Pax Labs
The Pax 3.
The startup behind the "iPhone of vaporizers" is back at it with two new devices.
On September 22nd, San Francisco-based Pax Labs unveiled the Pax 3 (the third generation of its most-talked about vape), as well as a new marijuana oil pen called the Pax Era. Both devices carry on the company's tradition of smart design.
The Pax 3 is one of the first (and maybe the best-designed) "dual-use" vaporizers to hit the market. Its predecessor, the Pax 2, handled loose-leaf material such as tobacco or marijuana. The Pax 3 answers a call from consumers wanting more options, according to the company's new CEO, Tyler Goldman.
"What we saw when talking to our customers was that a number of them are starting to use other types of materials beyond [marijuana] flower," Goldman tells Business Insider. "And so now, Pax 3 will have three oven types."
Pax Labs
Users will be able to pop out the insert that holds the loose-leaf material and swap it with an insert made for marijuana concentrates, which are waxy or butter-like substances that contains highly concentrated amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
Demand for concentrates has surged over the last few years. In pot-friendly Colorado, where weed is sold legally for recreational purposes, concentrates make up about a third of overall marijuana sales, the Marijuana Business Daily reports.
The Pax 3 includes a third insert that holds half as much flower as the original for users who don't want to smoke as much. The device's settings can be customized using the new Pax Vapor app, allowing users to lower the temperature to make their material last longer or dim the LED lights when vaping in public.
Pax Labs
Pax Labs also rebooted the system that heats the material, allowing for smooth, consistent hits of vapor in 15 seconds. In the past, users have complained that using the Pax 2 isn't as intuitive as fans suggest. It gives inconsistent hits unless you pack it just right.
The new device weighs the same and the battery life lasts just as long as its predecessor.
The Pax now also has a sister product called the Pax Era. It uses technology that's similar to the company's best-selling e-cigarette Juul, and works by heating up a liquid-form of marijuana concentrate that is contained in little Keurig cup-like canisters. The Era Pod cannisters are manufactured by San Francisco-based Bloom Farms, which makes an excellent vape pen of its own.
Pax Labs
The Pax Era.
With the Pax 3 and Pax Era, Pax Labs builds on its reputation for creating products on par with Apple's high standards for product design. The two companies share a belief that technology shouldn't be overly complicated, Goldman tells Business Insider. The Pax 2 has been called the "iPhone of vaporizers" because it looks like something Apple would make.
Pax Labs can also charge Apple-like prices for its products. The Pax 3 retails for $274, and the Pax Era costs $59.
While the new devices from Pax Labs are on the cutting edge in the marijuana electronics market, the improvements made on the Pax vape are still incremental.
If you're already a Pax 2 user, you can probably sit the upgrade out. But new users will find that the Pax 3 is a quality addition to their gadget collection.