Europe
The Torch by Top Bond is the companion vape of the boxy-but-likable Odin and equally bizarre. It looks like a small light sabre (ok, or a torch), but technically it’s a decent device for a very decent price.
Its anodized aluminium shell (gold or black) sports grooves for grip and a slightly wider neck with heat-dissipating ridges surrounding the oven.
It comes with a snap-off plastic mouthpiece (glass as an optional accessory), and feels solid. The external finish is really nice but it does retain a bit of heat, so after 3 sessions the body is pretty warm. The 1-button function is easy.
The vapor is quite harsh at high temps but Top Bond Torch does supply a waterpiece adapter – recommended, as without it the Torch doesn’t get the chance to shine.
The Top Bond Torch – how bright does it shine?
I must admit I overlooked the Top Bond Torch vaporizer initially. As one of a whole bunch of vapes that arrived around the same time for review, it slid to the bottom of the pile thanks to its rather toy-like appearance. But when it’s time for scrutiny finally arrived, I was pleasantly surprised.
The Torch by Top Bond is the companion vape of the boxy-but-likeable Odin, and my first reaction on removing it from its box is that it looks like a golden light sabre for a small child (or Yoda). You’ll have to decide whether this is a good or bad thing for yourself, but technically it’s a decent device for a very decent price.
Torch shaped and groovy
As its name suggests, the Top Bond Torch does also look like a pocket torch, with a shell of gold (or black) anodized aluminium, with grooves for grip and a slightly wider neck with heat-dissipating ridges surrounding the oven.
Just over 13 cm’s tall and 2.5cm wide (5.2’’ x 0.94’’), it comes with a snap off plastic mouthpiece (or glass as an optional accessory; I would have liked to try this and other reviews indicate it comes as standard, but our review device arrived without it.).
It comes a basic brush and tool, USB cord, replacement screens and user guide.
Getting the Torch started
Initial charging of the 18500 non-removable battery took just under two hours via a discreetly-located USB slot. An LED turns the On button red, and once fully charged this turns green.
Removing the mouthpiece reveals a narrow yet deep ceramic oven with a capacity of around 0.2g of fine ground herb. Loading is pretty mess-free thanks to a recessed lip around the oven, then the mouthpiece snaps back snugly in place (it’s not magnetized but there was no vapor leakage when operating).
Blue LEDs and settings
Press the single, small black On button 3 times to switch on and choose from the six temperature settings, indicated by tiny blue LEDs just under the ridged neck of the Torch. And I mean TINY – no bigger than a pinhead and frankly, not that clear.
The settings are: 175,185,195,205,215 and 225 Celsius (340, 360, 380, 400, 420 and 440 Fahrenheit), and they can be cycled through by keeping the On button pressed.
Taste: mixed reactions
Being mostly conduction (with maybe a little convection), the taste is not as good as a convection vaporizer and is pretty thin at the lowest temp, and thick if rather dry clouds at the highest. It took a couple of sessions to get the right draw – long and slow work best.
Personally, I found the 225 degrees a little high and the used herb does indeed come out dark and scorched. But starting at 195 °C and finishing at 205 °C. I got around 5-6 sessions per charge.
With no fancy heat management found in higher end portables, the Top Bond Torch is not the most economical vape in the world. Even when you’re not drawing, it is still cooking your herb.
The airpath is isolated and all regular plastics have been replaced with PEEK, so it did not stink of plastic on first use. But that airpath is also very short and when in use the Torch can be a bit smelly.
Stealth factor
The Top Bond Torch has a good stealth factor being small enough to hide in a palm and with no screen; the LED lights can easily be covered, and it can be used one handed. Think Cuban cigar…
There’s nothing dramatically new about the Torch but it is one of the smaller, lighter devices on the market and it does retail for a very reasonable price and like the Odin, it comes with a 1-year warranty.
Conclusion
The Top Bond Torch feels solid, the external finish is really nice but it does retain a bit of heat, so after 3 sessions the body is pretty warm. The 1-button function is easy.
I liked its looks, but some people may not. The cooling fins are a nice feature and it being the same size/shape as a flashlight, it fits well in the hand. For a similar sized but more minimalist design, a good comparison would be with the Lift by Flyt.
The vapor is quite harsh at high temps but the Top Bond does supply a waterpiece adapter – again, this did not come as standard, which is a great shame as this feels like a device that will really benefit from a bit of water-cooling. Without it, I don’t feel like the Torch has had the chance to shine.