The Lotus and the Firefly 2 are both my top picks for on-demand heating vaporizers, but I would recommend each vape to different people depending on what they want or need in a vaporizer.
Each vaporizer has certain characteristics and features that make them more desirable for different people and scenarios.
In this comparison we’re going to break it all down and try to compare the qualities and features of both of these portable vaporizers side by side. We’re going to be breaking down this comparison into 6 major categories, which are as follows:
- Ease of Use
- Temperature Control
- Vapor Quality and Efficiency
- Portability
- Battery Life and Butane
- Warranty
With all that aside, let’s jump into the Lotus vs Firefly 2 comparison!
Ease of Use
The ease of use category is going to go over how easy each of these vaporizers are to operate and maintain for day to day use.
Ease of Use with the Lotus Vaporizer
The Lotus is a little different than what most people are used to seeing in a portable vaporizer. While I don’t find the Lotus hard to use, I would most definitely be lying if I said it was an easy vape to use.
Unless you’re an experienced vaporist, you will more than likely have to sit down a few times to get the hang of properly using the Lotus.
To begin with, the way this vape actually heats up is with a small single flame torch. Most vaporizers like the Firefly 2 use a battery to activate a heating element of some kind (as most of you are already aware of).
Your draw speed also plays a major key in how you achieve optimal vaporization, but we’re going to go into the technique of hitting the Lotus later in the comparison.
For now we’re just talking about ease of use, and ultimately the main challenge of using the Lotus is temperature control. What this means is that someone new to this vape is going to have to learn how to properly heat and draw from the Lotus before getting spectacular results (again, we’ll get into this later).
I found a coarse grind to be the best when using the Lotus, which is great from an ease of use standpoint. This means you can simply throw your herbs in a standard 4 piece grinder and not have to do much other than grind it as you normally would.
Cleaning the Lotus is an overall easy and painless process. To clean the pipe, I just remove the screen and soak it in 91% isopropyl alcohol and give it a thorough rinse once all of the oil has dissolved.
For the Water Pipe Adapter, I just use a few cotton swabs soaked in isopropyl alcohol and thoroughly clean the inside of the water pipe adapter.
The screens can either be replaced cheaply, burnt off with a torch, or they can be soaked in isopropyl alcohol as well. It’s overall an easy cleaning process and doesn’t require a lot of effort on the user’s part.
Ease of Use with the Firefly 2
Like the Lotus, the Firefly 2 takes a little bit of effort to learn how to properly hit the device. However, I find it much easier and faster to get the hang of the Firefly 2 as opposed to the Lotus.
Some of this vape’s functions are incorporated into the companion smartphone app, which Firefly provides for iOS and Android phones. The Firefly 2 uses the smartphone app to adjust your heating profile, alter which touch capacitive button activates the heater, and it allows you to see your battery level.
The app itself is really cleanly designed and easy to navigate through. Unless you personally don’t like using your smartphone to alter your temperature setting, I don’t find it a hindrance on the experience, but everyone’s different.
When you are preparing your flower for use with the Firefly 2, you don’t have to do anything special. The grind from a normal 4 piece grinder is actually the recommended grind consistency for the Firefly 2, as opposed to traditional conduction units that usually require their users to grind very finely for the best experience.
Like the Lotus, you have to be mindful of your draw speed. A slow 15-30 second draw is what provides the best results with the Firefly 2. This unit does not vape well when you take short shallow puffs; you really need to slowly and deeply inhale the vapor or else the convection heat will not vaporize your material.
Also, you do have to stir the Firefly 2 for the best results at least once per bowl. I typically just use my finger to stir the oven, and the vapor path gives you a good amount of surface area to mix up the material without spilling it all over the place and making a mess or losing precious material.
Using the Vapor Path to Stir the Herb
Regular maintenance with the Firefly 2 is a breeze, but the unit does accumulate some buildup over time.
A simple wipe down with some kind of cloth damped in isopropyl alcohol is all you need to clean this vaporizer in under 30 seconds. If you don’t stay on top of cleaning it, the process can take longer as the buildup is harder to wipe off, but if you clean it every 5-10 ovens the unit stays pristine.
Which Vape is the Easiest to Use?
I find the Firefly 2 overall much easier to use from an experienced user’s standpoint as well as a beginners.
The only thing that takes time learning with the Firefly 2 is draw speed and draw length.
With the Lotus, you need to learn a certain overall heating technique which is a combination of how you draw from the vape and how you heat it with the torch. It takes time to learn how to get consistent results with the Lotus, but with the Firefly 2 you’ll get the hang of it after a few bowls.
Temperature Control
This section will go over the temperature settings of these vapes. Both of these are much different in how they handle adjusting temperatures.
The Lotus’ Temperature Control
First off, when adjusting the flame on your torch, there’s a technique to determining how big your flame has to be. Your flame should be as long as the distance between two points on the Lotus flower.
Controlling the temperature of the Lotus is a combination of the heat applied from the torch and how fast you’re drawing from the vape. The Lotus uses convection heat to vaporize your material, so what this means is that the speed in which you draw from the Lotus is a big part of getting consistent results.
Let’s start with heating the Lotus. With the torch, you want to first start preheating the hot plate for about 4 seconds as per Lotus’ instructions before you take any draws. When you do begin to draw, you want to start moving the flame in a circle around the center of the hot plate.
Once you have begun drawing from the Lotus, you have to really think about your draw speed. Start slow at first and once you feel or see the vapor coming out, you can maintain that pace for a thick large hit, or you can begin to draw faster to get a lighter or airer hit.
In general, slow draw speeds produced the most vapor, while faster draw speeds gave the best flavor and vapor quality.
There really is no “maximum temperature” with this vape. You can take it as high as you want, but there is a good possibility of combustion if you get carried away.
What this does mean is that you can vape at higher temperatures than most units allow you to and efficiently extract all of your active compounds out of your material.
Temperature Control with the Firefly 2
Unlike the Lotus, you don’t have to put much thought into how you actually heat the Firefly 2. Just simply put your finger over the touch capacitive sensors on the side and your unit will heat to your desired temperature like most other vaporizers.
All of the temperature control itself is done with the smartphone app. Some people may find this to be a pain, but I don’t really mind it.
From the smartphone app you have the ability of cycling through 5 different heat profiles for dry herb, and 1 for concentrates. The heat profiles are as follows:
- Low -340°F
- Medium Low – 360°F
- Medium – 380°F
- Medium High – 400°F
- High – 420°F
- Concentrates – 500°F
This covers most of the temperatures people want to vape at, and I personally have no complaints with its temperature spectrum.
Which Vape has Better Temperature Control?
I would definitely give it to the Firefly 2. The Firefly 2 provides effortless and consistent heat so long as you activate the heater.
Vapor Quality and Efficiency
The Lotus and the Firefly 2 both have outstanding vapor quality and efficiency, but they have some differences that we will compare.
The Lotus’ Vapor Quality and Efficiency
The Lotus uses convection heating to vaporize your material. Something to note about the Lotus is the fact that in my opinion this offers some of the best all around vapor production and vapor quality for under $200.
The Lotus has many ways of using it. I have experience with the Lotus Pipe and the Water Pipe adapter.
They both have pros and cons over each other, but for today’s comparison I am going to be focusing primarily on the Lotus pipe. In general, the Lotus pipe offered the best flavor, and I found the water pipe adapter was the smoothest and could achieve the best vapor production.
Since there isn’t accurate temperature control, I can only describe in general how the vapor quality of high temperature and low temperature vapor is.
I found the higher temperature vapor did tickle my throat a bit, but I found it was mostly due to the sheer volume of vapor the Lotus produces at high temperatures. If you are sensitive to harsh vapor, you may find the Lotus is a bit harsh when pushing it to the brink of combustion with really hot temperatures.
If you go easy with the torch, you can achieve really low temperature vapor that is both satisfyingly potent and flavorful. I found it more difficult to maintain a consistent low temperature hit, as it takes a lot more patience and skill in my experience to vape at a lower temperature with the Lotus.
Once you master heating the Lotus gently, you can truly achieve very flavorful and smooth vapor.
Consistency in general is an issue when learning how to use the Lotus. If you don’t maintain the correct heat with the torch and the correct draw speed, you’re not going to get consistent vapor quality.
The Lotus only needs .1 of coarsely ground material to sufficiently fill the bowl for vaping. This will fill about 1/3rd of the bowl, and I find this is the optimal amount to load.
Depending on how you heat the Lotus, you can expect about 3-6 large vapor hits.
The Lotus doesn’t do concentrates natively, but there is a workaround. The Firefly concentrate pads ironically fit right in the Lotus bowl and can be used to vaporize concentrates in your Lotus.
Unless you go for the high temperature vapor cap that Lotus offers, I would recommend taking it easy when torching the hot plate on top of the Lotus vapor cap when vaping concentrates.
I only heat mine as much as I would for dry herb, which is more than sufficient to effectively vaporize a small or large amount of concentrate.
The Firefly 2’s Vapor Quality and Efficiency
Like the Lotus, the Firefly 2 is an on-demand convection heating vaporizer. In general, I found the Firefly 2 offered the smoothest and most flavorful vapor I have ever experienced in a portable vaporizer.
The only thing you really have to be mindful of as we stated before is your draw speed and length when using the Firefly 2. Getting good hits is dependent on you pulling a sufficient amount of hot air over your material.
I really liked the vapor from the Medium heating profile up to the High heating profile. The 380°F-420°F temperature range on this device is outstanding. Unlike most portables, I can actually stand to use this vape at its “High” heating profile.
The vapor from the Firefly 2 is always smooth and absolutely flavorful.
The Firefly 2 offers very consistent flavor throughout a whole bowl. There is obvious degradation of flavor as you vape a bowl, but it is much less pronounced than the Lotus.
The Firefly 2 doesn’t mindlessly blast your herbs with hot air; there’s a lot of technology and engineering going on that allows the Firefly 2 to deliver vapor that truly represents the terpene profile of the material you put in it.
The Firefly 2 is also sporting a small bowl like the Lotus. The Firefly 2 can load approximately .1 of coarsely ground flower. From a full oven you can expect about 6-10 good vapor draws. This is pretty dependent on how and what you vape, however.
The Firefly 2 excels with concentrates. In fact, I would say this is the best way to appreciate high quality oil and melty hash. You’ll notice subtle flavors and effects that you haven’t before with other ways of vaporizing concentrates.
Who has the best Vapor Quality and Efficiency?
I would say the Firefly 2 overall has better vapor quality, but I don’t feel I can necessarily say it is more efficient.
The Lotus can offer really outstanding vapor quality, very comparable to the Firefly 2 in fact when an experienced user is at the helm of the device.
However, I found the Firefly 2 offered more consistent vapor without much effort needed on the user’s part.
Both the Lotus and the Firefly 2 will extract everything out of your flower, and both do a great job at conserving herb and concentrate.
Portability
The portability section of this comparison will look at how easy each of these vapes fit in the hand, how easy they are to transport, and how discrete they are for public use.
The Lotus’ Portability
The Lotus cap itself is just under 2 inches in diameter. The short stem is 5 and half inches long while the long stem is 6 and a half inches long.
I don’t find the Lotus pipe discrete for public use. I would personally find somewhere out of sight and out of mind before I use the Lotus somewhere that isn’t at home.
The Lotus and pipe itself fit well in the hand, but the whole package isn’t really pocketable. I found it necessary to bring a bag with me when I wanted to bring the Lotus kit somewhere.
The Firefly 2’s Portability
The Firefly 2 is 55% lighter and 33% smaller than the original Firefly. It comes in at about 5 inches tall and 1 and half inches wide.
I really like the feel of the Firefly 2 in the hand, and I find it comfortable to hold for extended periods if needed. It also slips into any pocket with no issue.
The actual design of the Firefly 2 is pretty obscure and not many people will even know what is in your hand. You won’t have many issues using this out and about, unlike the Lotus which looks like you’re hitting a traditional pipe.
Which Vape is More Portable?
I find the Firefly 2 a lot more portable than the Lotus. It is easier to bring from point A to Point B, and it can realistically be used in a public setting.
Battery Life and Butane
This is where both vapes differ pretty greatly. The Firefly 2 uses a battery to power its heater, while the Lotus uses a flame.
Using Butane with the Lotus
You don’t have to worry about charging your Lotus, since it is powered by butane. This does mean that you have to periodically purchase butane though.
One large can of butane costs me under $15 and sufficiently fills both of my torches for about 2 weeks. If you’re not a really heavy user, the butane will last you longer.
In general, I found I only had to refill my torch about every other day with pretty consistent use. This is a big pro for the Lotus in my opinion – you don’t have to worry about a short battery life or anything.
Bringing butane with you is also a better option for when you are away from electricity, as we just established 1 can of butane will last you awhile and it is much easier to bring that than a bunch of pre charged extra batteries.
The Firefly 2’s Battery Life
Depending on what heat profile you prefer, I found myself getting anywhere from 5-8 bowls per battery. Obviously if you prefer to vape at higher heat profiles, the battery will deplete faster.
Included with your purchase of the Firefly 2 is an extra replaceable 7.4V Lithium-Ion battery that you can use to extend your battery life, or even replace a battery that isn’t holding a charge anymore.
After sitting on the charging dock for only about 20 minutes, you can expect most of your battery to be charged, with the remainder to be charged over only another 20 minutes. Having your battery fully charged in 40 minutes is a big pro in my opinion when compared to the vapes that take hours to charge.
Butane or Battery?
Over the long term, using a battery may be more economical, but I found butane in general to be more convenient. If my torch died, it could be refilled in seconds. It sucks when a vape dies mid session and you have to wait around for it to charge.
Likewise, butane is better for extended periods away from home as you may not always have a source of electricity to charge your vape.
With that being said, you are able to buy several batteries for your Firefly 2 and always have some charged and ready to go if one dies. This extends the battery life by as long as you want really.
I wouldn’t say there’s any clear winner for this section, just go with whichever one suits your style better.
Warranty
This section will briefly go over the warranties on each of these units.
The Lotus’ Warranty
Lotus offers a 3 year warranty on the vapor cap itself, with exceptions for cases of “physical abuse or severe overheating.”
Lotus also offers warranties on both their standard model 226 hot plate and their 234 high-temp hot plates.
The standard model 226 hot plate which we reviewed is covered for 1 year with exceptions of punctures and dents from foreign objects.
And due to the extreme temperatures the model 234 cap is expected to face, it is only covered for 90 days with exceptions of punctures and dents from foreign objects.
The Firefly 2’s Warranty
The Firefly 2 offers a 2 year warranty on factory defects and and flaws in the devices workmanship.
Who has the Better Warranty?
I would give it to the Lotus. You’re covered slightly longer and there is less in general that can go wrong with the Lotus rather than the Firefly 2.
Conclusion: Which Vape is Better for You, the Firefly 2 or the Lotus?
So as we just learned, the Firefly 2 won in a lot of areas over the Lotus. However, this doesn’t mean the Lotus is inferior by any stretch of the imagination.
The Lotus offers great raw vapor production and vapor quality in a very, very affordable package. The price difference between these two devices alone should give you a bit of an idea as to why the Firefly 2 would be better in the areas we looked at today.
The Lotus would be great for the person looking for a powerful on-demand heating vaporizer at a great price. The Lotus packages can be purchased for around $100 depending on which options and accessories you opt for.
Any package you get will be a great deal, as this vaporizer will deliver potent vapor at a price point most people can swallow.
The Firefly 2 is the best option you have for the greatest on-demand vapor. No other vaporizer can quite compare to the vapor quality that the Firefly 2 produces.
It also achieves this with much less effort on the user’s part. You really don’t have to do anything special other than drawing slow and long to get good results.
If you have the money and are looking for an on-demand vaporizer that has the best vapor quality – look no further than the Firefly 2.
When all is said and done, both of these units perform exceptionally and you can’t go wrong with either one. It really comes down to your personal preference and what you’re looking for in a vaporizer.
I hope this comparison was helpful and you now have a better idea which unit suits you better personally. If you have any questions, hit us up in the comments and we would be happy to answer them.
