Has the PAX3 Kept Its Crown As The King of the Vaporizers?
The PAX series of vaporizers have long held the title as the best of the best vaporizers and the latest rendition the PAX3 has been well received by those in the know.
As you can guess from the name the PAX3 is the very latest of the trio and comes with a number of improvements on its predecessors including a lightning fast heat up time and the ability to control it via an app.
The PAX3 is a dual purpose device meaning it can switch from dry herb to concentrates by swapping the oven-lid and has a number of temperature settings.
It is on the higher price scale than many vaporizers out there so does the extra cost mean it’s a better device?
Let’s take a closer look.
This device was sent to me [some time ago now – my apologies!] for the purpose of review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.
OK first a disclaimer.
This is a dry herb vaporizer and for sale legally here in the UK – whilst it can be used for marijuana or concentrates if the use of such substances is illegal in your country be careful!
For the record a number of perfectly legal herbs can be used such as mint etc – with all allegedly having positive effects – Google is your friend to find out which ones do what!
And NO we at Ecigclick are NOT condoning any use of drugs if it’s illegal where you live!
Inside the ‘Complete Kit’ Box
Very Apple–esque packaging and very nicely done indeed.
As you can see I received the ‘complete kit’ which includes the concentrate option – a device only option is also available.
Inside you’ll find:
- PAX 3 Device
- Concentrate Insert
- Charging Cable + Dock
- 3500 mAh Battery
- 2 Mouthpieces
- 2 Oven Lids
- 3 Screens
- Maintenance Kit
- Multi-tool
- Cloth Carry Bag
Pax3 Specs and Features
- 10 Year Limited Warranty
- 10cm x 3cm – compact and discreet!
- 8 – 10 Sessions per Charge
- 60+ Temperature Settings
- Vibration Notifications
- Bluetooth Enabled
- PAX Mobile App
- Concentrate Insert
- Half Pack Oven Lid
Pax3 Quick Start Guide [dry herb]
- Remove oven lid on base of device
- Use multi-tool to pack herb
- Close lid
- Power on and off x1 click of mouthpiece
- LED pulses purple whilst heating
- LED glows green when oven is ready
- Hold mouthpiece button for x2 seconds then click for choice of temp setting
- Shake device when on to check battery levels
- Vape with long slow inhales
To use the concentrate option you need to attach the correct oven lid see photo above!
Pax3 Key Features
Having not used any of the original Pax vaporizers I’m relying on research and other reviews and customer feedback that tells me the Pax3 is a huge improvement on the previous versions.
OK let’s look at this as a Pax virgin 😉
This is a dual use vaporizer which means you can vape dry herbs or concentrates – sadly I have been unable once again to get my hands on the latter so dry herb testing only.
The new model has a 3500mAH internal battery – a jump from 3000mAH on the previous version and does indeed last an absolute age.
Charging is via a USB cable with a magnetic connection for the device.
Heat up or baking time has seen the most dramatic improvement now taking just 15-18 seconds for a perfect bake compared to almost a minute in the Pax2 – a huge improvement.
There’s also an app meaning you can link your Pax3 to your mobile via Bluetooth where you can tinker with your settings to your heart’s content – as an old bloke none of my devices would link up – but other reviewers say it works like a charm.
There’s also Harpic Feedback – a posh way of saying it vibrates and by shaking the device when it’s turned on you’ll see how much power is left in the battery.
Apart from the concentrates ‘oven-lid’ there’s also a very useful ‘half oven- lid’ which cuts down on the amount of herb you need to put into the oven – obviously if you’re a greedy sod or sharing a bowl – you can use the normal lid which gives you full capacity.
There’s also two mouthpieces – one flat and the other curved – a packet of pipe cleaners – a wire brush – a cloth and a very nifty multi-tool which doubles up as a key ring.
Design and Build Quality
It’s a very small and lightweight device and disappears in the hand – but that doesn’t detract from the build quality which is superb.
All the moving parts fit together very well indeed and putting it all together is intuitive to say the least.
Design wise it’s shall we say solid and functional and if like me you prefer clean lines then this will be right up your street.
I received the black version and gold – rose gold and silver versions are available.
It’s maybe the black version that makes the Pax3 a little bit boring design wise however the other colours really do lift the overall look – but hey that’s a personal preference and it’s the performance we’re interested in!
How Does the Pax3 Vaporizer Perform?
I could only get my hands on a herb named after that black and white critter than squirts smelly stuff out of its bum – so decided [wisely] to use the ‘half oven- lid’.
I ground the herb finely and packed loosely and had the setting at high – within seconds the aroma was pungent to say the least!
Once fully heated I began with the flat mouthpiece and took a long slow draw and was absolutely gob smacked by the flavour.
We’re talking intense – indeed so intense it made my eyes water lol – but in a very good way!
Using the curved mouthpiece I found the merest dimming of flavour – only slight but enough to make me switch back to the flatter one.
Here’s the temperature guide:
- Temperature 1 – 360F / 182C – 1 Green Light
- Temperature 2 – 380F / 193C – 2 Yellow Lights
- Temperature 3 – 400F / 204C – 3 Orange Lights
- Temperature 4 – 420F / 215C – 4 Red Lights
Personally I found a much better bake ‘n vape on the higher temps though to be fair temperature settings 1 and 2 were perfectly acceptable – so again this will be down to personal preference.
I was impressed by the amount of vapour I was getting too – particularly on temp 4 and certainly after a few lung fulls as the herb cooked.
On the higher temp I also felt the need to use the multi tool to stir the mix a little – not that there was any burning – I just felt the flavour dipping a little – once stirred the intensity returned.
As to the battery life claim – I’ve had this quite a long time now and can hand on heart say I’m averaging about 7 or 8 sessions before I feel the need to re-charge – which is very good indeed.
Overall whilst it might not win in the looks stakes it certainly wins in the performance stakes – I’m very impressed.
What I Like
The heating time is the standout here with an average of around 18 seconds which is superb.
I can’t stress enough just how flavoursome the Pax3 is – I’m definitely picking up more levels of taste than in other vaporizers I’ve used – and yes I have tried the same strain in all the ones I own – no wonder sometimes folks think I’m a bit spacey lol.
Let’s just say it’s certainly keeping up with the Firefly2 in flavour and edges that vaporizer slightly in vapour.
I like the choice of mouthpieces too – the flat one looks at first as if it might be a little restrictive – it certainly isn’t and I found a far better flavour from that compared to the curved one.
The battery life is excellent and charge time is very fast indeed and using it is a doddle with just one press of the button on and off and a simple way to set the temperature.
Overall I’m extremely impressed.
What I Don’t Like
It’s just going to be nit-picking really as this is as solid a dual purpose vaporizer you’re likely to find.
It is rather small and light and quite slippery to hold onto – which if you’re using a certain kind of herb might prove tricky!
The design is uninspiring to say the least – in the black certainly – but to be fair it does zing out at you in other colors – as I said it performs well so who cares about the looks?
And as I said with other vaporizers pricewise they are expensive with the Pax3 over £200 for the complete kit or around £170 for the device only.
Final Review Verdict
It’s fair to say until the Firefly 1 and 2 came along the Pax trio were the undisputed kings of the handheld vaporizers.
Having used both I can say there’s an extremely fine line between the two with maybe the Pax3 vaporizer edging the overall flavour and vapour production ever so slightly – and I mean an extremely fine line!
However the Firefly2 wins the design and looks stakes hands down and they are both up there at the higher end price-wise.
The Pax3 is undoubtedly a superb dry herb vaporizer – I’m getting amazing flavour and very good vapour but it is annoyingly slippery and I have dropped it more than once!
So if I lost or broke the Pax3 would I replace it – you know I probably would – after saving up for a while!
Pros
- Super-fast heat up
- Amazing flavour
- Excellent vapour
- Full and half oven options
- Option to use concentrates
- 4 temperature settings
- Easy to use
- Great battery life
- Fast charging
- Bluetooth app
- Compact and lightweight
- 10 year ‘limited’ warranty
Cons
- Slippery!
- Pricey