The world of cannabis vaporizers has rapidly expanded in the last few years and, from the looks of things, doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. That's good news in that it means there are more options than there ever have been before. But it's bad news because it also means it's become a lot harder to tell which ones are worth your money and which aren't.
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G Pen is a wonderful brand that makes some great vapes, including the G Pen Dash — our pick for the best budget vape you can buy. So when the brand announced they were coming out with the G Pen Dash+, I assumed it was simply a slightly upgraded version of the regular Dash with an inflated price tag to match. To find out for myself, I got hands-on with this new device and put it through the paces to see if it truly was a lackluster piggyback or if it was a device that could stand on its own.
G Pen Dash+: What We Think
When I first heard about the Dash+, I figured it would be a bottom-barrel update to the existing G Pen, which is a great budget vape but not exceptionally feature-rich. I was wrong in so many ways. This isn't just a simple upgrade; it's a full-blown revamp that takes everything great about the original G Pen and improves upon it to the nth degree. From the day-to-day user experience to the design and interface and everything in between, this vape caught me by surprise and impressed me.
Yes, the price of $149.95 is reflexive of the higher-end vapes I've tested out (originally a source of sourness for me, seeing as how the original G Pen Dash is only $69.95), but I can confidently say it is worth that nearly-doubled price tag. Honestly, calling this the G Pen Dash+ is almost a disservice to the device, and I wonder if the naming convention was the wisest decision on the part of the brand. Regardless, this device has become one of my favorite go-to vapes and I'd happily pit it against any of the others in its category (and I'd likely still choose to return to the G Pen Dash+).
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
G Pen Dash vs G Pen Dash+: What's in a name?
If you were to assume that the G Pen Dash and the G Pen Dash+ were similarly-platformed weed vapes with a bunch of similarities, that would be reasonable based on the naming conventions. It would also be almost entirely incorrect. As far as I can tell, the only similarities between the two are their names and the brand that made them.
The G Pen Dash+ is a different beast entirely. It's not a budget-friendly vape with a minimalist interface and limited features like its predecessor. It's a fully-fledged premium vape with a suite of features to match. I understand G Pen wanting to position this vape next to the Dash, as the latter is one of the best-selling vapes of all time and there's certainly a benefit to them being associated. But I think it's a disservice to the Dash+, as potential customers (myself included) may assume they aren't all that different when they very much are (and that's a good thing).
The user experience is as smooth as vapor
While I love the G Pen Dash, I have a bit of a problem with its interface. It has no screen, no temperature controls and relies on confusing button pushes in order to get it to work. The G Pen Dash+ has rectified all of that and more. It has a full-color display that shows you the internal temperature, session time (it turns off after a couple of minutes, which is a nice little safety feature) and battery life. It also utilizes a more simple button pattern — hold the button to turn it on and off, tap it twice in succession to start and stop the heating — that's much more streamlined. And there are secondary buttons — a plus and a minus button — to allow you to control the temperature precisely.
It also has a magnetic lid (one of the features I'm glad it shares with its little sibling), a deep oven that's easy to fill, empty and clean (especially because the device actually stands up on its own, a feature woefully lacking in other vapes), and a silicone heat-absorbing cap that stays on the mouthpiece much better than the standard Dash's. Of all the vapes I've used, this is one of the easiest and most feature-rich around.
I do have one nagging issue: the mouthpiece heats up pretty quickly while inhaling. To counteract this, the brand has included a silicone cap, like the one that comes with the standard G Pen Dash. While this one fits much better (and doesn't just fall off sometimes), it doesn't stop the heat from hitting your lips on bigger pulls. It's a minor problem but one that needs to be pointed out all the same.
Battery charging makes a big difference
It's probably weird to get excited about the charging speed of a vape, but the Dash+ has made me a believer in this metric. Most of the vapes I've used have decent battery life and last through numerous sessions. But they also take forever to charge, whereas the Dash+ charged much faster by comparison. That means, if you find yourself hankering for a toke, you don't have to wait quite so long or plan around charging (which can be frustrating for obvious reasons).
May not be suitable for all users
One thing to keep in mind is that G Pen is very clear on this being a dry herb vape. That means no concentrate should be put into this device. For myself, that's not an issue, as I generally prefer flower alone and rarely delve into concentrate. However, it needs to be said that this device is not concentrate-compatible, as concentrate is pretty popular these days. If you're a concentrate user, this is not the vape for you.
G Pen Dash+: Alternatives
When it comes to premium vapes, my first recommendation is always the Pax Plus — and that hasn't changed. It's quite a bit more expensive — $200 retail, which is actually a nice drop from the original $250 MSRP — but it's feature-packed and can handle both dry herb and concentrates. The $200 DaVinci IQC is another great choice, especially if you smoke a lot, thanks to its long battery life and fast USB-C charging (read our review here). And, of course, if the G Pen Dash+ is too much vape for you and you just need something basic, you can always get the far simpler G Pen Dash for less than half the cash.
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