best vape. I have read all the current reviews on the ascent and most are really good. Still up on the air on what I should get Pax, Ascent, FF, or just wait keep my money and see what comes out in the future. I love the glass on glass for the ascent. the Pax I have used before. Pax is a nice vape, ascent just looks like the highest quality vape on the market. Is there a a new solo coming out? Like possible 2014 release? Just wondering if you got any insight on what is coming out since you have the best reviews on the Internet for vapes. I am all about conserving and getting the most out of my herbs and also what a vape that is going to last me two years like my current wispr has.
Thanks for your help! Keep them reviews coming!
Hey Tony the Firefly is the highest quality of the bunch but not quite as portable as the Pax or Ascent. The glass air path is cool but I wouldn’t consider that a deciding factor, I still use my Pax more often because I get more vapor from it and to me it’s slightly more comfortable. At this time I am not currently aware of any new versions of these vapes coming out anytime soon. Stay up!
Hey Bud,
I was just wondering if you’ve looked into the miVape by Vaporfection yet and if you are considering purchasing and reviewing it? I know your experience with their desktop unit the viVape was underwhelming so you might be shrugging off the idea of testing their portable but I was just curious since it also has the glass on glass feature, same as the Ascent, that I am interested in.
Hey Nick yes I’ve seen pictures of it and have it on my list of future vapes to review I just don’t believe it’s actually available yet and I’m not sure when it will be, thanks for your request!
My DaVinci Ascent doesn’t get used every day, maybe 2 or 3 times a week for personal use, it’s never abused and is cleaned, and well cared for. I don’t buy cheap junk and expect the best, I spend my hard earned money on the best quality products to avoid problems with junk. I purchased the Ascent at a premium price, directly from Organicix and expected a quality product. When it arrived it seemed very sturdy and well built. but after less than 4 weeks use (probably a dozen times) the unit stopped heating and charging, Organicix said the unit was defective, I had to pay $20.00 to have it shipped back and wait for a replacement. My replacement unit was not constructed as well as the first, the charging plug does not fit very well and the outside case and trim pieces are sloppy and loose, but at least it worked! Now 7 weeks later my unit stopped heating, AGAIN, it still charges this time, but it’s useless. A $270.00 paper weight.
Hey Steve thanks for posting and I’m very sorry to hear about the issues you’re having. Did you ever contact them again about the replacement being defective? I’m surprised about the shipping charge also, if anyone else has had an experience like this please let me know. As of now I haven’t received many complaints about this vape but if I do I’ll be sure to make note of it and update the rating accordingly.
Hey VC,
Have you found a good way to clean the glass screen insert for the Ascent? I use the same tooth cleaning tool you recommended for the Pax, it works to clean the little holes, but there is nothing I have found to keep all that build up that collects inside the end of that glass. Pipe cleaner works well for the tube, but cant get to the stuff at the top.
As always, keep up the great reviews and support for us! It really helps. Thanks,
Cameron
Hey Bud, is your ascent still working well? Would you buy again? Thanks
Hey Keith yes my unit is still working like it should, I don’t use it as often as my other favorites but if you like what it has to offer I don’t think it’s a bad choice.
Hellow Vapecritic I follow your web since year ago aprox.
In the past y buy for your recomend a pax and I have an Arizer Solo too.
Today I sell my two vaporizer and I want to buy a new portable vape.
For the glass on glass sitem I think in the Ascent, but, the main thing for me for by a vaporizer is the quality of the vapor when it comes to my mouth, I am not talking about the flavor if not I talk about the the vapor density withouth the need to elevate the temperatura, I talk about the cuality of the vapor is not too hot. when I use in the solo in the 6 or 7 temperature i have stomach problems and feel the vaping too much hot with the PAX much worse for this reasons I want to by a vape according to my needs I know I have to use low temperatures but i think I will not have the density that i need please Vape critic put yourself in my place and tell me if the Ascent Davinci is for me. Another question is: With one full charge I can do two sessions minimal? with differents temperatures obviously the first lowes than the second the thing is I can use maximun one charge per day(1g,1.03g),dayly you know?
Hey Jaime,
I’m pretty sure I understand what you’re looking for, but unfortunately I don’t think this vape is your answer, I do not consider the vapor it produces to be higher quality or more comfortable than the Solo or Pax, it’s about even.
If vapor quality is a primary concern for you have you considered buying a good home vape?
The Silver Surfer, Da Buddha, Extreme-Q, herbalAire and Hot Box are all good vapes in about the same price range. If you absolutely need your vape to be portable I would probably recommend getting one of these first for best vapor quality.
For your second question yes, you can get about 90-120 minutes of usage on a full charge with the Ascent, which should be enough for at least a few sessions.
Hi :) I have been trying to research Vapes and make a well informed decision and i am torn. Up to this point I have been using a Vaporstar Vaporizer which fits into any [pieces] of the correct diameter, but you need to use a jet lighter with it which is both loud (annoying click) and also leaves me with a mixed impression: You CAN vape well with it, if you have the technique down, but you will also [be exposed to] lighter fluid gas, which can not be the healthiest thing to do, right?
A home unit of course would produce a lot more vapor, but i feel like not having the opportunity to vape on the go gives you the choice of either staying at home in a hermit-like state or living unhealthy.
So, living in Europe, I guess the PAX is out of the race. I do have some friends in the US, but importing, sending it back for repairs, and having to include a friend in this whole situation, it kind of turns me off the whole idea. So in my opinion the only 2 choices left for me are the MFLB and the Ascent.
Now I usually dont consume a lot of herb in 1 vaporizing sessions, and i usually vape solo (as in alone), but it seems like the Ascent with its big chamber would kind of change my consumption rate. In your review you say that the chamber should be filled full, and that it holds about 1/2 a gram of herb, which to me is more or less the amount i would use during an entire day, and I guess using the right herb this would be a bit of overkill for a single vape session. Is it possible to use 1 filling over the course of a day inside the Ascent, or is that not recommended? To me, this is the main deciding factor between the MFLB and the Ascent.
The MFLB seems to be the best price/quality you can get, and looks like its easier to keep clean. How many sessions do you get out of 2 batteries?
Both units have their pros and cons for my personal use. I am basically looking for a hybrid that will be most of the time used at home, but at times will need to be my companion on the go.
Which one would you use?
Hey Lance thanks for posting,
I’ve thought about your situation and I would probably lean towards the Launch Box being the better option for you right now.
The Ascent does seem to perform best with a full chamber, which is quite a bit of herb, and I normally recommend re-vaping the same material no more than once. This means I wouldn’t personally recommend filling the Ascent chamber and spreading that amount over more than 2 sessions total, I feel that the taste & volume of vapor decreases too much after that and degrades the whole experience a little.
I would consider the MFLB to be much better for small sessions throughout the day, as long as you’re cool with not getting large amounts of visible vapor. This vape is super efficient with tiny amounts of material, you can put in just .1 and have a good little session by yourself.
Since the Ascent has that big chamber and long battery life it’s a good option for people who like long sessions or vaping in groups of 2 or more.
And as far as MFLB battery life, if you’re vaping small amounts each time you should be able to get 2 good sessions from each charge (so 4 sessions total with 2 batteries).
Hope this helps!
Thx for all your reviews !!!
don’t loose your money, take the ascent !!! you’ll not regrets !!
French users
Hi Bud!
I have done deep research into many of your reviews and found out that the portable vape that better suits to my needs (portability, flavour, and dry herb vaporizing) is the Ascent. Other reson for not choosing the Pax is that I live in Europe and prefer having easy access to the manufacturer and a warranty.
As you may know, in Europe some people actually mixes herbs and tobacco (“oh, that’s awful” most of you will think). For me this is essential because due to job reasons I prefer not to use too much herbs (and I don’t want to pack such an amount in the vape for not vaping it all). So, my questions are:
1- Is there a temperature where tobacco and herbs can be vaped together?
2- In that case, what kind of tobacco do you suggest me to use? (loose leaf, shizza, pipe, etc)
3- Is the Ascent a good vaporizer for this use? (Will I ruin the glass pieces because of the tobacco?)
Thank you very much for the help and continue putting so much effort in the blog, it is great to have reliable information about this world of vaping.
Kind regards from Spain
Hey Jay thanks for posting!
I don’t have a ton of experience with this personally but I believe pipe tobacco is the type you should try first and I would start at a low temperature (~350°F) in the beginning to see how the vapor feels, and then increase it in small increments if you want to make it stronger and there are no bad tastes.
The Ascent should work well with this and since it has a fairly large chamber it’s actually a pretty good idea to fill up all the extra space.
Let me know how it works!
Hi!
I’ve been completely torn between MFLB and the Ascent. I know they are completely different in price and usage but they’ve the best reviews I’ve seen out of what I’ve researched in portable vapes.
The reason I’m edging towards the Ascent a bit more is because I’d usually have long sessions and I’ve a feeling that constantly switching batteries on the MFLB would start to wreck my head as sometimes I’d be with friends taking tokes the entire day.
Do the pros outweigh the cons with the Ascent?
Also, how does the effects compare with each of these vapes? The end result would be my main priority.
Also, is the Ascent considered easier to use than the MFLB and more convenient?
Thank you for your time!
Hey Alley I would say that yes the Ascent would be the better option for long sessions and it is a little easier to use than the Launch Box.
There are some qualities I’m not thrilled with but overall it’s a good vape and the pros do outweigh the cons.
It’s hard to comment on the effects from each unit because everyone has such different experiences, but my personal opinion is that once you get used to vaping the feeling is basically the same as other methods. The only thing to consider is that with vaping you control the temp so if you wanted to experiment using it at different temperatures you might be able to notice subtle differences in the end results.
Hey Bud, did you try not to grind your herb so finely and then put it in the Ascent? Maybe crumble size would work better and give you nicer clouds since the Ascent seems to have better air flow. I know the Pax needs super finely ground material but I have also but larger crumbs in the MFLB with great results. Try it out. Peace.
Hey man yes I’ve tried it and grind consistency doesn’t seem to make too much of a difference with this vape, as long as it’s within reason. The one thing I haven’t been able to do though is get it to perform very well with small amounts of material, it seems to only work best fully packed.
This ones easy! packing it 1/4 of the way full and then putting one of the oil jars without the rubber lid on top of the herb works great! keeps the herb packed down and still allows for great airflow
The little glass jar trick works like a hot damn. Simple and effective, also eliminates the need to stir. Pure genius
Hey. The cleaning where you had to pull out stems and then poke the little boogers out seems like major hassle. Why would you rate this higher than the Magic Flight Launch Box? I think you should use the A to F system rather than the point system unless you can be more specific in the breakdown of the points. Dude, two years ago I was stuck between purchasing the Arizer Solo or the Magic Flight Launch Box (MFLB). I ultimately bought the MFLB based on your recommendation and it was the best advice I’ve ever received from a stranger on the internet. It easily ranks higher than all these new portable vaporizers. The easy cleaning, no wait time (immediate use), lightweight, large trench, easy pulls and huge hits of vapor, I mean com’on man. You always recommend stirring and its super quick at that too (shake n’ bake). Plus I can buy two MFLB (which I did cuz I was robbed) versus just one of its competitors and its virtually indestructible and environmentally minimal in design. I really can’t believe you would rate these new portables higher than the MFLB besides the bling factor. Or maybe you sold out so who knows.
Many factors are considered in my ratings and most of them are listed here: https://vapecritic.com/ratings
Just a quick question on what I can expect in terms of the smell, I live with many people and don’t want that to be an issue. If you can tell me about the smell while vaping, how long it takes it to go away and the over all pungent-ness of the smell. Really love your reviews your thoroughness is unmatched and extremely helpful to those purchasing their first vaporizer, especially with such a hefty price tag. I’m grateful to feel like i know this vaporizer inside and out without even buying it. Keep up the amazing work!
Hey in general all vapes will produce at least a little odor, and vapor smells less than half as strong as smoke and it dissipates more than twice as fast, so it’s much easier to control.
How is it in regards to getting hot in your hand. I’m the guy that bought the Pax and got third-degree burns to my thumb and hand. What would you think if I used it laying on its side with an extended straw that I could put in my mouth while lying in bed. Why am not holding it in burning myself. Also doesn’t have a automatic shut off? Those things are biggest pain in the ass. Because I was looking at the Plenty and it needs to be constantly turned back on. And I don’t have use of my hands. If I could just get the NO 2 without the automatic shut off in the larger chamber. I’d be in heaven. Even though I get very light amounts of vapor when I exhale.
One last question. One of my caretaker’s is skeptical about the vaporizer. She swears that it is smoke that is being produced. Because there is no liquid involved, like with her vapor pen that holds the liquid nicotine. If you would explain to me how that works, so that I can intelligently tell her how. Instead of saying it just works. Sorry for being so long winded.
Regards,
Scott Hill
Hey Scott this one can get very warm around the chamber area during use but I think the bigger issue for you is that it doesn’t work best when laid on its side, it’ll leak vapor out of the bottom and cause some of your material to be wasted. It doesn’t stand right-side up on its own unfortunately (bottom isn’t flat) but if you could figure out a way to keep it in an upright position it could possibly work.
Also it actually does have an automatic shutoff (sorry for not mentioning it in the review) and I believe the heater turns off after 20 minutes.
Basically herbal vaporizers just heat the oils in your material causing it to turn into vapor and be released. Vaporization occurs when the temperature reaches into the 300°F’s but combustion happens at a significantly higher temp. Unless your herbs are coming out black and ashy no combustion ever takes place, so it’s not smoke being produced it really is just a vapor.
I just purchased pax based on your recommendation. I owned few vaporizers before, like Whispr iolite, plenty and davinci (not ascent, previous model). Love pax in every possible way, but it is so hard to suck on that it’s pointless to keep it. Pax is by far the hardest vape to suck on from all the vapes i tried. I thought that whispr is super hard to suck, till i tried pax. Pax is 10 times harder to suck on then whispr. It is so bad that i am thinking that i got a defective unit…Here are my questions:
1. I am looking for the most powerful yet easiest to draw from (free air type of feel, not milkshake slurping type of feel) vaporizer. I am looking for a Plenty (storz bickel) of portable vapes. The closest it gets to plenty (free air feel draw mixed with super big clouds of vapor production). I am willing to spend top dollar on that.
2. How do davinci ascent and solo fit that description? do you know about some other model that fits that description the best?
Thanks a lot. Love watching your videos. Keep it up.
Hey Matt I personally am also not a big fan of having to pull hard, but I think there’s some things you could try to ease it up a little because I got mine to be manageable and I actually still prefer to use it over almost all the other portables I’ve reviewed.
First tip is to keep it clean, once residue starts to build up in the oven and vapor path it restricts airflow a little. Also, even more important, make sure the oven screen isn’t pushed down too far, it’ll work better if it’s not pressed against the bottom of the chamber.
So after you take the screen out to clean it and then you’re putting it back just lay it in and gently push it down, and try to only push down on the side opposite of the vapor path, so that on the side where the tube enters the oven the screen is actually sticking up a millimeter or two.
I’ve found this helps with easing up the draw, and one other mod you can make if all else fails is to make the opening at the end of the mouthpiece bigger. I’m not 100% sure if this voids the warranty but with a very small screwdriver you should be able to widen the mouthpiece opening a tiny bit which will also help airflow a little.
The position of the oven screen seems to make the most difference as does keeping it clean and free of buildup.
As for the Plenty of portables, unfortunately it doesn’t exist yet. The Ascent doesn’t have as much draw resistance as the Pax, so it’s easier to pull, but for some reason I find the vapor to be not quite as comfortable.
The Solo has just as much if not more resistance than the Pax, and it’s really not very portable.
The Firefly that I just reviewed recently has an easier draw and produces very good vapor, so it’s probably the closest portable I’ve tried to how the Plenty performs, but like the Solo it’s not extremely portable and is more of a cordless home unit, although it is a little easier to store and carry around. You might like it because it has the capability of producing large vapor draws, but if you’ve ever tried a Launch Box it works similarly to that where you kind of need to use an advanced technique to get it to perform really well.
Thank you so much for all of your reviews! The information in them is truly invaluable. The Ascent really appeals to me so I’ve been waiting eagerly to see what you thought of it. One question I had was between the Pax and the Ascent, which one can hold more herbs? Is the Ascent’s chamber bigger or smaller than the Pax’s oven?
Hey Peter the Ascent’s chamber is actually a little larger than the Pax oven, approx 0.5g capacity versus 0.35g capacity.
Thanks for the review Bud. After a bit of vascillation, I opted for the Ascent over the Pax but it seems they are pretty close comparatively speaking. Who knows, I might ultimately go with the Pax. To my question – which might be dumb – but do you think there is a real benefit in alternating temperatures during a session? I noticed the ascent will automatically step up or down at intervals if selected. Do you find there is a real benefit to this feature in terms of vape quality or quantity. (And I guess this applies to any vape). As always, your thoughts are appreciated.
Hey Mark it really comes down to personal preference but in almost all cases I set one temp and leave it there for the entire session, with all vapes.
Some people like to start off low and work their way up, nothing wrong with that either but I wouldn’t say it affects vapor quality or quantity much if at all.
Bud,
You are eloquent and smart, and I really appreciate the thoroughness of your reviews. Your attention to detail is impeccable-another trait I really admire. I have yet to purchase a vape, but am leaning toward the MFLB for my virgin vape purchase. I tried the Puffit with a friend and was as unimpressed as you were. Thanks for all your hard work;-)
Truly appreciate your kind words, if any specific questions come to mind before you the pull the trigger let me know!
Hey Bud, have you vaped oils with it? I’m curious on its performance in that regard.
Hey I haven’t tried vaping oils in it personally so I’m not sure, but I’ve heard it’s not the greatest.
hey just wanted to shed light on using the Ascent with concentrates, i put my concentrate in the glass jar and closed it with the rubber top (I’ve read now that it works better with the rubber top off of the glass oil container) the result was extremely sticky as the concentrate got all over the inside of the device! It didn’t clog up the pathway completely but still i feel like at least half of it was stuck in the actual glass pathway instead of being vaped! so, it works but is rather wasteful and messy :)
I think your review was fair overall, but a bit picky, which can be good, but this IS the best portable vape on the market and your review might discourage. There are no other choices. The PAX, the closest competitor, has an all titanium and plastic path, good luck to you folks using this, thinking it is healthy….I will support Da Vinci with its all glass vapor path, much healthier, much cleaner. It does have a few quirks as you said, but VERY minor. You overplayed how much material falls through the chamber, and I have NEVER had any material come up the tube, you must be pulling pretty hard man. Overall, there is no better vape period, except maybe table tops, but that’s so old fashioned and so much work to just smoke. You can have your bigger titanium infused clouds with pax, Ill stick with my clean Da Vinci vapor..that’s prolly why you are not used to the vapor btw, you are used to metal-infused vapor.
Your thoughts are much appreciated.
I try to review each vape from an empty slate with no prior biases, and just rate them on how they feel and perform.
I don’t personally believe that stainless steel in herb chambers or vapor pathways is a bad thing, many top manufacturers use it, nor do I believe having glass parts is an absolute necessity, I’m somewhere in the middle which I think helps me critique each vape more accurately.
It sounds like you have a thing against stainless steel in vapes, so your list of good models is probably pretty limited.
I tried to make it pretty clear in my review that I don’t think the Ascent is bad at all, just that I still find myself preferring the Pax more often.
Like I mention in the video I think the glass pathway gives the vapor a nice taste, and if you want to believe it is ‘healthier’ you have every right to, but the Ascent does not produce the most comfortable and/or thickest vapor out of the portables I’ve reviewed, so that gets taken into consideration.
Lastly if you take a gander at the list of vapes I’ve reviewed there’s a bunch in there with glass components, so I know very well the differences in vapor quality and taste that they all have.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the vape though, that’s really all I’m shooting for.
Thanks for the reply Bud, but you’re wrong on this one :) We could get into the fact that Pax is not really vaping, but a step just before smoking (still much healthier, nonetheless, but not vaping). You can tell just comparing the Pax leftovers to the Ascent left overs (dark brown to black compared to golden brown), but another time.
Just one quick tip though to people with Ascents, if you want to get nice, thick vapor clouds with a long smoke time (my last one was 15 minutes with huge clouds), set the temp to 387 F, and poke the 4 tiny holes with a push pin every other time you smoke. Do this and it is the best VAPE EVER.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you like the Ascent, great! But telling Bud he’s wrong doesn’t make sense. It’s all based on preference. You sound like you work for DaVinci. Get off your soapbox, pack another bowl and just chill. Thanks, Bud! Another great review.
I think the whole idea of aluminum,stainless,medical grade silicone,or titanium somehow offgassing, or whatever people think is happening is a bit over hyped.
Thanks VC. Been anxiously awaiting your expert opinion on the Ascent. It has helped me to make my decision to get it or not. I love my Pax, thanks to your recommendations. So I may wait a little longer before I decide to go to another portable vape. Maybe DaVinci will fix some minor issues, or another better option will be out in the future.
Thanks again for all you do for us out here, you are a great source of information!
Stay up brotha!
Cameron
You got it man, yea if you have a Pax already I don’t see any reason to jump on this one, I would ride it out and see what comes out in the future.
Great review, I’m sure you’ve heard about these, but I would love to hear a review on them as well, when they release! Keep up the good work!
Firefly
Grasshopper
Hey thanks I appreciate your requests! I have those on my list of future possibilities, stay up!
thanks for the info I want to get a pocket vape I got a plenty I have been using since jan 14 love it but i need a safe place to set it down I get about 40-50 draws per load(2 to 2.5) grams
here the “New” thing is the MED-PEN — I dont like them there glycerin base and taste like bubbles
so i need a good pocket vape I bought my plenty because of the reveau of it here and love it so I’m watching all of the pocket vape ones and looking for a good price
thanks
logan
Cool man as of right now my favorite pocket vapes would be the Pax, Ascent and Launch Box (the latter being the least expensive)
When are the makers going to realize that heating any type of plastic or aluminum is unhealthy and produces harmful gases/fumes? There is evidence of it and that is why aluminum bats are scorned at. That is the only reason why I don’t like the Vapir NO2. Too much plastic and use of aluminum screen being heated. I am thinking that all these makers are not users. I feel that with the right resources I could produce the perfect portable vape because I know exactly what I need in one.
I think it’s a bit more involved than that, making a good vape is harder than it seems on the surface. Some of the best vapes I’ve reviewed utilize stainless steel heaters or vapor pathways, and I’m a big time user, of vaporizers.
Hey, I just want to say I’m a big fan of your reviews and I’ve yet to see another reviewer put as much thought and care into their reviews, almost on anything, even non-vape related. I do have a couple questions though that I’d like to ask you that I don’t think you addressed.
First off before I get to it though, I’d like to mention that I own a Silver Surfer and an Arizer Solo and I’m a fan of both, the SSV is an amazing vape in my opinion, though I noticed that smelling the heater itself in the Solo sort of smells like a curling iron or a radiator and I’m not sure if that’s normal or not. The vapor quality’s still good, but if I try to smell the dry air from the SSV next to the heating element, I don’t smell anything at all (which is what I’d expect), I simply feel heat hitting my nose, so it makes me wonder if that’s normal or concerning at all (since smelling something means you’re inhaling some particles of it, whatever “it” is that causes that smell, is it just the stainless steel? I can’t figure it out)
But back to the Ascent, how is the vapor quality comparing the Solo to the Pax to the Ascent? maybe 1 out of 10 ratings would help me out, I’m debating on upgrading and vapor quality would be my main concern, though I heard that the Ascent actually does NOT have that amazing vapor quality and that it has a slight rubbery taste or a hint of some such thing (in other reviews) and I’m not sure if they worked that out yet or not but I heard from multiple sources that it had “off-gasing problems” which is definitely a deal breaker for me if so.
What do you think?
Hey man thanks for posting.
As far as I know all of the components of the Solo are flavorless and food-safe, as they should be with all of the good vapes I’ve reviewed, but some of them do produce slightly different odors than others sometimes during use, I think it’s pretty normal.
As for vapor quality between those 3 I don’t really consider them very different, but if I had to rate them I’d probably say Solo gets a 8.5 for taste and 8.0 for density, Pax would get a 8.0 for taste and 8.0 for density, and Ascent would get a 8.5 for taste but 7.5 for density. Solo isn’t truly portable though IMO so that should be taken into consideration too (it doesn’t leave my house).
Haven’t tasted any rubber or anything so I think they worked that issue out, and I don’t seem to have any off-gasing problems either.
Hope this helps!
Alright man, thanks! I definitely think I’ll be considering the Ascent! The Pax is great because of how portable it is but I’m really liking the idea of that vapor path, also it seems easier to clean!