There is nothing simple about this unnecessarily complicated accessory.
Technology’s best-selling point has always been that it makes our lives easier. The endless stream of gadgets and apps constantly begging for our dollars always comes with the promise of timed storage, avoidance of clutter, and overall simplicity.
Such trends can also be found in the vaporizer market, where ease of use is paramount. Operating a Comcast remote soberly is hard enough; no one wants to remember the instructions of a nuclear launch code to bake a bowl.
Unfortunately, it seems that the makers of the Firefly 2 didn’t get the memo.
There is much to marvel at when reading about this product. It heats up in less than three seconds, which is insanely fast. It comes with an extra battery – a rare addition to the vaporizer market. By using a fan oven instead of a conduction oven, your flour or concentrate (it does both) will retain its full flavor.
This thing advertises itself as “the best vaping experience in the world”, but my problems with the device started before I even took a puff. Loading this thing is a pain, thanks to a magnetic cover that refused to budge. Fearing that I would break some of the device, I turned to Google. As a general rule, Googling how to load loose leaves into your vaporizer is never a promising sign.
Finally, I found a PDF of the manual, which, curiously enough, had been left out of the box. Maybe next time we’ll work less with the concentrate pads and make sure the instructions are included? After successfully packing a bowl, I was ready to reap the rewards of my hard work.
The Firefly 2’s main selling point is that the user can essentially microdose cannabis. Placing your fingers on two touch points on either side of the bowl at the same time heats the unit’s convection oven for 10 seconds, allowing you to get a full stroke without burning excess product. In theory it’s a great idea. In practice, it was more of an enduring frustration.
Like many other vaporizers on the market, the Firefly 2 comes with an app designed to help you adjust settings and maintain strict control over the device’s temperature. When I got almost no vapor on my first hit, I started rumbling. No matter how I adjusted the settings, the results remained unsatisfactory.
Again, I turned to Google.
The sheer number of returns I got after searching for “ideal temperature Firefly 2” was staggering. There were forums on the web devoted to the problem. Just like finding the solution for a temperamental printer, everyone had a different solution. More telling, however, were the numerous responses that spoke of a ‘learning curve’.
“You’ll get it after a little practice,” was a common refrain, except I’m not trying to improve my free throw. I have plenty to learn beyond the time I spend on cannabis consumption. The last thing I’d like to do is spend my spare time learning the details of a device, while ten other models can get the job done at the touch of a button.
It’s only fair to note that it may be worth it for some people. Getting a precise and consistent dose of cannabis is a problem that has deterred many potential consumers, and anything that offers a solution is worth considering. Still, I struggle to accept that there is no way to streamline some of the issues I had with my Firefly 2.
For my money, I’d rather go for one of the many alternatives available on the market – the kind that don’t require homework before the goods are delivered.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
