Firefly 2 Vaporizer Review [4K Video] ~13:52
The Firefly 2 is the second iteration of the on-demand, dynamic convection, portable vaporizer from Firefly Vapor. Firefly was founded in San Francisco back in 2012. The heat-up times on the original Firefly was pretty much game-changing and they have made the Firefly 2 heat up even quicker. You can start a session with the FF2 in as little as 3-5 seconds.
Update: I just released my Firefly 2 Plus Vaporizer Review! The new Firefly 2+ is what the FF2 should have been. Much more consistent and easier to get good results, less draw resistance, more battery life via a firmware update, and costs less! Check out my review and let me know what you think. The Firefly 2 is no longer being made and the Firefly 2+ will go on sale end of May.
[one_half]The original Firefly was also fairly low maintenance, but the new unit has some of the lowest upkeep of any of the portables I own at this point.
I am also glad to report that the biggest complaints in my original Firefly review like the battery life, overall size & weight have all been addressed. If you’re looking for the cleanest-tasting portable convection vaporizer, look no further than the Firefly 2.
Like the original FF, this unit is perfect for someone who is looking for a premium taste with a smooth cool temp.[/one_half][one_half_last]
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The Firefly 2 has nearly instant on-demand heat up which works great for people who like a really quick session or prefer to split bowls into multiple different sessions.
The Firefly 2 is no longer for sale but they have released the Firefly 2 Plus and it retails for $249. I highly recommend checking out my review. They have made some great improvements. Read on below for my full Firefly 2 review.
Size, Portability, and Discreetness
The Firefly 2 is 33% smaller and 55% lighter than the original Firefly. The unit is now very similar in size and weight to the Crafty and the Air vaporizers thanks to them switching from a stainless steel body to a magnesium alloy body.
While the FF2 is not the most discreet unit at first glance, its near-instant heat up for quick sessions and minimal smell compared to the average portable vaporizer makes it pretty easy to use on the down-low.
Firefly 2 Vaporizer Accessories
The Firefly comes with two easily swappable batteries which are really cool since very few vapes come with more than a single battery. The unit also comes with a cleaning kit that includes two plastic toothpick/sword tools, and a great multi-sided brush, and a couple of isopropyl alcohol wipes. The unit also comes with a USB charging dock, and concentrate pads
Heater and Vapor Path
The Firefly 2 uses a 50-watt heater and a borosilicate glass bowl. The Firefly 2 offers six different heat settings. Five settings for dry herbs and one setting for concentrates. The FF2 will reach 400F (204C) in three seconds and 420F (215C) in five seconds.
The glass bowl transfers very little heat. I can literally place my finger in the chamber (touching the glass side and the metal bottom), set it to concentrate temp (500F or 260C) and hold the trigger down for nearly 10 seconds before my finger starts to get warm. This is why this unit is so efficient at breaking single bowls into multiple sessions because it only heats the herbs while you are drawing.
The Firefly2 uses 55 hole pattern in the bottom of the bowl and larger air intakes compared to the original unit for increased airflow. However, like the original, the new Firefly 2 faintly glows when it first ramps up to temp which looks pretty cool. You can also cover the glow with your hand pretty easily if your were trying to use it discreetly in the dark.
Firefly 2 iOS and Android Application
The Firefly 2 uses an application available for both iOS and Android which connects to the Firefly 2 via Bluetooth. With the app, you can change the temperatures, check battery life, and change a couple of different settings on the unit.
The Firefly 2 has 5 temperature settings for dry herb 340, 360, 380, 400, 420 Fahrenheit (171, 182, 193, 204, 215 Celcius) and one setting for concentrates 500F or 260C.
Cleaning and Maintenance
The Firefly 2 is actually one of the easiest vapes I have to clean. It can go long intervals in-between cleanings without any performance loss but will get some buildup on the window. There is no screen in the bowl to replace or clean. You basically just take a paper towel with some ISO propyl alcohol on it and wipe out the bowl.
Next, wipe down the vapor path on both the body and the lid and boom, you are done. Altogether I am usually done cleaning in under a minute.
I was able to vape 26 bowls before I noticed any performance degradation. The buildup on the lid caused the unit to not fully seal but a quick wipe down had it good as new.
Firefly 2 Battery Specs
The battery life on the original Firefly was definitely the biggest drawback. Not only did the FF1 have the shortest battery life per charge, but it also had manufacturing quality problems which caused a percentage of the batteries to degrade faster than they should have. With the new Firefly 2, they have drastically improved heating efficiency and Firefly Vapor says they have improved battery life by over 100%. In my testing, I was trying to take every draw to the max length (30 seconds), and I tested at 420f to keep a consistent setup.
I have been getting 6 bowls per charge for dry herb, and each bowl is usually getting 6-8 draws for a total of about 35-45 ~25-30 second draws. With concentrates the battery life is reduced a bit.
Overall, I get a good amount of bowls per charge, and the unit comes with 2 easily swappable batteries so I’m quite happy with the battery situation. The icing on the cake is that the batteries charge in roughly 45-50 minutes and they hit 80% charge in the first 20 minutes. They can also be charged in the original Firefly external charger.
Firefly 2 Review Summary
Over the last month of testing, I have really grown to love this vaporizer. My favorite parts about the unit are the amazing flavor and cool vapor. It’s really enjoyable to use and efficient with my herbs.
[one_half]It does require a bit of practice and technique to get the best results but on the plus side it requires almost no cleaning or maintenance.
For people who like to use concentrates as well as dry herbs, this has become my favorite unit for concentrates. The 500F concentrate temp not only gives amazing flavor but very potent draws. My biggest complaint, which is still pretty minor is that it needs to be stirred or mixed up for the absolute best results and most even AVB. If you don’t pack it too tight you can generally tap the bowl against your hand to mix/stir it up.[/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
The Firefly 2 is no longer for sale but they have released the new Firefly 2 Plus. The new 2 Plus vaporizer is what the Firefly 2 should have been. Much easier to use and get consistent results, improved battery life and less draw resistance. I highly recommend checking out the review.
Thank you for checking out my Firefly 2 vape review and if you have any questions, comments or concerns please leave them below.
Introduction:
Hey guys Buzz here with vaporizerwizard.com and today I will be reviewing the Firefly 2 vaporizer by Firefly Vapor. The Firefly 2 is a great improvement over the original Firefly which was released back in late 2014. The Firefly 1 was one of my favorite vaporizers when it came out with its great flavor and near on demand convection heating. But the battery life was shorter than average, the stainless steel design weighed over 250 grams, and the original Firefly required a few practice sessions under your belt to get the best results.
I’m very happy to report that Firefly Vapor has addressed all of those issues with the new Firefly 2. It’s 33% smaller, 55% lighter and provides much, much better battery life. I’ve been averaging between 5-6 bowls on a full charge and the heater is much more responsive due to the new design of the unit. I’m able to get much quicker hits without the need for a pre-heats and the Firefly 2 has become my favorite dry herb vaporizers to use with concentrates.
The Firefly 2 was improved from all angles, but the changes that stand out the most to me are the improved overall ease of use, and the battery life increase. It’s very easy to get smooth, tasty vapor now and the new Firefly app lets you easily fine-tune temps. I am also really pleased that battery life has been doubled per charge, and they even included a second battery.
At the time of this video, the Firefly 2 is currently on pre-order for $329 and units are expected to ship towards the end of May. So keep in mind that these delivery times are just an estimate. You can click below in the about section where it says full review to get all the current shipping updates, price changes and product updates on the Firefly 2.
So in this Firefly 2 vaporizer review, I’ll go over the new features, show you how to use the vape and set up the app. I’ll go over my pros/cons, demo the unit, show you how to clean it, and lastly, compare the Firefly 2 to the original and some other popular portable vaporizers.
So let’s jump into the Firefly 2 vaporizer review.
Firefly 2 review:
So here is the Firefly 2 vaporizer. Like I previously mentioned this unit is quite a bit smaller than the original Firefly. It’s also much, much lighter. We’re talking over 100 grams lighter. The Firefly 2 fits nicely in the hands and the buttons are easy to reach and operate. The new design uses a magnesium alloy body and features a glass lined vapor path.
Included:
So let’s jump into what comes with the Firefly 2, First, you get the Firefly 2 itself, the new charging dock, a USB 3.0 Cable, not one but two rechargeable batteries, three concentrate pads, and a cleaning kit. The one thing I would consider picking up is the external charger, that way you can be charging your second battery while you are using the FF2.
Specs:
The Firefly 2 is a slimmed down, more efficient version of the original Firefly. While the heater itself still draws up to 50 watts of power, it has been redesigned to be more reliable, and more efficient. The body’s main material was switched from aluminum to magnesium alloy and it provides a couple of big advantages. The first advantage is that magnesium is roughly 34% lighter than aluminum. Second, the Firefly 2 now has less thermal conductivity or heat transfer, meaning the heat stays where it is supposed to and the outside of the unit will stay cooler during use. Lastly, the entire vapor path except for the removable mouthpiece is lined with the same sturdy Gorilla Glass found in most smartphones today. This provides a nice clean flavor, along with very easy cleaning.
The exact dimensions of the Firefly 2 are 5.1 inches tall by 1.4 inches wide by .96 inches deep. By comparison, the original Firefly is 5.5 inches tall by 2 inches wide and .85 inches deep. So the unit is smaller and not quite as wide but a smidgen thicker. The first thing you notice between the first and second firefly is the huge weight difference. The use of Magnesium Alloy over aluminum and stainless steel cut the weight of the Firefly 2 roughly in half. The Firefly 2 weighs around 141 grams which is about average for a portable vaporizer.
For reference the Titanium Grasshopper weighs only 55 grams, the Pax 2 weighs roughly 90 grams, the Crafty is about 136 grams, the original Firefly is 240, the Mighty comes in at 230, and the Haze v3 is about 190. So the Firefly 2 is very easy to pocket on the go.
The Firefly 2 changed up the buttons a bit by removing the power switch and using two “dual capacitive touch sensors” on each side of the unit. You can set the heat trigger via the APP to just left, just the right, or both buttons combined to activate the heater and begin your session. The buttons are only activated by your fingers which work nicely for storage in backpacks or purses and there’s no need to worry about the heater coming on accidentally.
How to use, temp spectrum:
So let’s jump into how to use the Firefly 2 and go over the temp spectrum. So first things first, I have a fully charged battery already in the unit but I’ll show you how to remove it and place it back in the unit. So first place your thumb on the arrow at the bottom by the mouthpiece, press down and push up. Now we have access to the battery. Remove the battery by placing your finger under the lip at the top and pull it out. Very easy to remove and replace. To get it back in, just seat the battery in the bottom of the compartment and press down.
The lid is kind of finicky and really the biggest downfall to the unit in my opinion but it in no way effect’s the unit’s performance. Start the lid up from the bottom a bit and then slide it into place. From here, just make sure that all corners are flush and snapped in.
Next, you can remove the mouthpiece by wiggling side to side as you are pulling and it will come out. Then to get it back in, just line up the notch on the bottom and apply pressure to lock it back in place. Realistically I don’t remove the mouthpiece outside of a full cleaning and I don’t need to do that too often with this unit. Since the mouthpiece is removable, I am excited to see both what Firefly Vapor themselves and third-party vendors come up with. Hopefully, a water pipe adapter mouthpiece is coming soon!
Next we jump into the APP. The APP allows you the pair your smartphone via Bluetooth with your Firefly 2. You can check information like battery life, change your heating profile, change the heating activation button, and get current device information. So the first thing you’ll need to do is pair your unit with your smartphone. Once connected, we can change the heater profile to our preferred temperature and set the buttons we want to activate the heating chamber.
So to pair your unit, first make sure your phones Bluetooth is on and then click “connect device”. From here select the unit that appears, you should have a connect button to click on. Once the device successfully pairs with the phone, the LED on top of the Firefly 2 will blink blue multiple times.
Now we can see the battery life and our current settings.
Let’s jump into heating profile. The Firefly 2 has 6 different heat settings that can be easily changed via the Firefly app. The first five temps range from 340 to 420 degrees Fahrenheit or 171 to 215 degrees Celsius. These temps are represented by the names low, medium low, medium, medium high and high. Each setting is a 20 degree Fahrenheit or 11 degree Celsius interval. The sixth setting is reserved for concentrates and will hit 500 degrees Fahrenheit or 260 degrees Celsius in less than 10 seconds. The new efficient design allows the unit to be much more responsive for heat up times and also much better at maintaining the proper heat setting during your session.
I’ll jump into the vape demo soon so we’ll bump the temp up to the “high” setting which is 420 degrees Fahrenheit. The Firefly 2 will blink red 5 times acknowledging that it received the temp change and it’s ready to go when you are.
Remember that the Firefly 2 doesn’t have a power button. It’s always in a constant standby mode and will immediately activate once you press your preferred button. To set this up, click on the activation tab and select Left, Right, Both or Either. My preferred method is both just so I’m not accidently turning it on while loading or emptying.
So now that we know how to use the unit and set it up, let’s go over grind types, how to load it and draw resistance.
Grind Type:
My preferred grind type is a coarser grind provided by the Santa Cruz shredder. But any standard 4 piece grinder like this Space Case will work solid as well. I’ve found that a really find grind from grinders like MFLB finishing grinder tends to create more draw resistance and increased cleaning duties.
The Firefly 2 is very easy to load and unload. I’ve found the Firefly 2 works pretty well with varying load sizes as long as you fill the bowl at least halfway. My preferred chamber size would be about .1 grams and load it fairly loosely so you can stir up the herbs a bit after a couple draws. I recommend a light tap against your hand to mix up the bowl a bit, or actually open the top up stir it completely.
Heater/Chamber:
The Firefly 2 uses a glass bowl, glass vapor path and a removable plastic mouthpiece. The newly designed mouthpiece also includes a little screen to keep from getting snacks in your mouth. While I have not had any problems or off flavors from the plastic mouthpiece, I would prefer another material so I am hoping some new mouthpieces become available down the road.
The heater is one of the biggest improvements over the original unit. The Firefly 2 heats up much faster and delivers more consistent temps while using less power. The new heater is also designed to be sturdier and more reliable than the Firefly 1 heater. Battery life still varies a bit based on your herbs, temp settings, and loading techniques but for me it works out to double the battery life.
Batteries, Battery Life, Charge Time, Charging Options, External Charger, Extra Battery Costs, Battery warranty info:
The Firefly 2 comes with two internal rechargeable batteries. The exact specs are the same as the original Firefly (7.4v 770mah 5.7Wh) but they changed manufacturers, and combined with the heater and material changes they are lasting much longer. 80 % of the battery is charged within the first 20 minutes and complete charging times have ranged from 50-90 minutes depending on how dead the battery is and what type of USB port I am plugged into.
Now I definitely recommend considering the external charger for the Firefly 2 if you are a heavy user. The unit comes with 2 rechargeable batteries but you have to charge the batteries inside the unit on the charging dock. So if you want to use the unit, you can’t be charging your other battery unless you have the external. If you want to charge the FF2 on the go with a battery, you will need to use a rubber band or hair tie to hold the unit on the doc.
Accessories, color options, glass compatibility:
The Firefly 2 is currently available in Blue, Gold, Black, White, and Red. I’m using the Black model for this review and it’s kind of like a dark charcoal color more than straight black. This model was provided by Firefly vapor so if I purchasing one for myself, I would probably go with the Blue, Red or White. Then again the black is definitely less flashy than the rest of the colors so keep that in mind if you’re looking to avoid possibly standing out in a crowd.
Cleaning/Maintenance/Warranty Info:
So far the Firefly 2 is one of the easiest vapes to clean that I have tested. Not only is cleaning very quick and easy, but it doesn’t need to be done that often. The one thing that gets dirty reasonably fast is the window, but it is only cosmetic and does not affect performance. I can’t recommend these vipes enough for cleaning. For a complete cleaning just open up the unit and brush out any herbs left in the chamber. Grab a Vipe and wipe down the chamber, vapor path, and the glass on the lid.
Occasionally you will have to pop out the mouthpiece and blow or clean out the small screen but I have only had to do that a couple times since getting the unit. I do recommend letting the unit completely cool down before you wipe down anything with liquids and always clean the unit with the bowl facing down just in case you get an excess of liquids in the chamber. Lastly, give the unit time to air out before using it again.
I would say that I average doing a full wipe down about every 10 sessions just too clean out the window and get the unit looking sharp again. I can make it 20+ sessions before I notice any drop in performance, but I tend to stay on top of it along the way since the cleaning is so quick and easy.
The Firefly 2 comes with a 2 year warranty. Two years is still a solid warranty length for a portable vaporizer but less than I would prefer for a premium priced unit. The Crafty and the Mighty also have 2 year warranties, but the Pax 2 has a 10 year warranty, and the Grasshopper comes with a lifetime warranty.
So now that we’ve covered pretty much everything about the Firefly 2, let’s jump into the vape session.
Vape Session:
So first things first, the Firefly 2 comes with 5 different settings for herbs and one for concentrates. I will be using the “High” heat setting which is the highest temp for dry herbs because this is the demo. I prefer to start out at medium and then often work my way up as I go through the session. The lower temps really have amazing flavor and smooth clouds but sometimes I really like to rip a bowl and the Firefly 2 can definitely do that as well.
The Firefly 2 has very little draw resistance and the heater is powerful enough to keep up with aggressive draws. I have noticed that a slow steady draw tends to produce the most consistent results and a quick stir or two during your session will help get the most out of your herbs. So now let’s go ahead and jump into my pros and cons.
Pros/Cons:
So the first and biggest pro of the Firefly 2 is the vapor quality. The smoothness and flavor is second to none and the added temps give you a lot more control over your sessions. You now have 6 temps total, 5 for dry herbs and 1 for concentrates.
Next is the heat up time and the on demand convection heating. After pressing the heat button, you are ready to vape in less than 10 seconds and you can completely finish a session before most portable vaporizers finish pre-heating. The convection heating allows you to split a bowl into multiple sessions because the herbs are only being heated when you are drawing.
The Firefly 2 is much smaller than the original Firefly and about average when compared to other popular portable vaporizers. The Pax 2 and Grasshopper will still be easier to conceal but the Firefly 2 can still fit easily in your pockets.
The Firefly 2 is also much easier to use overall. It’s not as finicky as the original when it comes to loading and the new design allows it to be much more consistent with temps.
Next the Firefly 2 is currently the easiest portable vaporizer to clean. You can literally clean the entire unit in less than 30 seconds and I can get over 20 sessions without having to wipe down the vapor path.
The extra battery is the icing on the cake and not only do you get an extra one, but the batteries themselves last about twice as long as the originals due to the new design of the Firefly 2. They are still the same batteries but the entire unit is that much more efficient at reaching temps and maintaining them.
So this takes us into our first con. Straight out of the box, there’s no way to charge the extra battery. The only way to charge the batteries is within the unit on the charging dock. So I’m hoping that they will release the external charger for the Firefly 2 fairly soon and I will update this review with an annotation when that happens.
Next con is the charging dock. There’s no way to lock or secure the Firefly 2 to the charging dock. Now this isn’t a problem if you never plan to charge the Firefly 2 outside of the house but if you needed to charge out on the go, you will need to use a rubber band or a hair tie to hold the unit in place.
Next is the plastic mouthpiece. Everything is glass except for the mouthpiece so hopefully we will see some third party accessories soon for the Firefly 2.
The Battery cover leaves something to be desired. It feels extremely cheap but it does its job without any problems so far.
You only get a 2 year manufacturer warranty with the Firefly 2. Even the first Firefly had a three year.
And lastly the Firefly 2 does require a bit of stirring to get the best results and finish up a session.
Vapor Quality (Flavor/Smoothness), Heat up time, on demand convection, much smaller/lighter, ease of use (much easier to use/load), cleaning/maintenance, spare battery super clutch, vapor quality, concentrates and dry herbs, 6 temp options including one for concentrates, good battery life
No way to charge extra battery, 2 year warranty, possible to accidentally hit buttons when loading, Firefly 2 doesn’t secure/lock to the charging dock, plastic mouthpiece and battery cover, need to stir for optimal best results
Summary:
Overall the Firefly 2 is a HUGE improvement over the original. They kept all of the things that made the original Firefly great and improved on all of the downsides. The streamlined designed makes the unit much more portable and helps the unit be that much more efficient overall. The first thing you’ll notice is the reduced weight and that’s a huge plus in the portable vaporizer category. I also really like the improved consistency and ease of use with the new unit.
For more information on the Firefly 2, you can check out my full review below in the about section with more photos and my overall score.
As always thanks for watching and if you found this video helpful or would to see more videos, go ahead and hit that subscribe button and give this video a like. If you have any questions about the Firefly 2 or any other vaporizer, feel free to hit me up in the comments section or contact me on my website, vaporizerwizard.com. Take it easy and have a great day.
