Discontinued Pax Vaporizer by Ploom

[Mr.tuffyino-h-i-o]

Hey FC Community,

New member here, but not new to vaping. I've had a PAX for a while now. Im familiar with other vapes like the solo, mflb, DBV. Used to combust cigars regularly 2 years ago until getting the pax. I just wanted to give my review two years later as I get info out of FC so I figured I should be productive member and help with someone who may be shuffling through threads and getting lost for hours like myself trying to decide on a next vape. My reviews will be a little rambling but I feel will help someone who may be new to vaping and had the same combustion routine i used to have or is looking at the pax.

1. Stealth-Yes
2 Efficiency- with screen trick/fine grind-Yes
3. Odor-Outdoors is better. Indoors/ be very mindful of what exactly you are about to do before you start your session. Remember you cannot be a good judge of odor once you have started your session.
4. Battery life- honestly very subjective to how you vape. Its portable....5 sessions per charge. This was coming straight from combustion and vaping on med/high
5. Vapor Visibility- if you learn how to draw on the Pax, you can achieve some "clouds"If you're new to vaping you can get these. (Remember the fine grind and a good packdown for best result) The higher the temp more visibilty (counting that you dont end on high.) I personally go for effect/ABV inspection rather than what clouds I can see. If you dont have the right lighting/backdrop sometimes you can barely see anything. If you're outdoors the wind plays a factor.
6. Vapor Flavor- Low setting pretty tasty if you're coming from combustion, medium after maybe 5 pulls it will change, if you own a solo/ any vape with glass you know which one wins this.
7. Price-When it came out it was worth the price. Currently, with a lot of other vapes in its price range and even lower, you're paying for that solid warranty ploom backs up. That is worth it alone in the vaping world. Just something to consider.
8. Build Quality- Yes, I dropped it at least 20times on tile (I know, I know), it has a dent , and scratches all over yet it still gets the job done no problems.
9. Maintenance- Get ready to clean often if you want to keep it running efficient.

* For folks new to vaping and combusted cigars the high setting is pretty close to combustion. If you climb the temps and end on it taking maybe two last draws on high. That may help. It helped someone I know.

Hopefully this helps someone. Remember this is the review and opinion of the character Slow Draw McGraw and not of anyone in reality.

Good little review on the Pax. Even being a old (2 1/2 years now) vaporizer it's still one of the Top portables in 2014

 

[the_guilty]

fellow Vapents

I got my pax 2 weeks ago. About 6 days ago it started going from purple when I turned it on to flashing blue 10 times and shutting itself off. At first turning it off and turning it back on fixed the problem, then a few days later I had to turn it off and on 3 - 4 times to get it to work and now 6 days after the problem started its hardly working... I contacted Ploom but they are being super slow in their response... They asked me for more details when I persisted so that they could troubleshoot with their techs. That was yesterday, I havent heard back. Any one had this problem? Possible Fix? I clean/lube the thing religiously and think I may just be fucked

Thanks for your help

 

[Slow Draw McGraw]

Two weeks ago? The only thing you will lose at this point is time and patience. If you just got it, (hopefully an authorized seller)the warranty should cover it if its defective.. Be patient. They will get back to you.

 

[Jethro]

Alright guys, the pax vaporizer.

Its been out for somewhat 3 years, do you guys feel this device is the go to device, or are there cheaper (or same price) and better options especially with the release of Chinese vaporizers (FlowerMate V5.0s, Imag+) and also the latest alfa, haze and arizer air.

Basically is the pax outdated vaporizing technology/should it still be valued at $249?

I have had my Pax for a long time and I still like it, but at home I almost never use it anymore. It is relegated to strictly being used for travel/stealth vape sessions. It's real handy for packing up before a day on the boat or snowmobile but I think there are cheaper, better vapes out there. As far as the technology, I don't think anything really surpasses it, because lets be honest, it's a simple thing. Heating up material to a certain temp, it's not like rocket science. No manufacturer has come up with a new technology like heating with fricken' lasers or nuclear power or anything. They all pretty much do the same thing, just some do it better than others.

 

[kahlilhc]

As far as the technology, I don't think anything really surpasses it, because lets be honest, it's a simple thing. Heating up material to a certain temp, it's not like rocket science. No manufacturer has come up with a new technology like heating with fricken' lasers or nuclear power or anything. They all pretty much do the same thing, just some do it better than others.

I love the pax too, and no, heating up material isn't rocket science....but heating technology wise, 100% conduction heating just isn't the same as ~100% convection brought by the firefly(that i've tried) and ESV(that ive read). It can't really even compete with hybrid heating on the Crafty, which, in terms of actual technology, easily surpasses pax with Bluetooth and haptic feedback......
As i said, still love pax, gotta love the sexy click......when it ain't gunked up.

 

[Jethro]

It can't really even compete with hybrid heating on the Crafty, which, in terms of actual technology, easily surpasses pax with Bluetooth and haptic feedback......
As i said, still love pax, gotta love the sexy click......when it ain't gunked up.

Aren't they all a hybrid in some way? I mean even the Pax, there is some element of convection happening.

 

[NickDlow]

@Jethro
Not exactly... The air you draw from the pax isn't warmed up and enters directly in the oven. The oven directly heats up the herb and the air you're inhaling is forcing the vapor up.

A Mighty/Crafty/Haze draws air from the bottom of the unit. It passes through its gets heated before it enters the oven. Then passes through the herb and that's your convection.

 

[the_guilty]

s

Two weeks ago? The only thing you will lose at this point is time and patience. If you just got it, (hopefully an authorized seller)the warranty should cover it if its defective.. Be patient. They will get back to you.

sent it off today. Thanks!

 

[EAG1E4]

Whipped out my Pax for a sesh tonight, waiting on the Mighty and MiniVap to arrive. I forgot that I actually enjoy this thing! Given I am not a big fan of the Pax... it does have some promising features.

I'm going to be traveling this weekend and will most probably be taking my Pax along with me.

 

[Slow Draw McGraw]

Whipped out my Pax for a sesh tonight, waiting on the Mighty and MiniVap to arrive. I forgot that I actually enjoy this thing! Given I am not a big fan of the Pax... it does have some promising features.

I'm going to be traveling this weekend and will most probably be taking my Pax along with me.

Someone in this thread said they felt the PAX was good when used in spurts. I will have to agree. At one time my PAX was my DD because at the time it was the stealthiest portable vape. Now it seems its good for breaking a routine that can sometimes get monotonous/annoying on another portable vape(i.e. glass stems on arizer, mflb batteries).

 

[chipaldance]

... and I'm french... yes. This is bad and I'm explaining why below.

Hi all

Hope your all enjoying vaping. I'm sure you do

I've made a lot of search on this forum and on Google too, to solve my pax issue. Maybe posting here will help me a little.

I've contacted Ploom to explain my problem, but it seems very tricky and uncommon. (Sorry for my approx english). And as far as I'm french, the warranty don't apply internationally (I used a postal routing US to FR dispatch to order it from vapeworld).

My problem: Until last week, my pax was fine... enjoying it since a year but after a full discharge, I fully charged it and as usually fill it with my best herb.. turn it on to heat the unit up. But the pulsing purple doesn't go green anymore, and no more heat is coming threw the air path... it just stay purple. Party mode could be turned on, but there too... no heat is coming.

I saw on Google that only one guy has this same issue.. but no one has replied to him :s.

I have some other vaporizer.. but this is not the same thing... I'm in love with this one

I precise that I clean it a lot, and the unit has never felt down on the floor...

Is anybody has this issue and ever solve it?

Thanks for your time reading,

Pierre.

 

[Jethro]

Is anybody has this issue and ever solve it?
Thanks for your time reading,
Pierre.

I had the same thing happen to mine. Used about a year, fairly heavy use, one day stopped heating. Looked like it would take a charge just fine, turned on and glowed purple but no heat. I sent it back and Ploom replaced it.

 

[Purrito Purrpants]

Same problem with one of my units. Sent it back and received a replacement in about a week.

 

[Beaunaire]

I had the same thing happen to mine. Used about a year, fairly heavy use, one day stopped heating. Looked like it would take a charge just fine, turned on and glowed purple but no heat. I sent it back and Ploom replaced it.

It happened to me, quite a while ago. I contacted Vapeworld, sent it in and they sent me a new one, no questions asked. A few weeks ago, the spring and mouthpiece wouldn't stay in and Vapeworld made me contact Ploom. After a few days of pointless, try this, try that questions, they had me send it in and they promptly fixed and returned it to me. As long as it's an authentic Pax, they'll stand behind it with great customer service.

 

[Slow Draw McGraw]

I was around some 'busters last night and I brought the PAX out. They were talking so much mess on vaping and how they dont feel the effects. They wanted to try it so bad to prove me wrong that we used their "food". I loaded it full, set on Med. (Many 'busters do not like Low) Four people including my self using the PAX. Let's just say I was the only quiet one. Everyone aside from me was coughing especially after they all agreed for me to put a little concentrate mixed in. One person tapped out. Its always funny, to me at least, when people talk about bad about vaping then get their face melted.

 

[Purrito Purrpants]

High from Colorado! I've had a Pax since 2012, and currently own two. I also have an Ascent and a Haze now. I brought my Pax in my carry-on and had no problem with it. I just wanted to say that the Pax is a BEAST when you use that medical grade shit in it! It had me coughing like a total n00b when I put some Rocky Mountain Fire in it. I had never seen clouds like that. Amazing!

I will let you know how it stacks up against the Haze and Ascent. I sent those by FedEx, so I should have them later today

 

[Espo]

Just a little update on me and my Pax.

I bought it when the Pax was first released, August 2012 I believe.
Since then, I am on my third Pax (2 replaced under warranty), one because of a stuck temp button (used ISO to clean the unit and that was back when the temp button was harmed by ISO) and my second because I quit vaping for more than a month and left my Pax on the charger for over a month, needless to say it fried the unit but they still replaced it. That is one thing about Ploom, their warranty AMAZING!

I've had my replaced unit for about 6 months now and after regular cleaning it works flawelss (also, the lube helps A LOT for stuck mouthpieces). About a month ago I switched to VAPE only (since I quit smoking cigs/cigars, I also quit "SMOKING" flowers), and the Pax NEVER lets me down. I love to use my Pax on medium heat, and I can get 2 sessions out of one packed Pax (just a stir between sessions). I seriously have nothing bad to say about the Pax at all. It is the best portable vape IMO because its sleek and doesn't look like a vape at all.

Since I bought one and use it regularly, 4-5 of my friends have purchased the Pax and also love it, although they don't use it as much as I do since they still "smoke" but they are believers in the Pax and vaping.

Just wanted to throw a little update out there since I haven't contributed in this thread for over a year.

 

[Barack The Barbarian]

Hi everybody, I can really use some advice. I've had a pax since the beginning of this year but lately I have not had the opportunity to clean it regularly. Due to thisv circumstance I just take the mouthpiece off after each session. I thought the mouthpiece piece must remain closed to charge, and it eventually got stuck pretty good this way. I acknowledge it was not maintained properly, and this is why I don't want to send it in, because I am desperate to try to unstick the mouthpiece out now and finally give it a good cleaning so my warranty can still be applicable. I just need some ideas on how to unstick it. I've tried a lot of things, I was able to pop the screen off at the bottom and rub some ISO pipe cleaner down the tube and mouth piece but this didnt have any effect. I tried blowing hot air into it, also still stuck. Somebody please give me some safe drastic extreme measures to unstick the mouthpiece. like i said I was able to pop the screen off so I have access to the bottom. Is there anyway to unstick it that way from the bottom via some tool? I don't want to void my warranty, I just want to try to get this damn thing unstuck. Right now its in a heating bag thats used to apply to stomach aches and such. hopefully that works but im running out of ideas. i'm worried heating the unit is simply not enough to unstick the resin.

edit: the electric heating bag thing worked. got the pax so hot there was vapor coming out the mouthpiece stem so hopefully i didn't damage anything, but at least i can clean the thing and if something goes wrong i can send it in all shiny. actually my pax looks like its been through hell. the purple finish is really fading and streaks all along where they've been stripped through. i dont know why its like that. it just seems to come off like that naturally. i always think i bought a fake since the finish comes off so easily but it came with mouthpiece lube and it was through an authorized seller so im at a loss.

 

[pakalolo]

Hi everybody, I can really use some advice. I've had a pax since the beginning of this year but lately I have not had the opportunity to clean it regularly. Due to thisv circumstance I just take the mouthpiece off after each session. I thought the mouthpiece piece must remain closed to charge, and it eventually got stuck pretty good this way. I acknowledge it was not maintained properly, and this is why I don't want to send it in, because I am desperate to try to unstick the mouthpiece out now and finally give it a good cleaning so my warranty can still be applicable. I just need some ideas on how to unstick it. I've tried a lot of things, I was able to pop the screen off at the bottom and rub some ISO pipe cleaner down the tube and mouth piece but this didnt have any effect. I tried blowing hot air into it, also still stuck. Somebody please give me some safe drastic extreme measures to unstick the mouthpiece. like i said I was able to pop the screen off so I have access to the bottom. Is there anyway to unstick it that way from the bottom via some tool? I don't want to void my warranty, I just want to try to get this damn thing unstuck. Right now its in a heating bag thats used to apply to stomach aches and such. hopefully that works but im running out of ideas. i'm worried heating the unit is simply not enough to unstick the resin.

edit: the electric heating bag thing worked. got the pax so hot there was vapor coming out the mouthpiece stem so hopefully i didn't damage anything, but at least i can clean the thing and if something goes wrong i can send it in all shiny. actually my pax looks like its been through hell. the purple finish is really fading and streaks all along where they've been stripped through. i dont know why its like that. it just seems to come off like that naturally. i always think i bought a fake since the finish comes off so easily but it came with mouthpiece lube and it was through an authorized seller so im at a loss.

You did the right thing and I don't think you did any damage.

The counterfeits have gotten really good, so good that I only know one way to distinguish them now and I'm not divulging what it is. If you got yours from an authorized dealer then it's unlikely you got a fake, but if you are still not sure and want me to check, send me a PM with clear pictures of the front, back, and top with the MP removed. Make them as close up as you can while staying in focus.

 

[DopeFight]

Can someone please give me some help here before I decide to send my Pax to the vaporizer heaven. My mouth piece will no go down. I've tried pretty much everything I know to do.... This morning the mouthpiece was sticking and wouldn't come up. So my ol lady pulled the mouthpiece off with a pair of small pliers it came off pretty easy, then then metal tube came out pretty easy too... I cleaned it up and put some lube on it... We had a great session and when it was over went to close it and it will not close. The mouthpiece keeps wanting to pop off... It's kinda like the spring or something is not catching right ....

 

[Slow Draw McGraw]

S

Can someone please give me some help here before I decide to send my Pax to the vaporizer heaven. My mouth piece will no go down. I've tried pretty much everything I know to do.... This morning the mouthpiece was sticking and wouldn't come up. So my ol lady pulled the mouthpiece off with a pair of small pliers it came off pretty easy, then then metal tube came out pretty easy too... I cleaned it up and put some lube on it... We had a great session and when it was over went to close it and it will not close. The mouthpiece keeps wanting to pop off... It's kinda like the spring or something is not catching right ....

Have you cleaned around the stainless steel vapor pathway opening on the unit where the mouthpeice goes over?

 

[pakalolo]

Can someone please give me some help here before I decide to send my Pax to the vaporizer heaven. My mouth piece will no go down. I've tried pretty much everything I know to do.... This morning the mouthpiece was sticking and wouldn't come up. So my ol lady pulled the mouthpiece off with a pair of small pliers it came off pretty easy, then then metal tube came out pretty easy too... I cleaned it up and put some lube on it... We had a great session and when it was over went to close it and it will not close. The mouthpiece keeps wanting to pop off... It's kinda like the spring or something is not catching right ....

First, try pushing down on only one side of the MP as you click it in. If I remember correctly, it should be the side with the draw tube.

I'm not sure what you mean by the metal tube. Are you referring to the stem of the MP, the piece with the notches and little ring? If you removed the plastic part from this, then you must be careful to make sure that the ring is in place when you reassemble the MP, and that the metal stem is pushed firmly all the way back into the plastic part. The ring is important because if you put the MP back on without that ring, the only way to get the MP to come out is to disassemble the Pax. That doesn't sound like your problem, however.

If you removed or displaced the spring, it will be repositioned properly when you push the MP all the way down, regardless of whether the MP stays down. You can see how the MP clicks into place from this image:

​

The catch mechanism (the metal bar with the hook)) is under tension and should click into the groove on the metal stem of the MP through the cut into the well that contains the draw tube. That's why the ring is important. Its job is to push the clip back when you press down so that the MP is released. Yours seems to be not catching the MP groove, however.

If you look directly into the well for the draw tube, you should be able to see the edge of this catch resting against the draw tube on the side away from the temp button. If you can't, there's your problem, although I don't know how you can fix it even if you disassemble the Pax. I'd advise you not to do that and file a warranty claim instead. I hope this helps you figure out how to fix it without going that far.

 

[Slow Draw McGraw]

First, try pushing down on only one side of the MP as you click it in. If I remember correctly, it should be the side with the draw tube.

I'm not sure what you mean by the metal tube. Are you referring to the stem of the MP, the piece with the notches and little ring? If you removed the plastic part from this, then you must be careful to make sure that the ring is in place when you reassemble the MP, and that the metal stem is pushed firmly all the way back into the plastic part. The ring is important because if you put the MP back on without that ring, the only way to get the MP to come out is to disassemble the Pax. That doesn't sound like your problem, however.

If you removed or displaced the spring, it will be repositioned properly when you push the MP all the way down, regardless of whether the MP stays down. You can see how the MP clicks into place from this image:

​

The catch mechanism (the metal bar with the hook)) is under tension and should click into the groove on the metal stem of the MP through the cut into the well that contains the draw tube. That's why the ring is important. Its job is to push the clip back when you press down so that the MP is released. Yours seems to be not catching the MP groove, however.

If you look directly into the well for the draw tube, you should be able to see the edge of this catch resting against the draw tube on the side away from the temp button. If you can't, there's your problem, although I don't know how you can fix it even if you disassemble the Pax. I'd advise you not to do that and file a warranty claim instead. I hope this helps you figure out how to fix it without going that far.

This Is exactly why I became a FC member. you simply cannot get info like this anywhere else. this was not my issue but i learned something.

 

[Jethro]

Man, the Pax seems get a beating lately on this forum. Doesn't taste good, smells, not conservative with material, problematic, high maintenance... I just want to show a little Pax love here! I've been pretty much solely using my Vapor Genie for a while, but last night shared it with about 6 vapor newbies and my coaching did no good, they combusted the ever loving shit out of my VG classic and now it smells like a freakin' glass pipe. So rather than clean it out my lazy ass decided to reacquaint myself with my Pax and man was it good! I know it has it's quirks but I still love this thing.

 

[Teedub]

I can understand a lot of it, I don't think the taste is that great when run with big loads and it can consume to much material inefficiently especially if you sit on the load for a while all your terps go by by. But that's obvious its sitting on hot oven! I think its more a case of the operator not the tool.

A ss mesh pad made to fit 2/3 - 3/4 oven and she works like a dream imo, smaller loads don't sit in there for too long so the taste doesn't get fried, my pax milks the shit out of glass like this. One thickkkk hit alot thicker than my evo but not for anywhere near as long and not with a hard draw. Like I can suck as hard and as long on the evo and it keeps going but it blew me away at just how thick the pax could fill a big ass glass piece.

My pax has never been problematic unless I don't clean it, it is a little fiddly to clean but i enjoy it.

And I think it still is a great stealth design, despite the smell. So small simple and inconspicuous.

Yeah I still lover her too.