The company behind the Davinci IQ Vaporizer say this is cutting edge delivering an “advanced, superior and portable” herb based vaping experience with a price tag to match.
Given I’ve used and reviewed a few of the higher and cheaper priced vaporizers on the market I was obviously keen to put this one through its paces and see for myself if it matched or indeed beat my go too favourite the Firefly 2.
Product Update: Davinci IQ2 Review
Like the latter this one can be hooked up to an app when you can fine tune and tinker with your settings and it’s also firmware upgrade-able.
What Can We Expect From The Davinci IQ?
Unlike the Firefly 2 the Davinci IQ has a vapour path made from ceramic zirconia and not glass and is a hybrid between convection and conduction – what that actually means and how it may or may not help with flavour I’ll certainly get into.
OK once again this was sent to me directly from the good folks over at Davinci free of charge for the purpose of this review – thank you – and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.
BTW a herb vaporizer is exactly that – it vaporizes herbs and not just the stuff that’s illegal here in the UK. Many people swear by using ‘legal’ herbs such as mint – lavender and even catnip…Google is your friend to see what benefits vaping on certain herbs may have 😉
Obviously neither myself nor anyone at EcigClick is suggesting you vape on anything that may be illegal in your country…
Let’s see if this device can sit with some of the best vaporizers for dry herb.
Inside the Box
OK I’m pretty sure yours won’t arrive in the absolutely amazing presentation case that mine did – hey call me an elitist haha. Saying that the retail box is just as good with a sleeve over a very sturdy and attractive box and inside there’s plenty of goodies:
- 1 x DaVinci IQ Vape
- 1 x USB Charging Cable
- 3 x Alcohol Wipes
- 1 x Chimney Brush
- 1 x Herb Funnel
- 1 x 10mm Adapter
Davinci IQ Specs
- Size: 9cm x 4.2cm X 2.4cm
- Weight: 140 grams
- Powered by a single rechargeable 18650 battery [included]
- USB charger
- 3 Hour battery life when Vaping
- 10-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Bluetooth App technology with innovative “smart path” feature
- 3 smart modes for use and precise control by smartphone
- Sleek design & haptic vibration
- Initial heating in 16 seconds – can bake slow or fast
- 90 seconds bake time in standard mode
- On demand boost mode for extra-large hits
Davinci IQ Vaporizer Quick Start Guide
- x5 clicks of the control button on and off
- Fill via base
- Up and down buttons to change modes or raise/lower temps
- Smart path = x1 square of LED lights low temp up to x4 square highest temp
- Click control button use up and down for temp settings in precision mode
- Press and hold control button for boost mode
- Release control button in use to go to standby mode
- Control and down to dim or stealth vape [lights out]
- Control and up back to full brightness
- Choose F or C by holding all three buttons
- Battery and flavour chamber accessed by lifting top of the device
- Factory reset by holding all 3 buttons for 10 seconds
Note: device vibrates when selected temperature is reached.
Key Features
Where to begin because this little beauty is absolutely jam packed with features.
OK apart from the absolutely stunning and ergonomic design the key here is the smart path feature.
What this means is you can set the Davinci IQ to your perfect temperature and it maintains that whilst you’re vaping – for the length of time you’re using it. So no need to either rush or re-bake halfway through which has obvious benefits.
In fact the Davinci IQ is the only vaporizer that features not one but three modes: Smart Path – Precision and Boost.
- Smart Path: choose from x4 pre-set temperature settings:
- 351 – 370 ℉
- 370 – 390 ℉
- 390 – 410 ℉
- 410 – 430 ℉
- Precision: set your exact baking temperature from between 250-430F
- Boost: the highest temp setting giving you more than a little extra oomph in your ‘hits’
You can also really fine tune and find your perfect setting by downloading the app [apple and android] and pair it with your Bluetooth device/phone – get the app on their website.
There is also an extra setting called standby mode which as the name suggests allows you to turn off the device to allow it to cool down.
There’s no menu screen as such instead you get a very cool futuristic LED light system that either shows the pre-set temperature you’re in or your own setting in numbers – you can use the up and down buttons to raise or lower those values.
OK I’m kind of getting into the build and design quality here but the actual baking chamber is made from 100% ceramic zirconia – which unlike glass is unbreakable and is said to offer an even cleaner smoother ‘pathway’ than glass based vaporizers – we shall see 😉
Unlike any of the other vaporizers out there this one does not have an internal battery instead it’s powered by a regular 18650 battery – brilliant!
BTW the company does sell a portable battery charger but hey most vapers have one so just an option I guess for the none vapers out there as whilst charging via USB can be OK external chargers are advised.
Clever Touches and Plenty of Goodies
At the base of the device you’ll also find what the designers are calling the ‘pearl’ – this little feature is actually very very clever indeed.
What it does is not only really help pack in the herb but also makes sure the heat keeps constant around whatever it is you’re vaping on – simple and works extremely well indeed.
Finally the contents of the box are well worth a mention – you really do get some very useful goodies.
Obviously the charging cable which is very funky – the alcohol wipes are obviously for cleaning – a sticker and a couple of bits to pop on your key fob.
There’s the packing tool which also acts as a lever to pull out your oven and a wonderful matchy matchy carry can in which you can keep a fair bit of material – nice touches.
There’s also an extra mouthpiece – reminiscent of a longer 510 drip tip – that can also be added to a ‘water bowl or bong’ allowing you to use the device on your favourite kit.
In fact the whole Davinci IQ set up is more than a nice touch – from the app to the little additions – the team has really thought things out – including making it firmware upgrade-able.
Design and Build Quality
First of all a quick and easy explanation of conduction and convection vaporizers.
The vast majority on the market are conduction that is to say the material is heated/baked directly on a hot surface – whilst convection has hot air passing through the material.
The Davinci IQ is a hybrid of the two systems – and to that end avoids the over-toasting if you like of the goodies you’re looking forward to vaping on.
OK – that’s my science head done for a while I hope and if you’re interested Davinci has an excellent article on the matter here.
Design wise it’s absolutely stunning – I mean just look at it and those LED lights and haptic feedback [it buzzes and vibrates] are a joy – depending on what you’re vaping on they can be a ticklish giggle too lol.
The ‘flavour chamber’ is also a simple yet very clever design feature.
It’s housed away from the oven/heating element and bang on top of where the vapour is produced. The manufacturers say this will not only keep the temps comfortably cool for both the baking herb and user – but also lock in flavour.
We’ll see if that’s the case soon…
Its light as a feather – beautifully machined with all the moving and removable parts silky smooth and as I said it looks bloody gorgeous and is definitely ergonomic in the hand.
How Does the Davinci IQ Vaporizer Perform?
I admit it took me 10 minutes before I’d sussed it all out – I’m an old bloke remember and I have a blind spot for instruction manuals lol – so do read it first 🙂
Seriously though it really is a simple device to get your head around and two fills in I was flying…er literally???
Speaking of fills trial and error showed me that you’ll need to grind whatever herb your using finer than you may think and certainly pack it tight – however don’t ram it in you need some space for the hot air to circulate.
I’ve been fortunate enough to review and regularly use most of the leading vaporizers [and cheaper ones] on the market.
My go to since it arrived has been the Firefly 2 which ticked all the boxes for me.
That was until the Davinci IQ arrived – oh my slap on my bell bottoms and call me a hippy – this is far out man and very cool.
Cool being the operative word because unlike the other vaporizers I’ve tried – the lower the temp the better the flavour I’ve gotten out of it – that flavour chamber really does add a little extra Mary Jane magic or should I say ‘mint’ magic for sure 😉
Battery Life and That Perfect Temperature
I haven’t needed to stop a session to stir the material either and have noticed the herb rarely darkens to the extent direct heat chambers tend to do.
This means a consistent cool to warm vape that really does deliver vapour on a par with a half decent MTL device – not a cloud machine but certainly more vapour than the others I’ve used.
I’ve noticed feedback on the device suggests you utilize the flavour chamber by adding other herbs to your mix – nice idea.
The company says you can get around 80 to 90 minutes use out of a single charged 18650 depending on your chosen temp – very short use for regular vapers however this has a few more bits and bobs inside and three hours is plenty for a herbal session 😉
As I mentioned I found by far the best flavour from lower settings finding my sweet spot at 320F – for science and giggles I did push it to 420F [see what I did there] but for me it lacked a little flavour but was certainly not too hot.
BTW out of the box there’s two ways of vaping on the Davinci IQ – the flat mouthpiece or the extended 510 style.
Of the two I felt the flat was a little too restrictive whilst the extended was slightly looser [again think MTL] and for me gave a more comfortable vape – both are very easy to swap over – simply pop them out.
Pros
- Stunning design
- Compact
- Lightweight but sturdy
- Superb build quality
- Incredible flavour
- Very good vapour production
- 18650 battery powered [included]
- Decent battery life
- 10 year warranty wow!
- Bluetooth app
- X4 out of the box settings
- Plenty of extras in the box
- Firmware upgrade-able
Cons
- Pricey
- Re-charge can take up to 3 hours
- Can’t be used with a concentrate
Final Review Verdict
As I keep alluding too I’ve had an awful summer with lots of emotional stress to put it mildly.
The type of herb I use – in moderation – has helped me through dark times for as long as I can remember and the Davinci IQ has certainly added a whole new level of enjoyment – this thing seriously rocks.
Filling is a doddle – the flavour chamber combined with that clever little pearl ball really does max out the taste and the vapour production is on a par with ones you may have rolled.
The whole package screams quality and class with useful little additions to the kit – sure it’s pricey but the bells and whistles especially the app and the three very clever temp modes means it is definitely worth your hard earned green-backs.
I’m not sure if it’s the lack of direct heat – the flavour chamber or the hybrid between convection and conduction OR the difference between glass and ceramic zirconia but hands down I’ve found this out performs all the other vaporizers I’ve used – on every level…
The vaping experience is smooth quiet and consistent and the flavour absolutely sings – what’s not to like!
Highly recommended.
