Pax 3 Review
Table of Contents
San Francisco (Sept. 22, 2016) – PAX Labs announced their new portable vaporizer: the PAX 3!
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Worth mentioning: The PAX 2’s price has dropped to $199,99 (Order with free shipping). If you were yet undecided to get the pax 2, now is the best time to get this high-end vaporizer at a low price.
PAX 3 vs PAX 2
The PAX 1 + PAX 2 are the company’s award-winning premium vaporizer with over one million units sold to date. The PAX 2 is obviously a great vape. But i am sure we can both agree upon, that there is still some room for improvement on this vape!
As you can see: What an upgrade!
DUAL USE VAPORIZER
One of PAX 3 biggest improvements over its predecessors is being a dual-use vaporizer. The PAX 3 has an oven insert that will turn it from herb vaporizer to a concentrate vaporizer. Together with specific “Concentrate Mode” heat settings, it will switch in just a few seconds. This was not possible with the PAX 2 and is a much-anticipated upgrade.
HEATS WAY FASTER
Another improvement over the PAX 2 you will immediately notice is the reduced heating time. It now takes only around 15 seconds for the PAX 3 to reach vaping temperatures. Twice as quick as the previous device. And makes it to the fastest heating portable conduction vaporizer I used.
A cool feature: You will instantly get haptic feedback when it’s vaping-time.
It will become much more intuitive, once you have spent some time with it. The Taste? Awesome! The flavor is a standout feature, as the vapor has just enough space to cool down without losing any flavor.
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DESIGN
PAX 3 is designed with a high-polished aluminum shell and comes in Black, Gold, Silver and limited edition Rose Gold. The change certainly looks spectacular! It will be the first thing you will notice after picking up the new PAX3.
The second you will notice, while holding it, it has a nice solid feel and even weight distribution. Visually the PAX3 is very stealthy + I would recommend you getting the “PAX End Caps” (also suitable for the PAX 3), to conceal excess smell. Perfect if you don’t want to attract any attention!
PAX APP
PAX Labs, Inc. also announced the release of the new PAX Vapor app. Next to the PAX ERA, the PAX 3 is the only vaporizer, that is compatible with the PAX Vapor app. All you do is pair your phone and the unit via bluetooth. The app takes care of the rest. You can even give your PAX a name lol.
The Vapor app allows you to customize your session not only with different temperature settings… but also with individual heating profiles. Great! Because everyone wants to vape differently:
Using the app is very easy and I use the heating profiles frequently. Important: You DON’T NEED the app to effectively operate the Pax 3. You can change the temperature with the power button located at the top.
DOWNSIDE – STILL CONDUCTIVE HEATING
The Pax 3, like its predecessors, uses the conductive heating method. A heating element warms up the walls of the oven, and your breath pulls the vapor out of the chamber. Portable vaporizers like the Firefly 2 generate the heat outside of the bowl and uses your breath to pull the hot air through the material. The effect: You will never get a burnt taste from the draws you inhale. => Read more about the Firefly 2 here.
If you are using the PAX 3: It has to be constantly used once turned on. At least for the most part. The lip sensor will turn down the temperature, while no one is drawing. Setting it down will cause it to idle temporarily. But it might occasionally happen, that someone will burn away a whole oven without realizing it.
COMPLETE KIT
- Pax 3 Device
- Concentrate Insert
- Charging Cable + Dock
- 3500 mAh Battery
- Maintenance Kit
- Multi-tool
- 2 Mouthpieces
- 2 Oven Lids
- 3 Screens
UPSIDE – TEN YEARS WARRANTY
Since we are comparing the Firefly 2 vs Pax 3. We might as well keep going! A huge benefit the Pax 3 has over the Firefly 2 is the 10-year warranty (!!). This is seriously long compared to most gadgets. Storz and Bickel’s Crafty covers wear and tear for two years. Same goes for the Firefly 2 that is backed only two years.
Beware: None of these warranties cover accidental damage. If the heating elements stop working, you’re covered by the warranty. If you drop it on the floor, you are on your own.
UNIQUE FEATURE – HALF OVEN LID
The innovation doesn’t stop! The PAX 3 has 2 oven lids for your herbs/marijuana. One is a “Full-Oven” and the other is the so-called “Half Oven”! One of the biggest downsides of vaporizers is that your herbs do not taste the same on the second and third sessions. If you have to pack a full oven every time it becomes non-efficient. Especially if you only want a little hit and not get completely baked. And this was my biggest complaint with the PAX 2. The oven size was just too big for single session users and I had to custom insert a folded stainless steel screen, to make the PAX2 efficient.
The PAX 3 vaporizer solves this problem with the new “Half-Oven” feature. It will allow use with less weed. This is the most important upgrade in the new PAX 3, the missing link! It’s a unique feature that all portable vaporizers lack. Now I only use the half-oven lid when I am solo. One thing I noticed that it also reduces the amount of draw resistance, for a free flowing draw.
You can pack roughly 0.15g – 0.20g of herbs into the half-oven. Also depending on the grind (medium to coarse grind fits 0.15 and fine grind 0.20). With the full-oven lid, the Pax 3 oven will hold 0.30 – 0.40 grams of herbs.
Pax 3 – How is the Vaping Experience?
Preparing the oven (Herb) – I am using the Pax 3 with the new half-oven lid. This way, I get satisfying results with less material. Use the multi-tool, that is included in the kit, to pack your herbs tightly to ensure even heat distribution. However not too tight, it still needs to be airy. Important: After the LED light turns green I recommend you waiting another 5-10 sec to get the vapor flowing. I start with a lower heating setting, stir up my herbs up after a couple of draws and then move on to the higher heat setting, to get the best results.
Experience with herbs – This vape definitely won my vote, when it comes to performance with herbs. What surprised me at first was the minimal draw resistance of the PAX 3. No need to pull hard for a deep draw. Breathing through the mouthpiece was easy and extremely smooth. Everything from the amount of vapor (I produced a large amount of visible vapor) to the flavor, was outstanding. I played around a bit with the apps heating profiles for tailored sessions. “Efficiency” is my favorite profile. It really ramps up the oven temperature throughout your session. The herbs are always completely exhausted after my sessions. Great heat distribution and very efficient! Once you get used to tasting herbs this way, you will never want to go back to burning leaves…
Preparing the oven (Concentrates) – This is where it gets exciting… How does the PAX 3 perform with concentrates? Let’s get started! First: Open the concentrate canister and load it up with a tiny bit of wax (you don’t need much). I am regularly getting 12-15minute sessions with this tiny bit of wax! Which is pretty impressive, because a vape pen would give you only 3-4 hits. Make sure that the wax doesn’t go inside the air holes. PAX Labs recommended me using the highest setting for concentrates.
Experience with concentrates – First of I must say, I am used to powerful concentrate only vape pens. The experience with the PAX 3 was certainly different… It actually vaporizes the wax, much like it does herbs. I didn’t get massive clouds like I would from wax pens with coils (like Dr. Dabber Aurora), but the PAX 3 creates a tasty and satisfying hit. AND the vapor stays smooth and I feel no burning in my throat! (what I sometimes get from a few wax vape pens). So concentrates with the PAX 3 is less about the vapor… but more about enjoying the flavor!
Conclusion – Overall I am more impressed using the PAX 3 with dry herbs! But still I am amazed that the performance with concentrates came close and PAX Labs was able to design the device in such a way, that it works more than great with both options. Depending on the intensity of the session, the battery of my PAX 3 lasted about 6 sessions before running out juice.
PAX 3 Review – Conclusion
Representing a milestone evolution of the company’s category-defining flagship product: The PAX 3 is one of the best dual-use vaporizers for loose-leaf and concentrate materials. PAX 3 retails for $275,00 and will be live on PAXvapor.com in mid-October
Pax 3 vape review – Summing up all the new features:
- Haptic Feedback – The PAX3 haptic feedback indicates when vapor is ready when the device enters standby mode, and when it’s turned off.
- PAX App – Available for iPhone and Android. It allows you to optimize temperature settings and vapor production
- 3 selectable oven options – Full-packed Oven + Half-packed Oven + Concentrate Oven
- Colors – Black, Gold, Silver and Limited Edition Rose Gold
- Dual-Use – Works with Dry Herb and Concentrate / Wax
- Heating time – 15 seconds
- Warranty – 10 years.
More:
- Internal accelerometer for energy and material-saving features
- Intuitive gestural control
- Proprietary lip sensing technology for further flavor optimization
- Full-color LED interfaces to indicate temperature
- Better battery life
- Mirror polished aluminum body
- Price: $275,00 from PAX Labs.
The Pax 3 is a stronger version of the previous generation, and one of the best portable vaporizers on the market. It boasts a sleek design, lightning fast heating, and clean, strong vapor. It also carries a $275 price tag, the same as PAX 1 + 2 when they were new.
This might sound like a lot if you are new in the vaping community. But the price is comparable with other high-end devices. The Crafty by Storz and Bickel, costs $300 and is fairly comparable. The Firefly 2, a convection vaporizer with a similar feature set, sells for $329.
After reading this pax 3 review and having the all the new benefits presented above. One question should definitely be answered by now: Is the Pax 3 a worthy upgrade? You decide
[metaslider id=1062]Overall – I am really impressed with the PAX 3. It has best-in-class features and great performance, which makes it to a top-shelf vaporizer! Using the PAX 3, the performance with herbs stood out and were beyond my expectations. If you are a dry herb only user, the PAX 3 is one of the best picks. If you are a heavy wax user, you should check out my Best Vape Pen Ranking for a suitable wax pen.
Next to the app and sleek design there was another area of improvement: The battery life. You PAX 3 can charge for 1.5h and expect a runtime of 1.5h, which is impressive. You will get about 6-9 bowls depending on each session length (~150 draws altogether).
It has become my favorite vaporizer! With the Pax 3, there are 3 things you shouldn’t miss out on => Dual-Use, Half-Oven, and tailored Heating-Profiles!
If you are looking for a portable vaporizer that is easy & enjoyable to use and really stealthy the Pax 3 is a perfect fit for you.
I hope you enjoyed this Pax 3 vaporizer review! Make sure to leave a comment below, I will answer it right away!
E-cigarettePROs Rating: 97/100
PAX 3 Vaping-Guide
Concentrates
1. Ensure the PAX 3 oven is material-free before using the concentrate insert.
2. Place a small amount of concentrate into the chamber.
3. Replace the chamber lid and then insert the end piece into PAX 3 oven.
4. Turn the PAX 3 on. Before vaping let it heat for at least 30 seconds.
5. When you are finished, turn off the device. Before removing the insert allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes (Important!)
Loose Leaf
First, remove the oven lid located on the bottom of the PAX 3. With the multi-tool firmly pack the grounded herbs inside of the oven until it is at least halfway full. Now you can choose between full oven lid and half oven lid. For a more efficient session with less material, use the half pack oven lid. Replace the selected oven lid back on the device.
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Power On – Quicky press down in the middle of the mouthpiece, located at the top of the PAX 3, to turn on the device. The LED lights will begin to pulse purple, indicating that the oven is heating. Once the LED lights turn green, the PAX 3 is ready for use.
Inhale with a gentle, cigar-like draw
Power off – PAX will also automatically turn off after 3 consecutive minutes of non-use. To turn off the PAX 3 earlier, quickly press down again in the center of the mouthpiece. The LED lights will turn off.
Charging and Battery
Gently shake the device, to see the current battery level. White LED light petals will light up to indicate how much battery is available. The more petals lit, the more charge the PAX 3 has.
How do I charge the PAX 3? Plug one side of the USB cable into charging dock and plug the other side into a computer. Place the device on the magnetic dock. You can tell that the PAX 3 is charging when the LED light petals begin pulsing white. It is fully charged when all four petals stop pulsing and turn solid.
Temperature Settings
What can I do? Adjust the vapor production by changing the temperature setting + Enhancing the flavor profile of your material (concentrates or herbs)
Enter the temperature set mode by pressing down in the center of the mouthpiece for two seconds, while your PAX 3 is powered on and showing purple or green lights.
The LED lights will show the color of your current setting:
By quickly pressing in the center of the mouthpiece, you can cycle through the four different temperatures.
When your desired temperature is reached (16-18sec) and indicated on the LED, exit temperature set mode by shaking the device or again pressing down in the middle of the mouthpiece.
Make sure to check out our: Best Box Mod 2016 Ranking!
This vape is pretty much awesome. Vapor quality isn’t as awesome as it is with the Crafty or Mighty, but it’s still really good. And being small certainly has its advantages. Really like this vape. Huge upgrade over the original Pax. Can’t wait to see what the next one looks like!
Got mine (gold:) yesterday. My Pax2 had died the day before and after sending it back to PAX for a post mortem and hinting at, wondering if possible and nearly begging for an upgrade, caved in and popped over to our local Witch Dr. in Salem, Ma. and bought Crystal, her name on my PAX app, named after my favorite kitty. She is glorious and I even love the raised mouthpiece which I never did with the 2 (and they’re no different!)
I also use the halflid. I start out in Flavor mode and switch to Efficiency when the vapor starts to wane. I always stir prior to each session but I find the 3 seems to vape more evenly than the 2 did, perhaps due to the new modes. Love it for concentrates as well. One complete package:)
Thank you very much for the info!
California triumphantly legalized recreational “herb”. Oh, screw it! We have legalized recreational Cannabis! Sorry the presidential campaign wasn’t ideal. I got my butt to the polls to vote on this important issue. The guy or gal moving into the White House was up for grabs.
This changes everything. And vaping is 100 times better than smoking.
I want to celebrate by splurging on the new Pax3. Thanks for the informative article!
My B day is in January, which is a huge pain in the ass to everyone. Finally after Christmas and New Years are out of the way they can just go back to normal. So I have accepted that I have to make some plans and treat myself. I hope I can get one by Jan 10th 😉 “Happy Birthday to me!” LOL
Thanks again!