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The V2 Pro Series 3 vaporizer is a high-quality, versatile portable vape that’s ingeniously designed and promises great flexibility and power on a budget.
A multi-functional e-cigarette from VMR Products that can handle e-liquid, wax and dry herbs? Sign us up! Dubbing itself ‘the 3-in-1 vaporizer’, the V2 Pro Series 3 vaporizer is well-built, attractive, ingeniously designed and promises great flexibility and power for a surprisingly low cost.
Update: V7 is also out
I’m not an e-cig user (yet!) but I am aware that V2 makes what are regarded as being among the best e-cigarettes for beginners, so while devoting most space to the dry herb function, I will touch on its other applications.
The Cartridge Family
The V2’s anatomy consists of a rubber removable mouthpiece that snaps into one of 3 cartridges (for loose leaf, e-liquid and wax) that in turn slide into the cartridge chamber. Note that the device arrives with the e-liquid cart, so you’ll need to order the loose leaf and/or concentrates one.
The V2 Pro Series 3 arrives partially charged, so I topped it up before taking it for a spin. Standing just under six inches tall, 1/2 of an inch around and weighing less than 2 ounces, the V2 Pro is pretty standard looking pocket-sized aluminum tube.
A Cut Above the Rest
Distinguishing itself from the mass of nondescript vape pens on the market, the V2 Pro Series 3 takes a unique magnetic approach to managing its electrical connections.
The mouthpiece and cartridges pull out of the body as a unit and are held in place by a small magnet, as is the USB charging cable.
Safe From Spills
There is nothing to screw into or out of, thereby virtually eliminating the dangers of cross threading or having oil seep into the seams and jam up the unit. It’s a small detail, but makes a huge difference.
The on-off button is surrounded by an LED indicator that tells you its state of readiness. Power from the 650mAh battery pack is controlled by the unit’s single face button. Press it three times in under two seconds to lock or unlock, then press and hold it to activate the 170-185C (338-365F) heating unit..
Loading the Liquid
Loading the unit is easy: just give the mouthpiece a slight tug to disengage the magneto-lock, then unscrew it from the 1.6 ml tank (800 puffs per fill), inject your favorite e-liquid into the canister, and reassemble.
In less than a second, your mouth fills with thick vapor; you don’t even need to inhale.
Smart Swapping
What’s super clever is that the V2 knows which cartridge has been inserted and adjusts temperature and LED patterns accordingly. Each type of cartridge has a slightly different pattern in the metal contacts on the bottom.
If you insert an e-liquid cartridge, the V2 Pro works like any other e-cigarette, and the base LED simply lights up white and is instantly usable.
Herbal Alternative
But what distinguishes the V2 of course is that a dedicated herb cartridge can be ordered. At first glance I looks a bit small and deep; I’m skeptical. A fine grind works best, and I pack maybe half what a regular vape would handle.
Once the loose-leaf cart is in, the LED uses a red-amber-green system. At green, optimal leaf vaping temperature has been reached (180 C, takes 20-25 seconds). Once heated, you can puff away without any button pressing or holding. Heating is via conduction, as opposed to convection.
Great Battery Management
Press and hold the button for 3 seconds and the LED will flash 3 times and switch itself off. Otherwise, the V2 will power down after 120 seconds of use.
Thanks to such energy management the battery is almost inexhaustible – you’ll get a full day of toking, and it’ll replenish itself in under an hour.
Excellent Design, But…
The design and build of the V2 Pro Series 3 is excellent; my only reservation is that the herb chamber has too few air-in holes (just 6) and air-out holes. The result is a slightly labored draw, even when the herb is finely ground.
The V2 Pro Series 3 eliminates many common issues with e-cigarettes, particularly leaky tanks. It has a small dimple at the top, which lines up with a raised area on the side of the cartridge. This prevents the cartridge from being inserted incorrectly, and tells the V2 Pro Series 3 which type of cartridge you’re using.
Lights & Magnets
Other cool design elements include the convenient breakaway magnetic charger; the magnet is strong enough to hold the vaporizer in place when allowed to dangle vertically (again, no e-liquid leakage).
The charger (USB or wall/car adapter) also has a light at the tip, making it easy to find in poor lighting, and the device works while charging.
A Third Cartridge
We had not yet gotten the wax cartridge (released end of 2014), which also supports nicotine gels and waxes – products I’m not familiar with. I can imagine they might become popular if e-liquids become more difficult to buy.
One advantage over traditional herbal vapes is that the removable chamber of the V2 Pro Series 3 is much easier to clean.
Intelligent Design
This is just one aspect of some of the most intelligent design ever deployed in an e-cigarette. As far as I’m aware it is the only vaporizer designed from the ground up to handle e-liquid, loose leaf and wax or solid nicotine products.
Folks with more experience of e-liquid pens than me have praised the quality of vapor production for a device with a permanent internal battery, its large and leak-proof e-liquid volume, not being forced to avoid holding the V2 Pro Series 3 a certain way and not having to remember to remove the cartridge before charging.
V2 Pro Series 3: Versatile E-Cig Does Herbs
If you haven’t switched to e-smoking yet or are still looking for the perfect e-cigarette, the V2 Pro Series 3 could be the device you’ve been waiting for. Uniquely, you’ll still be able to hit the herb with it too, and it’s supported by the V2 cig’s lifetime warranty.
Current portable vaporizers tend to be well built but expensive, or inexpensive yet flimsy. The V2 Pro Series 3 aims for the best of both worlds: a high-quality, versatile, portable vape that won’t break the bank.