Vaporizer type: Travel Portable
Heating type: Conduction
Materials: Dry Herb
Best features: Unique design, thick satisfying vapour with ease, innovative features, removable battery on a device this size
Worst features: Not so great buttons, inaccurate battery readout, flavour chamber not as useful as it could be
Watch Video Review Here:
Overview: The IQ is the follow up to the Ascent from DaVinci. I’ll be the first to admit, I was not a fan of the Ascent. But I wanted to be optimistic about DaVinci’s next offering, and I’m glad that I was. The IQ is a marvellous little conduction vaporizer. It offers some unique and innovative features like the Flavor Chamber and the Pearl - the Flavour Chamber is a ceramic chamber through which the vapour passes through. This helps to cool off your vapour, but you can put a little bud into the chamber itself and let it marinate with that sweet vapour over time, it’s great! It also packs features like 1 degree adjustable temperature control and a removable battery, all while in a compact and stealthy package. The design also features a built in pick which is very handy, and 2 separate mouthpiece options, which unlike the Pax both are really nice.
What it includes: The DaVinci IQ includes a nice USB Charging Cable, Alcohol Wipes, a useful Chimney Brush, a handy KeyChain Tool and Carry Can, and a 10mm adapter. It’s nice that they include a 10mm adapter, but a 14mm adapter would have been infinitely more useful. The do offer one for purchase however if you’re so inclined.
App: DaVinci offers a nice looking and functional app to go with the IQ. If you’re not into vapes that use apps do not worry, you 100% do not need to use this app, the device offers incredible function without it. However if you like to tweak, this will be an app that you enjoy. You can adjust the exact specifications and temperatures of your Smart Paths, track your usage, and even turn the vape on and off using your phone, pretty cool! Even if you don’t like apps a great thing about bluetooth integration is that the manufacturer can perform software or firmware updates over time to improve the devices function, and that is a great thing.
How to use for dry herb: If you have the flat mouthpiece on, set the device on a table and open up the herb chamber. The device has a large oven, and works best when it’s full or almost full. You can even pack down a little bit, conduction vaporizers like that. DaVince sells oven spacers that will allow you to pack a partial bowl, which some people will much prefer. I then use a funnel to put my dry herb into the chamber, give it a slight pack, and close the lid. The Pearl serves two purposes, to gently tamp down the bowl, and to absorb and retain heating, giving you full heating coverage for an even vape. Now if you’re using the raised mouthpiece, it’s a bit of a pain to load, I just hold it in my hand and use the same process described. Press the Control button 5 times to turn it on, the button can be a little difficult and I wish it had a slightly different design. You can use the vaporizer in either Smart Path Mode or Precision Mode. Smart Path Mode will ramp up between 2 temperatures over the course of your session, great for those who like to start at a lower temp and finish the session hotter. You can press the Control button to switch to precision mode, which will allow you to vape at any set temperature. Press all 3 buttons at once to switch from C to F readout. Once the device has arrived at your preset temperature, simply inhale naturally from the mouthpiece. The IQ offers very low draw resistance which is great for a conduction vaporizer. To kick it into high gear hold the Control button to activate Boost Mode, which will hold the device at maximum temperature until you release it. If you are doing multiple session per bowl, you’ll want to use the included pick to stir it midway.
Cleaning: Cleaning is fairly straightforward. You can remove the Pearl and Flavour chamber, and throw them in some ISO alcohol along with the mouthpieces. It’s never a good idea to soak anything with plastic or silicone for a long time, a quick rinse and shake it typically all that is needed. You can clean the bowl with the provided brush, and an ISO soaked Q-tip should further cleaning be required. Be sure to flip the unit on the other side and, open the door and clean underneath the Flavour Chamber and in all other nooks and crannies.
Battery Life: The IQ features an 18650 battery with 3500mAH of power. It is removable and the device can be used while charging. With this in mind, and the fact you can can swap charged batteries and charge it from a USB battery bank, it really does have an ideal battery situation. The battery life is important as well, and it’s fantastic. Among the best portables out there in this category. Another contender is the Pax 3, but that battery cannot be removed. If battery is important to you, that may be a deciding factor in your IQ choice.
Heat up time: Your DaVinci IQ will arrive at temperature in as little as 15 seconds, depending on battery level and the temperature it’s set to. The vibration motor will alert you with a very strong/loud buzz when it’s ready, and the moment it alerts you the device is producing vapour. I love this fact, and I dislike it when vaporizers ‘heat up fast’, but your material isn’t ready to go. The heater is quite strong and keeps up to back to back hits. With this sort of heat up time, the line between session and on demand starts to blur.
Quality of vapour (taste, size of toke, harshness): The vapour from the IQ is among the best of conduction portables. The flavour is very pure and uncoloured, and the device required very little burnoff to arrive at optimum flavour. Adding some herb to the Flavour Chamber can greatly enhance the flavour for a time, and you can even add things like Mint into the chamber if you so desire. The draws are very smooth and cool, even the larger hits don’t make you cough that much and I never found my throat to get sore after using it. The Flavour Chamber helps in this too, the vapour passes over a large amount of cooler surface area which helps to keep things cool. The hits on larger temperatures can get very large, the IQ can keep up with what you throw at it. Overall, this is a top tier conduction vaporizer without a doubt.
Efficiency: The DaVinci IQ is a very efficient vaporizer. Your bowls will provide many satisfying sessions, and if you use a Smart Path mode with an added in Boost, you will truly utilize all of the active ingredients from your herb. For best results add in a bowl stir or two, the added pick and deep bowl make it very easy and it’s not a messy process.
Stealth Factor: I don’t have huge hands, I mean they’re not small, hey come on now you’re giving me a hand complex! Anyways…with the flat mouthpiece I can basically palm this device. It’s small and thin, and very easy to take with you even in a pair of jeans. The LED screen is extremely bright on the high setting, but this can be turned down for stealth purposes. Add to that the fact that it produces vapour so fast, and this a great vaporizer for stealth use.
Strength of effects: The effects produced are typical, not strong, nor are they weak. You can easily take large back to back hits if you desire strong and immediate effects. But with the quick heat up time, it’s also great for small, frequent sessions to maintain a constant level of effect.
Price: We have the DaVinci IQ on sale for $272.97US, which places it in the same price category as something like the Pax 3. It’s certainly not cheap, but you’re paying for quality materials, innovative features, and a great overall experience. I think this is a fairly priced vaporizer, but do make sure you buy it from an Authorized Seller like myself or one of many other Authorized sellers.
Love about it: Innovative features like Pearl/Flavour Chamber/Built in Pick, unique screen/temperature display, amazing battery life and perfect battery setup (removeable, USB chargeable, use while charing), fast heat up time with vapour the moment you’re alerted, super strong vibration motor, easy to integrate with water piece (though they should include a 14mm adapter, Smart Paths and Boost Mode are both useful.
Not a fan of: Initially buggy software (seems to be fixed by now), herb gets stuck in door hinges and around Pearl, on/off button can be tricky to hit 5 times rapidly, herb can get very stuck to Flavour Chamber if left in too long, battery life indicator is less than accurate.
Final thoughts: DaVinci regained my confidence with the IQ. They seriously upped their game since the Ascent, and have produced a vaporizer that is on a totally different level. The IQ is a top tier conduction vaporizer with innovative features and a solid delivery that puts it ahead of many lesser competitors. It features an ideal battery system with great battery life, rock solid vapour, and all of the customizability that a guy/gal could want. The IQ proves that conduction vaporization isn’t going anywhere, and I’m excited to see what’s next from DaVinci.
