The DaVinci IQC Vaporizer Review

The timing was quite fortuitous. Last week, a small orange package appeared on my doorstep in Missoula, Montana, and I breathed a big sigh of relief.  The package contained a DaVinci IQC, the latest offering from one of the world’s most revered, and long-running, vaporizer brands. Just the day before, the replaceable battery on my other DaVinci, the IQ2, had bit the dust, leaving me utterly DaVinci-free.  Classy, sturdy, and effective, the pocket-size vape had become a go-to in my cannabis toolbox over the past year and a half. You’d be forgiven for thinking that I’m overdramatizing the whole scene a bit much, but I gotta say, this little bundle of metal and glowing LED lights had become a sidekick, a reliable copilot in my weed journey. The extremely pleasurable experience of smoking it, in the succinct words of a friend and fellow connoisseur, could be summed up as “all flavor, no burn.”  As such, I was relieved to have a backup, and even more excited to see how the new model stacked up against its predecessor: what was new, what had stayed the same, and, for consumers hesitant to take the plunge, was it worth the price tag?

A History of Top-Notch Products

DaVinci, which is headquartered in Las Vegas, has been on the forefront of making handheld vaporizers since the dawn of…well, handheld vaporizers. The company’s first product, the Classic Vaporizer, hit the market in 2011; it looks uncannily similar to a RadioShack walkie-talkie. In the subsequent decade, the company has strived to outdo themselves with every product they’ve brought to market; subsequent models like the IQ and IQ2 have incorporated more efficient batteries, cooler tech, and fine-tuned mechanics.  Many of their products are also as high-end as they are top-shelf: the IQ2, for one, retails for nearly $300, and the IQC ain’t far behind, at $230; the aptly-named MIQRO, however, is only $100. (For transparency’s sake, I should mention that both vaporizers were sent for review purposes.)

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!

Many of the features that made the IQ2 so popular remain in place in the new model. Here’s a list of some of the most significant components:

• The sleek design and sandblasted aluminum shell are as sexy as ever. 
• The heating oven is glass-lined ceramic; you’re not going to be inhaling any metals or plastics with your weed. 
• For the adventurous, there’s the onboard novel “Zirconia Flavor Chamber,” into which you can toss fruit rinds and flowers to enhance your terpene experience. “This will enhance the consumer’s overall terpene intake—we always say ‘make your vapor smell better,” Shannon Wachter, the Brand Reputation Manager for DaVinci Vaporizers, recently told Leafly.
• It’s easy to clean (don’t miss the metal pick conveniently hidden under the top lid, as I did, for over a year)
• It’s easy to control the temperature to suit your preferences. 

Better Battery, Streamlined Features

The updates to the IQC are largely positive. I was happy, for one, to wave goodbye to the pesky air-flow dial on the bottom of the vaporizer (especially as a low-vision person, I rarely had any clue what the hell it was actually set to). The most significant upgrade, however, is probably the fast charging time: using a USB-C cord, as opposed to a standard USB, the vaporizer can fully charge in two hours; its predecessor took six.  As Plugged pointed out in their rave review of the IQC, the magnets holding the two ends of the vaporizer shut are also significantly stronger in the new iteration. Nice catch! I also can’t stress enough that the IQC is a bit cheaper than its predecessor. $240 still isn’t cheap cheap, but it’s a step in the right direction. Plus, the company offers you the option to buy it via four interest-free payments, in partnership with the app Sezzle. 

Lots of Tech, If You Want It

If you’re a gear nerd, the IQC offers a ton of opportunities to really fine-tune your vaping experience with cutting-edge technology: epically precise temperature control, a series of preset temperature “experiences” that gradually up the heat over the course of an eight-minute run time and a Bluetooth-accessible app all allow users to take their control over their vaping experience to a whole new level; the latter even lets you control the precise ratio of THC to CBD you want to inhale. At this point, the app is only available for Android. But iPhone users can rest assured that change is coming. As DaVinci wrote on reddit on July 30, “Our iOS solution is under development and [an] announcement is coming soon!” Yet even for the canna-friendly Luddites of this world, of which I declare myself a proud member, the DaVinci IQC is no less satisfying or rewarding a purchase. Even if you’d prefer to simplify your vaping experience as much as possible, you can rest assured that the DaVinci IQC is about as efficient, safe and sturdy as any product you’re going to find on the market. The only thing standing in the way is the hefty price tag.