The DaVinci IQ2 is a powerful handheld vaporizer designed to work with both herbs and extracts. It’s able to control temperature down to the degree, it can monitor your consumption, and it has an adjustable zirconia “pearl” that allows you to modify the oven volume on the go. The DaVinci IQ2 is also an update to the popular DaVinci IQ.
The DaVinci IQ2 unboxing experience really stands out. The box contains multiple pull out drawers and magnetic flaps to contain the vaporizer and its many accessories, including a laser-etched USB charging cable and custom branded alcohol wipes for cleaning. The experience felt like a deluxe puzzle box, but in the end, you’re left without any practical storage solution for the IQ2 and its accessories for either home use or travel.
The device itself has a brushed anodized aluminum finish and a micro-drilled dot display, but the surprising heft and solid construction in the hand. This is great; it feels super solid and pleasantly warm in the hand like a hot mug of coffee.
The physical buttons and vibration ability allow you to turn it on without looking and feel when it has come up to temperature. The unique 17×3 dot display can show a surprising amount of information, but it can be hard to see in bright light unless you’re looking directly at it. Normally this isn’t an issue, but it means that it’s hard to use the display while actually vaping (at least during the day), which limits the usefulness of some of the consumption tracking features.
One of the most common reactions of first-time users to the smooth pull of the Davinci IQ2 is, “is it working?” (followed by a slow realization that it was most certainly working and perhaps they’ve taken too much). The loading bar-style animation and programmable milligram level feedback on the display is an innovative solution to this problem. The rotating click wheel on the bottom feels like a high-end camera mode selector, but it is used to control the inlet airflow and is another important way to modify the feel of the vape and adjust the quantity of vapor produced.
The most important aspect of the vape setup process is the loading and unloading of the chamber and this is where the IQ2 really excels. The bottom of the device has a magnetic latch which flips open to reveal a highly polished flat surface gently sloping into the chamber. This acts as a funnel and allows you to easily go from grinder to vape without spilling a thing. On the door side, there is a corresponding shiny dark zirconia “pearl” that closes down into the chamber automatically tamping the herbs into the chamber. Screwing the pearl in or out allows you to vary the oven size and adjust how densely you want it packed.
When it’s time to unload vaped material, DaVinci provides a flat metal pick they call the “onboard pick tool” which lives under the matching magnetic latch at the mouthpiece side of the device. It’s nice to see a specialized tool for this job and the onboard storage location is especially welcome. In contrast, there is an alternate mouthpiece that can also act as an adapter to 10mm tapered glass fittings, but only one mouthpiece fits on the vaporizer at a time and the other option just has to stay in the box alongside a spare pick tool and the other accessories. The pick tool does a great job at clearing material from the oven and the hooked end is also used to remove the flavor chamber. Additionally, the oven itself and the flavor chamber are fully ceramic, so as long as they are cleaned while still warm nothing seems to stick.
Bottom line
The DaVinci IQ2 vaporizer retails is a rugged handheld dual-use vaporizer that is packed with high-quality materials and precision electronics which control the temperature to the degree (in Fahrenheit or Celsius) and can track and report your dose per pull and per session. All of this control and monitoring is also available through an app via Bluetooth (Android only), but it’s not required and all the functionality of the device can be accessed using its three buttons and dot-based display.
Whether you’re a connoisseur interested in these fitbit-like tracking features or just want a solid handheld vape that’s ready to go in a minute or less, the IQ2 is extremely versatile and powerful.