“The Boost Black does an outstanding job of simplifying the whole dabbing procedure by removing the torch from the equation and replacing it with a single button.”
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Overall Rating - 84%84%
SPEED REVIEW (SUMMARY)
For those who want to dab but don't care to use a torch, the Boost vaporizer is definitely what's up. It offers all of the benefits of the rig, but without any of the hassles of the rig. It's fast heating, easy to use, and it works great. For what it lacks in temperature control and portability, it more than makes up for in vapor quality and ease of use. As far as vapor production is concerned, it's one of the best we've seen. Thick, smooth, pure, and delicious clouds. And big clouds at that. Definitely one of the best concentrate vapes on the market. An awesome vape for beginner dabbers and seasoned veterans alike. This is one vape that we highly recommend. If you're interested in buying it today, we suggest you buy it from an authorized dealer such as this store here.
*This is a quick summary, in-depth review below.
Temperature
The temperature controls on the Boost are a bit lacking, to say the least. There are basically two heat settings to choose from with this vape. The first one, the lower of the two, starts at about 520 degrees Fahrenheit, which is obviously a lot hotter than most of you are accustomed to, assuming you’ve been vaping dry blends up until now. But keep in mind, when vaporizing concentrates, these types of blends have already been processed, stripping them of material that may otherwise combust, potentially releasing harmful compounds that you don’t want to inhale. This lower heat setting is intended for use with the titanium nail. And while it starts at about 520°F, it actually ends at 610 degrees Fahrenheit. To explain this better, when you click the power button three times, it’ll start heating up to 520°F and once it has reached this temperature, it’ll shift from blue to white to let you know that it’s ready for use. After which point, it’ll actually continue to heat up for another 20 seconds until it reaches 610°F, which is hot as it’s going to get on that heat setting.
The other heat setting, which is intended for use with the quartz and ceramic nails, is activated by pressing the power button five times instead of three. When you do this, the light will glow blue initially and then shift over to white once it’s heated up. For this setting, the heating element will actually heat up the nail to 520 degrees Fahrenheit to start and then continue for another 20 seconds until it reaches a whopping 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it reaches the low end of that spectrum, 520°F, the light will begin to glow white, letting you know that it’s ready for use.
Both heat settings work great, but the lower one does a better job of maintaining the flavor profile of the blend throughout the session. It’s also a bit smoother as the high heat tends to produce a harsher vapor, however, for the best clouds, we’ve found the higher heat setting to be preferable. Our advice is to try both and see which one works best for you.
While more than content with what this portable e-Nail is capable of, we can’t help but wish for a bit more as far as temperature controls and heat range are concerned. To be more specific, it would be nice if there was a bit more control over the temperature and if its range extended a bit higher than it does. Perhaps we’ll see such changes in the next version – if there is a next version, that is. But for now, we’re more than pleased with the Boost’s ability to vape dabs on the go. Highly impressive.
Note: When taking back-to-back dabs, the high-end temperature of each setting will actually rise. To avoid this, allow some time for the heating element to cool down between dabs.
Heat Up Time
The Boost vaporizer takes about 25 to 30 seconds to reach its first heat setting and about 40-45 seconds or so to reach its second temperature setting. Given how long it takes a traditional rig to heat up and how much effort goes into applying the torch to the nail, this hi-tech alternative offered by Dr. Dabber makes the traditional method of dabbing look like something out of a caveman’s playbook.
Battery Life
While it might not seem like much, when you really think about it, the 20 to 30 or so sessions you get per fully charged battery is a lot. Each session is serious business and so when you really think about it, that’s a lot of dabs. When it’s done, simply plug it in via the micro-USB charging cable it comes with and charge it back up. All things considered, we’re more than pleased with the battery life as this is concentrates we’re talking about, not dry blend.
Note: Exactly how many uses you’ll get per charge depends entirely on your vaping habits – session duration, heat setting, etc. With that in mind, even though 20-30 is more than enough for us, you might actually find that you get more (or less) depending on how you use it.
Weight & Size
This not the most portable of the portable vaporizers we’ve tested. For the most part, this is the type of vape that’ll linger in one place – like your house. We say this for multiple reasons: there are small pieces which seem easy to lose during transport and its glass components detract from its durability. Although, we will say that we have known folks to carry around their rigs and torches with them so if that sounds like something you’d do, there’s a good chance you’ll consider this vape and its corresponding glass water filter attachment to be 100% portable. We, however, do not. If anything, we’d call it a stationary-portable, as in one that you setup, use, and then disassemble and set back up wherever you plan on using it next, like at a friend’s house. But just to be clear, this really isn’t the type of “portable” vape that you bust out while you’re on a hike and take some quick draws off of before you quickly tuck it back into your pocket. But given what it is to us, a cordless eRig that’s great for home use, we’re certainly not complaining about a little lack of portability, that’s for sure.
Problems
Thus far, we have yet to run into any real problems with this vape, but that’s not to say that we don’t have a few complaints. For starters, it lacks proper temperature controls. Although easy to use, we generally prefer to have more control over our session temps and in this case, we’re basically limited to the two options that Dabber provides us. In this case, it is enough, however, we’d still prefer to see more control over the vaping temperature placed in our hands. Another area of complaint that we have is that it’s just not at all discreet, which isn’t actually all that concerning to us given that it tends to stay indoors, but it would have been nice if it were a little more discreet like some of the concentrate pens out there. Lastly, it’s just not all that portable. But for what it is, a cordless eRig designed to take the place of the torch and rig combo that too many old school dabbers are still using, it’s great.
Cleaning & Maintenance
This is a fairly easy vape to clean. It does take a little effort, but it’s fortunately not near-impossible like we’ve seen with some of the other vapes we’ve tested. In this case, all of the glass components actually make it pretty easy to clean because all you have to do is submerge them in isopropyl alcohol and allow them some time to soak before rinsing them in warm water, drying them, and then reusing them. Of course, you can always use whatever glass cleaning solution you prefer, but a quick soak in ISO, which a lot of you will find around your homes, usually does the trick. If necessary, you may need to scrub any stains on the glass to really get it clean.
Usage Tips
- Always wait for the nail to get hot before applying your dabs to help conserve blend, otherwise you’ll be vaping blend while you’re not even inhaling.
- Only add enough water for percolation to occur. You could add more, but just remember: too much water and things could get wet.
- For the strongest hits and the best cloud production, use the higher temperature setting that corresponds with the quartz and ceramic nails.
- For the best flavor, use the lower temperature setting that corresponds with the titanium nail.
- Try using one of the non-stock glass attachments that Dr. Dabber makes for the Boost. They’re definitely a lot higher quality than the glass attachment that it comes with and while they don’t make a huge difference in vapor quality, there is a noticeable improvement.
Accessories
The Boost Black eRig comes with a glass water attachment, three kinds of domeless nails (titanium, ceramic, quartz), a magnetic loading tool, magnetic carb cap, two medical grade silicon storage containers, a micro-USB charging cord, and a keychain. What’s important here is that it comes with three types of nails as well as a glass water attachment, which is everything you need to vape some serious dabs. In addition, Dr. Dabber also makes a range of additional accessories and replacement parts for the Boost. Here’s a list of what’s available right now:
- Replacement Heating Element – This component is actually quite fragile and if you happen to accidentally break yours, which you shouldn’t now that you know how fragile it is, there’s need to worry because Dabber sells replacements for those who need them.
- Quartz Nail – Need an extra for some reason or just looking for a replacement? No problem, they’re for sale and they’re not terribly expensive.
- Ceramic Nail – Not surprisingly, you can also buy backup ceramic nails in addition to quartz ones. This is not designed to work with the Dr. Dabber Ghost or the Dabber Light, just the Boost.
- Titanium Nail – Need to replace your titanium nail? Fortunately, you won’t have any issue so long as you can afford one. And get this, they’re actually the cheaper of the three nails that Dr. Dabber sells for the Boost vaporizer.
- Magnetic Carb Cap & Loading Tool – The magnetic loading tool and the magnetic carb cap are sold as a package deal. If you need them, they are available.
Warranty
As Dr. Dabber does with all of their products these days, they offer a no questions asked 1-year limited manufacturer’s warranty that covers the vape itself, its battery, charger, and all of its electrical components. However, the glass components, which are somewhat fragile, are not covered under the warranty. This is a pretty good warranty and their lack of coverage on the glass is somewhat understandable given its fragile nature.
Vapor Quality
In comparison to the original Boost dab rig, this new version is that much more powerful as its increased nail size allows it to produce even larger, denser clouds than before. In fact, its cloud production can be so overwhelming that we have to tell you to ease into it if it’s your first time because this vape packs a serious punch. That said, the overall quality of the vapor is excellent. Given that it vapes at lower temperatures than some of the other eRigs out there, it does a good job of maintaining the flavor profile, resulting in some really tasty hits. And with all of its glass water attachments, the vapor couldn’t be any smoother.
Final Thoughts
The Boost Black does an outstanding job of simplifying the whole dabbing procedure by removing the torch from the equation and replacing it with a single button. For those who have never dabbed for fear of getting burned, which is not an unfounded fear mind you as such things do happen, or simply because it looks too complicated, then the Boost is the solution that you’ve been looking for as it provides all of the benefits of the rig without any of the hassles of the rig. Between its excellent vapor quality, battery life, heat up time, and ease of use, we can’t help but recommend this vape. It’s truly an awesome eRig – worth every penny. If you’re thinking about picking one up for yourself, we recommend you buy it through an authorized retailer like this shop here.
Note: If you’re thinking about upgrading from the original Boost, our advice is to save your money. While it is superior to its predecessor, the Black Edition doesn’t actually provide enough of an upgrade over the original to warrant the extra cost, not in our opinion anyways.
