USA-Canada
The palm-sized CF Vaporizer from Boundless Technology packs a lot of power and offers great taste for a very modest price.Like its big brother the CFX, the CF Vaporizer bears a physical resemblance to a Storz & Bickel portable, in this case the Crafty.
Similar in size, shell and mouthpieces perhaps, but the Boundless vapes actually improve on heat up time. Vapor quality from their patent hybrid heating technology, while not as smooth as the Crafty’s convection-only, is pretty close. And all for less than half the cost of the S&B unit!
The black plastic shell is contoured for easy grip and heat dissipation, and the device feels solid. It has the same flip-out, 360-degree mouthpiece that can be used in any direction as the CFX. Rather than an OLED screen, the CF uses discrete LEDs to indicate battery charge and temp setting.
Performance Champion
The palm-sized CF Vaporizer from Los Angeles-based Boundless Technology packs a lot of power and offers great taste for a very modest price.
The Boundless CF Vaporizer and its big brother the CFX bear a physical resemblance to the Storz & Bickel (S&B) portables, in the CF’s case the small Crafty.
Similar in size, shell and mouthpieces perhaps, but the Boundless vapes actually improve on heat up time, plus the vapor quality from their patent hybrid heating technology, while not quite as smooth as the Crafty’s convection-only, is pretty close. And all for less than half the cost of the S&B units!
Out of the Box
The CF Vaporizer black plastic shell is contoured for easy grip and heat dissipation, and the device feels solid, if a little light. It’s around 4 inches when stood up, by 1.24” deep and 2.4” wide (10.3 x 3.1 x 6.1 cm).
It has the same flip-out, 360-degree mouthpiece that can be used in any direction as the CFX.
It’s wider and flatter than the similar flip-out but more ‘straw-like’ S&B models. A red LED above the charge port turns green when the battery is fully charged.
Charge time
The CF Vaporizer uses a non-replaceable 1300 mAh capacity lithium battery, charged via a microUSB cable, initially for about 3 hours (you can’t use the device while charging).
When in use you can check the battery level by pressing the power button 3 times within 1.5 seconds and the LED light flashes to indicate level.
Easy to Use
The Boundless CF Vaporizer is really easy to use. The mouthpiece cap twists off to reveal a good-sized ceramic chamber, good for at least 0.3 grams of herb.
Pack your herbs – the oven can happily deal with ground or un-ground, packed or loose – tamp them down lightly, and twist the mouthpiece shut.
Turning On
Pressing the side ON button 5 times in 2 seconds wakes up the CF and the blue LEDs start to flash to indicate heat up.
You need to press the ON button twice in 1.5 seconds to advance through the 5 temperature bands, which range from 1 LED (355 F/179 C) to 5 LEDs (415 F/213 C).
Simply twist open the mouthpiece and vape for a 5-minute auto-shut-off session. The unit will become warm but the ridged plastic shell does a good job of dissipating that heat.
Hybrid Heating
The ceramic bowl is the same size as the one used in the CFX, and the CF Vaporizer uses the same Boundless patented Cooling-Airflow-System (CAS) technology to create hybrid convection-conduction heating.
A stainless steel heat exchanger below the bowl warms the air before it gets to the herbs and convection heating kicks in, and the taste as a result is pretty good for a vape this size.
Closed Air Path
Contributing to this quality vapor is an air path completely sealed from the electronics. Air enters at the bottom of the plastic outer shell and up through a stainless steel intake tube.
The heated part of the air path is stainless steel and ceramic. The air path after the heating chamber is ceramic, silicone, stainless steel and plastic (all rated food/medical grade).
Easy Draw
The broad mouthpiece makes for an easy draw. The lid and mouthpiece do a great job of cooling down the vapor to a comfortable level even at the highest temperatures.
This hybrid heating means you can achieve very substantial draws at high temperatures with a full packed chamber.
Bear in mind that huge clouds mean the flavor is more ‘cooked’ and a little harsher. With a more reasonable 190 – 200 degrees C. you can still pull a satisfying lungful while maintaining decent flavor throughout the session.
Concentrate-Friendly
Like the CFX, the CF Vaporizer comes with a metal canister filled with organic cotton wadding for using concentrates (oil or wax). It’s not the greatest solution (the draw is slow and forced), but it does the job at a pinch if you don’t want separate devices.
Smaller, Stealthier
Though smaller than the CFX, the CF Vaporizer is still not small enough to be concealed in your hand, and still puts a bulge in your back pocket.
It’s certainly stealthier than the CFX but not what you’d call concealable, if this is important to you.
Easy Cleaning
Cleaning the CF Vaporizer is simple by using the supplied brush to wipe out the oven after every session while it is still warm.
Less frequently, using an isopropyl alcohol-dipped Q-tip to get at the inside walls of the empty chamber (holding it upside down so the iso doesn’t leak down into the unit).
Wipe down with a damp cloth followed by a dry one.
If you find the draw becoming more restricted, or if the unit smells, it’s probably time to clean the mouthpiece.
Disassemble with the aid of the opener tool (included), wash parts with warm water and air dry. You’ll probably need the diagram in the manual for reference, first time at least.
You’ll also need to use a pin to unclog the holes in the ceramic filter (the metal piece under the mouthpiece).
Conclusion – X or Not?
The Flowermate vaporizers have been the go-to entry-level vapes in terms of quality and price in recent years. The Boundless CF series perform better and quicker while keeping the price very reasonable. The question then becomes: which one, the CF or the CFX?
Mouthpiece, oven size and heat up times are more or less the same in both devices.
The CF Vaporizer is a good buy if you value portability over stylish interface. Its discrete 5 LED, one button operation and five-band heating are fine.
But if you want single-degree precision and a cool OLED screen for temp, battery and session timing and don’t mind a more bulky device, the CFX will probably grab you more.