PAX Mini Review: A Smaller and More Affordable PAX

Product intro and specs

The PAX Mini is essentially a more accessible version of the PAX. It’s more pocketable, simpler to use, and more affordable than the PAX Plus. The only downside is that the chamber is half the size, and it doesn’t do concentrates–only flower. It comes with a two-year warranty versus a ten-year one with the Plus. But aside from those few things mentioned, the specs are nearly identical.

I’ve been a regular PAX user since 2015, so I’m very excited about testing the new PAX Mini. In this review, I will lay out all of the advantages of the Mini and find out whether it’s worth upgrading from the PAX 2, or if it just makes more sense to go all out and just get the PAX Plus.

The PAX Mini was sent courtesy of PAX Labs for the purpose of this review.

Price: $150 (at PAX)
Colors: Platinum, Onyx

PAX Mini Features

The Mini stands at 93 mm x 32 mm x 22 mm. The herb chamber holds 0.25 grams instead of the traditional 0.5 grams. So it’s basically like a built-in half-pack oven. The user operation is very simple. No modes and no menus. Just turn it on, vape, then turn it off. It seems like it would be a fantastic vape for beginners for its superb ease of use.

How to use the PAX Mini

• Remove the magnetic oven lid.
• Give your herbs a coarse (not fine) grind.
• Pack the entire chamber nice and tight.
• Put the oven lid back on the PAX Mini.
• Press the mouthpiece to activate the PAX Mini.
• Wait until the LED lights turn green.
• Take small, steady puffs (sip, not rip).
• The PAX Mini will enter standby mode when idle.
• Press the mouthpiece to turn the PAX Mini off.
• Clean the oven after each session with the included brush.
• Shake the PAX Mini during a session to view battery life.
• Attach to the magnetic USB adapter to charge.
• Deep clean the PAX Mini between every charge cycle for optimal performance.

How does it perform?

I wasn’t excited about the single heat setting at first, but it wasn’t a problem at all. I think they just dialed in the optimal temperature for the Mini—and it just works. It feels just like the third heat setting on previous PAX devices, which has always been my favorite one. In a way, not having to worry about temp modes kinda set me free. I love when devices are high-tech without being too techy. But that’s easy for me to say, as the default setting happens to be my favorite one.

The only reason why I would consider upgrading to the PAX Plus would be for the larger oven. But in this day and age, who still wants to pass around vapes? Most of my sessions are either solo or with very close friends, and most of my friends are not even heavy vapers. So, I’m going to stick with the Mini until I get an urge to start playing around with some temp modes again.

Does it perform better than the PAX 3? Yes. Not by much, but it does. There is a noticeable difference in vapor production. You can see vapor flowing out of the mouthpiece as soon as it heats up. The older models had a bit of a grace period, so that first hit would often be rather wispy despite its flavor. Now you get smacked with those tasty terps accompanied by a cloud.

How to clean the PAX Mini

• Remove the mouthpiece and chamber lid.
• Soak the mouthpiece and screen in iso alcohol, rinse off and dry.
• Soak a pipe cleaner in isopropyl alcohol and “floss” the vapor path with it.
• Use a pipe cleaner or a Q-tip soaked in iso to clean the chamber deeply.
• You can use the pipe cleaner to pop out the 3D chamber screen.
• Use an alcohol pad to clean the outside of the device.
• Insert the chamber screen and attach the mouthpiece once completely dry.
• Always brush out your chamber after each session while it is still warm.

Battery life and charging

Charging time will also vary depending on whether you’re using a wall adapter or USB, but it takes anywhere between two and a half to three hours to go from a depleted to a full charge. The PAX 3 took at least two hours to charge and had less battery life, so that’s an upgrade. One last thing I’ll mention is that they updated the charging block to more of a cable now. I’ve also seen a few really cool charging docks that are available for the PAX devices separately.

Pros / Cons

Gallery

Verdict

With these factors considered, I can see the PAX Mini becoming popular with beginner vapers. But even for experienced PAX users like myself, it’s still worthwhile. If you tend to do more solo sessions and don’t care about vaping wax or tinkering with temp settings, it’s an excellent option. And as for the two-year warranty, that’s not bad at all compared to most portable herb vaporizers in this price range.

What was your experience like with PAX vaporizers? Are you excited to try the Mini? Leave a comment below and share.