AirVape XS Vape Review

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by James Bickford

Updated: October 21, 2022

AirVape XS desktop

Review Score: 89/100

Price Range:
‎$118.96-$179.00
Color :
Golden, rose, blue,black
Battery Capacity:
1300 mAh
Size:
11 x 5 x 1 cm
Works with:
  • Herbs icon

Pros

  • Design
  • LCD screen

Cons

  • Mouthpiece

AirVape XS Vape Review: A Cutting-Edge Vaporizer From AirVape

I don’t know how, or why, the AirVape passed under my radar. What a fantastic looking device! The AirVape and its successor the AirVape XS are from Apollo Vapes, an American manufacturer that again I had not heard about before, and I now wish I did.

The AirVape XS is a top-notch machine that is one of the first dry herb vapes I’ve seen that features an LCD readout screen. This screen lets you adjust your temperature in increments to let you get to that perfect vaping temperature. It also shows you the battery level and enables you to choose the automatic shut-off time rather than having a factory installed pre-set.

AirVape XS desktop

And that’s just the beginning with this device. It’s most attractive feature is undoubtedly its design. When you look at the XS in profile, it resembles an entirely different device, and this is because the XS has a width of only 0.48 inches.

But despite its svelteness, the XS still manages to house a 1300 mAh battery, and an oval ceramic heating chamber with plenty of air intake and ventilation holes laid out throughout the build of the device.
Some of the other awe-inspiring features of the AirVape XS:

  • Dedicated air-heating chamber
  • Easy two-button control
  • Isolated air path
  • Two filtered, three airflow-chambered mouthpiece
  • Twenty-second heat up time
  • Hybrid conduction/convection heating style

Box Contents

With the purchase of an AirVape XS you will receive the following:

  • One AirVape XS
  • One USB charging cable
  • One wall mounted charger
  • Cleaning tools
  • Packing tools
  • Leather carrying case
  • Filter screens
  • Rubber mouthpiece cover
  • One instruction manual

First Impressions

I was pretty much knocked out by the AirVape XS; it’s like the woman walking into a crowded room that everyone suddenly notices. It’s a stunning, almost revolutionary-looking device. And thank you, AirVape, for being among one of the few companies to put a sizable screen on a dry herb vaporizer.

Why should the box mod vapers have all the preciseness and exactness to their vapes, when we dry herb vapers have to settle for pre-set temperature settings? I know that there are a few other models out there with LCD screens, like the Osiris and the Aura, but those are tiny thumbnail screens.

The screen on the AirVape XS doesn’t take up the entirety of the device itself, but it still has a much larger display than other models. The addition of a good-sized screen still does not compromise the weight or portability of the XS. It comes in at a feather-weight 3.2oz, and it can be taken almost anywhere.

However, there have been some grumblings around the Interweb about the glass mouthpiece on the XS and whether it compromises its portability because it is flimsily attached to the body. And, I could see why people would be worried because compared to the rest of the stainless steel construction of the device, the mouthpiece does stick out like a weak link in the chain.

Taking a look at the rest of the device, at least from the outside, I noticed its great build and the well-made stainless steel chassis. There are several air intake valves on the bottom of the device. And when you take off the chamber lid, you can also see more than a dozen air holes are surrounding the chamber.

Plus, the entire top section has a constellation’s worth of air holes that you can see thanks to the cutouts in the shape of the AirVapes logo. The mouthpiece, while made of glass, is attached to a silicone casing that also houses a few other components.

There is a tiny metal box with a screen that allows for the vapor to collect in the box to be cooled down and filtered even further. So, not only does the vapor path circumvent all the electronics inside the device, the vapor is whittled down to its purest form thanks to this tiny little box.

Loading the AirVape XS

You remove the glass mouthpiece from the top of the device to access the ceramic oval chamber inside. The bottom of the airflow chamber is covered by a thin wire mesh, which I thought was a smart move. It purifies the airflow even further, and it saves from any tiny particles from getting into the electronic part of the device.

Since the XS has a hybrid heating style that combines both convection and conduction heating, the grind of your material can go from loose to coarse to fine and everything in between. The ceramic chamber walls will make sure that your materials are evenly heated and produce.

I don’t always like to pack my chambers to the brim. I know some people recommend that but I find it ultimately makes for dirtier mouthpieces and screens and I also don’t like shoving a lot of my material into use for just one session.

I ground up my material to a usual (for me) half coarse/half-fine consistency, and I used the packing tools to fill the chamber to about a quarter of its full capacity.

Using the Device

My chamber all packed and ready, I clicked the power button three times to turn on the XS. You’ll see the display light up and you can then set your temperature.

Using the up or down buttons (the temperature range on the XS is between 200F to 428F) you can reach your preferred setting, and then wait for the unit to reach that temperature. The animation on display will start moving, and the unit will vibrate once it is ready.

One of the other main selling points of the XS is the faster than usual warm-up time of only twenty seconds. And that in and of itself is something to behold. Most other devices are on either side of twenty seconds, meaning they take double the time or they take less time, like fifteen or ten seconds.

But with the latter, I have found that that heat-up time is misleading. The device may tell you its ready, but in actuality, you still have to wait a little longer before you can get a significant cloud.
And the lightning-fast heat up time is something that you wouldn’t expect from such a thin, lightweight device, but there it is.

Vaping Experience

Vaping with the AirVape XS was one of the more satisfying vaping experiences I’ve ever had. The combination and play of all these different factors — the clean, undisrupted vapor path; the air chamber underneath the mouthpiece; the myriad airflow holes — all worked wonderfully together.

The adjustable temperature setting? I feel like I should write a love sonnet dedicated simply to this feature. I can’t remember how many times I wished I could set my temperature to an exact setting on a weed vapes and found no respite from my longing. But here it is, in its full LCD glory.

I settled on somewhere in the neighborhood of 350F and 375F. I find that is ideal for me regarding great flavor and decent, full-bodied clouds. I did, out of curiosity, push the device to the max temperature of 428F and found the vapor very hot and the device itself getting a little warm.

And it wasn’t for nothing that AirVape included a silicone sleeve for the mouthpiece. It did come in handy when I vaped at those higher temperatures.

Comparing the AirVape XS

The AirVape XS is pretty incomparable. I know I say that to all the dry herb vaporizers, but this time I mean it, baby. But, seriously, I only had one other dry herb vaporizer in mind to compare to the AirVape XS.

Unfortunately, this match-up has already been predetermined, and it is purely a formality since the AirVape XS stands in a class by itself. The contender that I chose to face off against the AirVape XS is the Arizer Air 2, which is also an update on a previous model. Like the AirVape XS, the Arizer Air 2 has an LCD screen that allows you to adjust the temperature.

And, funnily enough, the XS and the Air 2 also share a similar flaw in their awkwardly placed glass mouthpieces. But that is where the similarities end and where the AirVape XS leaves the Arizer Air 2 in the vapor. The Arizer Air 2’s form is just like most other tubular dry herb vapes, and while suited for portability, it comes nowhere near the discreteness of the XS.

Specifications

AirVape XS Vape
Size: 11 x 5 x 1 cm
Weight: 71 g
Heating: Hybrid (Convection+Conduction)
Power Source: Battery
Battery Capacity: 1300 mAh
Temperature: 200°F - 428°F
Chamber Capacity: 0.2 grams

Pros & Cons

The Posiitves

  • Design
  • LCD screen
  • Performance

The Negatives

  • Mouthpiece

In the End

I would like to take this opportunity to cordially invite you to the wedding (or should I say, weeding, ; ) ) of myself, vapingdaily.com vape reviewer to the AirVape XS on a date yet to be determined. I love this thing.

Okay, one thing I didn’t mention was the price. The AirVape XS does cost a pretty penny at close to $200 (that’s the price if you buy the hard-shell carrying case, which I recommend you do). But, for the iPhone of dry herb vaporizers, I would most definitely recommend this.

It’s a wonder to look at; it’s incredibly discreet; it lets you adjust your temperature, and it performs like a dream. And even with the glass mouthpiece being a minor issue, I would still finish this review by saying — it doesn’t get any better than this.

Published: November 30, 2017Updated: October 21, 2022
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James Bickford

My way of understanding the significance of vaping came not only through the disruption of smoking but its effects on society as a whole. Now I bring people to vaping and bring vaping to people. I love using new gear, writing in-depth reviews and generally nerding out about vaping to like-minded people.


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