Portable vapes are a great way to get the best out of your herbs. Much better than smoking it, as far as we’re concerned. With vapes, you’re in control, as in total control. You get as much as you want, exactly how you want it.
They’re also a great way to stay discreet because, unlike with cigarettes, the whole block doesn’t have to smell the smoke.
We have looked at lots of vapes, and believe us; they really weren’t created equal. Some are awesome, but most are passable at best.
So it took some time to come up with the top 5 portable vapes, mainly because we have a long list of criteria we stack them up against:
1. Mighty
Although the Mighty has been available for almost four years now it still reigns as the best portable dry herb vaporizer. Its vapor quality is on par with high end desktop vaporizers which is really saying something. The pulls are smooth and flavorful which is exactly what you’re looking for in a good portable vaporizer.
Not only is the vapor quality amazing, but it’s super easy to use. There’s a screen on the unit with easy up and down controls for the temperature. It also has a built-in safety feature which automatically turns it off in case you forget.
The Mighty uses a mix of both conduction and convection heating techniques which is patented by Storz & Bickel, the maker of the Volcano and Mighty. They also built in grating on the side which cools down the vapor (which is important since it’s in your hand).
The Mighty already had one of the best battery lives of any portable vapes but it was updated in 2018 with 20% more battery life. That means you can use it for almost two hours without plugging in which can last you a weekend or longer. It also features pass through charging which means you can use it while it’s plugged in. That comes in handy when you
While it may not be as portable as other options, it doesn’t need to be. It’s small enough to take on trips and is the perfect size for at home use. It isn’t cheap, but you really get what you pay for. The Mighty is an investment that will pay off in the long run.
2. Firefly 2+
When the original Firefly hit the market it blew a lot of people’s minds. It’s a convection herb vaporizer that heats up in a couple seconds that has cool, thick vapor. There were a few complaints around the size, lack of temperature control and battery life though.
They fixed that up in the second version. The Firefly 2 is over 30% smaller, 50% lighter, with advanced temperature controls and has a much improved battery life. You can now pick from six temperature settings between 338° and 437° Fahrenheit which let’s you get the perfect vapor density. Just make sure you have a smart phone because that’s all controlled by the Firefly app!
They then released an even bigger improvement on that Firefly 2 with the new Firefly 2+ (Plus). The most notable improvement is the charging and battery life. You can now charge to 80% in 20 minutes, which lets you get up and running quick. The dock makes it easy to remember to leave to charge too. Although the battery is small, they’ve expanded the life span through tech innovations and you can also replace it on the go.
Because it uses a convection heating system it delivers some of the best vapor quality out of any of the portable vapes on this list. While you need to learn how to take a slower draw to use it properly, it’s not that difficult to pick up and learn. The Firefly 2+ also heats up almost instantly—no waiting around for it to heat up.
Due to its design the Firefly 2+ is also super easy to clean and maintain. It not only looks good, but it’s functional. That’s smart design!
3. Pax 3
Along with Volcano, Pax has been the face of portable vapes for a little while ago. The original rendition had a unique, sleek design that really helped it stand out from the crowd. The Pax 3 looks even better with new matte colours and has some big improvements to boot.
The best thing about the Pax 3 is probably it’s size. There are smaller vaporizers available, but Pax has really nailed it with the perfect size for activities. It’s awesome for hikes, skateboarding, snowboarding or anything else outdoors. It weighs only 93 grams which is pretty wild for all of the technology they pack in to it.
The Pax 3 also heats up quickly in around 15-20 seconds. It uses lip sensing technology to tell when you’re using it, so it can heat up the chamber which is super dope. The vapor you pull from the unit is surprisingly good too! It does run on a conduction oven which won’t deliver the subtle flavours of a convection vaporizer, but that won’t matter for the majority of people.
They’ve also improved the battery life with the Pax 3. You can use it for around an hour an a half before having to recharge. Even charging is cool with the Pax 3 with the innovative charging dock. You can tell that a lot of engineering went in to it.
See our full Pax 3 review if you want more info on it.
4. Davinci IQ/MIQRO
Davinci has been making vaporizers for over five years now. They started off with the original Davinci portable Vapes and followed it up with the solid David Ascent. Their third product is certainly their best portable vaporizer yet.
Perhaps the best thing about the Davinci IQ is the design—it just looks downright sexy. It has a super sleek design with a beautiful LED grid display. It looks like it could be an Apple device if they decided to dip their toes in the vaporizer market.
Not only does it look great, but it performs great too. It delivers tasty vapor from its ceramic heating chamber which is a conduction heating system. It also includes a ‘flavour chamber’ which lets you vaporize dry herbs without having to grind them up.
If you’re looking for a true, pocketable, portable vapes you’re in luck. The Davinci IQ is small. It only weighs around 145 grams which is tiny compared to many other portable units. You can easily throw it in your pocket along with your phone.
The battery will only last about an hour of use though, so be wary. The batteries are replaceable so consider picking an extra one up if you’re going with the Davinci IQ. They’re easy to swap in and out!
Davinci also released the MIQRO vaporizer, which is very similar to the IQ but has a smaller size and comes in at a lower price point. While the battery lasts a little bit less than the IQ, it’s an amazing little conduction vaporizer. If you want a small unit to throw in your pocket, you should definitely take a look at the MIQRO.
Davinci released the IQ2 in 2020. It features new airflow control which let’s you change the amount of air intake on the go. Also it has on-demand dosage technology which lets you track exactly how much you’ve vaporized (only works via the app which is currently not available on Apple devices).
8. Arizer ArGo
The ArGo is short for Arizer Go. It’s Arizer’s first truly portable vaporizer since the mouthpiece retracts back in to the unit. All of Arizer’s ‘portable’ vaporizers have glass pieces which means you can’t throw them in your pocket or bag—that’s not the case with the ArGo.
It’s about the size of a deck of cards and fits perfectly in your hand. Although it’s small Arizer hasn’t cut corners on their build quality too. This vaporizer feels sturdy and doesn’t have the cheap plastic quality you get with other units.
It has some of the vapor production of all the tiny vaporizers (Pax, Starry). They’ve utilized their conduction/convection heating technology from their Solo 2 and Air 2, and put it in a smaller package. It has a pretty fast heat up time that will get you vaporizing in just under a minute.
Somehow Arizer also fit a full OLED display on to this small vaporizer too. You can see battery life and temperature right on the ArGo, no need to download a separate app or anything like that. We much prefer vaporizers that have screens since apps can be a bit gimmicky (and also Apple has currently banned vape related apps).
The best part of the ArGo has to be the swappable batteries. You can buy extras and throw them in your pocket on the go. Swappable batteries also extends the life of your vaporizer since you don’t need to just toss it when the batteries weaken over time. That’s a big bonus!
