There are a few high-end vaporizers on the market that deliver a great vaping experience and precise temperature control. But they’re not all the same, and each portable vaporizer has advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s take a look at the PAX 3, the latest conduction vaporizer from PAX, and an upgrade to the PAX 2. It's one of the most popular vaporizers on the market, but is its popularity justified?
In this review, we'll be comparing the PAX 3 to a competitor and a top conduction vape, the Furna.
Both devices are portable, have a sleek, discreet design, and deliver great vapor quality and flavor. But a lot lies beneath the surface when you look at the details. Let's take a deep dive into the differences between the two vapes.
Comparing Oven Size, Material, and Heating
With a stainless steel dry herb oven capacity of 0.35 grams, the PAX 3 vape provides ample room for your favorite strains. For smaller vaping sessions, use the half-pack oven lid instead of the standard one, so you can fill it just halfway.
The PAX is also compatible with concentrates, if you have the extra insert. The concentrate insert comes with the PAX Complete Kit, or can be purchased separately for about $50.
Make sure you never pack the oven when the power is on, or when the bowl is hot. PAX recommends that you wait at least 10 minutes for the oven to cool down before your next session.
PAX alternative: a dry herb vape with swappable ovens
The Furna oven is made of high-quality food grade stainless steel and holds 0.2 grams, but the ease of swapping ovens means you’re never left wanting more.
Unlike the PAX 3, Furna offers ovens for both dry herbs and concentrates. The concentrate oven is a little different and features a ceramic heating element, but swapping between one oven to another only takes an instant.
You can switch between dry herbs and concentrates without a mess, without having to wait for the oven to cool down, and without having to repack. Just a quick swap, minimal heat up time, and you’re ready to go.
Furna ovens also have a push-and-twist top for added safety, and are insulated for heat protection. This means you can remove an oven without burning your fingers, and immediately replace it with another one.
Is there anything better than PAX 3?
The PAX 3 portable vaporizer gives you a choice between a flat mouthpiece or a raised one. But either way, the mouthpiece is exposed in your pocket, and can let in dirt and debris.
There are several aftermarket or DIY lids you can try if you want to cap the mouthpiece to protect it from lint or dust. But nothing is included when you buy a PAX.
Furna’s swappable ovens allow for a better alternative. When you’re finished with a session, push the bottom of the vaporizer up to pop the oven out, flip it around, and drop it back in.
Your mouthpiece is now protected from lint or dust while in your pocket or purse – no lid required. This lets you stay discreet, and ensures the best flavor.
PAX Review: Display and Heating Control App
The PAX 3 has a simple display: a glowing flower shape that indicates your PAX's temperature and battery levels.
The number of petals that are lit and their color will vary according to the state of your vaporizer. It's up to you to memorize what each color and pattern means.
It’s not easy to control the temperature on your PAX 3 - it will stay at the same settings as your last session, and you can’t easily make changes. If you want to adjust the temperature to something specific, you’ll have to use PAX 3's app and try to remember the heat settings assigned to each petal.
Once the temperatures are programmed in the app, you can cycle through them by pressing on the mouthpiece.
Android users can download the PAX 3 app to manage settings but if you use an iPhone, you’re out of luck. Apple has banned the app, so you’ll need to set up your preferences on the PAX website.
Alternative to PAX 3: Furna's custom features
Furna doesn’t need a smartphone app to set preferences. So you don’t need to rely on your phone, or even an Internet connection.
Everything can be done on the digital display. It displays battery levels and offers a variety of options, such as real-time heating adjustments and the ability to digitally stamp ovens. It also flips automatically to suit both left and right-handed users.
Temperatures are a key part of vaping: they’ll determine the strength and flavor of your sessions. Higher temperatures provide more vapor and more THC, resulting in a more intense experience. Lower temperatures provide more flavor, allowing you to taste the profiles of the herbs.
With Furna, you can change the temperature for dry herb ovens in 5-degree increments at any point in the session. This way, you can adjust everything, customized to the effects of the weed strain you’re using.
With Furna’s concentrate ovens, you can set a warming temperature (High, Medium, Low, Off) and a wattage in 1 W increments from 5 – 20 W.
Furna’s ovens are also customizable. You can assign a unique symbol to each oven that appears on the display when you pop it into the device. This helps you easily keep track of strains. The ovens also have colored mouthpiece nibs, letting you tell one from the other at a glance.
PAX 3 Battery Replacement and Battery Life
With the PAX 3, you can expect 8-10 sessions with each charge, which is an improvement over the PAX 2. To preserve battery life, it will automatically power off after three minutes of inactivity.
Moving the vaporizer will show you the battery level, with each petal representing a 25% charge. To charge PAX 3, use the USB cable to plug it into your laptop. PAX battery replacement is possible, but only for the very technically inclined.
Furna has substantially longer battery life vs the PAX 3, allowing for 15-20 sessions before you need to charge the unit.
Furna’s digital display shows you how much power is left at the beginning of each session, and anytime you shake your wrist. So you’re never left guessing how soon the unit will need charging.
Cleaning and Maintenance: PAX 3
Cleaning the PAX 3 takes some extra effort compared with its competitors. For a deep clean, you’ll need to use a pipe cleaner to scrub the vapor path in the body of the device.
The other pieces all pop out, and can be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. Because the vapor is drawn up through the body, residue can build up and has to be removed from the oven and vapor path.
Because it's so challenging to clean and easy to get clogged, taking a draw from a PAX usually doesn't feel as smooth.
Furna is significantly easier to clean. Every part is easily accessible. Anything that impacts airflow, like the mouthpieces, nibs, cooling coils, and screens, can all be dropped into isopropyl alcohol.
And you can use the cleaning brush that comes with the vaporizer to clean out the oven. There’s no need to ever clean the vape itself.
Because it's easier to clean, you'll probably do it more often. Which means you’ll get better vapor production and a significantly smoother draw from the mouthpiece than the PAX 3.
Portable vaporizer review: PAX 3 vs DaVinci IQ2, Crafty
If you vape occasionally or on a regular basis, the Furna comes out ahead of the PAX 3 with the best overall experience and vapor quality.
Furna is also much more convenient (and less messy) when it comes to using concentrates. Furna even has ovens that let you use 510 oil cartridges.
The PAX 3 might be an improvement over the PAX 2. But with its innovative design, fast heat-up time, smoothness of draw, ease of use and cleaning, and customization features, Furna is the better of the two dry herb conduction vapes. Check out the Furna vaporizer today.
Interested in comparing other portable vaporizers? Head over to our handy product comparison page which looks at the PAX 3 vs. DaVinci IQ2 and Crafty by Storz & Bickel, and how these vaporizers compare with the Furna.
