Im still using my NO2!
Been reading this site for about a month now, and just signed up wanting to make a few comments / comparisons. I have had a Da Buddha for about 3 years, a Vapir NO2 for over a year, and just got my PAX in the mail 2 weeks ago. I have been using it exclusively for the last two weeks and switched back to my NO2 last night and wanted to put in my two cents, because there is part of me that is not blown away by the PAX.
Size: PAX is easily the best vape as far as size goes. The NO2 is portable and is fine for driving around and throwing it on your car seat. But it won't fit in your pocket unless you are wearing Bball shorts.
The PAX fits so easily in my pocket that I found myself taking it EVERYWHERE I went for the last few weeks. Something that feels good about just knowing that you have a fresh bowl ready to go at any second and takes no more bulk than my phone. I even took it to show and security couldn't tell it was there.
Looks: PAX. Duh. I mean this thing is beautifully designed and so simple to use. Nothing out there compares right now. I love that there is no external buttons. You can turn it on and throw it in your pocket and not have to worry about accidentally turning it off or changing the temp.
Stone level: ughhh....this is where it starts to unravel.
The PAX is a conduction vape meaning your herbs sit right on the heating element. If you turn it on for 5 min and don't hit it at all, you will burn up the entire bowl. The NO2 is a convection vape, so your herbs sit upstream of the heating element. The heat only passes through the herbs when you take a draw, so you are literally only vaping when you are vaping. I have turned my NO2 on for the full 20 min cycle and didn't take a single draw (it wasn't the first bowl, so it was easy to forgot what I was doing). The NO2 shut itself off after 20 min and the herbs inside were still very green.
I used to think the NO2 didn't draw very easily (and it doesn't compared to the Da Buddha or any traditional pipe/bong etc). But after using the PAX for a week and going back to the NO2 last night the NO2 feels like a wide open binger compared to the PAX. The PAX draw almost seems like a manufacturer's error it is so poor. I was surprised to see that the mouthpiece looks like it has a wide opening, but only a small hole in the corner actually allows air through. And no venting along the body to help this (I know this is probably to keep that unibody look) but trying to get the air to flow around the oven lid when it is closed? That seems like a major oversight by the production team at PAX to me.
The poor draw and conduction factor of the PAX have me considerably less baked off the same amount of herbs than the NO2. Granted, I usually only fill the chamber half way on the PAX, but that same amount on the NO2 will get the job done in 1 session. I find the PAX usually takes 2-3 sessions at least to get the same level.
Efficiency: I think I already spoke to this above, but the efficiency of the PAX is terrible. If I took the bowl out of my PAX and just smoked it traditionally I would be more baked than through the PAX. Through my NO2 or Da Buddha, that same amount would get me more baked than smoking or PAX.
Battery Life: About the same for both PAX and NO2, but that speaks well of PAX I believe since the battery alone inside the NO2 is bigger than the whole PAX unit.
Charging: The PAX looks awesome sitting on the charging stand, but Im gonna say NO2 wins this battle as well only because it has passthrough charging. You can use it while it is charging and I use that feature all the time. Nothing worse than wanting a session but having to wait on a charge. PAX is one or the other...charging or usable.
Bringing it back around: Even though I just dogged the PAX pretty well above, I think there are a lot of times where it will be the right vape to use. Its size and portability are a HUGE advantage to anything else I have used. I can still get medicated on it, even though it wastes more than other vapes, but hey, it works eventually. And I think the conduction thing works well for SOME people. If you like to take you time and "sip" your vape like you might sip a cocktail, then conduction sucks. I find that once you turn the PAX on, you have about 5 min to finish the bowl. If you are a quick toker, this probably works OK for you. I like to take my time, so this is too fast even at the lowest heat settings.
It seems all in all like the designers of PAX were going for design first and function second. I LOVE my pretty gadgets, so I understand this approach, and I think they nailed it in terms beauty and simplicity. Unfortunately Im not sure if form is better than function in this realm.
Happy Vapeing!
