DAVINCI IQ2 Carbon Limited Edition Vape Review
Aug 4, 2022 | Save On Cannabis
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Davinci IQ2 Carbon
499Pros
- One-of-a-kind carbon fiber materials and high quality manufacturing
- Portability at its finest
- Thoughtful and stylish design
- Preserves flower flavor and provides great clouds
- Pre-programmed heating patterns allow you to maximize your flowers
- Unique flavor-chamber allows you to combine cannabis with other herbs and aromatics
- Can be easily cleaned and maintained
Cons
- If you use it a lot, you will need to charge and clean it a lot
- Flavor chamber can be difficult to remove
DAVINCI IQ2 Carbon Review Product Review
Brand Overview: DAVINCI Overview
Founded a decade ago, DAVINCI has long been a leading brand in the cannabis vaporizer marketplace. They have maintained this market leadership space by continuing to innovate on both the technology and aesthetic elements of vape products. The DaVinci IQ2 Carbon is a perfect example of this methodology and celebrates a decade of quality product design.
Products: Davinci IQ, Davinci Classic, and the Davinci Ascent.
Price Range ($-$$$$): $$$
Product Packaging & Build
Elegant, exquisite, evolved. That’s the vibe the packaging for DAVINCI’s IQ2 Carbon limited edition vaporizer evokes. We were lucky to get our hands on one of only 1000 units produced, and you are lucky to hear all about it.
The package is an experience in itself, with every element carefully designed to feel luxurious. When you unfold the high quality box, you are presented with the IQ2 Carbon neatly tucked into velvety cardboard. The top of the box has a large compartment which holds the accessories pack and instruction manual. Also included is a very interesting letter from the founder of DAVINCI in gold font, which shares a fantastic message we will let you read for yourself. In the top compartment, you are also provided with a carbon fiber keychain which has an etched aluminum tag stating the unit number for your specific IQ2 Carbon. And lastly, the top compartment lid itself has some great informative graphics explaining the design and function of the IQ2.
To the left of the vape in the bottom of the box, you will find the Dosage Pod Holder and Dosage Grinder concealed by an additional cardboard flap. There is also an additional pick tool and a few additional accessories for using concentrates. To the right of the vape, you will find the Hydrotube also concealed by an additional cardboard flap. There, you can also find the additional extended tube mouthpiece which can be used with the Hydrotube or by itself. Everything is tightly and securely packed, ensuring that the product will arrive safely for your enjoyment.
The back of the vaporizer itself comes covered in a protective plastic film, which also has basic instructions for the units’ use printed on it. This layer can be removed easily by opening the mouthpiece and battery cover. The plastic also covers the battery and prevents it from draining while sitting in the package.
Upon handling the device, the first thing that nug noted was that it is really resistant to fingerprints. This is fantastic because the device has a really unique shine to its carbon fiber finish, and it’s great to see that it doesn’t diminish. As with all DAVINCI products, the sturdy materials that make up the IQ2 Carbon give it a high quality feel and every element of the design seems thoroughly thought out.
Product Operation & User Experience
The included instruction manual is very straight forward, providing clear images on every page and keeping instructions brief but informative. To start using the product, first open the battery door and remove the plastic tag preventing the battery from passing current to the device. A word of warning, the battery door has a strong latch, and reattaching it was quite difficult, but maybe that’s an “us” issue. There were no instructions on this step in the manual.
Like most vaporizers, 5 clicks of the circular button on the side will turn on the unit. Ours arrived with ~80% battery charge. The power remaining in the battery is shown by an LED battery with 5 dots for a power bar, with each representing 20% charge. The 18650 type battery can be charged independently with a dedicated charge if removed (not included). The unit can also be charged with an included USB C charging cable with a port on the back of the vape.
The DAVINCI IQ2 has various modes of operation. The first, and most unique to DAVINCI, is the Smart Path mode. There are 4 settings: ‘Flavor’, ‘Mind’, ‘Body’, and ‘Rest’ which gradually increase temperature from a specific start point to a specific end point over 8 minutes depending on which you choose. There is also Precision mode, which simply lets you choose a specific set temperature to the exact degree, while the LED grid will show you the exact temperature you have set. And lastly there is Boost mode; this allows you to hold the power button and have the unit rapidly climb to 430F. As you let go of the power button, the unit will go into standby mode before turning off after 2 minutes if you do not use it again.
The unit also provides a stealth mode to help you use the device even more discreetly with lower LED brightness. You can of course change the display from Farenheit to Celsius. The device also has bluetooth connectivity and a dosage calculator. And DAVINCI has a mobile app that is usable in conjunction with the Carbon. We did not test these last few elements, but it just goes to show how versatile this product is.
Session 1
For the first session, we loaded our home grown CBD Jack Herrer on Smart Path ‘BODY’ mode. We had the air flow dial adjusted to half open. We packed the oven fully and tightly, with no dosage pod. It took the device about a minute and a half to get to the initial set heat. The draws from the IQ2 are almost effortless, but give a great amount of vapor. We recommend slow long draws. One interesting feature is that the side buttons light up as you draw.
The flavor of the flower is really well preserved, and there is no burnt grass flavor noticeable like some lower quality vaporizers. The session lasted about 6 minutes, and we noticed that it made our usually low potency strain provide a great high. The device was not feeling overly hot to the touch which is always great. In the past, overheating was something we noticed about other DAVINCI vapes, and they actually sell sleeves for the IQ2 regular edition.
We immediately jumped back into another session, this time on Smart Path ‘REST’ mode. It heated up much more quickly this time since it was already near that temperature. Even after two back to back sessions, we opened the bottom lid to find purely green cannabis remaining at the top of the oven. This is really impressive. We cleaned the oven out with a q-tip quite easily. The flower was pretty well cooked, but could have likely provided some more dosage if used again. After those two sessions the battery indicated that we had moved to the next 20% notch. While it’s hard to assess how many cycles the full battery could handle exactly, at the very least, it could do 10 based on that data point.
Feeling a great body buzz we chilled out on our deck in the setting sun. It gave us energy worth the full price of this device, in just one session.
Session 2
For the second session, we decided to try some Bruce Banner #4 CO2 extracted oil. The Carbon comes with 9 organic cotton pads and a ceramic extract disc. These are for use with the included dosage pods to help absorb any runoff and make cleanup easier. In the instructions, DAVINCI suggests that dry flower can also be used as a catch for any runoff extract. We decided to try this method as it seemed more accessible long term without the need to buy more cotton pads in the future. Plus, it would add a bit more punch to the extract!
Word of warning: the ceramic extract disc is tiny. Tiny enough to fit inside the tiny dosage pod. That means you are very likely to lose it! Best to find a safe place to store it. We also don’t recommend pre-loading extracts in the dosage pod and storing them in the dosage pod holder as you are bound to make a mess.
Using one of the multiple included pick tools, we pushed the extract disc to compact the flower under it. Then, using the extract syringe we filled the cavity in the extract disc. This is likely less than 0.05g of extract. A tiny grain of rice, so not a huge dose. And, to put it bluntly, this was a bit of a tedious process to prepare and definitely wouldn’t be our go-to method of consuming extracts. However, it’s nice to have the option.
We set the unit to Smart Path mode ‘MIND’. As we were drawing, it would block the air path after ~5 seconds. And if you tried to take a hit right after, it would immediately block it. This feels like the unit is attempting to ensure you only get good hits with the oven at temperature. We were not sure why this was happening, or if it was being caused by the ceramic disc being lifted by the air pressure and blocking the pathway. As expected, the slower you draw, the less likely it is to block the air path as you are not cooling the pod.
Another unique function is that the light display shows a bar that raises for each second that you inhale to indicate how long your hit was. After the pre-set time for the mode, we pumped the temperature to the max of 430F, and that still did not really result in big hits. Overall, the amount of extract that this can hold meant that splitting a bowl between the two of us did not provide a strong high. This method is definitely best for individual use!
After we were done, we opened the bottom and let the pod drop out onto our rolling tray. Be careful as this little thing is deadly hot. With a q-tip, we cleaned the inside of the oven but there was very little residue. Once cooled, we opened the pod and were amazed to see that the inside was hardly dirty. The ceramic disc was free of any traces of extract, which bodes well for its longevity. Of course, over time, all of these will have build-up, so frequent cleaning is recommended for optimal use.
Dosage Pod and Dosage Pod Holder
As we mentioned above, included with the Carbon bundle is DAVINCI’s fantastic dosage pod holder with 6 individual dosage pods. The holder is quite sturdy and is made of high quality aluminum. The inner parts are made of a hard plastic. There are two types of dosage pods: stainless steel which holds 0.3g of flower and glass glazed ceramic which holds 0.2g of flower. The Carbon comes with 6 stainless steel pods.
The pods feel like they are manufactured with high precision. Their lids are screwed onto the body of the pod for a tight fit when traveling and consuming. Loading them is quite simple, especially with the included grinder.
Dosage Grinder
The uniquely designed dosage grinder functions as any regular grinder but can be used to load all 6 dosage pods at once thanks to its inner ‘funnel’ that DAVINCI calls the dosage ring. The grinder is made of the same high quality black aluminum as the dosage pod holder.
We found that the easiest way to prepare the dosage ring for loading was to flip it upside down and place the dosage pods into it. Then screw the bottom of the grinder onto the dosage ring. When you’re loading the pods, make sure to unscrew their lids! Otherwise, it won’t fit, and you may scratch some of the parts.
Once you grind the cannabis, you can use the included brush to push it into the pods. You may need to grind a second time to get the pods fully filled as the six of them can hold up to 1.8g of flower. After they are full, carefully unscrew the dosage ring and then screw the dosage pod lids back on. Pop them into the holder, and just like that, you’ve got a night of flower in your pocket!
Session 3
For the third session, we decided to make use of 2 of IQ2 Carbon’s unique features. We filled the flavor chamber with dried lavender flower buds for added flavor. As well, we switched to the longer mouthpiece so that we could make use of the included hydrotube.
To fill the hydrotube, we added a tablespoon of water to the bottom of the glass piece. We slowly tilted it upright so that all of the water entered the mini rig. We set the temperature to 400F, because the IQ2 allows you to set a specific temperature instead of using its pre-set modes. Hitting from the hydrotube is a great tactile experience. The vapor comes out significantly cooler and more flavorful. The mouthpiece of the hydrotube feels very comfortable.
While the addition of the hydrotube is still easy to hold, do be careful to not tip the IQ2 as the fit between the mouthpiece and the hydrotube is not mechanically locked and could fall off. DAVINCI suggests cleaning the glass after 10 sessions. Maybe we are picky when it comes to keeping our products pristine, but judging by our back-to-back sessions, we suggest you clean it after every use. This thing produced so much vapor that it clouded most of the inner glass. As well, spots of resin are visible on the glass wall.
To clean it, we rinsed the tube by adding more water; then, applying pressure with our lips, we pushed the water out of the tube. We then poured in rubbing alcohol and more water and did the same. Finally, we did a 3rd flush with just water. However, there is no way to get the last drops of water out of the tube. This is due to the design of the glass path. Letting it air out for a few days did not result in a fully dry tube. This is unfortunate, but to be expected. Next time we use it, we will do an additional rinse to freshen the interior before using.
Flavor Chamber
The flavor chamber on the silicone lid easily pops off, but removing the chamber itself is quite a challenge. In the end, we had to use a wooden chopstick that had a similar diameter to the inside of the flavor chamber to get it out. This is an unfortunate part of this design that could use some improvement. It’s critical to be able to remove the flavor chamber for a full clean.
Once removed, the flavor chamber was simple to fill. Even on a dry pull without the heat on, the lavender flavor was easy to detect. The additional material in the vapor path seemingly did not obstruct airflow or make it more difficult to draw. Once the Carbon cooled down, using the pick tool, we were able to remove most of the lavender material from the flavor chamber. But to fully clean it, we had to use a chopstick again to remove it from the vape. Again, it would be ideal if this was possible without any additional tools.
Should You Buy It?
Do you want a piece of history? Do you want a vape you can show off to all of your friends? Do you want a vape you can rely on for years? Of course you do! If you want a high quality and stylish on-the-go vape, this is a very worthy investment. Just be fast, because they only produced 1000!
Disclosure: I received these products gratis so that I could try them and then share my honest opinion with the SOC community. I am employed by Save on Cannabis to write honest reviews and provided a flat rate payment for the writing of the review. SOC may receive recurring affiliate payments for purchases made based on this content.
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