Small, sleek, easy to use, portable.
These are probably the criteria most people have when trying to choose their perfect portable vaporizer. Currently, the Pax vaporizer by Ploom and the Pinnacle Pro vaporizer by VaporBlunt are two of the best portable vaporizers on the market that are truly portable – meaning that they can actually fit in your pocket.
After trying both, I really find these two vaporizers to be very similar in many ways, but some aspects of each outweigh the other. In this article, I wanted to do an overall comparison of the two vaporizers to help you decide which one is best for you. Hopefully, you will know which vaporizer is right for you by the time you finish reading this article.
Vapor Quality
Vapor quality refers to (in this case) the density, flavor, and heat of the vapor that each unit produces. These two units are very different, as with the Pax it is loaded in the bottom of the unit, and with the Pinnacle Pro it is loaded in the top of the unit, yielding very different results when vaping.
Pax:
Being a conduction vaporizer that is meant to be as small and stealthy as possible, the flavor from the Pax is not completely rich. Even though it continues to produce vapor, the flavor from the vapor is either nonexistent or not great tasting near the end of a session.
That being said, the Pax does have some of the thickest vapor that I’ve come across in my years of vaping. The vapor is also fairly cool by the time it reaches your mouth, drying everything out less and being less harsh on the throat. This is likely due to the vapor path being along the length of the unit, giving it more time to cool down.
Pinnacle Pro:
Flavor wise, the Pinnacle Pro wins hands down. The flavor from this unit rivals some desktop units, even near the end of a session. The flavor is so much better because your material is right under the mouthpiece, so the vapor gets into your mouth as soon as possible.
However, this short distance causes some problems. Because the material is right under the mouthpiece, the air coming through it needs to be very hot to vaporize it. This causes every hit you take to be fairly harsh and hot, although flavorful, because the vapor literally has no time to cool down.
VaporBlunt had to combat this harshness somehow, so they include the option to buy a water tool with the Pinnacle Pro so you can hook it up to a waterpipe, thus creating a way to cool the vapor down.
Winner of the Vapor Quality category: The Pinnacle Pro
Build Quality
Pretty straightforward, basically just how well it’s put together and how durable the unit is.
Pax:
The build quality of the Pax is excellent. Anodized aluminum body, medical grade stainless steel vapor path, and minimal use of plastics. You can really tell that Ploom put a lot of thought into how this unit looks and the materials it is made out of. However, I think they sacrificed some function to make the form fit.
Because the team designing the Pax focused on the look of the vape so much, they sacrificed how the vape is put together. I elaborate on this in the Ease of Use section.
Pinnacle Pro:
The build quality is definitely lower on the Pinnacle Pro than with the Pax. The entire body and air path are made of plastic, leading to easy breakage if you’re not careful. While the Pax could easily survive multiple clumsy drops, I don’t think the Pinnacle Pro would even last more than a few.
Many people complain that after a few drops from waist height, something inside the unit gets dislodged or the outer casing of the unit cracks just after one or two drops. This is one of the biggest drawbacks to the Pinnacle Pro, because while the unit is built well, it is not built with the most quality materials (it is high quality plastic, but plastic is plastic).
Winner of the Build Quality category: The Pax
Versatility
Each vape has a varying degree of versatility, or in this case, how many different ways it can be used, how many temperature settings it has, and how many different types of material it can vaporize.
I am not going to lie, the Pinnacle wins this category hands down. It can be used with or without a water pipe (something the Pax can’t do unless you build your own water pipe adaptor) and can also be used while charging. It can also vaporize concentrates on its own with the concentrate insert (it comes with the unit), which the Pax simply cannot do at all.
The only thing the Pax beats the Pinnacle Pro on (and it just barely beats it) is temperature settings for dry herb. The Pax has three, ranging from 370⁰F to 410⁰F in 20 degree increments. The Pinnacle has five total settings, but settings three to five are too hot to vaporize dry herbs and are meant for concentrates, so the Pinnacle Pro technically only has two heat settings for herb.
Winner of the Versatility category: The Pinnacle Pro
Battery Life
Pax:
The Pax can be used for about one hour continuously before the battery dies. This is usually around five to six sessions, so you’ll get about a week of daily use on one charge. This battery charges fast too, taking only about two hours to charge from completely empty. However, this unit cannot be used while charging.
Pinnacle Pro:
With the Pinnacle Pro, you can expect about 50 minutes of continuous use. This is slightly less than the Pax, but it can also be used while charging, unlike the Pax. I recommend throwing the unit on the charger after each use to make sure the unit doesn’t die on you in the middle of a session.
Winner of the Battery Life category: Tie – the Pax has a better battery life, but the Pinnacle Pro can be used while charging so I think it evens out.
Ease of Use
Pax:
The Pax is very easy to use. You simply load the oven, click the mouthpiece, and it starts to heat. To change the temperature, you just take out the mouthpiece and press the white button to cycle through the three heat settings (yellow=low/370⁰F, orange=medium/390⁰F, red=high/410⁰F). Easy as pie.
Pinnacle Pro:
The Pinnacle Pro is also easy to use. You simply push the button to turn the unit on and push it again unit you get to the heat setting you want (370/white, 395/teal, 420/green, 445/orange, 470/purple). Once you choose your heat setting, just pop in the bullet and you are ready to vape.
Winner of the Ease of Use category: Tie
Cleaning
Pax:
The Pax needs to be cleaned about once per week, and cleaning is simple. There are tons of guides all over YouTube, but the best one I have found is the one below. If you do not clean it regularly, it will begin to malfunction, so be sure to keep up on it.
Pax Cleaning Video:
Pinnacle Pro:
The Pinnacle Pro requires very little cleaning. All you really have to do is clean out the bullets and clean the mouthpiece whenever you feel it is necessary, because the amount of cleaning really depends on how often you use it.
Warranty Coverage
Pax:
The Pax comes with a 10 year warranty from the date of purchase, as long as the device is purchased from an authorized retailer.
Pinnacle Pro:
The Pinnacle Pro comes with a one year warranty from the date of purchase. Just a warning, short warranties like this tend to mean the device will break faster.
Winner of the Warranty category: The Pax
The Results
|
Vapor Quality |
Pinnacle Pro (with the hydrotube) |
|
Build Quality |
Pax |
|
Versatility |
Pinnacle Pro |
|
Battery |
Tie |
|
Ease of Use |
Tie |
|
Cleaning |
Pinnacle Pro |
|
Warranty |
Pax |
Overall, the Pinnacle Pro wins, but not by much. The Pinnacle Pro definitely wins in vapor quality (it’s best with the hydrotube) and versatility. You can just do so much more with it, and the vapor taste is much better than the Pax even though it’s hotter without the hydrotube.
The Pax definitely wins in build quality and warranty though.
I ranked them tied for battery life because the battery in the Pinnacle Pro is slightly worse than the Pax’s battery, but it can be used while charging. Both units are also very easy to use. The Pinnacle is also much less upkeep than the Pax is.
Although both units are easy to clean, the Pinnacle Pro requires it less often.
Final Recommendation
If you are looking for something stealthy, durable, easy to use, and with a great battery and warranty, get the Pax. At $250, no vape will suit you better for stealth and how easy it is to use.
If you are looking for something stealthy for public use, but love to vape through water at home or have an interest in concentrates, get the Pinnacle Pro. It costs only $209 from Vapor Nation, and it is very versatile and low maintenance.
