The Firefly is a cool portable vape with some unique qualities, and I’m pretty impressed with it.
The original Firefly looks and feels sleek and very well-made, and it has a bit of weight to it. The vapor it produces is smooth and has an excellent taste, one of the best I’ve experienced. It’s also very efficient with your material – the chamber only fits about 0.1g-0.2g of dry herbs but you’ll get about 5-10 good draws from that. Battery life is just OK at about 20 25-30 draws, but it does recharge quickly (45 mins), and if you wanted to you could pick up some spare batteries with it because it’s actually removable.
Stay up!
-Bud
The Firefly Vaporizer Review
Now before I show it to you up close and give you more details on how it works and how it performs, let me give you a few bullet points on what I think about it.
• The build quality is excellent.
• As far as ease-of-use, there’s definitely a technique you need to master to get it to perform really well. (but don’t worry, I’ll show you all about that)
• Vapor quality, when it’s used right, is excellent.
• It kinda has a small herb chamber, and it is kinda heavy for a portable.
This is also a convection style vape, which is pretty hard to get right in such a small unit but they definitely did a good job.
Firefly Size
So here it is. Now you’ll notice that it is kind of on the large side for a portable, and if you want a quick size comparison we got the DaVinci Ascent, this is the Solo, and then we have the Pax.
Now earlier I mentioned that this vape is kind of heavy, and to give you an idea of what I mean the Firefly weighs 278 grams. The closest to that as far as portables go would be the Solo at 230 grams, then you have the Ascent at 192 grams, and then the Pax at 94 grams.
So the Firefly believe it or not is actually 3 times as heavy as the Pax – I don’t want you to get the wrong idea though because the fact it’s heavy is one of the very few negatives I found about this vape.
The Vaporizer Specs
There are not many parts to this one, and it only has a few buttons. This right here on the side is the main power button, and when you turn that on it basically puts the vape into standby it doesn’t start heating yet.
On the other side this is the heater button. This part sticking out in the front is the mouthpiece, this is where you take your draw from. Then if you flip it over and take a look at the back, this is the battery cover, and if you take it off this vape actually has a removable battery. What that means is if you wanted to you could buy an extra charger and some extra batteries and that’ll let you use it for a longer period of time before it needs to be recharged.
Now if you turn it over, this part actually lifts off and it’s magnetic. So you’ll see there’s a little groove on each side and to get access to the herb chamber you just pull off the top like that.
So now what you have here this is the actual chamber where your material is gonna go, and it’s actually not really that big, I found through my testing that this vape seems to work best with like a 0.1 put in there (max capacity is roughly 0.2 if finely ground).
And one of the reasons I say that’s a good amount to put in here is because this isn’t like a lot of other vapes like the Pax and the Ascent, you don’t want your material firmly packed in there you want it kind of loose.
Like I mentioned this top piece is magnetic so after you pack the chamber you basically just place it on top and then it closes by itself.
The Vapor
Now believe it or not the actual vapor path, or where the vapor goes when you start heating it, is actually right down these channels all the way to the front to the mouthpiece.
So when this thing’s all closed up the only place for the vapor to go is through these little grooves into these side grooves and then it travels all the way down.
I actually found that the vapor is very nice when you use it properly and it’s smooth and tastes good, so that’s a definite bonus with this vape, very high quality vapor for a portable.
While I have the top off and you can easily see the chamber let me briefly explain the best way to use this thing. So what you’re gonna do is first turn it on, and that basically puts it into standby mode. Then you’re gonna have your material in there and obviously you’re going to put the top back on first. And actually let me put this down for a second because I wanna show you something.
Tips & Tricks
When you first get it and you’re looking through the manual on how to use the thing it kind of makes it seem really simple. It basically just says put the battery in, plug it in, charge it, put your material in, turn it on, press the button to heat it and start drawing. And then it actually goes as far as saying “it’s that easy.”
But you know what through my testing and stuff I found it’s actually not that easy. When I followed the instructions and did what they said and I just pressed the button and started drawing I really wasn’t very satisfied with the results, I wasn’t getting a lot of vapor and I didn’t feel like it was working very well.
Then what I learned after experimenting some more and asking some questions is that it actually needs to be pre-heated before you start drawing. Now what I mean by that is if your material was in there and you’re getting ready to go you first want to push the heater button in, the button on the side here, and you want to wait 8 seconds.
I know it’s a little weird but count to 8, you’re going to see the light start to glow indicating that the herb chamber is being heated, then after 8 seconds let it go, wait about one second, then push it in again, count to four, let it start to glow and then start your draw.
Then basically the way this vape works is once you do that the longer you draw the more vapor you’re going to get and the denser it’ll be. If you’re only looking for some light draws only pull for a few seconds, and if you’re lookin for a really big draw you’re gonna have to pull for 10 to 15 seconds.
The reason I consider this vape kind of advanced, or that you need an advanced technique for the best performance, is that the steps I just told you are what I personally found to be the best way to use it, but it’s going to vary a little bit for everybody so you’re gonna have to do a little experimenting.
Some people might find that they get better results if they hold it down longer like for 10 seconds, and some people might want light vapor in which case they would only pre-heat it for a few seconds first.
Now I want to talk about battery life for a second because that was one of the only other things that I wasn’t really blown away by. It seems that if you do what I just did and that’s how you use it you’re only going to be able to take about 20 draws or so before the battery dies, or roughly two chamber-fulls.
So that’s not really a lot but the good part is that when you have to recharge it it literally only takes 45 minutes to recharge.
One other tidbit of information that might help you with your technique is that this vape is designed to max-out at 400°F inside the chamber. So basically what you’re doing when you use the technique I described is when you first hold it down for 8 to 10 seconds you’re letting the chamber heat up to about 400°, then you’re stopping and re-starting the heater sort of just to keep it hovering around the ideal temperature, which is normally in the upper 300°’s.
Then with the combination of how long you hold the heater in and how quickly you draw that’s how you ultimately get the ideal vaporization going on.
Lastly they do include a few different tools with it, they give you a little brush and then a little plastic poker thing, and you will be using these.
What I found happens a lot is halfway through your session some of your material is going to come up and sort of get stuck on this top lid and in the grooves. So after every 3 draws or so I found myself having to quickly just open it up and brush off all the little pieces that got stuck and getting them back inside the chamber (this is also a good time to stir your herbs). Not ideal, but not terrible.
Arite so as you watch me take a few draws here I want to just talk a little bit about what I think this vape is good for and when I think I’ll be using it.
Even though this vape is considered a portable the fact that it’s a little heavy, and it has the nice finish on the outside so you don’t want to bang it around a lot, and that it doesn’t hold a lot of material in the chamber, and that you kind of need to stir it and brush it every few draws, it’s not one that I’m gonna bring outside my house often and use it while I’m on-the-go.
That is something that I still kind of feel like I might use my Pax more for, but for using around the house as a “cordless” home vape that’s where I think the firefly really shines.
The build quality is definitely up there, it’s a really nice looking and feeling vape, and while not perfect by any means it’s a lot better than many of the other portables I’ve reviewed.
If you think this vape is for you and you’re looking to buy one, and you wanna help support your man, check out my link in the description to the authorized dealer I got mine from.
If you’re not sure and you have some questions about it works or how it compares to some other ones feel free to let me know and I’ll definitely do my best to help you out.
To see the rating that I gave this model and to watch reviews and get information on some other good units check out my website at VapeCritic.com
Me and the cat really appreciate you taking the time to watch, and stay up!
Horrible vape. Horrible company. I have left over four 1 star reviews on their web page that still haven’t posted. My vaporizer arrived with 3 less holes in the chamber than was advertised. It’s burn rates jump from low temps to scorching randomly. The battery lid is not secure. It smells to high heaven. It’s hard to hit and must be cleaned far too often. I have written 8 emails to the company. It took them over a month to return my email. They have no phone service. They have expressed that even though I have a faulty manufactured product that they will not return the product. Do not buy this vape. Buy the Pax 3 or anything else really. Just not this.
Firefly 2+ is probably one of the worst products I ever remember buying and now that I bought it, I’m stuck with it. I can’t return it and I can’t afford to replace it. So I’m stuck with a lousy and expensive item. It even makes a lousy doorstop.
I was having all sorts of problems with it and ended up just wasting a LOT of “product”. When I spoke to customer service, they had me send it back to be serviced (at this point it was only about 3 weeks old). They returned it and it seemed to work better. I found out they supposedly inspected it and replaced some parts and it appeared to be working better. Then, I realized all they did was crank up the temperature to the max of 500 degrees. Let’s be honest, a tree limb would burn at 500 degrees. When I lowered the temperature to what they originally recommended, it returned to the way it was before I sent it for repairs. I’m not sure how stupid they think their customers are. Bottom line, DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. If you’re going to spend this much money, there are numerous other options. You will be sorry you pissed away your money and there will be nothing you can about it. The design of this product is also atrocious and one of the most labor intensive devices. After every 2nd bowl, the thing needs to be taken apart and cleaned. Some days I have had to do it twice. STAY AWAY. No one will ever know how badly I want to just toss it, which I probably will be doing soon. I have resorted to rolling, despite arthritic hands and fingers. What a friggin waste!
My exact sentiments. I am going to cancel the charge on my credit card. Did you try that Ron?
Worst customer service ever! Used my firefly2 for concentrate as it was advertised, and after about the seventh use the glass lid cracked across the bowl. I contacted C/S and was told I would need to purchase a new glass lid from them. I promptly tossed the unit charger ect… into the trash and haven’t looked back. Best move for me was to toss this over priced piece of junk into the trash rather than pay for this company’s design flaw.
more bad smell mel here..Did I mention the charging cord is like for phones you need an adaptor to plug in to an outlet.. Include the extra part you nickle dime artist. Feel free to buy mine back.
I will tell you about a $300 dollar thecky POS. I smoke/use /eat cannibus for arthritis. Try and press two pollen size buttons with cripple hands. Almost get a hit and you lost your grip..l A simple on of switch with a heat sensor. I have pounds of pot. I don’t want a savings account I want a simple way to use ROSIN.. My favorite choice. I PUT A DAB in the pipe and when I finally get it hot enough to smoke it condenses or dribbles down the glass face. I don’t need to consult my phone to see if my pipe is hot. What Jackass thought of that. When it works it is a great high.
the charging stand… it slopes so my dose of rosin which is now melted dribbles down the glass face. Do any of your staff actual use pot? It’s sheik and looks classy but for rosin what a piece of shit. Make the bowl twice as big and twice as deep.
It’s primarily a cannabis vape. There are some good dual use vapes, and I like my Firefly 2 with concentrates. But it’s also easy to get it messy that way, and I have other ways of doing dabs, so I don’t really look to my portable vapes for that.
Hello
Thanks for all the great reviews.i know this is an old post but was wondering if you could answer a question.i own a plenty vape based on your reviews and i love it.im looking to buy a firefly too. were i live (mexico)i can only buy the firefly1 the newest model hasent arrived yet.besides the size and weight difference,is the firefly2’s vapor much better or can i get the firefly1 without regreting it?or should i wait.Thanks
Do not buy the firefly! Go Pax .
Hey man, I watched some of your videos that helped me decide to get the Goboof Alfa and Arizer Air.
Anyway, I’m sitting here fucking pissed because my last Arizer Air mouth piece broke and now I have to wait 2 fucking weeks to get it…. AND… I had to pay $10 per mouth piece, $5 per rubber cap, and $8 in shipping. That’s straight up BS. Goboof are even worse. $5 per screen? GTFOH.
I know you sell these same vaporizers, but man you should do a video that shows the real cost of owning these devices. For these reasons, I’m looking into a next vaporizer that doesn’t require any extra parts. These companies are snakes charging for these accessories that you are bound to need.
And it’s not that I’m cheap. I happily spend thousands on shit that I really want and think is worth it. I just think that a glass mouth piece costs them literally 2 cents. And they make thousands of percents in profit on them. And they already overcharge for their vaporizers on top of that. I just think it’s bullshit and I want to expose these companies for being a bunch of fucking snakes.
Bought this as well as my other vaporizers based on your awesome reviews. You missed on this 300 dollar paper weight, i have gone threw 2 batteries and need another. Horrible customer service and cut throat company.
Firefly’s customer service is consistently lauded as exceptional – go to the FC forum and you’ll read that everywhere.
I’m hearing the Firefly 2 addresses all the feedback the company has ever gotten on FF1 – size / portability / battery life / vapor path / heating core / etc.
Me thinks this will finally bifurcate the market into (a) the exceptional, no-compromise Firefly vaporizer and (b) all the other vaporizers that you have to compromise on / do a feature comparison against.
Soon, the vape market will look like the desktop computer market: there is Apple / Mac and then there’s a thousand PCs that compete on features but offer very little in the way of true innovation.
I am excited for that day to arrive. I’m hearing it’s next week!!!
This is a tasty portable vape! But the battery life is god awful. It gets up to temp in a decent time. But I’LL take the mflb over this I owned both. One I sold. One I kept.
I purchased my firefly in June of 2014 and initially was very impressed with the design, feel and it worked pretty good after playing with it and using your suggestions. Unfortunately the battery didn’t last long at all and after a month a new battery was sent to me free of charge, but it was only a month later a new one had to be sent out again. Three months (now at 5 months since original purchase)the units heating element button started sticking and eventually stopped working all together. Sent it in and was replaced within the month at a shipping and insurance cost of over $30.00. Second unit lasted only 2 months until the heating element wouldn’t turn on at all and wouldn’t heat. Sent in and replaced within a couple weeks at a cost of over $30.00 again. Third unit lasted only a month with the same issues, and again sent in and replaced at a cost of over $30 again. Okay so to make a long story short I’m on my 7th, yes you read correctly, 7th replaced firefly at a cost of over $200.00 in shipping costs.
Now I should probably explain that I Don’t use it as a portable vape, only in one place and it’s kept clean after every use, never banged or dropped. I spent over $300.00 initially and look after it.
would I recommend this to a friend? Not if I want to keep them as one.
Great informative video! Which is the best convection portable vape? Is the firefly the only option?
The firefly battery does not hold a charge, use it once or twice and time to recharge.:-( I would not consider it portable unless you have access to power!
I own a number of portable vapes, and this one is amazing in nearly every way… BUT buyer beware: The seal on the glass window on lids does not hold up (I’ve been through three of them in short order). Once the seal breaks down the device doesn’t vape properly at all. You also must buy a second battery or it’s super inconvenient. Though the vapor quality is about as good as it gets from a portable, the reliability is poor and you have to buy an extra battery on top of already expensive price for the vape for it to be truly convenient. There’s a reason they’re offering a free extra lid right now on their site.
Hi, I’m after buying my first portable vape but really don’t know where to start. I’m after a dry herb vape but one I can also use for oils…
I’m not after spending a huge amount so a mid price ranges one would be great!… Any infos greatly received
Great review. I am looking for a vape for dry herb that has no plastic parts, would this be the one for me. Strictly metal, glass, or wood parts is what I am looking for and this seems to be metal. I have a mflb but I am looking for something a little more tbh. Thanks
Thanks Bud for your reply. It helps. Losing $165 really hurt, and I wish I had had asked the Firefly company to verify its authenticity immediately after purchase so I could have returned it to the seller on eBay and gotten my money back.
I’m not ready to throw the thing out as I’m guessing it could be fixed. I’ll take it apart and see if anything is obviously damaged. What do I have to lose at this point? Maybe an electronics repair shop can fix it. I’ll bet the Firefly company doesn’t want to and would like to have it in the landfill! Could be wrong though.
Wish I could show it to you to compare to the real deal. Man, this forged thing was mimmicked down to the smallest detail. I think it’s wrong to make fakes and to knowingly buy them, but it’s still impressive to look at.
I think rather than buying a real Firefly, I’m going to dig deep and take the plunge to buy a Crafty.
I thought that a couple previous posts complaining about the the inability of the Mighty to stand on its own, in an upright position, to cool off, was an important consideration. Your take?
Do you think the Mighty is any better than the Crafty at cooling off or even at not heating up and shutting off, in the first place, to cool down? Have you noticed a difference in your use of these two units? Do you think the design of the Mighty is superior with respect to staying cool and not shutting down as much?
Battery heat, as well as normal use, will contribute to the deterioration of the battery, which will, like a cell phone battery degrade over time. You can’t avoid that, but you can speed up it’s decay. My guess is that 2 years is the average lifespan for the batteries, similar to that of a cell phone battery. I’m guessing that’s why the Crafty/Mighty warranty is set at two years. For the battery.
I don’t mind the size of the Mighty. But the additional 70 bucks is a big deterrent to buying it. Not being to stand in a stable position is another demerit, but if it doesn’t get hot as easy and cools off quicker when it does, I might be able to overlook those shortcomings. Otherwise, I think I’ll go for the lower priced and gimmekier (cell phone app/bluetooth) Crafty.
Thanks Bud for all the helpful feedback and support you offer. You provide a great resource that takes the guess work (can you say “ka-ching” $$$) out of buying these expensive tools. This forum is priceless!
Cheers and gratitude, Daniel
In March of this year I bought a Firefly off Fleabay. It worked fine until a few weeks ago. Now the only light that functions is the one when it’s charging. It won’t turn on. I contacted Firefly and after many back and forth emails, they determined that it is a counterfeit. It’s been 6 months since I purchased it, so neither Fleabay nor pay pal will offer any assistance. It’s amazing how well it mimics a Firefly. Down to the user’s manual, charger and the box it came in. Looks like the real thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was made in the same Chinese factory.
So, I was wondering, are counterfeit vapes a big industry? Have you come across any Bud, or have heard stories?
Also wondering if I can get it fixed. Are you aware of any businesses, besides the manufacturers, that fix broken vapes?
I contacted the seller and we were texting to each other until I said that mine stopped working. No reply and a feel jipped. Boo hoo!
Maybe this will help one of your readers avoid a similar fate. Thanks for any input or advice you can offer!
Hey Daniel I’m really bummed to hear that!!
And yes unfortunately fakes and counterfeits are a BIG issue with vaporizers, I’ve come across dozens for many many models.
Auction sites and discount sites are def risky so if possible you’ll get more peace of mind if you order one from an authorized dealer. Firefly requires all legit sellers to charge the same price ($269.95)
Like some pluses, except batteries, although it is removable, but writes the majority of users – it dies after 3 months did not hold a charge. New, too, is € 23 and die within 3 months. It’s true?
Hey Alex my first Firefly died after one year, I got a new one a few months ago and it’s still going strong, the even bumped the capacity a tiny bit.
I’ve had the Firefly for about 6 months and like it for the most part. What bothers me is that it seems to be very inefficient in burning a lot of herb per bowl. Just curious what your thoughts on that are compared to other vapes.
Hey Kurtis this vape is one of the more efficient ones so just make sure you pack only ~.1g at a time and don’t pack it tight, once you nail down the technique you should be able to get 4-5 good draws from that amount.
Hi Bud, I’m Nicolas, from Argentina, wanted to thank you for your reviews they helped me a lo chosing my vaps, I started with de Iolite V2, then the Pax (wich I still use and found some tricks so that I only need to clean it once a week using it every day) also got an Arizer extreme Q, and my newest toy the Firefly, wich I’m getting to know and experimenting. I try something that really worked for me, I use a screen of de Arizer extreme Q on the top of the chamb it fits perfecly and I can grind thiner getting bigger and tastier clouds, and the best part is that is a “cleanner” way tu use it.
Sorry for my ortography, it’s been a long time that I don’t write in english.
Hi Bud,
My unit died after 3 months. It turns on okay but wouldn’t heat up when I press the button. After some research it turns out that this is a known issue (also there were a few faulty batches of the red unit as confirmed by the customer rep) but the customer service had been great before and they used to ship out a replacement right away.
So based on the feedback about the customer service I was expecting a quick replacement once the serial number was confirmed (as reported by many owners who encountered the same problem) . They are asking me to send back the unit using Fedex and then the issue will be resolved in 10-14 business days. Of course they forgot to mention this time frame in their return policy. I find this unacceptable when a unit is not only used for recreational purposes but that is my problem.
I still wholeheartedly recommend this product as it is great, but some of that recommendation stemmed from having heard great things about their customer service. I have dealt with them before when they sent my unit with an old battery (750mha). When I mentioned this to them I received a new one within a week. In both cases Patrick have been my rep and he is super fast with replies so big kudos.
I can’t stress this enough for buyers: vaporizers, as devices for the masses, are pretty new. The industry is still learning how to make very durable units that will serve customers for a long time. This is why one should only buy from companies where the customer service is excellent.
But now I feel like I need to warn others: if you use this unit for medicinal purposes make sure you have a backup unit of some sorts because the heating element is prone to failure and they don’t ship you a replacement right away like before. It potentially can take weeks until you see your unit again. I did ask them to kindly consider a refund if I place an order for a new unit right away (brand loyalty, right?), I will update this post once I had my scheduled call with them today.
tl;dr Still recommended but be warned that the customer service is not as good as Ploom’s (PAX) or the MFLB folks’.
Take it easy,
j
The Firefly team contacted me to let me know that they are shipping me a replacement unit. I think this is a fantastic development and I will now rest easy knowing that in case of a serious failure I can expect a swift resolution (though not guaranteed of course).
Hey Bud,
Looks like my unit was either of the faulty batch that has been reported (mostly affected the red units as confirmed by the company’s customer service rep) or there is something going on with this model’s heating apparatus because mine just died the other day. It turns on okay but wouldn’t heat up when I press the button. After some research it turns out that this is a known issue but the customer service had been great before and they used to ship out a replacement right away.
So based on the feedback about the customer service I was expecting a quick replacement once the serial number was confirmed (as reported by many owners who encountered the same problem) but I guess I was just naive.
They are asking me to send back the unit using Fedex and then the issue will be resolved in 10-14 business days. Of course they forgot to mention this time frame in their return policy. I find this unacceptable when a unit is not only used for recreational purposes but that is my problem.
I still wholeheartedly recommend this product as it is great, but some of that recommendation stemmed from having heard great things about their customer service. I have dealt with them before (see my comment 5 March) when they sent my unit with an old battery (750mha). When I complained I received a new one within a week. In both cases Patrick have been my rep and he is super fast with replies so big kudos.
But now I feel like I need to warn others: if you use this unit for medicinal purposes make sure you have a backup unit of some sorts because the heating element is prone to failure and they don’t ship you a unit overnight like before. It now potentially take weeks until you see your unit again.
I did ask them to kindly consider a refund if I place an order for a new unit right away (brand loyalty, right?), I will update this post once I receive an answer.
tl;dr Still recommended but be warned that the customer service is not as good as Ploom’s (PAX) or the MFLB folks’.
the unit is 3 months old
Hi Bud, Thanks for all your videos and reviews! I’m considering the Firefly for oil concentrates with the FF oil pads. You mention the oil pads & the good vapor quality. How much oil or dab is used and how is it loaded onto a pad and how long can one pad be used & how to clean it? Do you recommend the same heating technique for oil as herb? Newbee here to vaping and hoping to find true vaporization.
THANKS, Kathy
Bud, Actually I’m not totally new to vaping, I’ve tried the Boro pen and a oil cartridge pen that uses a wick & battery, called the Comit by New Vansterdam in Washington state. I love the cartridges convenience, but want to stop combustion smoking. I use two cartridge pens now, because I like to use different strains.
Kathy again, thinking on the Firefly. Thanks, keep up…the good work too.
Hi man
I’ve got the mighty and it performs awesome, I noticed that you talk very well about the taste of the vapour of the firefly, is it better than the mighty’s one? Just about taste in particular
I also like the firefly because I think that is like a “pro version” of the MFLB, I mean the kind of usage, because I’ve got even the magic and I love it, I love the way it Vapes, it’s more like a relaxed session cause there’s no shutt off time and I can wait as I want between each draws
But launch box doesn’t produce very much visible vapor and the taste is not perfect so the question is, will I upgrade that “MFLB kind of vaporisation” with the firefly? And also is the vapor taste better than the mighty?
If I could I would buy all the vaporizer on the market, cause I love to compare and change regularly, and a day I will, but now I don’t have the possibility to buy all that stuff, so the last question is, will be a wise choice buying a firefly having a mighty and a MFLB?
I’m also thinking about a pen for herbs because it’s very discreet and good for little amount of material, in particular I was impressed by the series 3 because it truly vaporize herb and even concentrate which I’m really into but I always dabbed and never tried a pen but I’m just thinking about it cause the easiness and discretnes of assuming wax, you know, torch and bongs aren’t so discreet.. But I noticed that it’ll cost about 140 box or more cause I live in Italy and shipping is expensive.. So I don’t know if I want to spend so much for a pen.. Let me know what you think, I’m watching your reviews since I started vaping, well, actually even before because you helped me to choose my first vaporizer and I seriously can’t imagine a better start in the world of vaping
So thank you man, I love your videos and also your tips that always helped me so much
Oh and sorry for my English I hope it’s all clear
Hey Bud-
Do you only preheat for 10 secs with the first draw or before every draw? How do I get the most out of the herb?
I usually preheat for 10 secs for the first draw, then with the next 4-5 draws I preheat 1-2 secs.
Thanks!
hey bud love the website
i’m thinking of buying either the firefly or the da vinci ascent.my question is can i split a bowl into a few sessions with the ascent or do you have to vape it all in once?
Hey Bud! Been watching your vids religously these days. Love how thorough you are with every product man. Has helped me a lot. I am highly considering the firefly. My only concern is that the units heating element is from a coil….and coils burnout eventually….I know that there is a 5 year warranty, but after the 5 years, I,m definately afraid that I’m going to be stuck with a funky lookin piece of metal paperweight….I mean the coil gets very bright and seems to get to really high temperatures. which is why i would never tap the unit to loosen herbs because id be afraid of damaging the hot coil or moving it around and eventually damaging it. When I found out that it wad just a springy coil inside, I was really dissappointed. Yet still, it is said to produce the best vapor quality. Anyways, I have looked high and low to find some info about the any problems with the coil and it seems there have been some….not alot out there yet. Probably because this product is still new and customer service is on point keeping people happy…I don,t really expect you to know, but since you have one maybe you can give some type of insight. Anyways thanx for your hard work and “stay up”. Lol
Hey Bud, Awesome web-site, as far as vaporizer review websites go it is the gold standard in my opinion. I bought a Firefly via your link back in October of last year based on your review and have been very satisfied. I am a light user, one session once or twice per week at home with my wife. The FF works very well for my situation and conserves material very well, also the Vape quality is everything you said it would be. I wanted to experiment with wax so I bought a V2 pro series 3 like literally 2 days before they released the concentrate pads for the FF. In your opinion are the pads worth getting for the FF if you have a V2 with wax cart? Any difference in Vape quality? I’ve read in other reviews that using wax in the FF is quite messy and not really worth the trouble? Any thoughts? Oh yeah and I also preordered a Pax2 ‘cuz I wanted something simple and discrete on the go and can’t wait to see your review. I nearly bought a Crafty after seeing your review but I couldn’t justify the cost…thanks again for all your work, I really do appreciate it!
Update: I cancelled my Pax2 preorder and bought a Crafty through your link. I just couldn’t resist anymore it sounds like the perfect vape for what I want. Thanks again for all your work.
Thanks Bud for your feedback. The Firefly now seems to be a much more attractive unit considering the better battery. 30 draws is a 50% increase in performance over 20 with the older battery. I understand that these are not hard-and-fast figures and that individual user habits (grind, amount loaded, length of draw, age/condition of battery, etc.) will have an affect. But given the constant of YOUR use of the older battery versus YOURs of the new, it’s reassuring.
Be aware, though, the Firefly is still sending out older style batteries with their vape and is out of stock currently on the newer McNair ones. Just got an email from them yesterday confirming this. When the McNairs are back in stock, they will continue a promotion of selling the battery with an external charger for the old price of just one. So, both for $30! So, you can always have a back-up battery waiting.
Thanks again Bud for keeping us informed. You are the Man! Daniel
Can anyone (maybe Bud because you said you ordered a new one) comment on whether the newer batteries actually do extend vaping time beyond the 20 draws Bud was getting from a single charge? Anyone tested it?
Are people experiencing the same problem getting the battery out as JdL or has the manufacturer remedied the problem?
Thanks for the follow-up folks!
Hey I just got my replacement recently and I seem to actually be getting closer to 30 draws per charge with this one so far.
It’s weird because the capacity only changed from 750mAh to 770mAh, but maybe somethin else changed too?
I didn’t have any problems getting either battery in or out also
Hey Bud, thanks for the reviews! I’m another person new to vaping. I noticed when you demonstrate the vap that it looks like you exhale smoke. I was under the impression that vaping dried herbs releases no visible smoke. What’s the deal?
Hey I just have my lighting setup to enhance the visible vapor but I promise that it’s truly vapor, unless I say otherwise none of the good vapes I review will combust your material or produce smoke.
Battery life IS poor, but with 5 year warranty (no scratches , so take care of it!) and a replaceable battery (extends life compared to MOST portable vapes with NO replaceable batteries)it is WELL WORTH the investment. However, the slight drawback of particles being sucked into the air path CAN be solved with a STANDARD sized PIPE SCREEN being placed ON TOP of chamber BEFORE closing the lid to use! A very CHEAP fix to that SLIGHT inconvenience! Just a tip to the avid vapors out there!
Thanks for your thoughts Mike!!
I am pretty happy with the battery life, though I am using it only at home or sometimes in the office and with one extra battery I am never out of juice.
What concerns me a bit is that the Firefly team wrote to me
“Lithium ion batteries naturally degrade over time, the more its used the more battery it depletes. It is hard to give an exact estimate of time each battery should function as usage habits tend to change from person to person. However, in my experience all of my batteries have lasted at least 3-4 months.”
3-4 months seems pretty short to me but we’ll see…
As for the scoobies traveling, I use a space case mini grinder and it is just perfect for the FF. I almost never dine on herbs.
Thanks for the great review Bud, I bought the FF after reading through the site as I wanted a vape that allows me to put it down after a draw or two and resume whenever I wanted. Cleaning is a breeze and the unit is well built.
Be aware that the company upgraded their batteries (from 750mA to 770mA) but they still send out the old ones – I ordered a FF and an extra battery and one of the batteries was the old one that dies a lot faster. I contacted them and will see if they can resolve it.
One question: how dry should the goods be in the chamber? Mine is getting dry a bit and was thinking about chucking the old orange peel in the mason jar for an hour to reinvigorate the buds.
Thanks!
Hey great choice
Very interesting about the batteries, thanks for the heads up! Let me know what they say
Generally drier material will vaporize better than moist stuff, so you might actually get better results if you keep it dry.
Stay up!
Hey Bud,
I received a reply from the Firefly team within hours. They are sending me an upgraded battery free of charge. So far great customer service!
Cheers
Awesome!!
I should mention Bud that I usually vape/smoke at home so maybe you’d recommend something different than a portable given what I said in my last post.
Ah I would consider the Plenty then as well!
Bud, I have been using a [standard piece] because of the lack of a draw off the two vapes I’ve had, the Ionizer and the Vapir NO2. I want to get back to a vape and although I’ve watched all your recent reviews I’m still not quite sure what one to invest $$ into. I’m leaning towards the Pax but the lack of draw you mention makes me hesitate. I do like its ease of use that you show it to be though. The Firefly also looks doable. Mostly though, what is important to me is that when I take a draw that I “feel” that the inhalation I’ve taken is noticeable. What would you do in my case?
Hey if you want to go high-end I would consider the Crafty, which has the easiest draw and strongest vapor, and the Firefly is also a good choice, although the experience while vaping is a bit different.
I just reviewed a new one that’s pretty inexpensive called the Vapium Summit, check that one out too it has an easier draw than the Pax and produces good vapor.
Bud, I have a firefly and have been using it for about 2 months. I pre-heat it for about 4 to 8 seconds, release and the press and draw for 6 to 8 seconds. I repeat 2 more times. I sometimes get pretty good vape, sometimes very light vape. My question is this, battery life! I usually get around 16 draws before my battery needs to be recharged. If you count the pre-heat time plus 3 draws, that total is 4 draws, 4 session in total and the battery need to be charged. Do you find this to be normal battery life or do you think I need to contact Firefly? I have heard that the battery should last about 45 minutes or 50 draws. You thoughts we’ll be very helpful!
Hey John in my testing I found that the battery doesn’t last very long, it’s one of this vape’s biggest drawbacks.
I’m usually only able to get around 10-20 good size draws before it dies.
Hey Bud, I have been a smoker for 20+ years and the Firefly is my first vaporizer. I have a few questions and comments.
#1 – The lid of my Firefly has a slight rattling sound when you lightly shake it, yet when I feel the glass window it seems to be seated quite securely. I don’t have a T5 so I can’t check the screws, but as I said the glass feels tight. The O-ring is also still seated.
#2 – I find myself coughing more with a vaporizer. Am I inhaling to deeply? I also just gave up cigarettes so that might be a contributing factor.
I purchased the Firefly via your link at VapeWorld. It seems like a great vaporizer for a single person. I can’t recommend it for more than a group of two light users as cleaning and repacking would become tiresome. Another added benefit I haven’t seen anyone else mention is that you can hold it up to your ear and it looks exactly like an older model cell phone if you are trying to remain inconspicuous.
Hey George,
I’m not familiar with issue #1, I don’t recall getting any complaints about that. I would try contacting Firefly support to see what they have to say.
As for #2 you may be taking too long of a draw, or drawing too hard, or holding the heat button down too long.
Try adjusting your technique a little at a time and you should be able to find the sweet spot that produces satisfying vapor without the irritation.
Thanks bud, so far my collection consists of an arizer solo and extreme q, a s&b plenty and crafty, a indica 2(a bit crap), a puffit x(very crap), a dabstar,(very good dab pen with variable voltage and titanium coil) a vaponics(very good all glass, lighter powered vaporiser pipe) and now a firefly.lol. Needless to say theres a few more i’d still love to own lol, and my collection pales in comparison to yours! Then again I’ve only been vaping a year lol, as always thanks for all the reviews, peace!
For your first year that’s an awesome collection! New reviews coming soon stay up!
Hey bud, i brought one of these a week a ago and i love it. As you know i’ve had some over heating/battery issues with my crafty. I was going to get a mighty to solve the problems caused by my heavy use, but ended up getting a firefly this time instead.lol. Im so glad i did! Its really great for flavour and the potency isn’t far of the crafty and is comparable due to the smaller bowl and less herbs used at a time. But best of all, big, tasty, potent hits in about 20 seconds!lol. I do still really really like the crafty, but i think this fits my needs a bit better. The crafty is still unbeatable for stealth and portability use, and i’ll definitely still get a mighty down the road, to go with my crafty and plenty lol. I just prefer the flavour, the battery performance/behaviour, and the instant heating of this unit to the crafty. Also the draws seem slightly smoother and my friends and family seem to cough less when using it. Thanks for the reviews as always. Peace!
Hey that’s awesome I’m really glad you’re diggin this one!
You have a Mighty fine collection there (lol)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, vape it up!
I bought a Firefly from Vapeworld and love it, but then I bought an extra battery and charger, and the second battery is oversized by nearly a millimeter. Might not sound like much, but though it can be crammed into the Fly, I can’t get it out without going in with tools and prying like heck. The two batteries have different designations as well:
Original: FT-201406018952
New: FM-201446009490
Has anyone else had this problem? I put in an inquiry with both Vapeworld and Firefly; the former has responded and is looking into it, while the latter has so far blown me off.
That’s crazy, I haven’t heard about that yet but I actually have to order a new battery myself, my original one doesn’t seem to hold a charge anymore (lasted about a year).
I’ll post back with what happens and if it’s the same size or not, or if you hear back first def let me know.
Firefly tells me serial numbers are both valid; I’m waiting for further info. VapeWorld says they’ve heard Firefly switched battery manufacturer. The new one is rated ever-so-slightly higher (770 mAh vs. 750 mAh). Guess that’s why it’s bigger! ;-j
The rep at Firefly suggested prying the fat battery out with the battery cover. That actually works with some effort (I also added a very small amount of lubricant where the fit is tightest). I’m guessing the verdict will be “live with it”, and I’m willing to do so, if not totally happy. Will post again when fully resolved.
Firefly confirms: the new FM series battery is larger. I got a helpful suggestion back from VapeWorld to put a piece of adhesive tape around the battery, with one end folder over on itself, to act as a pull-tab when the battery needs to be extracted. That works well.
Sweet thanks for following up!!
I so very badly wanted one of these. Several times had them in shopping carts just waiting for the final button push. Just can’t get by the 400 degree cap. Just won’t cut it for my needs. Perhaps an updated version will increase the cap a bit.
I enjoy your reviews. Great stuff. I don’t always agree with them, but they always help in my purchasing decisions. One of the first reviewers I check. Keep up the good work.
Hey thanks, stay up!
Is the firefly any more aromatic than the pax?
The Firefly produces a slightly nicer smelling/tasting vapor but the Pax gives off a little more odor in general.
Wow! I hope that it just keeps getting better!
I found a Firefly in a local shop for same price as online retail. This is my second portable vape, next to the Puffit, which, unfortunately, I purchased before I found the VapeCritic. I also had a friend who bought a Pax as his first vape, and he didn’t have a good experience. His stories have admittedly influenced my tendency to avoid the Pax as I begin to test the waters.
Anyway, as far as the Puffit goes.. I won’t be as hard on it as Bud was. I actually didn’t like the asthma inhaler approach, but the performance wasn’t horrible. I just found that I had to use the entire battery on one tightly-packed oven. After about 4 or 5 cycles, the thing produced ok vapor. Also, the plant was always evenly and fully toasted. (Just as a side note… I think that it’s a bad idea to pretend to be sucking on an asthma inhaler.. I hope that I don’t get asthma, as a payback).
But, thanks to Bud’s review, the Firefly has shown me how much better it can be. The Firefly is galaxies above the Puffit. The taste, the vapor clouds (and the very noticeable increase in potency over the Puffit), the ease of cleaning, and the quality build are all the strong points for sure.
The only thing that is a bit disappointing to me, is that the plants don’t seem to be fully cooked before I stop getting vapor. Is this normal for the Firefly? Also, it does seem to get fairly hot, but it has a small oven so you can only go for so long anyway.
Thanks Bud.
-WG
Hey thanks for posting!
Don’t even get me started on the Puffit ;) lol
I’m really glad you’re diggin the Firefly, vapor quality is definitely its strong point (along with elegance)
It’s actually ok if your material isn’t a dark brown when you’re done, some vapes don’t get it as dark as others even when it’s fully spent, mostly has to do with how the herbs are heated.
If you want to try to vape more out of it though I would just try to heat it a little longer or take a slightly longer draw (but tread lightly, if you go long it is possible to combust)
Stay up!
Since purchasing this beauty I have realized that the battery life is, by far, the worst trait of the Firefly. It sucks. But – you can buy more. And hopefully they will somehow improve upon it. For me, though, it’s the biggest reason that I don’t use it anymore.. so sad.
-WG
Yes unfortunately you’re right, the battery in this one really needs improvement.
The Firefly has been great, but the heating coil in mine broke after 5 months. The good news is that it comes with a 5 year warranty. The bad news is that it can take up to a month for the replacement to arrive (10-14 business days for processing, plus shipping both ways).
When they first came out, Firefly developed a reputation for fast turn-around times for repairs. Alas, that is no longer true.
Ah bummer man! I appreciate you posting and letting me know though.
Defects are inevitable with any product but I agree with you that vape companies need to step it up here
Agreed, they could do much better. They could charge me for the replacement then reverse the charge when they receive the defective unit, for example.
The replacement Firefly arrived after 11 days, which isn’t too bad. However the battery is bad, so my adventure isn’t over.
Battery arrived Friday, so the replacement cycle took 2 weeks and 2 days. I’m very happy to have a working device!
Awesome vape it up!!
The heating coil failed yesterday in the replacement Firefly, which means that this one lasted just 3 months. I’m returning it, and will let you know how fast the turnaround is this time.
Replacement unit arrived and it works. The turn-around time was 16 days, the same as last time.
Roughly one month of down-time over the eight months I’ve owned it. I like the vape, but it isn’t reliable.
Hi- I’m looking for a vaporizer for [light] use, so I only need 1-2 draws per session. Given how little herb I’ll use, does it matter much the size of the oven is? I was inter sites in the Pax, but I’m not sure if it’s too big- if that matters.
Hey there are definitely some models that perform better with small amounts of material for just a few draws at a time
The top 3 I recommend are the Firefly, Launch Box, and V2 Pro 3 – they can all be used with about 0.1g of material and will produce a handful of draws from that
Hey Guys,
I have been having issues with material heating up too fast and only getting 2-3 draws per bowl (filled to top). My unit gets extremely hot if used for multiple bowls in a row. I had mastered the technique earlier in my experience, but it seems now that no matter what technique I use (including little to no pre heat), I still only get about 2-3 draws per bowl until the material is completely brown. I believe I was getting 5 good long draws before and now using way shorter draws with the same results mentioned above. I have been using this bad boy for about a month with lots of practice in different methods. I contacted firefly regarding the unit getting extremely hot and they said that was normal. Please advise.
Hey can you describe how you’re using it in more detail?
For instance how long are you typically drawing for and how long are you holding the heat button down for?
Hey Bud,
Thank you for the fast response. I have utilized your prescribed technique and had great success for the first few weeks I have had the unit. I tried warm up times from 2-10 seconds, varying draw speeds, alternating pressing and releasing the button during draws, and everything in between. I’m skeptical because I didn’t have this issue at the beginning and I did not change techniques when this first started happening.
Hey man,
I like your reviews! I was wondering whether you ever heard about the Vapman? It is a swiss hand made Vaporizer and was the first one I owned. It is similar to the Firefly in that it also works (at least in part) through conduction, but if used right it really works well. Instead of a battery it uses a jetflame torch which is handy on longer trips without electricity.
Would love to hear your opinion on that one.
Keep up the good work!
Hey yes I’ve heard of it thanks for your request!
does your firefly makes small combustion black charred material? sometime you can taste like a weird taste like combustion and maybe find one burnt leave? I tried several ways. Vapeworld says I was pressing too long 8sec.. the say try pulsating Im not very happy with the sudden burn stuff
It is possible to combust with this vape and there’s a few things that could cause it
– Heating for more than 4-8 seconds before starting your draw
– Drawing too long, or drawing too slowly
– Not stirring or mixing herbs between draws
Hey Bud,
How important do you feel the optional screens are for the firefly?
Not very important to buy right away, you shouldn’t have to change them very often at all, but it can’t hurt to have them
While cleaning the black o-ring in the unit has come out and I cant get it back in totally. Looks like it might tear soon as well. Have you had this issue and can you add any insight?
Hey I haven’t had that issue myself but I may have heard about it once or twice before, can you email me a picture so I can see what you’re referring to?
My email is stayup[@]vapecritic[dot]com
Thank you!
Thanks for the videos, but I really think that you need to get the cat some dark sunglasses.
Just rec’d the Firefly from VW and taking it for a test drive.
So far, I like it.
Previously, purchased a Plenty from VW based on your review.
The Plenty consumes a lots of material for one user, even with the pad. It also looks too much my like my Black and Decker drill.
Take care,
Haha for sure!
Glad to hear you’re diggin the Firefly but bummer about your Plenty, I really like that one!
I chose the Firefly for my first flower vape, based mostly on your very helpful reviews, including the comparison with the Pax. Ordered it Saturday, received it Wednesday and the flavor is far better than that from other flower vapes I’ve tried. Tasty and easy to use. I can see why it might not be the ideal choice for use on-the-go but your reviews made me confident it was a better choice for me than the Pax and I’m glad I got it. Thank you for your help!
Bud, you are dead on correct regarding a slight learning curve that needs to be surmounted in order to get the maximum from your Firefly. Two things I learned to do that immediately resulted in amazingly thick and tasty vapor:
1. Do not use a superfine grind. Use a coarser grind (the cheap one included with the firefly works great) otherwise particulates will stick to the top of the glass window and might end up in your mouth.
2. After pre-heating the chamber, take a slow, gentle, but long draw. This was the KEY technique I had initially missed. I was inhaling too fast and with too much force.
You can take a shorter draw, but don’t inhale too hard. It almost feels like you’re coaxing the vapor out along the grooves. You’ll soon figure out exactly how much draw force to use. If you want a very big draw you will have to commit, in my opinion, to possibly up to 10 seconds of inhalation, but it’s worth it! The taste and thickness is astounding for a portable vaporizer.
Do you think this vape compares to the Thermovapes? The cera since its loose leaf and convection. Differences or thoughts? I own a pax and im looking into getting a convection style portable vaporizer. Just want the best one.
I actually own three of the vaporizers on your site. I own the Firefly, The Vapir N02 and the Plenty Vaporizer. You were spot on about the Plenty. I love that thing and it’s on another level. To be honest though I actually like my Vapir better then the Firefly. The learning curve for me was very annoying. I also did not get as medicated as I would with the N02 or the Plenty.
Don’t get me wrong the N02 has it’s problems. I had to buy another one in less than a year when my previous unit started combusting the herb. (It was under warranty but I didn’t feel like sending it back) I just think the Firefly is too much work for to little result. Also the top of my Firefly the seal came lose. I know I can buy another lid, but I wont as I don’t plan on using it again. Anyway love your site.
QUESTION BELOW. I’m having a hard time getting results, but I see in the reviews that there is a technique, which I’m trying to master. I see all reviews of this piece are glowing, so I trust that once I learn it, I’ll be happy. QUESTION: I’m noticing that once I start to draw, it seems that the inflow of air actually cools the oven chamber, and it seems to prevent it from vaporizing. To adjust for this, I’m trying to draw slowly to reduce the inflow of cool outside air into the chamber. But I’m still not getting the results I hear described in the various reviews. Recommendation?
Hey I think you should experiment a little more with oven pre-heating times – always heat it up for around 8-10 seconds before your first draw, and then press the heater button about 4-5 seconds before all subsequent draws.
Definitely draw slowly like you are, and draw for as long as you can. To get a real lot of vapor from this thing you may need to pull for as long as 10-15 seconds.
Hey man, another great review. I’m thinking about selling my Pax and buying the Firefly. I’ve been vaping for over a year now (I’ve never been a smoker btw) and after watching your reviews I got the Plenty for at-home use with my girlfriend and my Pax for on-the-go. We use the half-oven with the Pax and find that to be a nice small efficient compliment to the Plenty but over time I found that we’ve grown to love the vapor quality from the Plenty.
After getting over the learn curve of the Firefly do you think it’s safe to say it’d be similar to the half-oven of the Pax, in the amount of material it uses and the amount of vapor it produces, and have better quality vapor?
Also I understand I’m losing the lightweight, sleek and stealth design of the Pax and I guess I’m cool with that… not to the point that I’d consider the Solo but the Firefly seems doable. But is it also safe to say that I won’t have to be constantly cleaning the Firefly after every 3 sessions like I do with the Pax? Also I heard that the Firefly doesn’t have the heavy draw resistance that the Pax has and that I’ve heard the Solo has, is that true? And is it as free flowing as the Plenty is?
Hey the Firefly will work with less material in the chamber but to get as many draws as you can from the Pax you’ll probably end up using roughly the same amount. However, the vapor quality is a little better from the FF.
The FF draw resistance isn’t as bad as the Pax or Solo at all, and it’s also not as free-flowing as the Plenty, but I’ve found that you do need to take a fairly long draw to get a lot of vapor, sometimes 10 seconds or more.
As for cleaning, this vape won’t have it’s performance compromised if you don’t clean it but after every handful of sessions there will be some buildup on the top cover, and you’ll probably want to rub it off with some ISO.
can u use it in charger
Excellent product. I recently got mine and have been using it for a mix of herb and tobacco. I generally grind them together to get it mixed up a bit more, and a 50/50 blend ground loosely gives a wonderful vapor.
I find that when packed too light, much of the material will get stuck to the inlets just outside the window on the top piece and it’s not as effective. But when packed too full, the material has actually started to combust on a long draw. Point being, it’s a balancing act with this thing- but when you get it right, its incredible!
I agree, thanks for posting Chris I’m glad you’re diggin it!
Great website Bud, very informative. I have a helix glass [piece], thats it and i bring it everywhere because I cant bring anything in the house, wifey & kids. I want to go vapor, narrowed it down to the pax or firefly but it looks like there wont be that big of a difference. BUT atmos has a new orbit and transporter that are comprable and cheaper. Have you heard anything about those two new true vapors made by atmos?
Hey if you haven’t seen it yet check out my new Pax vs firefly comparison video, it explains their main differences and advantages: https://vapecritic.com/pax-vs-firefly/
I haven’t tried the new Atmos vapes but I’m skeptical, they’re mainly a pen vape company, but thanks for your request I’ll def consider it.
Bud..Thank you for this site…it has helped me save money…. There are so many crappy vapes on the market..
You got it man, and you’re right there are a lot of crappy ones.
I have a pax and just got a firefly…both are excellent vapes once you learn how to use them….The pax requires more detailed cleaning as well as lubrication but is easier to sneak in to venues…The firefly so far has given the best tasting vapor once you perfect temp control…..I have ordered another battery for it so it will be better able to be used by several people at get togethers…. The pax battery lasts much longer…
Thanks for posting Mike and sharing your experiences, I’m glad you’re enjoying them both.
Been using a FF for 5 months now. It rocks! Easy to maintain, no issues whatsoever. I use 3-5 times daily. Charge at night and keep an extra battery on hand. Have taken FF on several backcountry trips and so far has survived, though I have yet to drop it in sand or water. I found a cell phone case at REI that protects it in case of fall. I have used Pax and MLB, but this rules. Easy clean tasty draws. Very good hits with vapor clouds. Thanks Bud for the reviews to help me in making the choice to go this route.
Thanks for posting Mike! I’m really happy to hear you’re diggin the vape and it’s workin out for you, this is definitely a good one once you get the technique down.
Bud. I own a pax and as of yesterday a firefly. I am having trouble combustion on the firefly. I like taking big draws but the past 2 sessions I ended up burning the content. My pax mouthpiece is stuck and all of my heating tricks to release it are not working. Any tips on sending it back to pax even if I can’t really clean it out to well first since mouth piece is stuck. Hopefully they don’t mind it stinking like [herb]
Hey Brad, if you find that the Firefly is combusting your material there are two things to try…
One is to not hold the heat button for too long, and instead release the button about halfway through your draw. The other thing to do is stir or shake your material in between draws to make sure it’s mixed up so that one area doesn’t get overheated.
There’s a little bit of trial and error involved but with a little practice you should be able to get good vapor from it without any combustion.
As far as the Pax, if your mouthpiece is totally stuck it should be ok just to thoroughly clean out the oven before sending it back to Ploom. You can even put a pipe cleaner moistened with rubbing alcohol up the vapor path from the bottom to help clear out most of the residue.
Having a minor issue and was wondering if anyone else is experiencing this. I’ve used my Firefly pretty religiously since I’ve gotten it (5 months) probably 5x a day. I’ve cleaned it with alcohol wipes as instructed but now it seems I’m drawing in too much air like the top isn’t sealing good. I’ve made sure there wasn’t anything causing the top not to seal so i’m wondering if the rubber seal on the top is deteriorating some. My guess would be due to the heat and possibly the alcohol wipes. I know I can purchase a new top for cheap but I want to know if anyone else, especially you Bud has dealt with this issue.
Hey Tony I haven’t experienced this issue myself or received any other complaints about it, so I’m inclined to think it may be from using rubbing alcohol on the rubber seal, which over time could cause it to shrink a little and/or deteriorate.
I’ve been looking for a new portable vape, I was wondering what your recommendation is. I tried the arizer solo and even though it tasted nice there was way too much draw resistance for me and I thought the [vapor] ran way too hot. I also tried the original davinci and even though it didn’t taste as nice as the solo it was way easier to draw from and the draws weren’t as hot. The adjustable temp was a bonus, not necessary, but nice to have.
I’ve been looking at the firefly and ascent mostly, but if there’s something else I’d be all ears.
Thanks.
My favorite portables as of now are the Firefly and the Pax, those are the models I use and recommend the most.
The Firefly is built a little better and produces tastier vapor, but the Pax still performs well and is easier to carry around.
However, the Pax does have a fair bit of draw resistance, so if that is something you’re not fond of I would go with the FF.
The Ascent is good also, and doesn’t have as much resistance as the Pax, I just don’t find the vapor to be quite as dense and comfortable and it also seems to work best when fully packed, which is almost 0.5g.
Bud,
I just bought the FF. Been investigating for so long, and was pleased with my decision. Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to educate all of us out here so that we can get the best bang for the buck.
I love my FF and thought something was wrong with it, but then re-read all the threads about it you answered and your videos and realized it was user error.
I’m old school and used a one hitter and lighter for last 20 years so a vaporizer is really wondrous to this old timer! Love the effects and the taste and all the other perks of using a vaporizer.
Thank you Bud for helping this old lady figure out what would be best to buy. I am so happy with my decision.
Thanks for posting Elle!
I’m very happy you’re enjoying the vape and getting good use out of it, this is definitely a good one, especially in the portable category.
Be well!
I’m not getting any vapor from my firefly even tried your 8 and 4 sec method, pulled as hard and as long as I could. Did u find it hard to pull? Is it possible I got a defective FF?
Try holding the button down for 10 seconds. Letting go. Holding the button for four seconds before starting to inhale and the let go again. Continue inhaling while proceeding to hold the button down again for another four seconds. Repeat until ready to exhale. This method is called vapor surfing. More information can be found about it on the Firefly website.
I tried the 8/4 timing and it didn’t work great. Currently, I do a 10/5 timing and it seems perfect. 10 and then 5 for the first rip. Then 5 for the rest. With this method I just continue to hold the button.
This is a very technological vaporizer, and it has tricks you cannot image!
Thanks to bud for personally recommending it to me. I could not be more happy. I also purchased using the link you provided, as I hope everyone does. Great store, perfect for all your vaping needs.
Thanks for sharing your experience, the timing may vary a little for each user but as you mentioned the first heat up should be longer and then subsequent heatups should be around 4-5 seconds. This will also vary a little depending on grind consistency so you need to experiment with different durations but 8/4 or 10/5 is a good starting point.
I’m really glad to hear you’re enjoying it and I’m very appreciative of your support!
I’m stuck when deciding between the pax, firefly and ascent. I’m a veteran smoker and I have to stop combusting. When selecting a vape I’m most concerned with the quality of the [draw] and health of the vapor path. I have an easyvape and atmos raw and I just don’t want another pos. I do want something that has portability since I will be buying a volcano or herbalizer, and don’t need two home units. but portability is not my main concern. I’m looking for a potent dense good tasting clean vapor. I’m leaning towards the pax but is that only your go to unit because of its ease and portability? Does the firefly have a better quality vapor and just less portability then the pax? Can the ascent have dense clouds that may resemble the pax?
This is how I would describe the three vapes you’re interested in:
Firefly – best tasting vapor, highest build quality, shortest battery life, requires technique for best results.
Pax – most portable, best for use on-the-go, average to above-average vapor quality, good battery life, easy to use.
Ascent – portable but larger and heavier than the Pax, average quality vapor because it’s a little light and hot feeling, long battery life, works best when fully packed (almost 0.5g).
Which has denser, more potent vapor, a Pax or a Firefly?
The Firefly has the capability of producing stronger more potent vapor, you just have to take a pretty long draw to get it.
Hi Bud,
Got a question about Australia, yep the troublesome one.
I’ve really got my eye on the Firefly here, as it just seems to be the perfect fit for me. However, I can’t seem to source one in the country.
I’ve done a relatively thorough search, and can find no legal laws prohibiting their import, however the site you link to above says it unfortunately cannot deliver to my country.
I was wondering if you had any other suggestions on where to buy this.
At least I live in Melbourne, current plan is to just wander around all the shops I can find, hopefully one of them will stock them. If you have any ideas, let me know.
Otherwise, just wanna say cheers for all the awesome reviews. I definitely would not of been as interested in using a cape if I hadn’t found your website.
Hey David,
I do apologize for not having a source for people like you to get this vape, I’m not quite sure why those shipping restrictions exist but unfortunately they do.
I’m never done this myself so I’m not exactly sure how it works, but some people have told me that they’ve used package forwarding services to get vapes delivered overseas. You’re sort of given a temporary US address to send the package to and then the forwarding company sends it to you, apparently.
Unfortunately I don’t have any to recommend but I think if you do some searching on that you should be able to come up with some options.
Good luck and be well!
I’ve had the Pax and the FireFly [FF] and really recommend the FireFly over the Pax. With the FF you can vape tiny amounts and get great results where with the Pax you gotta pack it to work right. Cleaning the FF is a breeze, where the Pax is a real PITA to keep clean. Both are battery operated, but the FF has a replaceable battery so you can have several at the ready. The FF batteries charge faster too. Lastly and most important, the Pax tends to stink a lot. I mean really, really stink. Unless you have just cleaned it, don’t plan on keeping the Pax in your pocket and going into public as people will be wondering where the reek is coming. So much for stealth.
The FF is easily pocketed and has no odor unless you put it right up to your face. IMO there is no contest. Unless weight and capacity are primary concerns, pass on the Pax. Those are the ONLY areas where it out-performs the FireFly.
Hey I really appreciate you posting your thoughts but I do disagree with your assessment of the Pax, it’s not as bad as you make it sound, I still use mine constantly and everyone knows the vapes I have to choose from. They’re both really good IMO
Hey man very helpful and informative review. I’m still honestly torn between the pax and firefly. I want a decent vape to invest in. Portability is not that big of an issue for me but what I’m concerned about but didnt quite see in the comments (or maybe I’m blind) is the smell… which one doesnt produce that much or strong smell? Any input is grratly appreciated. Thank you! Cheers!
Hey thanks man basically all vapes smell at least a little bit, the odor is really just in the vapor that it produces, and I usually tell people that in general vapor smells less than half as strong as smoke and it dissipates more than twice as fast, so it’s much easier to control.
Thanks Bud! I got mine and I love it! It’s biggee than I expected but it’s beautiful. Plus sweet full flavors! However is it normal for the unit to get VERY hot after a couple of draws? :-/
Hey glad to hear it! But no it shouldn’t be getting very hot on the outside, if you continue having that issue I would contact support and see what they say, and if you do let me know what happens!
Your reviews are the shit dude. Decided to buy a Firefly through your link. Wanted the Dark Grey but won’t re-stock until 4/10, ended up getting the Silver.
Can’t wait to try this sexy beast out.
Thanks man I really appreciate it, hope you’re diggin the vape!!
Hey Bud,
I have ordered the firefly based upon your great review and am currently awaiting its arrival. In the meantime I have a question: after you do the preheat for 8 to 10 seconds, stop for 1 second, and then heat again for 4 seconds, when I go to take my draw do I want to continue to keep the button pressed that heats the chamber or should I depress it after the 4 seconds? That may sound like a weird question but I am totally new to vaping.
Hey Alan my apologies for the late response but yes, you should continue holding the button in while you take your draw.
Hope you’re enjoying it!
Firefly folks make a pretty pipe, but once it bursts into flames, you will see that the company will sidestep their own return policies and not reply to your communications. Thanks for stealing my money.
What happened man?
Sounds like BS to me. Every report I’ve read has given them kudos for their customer service. If you don’t believe me check out the Firefly thread on [FC forum]. Not one single case of bad service. Sure there have been defective units, but they have always responded quickly and exchanged products out. There are dozens of posts that attest to that. That many peeps can’t be wrong.
I’ll share my Firefly experience. Bought it on eBay from a respected seller for a slight discount. Worked great for a week. Great taste!! Got really hot a couple times. Then it died: battery said it was charged (steady blue), but it wouldn’t heat at all (3 red flashes) Contacted Firefly, and they said it was counterfeit and basically hung up on me. If this was counterfeit, well, it was made in their own damn factory, the heft and eye quality was spot on. Fortunately, the eBay seller (who insists it was not counterfeit, just an earlier production model) accepted my return. I’ve tried asking Firefly directly why I should give them another go, like, are they going to stand behind their product? They replied with a form letter about not buying from 3rd parties and didn’t really address my concerns at all. It’s hard to trust a company that won’t engage in a conversation. And now I see at least one other person has been blown off by them….
SO, I’m looking at other Vapes. Thinking about the Plenty, though I would prefer portable. In your video, it looks really plastic-y, esp the orange plastic ring around the chamber. Does it get hot and smell like hot plastic? It also looks a little tippy: will it break if it falls over (or off the coffee table) a few times? Thanks for all your input, mon!!
Haha you were right Bud, it’s all about technique. At first I wasn’t overly satisfied with the FF but now that I’ve become accustomed to how I like to use it, this device kicks ass. I’m so happy with my purchase and I haven’t smoked since I’ve acquired the FF, only vape and I can tell the difference physically. I also don’t consume as much. So keep on keeping on. Great hands on reviews.
Glad you’re diggin it!
Hey Bud, thanks for all your reviews. Good stuff.
Can you tell me what kind of draw resistance the firefly has? Is it at all like the pax? I found the pax too hard to pull from. . I’m looking for a nice at home vape with little to no draw resistance. I also want something that I can just put in a drawer and not have to worry about people seeing it.
thanks
Hey Jeff good question, the draw resistance with this vape is significantly less than the Pax, it’s definitely easier to pull from, and super easy to store.
Hi Bud, I really enjoy your reviews. I’ve got the extreme q and really enjoy the quality and consistency of the vapor but it requires more cleaning than I expected. I’m looking for a portable unit and the pax sounds like it needs more cleaning than I want so I’m considering the FF as well as a couple of units you haven’t reviewed namely the pinacle pro and vaporblunt 2.0. I’d love your thoughts on these units as I’ve seen other reviews of the pinacle pro rate as the best available. My biggest concerns are low maintenance, low draw resistance, low to no heat on the draw, something I can pass around with ease. Does the FF combust if you hold the trigger too long?
Hey Jimbo thanks for posting, I ended up reviewing the Pinnacle Pro also and wasn’t too thrilled with it so my vote would still be for this vape. If you hold the heater button too long and/or take too long of a draw there is the possibility of combusting your herbs, so it’s definitely important to have a little technique down so you know how long to heat & draw for.
I thought I was sold on the FF but am really still on the fence between it and the Pax…
I hate resistance while smoking, so was originally heavily inclined towards the FF.
But Pax has superior batteries, larger chamber, and seems to have some pretty happy customers.
Discretion is not important to me- What is important to me is to get the most effective draws possible and the most out of my [material].
Bud, lets get dramatic~ Hypothetically, if you had to choose between the two, and were going to have one [travel/portable] vape for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
I just took out funds and am ready to buy immediately, I have watched a million videos and still can’t decide.
Ah man that’s a really tough call! Take out more funds and buy both! ;)
You really can’t go wrong with either one, I’ve been using both regularly and my FF is sitting on my desk in front of me as I type this, but as I mention a few times I keep my FF at home 99% of the time cus the Pax is def easier and more convenient to carry around and use while you’re on-the-go.
If you still can’t decide just flip a coin!
Thanks Bud, Looks like FF will be the one… but I am curious, is there a reason you do not review any of the butane based vaporizers on your site?
I would love to see a future review comparing the Lotus to the Hammer. Have you any experience with either of those models?
No doubt, I’ve reviewed the iolite and Wispr which both run on butane but I haven’t tried any other models, thanks for your request!
This is how at least 93.7% of my preference-based decisions are made. The rest of those I just ask my wife because I don’t always have my coin(per-bicentennial Kennedy half dollar), any non-preference-based decisions are made using logic and the scientific method which seems to be the process you use for your reviews which is nice to see esp. in this market. Having said that, I was wondering if the V2, the Flight Box or the Firefly would be better for pre- and post-work car use either way this will likely end up being the only vape I own for a while other than my box mod for nicotine delivery due to my financial situation for the foreseeable future, so I need to make the “right” choice for my main situation the first time, so to speak.
Thankee in advance and keep up good work and the objective reviews, so people can make better informed decisions than most of the reviews on shopping sites will lead to.
Bud,
Appreciate your in depth analysis. I went with the FF based on personal need and your review of the FF and Pax helped me with my decision (also purchased on VW). I found a cool trick online that allows the FF a little more functionality and even less maintenance. People are buying the arizer bucket screens, pulling out the FF bottom screen and using the buckets as pre-loaded, swappable inserts. People are then putting the extra FF screen on top of the bucket screen supposedly eliminating almost all mess. I was wondering if you have tried this technique and/or what your thoughts on it are. sorry for the long winded comment.
CHEERS!
Hey man I haven’t tried that but it sounds kinda cool so I think I’m going to, thanks for posting hope you’re enjoying the vape!
Hey Bud,
Have you tried this method? I love my FF but I wish it was easier to keep clean while keeping the material off the glass. Placing the FF screen over the filled chamber sounds like this method should work but I worry about metal rubbing up against the chamber, especially the bottom part.
Keep up the good work!
Hey George, yes I actually tried using the bucket screen a few times, it’s interesting and cool that it keeps the herbs all tidy but I’ve found that most of the time I need to stir at least once mid-session, and this is easier to do when the herbs are packed in the chamber normally.
It’s definitely something to try to see if you like it if you own this vape.
I just put one of the extra screens on top and that prevents things (usually) from being blown around regardless of how hard I pull. This is my first vape and it seems pretty nice.
Howdy. Just got my Firefly a few days ago and I’m still trying to figure it out for best results. Your review video has definitely helped out but I’ve just had Inconsistent results. This device has always got the job done but I was hoping for a more rewarding vaping experience. But I need to let you know that I used to own a classic Volcano and with no experience with the Plenty, I can’t imagine any other vaporizer coming close to the results it delivers. So far my best results with the Firefly have been full chambers of coarsely ground herbs and preheating the chamber as you’ve instructed to do. I’ve never had a great session grinding the material to sand fine quality. But overall this device does as its supposed to. My best experience so far was when I actually took it on the go buy I bought this more for a nicer at home option. I’ll end up owning another Volcano if I continue vaporizing.
Thanks again for your awesome reviews and tips, Bud.
So this basically works the same way the Silver Surfer works, but without the temp knob?
Kinda sorta, in what sense do you mean?
I would say it works most similarly to the Launch Box, just in a more advanced way.
Hello,
From all the reviews I read when deciding between the Pax and the Firefly, I considered yours to be the best and most concise. Thanks. I bought the Firefly. Very nice and works exactly as you explained.
I am a small time and not daily vape guy, so this may be a dumb question. If I stick to the loose packed .1ish chamber load, how many draws would you suggest before discarding and reloading?
Thanks.
Hey glad you’re diggin the vape, I’ve found that I typically get a handful of good draws from a ~0.1 packing, maybe 5 or 6 before the herbs are totally spent, sometimes less depending how long I draw.
When you stop getting vapor and the taste becomes funky you generally know your material is just about spent.
I’m upgrading from the solo, which I love. I’m looking at the ascent, firefly, and pax. Discreetness and portability are key but I’m also looking for durability. Also the pax scares me with having to clean it all the time. That is probably the biggest issue for me and buying the lube and whatnot. The firefly I’ve read no issues with but it’s so new what it the batteries go bad after six months? The ascent just doesn’t have enough consistent reviews for me to know what’s up with.
Hey if you’re lookin for the most discreet and most portable the Pax is probably your best bet, I like this one a lot but use it mainly at home for a variety of reasons.
Cleaning is unfortunately part of regular maintenance with the Pax but you should only have to do it once every 6 to 12 sessions, and the cost of lube in the long run is minimal, you only use a single drop after each cleaning.
With the Firefly it has a removable battery so if somehow it dies and isn’t covered under warranty you are able to order just a single replacement battery if you need it.
The Ascent is pretty good too I just can’t get it to perform very well with small amounts of material, it seems to work best fully packed and it has a fairly large herb chamber (approx .5g capacity), but if you don’t mind that it’s not a bad option.
hey bud, first off keep up ur great work! very comprehensive site and great reviews. however I am, like a lot of people new to vaping, am torn between a few models and could do with some advice to help me make the right purchase. im an everyday user, my girlfriend and I would like to start vaping as a healthier alternative to combustion and a means to conserve our expensive herbs. would like a portable so we have the option of taking it to friends, are unbound by cords and for the convenience. I undrrstand that the current market leaders are the Pax, MFLB, Solo and the Firefly. weve already discounted the mflb due to it being a bit fiddly and possible to combust, so are torn between the remaining three. im put off the solo by the draw resistance issues and stem issues, put off pax because i hear its easy to use too much with it and also needs to be shipped in. we are drawn to the firefly because it looks good, yoyr review says its great taste and quality, small capacity etc but its so expensive. is it worth us forking out the extra bucks to have a firefly shipped in? or would the solo cut it?
appreciate any help u can give in advance
stay up ;)
or should we scrap all the above and get a plenty? ;)
Hey it’s hard to say because I like all the vapes you listed! You really can’t go wrong with any of them so just pick the one that seems to meet most of your requirements.
Great review! I’m often on FC, but hadn’t looked into this one much- so I was wondering how you would compare this to the Cera? It looks pretty much like they’re using the same system of heating, just implemented in a different (horizontal) design, and looks more user-friendly. From the way the vapor path is made, it looks like it’d cool the vapor a lot better too. Anyone have experience with both of them who can shed some light?
Hey I haven’t tried the Cera so I’m not sure sorry, but if anyone else has and wants to chime in please feel free.
I have a Firefly and I love it except that the window O-ring kept coming out. I decided to end the problem by using JBweld metal epoxy that is rated at 500 degrees (F) to seal that darn thing permanently. Wish me luck that I do not poison myself…lol.
Great posts. One question; for us that primarily utilize these devices only at home, what would be the most effective and efficient item to use for the “1-hit” style? If I’m not understanding correctly, it appears that most of these items do not work well unless they are packed with an adequate amount of product, therefore requiring over use or wasted product for a single session. While small and compact is far more ideal, I truly see conservation of product. Something that you get a solid pull or two in a single session and that’s it. I’m highly reluctant to join the vape crowd if I need to use a gram of super high quality product for every session.
Thanks in advance for your response.
Hey in general most of the vapes I like and recommend work well with approx. 0.2g of material packed in the chamber. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, but none of them need anything close to a full gram.
Most vapes are also not designed for one big draw and they work best when you vape at a slow pace and take ~10-20 draws over 10-20 minutes.
However, the Firefly is different, and one of the ways I’ve been using it sounds like exactly what you’re looking for, something to pack ~0.1g in and vape all of it in a couple draws.
Once you get the technique down you can pack a small amount and basically vape it all in one big draw if you wanted to, or maybe two draws, instead of taking 5 or 6 smaller pulls.
This is awesome and a couple months late, but I’ve circled back around to this again. I might pick up the firefly. Thanks again.
I am completely torn between the Firefly and the Ascent.
I mainly indulge alone, high quality material, around the house and don’t travel with it. I and intend to buy a desktop vape for company. So my priorities for a portable are efficiency, conservation, high quality vapor, and something I can hit and put down.
The Ascent has great design, glass vapor path, digital, programmable, expandable for water pipe, usable for oils, battery life. It’s from the future and looks awesome.
But the Firefly is completely convection and from reading the forums seems to have super high quality vapor. And the design seems that with proper technique, is convenient, durable, and efficient.
Your thoughts between those two?
Hey I think they’re both good but it sounds like the Firefly might be more up your alley in terms of how it works, and I do think the vapor quality is a bit higher.
It’s better for smaller amounts of material at a time, as low as 0.1g per packing, whereas the Ascent seems to work best when fully packed, and the chamber is large (~0.5g capacity).
Bud! Love your reviews. I bought the Firefly based on your review and couldn’t be happier. Just one question regarding the screen inside the bowl. Did you have any problems replacing it? Do you know of any alternatives for it other than buying one through the main Firefly website?
THANKS!
Hey man sorry for delayed response, very glad you’re enjoying the vape! Changing the chamber screen is pretty easy, I was able to get mine out with the poker tool they include. You shouldn’t have to change it often but once you run out of the screens they include with it you should be able to use any quality fine-mesh screens that are the same size if you don’t want to get the oem ones.
bud, love your reviews and value your opinion. i have a pax which i love due to portability, stealth and great vapor. kindy quirky with the mouthpiece and having to clean all the time (daily user). i had the mflb and didnt like taking batteries with me everywhere. did the job though.my question is this: i want another portable vape, just as a back up and because i want one. lol. i have it down to the ascent and firefly. which would you recommend between those two? i cant decide. lol. thanks for your awesome reviews.
Hey thanks for posting! I like both, I’ve found the Firefly a little difficult to use on-the-go but great at home, and the Ascent has better portability but requires more material in the chamber to perform best.
All other negatives and positives aside i want to know if the pax or the firefly is going to do a better job of getting me where i want to be with the least amount of drags. Which will give me more bang for my buck when it comes to my herbs.
Packing 0.15g will get you about 5-6 draws from Firefly and about 10 draws from Pax, with similar end results.
Does the firefly work with wax?
Possibly with some modification but out of the box it’s designed for use with dried herbs.
Hi I’ve never vaped before and I’m looking for a vaporizer to begin my journey (:D) But after looking through reviews for a whole month I’m still stuck between the Pax and the Firefly. I’m really confused because both of them have pros that I really like. Can you honestly just tell me which one you prefer for vaping?
Hey I addressed your question in my latest Q&A video.
Hi There, I bought the FF about three weeks ago. I have to say that I found your review to be very informative and a gateway to getting the best use out of my FF. I experimented with it a little and now I have a GREAT vaping experience. I quit smoking herbs for a long time and I have wanted to get back into the game. The negatives of combustion was heavy smoke, coughing hard, getting [too strong effects], costly swisher sweets and the manual efforts, [etc]. This is the delivery system I have been looking for. I’m 51 and a product of the 70’s. This is a product we could only have dreamed about back then. Sleek, heavy and the design is remarkable. Its fits great with my contemporary furniture. It was your review that clinched it for me. Keep up the great work.
Very glad to hear you’re enjoying the vape and getting good results from it, thanks for posting!
Hello! I stumbled upon your reviews as I was considering buying a vaporizer, and I love your reviews! I’m torn between the firefly and the pax. Which of the two is easier to maintain and clean? Which of the two delivers stronger draws or are they pretty much equal? Which of the two could probably withstand a big drop? Does the firefly ever get annoying since it can’t pack as much herb? Do you ever use tea? Sorry for all of the questions but I would love to hear your opinions!
Hey they both require some cleaning and maintenance but the Pax needs it a little more often and the procedure is slightly more involved. Firefly can deliver a stronger draw under optimal conditions (right amount of heating time, freshly packed) but Pax draws are more consistent and you get more of them from a single packing.
The FF has a sleeker finish which would probably get damaged more easily from a drop but I would be very careful not to drop either of them (Pax is lighter and not as slippery which makes it a little less prone to being dropped)
I wouldn’t say it’s annoying to have a small chamber like the FF does but it is a different vaping experience, it’s more “hands on” vaping than a unit like the Pax, which is more of a “pack it, turn it on, vape” type of unit.
Save yourself the effort of having to answer these posts, all asking the same question Bud! Pax vs Firefly review. Bring it on!!!!
;)
I am wondering are there times you would want to use the firefly over the volcano? How is the vapor quality as compared to the volcano?
Also, have you been able to get through a whole bowl without having to open the top to clear the vapor path and stir? I think it would be optimal to just pack one, and complete it without having to open the top.
Thanks!
Yea there are times when the FF is more convenient since there’s no warm up time required, and also when I want just a draw or two.
Vapor quality from the FF can be just as good as the Volcano but the V is more consistent and heats the material more evenly without the need to stir.
It would definitely be ideal to not have to open the chamber and stir during a session, but it is pretty much necessary for best results, although depending on how much you pack and how finely it’s ground up you could sometimes get away with just shaking the vape to mix the herbs instead of taking off the cover and stirring.
Hey Bud,
Great reviews!!!
I’m actually considering getting a portable herb vaporizer, and hesitate between a few models :
1/ Ascent
2/ Pinnacle Pro
3/ Firefly
4/ GrassHopper
I’m looking for a home device, but not plugins.
I don’t care about stealth and portability, I care about both taste and vapor quality.
I prefer “on-demand” to “sessions”, but I don’t like the idea of Firefly combustion depending of the way I use it.
I have a little preference now for the Pinnacle Pro, but that’s so complicated. :)
Any advice?
Hey I like the Firefly and Ascent but I dunno about the other two, I was really disappointed with the original Pinnacle and the Pro model doesn’t look different enough for me to believe it performs better, and the Grasshopper looks interesting but up until now no one has been able to make a “good” pen style vape for herbs, and I know that’s what they’re going for but in a video I saw about it the guy took a 20-30 second draw and only got a light wisp of vapor, so I’m skeptical of that one but I’ll try it when it comes out.
If taste and vapor quality are your top priorities I would say the FF is the best choice
Thanks for the advice!
I apologize I didn’t read all the reviews.. Just got my firefly.. I’m already onto my third one:-(.. I for sure dig it better then the plume but BEWARE!!!!
My issue is with the glass circle on the chamber.. Whatever you do don’t touch this!! I went to wipe it and the glass circle moved making the O- ring seal around it come out!!! Barely wiped it and this has now happened twice.. Really disappointed !! A total flaw on the design!! Originally bought it through vape world and after going through multiple phone calls they did overnight another one.. But after my second one broke I decided to message the company.. So far no response but no surprised since it’s holiday time.. Hopefully they take care of this.. Until then I’m sticking with my favorite!! PLENTY:-)
Hmm I don’t seem to have that issue with mine but thanks for posting and sharing your experience (and I agree the Plenty is da domb)
Ok first off thanks for the great videos. I’ve watched the pax videos and the firefly video numerous times, and I’ve read through the comments, I have a quick question, I think I know the answer… but… I’m a guy who uses the little metal cigarette replica99% of the time, & I use it 2 or 3 times a day, 3-4 fills at a time max. The main reason that I want either the pax or the firefly is almost entirely about being able to use in public. Even when I probably won’t have a reason to do so more than a couple of times a month. So considering all of this….would you be so kind to give me your educated recommendation?? I would assume you would recommend the FF.
Thank u,
Hey based on your usage habits the Firefly is probably closer to what you do now (small amounts multiple times) but I do think the Pax is a bit better for on-the-go use if that’s what you mean by using in public (you just turn it on and vape, no special heating technique or stirring required) — but the Pax is best when you fill the oven at least half full which is usually 10+ draws.
I couldn’t wait for you to respond so I pulled the trigger on the gray firefly.
I love it!
It is really perfect for me!
Thanks for the great videos,
jeez– the whole video was about what was wrong with this vap- i’ll stick with the Arizer Solo. much simpler.
keep up the good work .
Yea I’m just trying to put an equal amount of weight on both the positives and negatives when I do my reviews now, but overall it’s very good and I personally like it more than the Solo.
Hey Bud, I was reading through this vape’s thread on the fc forums, and I came across an issue whare there would be a sudden spike in the heater’s tempeture causing the material to combust, have you come across this issue?
Hey I haven’t experienced any temp spiking or anything but if you hold the heater button down too long and don’t draw at a regular pace it’s possible for the material to overheat, similar to how the Launch Box works.
What I found through my testing was that you just need to find the sweet spot of how long to pre-heat your herbs before you start drawing, and then you also develop a feel for how long to draw to get the amount of vapor you want.
The fact that it’s possible to overheat your material in this vape is one of the reasons I say it requires a bit of an advanced technique, but once you get in the groove of how to use it you can easily judge how long to heat it for without overheating.
I am also interested in a more in depth Firefly vs. Pax comparison.
The biggest negative I feel is the fact you have to open up the top every few draws to brush off pieces stuck in the top. If you don’t grind the herb as fine, will it still get stuck? Is there any way to get through a whole chamber without brushing or opening it up?
I’ll definitely consider making a comparison of the two, thanks for your request – in the meantime read over some of my responses to the comments above on the page and you’ll get a better idea of how they compare.
Yes you don’t need to grind super fine to get good results with this vape (I should have mentioned this in the video) so if you just use material ground up in say a 4-piece you shouldn’t have as big of an issue with pieces getting stuck on the top.
It’s hard to go a whole chamber-full without stirring or mixing but sometimes you can avoid opening it and just shake it a little to mix the material around.
I own the original Davinci, MFLB, and the Pax. There is no possible way that thing is better than the Pax! But you rate it higher? Looks like a Jetson’s version of the MFLB. And with that, how can they justify the price?
There are many things I consider in my overall rating (see here), and I did only end up rating it one point higher.
I explained this in more detail in some of my responses above but basically the Firefly does a little better than the Pax in these areas: Build quality, Elegance, Vapor taste, Draw resistance, Maintenance required.
One of it’s biggest negatives is that it’s definitely not as easy or convenient to use on-the-go as the Pax.
And yes it basically is a more advanced version of the MFLB, which is a great vape, so this one is a bit better and gets a higher rating.
Great website. I really appreciate your integrity. I have read/viewed a lot of reviews and a lot of folks either do not go enough into the “Real life experience” and/or they give companies a free pass when it comes to the negative aspects of their products. You, on the other hand deal with these tough things and I thank you for that.
Honestly, I pulled the trigger when I saw your rating of the device (before reading or watching the video).
My question is that your review doesn’t seem as positive as your rating. What do you love about this product?
Thanks!
Hey thanks for the kind words!
It’s a really nice vape just don’t forget to experiment a little with the different techniques I describe and you’ll find the best way to use it for you fairly quickly.
I’ve been trying to put more of an equal amount of emphasis on both the good and bad aspects of the vapes I review, so I can totally understand why my rating may not match my tone in some parts of the video.
There’s a few things I really like about this vape: It feels really solid and well made, it’s sexy and elegant, it’s efficient with small amounts of material, it produces great tasting vapor and it also seems to have an above-average potency.
There’s so many different things I have to think about when I come up with an overall rating so I don’t do it hastily and I really try to consider all aspects of ownership.
Let me know when you get it and have tried it a few times!
Ok, I got it and have had about 10 bowls over the past few days. In terms of both function, build quality, and design, it really does feels like a love child between a MFLB and a Leica Camera.
Some initial notes and observstions:
If you pack the bowl tightly and don’t stir, it is easy to combust. Combustion starts at the bottom center of the bowl.
You can use a top screen and that stops 99% of material from getting ducked up out of the bowl.
You can hit low and slow for the same
If I fill the bowl 75% or less, I can shake it instead of storing. (With top screen)
I can get 3 bowls with one battery charge
It is a little bigger than you think it will be. It feels like a candy bar cellphone, but made out of metal.
One time I was vapeing and not getting any vapor, looking around I realized that the lid was not on correctly. I fixed the lid and the next hit I took was pure combustion. This MIGHT be the temperature spike some folks are experiencing.
The premium package extra battery and charger are not going to ship until January. I had to live chat with them to learn that.
Pressing the button starts the heat, but the heat intentionally lowers the longer you hold the button down. The designers explained this in their podcast. The idea is that once the herbs get up to temperature they need less heat to maintain that temperature. Releasing and repressing the button starts the cycle over again.
Enjoy!
Hi Bud,
I’ve watched all your reviews and I really enjoyed all of them. Thanks to your reviews I bought my Pax and Plenty vaporizers and I couldn’t be more satisfied.
The deal is why do you rate Firefly vaporizer above Pax, since it’s way heavier compared to the Pax, the battery doesn’t last as long as the Pax according to your review, and it’s also kind of bulky for a portable?
Is the vapor that comes from Firefly vaporizer much better for you to rate it above Pax? It’s funny thought that you also mentioned in your review that you still keep using Pax more often when you out of your home, so I guess Pax is still your favorite portable vape, right?
I mean, if Firefly is too heavy and bulky and not to good to carry around and If it’s better to use at home, than I guess we would prefer to use the Volcano or Plenty which are far better in vapor quality.
This is why I am surprised that you have rated Firefly above Pax and I really would like to know why? I really didn’t see any big advantage after I’ve watched your review.
Also how the new Ascent vape compares to Firefly?
Looking foward to hearing from you…
Keep up reviewing new vapes.
Cheers….
Franco
Hey Franco thanks for posting, and nice choice of vapes!
Please keep in mind there are many things I think about when I come up with my overall ratings, and I only ended up rating them one point apart (out of 100).
Basically the Firefly does a little better in these areas: Vapor taste, Draw resistance, Build quality, Elegance, Maintenance required
And the Pax does a little better in these areas: Portability, Ease of use, Consistency, Battery life
Pax is still the one I will choose most often when I want a vape to leave my home with and use on-the-go. If you have a Volcano or Plenty at home it’s really not necessary to get a Firefly also unless you’re specifically looking for a cordless home vape that requires less maintenance than the Pax.
The FF would still be good for traveling too, but I’m mainly talking about like storing it in your luggage and then taking it out at your destination, not necessarily using when you’re on-the-move.
The Ascent is pretty good I’m just not a huge fan of how hot the vapor feels sometimes, I think what the FF produces is a bit smoother and a little more potent.
How is the drag/pull when inhaling with this vape? My friend has a pax at it seems to have alot of drag when inhaling. Can you use this vape while it is charging?
Are you going to be reviewing the new Snoop Dogg Pen? It claims to have the ability to effectively use actual herbs, not oil, and the best part about it is that it is only $99! I would expect that Snoop would know how to design a good vape. ;) Portable vapes, and vaporizers in general, are so expensive compared to combustion methods. Also, is there any information about harmful gases/fumes from heated stainless steel in comparison to glass? For instance when aluminum is heated it emits a very harmful chemical/gas that can cause brain problems and heated plastic emits cancer-causing chemicals/fumes.
Love the reviews. Keep them coming. :)
Hey I’ll consider it thanks for your request! I just took a look at it though and it looks just like other pen vapes that do not perform very well as true herbal vaporizers, but I’ll keep my eye out!
As for your second question see my response here to another visitor who asked something similar.
I Second Conner’s question. How does this compare to the pax?
I bought the volcano for home use and pax for portable use based on your reviews… and I could not be more pleased. Both my girlfriend and I switched entirely to vaping. Ive tried all my friends vapes and nothing has really compared to either as far as overall ease of use and vapor production.
Why does the firefly rate higher than the pax? it just looks like a glorified MFLB with internal battery, and a hastle to clean. (Not that the pax isn’t lol) Is it worth getting?
Nicely done with the vapes!
I just posted a lengthy reply to Conner above, check it out and let me know if there’s still anything that’s unclear.
I only rated it 1 point higher than the Pax overall with all things considered so they’re both really good vapes they just work in different ways and provide slightly different experiences.
In one sentence the benefits of the Firefly are that it’s a little more luxurious, feels a little more solid and well built, it can produce great quality vapor, and it works well with small amounts of material.
A lot of thought goes into the overall rating I give each vape and there are many things I consider, most of which are listed on this page.
If you have a Volcano and a Pax I do not think you need to jump and get this one unless you’re specifically looking for a lower-maintenance cordless vape to use around the house.
BTW, the Firefly is so EASY to clean!! Way easy. I haven’t seen one that is easier. You can pop off the cover and expose the entire vapor path and oven/screen.
Stainless steel vapor path once again. When are these guys going to learn? They got everything else pretty right. Automatically gets a 75/100 from me, and then we go down from there. I’m sticking with my ole’ buddy still, all glass vapor path. No chems, thanks.
I’ve reviewed a lot of vapes with both glass and stainless steel components and it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference what it’s made of, it’s more about how it’s designed.
Good example, the Ascent has an all glass vapor path and ceramic herb chamber but it truly does not produce the highest quality vapor, it tastes pretty good but it gets kinda hot and a little harsh fairly quickly.
And the vapor the Firefly produces is just as tasty, if not tastier, with its stainless steel path.
Not exactly Bud. I am a biochemist and glass is technically the only inert substance out of glass, copper, plastic, titanium and even steel. I think glass is the safest way to go and will gladly take a little “hot” vapor than a vape that is lined with material that can possibly leech. I hope this clears it up on the technical side.
Patel
Forgive my snarkiness…
I can’t find any studies that show high grade stainless steel leeches anything when heated to a max of 400°F, and practically every vape on the market has some in its construction, so I find your assertions hard to believe.
Last I checked most cookware is made of stainless steel and goes on top of a flame on your stove. Is everyone who uses a frying pan being poisoned also?
I am an Aerospace Engineer and have a thorough knowledge of the processes that take place when metal is heated. I agree with the Vape Critics assessment that heating high Grade stainless steel is safe for contact with consumables. Much or most of what we consume is exposed to heated stainless steel before we consume it. Heat treatment has existed for purifying water and cooking food for millennia. Much of this was carried out in contact with metal via pans, pots, skewers, and a host of other cooking devices that were made of far lower quality SS than what you will find in a vape. Also, a vaporizer doesn’t reach nearly the of food being cooked on a grill or in a frying pan. Instead, it reaches the temperature of an oven set at 400. Much lower. Think about the metal grill that sits on top of the ribeye that you loved so much. That steel is of a lower quality than what is in the good vaporizers. And, it’s getting MUCH hotter. I guess biochemists should confer with Aerospace Engineers before consulting on metallurgical properties. ;)
hey man, so if you were to decide between the firefly and arizer solo, in your opinion which is the better all around portable vape
He says firefly. See the videos on the Magic-Flight Launch Box and Pax. They are all rated higher overall on the home page. Again see the reviews too on video. Spend time on this site and u will know in seconds
Hey Bud. Thanks for this website. The reviews are very helpful. I have an idea which portable vapes I’m interested in, but I still can’t choose btw firefly and arizer solo. The main qualities for me are quality of vapor and efficiency (how many pulls you get out of one filling). Which would you choose in that situation?
Thanks Bud.
Hey they’re actually both very good and as far as vapor quality and efficiency they’re really not that different – their main differences are in how they work and what the experience/process will be like vaping with each of them. In a nutshell, the Firefly is a higher quality vape but the Solo requires less thinking/technique to get good results.
Iove the review but am officially doubtful of vapes. I bought a highly recommended quality pen vape but it is less than a vapor and every bit an electric pipe with not so much vape but plenty of smoke. Are there any true vaporizers out there? or are they just a ‘new’ way to smoke? I really don’t want to smoke but eating it takes too long to bring my pain level down.
Yea man basically all pen vapes perform like that, that’s the problem. I don’t consider any pen vapes good for dried herbs, but if you take a look at my homepage anything I rate 80/100 or higher I think is good and I recommend for herbs (and they all truly vaporize).
UPDATE: I’ve since reviewed the V2 Pro Series 3 which is a pen that does truly vaporize dry herbs.
Get a flower Vape. I ADORE my Magic-Flight Launch Box and Bud rates it his 3rd fave portable and is the least expensive at $119. I personally would start here for portables and I’d u can afford the Plenty for $300 something it’s AWESOME. now IF U WANT PORTABLE I don’t own the Pax but it’s rated second and firefly first which I don’t own. I honestly believe I personally am going to be happiest with my Launch Box for personal preference reasons. The Bottomline is pay attention. I will give u the need to knows on each portable of the 3 and then u decide because I trust each will make u happy. Based on personal preference
Not just me. Bud says and I agree that below this they get slightly lesser quality. This is too tier stuff. For portables
Launch Box. I own for over a year. I honestly am more in love with my same Launch Box today than the day I got it. It grows with u. Doesn’t smell like some say. Yes VAPOR itself smells a bit. I don’t notice it but SOMETIMES others can.
It’s tiny. The smallest. And that’s a shining feature if the reason for getting a portable is BEING TO TAKE ON THE GO. it has a car battery adapter to charge batteries AS WELL as a car power adapter for the unit. Pax does. Firefly no.
Can use with a LOT of herbs or a tiny amount. Neither Pax or firely have large chambers and neither I think let u use only a TINY amount. They need to be packed but not Launch Box. And firefly is so tiny (.1 g) in chamber u won’t have any less material. LOL!
killer Launch Box feature
Also I can’t imagine ANYONE LOVING TO DEATH their products and meticulously SLAVING over EACH and every accessory AS WELL as having better customer service and Warrenty (lifetime) than ANY other company I know more than Magic-Flight makers of the Launch Box.
Pax. Bud says on the go he would still choose this over the Launch Box. Launch Box has tons of DOPE USEFUL ACCESSORIES like the Orbiter a bubbler brand new for the Launch Box. Lifetime Warrenty on the whole thing including glass at your own fault IF u buy in 2014. Everything but the glass is covered. Launch Box covered forever.
I don’t own pax but I can’t imagine loving it as much as Bud. I bet it’s really solid. I really do. And maybe if both the Launch Box and the Pax were pre-packed everytime I would choose Pax. But overall Launch Box has too much going for it. Magic-Flight is bombarding us with AMAZING products and Launch Box sick add-ons.
The firefly is made very very well according to Bud. It will be my next Vape instead of Pax like I originally planned. It’s is most expensive at $269 but Pax is about that too I think. Again Launch Box is $119. The others probably have 2 year Warranty. I totally bekieve this product is made well. And perhaps it is the strongest etc but again the Launch Box is just made with love and SUCH personality for each box with a ZILLION (affordable) customizations. Which is important to note that for only $6 I upgraded my Maple (their lowest grade wood Launch Box and the only available at the time I got mine. I recently bought their highest of their 3 graded woods (goes lowest to best quality: Maple (original. The lightest one and lightest weight probably) then cherry wood which looks dope and then walnut which is just dope. I recommends this wood. I think it’s less than or about $20 only for better wood and it’s worth it) so I recently bought a grinder u MUST GET if u get a Launch Box and if u get a portable Vape Bud will even recommend u buy THIS grinder by Magic-Flight: ‘The Finishing Grinder’. First of all watch one of their YouTube channel videos on the making of this or on their site videos. U will see the attention to detail these wood masters have!!!! And love for their work!! I bought in Walnut the best and darkest colored wood to see if I would like to upgrade my whole Launch Box. YES I DO. just get unless u prefer a different color.
The three woods WILL. NOT. EFFECT AT ALL. YOUR HAPPINESSS. each will get u just as happy. They tell u that. It’s a luxury soley. But more durable I bet. But I’ve dropped this Änëmïä* zillion times. On concrete. Won’t break. Who cares if it does.
Firefly. Horrible battery life. U MUST BUY AN EXTRA BATTERY right away. Same with Magic-Flight but their sets of 2 (which it’s comes with 1 set of 2. Get at least 4 total for great rotation. Never be uncharged. I have 16. No BSn around here lol! Magic-Flight will tell u about ‘Powerex’ batteries u can get that are even better than their batteries. They rock. Get em) firefly batteries are $30
They ONLY KASY FOR 15 HITS. SEE VAPE CRITIC VIDEO. AWEFUL. So get more than 1 at $30 a piece. Damn.
Or get a power adapter Here’s why
Right now I love my Launch Box so much I use it at home. Especially with the Orbiter !!! But the firefly allegedly has better flavor and more dense vapor to get u happier quicker obviously than the other vapes portables
SOOO I plan to skip on Pax and use Launch Box for out and about because the Firefly just so u know is like 5 times the size of the Launch Box and 4 times the size of Pax. Or so. It’s big and heavy. Sturdy. Strong. I plan to buy the only $15 power adapter for at home. No batteries plug into wall and it’s TOO BIG TO CARRY AROUND OUTSIDE AND CHAMBER SO TINY U ARE ALWAYS FILLING. Launch Box lasts forever. Truly and firefly has only 15 hits before battery dies? That’s crazy. I can’t be recharging that much on the go or changing chambers all the time. I get a few FULL (too packed admittedly) troughs like 3 per one battery!!
Listen. Launch Box has a technique or u get poor vapor. Consult them and their helpful videos. I was confused like many at first. Best way is to inhale not suck if that makes sense and SLOW as u can about. For about 12 seconds +- I get fat hits. Makes me happy
So there u have it. Firefly as a cordless HOME UNIT with slightly less potent vapor than my other ‘real’ home units which are ALWAYS going to be better vapor overall than portables. I hope a miracle happens and both can even improve. Wouldn’t it be great to get the vapor quality of the Plenty on the go? That will straight put me to sleep and herbs rarely do that for me
Firefly. Of u get this Vape. Sure u can take it on the go. But I personally and Bud agrees that this vape shines as a potent cordless home unit. And Launch Box on the go for me. Pax for Bud. I’m skipping the Pax probably altogether. I think it’s probably a very good and deserving Vape tho so if it looks more appealing than the Launch Box by all means go with Ploom (makers of Pax)
Look. When I started vaping I was disappointed too. I had a bad experience also and I almost completely gave up on the idea of vaping but I saw Bud’s Launch Box video and the Launch Box really changed my life.
Thoughts?? Remember. Keep in mind the upgraded. I CANNOT believe how much useful stuff they make
Oh yes. The Finishing Grindet. Why do u need this regardless of which Vape? Watch ALL of his videos in the OTHERSECTION ON Bud’s site here and u learn that vaping requires the smallest grindings u can get. (And as dry too. I store my herbs without a lid personally. Moisture is bad is my understanding. Bud will back that.
Ok. Watch one of my favorite vids. It’s his GRINDER ROUNDUP video. The 2 best are the all around best Space Case 4 piece grinder (he has a small. I have every size. It’s from Mini to small to medium and finally large. And I particularly love the Mini and the Large. However if I could only buy one I’d get the small. Bud has this size too. BUT if I could only get one JUST FOR VAPING I would obviously get the mini which produces to iest grinds. This company is called Space Case Grinders.
They produce the best grinder. If u get one of the small thru large get it in TITANIUM – it’s the black one. Not silver. It looks cooler but I found it’s better grinding and clean WAY WAY less often mini only comes in their top grade aluminum which is still incredibly nice. Clean more often tho)
and the other best IMO is the Magic-Flight finishing grinder. Again it makes grinding even smaller than the Space Case Grinders Mini. WOW. even grinds u to a powder. And the wood making is so dope that I just bought a second one even tho there is absolutely no reason besides I LOVE Magic-Flight stuff when it’s brand new
Check out the Magic-Flight Launch Box. pax and firefly reviews here. And the grinder round up under the OTHER section and also visit Magic-Flight no matter what. Write them with a million Q’s. A very happy person or creature named ‘Hobbit’ will merrily reply at length if necessary
BluPanthr
Hey Bud, I was wondering if you could go into more detail about the benefits of this vape versus the Pax. You seem to suggest that this one is better for at home use, but I’m curious as to what actually makes it better than simply using the Pax at home. Is the vapor quality better overall? Is it more efficient with herbs than the Pax? Also, considering that you think this serves best as a cordless home vape, I’d love to see a Solo Vs Firefly review, or at least a couple of reasons on why you think one is better than the other, especially regarding vape quality and efficiency as I mentioned earlier. These are the three vaporizers I am considering buying. Really, the only reason I would get the Pax is if it performed just as well as the Firefly and Solo, but I’m guessing that isn’t the case given your ratings and previous statements. I’m really interested in the cordless home vape idea, so portability really isn’t much of a factor between these three for me.
P.S. Love the videos and reviews. I’ve been watching/reading your stuff for nearly a year and a half now, and it’s been great. I wish there were more honest review sites like this one.
Hey Conner thanks for posting.
All 3 of those vapes would be good for home use but the Pax is one of the few that is truly designed for on-the-go use.
If you will rarely be bringing your vape with you anywhere I say the Firefly might be a slightly better option for home use because it’s a little more elegant, has a slightly higher build quality, produces slightly higher quality vapor (taste and potency), and is better for slower, more relaxed sessions where you can wait a few minutes between draws. “Slight” is the key word here, I only rated it one point higher than the Pax overall with all things considered.
If you do want the ability to carry the vape around with you and use when you’re out and about the Pax is a better choice IMO. It’ll still perform well when you want to just use it at home but then you have the flexibility of easily tossing it in your pocket and going somewhere with it. It just works differently in that once you start heating the oven it’s recommended to vape all the material in one session without taking too long of a break between draws. It physically weighs less so it may not feel as solid and elegant, but it still produces good quality vapor and performs well. It’ll also require the most frequent cleaning of the three (about every 6-12 sessions).
You mentioned you’re most interested in a cordless home vape, so it’s not that the Pax would be bad for that at all it’s just that the Firefly or Solo may be slightly better choices to cut down on maintenance, and between those two I just personally find the Firefly to provide a more enjoyable experience overall when I consider all of the questions listed here (it has less draw resistance too).
I’ll definitely consider doing some more comparison videos for these portables, these seem to be common questions lately, thanks for your request!
UPDATE: I now have a Pax vs Firefly review up to help you compare the two.
I think the closest thing to what you’re looking for would be the DaVinci Ascent. I believe it has a ceramic chamber with an all-glass vapor path, and from what I heard it does wax well. Peace!
Only have the pax and it works great. Just like to mention that it takes time, maybe 1 to 2 weeks, to get used to using it. Hard to teach a old dog new tricks. Peace out