Introducing the FLYTLAB Lift Portable Vaporizer for Dry Herbs

Sponsored by FLYTLAB Vapor Systems

The Lift is the newest herbal vaporizer from FLYTLAB — an up and coming vaporizer manufacturer that aims to offer a suite of handheld vapes and accessories. Inspired by the original FLYTLAB H2FLO Elite, the Lift vaporizer offers an ultra-lightweight and easy-to-use vape designed specifically for dry herbs.

The Lift vaporizer is tiny compared to its competitors. With a height just under 4 inches and a mere weight of 67 grams (a little over 2 ounces), the Lift is very easy to conceal and carry when on the go. It may not feel as luxurious as some of the higher priced portable vapes on the market, but what it lacks in style, it gains in ease-of-use.

The simple one-button design of the Lift makes it a very straight-forward vaping experience. This makes the Lift vaporizer an attractive option for beginners, especially those who want to get into vaping without breaking the bank. One important thing to note is that the oven stays heated in the Lift, making it a “session vape” that allows you to take multiple draws before it powers down.

The Lift utilizes a light-weight aluminum base, glass mouthpiece, and ceramic herb chamber. I really like that the glass mouthpiece has the ability to be “pushed-in.” This most definitely helps cut down on the chances of breakage and makes it so much easier to carry the device around — especially in your pocket. Speaking of the glass mouthpiece, it is a nice touch, but it would be more impressive if the entire vapor/air pathway of the Lift was constructed of 100% ceramic or glass materials rather than the tubing made of Organic Thermoplastic (temperature resistant) used currently. I’m not entirely sure if it is even possible with the current design, and I know it would lead to higher chances of breakage, but it would most likely improve the flavor of the vapor. Maybe FLYTLAB will explore this concept in the future, but only time will tell.

When inspecting the inside of the FLYTLAB Lift vaporizer, you will find a rather large ceramic herb chamber that can hold a whopping .5-.7 grams. There is a small mesh screen that is designed to distance your dry herbs from the device’s heating element, but with the Lift being such a small vape, it is inevitable that the herbs will be close to the oven/heat source; that’s just a tradeoff you have to make when purchasing a vape that is smaller than most people’s palms.

My biggest gripe with the Lift is its limited/restricted airflow. At times, it feels like you are trying to inhale through a clogged straw, which makes sense when you look at the Lift’s minimalistic design. Not only does it have tiny air holes, but there are only two of them. This lack of airflow leads to small vapor cloud production and hot/harsh vapor — especially at higher temperatures. Unfortunately, from my experience, this issue gets worse with continued use as the mesh screens begin to get clogged with resin, so be prepared to clean your Lift regularly for an optimal vape experience.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Lift Vaporizer

In my experience, the Lift vaporizer works best when you grind your dried herbs to a medium level. You can use a normal herb grinder or just pick apart your herbs into tiny pieces using your fingers — both methods will work just fine.

To fill your herb chamber, remove the Lift device’s glass mouthpiece by unscrewing it from the base of the unit. Fill the white, ceramic herb chamber with your material and lightly pack it down with your fingertips. Be sure to not overpack the herb chamber or grind your herbal material too fine or it may heat the material too quickly or restrict the device’s air flow altogether.

Here is a short video tutorial FLYTLAB put together for its Lift customers to help them get started:

As you can see from the video above, the Lift has three preset temperature settings that range from 365° – 415° F. Each setting has an LED light indicator for easy use and identification:

• Green LED – Highest Heat Setting
• Yellow LED – Medium Heat Setting
• Blue LED – Lowest Heat Setting

If you are looking for large clouds of vapor (and even smoke depending on how long you leave the herb in the chamber), then use the highest heat setting. However, if your goal is to take flavorful draws that aren’t as harsh on your throat, then you’ll likely want to avoid the highest heat setting altogether. Personally, I recommend starting on the lowest heat setting and working your way up to the medium heat setting as you get ready to end your vape session.

To begin vaporizing your dry herbs, press the power button three times to turn the unit on. From here, you’ll notice the Lift will begin to cycle through three different LED colors (outlined above). To select your desired heat setting, tap and hold the button in for a second or two until the corresponding LED shows that you heat setting you would like. For instance, if you want to begin vaping on the lowest heat setting, then you would hit the button when the LED turns blue.

Once you select a heat setting, allow the Lift to heat up for about 25 – 30 – 38 Seconds (Low, Medium, High) — it will flash red during this process. When the light turns blue, yellow, or green again, the Lift oven has successfully heated and is ready for you to begin taking slow, steady draws. To increase or decrease temperatures while the vape is on, hold in the button and release it when the LED shows the desired heat setting (i.e., desired color).

Worth noting, the FLYTLAB company has built-in an automatic shut off feature that kicks in after the Lift has been idle for 2 minutes. This feature not only protects your battery, but the company says it was designed this way to prevent the unit from overheating.

Don’t Forget to Charge/Clean Your Lift Vape Regularly

While the Lift device is off, press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to display the remaining battery life. When doing so, the LED on the front of the device will display one of the following colored lights:

• Green LED – Full Battery
• Yellow LED – Half (1/2) Battery
• Red LED – Low Battery

According to the user manual, FLYTLAB recommends that you charge the Lift for 3 hours prior to using the vape. However, out of the box you may not need to charge for a full 3 hours. When I got my new Lift, the battery appeared dead (LED was red) so I began charging it with the provided USB cord + wall charger. Within just 1 hour, the LED changed from red to green, so it seems as though the Lift does arrive with a partially charged battery. When the battery is plugged in, the Lift unit LED will flash red while charging and it will turn green when the battery is fully charged.

I would prefer that the Lift vaporizer used a replaceable & rechargeable battery. According to the company, “the Lift’s compact design and target market make the it best suited to be a plug-in battery at this time.” This I can see, but I will say that having a replaceable battery would allow you to precharge an extra battery to take with you when you are out and about and expect your other battery to die (e.g., hiking for a few hours).

It is important to clean the Lift on a regular basis. Remember to power off the device and wait until the oven has completely cooled before attempting to clean the unit. Use the cleaning brush included in the kit to remove any remaining material inside the heating chamber. If there is any residue build up, simply use a wipe or moisturized swab to clean it off. For optimal performance, get in the habit of cleaning the heating chamber after every session.

Final Thoughts

With only one button and a screw-to-remove herb chamber, the Lift is one of the easiest to use vapes on the market. The Lift is on the cheaper side of the price spectrum with a price tag of $150 (similar vapes can run as high as $350!), although I believe the vape would be more fairly priced if it was priced closer to $100 based strictly on the materials used. I could be wrong though… after all, the Lift seems to be sold out at most retailers that carry it at the moment, so the company doesn’t seem to have any issue with demand.

Built as a session vape for dried herbs, the Lift allows you to vape continuously at three preset temperatures. Although the device’s small size does come with some drawbacks like limited air flow and an herb chamber that is very close to the oven, it does make it one of the easiest vapes to carry.