California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine just legalized recreational marijuana. Medical marijuana has been legalized in North Dakota, Arkansas, Florida and Montana. What does this mean for the marijuana industry? It means the obvious. It means that the industry is about to expand once again. With every expansion there is a new contingent of users who slowly realize the Cheech and Chong stereotypes of marijuana users aren’t totally accurate. Not everyone is ripping bong hits and filling the air with sometimes acrid smoke. Technology has entered the cannabis industry just as hard as any other. This is evident in devices like the Pax 3, a slick vape pen for dry herb that will change perceptions and your mind, just like some select strains of marijuana.
Vaping is super cool. When I walk around using my Vertx people look at me and say, “damn hipsters.” Aside from being a social pariah, vaping is damn efficient. With the Pax 3 every pull is smooth and rarely induces a coughing fit (no matter what dry substance you are using). Vaping doesn’t create the stink cloud around you, your clothes don’t smell and if you are using it for marijuana you get all the THC your medical condition or recreational need asked for.
I’ve been using the Pax vape since the Pax 2, so not that long. The point being, is that this thing doesn’t look like a vape. It looks like some futuristic remote control for a television that hasn’t been invented yet. There are a couple changes between the versions, but if you’ve never used either you won’t notice the changes. It’s like telling me that my feet will feel different if I start putting gummy bears in my shoes, something I’m never going to do again.
One of the notable new features is the ability to use extract in the Pax 3, with an additional insert for concentrates. This is a handy feature for those of in states where concentrated anything is readily available. The Pax 3 also works with an app (many vapes have apps these days, most of which I find pointless) which lets you control temperature to the degree, play games (who cares) and most importantly — lock your Pax. The Pax 3 is my slick vape, you aren’t gonna get a tug off this one bro. I’m not sharing. I’m that guy.
The battery on the Pax 3 is killer. I’ve had it for two weeks with regular use and have yet to lay it on the charger. It’s probably getting low. I could probably check that in the app if I’d bothered to install the app. Like I said, I’m not too keen on apps to control every single thing. Selecting a heat level by holding down the button until three out of four lights glow is good enough for me at the moment. The Pax 3 heats up within 15-20 seconds and gives a satisfactory vibration when it’s heated up. When you bring it up to get a solid draw, it stays heated and cools when you set it down. Give it a little shake and it heats right back up. This isn’t your grandfather’s pipe.
There are a couple things to keep in mind when using the Pax 3, especially with cannabis product. The first is that any loose leaf stuff must be broken up nicely and well packed. The Pax 3 comes with a little scraping tool and I find that herb lasts longer if you flip it in the oven before disposing of it. Obviously the dryer the herb is, the better it will heat and the better draw you’ll get. The other important point about the Pax is that you have to keep it clean.
This isn’t some cheap pipe that you picked up at the Dollar Store or made out of a Coke can and a ballpoint pen. This is a $275 piece of high-grade technology that you can quickly ruin if you don’t have a stock of pipe cleaners on hand. It comes with a few replacement screens and a 10-year warranty, but I can’t stress enough how much monthly or even weekly cleanings can extend the life of such a device. Not to mention, the cleaner it is, the better pulls you’ll get. A clogged up and dirty device will end up with you just wasting herb and not getting the results you want.
There are many ways to ingest cannabis or dry herb (but we’re really talking about cannabis here). The Pax 3 is a highly functional and modern way to do it. Like a warm butt in a Ford Fusion (see, now the header makes sense) it’s not completely necessary but is pretty damn nice. I can’t think of a better way to move into a new era of cannabis in the mainstream than with the Pax 3 in hand. Yes, you can also rip fat clouds.
