The Firefly 2 builds upon the platform left behind from the original Firefly. The original Firefly gave users the ability to enjoy on demand vapor that is smooth and flavorful from a portable unit, something some users still rave about today.
While the original Firefly excelled in those areas, it did stumble a bit with its below average battery life, and its rather large and cumbersome design for a portable vaporizer.
However, with the Firefly 2 these issues have been addressed, which we will talk about later in this review.
We’re going to breakdown this Firefly 2 vaporizer review into the following sections:
- Oven Capacity and Efficiency
- Dry Herbs
- Concentrates
- Vapor Path
- Temperature Control
- Vapor Quality
- Dry Herbs
- Concentrates
- Portability
- Battery Life and Charging
- Accessories
- Warranty
- Pros/Cons Breakdown
- Final Subjective Assessment
Oven Capacity and Efficiency
The Firefly 2 as advertised offers a full spectrum dry herb vaping experience, with the addition of being able to properly vaporize concentrates. In this section we’ll break down how much material you load, and how efficient this device will vaporize your material of choice.
Dry Herbs in the Firefly 2
The primary function of the Firefly 2 natively is to vaporize dry herbs, just as you expected.
The oven of the Firefly 2 holds roughly .1-.2 of shredded material. The weight of flower can vary slightly due to many factors, but this is a good general range you should expect to be able efficiently vaporize all the material in one load.
Over-packing the Firefly 2 I found yielded very bad results. In my experience small, loosely packed ovens yielded the best results.
The Firefly 2 also appreciates a coarse grind as opposed to a fine grind. The finely ground material usually ends up being pulled into the vapor path and impeding airflow in the unit creating unnecessary draw resistance. Likewise, I found a lot more fine particulate matter accumulating in the mouthpieces screen.
The Firefly 2 excels in efficiency when using dry herb.
On-demand heating and a smaller oven allows for you to efficiently vaporize small amounts of material. This is great for someone who appreciates micro-dosing, or has a low tolerance and doesn’t want to commit to a full session.
It can be tedious to reload the Firefly 2 for heavy users, and this may also pose issues for users on the go as well. Something like a doob toob filled with pre-ground herb would be great for someone using the Firefly 2 on the go making the reloading process a breeze.
Typically one oven lasts me about 10 minutes of consistently hitting the vape every minute or two for 15 to 30 seconds long per hit. How many hits you get per oven is going to vary user to user based on how you draw from the device, the material you’re using, and your chosen temperature.
Concentrates in the Firefly 2
While the Firefly 2 is geared more towards dry herb vaporization, it also transcends far beyond many dry herb vaporizers in concentrate performance.
With the 3 included concentrate pads, you have the ability to vaporize your favorite concentrates efficiently. A small rice-sized dab on the middle of the concentrate pad is all you need for 1-2 large concentrate hits.
Remember, less is more when vaping concentrates in devices like these. Large amounts of concentrate are unnecessary and don’t vaporize properly. This is a great way for users with lower tolerances to enjoy concentrates without feeling overwhelmed.
Vapor Path
The Firefly 2 offers mostly a glass vapor path excluding the plastic mouthpiece.
The fact the mouthpiece is plastic isn’t a big deal for me personally at all, however I acknowledge that to many people this is not the case. Users on Fuckcombustion.com and /r/vaporents have reported a plastic taste, however I have not experienced this personally.
Personally I feel the people experiencing this flavor are experiencing a bit of a placebo effect.
Cosmetically the vapor path will get dirty very fast, however the buildup does not affect performance until about 10-15 ovens worth of usage. At that point flavor may noticeably be affected and the lid may have issues creating a good seal.
The great thing in this though is the fact the vapor path is very easy to wipe down with a paper towel and isopropyl alcohol, or the included alcohol wipes. Cleaning the vapor path takes no longer than 10-30 seconds with the included isopropyl wipes, and you’re back in action.
Temperature Control
Like the Crafty vaporizer from Storz and Bickel, the Firefly 2 offers temperature control via its cleanly designed smartphone application.
The Firefly 2 offers 4 temperatures for dry herbs, and 1 temperature specifically for concentrates.
The temperature options are as follows:
- Low (340F)
- Medium Low (360F)
- Medium (380F)
- Medium High (400F)
- High (420F)
- Concentrates (500F)
This is a good temperature spectrum, and covers the temperatures you will ideally be vaping at in most situations and conditions.
Firefly Vapor has released a major firmware update for the Firefly 2 available to everyone now as of September 2016. The biggest change this firmware update made is the ability to adjust each heat setting with the “Power tuning.” What this lets you do is either ramp down the temperature to 89% for even superior flavor and smoothness, or you can bring the slider all the way up to 111% which gives the Firefly 2 a lot more extraction power.
When you set the power tuning to 111%, you get almost instantaneous vapor production. If your complaint was that the Firefly 2 didn’t produce clouds – that complaint has now been addressed as the power tuning allows you to get a faster and more thorough extraction of both your flower and concentrates.
Vapor Quality From the Firefly 2
In my opinion, this is the primary selling point of the Firefly 2. This unit provides the best vapor quality of any of my portables, and I would put it right next to my VapeXhale Cloud EVO in terms of how smooth and flavorful the vapor is.
In this section, we will break down the vapor production, smoothness and flavor for both dry herbs and concentrates.
Vapor Quality of Dry Herbs
Anyone who appreciates consuming quality top shelf flowers will find themselves at home with the Firefly 2.
As you engage the heater and begin hitting it as the oven heats up, you are able to appreciate the more volatile terpenes and cannabinoids that boil off at lower temperatures in your material.
This is something you will miss out on most conduction units as the volatile compounds in your oven are vaporizing when you are not even actively hitting it.
The difference with the Firefly 2 that sets it apart from other vapes is the fact it is a true convection vaporizer.
When you hit the Firefly 2 as it is heating up, you are vaping your material from the low to high temperature spectrum every time you engage the heater and begin to inhale. The experience at first may come off as as difficult, but it really isn’t difficult in reality at all.
The Firefly 2 just offers a different experience as opposed to a lot of vaporizers on the market. Most vaporizers on the market, even ones that advertise convection still to some degree usually heat via conduction in some way.
The Firefly 2 is only vaporizing the material when the user is pulling the cool air over the heating element, and then pulling the hot air slowly over the material allowing the convection heat to boil off your terpenes and cannabinoids.
Since the material isn’t being actively heated when you are not inhaling on the device, vapor production takes a couple seconds to begin picking up.
Due to the Firefly 2’s on-demand heating, the vapor quality throughout the session is very consistent. There is obvious degradation of flavor as you vape (as expected), however it is much less pronounced than units like the Arizer Air, or Pax 2 for example.
Likewise, even at the High temperature preset of 420°F, the vapor is very smooth and not scratchy on my throat.
I can not go past 400°F on most portables as I find the experience very hot, harsh, and uncomfortable. This is not the case with the Firefly 2 due to its unorthodox vapor path.
The lack of a short and narrow air path like many portables in the market today makes this a desirable vaporizer for someone with respiratory issues, or someone who cannot handle harsh vapor but still needs higher temperatures in a portable unit for the medicinal benefits of high temperature vaporization.
Vapor Quality of Concentrates
During my testing, as with most dry herb vaporizers, I was very skeptical about concentrate performance as for the most part they usually feel like the concentrate feature is an afterthought.
However, I was pleasantly surprised with the performance. The Firefly 2 offers better flavor than any wax vape pen I have used, the vapor is very smooth, and the vapor production is about the same as most wax pens on the market.
While the Firefly 2 won’t replace a wax pen for users who need to vape on the go, it does offer a great portable concentrate vaping experience for people who do not need to be discreet when vaping.
Portability of the Firefly 2
While the Firefly 2 may not be as discreet as vapes like the Pax 2 or Goboof Alfa at first glance, it can be a discreet portable vaporizer.
Compared to the original Firefly, the Firefly 2 is 55% lighter and 33% smaller than its original design. The Firefly 2 also is sporting a magnesium alloy body compared to the Firefly 1’s much heavier stainless steel body.
I found the actual design of the Firefly 2 to fit in the hand very well, the unit lays in the palm well, and it is easy to make contact with the capacitive touch sensors on the side.
This vaporizer can very easily fit in your pocket, and should present no issues transporting the device.
The Firefly 2 by all means is not the most discreet vaporizer on the market, however it can be easily concealed when your palm rests on the rear of the unit, covering the bright glowing oven.
The device does look obscure, and using this vape while walking down the street might catch you a couple odd looks from people walking by or driving by, so I would advise against using the device publicly in most areas of the world if you don’t feel confident doing so in public. If you live in a cannabis friendly area of the world, this is obviously a non-issue.
Battery Life and Charging
The original Firefly’s battery life was below average compared to most portables. However, with that said I am happy to report the Firefly 2’s battery life is excellent, and is sufficient for most people’s needs.
Depending how hot you prefer to vape, the battery life can vary a bit. I found anywhere from 5-8 ovens to be a general range you should expect. My preferred and most used temperatures are Medium and Medium High for reference.
The Firefly 2 is sporting a replaceable 7.4V Lithium-Ion battery, and even includes an extra replaceable battery, doubling the Firefly 2’s battery life on the go.
The Firefly 2 is charged with an included charging dock. I am not the biggest fan of the charging dock – I wish I had the option of plugging a micro usb cable directly into the device instead. I have not had any issues with the dock, it is just not my preference.
Firefly also offers an external charger which you can use to charge your spare battery when it is not in the unit.
The Firefly 2 charges very quickly. From a dead battery you can expect your Firefly 2 to be fully charged in around 40 minutes depending on the power source you are using for your charger. Portable charging packs may take longer.
Accessories for the Firefly 2
The Firefly 2 includes a couple of accessories in the box for its users. In the box you will receive:
- 3 Concentrate pads.
- 2 replaceable 7.4V lithium-ion batteries.
- A cleaning kit containing the following:
- 1 Double Sided brush
- 2 plastic pick tools
- 1 pack of isopropyl alcohol wipes
- A charging dock and cable.
Warranty
The Firefly 2 offers a 2 year warranty on factory defects and flaws in the devices workmanship.
Personally, I would like to see a longer warranty, but 2 years is still a good warranty for a well built vaporizer.
As it stands, the Firefly 2 has no glaring issues in its design or how it’s assembled, and the unit stands reliable today.
However, if any issues arise in mine and others in the community, I will be sure to update this review accordingly. 2 years seems good, but we’ll have to truly wait and see if the Firefly 2 stands the test of time.
Pros/Cons Breakdown
In summary, I would like to compile all the pros and cons of the Firefly 2.
Pros
- Best flavor profile from a portable vaporizer.
- Very smooth and cool vapor.
- On-demand heating.
- Convection heating.
- Improved battery life compared to the original Firefly.
- Improved portability compared to the original Firefly.
- Simple and quick cleaning process.
Cons
- Charging dock and lack of direct charging.
- At least 1 stir typically needed for full extraction.
- Unit gets hot after extended periods of use.
- Bluetooth connectivity issues with application at times.
Final Subjective Assessment of the Firefly 2
The following section is going to cover how this vape fits into my day to day life, how it has been treating me, and just some clarification on some other random points regarding the Firefly 2.
Before I came into possession of the Firefly 2, the VapeXhale Cloud EVO was primarily the only vape I used throughout the day. I still use my Cloud EVO throughout the day, but I now use it alongside my Firefly 2.
These two units in my personal opinion compliment each other very well. A heavy hitting and flavorful desktop paired with a very light hitting, even more flavorful portable unit.
The Firefly 2 is what I have been looking for in a portable unit for awhile, and I never realized it until I had the pleasure of using it.
When my 4 friends and I enjoyed a nice weekend trip to New York City, we all enjoyed the Firefly 2 very much in our sessions. Even with 3 beautiful oil rigs on the table and a Haze V3 vaporizer, we all wanted to keep tasting and appreciating the vapor that this unit had to offer.
It fit in well into our ritual, and I hope it fits in yours too if you decide to purchase this device.
Not every vape in my collection has to be a hard hitting vapor machine, and this isn’t what the Firefly 2 is. This unit has no issues getting me to a level I want to be at by itself, but it won’t get heavy users there in only a hit or two.
The Firefly 2 offers a light and efficient vaping experience similar to the Magic Flight Launch Box, but only in the sense of on-demand heating and the users judging how large of a hit they want by draw speed, draw length, and general technique.
However, the Firefly 2 is capturing something else with its amazing flavor, and very cool and smooth vapor.
I’m still experimenting using the Firefly 2 with my water pipes. I have some early testing footage below, but I would like to do a full breakdown on using this vape with water pipes in the near future.
This vape isn’t for everyone. If you’re just looking for something to get you medicated as fast as possible, this probably isn’t what you’re looking for.
In my opinion, the Firefly 2 offered the purest tasting vapor I have experienced in a portable. I know some people may disagree with me as I have seen people point out the plastic mouthpiece in the vapor path.
Personally, I have not noticed any off flavor from it in my own testing, however I have seen it brought up enough times in the community for me to bring it up here in the review as I imagine other people may come to the same conclusion, and I want to make sure people are aware of this kind of stuff before purchasing the device.
I have tried to make the unit produce this plastic flavor, but I have had no luck. It’s just such an insignificant thing that in reality does nothing to the purity of the flavor what so ever. In my strong opinion, I would not let this discourage you at all from purchasing and enjoying the Firefly 2.
Finally, I would like to address one last thing, and that is the supposed learning curve.
This vaporizer requires the user to really pay attention to how they are hitting the device. If you pull too fast, I found the unit to under perform and leave people disappointed. Or if you don’t draw long enough, you’re left with a very small vape hit.
In my experience, a lot of the techniques used by the Magic Flight Launch Box community go hand in hand to making the Firefly 2 perform at peak performance. Controlling your draw speed, and ensuring you draw long enough for the hot air to effectively pass over your material will guarantee you success.
The Firefly 2 satisfies me well, and when I use it by itself, I have no urge to reach for another vape even with a full lineup. Just don’t go into this vape thinking it’s going to do crazy 1 hit extractions solely based off of its price tag.
Best place to buy your Firefly 2?
For this unit, I recommend buying it from Vaporizer Chief. I believe their customer service has been the best lately.
You can also check out a bunch of cool add-ons and accessories for your Firefly 2 right on their website, just in case you want to upgrade your unit.
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