The DaVinci Vaporizer is easy to carry and blends in well, but will it deliver?
Introduction
The DaVinci Vaporizer was DaVinci’s (aka Organix, LLC) first foray into the world of portable dry herb vaporizers. It has since been joined by a second addition to the DaVinci family, the Ascent and more recently the Davinci IQ
Look and Feel
The DaVinci Vaporizer stands out in the vaporizer community for its handheld radio-like appearance. The mouthpiece on the DaVinci is a rubber tip on a flexible woven plastic “straw” known as the flexi-straw. The flexi-straw screws into a threaded opening on the top righthand corner of the DaVinci and resembles an antenna when in place. The DaVinci itself consists of a metallic body with a soft touch finish that gives it a bit of extra grip. The finish comes in three colors: White, Black, and Gray.
On the front of the vaporizer are three buttons: Power (heating chamber power, not unit power), “-” to decrease temperature, and “+” to increase temperature. Above the buttons is a small LCD screen (used to display temperature and battery life) which glows blue when the DaVinci is powered on. Above the LCD screen is a small heater indicator light which cycles through three colors to indicate the heating chamber status. A blue light means the heating chamber is not active, a red light indicates heating, and a green light for when the heating chamber has reached the proper temperature range. To the right of the indicator light and LCD screen is a grill which exposes the outside of the heating chamber.
The grill prevents you from coming into direct contact with the heating chamber, but allows excess heat to vent out of the vaporizer, protecting the internal components from heat damage.
The main power switch is located on the right side of the DaVinci and is an up/down toggle switch. The downward position indicates the DaVinci is off, and the LCD screen is off. Up turns the unit on, but does not begin heating until the power button on the front is pressed. It is important to note that the DaVinci will **not** charge if the main power switch is off.
The rear of the DaVinci which is a hard plastic (as opposed to the front which is metal) only has an exhaust grill directly opposite the grill on the front. The bottom is where you can find your serial number stamped.
The DaVinci measures 4″ tall by 2.4″ wide and 1″ deep. The standard flexi-straw extends 1.75″ from the top, bringing the total unit height with straw to 5.75″.
The Pivot
The “lid” of the DaVinci is a pivoting corner (top right corner if you’re looking at the front of the vaporizer) which opens access to the herb chamber, brush/stir tool, and storage compartment. The top of the pivoting lid is where the removable flexi-straw mouthpiece screws in. You can see on the bottom of the pivoting piece the removable (screwed in) cap that holds the screen.
The brush lives in a little hole in the wall (literally) and is a very snug fit, this is due to a small piece of rubber in the hole that holds it in place. When the lid closes on the .4″ of exposed brush (total brush length is 1.5″), the brush rests in a recess which prevents the bristles from being matted and damaged by the pressure of the lid. Underneath the brush is the storage compartment which is held closed by a rectangular rubber cap.
The rubber cap has a small nub in the center which is used to remove the cap, and when moved a small “leash” comes out of the storage compartment to make sure the cap isn’t lost.
On the “floor” of the opened lid area is the cylindrical herb chamber which is .4″ deep and roughly .3″ diameter. The chamber is made of metal with a screen on the bottom to discourage herbs from falling into the air intake.
My Thoughts
The DaVinci has a built in brush/stirring tool, and a storage space which can hold either an oil can or three full chamber loads full of herb. Very rarely do you see a portable vape that factors in features that don’t directly relate to the act of vaporizing. The primary reason is every feature take space, and adds weight, both come at a premium in the portable vaporizer market. The DaVinci doesn’t shy away from providing these amenities and still manages to stay incognito in its own way.
The drawing method on the DaVinci is through the flexi-straw, due to the woven nature of the straw mine whistles slightly when I pull on it. This makes using the DaVinci in a stealth setting a slightly more complicated task.
I love the security of the magnet snaps that hold the chamber closed. The snaps are incredibly secure and I have little to no concern about the DaVinci opening up in a backpack or duffel bag. Not to mention the fact that there is a second rubber stop sealing the storage compartment (which is located inside the pivoting “lid”), which means that under the most dire circumstances of accidentally dumping a chamber, if you planned ahead, you won’t be stuck with an empty herb chamber. I find it useful to always have the brush/stir tool available. I mostly use it for stirring, but there have been plenty of times I use the brush end to guide all my herbs into the chamber. I like the peace of mind knowing that I know where my stir tool has been and I’m not inviting dirt and grime into my heating chamber by using a foreign object.
Moving on to the storage compartment, I have consistently had to wrestle with this little rubber cap to get into the stored contents. I could use the nub in the middle, but it would always stretch and look as if it were going to snap at a moments notice. Its important to note that I’ve yet to actually do any damage to this cover, it just feels like the small nub is going to tear off.
Is it still relevant?
The DaVinci has carved out its own place in the portable vaporizer market by bringing a unique set of features to the table. Very few portable vaporizers on the market can function as both a diffusion aromatherapy as well as inhalation vaporizer.
Verdict
For many, the DaVinci vaporizer may no longer be the prime choice for a portable vaporizer. But for a select crowd, the unique combination of features offered by the DaVinci such as the built in brush/stir tool and storage compartment make it the perfect ‘out and about’ vaporizer. If you’ve read this review and feel like the DaVinci may no longer be the vaporizer for you, I urge you to check out their newest vaporizer the Ascent!
Pros:
- Brush and storage compartment built in (sick of hearing about this yet?)
- Strong magnet keeps the lid shut, but isn’t difficult to open by hand
- Can be used without flexi-straw to diffuse oils with the included oil can
- Temperature reading updates in real time, you’re able to see very precisely whether you’re too hot or too cool due to draw speed.
- As a vaporizer it works and it delivers sizable clouds
Neutral:
- The DaVinci won’t charge while the main power switch is off, screen light glows blue while DaVinci is charging
- Battery reading seems to be momentary rather than average. Turning the DaVinci on shows full battery which drops down to 50% when you turn the heat on
- I cant figure out where the air intake on this thing is. With some vaporizers you can completely block off the air intake for slow thick draws. I’ve covered everything I can think of and still get an unrestricted draw
Cons:
- DaVinci gets very hot around the exhaust screen/grill after a while
- Flexi-straw whistles, very annoying, not very discrete
- I feel like I can taste the flexi-straw in each draw
- Unless you’re in the small collection of folks who can really make use of the included brush and storage compartment, there are better vaporizers for the price.
I’m not sure why daVinci. Tell you you have to have the main power switch on to charge? Mine charged fine with switch off
Yep that’s it. Check out this link. He’s quite slow & boring to listen to but if you skip to the 11:20 mark you’ll see what I mean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYIw3_B7D00
Another review I read suggests the “airleak” you mention comes from the perimeter of the lid as it does not seal properly
Ah, that would explain it. So no matter what I cover, there are multiple points where air enters the draw path. But not all of it enters through the heating chamber like it should. Am I understanding that correctly?