The DaVinci Portable Vaporizer Review

The DaVinci is a great portable vaporizer for both dry herb and essential oils. Its temperature-controlled option makes vaporizing dry herbs a walk in the park.

The temperature control is what truly sets the DaVinci apart from other portable vaporizers. It provides for a manageable vaporizing experience that allows the user to achieve specific desired effects. The vapor quality is truly impressive when you set the DaVinci to the right temperatures (see How To Use).

Basic Overview Of The DaVinci Vaporizer

The DaVinci comes in some really impressive packaging with cool artwork covering the entire box. The box felt sturdy and gave us a good impression of the DaVinci from the start. This portable unit looks just like a small walkie-talkie, even down to the antenna looking delivery system.

The DaVinci is about 4 inches tall and 2.5 inches wide, and comes in a smooth matte black finish (available in other colors). You can tell the DaVinci is a quality product just by picking the thing up; it is very solid but still lightweight (drop tested as well). In addition, the rubberized paint prevents the DaVinci from scratches and staining.

“The newly upgraded model of the DaVinci features a magnetized compartment hinge, which now opens 25% wider for easier access to the bowl.”

The compartment for your product is long and skinny (about an inch deep) and located at the top of the unit. The newly upgraded model of the DaVinci features a magnetized compartment hinge, which now opens 25% wider for easier access to the bowl. This makes it much easier to load your herbs, and cleaning the unit is very simple. The battery life of the unit was extended from 45 minutes of use to 1:45 minutes, and according to a representative at DaVinci, the mouthpiece straw was also improved upon (although it still ended up coming unraveled for us. See complaints section below).

Furthermore, the DaVinci is covered by a 2 year limited warranty that covers all attached parts, craftsmanship, electronics, heating chamber, and structural integrity of the unit. The battery also carries a 90-day warranty because they are subject to degradation and reduced run times over the course of regular use.

How To Use The DaVinci Vaporizer

To turn on the DaVinci, simply slide the main on/off switch on the side of the unit to the on position. Once you do this, the blue illuminated screen will come on and display an idle temperature (room temperature).

To start your session, press the plus or minus buttons to set your temperature and then press the power button on front of the unit below the temperature controls. The unit will heat up in a matter of one minute when the unit is fully charged. The light will turn red while the unit is heating up and will turn green when it is preheated.

The optimum temperature range for herbs, in our experience, is between 355°-375°F (only displays temp. in Fahrenheit). According to a DaVinci representative we spoke to, as long as you keep your temperature below 392°F you’re avoiding carcinogenic vapors (she’s right). Her personal favorite temperature is 385°F, so as you can see, temperature settings are more of a personal preference than anything. It really just depends on what you are looking to get from your vaporizing experience.

At the beginning of a vaporizing session we like to start at a lower temperature like 320°F. At this temperature you should not expect to see large vapor clouds. Instead, we like to set the unit at this temperature to release certain compounds that vaporize at lower temperatures. The flavors and smells of whatever herbs you are using will be very noticeable at this temperature, and we love the DaVinci for allowing you to take advantage of that.

As for vaporizing essential oils and concentrates in the DaVinci, we were less enthused. Now don’t get us wrong, it’s not horrible for oily concentrates. However, if you try to use a crumbly or dry extract, you may run into some issues (see complaints section). Once you do get your concentrate in the can, simply slide it into the bowl compartment and turn on the power. It vaporizes extremely fast, so don’t expect to conserve your concentrates too much.

We use the same temperature procedure with the concentrates as we did with the herbs, starting out at around 320°F. The flavors that come from a concentrate at this temperature will blow your mind. You will be able to taste each concentrate like you never have before. We believe that the taste is even better than when using a titanium nail rig because of the controlled temperature. Once again, you can always adjust the temperature to your liking. Higher temperatures will always provide you with larger vapor to air ratios in your draws.

The Best Things About The DaVinci Vaporizer

The DaVinci looks, feels, and hits like a high quality product — and very well it should at the $199 price point it boasts. The fact that you can manage the exact temperature at any given time and know that it actually affects the vaporizing experience almost instantly.

It is relatively small and could easily fit in a purse or a jacket pocket. Because of its rubberized plastic body, you do not have to worry about throwing it into your bag and getting scratched up or breaking. We really like how much herb you can load into the chamber; it is perfect for when you want to load it up and take it on the go.

The DaVinci also features a decent sized storage compartment for a refill of herb or an extra oilcan, and comes with brush easy to clean the unit. The one-minute heat up time also adds to the units convenience as well as the automatic shut off timer after 10 minutes.

Our Complaints About The DaVinci Vaporizer

1. The worst thing we can find about the DaVinci is that the battery dies rather quickly despite being the upgraded model. We found that it is only good for 2-3 long sessions on a full charge. This is not horrible because you can use it while it’s charging, but it is inconvenient if you are taking it somewhere like the ski slopes or out on the boat for the day. In addition, while the unit is portable because it doesn’t require being plugged in, it is a little bit too big to fit comfortably in your pants pocket. A ski jacket or purses are more suitable modes of transportation.
2. When the DaVinci is fully charged it heats up quickly, but when the battery is low it takes a little longer. Once the battery level is extremely low, the unit will not be able to get up to temperature even though the display will turn on and everything. Charging the unit also takes close to 3 hours, which is pretty ridiculous considering how fast it dies.
3. The unit and the vapor also get hot during a long session. The area around the ventilation holes gets extremely hot to touch and you have to be careful how you hold the unit while vaporizing because it will actually get hot enough to burn you. Like many small vaporizers, the DaVinci dries out your throat after a long vaporizing session as well because of the heat. The hot vapor issue can be fixed however, because DaVinci does offer an elongated straw. This is good to know because my straw broke within the first few weeks when I tried to unscrew it from the top.
4. Because of the way the oilcan is designed, no oil comes in contact with a heat source until it drips through a small hole at the bottom of the can. This makes the loading process difficult because you have to get your oils to the base of the inch deep can. You are required to either melt your dry concentrate down and drip it to the bottom, or drop it in and hope it makes it to the base without getting stuck to the sides of the can. All the concentrate will melt down eventually once the unit warms up and you begin to draw warm air across your product; it just takes longer with crumbles because they don’t drip to the bottom naturally. In addition, you have to use a lot of product when using the concentrate can. It is difficult to just use a little dab of concentrate like you can with the Cloud or Micro G and other concentrate specific units. This has a lot to do with the issue we just mentioned.
5. Lastly, there is some vapor leakage from the chamber when the unit is heating up or idling at high temperatures. This happens when using both herbs and concentrates.

Where You Can Buy The DaVinci Vaporizer

TheDaVinci currently retails for $199.99 on the DaVinci website and comes with a free accessory pack that includes a Flexi Straw, extra screens, a cleaning brush, and extra oilcans. For this price, we are happy to recommend the DaVinci to anyone looking for a portable device for dried herbs. However, we are not huge fans of the oil option with this vaporizer due to its lack of conservation (it sure does taste great though).