(Photo illustration by Mark Holly, Special to The Cannabist)

Here are the 10 best vaporizers we reviewed in 2016

Another year has passed, and it’s time to recap the best vapes we’ve reviewed in 2016. This year brought many new models with features that could only be dreamed of a short time ago, and with the raft of states legalizing in November many more consumers might try their hand at one of them.

Cannabist critics have been separating the flowers from the shake, as it were, and have settled upon this list of the ten best vapes they’ve reviewed this year. As the march of advancement continues on, they’ll be sure to keep sifting through new models as they come in the future. Here are the ten best vapes we’ve reviewed, as ranked by our staff:

Pax 3 vaporizer review, The Cannabist
The Pax 3 joins the ever-growing lineup of Pax portable vaporizers. (Ben Livingston, The Cannabist)

1. Pax 3

“The core hardware and software powering the Pax 3 are functionally amazing. It puffs great with cannabis flowers or hash oil. No need to draw super slow, just breath intuitively. It’s slicker than Astroglide.” — Read Ben Livingston’s full review


The DaVinci IQ vaporizer
Its fashion-forward design makes the DaVinci IQ a vape for a different crowd. (Chris Thomas, The Cannabist)

2. DaVinci IQ

“There are plenty of high-end portable vaporizer options on the market, including the Pax 3 and the Firefly 2… Each model offers its own unique trade-offs, and DaVinci’s IQ brings an embarrassment of riches to vape consumers… Instead of using glass as they have in the past, DaVinci uses the ultra-durable zirconium for its vapor path, as it’s an extremely poor conductor of heat (making it ideal to line a heating chamber with) and ludicrously strong.” — Read Chris Thomas’ full review

firefly-2-portable-vaporizer-review
The Firefly 2 portable vaporizer works well as a flower vape and also handles oils. (Ben Livingston, The Cannabist)

3. Firefly 2

“The thoughtful deliberation informing its redesign is evident in every component and curve. It creates wonderfully flavorful, cool vapor, handles flowers and oil, feels good in the hand, looks great and functions well. That quality comes at a premium, but if it is in your price range, the Firefly 2 is a great investment.” — Read Ben Livingston’s full review

crafty-storz-bickel-portable-vaporizer-vape-review-2
The Crafty portable vaporizer, made by Storz & Bickel. (Ben Livingston, The Cannabist)

4. Crafty

“For dry flowers or hash oil, the Crafty is a damn good portable vaporizer. It is far better than most products on the market, and it ranks in the top tier with portables like the Pax 2, the Firefly, and others. … Perhaps most importantly, the Crafty gives super good flavor, which indicates it has effective temperature control and components that aren’t off-gassing to the point of noticeably degrading your pot puffs.” — Read Ben Livingston’s full review

The Grasshopper Titanium Vaporizer resting on books.
The Titanium Grasshopper vaporizer blends right in. (Chris Thomas, The Cannabist)

5. Grasshopper

“There’s something oddly satisfying about using a well-made, powerful tool. … You only need to wait a maximum of five seconds for the Grasshopper to reach its target temperature. Normally I’d blast a product for doing what amounts to using a chainsaw to cut butter, but the Grasshopper makes the most of its highly emissive all-titanium casing to mitigate the issues of substantial heat inside its chassis.” — Read Chris Thomas’ full review

A hero image of the Vapium Summit Plus being held.
Just because a vape is affordable doesn’t mean it’s bad. For example, here’s the Vapium Summit Plus. (Chris Thomas, The Cannabist)

6. Vapium Summit Plus

“The Vapium Summit Plus definitely places function over form to appeal to those who don’t want a lot to fuss over… It’s very portable — the unit is about the size of half a deck of cards — and weighs only 88 grams. With an IP54 rating, it can take a splash and keep out dust, but don’t take that to mean you should shower with it.” — Read Chris Thomas’ full review

Muad Dib marijuana dab rig concentrates one-hitter
The Muad-Dib one-hitter for concentrates takes a decidedly different approach to portable vaporizers. (Ben Livingston, The Cannabist)

7. Muad-dib Magic Flight Launch Box

“Not everybody needs a steampunk single hitter, but many people certainly do. Beyond the gorgeous craftsmanship, tokin’ travelers and home hash oilers will appreciate the Muad-Dib’s small size, light weight, quickness and resourceful consumption of common batteries.” — Read Ben Livingston’s full review

Source Vapes Orb XL vaporizer review
The Source Vapes Orb XL has a quartz triple-coil atomizer that pumps out heat, creating dense clouds of hash oil mist. (Ben Livingston, The Cannabist)

8. Source Orb XL

“The Source Orb XL is a great option for heavy hitters and lovers of large bowls. The quartz rod triple-coil atomizer blasts heat and creates dense clouds of cannabis oil. The variable-wattage battery works with many atomizers and Source created several coilless options worth checking out.” — Read Ben Livingston’s full review

Portable vaporizer review: G-pen Elite by Grenco Science
G-pen Elite by Grenco Science. (Ben Livingston, The Cannabist)

9. G Pen Elite

“[The] G Pen Elite works pretty well. It heats up to a maximum of 428 degrees Fahrenheit within 30 seconds and maintains steady temperature. It produces tasty clouds of vapor, and I don’t get any weird plastic-y flavors sometimes found in budget re-branded vapes. It’s like someone told the factory, hey, don’t put plastic on parts that get super hot. And that’s appreciated.” — Read Ben Livingston’s full review

Dr. Dabber Boost portable dab rig
The Dr. Dabber Boost is a portable oil rig powered by a USB-charged battery. (Ben Livingston, The Cannabist)

10. Dr. Dabber Boost

“The body is mostly metal and feels sturdy, and the glass is super classy. The thought put into the attachment points shines through. Friction from two o-rings keeps the glass percolator snugly on the ceramic top. … It travels perfectly in the included foam-padded carrying case.” — Read Ben Livingston’s full review