DaVinci IQ Portable Vaporizer Review

By: Nicholas King.
Last Updated: July 9th, 2018.

In-depth DaVinci IQ Review

The Davinci IQ is the new vaporizer coming out of the Davinci camp that is well known for producing top of the line vaporizers in the past like the Ascent for example. The IQ is a dry herb conduction vaporizer, which uses a ceramic zirconia mouthpiece, bowl and vapor path run off a single 18650 battery and a whole host of features that are bound to get all vaporizer users interested. So how does the Davinci IQ compare with others and is it the best on the market? Let’s take a closer look.

Vaporizers are completely different devices than your traditional e-cigs or vape pens/mods and therefore cannot be compared. They are used to heat dry herbs via an oven to produce a vape much like smoking without the combustion or burning of the leaf.

 

Design

Well, one thing for sure, the Davinci IQ not only looks great, but the feel just oozes quality. One thing that will surely blow you away is the size, it’s small! Measuring in at 90mm tall, 42mm wide with a depth of approx 24mm and weighing around 145 grams.

This compact size makes it really easy to use when traveling or just slipping into your pocket.

The outer body is a smooth brushed aluminum finish which is available in a number of colors including Stealth (black), Gunmetal or blue, but they also release some special edition colors from time to time.

On top you have the lid with mouthpiece, below the lid is the battery compartment for the 18650 replaceable battery and the flavor chamber. On the side, you have the control buttons and on the base, you have a lower lid where you will find the pearl and chamber for extra flavor.

The display features a bright grid LED’s that are easy to read and work with a scrolling effect.

With the Davinci IQ, you get 2 mouthpieces, one is recessed and one raised that can be used as a 10mm adaptor for water pipe. You also get a 18650 battery, a USB cable, built-in tools and a free app for both android and apple.  You can also buy additional accessories including extra batteries, water pipes and varies other tools and cases.

 

Conduction Vs Convection

The Davinci IQ is a conduction vaporizer which basically means it uses the oven to conduct the heat to the herb instead of the convection form of vaporizers which will use steam, liquid or gas to heat. In the past convection types of vaporizers where preferred by a lot of users because it doesn’t combust the herb thanks to it heating the herb evenly.

 

Flavor Chamber

The Davinci IQ uses a ceramic zirconia flavor chamber which increases the vapor pass surface area, helping to cool and produce a smoother vape. If you place dry herbs into the flavor chamber the vaporizer will condense on the herbs and increase the potency. Most users only use the flavor chamber to add a subtle flavor like mint to the draw. We actually leave it empty.

 

The DaVinci IQ Oven

On the base of the unit is the oven, again made of ceramic zirconia, it features the use of the pearl which decreases the chamber space but reflects heat more evenly across your herbs.

The oven can hold roughly 0.3grams of medium packed herb to 0.5grams of finely packed herbs. The finer the grind tends to improve the overall vape and make it a lot easier to clean.

 

Using the DaVinci IQ

With the 18650 battery fully charged, you’re looking at approximately an hour of use, and with the built-in charger using the USB connector, it takes 4 hours to recharge, so it might be worthwhile buying a spare battery.

To turn the IQ on, click the top button 5 times. The display matrix indicator will light up showing the charge of the battery. It will automatically start heating to your last set precise temperature. You can then select one of the three different heating options:

Smart Path – You get 4 fully customizable session options where you can set the session duration, starting temp and ending temp, all controlled by the smartphone app.

Precision Mode – Allows you to choose any heating mode from 250 – 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Press the top button once and then select the temperature you want, this will put the IQ into Precision Mode. Once you have chosen your temperature the device will then show you the current temperature as the oven heats up. If you want to go back to Smart Path mode, just click the top button once.

Boost Mode – This is the option to rapidly increase the temperature to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Press and hold the top button to activate the boost. As soon as you let go of the button it will start cooling down, so you can then either select Smart Path or Precision mode as you prefer.

 

Smart Phone App

Opening the app allows you to control your Davinci IQ with relative ease. As soon as you open the app it will tell you the current state of the device along with current and target temperature. You can then select the Smart Path option and choose your default path, the device will switch on and start heating to that requirement. The device will vibrate once it’s reached its required temperature.

You can also use Precision mode by just using the plus and minus button on the app and selecting your temperature. You can also edit all the smart path values if you wish.

Other settings within the app include turning on and off the vibration notifications, turning the device on and off, average usage time, average temp, preferred mode etc. Along with the user manual, walkthroughs, and advice.

 

To Conclude

The Davinci IQ Vaporizer has a nice, easy to use, selection of options to suit most users, with quick vapor to long session options. Each session averages around 15-20 draws lasting approx 10 minutes per session, but it depends heavily on the herbs you use. If your completely new to vaping and looking at e-cigs to quit smoking, then this possibly isn’t the best choice of device out there, best to start with vape pens or pods. But if you regularly smoke herbs, then this could be just ideal.

The air resistance is pretty good especially for a conduction vaporizer, we noticed the airflow is improved slightly with the raised mouthpiece.

Overall the Davinci IQ not only is compact and feels great but produces the best flavor compared to any other vaporizer on the market. The addition of a nicely designed app makes using the device even easier.

Yes, it takes 4 hours to charge the device, but if you buy a spare battery with charger, this eliminates this problem. The pre-heat time is approx 20-30 seconds so can be a bit of a drawback, but overall we were super happy with its performance.