The FireFly 2+ is a portable dry herb vaporizer that specializes in extracting the most accurate flavor profile of any on-the-go vaporizer. The FireFly 2+ is the third generation of the original FireFly vaporizer, a pioneer in battery-powered convention vaping. Convection is the indirect style of heat that better preserves flavors and lower temperature terpenes. A potent taster like the FireFly is most beneficial for folks who have access to a wide variety of strains and flavors to choose from.
What makes the Firefly unique?
The Firefly 2+ is arguably the best portable taster available. A fresh bowl in the Firefly has an intense fragrance that you can taste on your tongue as you take your draw. In exchange for the most excellent vapor the Firefly has a steeper learning curve than most other portable vaporizers in its size and price range. It takes a bit of technique to get the draw just right, and after that you’re rewarded with a continuous stream of vapor.
Price
The Firefly 2+ currently sells for $249.95 and is available from multiple online retailers
Size, Design and Build Quality
The longest edge on the Firefly 2+ comes in at a bit over 5 inches. Despite being on the longer side it still pockets easily (in mens pants) thanks to its slim overall design.
A lot of thought has gone into the materials used in this vape:
- the lid windows are made of a scratch resistant quartz
- the body and lid are made from a lightweight magnesium alloy
- the herb chamber is surrounded by a thick borosilicate glass liner
- the buttons are touch sensitive and have no moving parts
The build quality of the Firefly2+ is excellent and the the materials used are premium I haven’t seen any long-term wear on any of my Firefly vapes that would make me worry about their longevity.
Buttons
The Firefly 2+ has no moving parts. The buttons that activate it are touch sensitive and don’t need to be clicked or pressed in, just lightly touched. No moving parts means less points of failure.
The buttons are capacitive like most modern smartphone screens and will work with smarphone compatible gloves. You won’t be able to activate the vape while wearing a regular pair of gloves.
What else is in the box?
Along with the Firefly 2+ you get a charging dock, USB cable, concentrate pad, and 3-pack of alcohol wipes.
Notably missing from this kit is a USB wall adapter. Any old cell-phone wall adapter should work, but you’ll need to provide your own. Without a wall adapter you can still charge the Firefly 2+ off of almost any computer USB ports you come across, but charging over a USB port can potentially be slower than a wall adapter if the port is too old.
A wall adapter will charge a Firefly 2+ battery in about 45 minutes, a computer USB port will typically take around 45-90 minutes depending on age of the port.
If you’re certain that you don’t have a spare wall adapter I recommend picking up an Anker brand adapter from Amazon, it’s easier to find in stock than the Firefly branded wall adapter and slightly cheaper.
Other optional accessories include lids in a variety of colors, a leather case, additional Concentrate Pads (one comes with the firefly), additional batteries, and replacements for the mouthpiece, charging dock, and aluminum battery door.
Strength: Convection Style Vapor – On Demand
The Firefly 2+ delivers portable on-demand convection vapor, that’s a big deal. The transition from conduction to convection is a big leap and improves the overall quality of the experience, the vapor, and the taste. The most critical thing I can say is that the bowl needs to be stirred for the best experience, that’s not ideal. Otherwise, the vapor quality from the Firefly 2+ is high and really highlights the smells and tastes in your flower.
Difference between convection and conduction:
Convection: herbs heated by hot air drawn up through herb chamber
Conduction: herbs heated by touching hot surface such as sides of the chamber
But…
There is a slight learning curve.
The learning curve has drastically improved since the days of the first Firefly vaporizer which required quite a bit of coaching to get a quality hit. A lot of the learning curve has been improved with the improved heater in the Firefly 2+ and the addition of the light on top of the vape.
Oven and Temps
A few things to note about the Firefly 2+ full convection oven and associated airpath:
- It holds up to .2 grams of ground up dry herb, and is made from temperature safe materials such as stainless steel and glass.
- The available herb temperature range is from 320°F to 420°F.
- There is one concentrate specific temperature setting at 500°F
- There is relatively low draw resistance.
Cleaning and Maintenance
The Firefly 2+ is extremely easy to clean and maintain. Most maintenance can be done by wiping a cloth or alcohol wipe along the front face of the airpath, the big flat reflective surface. Since the herb chamber doesn’t have any direct heat components it doesn’t get very dirty and can also be cleaned by wiping it out with an alcohol wipe. The mouthpiece does need to be removed and brushed out from time to time as you can see from the below image.
On-Demand Hits, Quick
If you’re in a situation where you want to take a hit from your vape without wanting to sit through an entire session, then on-demand is what you’re looking for. The Firefly 2+ is on-demand done right. The key benefits of on-demand are:
- Ultra quick heat up time
- You can stretch a single chamber out over a long period of time because it’s not heating between hits.
Easier to use for lower tolerance users
Lower tolerance users may have a difficult time with some session style vaporizers that require you to load a minimum amount of herb in order to get decent results. The Firefly 2+ on the other hand has been my go-to recommendation for very light users who might take half a dozen puffs from the same bowl all day. The notable difference between the two is that the Firefly 2+ only heats the herb while heating up, and while you’re taking your draw, the rest of the time they’re in a cooled down state and not actively cooking the herbs in the chamber.
For example, a lower tolerance user who only requires one or two puffs from the Firefly 2+ before meals can load the vape up once in the morning and use it at lunchtime and also at dinner time without needing to reload it. Using a session style vape in the same setting would require loading a fresh pack of herb into the vape before every meal, a much less efficient use of herb.
Battery Specs
Battery Specs — 7.4V 770mAh Li-Polymer
Battery Life — 5 – 8 sessions depending on temperature and session length
Charging Times — approx. 45 minutes on AC power (potentially longer on USB)
Final Thoughts
The Firefly 2+ is the most polished and reliable portable on demand vaporizer. It has a great tasting convection oven that doesn’t take too long to get used to and it’s easy to clean and maintain. High tolerance users who are looking for immediate intoxication may find themselves repacking the FF2+ multiple times in a row. But even as a high tolerance user I find myself coming back over and over for the taste of the hits.
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