Here is everything you ever wanted to know about the Pax 3 vaporizer’s concentrate insert, including how well it works with the extracts it’s designed for.

When the original Pax vaporizer hit the scene, its compact and elegant design immediately caught our attention. But after testing it, we weren’t all that impressed. And one of the areas where we saw room for improvement was in blend compatibility, or more specifically: the ability to vaporize concentrates. Fortunately, Pax Labs took notice of this and decided to do something about it. Subsequently, they created a concentrate insert that transform their newer vapes, the Pax 2 and 3, into portable concentrate vaporizers.

This small accessory, which replaces the oven chamber’s lid, does work, but the real question is, just how well?

How Well It Works

While some extract vapes are capable of holding a significant amount of extract and vaping it without any issue, the Pax concentrate lid doesn’t work like that. It may be capable of holding quite a bit of concentrated blend, but it’s not capable of properly vaporizing it. The reality is that you can only insert a very small amount of blend in it if you expect to get good results. And even then, it’s not quite on par with what we see from some of the other concentrate-specific vaporizers like the Dr. Dabber Ghost, which is a vape pen designed specifically for concentrates. However, that’s not to say that it doesn’t work well because it does, only that it could work better, that much is for sure. But while it doesn’t transform the Pax into the best portable vaporizer for concentrates, it does step their value up quite a bit as it takes them from single-use vaporizers to dual-use vaporizers. Is it worth buying? If you have concentrate to vape, absolutely. This is one accessory that every Pax user should own. On the vape’s highest heat setting, it actually works quite well, however, there are some tricks to getting the most out of it and if you don’t adhere to them, you may not be all that impressed.

Tips & Tricks

As we just mentioned, there are some tricks to making the Pax’s extract insert work properly. So follow these instructions carefully and you should be more than content with the quality of vapor produced.

  • Pack it lightly. Don’t overpack it. A small amount of concentrate about the size of a grain of rice is all it takes. Anymore and you risk seeing a degradation in the quality of vapor produced. While you’ll have to pack it more often, this will help ensure that the insert stays clean and the airflow doesn’t get too restricted. So if you’re tempted to pack a bunch of blend in there, don’t because it diminishes the quality of the output.
  • Take long, slow draws and use the highest heat setting for the best cloud production. Doing so results in thicker, larger clouds of vapor that you’ll struggle to achieve otherwise. To really take it to the next level, sync the vape with its smartphone app and use it to push the oven’s temperature to the max. The extra degrees really make a difference as concentrates like to vaporize at higher temperatures.
  • Use the Pax 3 instead of the Pax 2 if possible because the latest version has better insulation than its predecessor, which means the device won’t get as hot in your hand while operating at peek temperature.
  • Keep the vape in the upright position while you’re using it. The reason for this is simply that it’s designed to be used in the upright position. Not only does it work better like this, but if you do otherwise, you run the risk of unnecessary clogging that comes as a result of the blend flowing in the wrong direction. If you do notice some clogging, heat it up in the upright position to soften things up and if this doesn’t quite do the trick, it’s time for a thorough cleaning.
  • Clean it regularly. The cleaner the insert is, the better it works. When you fail to clean it, the leftover material will insulate the insert, which in turn will prevent the blend from being heated properly. We really can’t stress this point enough. For optimal performance, keep it as clean as possible. We suggest cleaning it after every session. And for reference, it does require more cleaning than most other concentrate vapes we’ve tested. If this doesn’t rest well with you, you may want to take a look at a different concentrate vape instead.

More Information

To learn more about the new Pax and how well it works, take a look at our Pax 3 vaporizer review. To buy the new Pax, click here to buy it from one of our favorite online retailers of vapes and vape accessories. They’re an authorized Pax dealer so you can rest assured that yours will be an authentic Pax and not some inferior knockoff.