PAX 2 Vaporizer Review

PAX 2 Intro

The PAX 2 is the new and improved version of the hot-selling PAX vaporizer by Pax Labs, which sold way over half a million units. The PAX 1 was considered by many as the best small portable vaporizer on the market for dry herbs, so we are very excited to see what the PAX 2 has to offer. Let’s take a look at the specs of the PAX 2 below.

This is our first in-depth dry herb vaporizer review on the site, so let us know if we missed anything! We plan and doing many more in the near future, as we see vaporizers as the best way to vape “dry herbs” and both my brother and I now really enjoy the occasional dry herb vape.

PAX 2 Gallery

PAX 2 Specs and Features

Notable Remarks

How does the PAX 2 differ from the original PAX?

• 25% smaller
• 10% lighter
• More streamlined
• Improved battery that lasts 30% longer
• 20% deeper oven with more even heating
• 4 different heat settings with lip and motion sensing technology that optimizes power and temperature during use
• No pop out mouthpiece (includes a replaceable pop out mouth piece in the box)
• New improved magnetic charging device

So there are some notable differences between the PAX 2 and the older PAX device. Firstly it’s even smaller and lighter than the original, which was already pretty small. The PAX 2, despite being smaller, features a deeper and more high-tech oven. The PAX 2 comes with an improved battery life that lasts 30% longer, which is another great improvement, as the battery life was already very good on the original PAX.

One thing that stood out to me on the aesthetics of the device, is that the PAX 2 no longer has that pop out mouthpiece, so I will be interested to see how the draw has been affected by this change. The new mouthpiece features lip sensing motion technology that optimizes power and temperature during use. It will be very interesting to see if this feature works well and provides for a good draw (Update* having received the device the kit also features a protruded mouthpiece which can be swapped with the standard flat one).

The oven, despite being deeper, is 91% the size of the original oven, due to it being slightly thinner. It still holds a good amount of herbs.

The PAX 2 comes with an improved sleek looking USB magnetic charging dock. You can also unplug your old PAX charger and use it with the new charger.

The PAX 2 is $80 more expensive than the PAX and retails at $279.99. The new improvements do add value in my opinion, but I need to try the device first before making a recommendation if I think it is worth the extra money (*Update: see my recommendation below after having extensively used the PAX2). The extended battery life, smaller size and added “smart” heat settings, look like they could be reason enough to go for the PAX 2 over the original PAX.

How did the PAX 2 perform?

The PAX 2 tests:

We used 3 different sets of dry herbs: Mintality mix by Vapoherb, Cherba Mix by Vapoherb and lastly some good old weed.

First some thoughts on the first two dry herb mixes we tried by Vapoherb. The mintality and cherba blends are 100% natural dry herb mixes that can be used in a vaporizer. I have to say that neither had too much of an effect when used with the PAX 2. The mixes need to be ground a bit to work well in the PAX 2 oven and although there was a bit of vapor, the mixes themselves were not very effective in terms of relaxing etc. The only feeling we got from them was a slight tiredness, but only very slight. This however had nothing to do with the PAX2, it was just the herb mixes themselves!

Vaping Marijuana on the PAX 2

The oven, although it is a tiny bit smaller than the PAX 1, is more than enough for a decent session. As mentioned above we only packed the oven ¾ full with a finely ground mix. The oven worked well and the heating was pretty consistent throughout the oven, allowing you to get more the most out of the weed. We vaped the weed for around 15minutes on the medium temperature setting and then opened the oven and gave the weed a little mix. We were then able to get another 15 minutes or so out of the mix we put in the oven. That meant we got a good full session and 30 minutes of vaping out of 3/4 of an oven full of weed. Even after this session, the weed wasn’t totally crisp and brown, so I tried another session on the same oven load. Surprisingly the vapor was still coming out and despite a little less flavor, we were still able to get a good high. I have heard of some people getting 3-4 sessions out of the oven, so I guess it will depend on the quality of your plant and the fineness of your grind, as well as how tight and full you pack the oven.

As for the actual high, it was crazily impressive. For my friend who hadn’t tried weed using a vaporizer before, he was completely amazed at how little weed we used and the amazing high we were able to get from it. Using the PAX 2 will mean you get more THC from your weed when compared to using a joint, as around 30% of the THC is lost when you smoke a joint. This results in a much more intense high from less weed, therefore saving you lots of money! ¾ of an oven was enough for both myself and my friend to get very high over the period of about 30 minutes (albeit we are both quite lightweight, as we are not the heaviest of stoners).

Cleaning and Maintenance

Also be sure to use proper cotton pipe-cleaners and not any synthetic ones as they can get caught in the air flow path and could melt once it heats up again. A little tip if you are cleaning the device for the first time, is to heat up a the device a little on an empty oven and give it a few draws. The heat will help loosen up all the build up inside the airways and make it easier to clean.

4 Temperature Settings

• 360ºF (182ºC) – Low
• 380ºF (193ºC) – Medium
• 400ºF (204ºC) – Medium-High
• 420ºF (216ºC) – High

We tried playing around with the four different temperature settings and ended up staying on the medium setting. To change the temperature manually, hold down the top mouthpiece button for around 2 seconds. The four “leaves/lights” on the front will now light up indicating what temperature setting you are on. One leaf is the lowest and 4 leaves lit up is the max setting. To change the temperature now click again until you reach the temperature setting you want. Once you have the right temperature, hold down the button again for 2 seconds to switch back to vaping mode.

Lip Sensing Technology

Vapor Production

Mouthpiece

The draw is isn’t as big as you would get on some of the larger devices, and perhaps slightly more tight then the PAX 1, but I found it to be good for the type of draw I like and for sipping. The tightness of the draw will obviously depend on the cleanliness of your PAX’s airways, so make sure you give it a thorough clean after around 10 or so sessions. The draw isn’t really suited to those who like to really “rip” their device as the draw is a little on the tighter side thus making it more suited to those who like to sip.

Size and Aesthetics

I love the brushed aluminum finish on the PAX 2 and the whole device just looks super sleek and awesome. If Apple did vaporizers, this is how I’d imagine them to look like.

Charging

Battery Life

PAX 2 Hidden Features, Easter Eggs and Party Mode

• Simon Mode: This is a little game called Simon. To activate Simon mode you have to hold the PAX 2 in both hands horizontally and twist the PAX 2 until all four LEDs are flashing white. The lights will flash four times and then a sequence of LEDs will appear. You must then tilt the PAX 2 to light the LEDs to match the sequence that just appeared. If you get it wrong the LEDs will all go red and if you get it correct they will all flash white and then show the next sequence. I played it until about level 10, where it started getting a little tricky! Playing the game Simon up to certain levels will unlock different things. At level 20 you will unlock the song Funkytown, which can be heard if you put the PAX 2 to your ear. I haven’t got past level 10 yet, so I need to concentrate and see what I can unlock. It’s a fun little feature, but I am not sure how good I will be after doing some dry herbs on the PAX 2!
• Funkytown: So if you have unlocked Funkytown by getting to level 20 on the Simon game, then you can listen to it by shaking the PAX2 and then putting it to your ear to listen to it.
• Battery Life: Shaking my PAX 2 seems to indicate the battery life
• Party Mode: This is the mode that is on when I vape my PAX 2. As I vape the LEDs switch between colors

Here is a Reddit thread explaining some of the features and Pax Labs CMO (scott_dunlap) commenting on the thread.

Apparently, there are other modes, but I can’t quite work them out. I like the Simon game, which is quite fun and the LED lights flashing different colors all the time looks really nice. I will have another play around and see what I can find. Let me know if you find anything else, in the comment section below.

Verdict

For those who haven’t tried using a vaporizer before definitely take a look at the PAX 2 and give it a go. If you do weed a lot, for medical reasons or even just occasionally, the PAX2 is the must have device in the portable category. My friend who hadn’t used a vaporizer before, was so impressed with it, he is going to buy himself a PAX 2!

However, if you are looking for a device with a big draw and like to “rip” your dry herb, then I would look at something like the Crafty or the Arizer Air. I quite like sipping and a tightish draw, so the PAX 2 was right up my street.

If you have a PAX 1 and want to upgrade, I would definitely consider doing so, as the battery life, size and lip sensing temperature settings are much improved on the PAX 2. These features make it worth the extra money in my opinion!

If you have any questions on the PAX 2, don’t hesitate to drop us a comment below and we will get back to you ASAP. Let me know if you have already tried the PAX 2 and what you think of it below in the comments section!