PAX 3 review: The Best Portable Vaporizer is Now Better

PAX 3 Intro

PAX Labs, formerly known as Ploom and creator of the PAX, recently released a second version of the original PAX vaporizer which boasted a bigger battery life in a smaller overall package. It was met with much praise, and today we are testing out the third vaporizer in this epic trilogy: the PAX 3.

What can we expect from the PAX 3? Obviously it’s gonna be better, but how much better can it be from the second version?

It should be arriving at my doorstep any minute now so we are about to find out....

PAX 3 Gallery

PAX 3 Specs and Features

Notable Remarks

Price

The PAX 3 will be available in black, gold, rose gold and silver. I received the black one and it is ultra shiny. It makes the PAX 2 look more like a matte finish. The price of the PAX 2 has also been reduced to $200, but I highly recommend reading this full review before buying anything.

Thoughts

After opening the pristine Apple-esque box, the first thing I notice is how shiny the new PAX 3 is. Although it looks nearly identical to the PAX 2, the PAX 3 comes with a bunch of added goodies. One of them is the ability to vape concentrates, I can’t wait to put this new feature to the test.

There is an app for everything, so why would you be surprised when I tell you there is an app for your PAX 3? Well, there is. The PAX Vapor app gives you the ability to now customize the exact temperature you are vaping at by using your smartphone. Ok, now we are officially in the future.

There are also new games on the PAX 3 that are now easy to access through the app, but you didn’t come here to play games. You came here to find out how this thing vapes, didn’t you? Well you are in the right place because we are about to take the new PAX 3 for a vape!

Half baked

This was the missing link that I needed for the longest time. When going solo, a full pack on the PAX is more than enough for one person. The half-pack oven gives us the option to ride solo without crashing and burning out. (Sorry, pun intended.) Let’s see how it affects the vape quality.

PAX 3 with dry herb

Much like the PAX 2, the flavor is fantastic. I can’t say it is much better than the 2, but it is on point. You can totally taste your flowers' terpene profiles, giving each strain its own palatable experience. I found that once you get used to tasting flowers this way, you’ll never want to go back to burning leaves.

When using the PAX 3 with dry herb, the performance is nearly identical to the PAX 2, except that you have more control over the temperature and the ability to pack less material. Other than that, they pretty much vape herb the same, both providing a smooth and steady stream of vapor.

PAX 3 with concentrates

One thing I noticed is the wax chamber doesn’t sit flush inside the device like the herb ones do. It pops out on the bottom, but oh well. I’m sure there’s a method to their madness.

So I took a tiny piece of concentrate and placed it right in the center of the wax chamber. PAX Labs recommends using it on the highest setting for wax so I’m cranking it up all the way. I’m already starting to smell something happening, let’s take a puff and see what’s cooking.

Hmmm... The PAX 3 is actually vaporizing this concentrate much like it would dry herb. I am not getting massive cloudy rips off this thing like I would from a Kandypen or any wax vape pen with coils.

It is slowly baking the dabs, creating a tasty and satisfying hit that is kicking my ass without actually kicking my ass . There is none of that burning in my throat (which I sometimes get from a few of my favorite wax vape pens). The PAX 3 also isn’t giving me any of those baby hits or ghost hits.

Also, I find that I am not getting choked up like I do with wax vape pens. Stays smooth.

I am impressed with the wax feature in part because my expectations are in line with the available temperature.

The PAX 3 creates a virtually identical experience whether you load it up with wax or dry herb. It amazes me that they were able to design it to not only work equally as well, but in a very similar manner. Vaping with the PAX 3 is almost the very same experience, no matter what you use.

With a small piece of wax that would give me 3-4 hits in a vape pen, I’m getting an entire 15 minute session. I could see myself using this to make a small amount of concentrates last a long time. However, after a long session on such a high setting, the PAX 3 tends to get hot.

Cleaning the wax chamber looks like it would be pretty simply, despite how sticky and messy it can get. I would just remove the chamber from the rubber base, soak in alcohol and rinse. My advice would be to vape as much of the wax in your chamber before attempting to clean it.

Red light, green light, one two three

The only drawback to this was that your herb can get very sticky while it’s sitting in the herb chamber, waiting to be vaped. However using the wax chamber is ideal for this method of vaping. I have been able to get multiple stop-and-go sessions with a tiny dab of concentrate!

PAX Vapor app

The Vapor app allows the user to not only dial in the exact vaping temperature, but it has a few modes that can come in handy for different scenarios like boost, flavor, stealth and efficiency mode....

Boost - Auto-cooling is reduced. (It can get quite hot after a while on this setting.)

Stealth - Lights dim and cooling increased, for the vape ninjas.

Efficiency - Temperature gradually increases over time.

Flavor - On-demand heating, providing maximum flavor.

The PAX 3 also vibrates when it is ready to be puffed on. This feature, called “Haptics” can be turned off or set to medium and high using the PAX Vapor app. The app also has a few other settings that we will expand upon in the near future, once it has been officially released.

PAX 3 vs PAX 2

The PAX 3 has an even more fulfilling draw due to the improved airflow, in my opinion. When removing the dry herb at the end of my session I was amazed by how evenly vaped the material was. It came out perfectly golden brown, like it just came out the oven. Well, technically it did.

When put side by side, both the PAX 2 and 3 are nearly identical in height and width. The PAX 3 is supposed to have increased battery life but I am not so sure I have noticed a huge difference. Another improvement is the oven which is twice as powerful, but can cause it to get rather hot.

Likes

• Great battery life
• Half-pack option
• Vaporizes dry herb and waxy concentrates
• Ultra-portable and discrete
• 10-year warranty
• Bluetooth app
• Multiple modes
• Easy to maintain/clean
• Compatible with PAX 2 charger

Dislikes

• Still no pass-thru charging function
• Concentrates chamber doesn’t sit flush in device (not a huge deal, but needs to be addressed)
• Concentrates chamber contains tiny parts and gets extremely hot after extended use
• Device gets hot on highest setting after extended use
• Fingerprint magnet finish
• Pricey (But props to PAX Labs for slightly lowering their price point)

Verdict

If you just want the concentrates chamber, then you might just want to hold off since it is cross-compatible with the PAX 2, and may be available as an accessory someday like the half-pack oven. However, if you can’t wait to mess with this new PAX Vapor app, then you’re gonna need to buy a PAX 3.

Finally, if you do not already own a PAX and want the best, then it is a great time to be you. The PAX 3 is not cheap, but it is widely viewed as one of the best portable vaporizers right now that money can buy.

PAX Labs has also lowered the price of the PAX 2, so you can grab yourself one of those for $200 and you can even purchase a half-pack oven on the PAX website for $12.99.

I am not sure how much the concentrates oven will cost or if it will even be available separately but it seems like it makes more sense to buy the 3. PAX Labs took a play right out of the ol’ Mac Book.

How to Use the PAX Vapor App With the PAX 3

Choose your mode

Standard mode

By swiping the temperature horizontally, you can also adjust the PAX in 5° intervals, or vertically, which will allow you to use 1° intervals. This applies to each and every one of the modes too.

Flavor mode

Boost mode

Efficiency mode

Stealth mode

Bonus games

You might be thinking that these games are juvenile, or too easy to play. However, after a nice session of baking out with the PAX, you might find yourself getting hooked. Spin the PAX is also handy when it comes to deciding who has to make that munchie run.

Additional features