Hey guys, it's Sneaky Pete here and today I'm going to bring you my favourite video of the year, the 2022 Vape Awards. I love doing this video as it gives me a chance to look back through the year and think about all the different vaporizers and accessories that I’ve used this year, and there’s been some real bangers this year. Keep in mind, for the Vape Awards I only consider products that I have used and tested this previous calendar year.
If it came out this year but I never used it, you won’t find it here. Ditto if I reviewed it last year, no list for you. Some of these categories provided really difficult decisions, a Sophie’s Choice if you will, so for some categories I will be acknowledging the runner-up as well. I like to look at this list as devices that were reviewed in 2022 but as we are now going into 2023, this is my list of the best options in each of these categories to use for 2023 if you dig what I’m throwing down. So here we go guys the 2022 Vape Awards, let's do it!
Best flavour - Evolv Cricket
Runner up - Glass Add-A-Cap
The Evolv Cricket is a new concentrate device that has a unique form factor. It has a particularly flat and rectangular shape, and the business end is up top under the magnetic cap. Underneath the cap, it has a titanium tub where you place your concentrate. You do not want to overload this guy, aim for smaller than half of the size of a grain of rice, or so, as it is extremely efficient and will give you a nice solid hit with very little material. Not only does the efficiency mean a bigger hit with less material, but it also means there is extraordinarily little waste when compared to most other concentrate systems. If you want to save money, or if you like to do small concentrate hits like me, this is something to consider.
It has a stainless-steel body and a nice, reassuring weight, with a vibrant screen on the front, which is controlled by a three-button interface. This device is made entirely in the USA, which is very rare to see for electronics, sometimes they may be assembled in the USA, but this thing is actually made in the USA, which is one of the reasons it is on the pricier side.
It can heat up in literally 1 to 2 seconds, which is awesome, though I would recommend a slower heat up time which will greatly reduce the bubbling and mess. It has wide open airflow, which gives you a cooler hit, and overall, I’m really happy with this as a concentrate choice. But the main thing this device brings is the flavour. The flavour on the Evolv Cricket is some of the best, if not the best, concentrate flavour I have ever enjoyed.
Usually, you wouldn't think titanium and “best flavour ever”, but the way this thing heats up, and combined with the efficiency of the system and open-air flow, you get an extraordinarily flavourful hit that is not matched by many other concentrate systems I’ve ever used. Also, the fact that you use it dry, and it is designed so you don't have to use a water piece means that you don't lose any terpenes to water, and then with the direct air path there's not a lot of wastage along the glass like with the Proxy, for example.
Most used glass - Dry Herb Catchers
Runner up - Mega Cube
A dry herb catcher is an incredibly simple glass accessory that is useful for anybody who enjoys dry herb through a water piece. We offer them in three different options, and while they all serve the same purpose, they each have their own unique benefits. A dry herb catcher is meant to do one thing: catch the little bits of flower that will get through your vaporizer adapter before they make it into your water piece.
It is much easier to clean this first stage of filtration compared to cleaning a large water piece and putting one of these on top of your water pipe will reduce the amount of salad that gets through by at least 90% I would estimate. This is one glass piece that you actually want to allow to get a bit dirty and sticky as this will improve the job that it does catching those little bits of flower that will invariably get through any vaporizer water pipe adaptor. It also offers a pass-through connection, meaning that they have a 14mm female input with a 14mm male output so it will work on any 14mm female water piece and there is no step up or step down with the sizing.
Our first dry herb catcher is the High Air Flow, and it is designed to give you the freest airflow possible because of the four slits. The second model is the barrel, and it has the largest reservoir by far. The Barrel will hold the most flower before you need to clean it. Finally, we have the Mr. Twister, which is the tallest adaptor and has a dual level twisting filtration and looks cool in your set up. Once I started using a dry herb catcher, I have not used a water piece without one. I have found I clean my water pieces way less frequently and they stay generally much cleaner, which is always good from a bacterial standpoint.
Best accessory - Simrell Warhead
Runner up - Chill Steel Pipe
The Simrell Collection is known for making unique and useful accessories and the Warhead is an accessory that will turn your favourite Simrell or even DynaVap stem into an amazing concentrate system. The easiest way to understand the Warhead is to think of a classic nectar collector. The Warhead is made from pure titanium, and you heat the bottom with a torch. Once it is warm, you gently press that into your concentrate and inhale, it's just that simple.
Although it's simple to use, like all of Simrell's work it is made with incredible precision with a well thought out use case. The fact that it will work with not only Simrell stems like the MVS, but you can also use it with a DynaVap stem if you prefer, or even a different manufacturers custom option. As this is a system that is meant to be used dry, it is recommended to use something with an intercooler as concentrate does tend to be on the warmer side when compared to flower.
After you heat the Warhead with a torch, you're just going to touch it with something like a Terpometer, until you’ve decided it has arrived at the temperature you’re aiming for, and you’ll find out through your own experimentation. Next, gently touch the Warhead into your concentrate while you inhale. The hits are very smooth when you use it through an MVS, and I highly recommend the custom-made dish and stand that Simrell offers with the system. This little screw together case has a spot to rest your hot Warhead in between hits, and within the case it has this indent, or iris in the bottom where you place your hit, which minimizes it running all over the place. If you don't want to go the electric way for consuming concentrate, the Warhead is a very cool and super effective analogue option.
Most innovative - Puffco Proxy
Runner up - Pax Era Pro
As soon as I saw the ad for the Puffco Proxy and saw someone using a dry concentrate system that looked like a traditional smoking pipe, I was immediately impressed and wanted one. Moreso, as soon as it showed the Proxy lifting out of that pipe set and going into a water piece, and then on top of that, a variety of other different glass pieces, I was truly blown away.
The Puffco Proxy was a surprise from Puffco, which has come to be the norm from these guys. The Proxy is a portable, dry, concentrate device, but it is a lot cooler and easier on the lungs than I expected. Before the Proxy, I really associated concentrate with running through water, but the Proxy and Cricket this year have shown me otherwise.
The Proxy is incredibly easy to use with four temperatures and a one button interface. It has Puffco’s 3-D chamber for best in market efficiency and performance. It gives delectable flavour and good vapour production, plus the battery life is pretty good considering the compact size. It also includes this great carrying case that gives you a large magnetic storage compartment for whatever you want. I want to see more companies give you small efficient cases to carry their products that you will actually want to use.
The pipe form factor is both immediately recognizable and familiar, but the real magic about the Proxy is the base itself, which allows you to transform this from a dry concentrate device to a water-based concentrate device, or a j-hook, or whatever else a glass artist can imagine. The Proxy spawned a new arm for the glass business overnight, and there is a plethora of different glass options that you can buy for this already.
It's amazing to see the impact the Proxy has had on the concentrate space. More people are switching away from traditional style torch base, and are dabbing every day, and new innovative products like this help to move concentrate consumption, and enhance the mainstream perception, as it becomes less intimidating and more approachable.
Easiest to Use - Air MAX
Runner up - Freight Train
The Arizer Air MAX is an incredibly easy to use vaporizer that requires very little maintenance and has little if any learning curve. Arizer has been making vaporizers for longer than most manufacturers in the space, and they have built a reputation of creating extremely easy to use and reliable devices. The Air MAX comes after the Arizer Air, and the follow up Air 2, and it builds on the strong points of those devices in a substantial way.
The Air MAX is slightly fatter than its predecessors, and that is because it houses a mammoth 26650 battery as compared to the 18650 batteries found in the other devices. Not only does this give you substantially more battery life than with the older models, but it still allows for hot swappable batteries on the go. Basically, you can have a somewhat infinite device life if you have enough batteries.
It also now charges with USB-C if you don't want to remove the battery from the device, and it ships with a water pipe adapter, which is awesome and wish more manufacturers did this. Using a dryer vaporizer through water is incredibly common and growing even more common, and the fact that you don't need to buy a separate adaptor when you buy the Air MAX is appreciated. The Air MAX has a simple, three button interface, enabled to automatically heat to your last set temperature when you press any button after turning it on.
The glass stems are easy to load, and they are the only part of the system that you need to clean, and you can do so in isopropyl alcohol. The display screen will auto invert when you turn it upside down, which is a great feature as the screen and device will be upside down if you use it in water piece.
Finally, the Air MAX adds dark mode, which turns off the beeping and gives you a minimalistic screen interface to help with discretion. If you are trying to use your vaporizer and not bother anyone around you, it's a nice feature to have included.
Best Value - DynaVap B
Runner up - Simrell FMJ
The DynaVap B didn't sound all too impressive when I first heard about it, but after trying it, it has gone on to be one of my most used DynaVaps of the year, and it is their most inexpensive model by far. My initial confusion was based on the use of the silicone body rather than metal, but using silicone gives you several advantages you just can't have with metal.
First, it allows them to lower the cost of the B, coming in at just under US$50, and it also means they don't have to use any O-rings on the tip, and the tip rather slots in place without the need of O-rings. Next, it has a condenser that runs from the tip to your mouthpiece, so the airpath is going through stainless steel rather than silicone, so it is like their pure metal systems in that aspect. The silicone body won’t roll on your table and sits to allow the hot tip to stay clear of any surfaces.
The soft silicone body fits in a 10mm female water piece, allows for a comfortable easy to hold shape with a super easy to find airport, and you’ll find the airport is completely optional on the B; I really find the device works better when you don't even cover it at all.
The B also has a completely unique tip, which DynaVap has never done before. The B is in a permanent half bowl position, so you are only loading half of a traditional full bowl in this on at its capacity. I think this is genius as this is really all you need to get a monster DynaVap hit and then change out your load to a fresh one, so you get the best experience possible.
The B tip is also designed to retain more heat and transfer more of it to the load itself. So, when you are using it, you get a bigger rip off the first heating cycle because that tip is getting more heat before the click. This means your very first heating cycle can be huge rather than needing the flower to dry out a little before it really starts producing vapour.
Best overall vapour - Tinymight 2
The Tinymight 2 had some massive shoes to fill, as the Tinymight was already one of the best portable vaporizers that you can buy. I am happy to say that the Tinymight 2 delivers on the promises and delivers compelling reasons to upgrade in almost every aspect of the device.
The Tinymight 2 is a much more visually interesting device, they have refined every aspect to give it a more finished look. It has a dark wood body that helps to insulate it from the heat better to go along with these brushed metal upper and lower sections that are more resilient to scratches.
It still has a removable 18650 battery, and thankfully they made the battery door easier to open with your fingers, you no longer need a coin to pry it off. The button on the device is also way better; it no longer has that sponginess, but it is rather very responsive, and it works properly at all angles. It has a built-in stirring tool that has holes in it so that you can see the LED light indicators on the bottom when you're looking at the top of the device. I love when manufacturers show that they thought about these little details because I really think it adds to the experience of owning the device for the long-term perspective.
With the Tinymight 2 you get both, and on-demand and session operation, so you’re getting the best of both worlds. I use it in on-demand mode most of the time as because it hits so hard, one hit is often enough, but I also like to use session mode as I find two or three good pulls will more or less finish a bowl.
With the slightly larger body of the device, they have improved the electronics and the heater, and you’ll notice is it no longer leaves the pronounced dark ring of the vaped material, and it rather has a much more even vaporization pattern. This leads to better overall flavour and some of the richest and thickest vapour you will find in a portable. The flavour comes through incredibly pure and thick and because it delivers such a large amount of heat efficiently, the flavour is super frontloaded, leading to incredibly rich, satisfying vapour that will satisfy your needs for at least a while.
Product of the year - Freight Train Pro
I think 2022 was the year that ball style or injector vaporizers really hit their stride. An injector vaporizer is such an effective use case for how to consume your flower. You can take one rip at a time, as large as you want, through a water piece to cool it down, and repeat as necessary. There is no waiting for anything to heat up, and there is no refractory period, meaning you can go back-to-back-to-back. For a lot of people, this really represents an endgame device, as long as they are near a power outlet.
The Freight Train Pro is an incredible injector vape, both in the presentation and function. The pure titanium injector head is filled with ruby terp pearls, giving you have a massive power reserve that is instantly delivered through your flower when you inhale. The Freight Train Pro includes a coil handle, as well as a pre-installed coil guard, and comes with this excellent oak and metal stand.
This will safely hold your Freight Train Pro all day long, and it's easy to get the device on and off. The claim to fame for the Freight Train Pro is the level of power it delivers. Until I used the Pro, I thought the Freight Train was about as powerful as you could get, but the Pro gives you truly free and unrestricted airflow, meaning you can hit it as hard as you want to, and it has the power to keep up with you. You can completely milk up a water piece in only seconds and you get incredibly strong flavour with matching, overwhelming effects because your flower gets vaporized so quickly.
If you want to load the bowl up, you can, or you can use an amount only enough to cover the screen, but however you do it, the Freight Train Pro will not leave you wanting in the performance department, and in the strengths department it stands amongst giants. I think anyone who buys a Freight Train is going to love it, but the Pro is for people who want both that next level performance, as well as the accoutrements the kit offers, which makes it both look more upscale, plus adds a level of safety as well with the very secure stand and coil guard.
Thanks so much for watching guys, I appreciate each and every one of you that watches my videos, this channel would be nothing without you. Thanks for watching the 2022 Vape Awards and I can’t wait to see what the world of vape has to offer for 2023, until next time.
KIG KIS
➡️ My name is Sneaky Pete and in my videos, I try to make vaporizers and their benefits simple for all to understand. Vaporizers are constantly evolving, and this can make them intimidating for beginners and seasoned users alike. On this channel I’ll answer all of your questions and more, making vaping easy to understand. You will get information on the newest and best models, tips and tricks, information on the economics of vaporizers, and much more.
I do reviews on desktop, 420, 710, portable vaporizers, and everything in between. On this channel, you are guaranteed to get an unbiased and honest review of any vaporizing product we cover. From vaping vs smoking to the newest devices, I will cover it all.
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📚 Disclaimer:
You must be of legal age in in your area to purchase any vaporizer product. These products are intended for legal herb use only, do not use them for illegal purposes. Vaporizers are sold as hot air extraction devices, for use in aromatherapy and natural medicine purposes.
Any reference or alternate term such as but not limited to - herb, weed, shatter, wax, concentrate, hash, bud, etc refers to a legal herb blend or CBD wax.
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KIG KIS
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