Intro to the Boundless CF and Boundless CFX vaporizers

The Boundless CF and CFX portable vaporizers have dropped and have already been making a splash in the vaporizing market. These mid-priced units seem to target higher end units and the question has become, are these vapes fighting above their weight class? And can these scrappy new vapes stack up to their competition?

IMPORTANT NOTE:

These vapes have been advertised as a 100% convection vaporizer. This is not the case as pointed out by many preliminary users.  The review and feedback will be evaluating these units as CONDUCTION units. Evaluating them as a conduction is key for the review.

Features of the Boundless CF and Boundless CFX

The Boundless CF and Boundless CFX are similar enough to condense this review into one.  They each offer nearly identical performance and function, and there simply isn’t enough of a difference to make you read two full reviews, so take this as a two in one review! Hooray efficiency!

We will however be sure to point out where the two vapes differ, since they do have some unique features to each one individually.

Both vapes offer extremely fast heat up time, around 20 seconds to hit operating temperature and massive chambers. This will also be covered in more detail in a later section.

Both also offer rotating mouthpieces that can be swiveled out for use and then spun back around when you’re done. Both are held in by a quarter turn locking mechanism that makes it very easy to open and close.

They also both are covered in a soft touch material (like those used on some computer mice, phone cases, and laptops) which feels fantastic in the hand and adds a little bit of extra grip in case you have sweaty hands.

These units aren’t exactly identical however, and this is where the CFX begins to differ itself from its little brother, the CF.

The Boundless CFX Portable Vaporizer

The CFX features individual degree temperature adjustment from 100F-430F (38C-220C) and that absolutely gorgeous 1.7” OLED display that looks so cool when you’re using it.

This display shows the session timer in seconds (300 seconds/5min) in a cool fuel gauge looking way, and the battery life in the upper right.

The temperatures are displayed as red when you’re making a selection and green as it is at temp.

The CFX also will vibrate when at operating temperature, and I’ve found this surprisingly pleasant. I like the premium feel it gives when it vibrates and is at temp.

The CFX also has a magnet on the top mouthpiece to hold it in place in use and even when loading, which I found to be a really useful and cool feature when I’m out and about.

The Boundless CF Portable Vaporizer

The CF offers 5 preset temp settings:

• 355F (179C)
• 370F (188C)
• 385F (196C)
• 400F (204C)
• 415F (213C)

I’ve found these to be more than ample for temperatures and provides a more than adequate experience.

The CF does not vibrate or offer any type of feedback other than the LEDs next to the temperatures which blink when heating up and become solid when all set.

The best way to describe the difference in these units is that the CFX is a more premium option geared to enthusiasts and “pro-sumers” (consumers with a tendency to lean to more high end products), whereas the CF is the more simple of the two and allows you to get the same quality vape experience for less money, but you sacrifice a couple of the features of the CFX.

The units function nearly the same, but the CFX offers that cool display, individual temp control, a larger battery, vibration, the mouthpiece magnet, and a more premium aesthetic.

Oven Capacity, Session, and Efficiency

The ovens on the Boundless CF and CFX are pretty spacious, so don’t worry about how much you can put in.

Note: both have the same capacity and sized oven.

These can hold upwards of a half gram of freshly ground herb, and that’s absolutely nuts. If you grind fine enough and tamp down, I’m willing to bet you could get around 0.7g in an oven for a multiperson session.

I personally prefer a relatively coarse grind, so when I threw 0.18 in, it filled it without tamping it down.

I generally keep it around half that and really love it. Here’s how much I threw in for the session I normally like.

Here’s that session’s AVB with 5 hits, lasting a total of 150 seconds and going up to 400F.

A nice golden brown color with a little bit of green left even! I was so shocked at how well this hit! Satisfying, full flavor the entire time, quality, smooth vapor, and just a fantastic vape. I have a relatively low tolerance and after that session I was left feeling extremely medicated.

I will say, when loading, the little ridge around the mouthpiece can attract stray pieces of bud and it can get quite obnoxious. I usually store my pre-ground bud in a plastic “doob tube” and it makes it way easier, but if you’re pinching it in from a grinder, expect to try brushing pieces out from inside the ridge.

Heat up time

The heat up time of these vapes is definitely where they shine, and shine they do.

I can turn the oven on to 375F and it will hit that temp within roughly 20 seconds. This blows most conduction vapes in a similar price point out of the water.

Changing between temps is near instantaneous. Half the time when I’m going through the single degrees on the CFX, it’ll reach that temp by the time I finish deciding!

Hold the button down on the CF, look away for a second, look back and the lights will be solid and ready to use.

I personally can’t get enough of this fast heat up time, and that’s been a huge factor into me consistently reaching for these vapes to use. If I want to take a few hits, then turn it off, I don’t have to wait or feel obligated to finish the bowl because of long heat up times.

Massively huge plus in this category.

Vapor Quality

After the “convection vs conduction” debacle was happening over at the FuckCombustion forums and on Reddit, I had some pretty low expectations for the vapor quality…

When evaluated as a conduction unit, I was very pleasantly, and happily wrong about my initial expectations.

I would recommend doing a few “burnoff” cycles on either device when they arrive by turning the oven up to max and just letting it sit with no material inside. I also noticed it took 3-4 sessions to get rid of the “factory” flavor, but after that, it was fantastic.

The flavor from this conduction unit is absolutely phenomenal, and the airpath is entirely isolated in this device. I love starting my sessions with a nice, low temperature (around 370F) to get some delicious, terpene filled hits, and then slowly bumping up the temperature.

The flavor burst certainly stuck around too, through nearly half of my session. Even when the extreme flavor began to dwindle, there was no unpleasantness to the vapor or any other flavor, it just became slightly more muted as most of the terpenes were vaporized by that point.

Hits are smooth and not noticeably harsh. The only harshness I began to experience is over the 410F point, and even then, the air I was taking in through the relatively easy draw kept it manageable and bearable.

It dried out my throat a little, but I just had a sip of water and everything was fine.

Boundless has announced that they are making a water pipe adapter for the units, and I am extremely excited to see this as an addition because I feel these units will excel through water.

Some savvy vapor enthusiasts out there have managed to find glass pieces that fit into the mouthpiece and hook it up to their glass. I have not yet tried this, but I will try it as soon as I can and report back my results!

Portability

I find both units to be fairly easy in portability, but not the smallest portable vapes out there.

They both are relatively low-key and could probably be passed off as an e-cig “box mod” type of vape.

Both units are surprisingly light as well, with the Boundless CFX weighing in at around 200 grams and the Boundless CF probably closer to 100 grams.

The CFX is slightly larger than the more portable CF to pack that display and extra battery life into. It is around the size of my LG G4, and twice as thick, and doesn’t fit entirely in my 6’ male hands.

I have never found this size to be an issue, as it can just fit in a coat pocket, small bag, or purse easily.

I wouldn’t particularly recommend carrying this around in your jeans pocket everywhere you go since it will bulge, but for a short walk or trip, you could probably get away with it.

Here is the Boundless CFX compared to a Flowermate Mini:

The Boundless CF is smaller at the cost of the more premium features and the battery life, and it’s a bit more portable because of it.

I found myself using the CF a little bit more if I was on the go or planning a day trip to hike and wanted to minimize what I am carrying.

For me personally, I usually just have my keys, wallet, and phone (maybe chapstick if it’s winter) and I like keeping things pretty minimal that way.

The CF was pocketable, though producing a small bulge in slightly skinnier jeans (Levi 501s if anyone cares for specifics), but not unreasonable to keep there and go about my day.

In a pair of pants with more spacious pockets or a small bag, the CF is more than fine and will fit nicely.

Here is the CF compared to the FM Mini, and a picture of me holding it:

I usually took the CFX if I was headed to a friend’s house or a location I’d spend a bit of time at, and I would grab the CF if I wanted to be out in public or go for a short trip.

Both are reasonable for portability, and I think with the performance you get at this size, it more than makes up for its small bulk. 

Battery life

Both devices lasted me loads and loads of sessions. The CFX I had 6 sessions with a friend, all going to the 5 minute cut off, and the battery was only about half dead.

The CF I also used for 6 sessions, and it didn’t seem to be using up too much battery, but again, there is no way of telling with the CF since it doesn’t have the battery indicator like the CFX does.

Most places say that the CF lasts 10+ sessions and the CFX 10-15 sessions per charge, and I would agree that both are relatively accurate.

Plus, since both can charge via micro USB, even if they did run out, I felt I had plenty of chargers and portable battery packs for my phone that it would be no issue to charge on the go.

Remember, these are generally affected by the temperature you have your device set at, so if you’re at 430F on the CFX and 415F on the CF constantly, you probably won’t get that amount of battery life.

Charging

Both units have micro USB charging and come with internal, sealed batteries (so non user replaceable).

The Boundless CF comes with a 1300mAh battery and the CFX comes in at 2500mAh.

The micro USB charging is pretty fast, and they even recommend using a 2.0 amp charger (huge plus for me), but the CFX comes packed with a pretty neat trick.

With an included AC/DC wall charger, the CFX can “quick charge” from zero battery to full in half an hour when plugged into the DC port, as opposed to the 2 hour, 2amp micro USB charging.

I absolutely adored this feature on the CFX and think that most vapes going forward need to support some form of quick charging.

The CF charges fairly quickly itself using a 5V 2amp USB charger, and charges in under 2 hours.

A con to the CF is there is no way to check the charge left on the device. I really wish they would have integrated something with the LEDs maybe to display how much charge is left on the device when it is powered off or on, but that feature doesn’t exist.

Accessories and what’s in the box

Both come with a small “tank” to use with wax or oils, all the appropriate charging cables (micro USB in both and the AC/DC adapter in the CFX box), as well as a user manual, all wrapped up in pretty good packaging. 

Unboxing both of these vapes reminded me a lot of unboxing my cellphone when I first got it.

The included pick like tool and brush were great for stirring and short cleanings after a session.

As I said previously, Boundless plans on releasing a water pipe adapter for the units in the near future, and I certainly hope to see it soon.

Pros and Cons of the Boundless CF/CFX

Pros:

• Fast heat up time
• Long battery life
• Good flavor and isolated vapor path
• Large capacity and great efficiency
• Easy charging with micro USB (plus quick charging on the CFX)

Cons:

• Not full convection. The company has this in the box and in the user manuals, but this is not the case. Not the largest con, but certainly something to note.
• No battery indicator on the CF
• Herb can get caught in the ridge of the mouthpiece
• No water pipe adapter yet (not a huge con either, but note it for now)

Best Place to Buy the Boundless CF or the CFX?

For either one of these units, we recommend buying them from Vaporizer Chief.

(Click Here for the CFX  or  Click Here for the CF)

Vaporizer Chief is one of the best merchants in the industry, and we really enjoy working with them.

They offer both Boundless units for a very low price, will ship the units to you for free, and they even include a few bonus items like a 4-piece acrylic grinder and a tight-vac storage container for your herb.

Overall, it’s one of the best deals online by far.

Final Thoughts/Which Boundless Unit Should You Go With?

Honestly, I didn’t think these vapes would be worth much after I heard they weren’t accurate about their convection, but I was truly and pleasantly surprised.

Most people I have talked to and have tried this unit seem to be in agreement as well; an understandable feeling of doubt, but then a glowing positivity after trying it.

I think these vapes have a strong potential to become the next standard of mid-tier portable vaporizers that aren’t out of the financial reach of a beginner or seasoned vaporist. These sufficiently beat out my FM Mini and at a price that isn’t too much higher.

The quick heat up times, efficiency, ease of use, and flavor have many people agreeing that these are strong vapes that stack up nicely to the competition.

I’ve spoken to users who own the Boundless CF/CFX and an Arizer unit, and some of them have said they prefer these units in flavor and efficiency. Now, these vapes are very similar in price point, and will become the center of debate between recommendations, and I encourage anyone to try them and see for yourself.

The Arizer Air does offer some beneficial features like replaceable batteries and glass stems, as well as time on its side for a large amount of people to access and recommend it.

The Arizer Solo has glass stems, but no replaceable battery and I would personally recommend either Boundless unit over it.

Personally, these vapes are a welcomed upgrade over a Flowermate type device and can be great for beginners and seasoned vaporists alike. I haven’t put either down since I have got them and thoroughly enjoy using them.

These vapes have become my new daily drivers and people who I have sessioned with agree that they are a welcomed upgrade.

So which one should you buy, the Boundless CF or the CFX?

As an enthusiast, if someone asked me which one I prefer, I would have to say to go with the CFX. I just like the premium features and feel with the device.

The longer battery life, battery indicator, OLED screen, quick charging, and the other features make it worth the extra $40 in my opinion.

This is just a personal preference and I still really enjoy the CF, and there are plenty out there that don’t want or need the extra features.

In the end, you can’t go wrong with either unit.

Overall, I’d rate both units at a 4.5/5 evaluated as conduction based units.

Everyone stay tuned for the upcoming video review of both the Boundless CF and the CFX!

Got any questions for us? Hit us up in the comments and let us know what’s on your mind!