KandyPens Icon Review: An Iconic Kit with Three E-Nails

The KandyPens Icon is a portable e-nail attachment for vaping dabs and waxes. The atomizer and glass attachment can connect to any 510-threaded, variable voltage mod. Users have a choice between three different atomizers that come in the Icon kit.

There is a pre-installed ceramic e-nail, along with a titanium and quartz e-nail in the box. The bubbler attachment also features LED lighting>, and a magnetic carb cap users can place over the atomizer. A separate dab loading tool has a magnet on the other end so users can take the cap and place it over the atomizer when it is in use.

Table of Contents

• A Close-Up Look at the KandyPens Icon
• Kit Contents
• Build Quality and Design
• Three Different Atomizers
• How to Work the KandyPens Icon?
• Vapor Production
• What are the Competitors?
• KandyPens Icon Specifications
• Pros & Cons
• The Final Word on the KandyPens Icon

A Close-Up Look at the KandyPens Icon

There are two versions of the KandyPens Icon kit. One of them comes with a dual-18650 mod, the Wismec Reuleaux R2. The other version is the same, only it comes without a 510-mod. No matter the choice users make, the atomizer on the Icon has 510-threading so it can attach to a similarly-threaded mod.

Without the mod included, the KandyPens Icon is a glass water bubbler attachment with a heating element at one end and the mouthpiece at the other. There is a separate coil base that fits under the atomizer section and is the part of the Icon that has 510-threads.

The ceramic coilless atomizer comes pre-installed onto the coil base, but users can remove it to add any one of the two other atomizers. The atomizers, or e-nails, are small cups where users place their dab or solid concentrate that then gets vaporized from the heat coming from the heating element.

The vapor passes through the water filtration system that the users then inhales. The filtration system is two-pieces. One part comes off so users can fill the base with water. They can press-fit the piece back when they are finished. The coil base also has two black o-rings around it so users can also press-fit the glass piece onto it.

The heating element has threads, so users screw on their preferred e-nail. Of course, users should not touch the e-nail after use or let it cool down first before switching to another one. Another essential part of the KandyPens Icon kit is the magnetic carb cap that fits over the e-nail to trap the vapor. There is a dab loading tool included in the package that has a magnetic end. Users can take the carb cap (also magnetized) with the dab tool and place it over the open-mouth of the atomizer.

Kit Contents

Users can buy the KandyPens Icon as a stand-alone item or with the box mod KandyPens includes in their kit. There is a noticeable price difference as the kit with the mod costs more. But, if vapers already have a low-wattage mod (50W max.), they do not need to buy the extra mod and can stick just with the e-nail attachment.

This kit features the stand-alone e-nail without the mod, and it includes the following:

Build Quality and Design

The most substantial part of the KandyPens Icon kit is the ground-glass bubbler attachment. This piece is also the one that users should take the most care of. The glass piece is solid and thick, but like with anything made of glass, do not drop it on the floor. The top-piece of the attachment comes off with a good tug and fits back into place well. The rest of the kit features metal pieces like the coil base and dab loading tool. Save for the quartz e-nail, which feels a lot sturdier than the glass attachment. It is a lot smaller, though, so it should hold up well to a few drops.

Three Different Atomizers

The fact that KandyPens includes three different atomizers for the Icon is one of its main selling points. Many atomizers for a device allows users to try out each one to find their preferred one. The different build material of each e-nail delivers a unique experience.

Ceramic, quartz, and titanium are common atomizer materials as they all conduct heat rather than absorb it. When a user places one of the atomizers on the heating element, it heats the entire receptacle. When the e-nail is at the right temperature, users put their material into the cup, and it begins to vaporize almost instantly.

The other advantage of these KandyPens Icon e-nails is they have no coils. Dab vape pens or other wax atomizers often use rods with wires as their heating element. This design means users place their material directly onto the wire and rod. With an e-nail, though, there are no coils. The entire nail gets heated, so users need only place their material into the cup, so it starts vaping.

Cleaning and Maintaining E-Nails

There is no real consensus on how long e-nails can last. They are made to be durable and withstand high temperatures so they can last for a long time. Only, they do have a breaking point. KandyPens recommends not setting any variable wattage box mod device above 50W. This is a common threshold for a lot of e-nails out there, but other e-nails can withstand only 20 or 30W.

Despite the fact they are made from durable materials, the high heat can break or crack the material, making the e-nail useless. How often and how someone cleans their e-nail is up to them. People usually never clean it, clean it monthly, or clean it after every use. The same ways and methods that people use to clean other devices can also work with e-nails.

Users can either:

These methods work well with ceramic and quartz, but titanium e-nails can have oxidization problems (rust) that require something different. As there is a titanium nail included in the KandyPens Icon kit, it is essential to know how to prevent the pin from oxidizing.

If using the titanium e-nail in the KandyPens Icon users can do the following:

How to Work the KandyPens Icon?

Vaping an e-rig and e-nail with a battery-powered mod is a lot easier than with a traditional butane torch. With older rigs, a user had to heat the e-nail with a torch until it reached the right temperature. Only it was a guessing game, as no one knew what the temperature of the nail was as they were heating it.

Using a variable wattage 510 mod lets users dial in the ideal temperature, taking out the guesswork. A variable wattage mod also heats-up faster than using a torch. Keeping in mind the 50W limit on each of the nails, users should set their mods to anywhere below that threshold and see which performs the best.

If users have a temperature control device, they could also set their preferred temperature, someone around the range of 350F and 400F. After setting the heat level, users should let the e-nail heat up for around 30 seconds. For lower temperatures, users should wait a little longer.

For higher temperatures, users can wait a little less. Before adding their dab or wax, users can quickly touch the nail (for a second, not longer) to see how hot it is. When the e-nail is hot to the touch, users can then add their dab or wax.

Vapor Production

The vapor comes fast, though, which is one of the main draws of vaping with an e-nail. The ceramic nail for the KandyPens Icon worked best at low temperatures, giving it a smoother, more natural draw as well as more flavorful vapor.

Vapers can use mid-range temperatures for the quartz nail and the highest possible temperature for the titanium nails, which also produced the most significant amount of vapor. No matter the heat or nail, when the pin in use got hot enough, any material added quickly (almost instantly) turned to vapor.

What Are the Competitors?

KandyPens Icon vs. Dr. Dabber Boost

The Dr. Dabber Boost comes fully accessorized much more than the KandyPens Icon, even the Icon kit that includes a mod. The Boost also comes with three different e-nails, which are also ceramic, quartz, and titanium.

The Boost, however, comes with its mod, which has three temperature settings: one each for the quartz and titanium nails, and a separate one for the ceramic nail. The Boost lets a user know when the pin has reached the right temperature with a flashing light, unlike the Icon. The Boost comes in its metal carrying case and uses USB charging to charge its battery.

KandyPens Icon vs. Mig Vapor Mig Rig

The Mig Vapor Mig Rig is another e-nail rig that comes with its mod along with the bonus of having both a concentrates and dry herb atomizer, while the Icon only supports dabs or waxes.

Both atomizers for the Mig Rig are ceramic, with the dry herb using a flat plate, while the concentrates atomizer has a coilless, two-tier “box” that first melts the wax, then vaporizes it. The Mig Rig uses a water filtration attachment to cool and purify the vapor like with the Icon and Boost. The nails in the Mig Rig also have 50W power limits that vapers should not go over.

Pros & Cons

The Final Word on the KandyPens Icon

The KandyPens Icon works well as a dab rig and e-nail, even though it could use some improvements. KandyPens could start by including a particular battery or mod like the Dr. Dabber Boost or the Mig Rig that have temperature settings calibrated to be used with e-nails. As the Icon is a 510-e-nail attachment, its advantage over those other devices is that it has those universal, 510-threads so it can be used with any 510-mod.

Still, KandyPens could have gone further and designed a battery to go with the Icon instead of throwing in a generic mod. With that said, the nails for the Icon work very well. They all put out great vapor at various temperatures. The ceramic pin is excellent for low-temp dabbing, and the titanium nail is the workhorse that can pump out denser, thicker vapor at the highest possible temperature.

Are you a dabber? Did you use butane torches to heat your concentrates or dabs? Do you prefer using e-nails over traditional dab rigs? Let us know in the comments section below.