Firefly Vaporizer vs. Pax by Ploom Comparison

Posted by Jon W on March 28, 2014.

A common question that I get is which is better, the Pax or Firefly?

Theses are currently the top 2 most expensive portable vaporizers (as of March 2014), and are engineered to be luxury-class devices that fit in your pocket.

I will judge these two products by the following criteria:

Stealth - Pax wins!

The Pax and Firefly are designed to be pocket-sized stealth vapes, but the Pax does a much better job at being stealthy. It is smaller and lighter, and it is more natural to hold (*ahem* conceal) in the palm of your hand. The Firefly seems like it was designed so that you should hold it with your fingertips. It is difficult to hold the Firefly naturally while holding down the heating button without blocking the air-intake vents.

Herb Conservation - Firefly wins!

The Firefly does a better job of stretching your herb because it cooks primarily by convection, meaning it only heats the herb when you puff. The Pax, on the other hand, heats by conduction, so your herb is being cooked even when you are not puffing.

Battery Life - Pax wins!

Not much to say here, but the Pax has slightly better battery life.

Ease of Use - Pax wins!

The Pax is idiot-proof. It is the easiest vaporizer I have ever used and it is newbie friendly. On the other hand, the Firefly, doesn't have an LED indicator to tell you when the heating chamber is warmed up and good to go. You have to guess when it is ready, and you also need to have good puffing technique. The Firefly definitely has a steeper learning curve.

Also, I need to point out that the Pax has 3 reliable temperature settings (~355F, 395F, 415F) while the Firefly has no temperature control (it simply maxes out at 400F). Temperature control is a big deal for me because vaping your herb at different temperatures has different effects.

Ease of Cleaning - Pax wins!

Cleaning any vape is a PITA, but I think the Pax is easier to clean than the Firefly. To clean the Pax, wet a pipe-cleaner and floss it thru the metal vapor path. Then wipe down the chamber and mouthpiece with rubbing alcohol.

The Firefly is more annoying to clean because a lot of residue builds up on the vapor paths of the magnetic lids. It is difficult to get into every nook and cranny of that vapor path.

Warranty - Pax wins!

The Pax has a 10 year limited warranty while the Firefly has a 5 year limited warranty.

Value - Pax wins!

As of this writing, the Pax costs $249 and the Firefly costs $269. The Pax is a better value for the money.

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