The Yocan Explore is a 2-in-1 portable vaporizer for herbs and concentrates. The Explore features an all-ceramic heating chamber for herbs and a separate insert — also ceramic — for concentrates. The vaporizer is portable and pocket-friendly. The exterior is coated with a rubberized finish giving it a better grip.
The unit comes with an LCD and a three-button control panel for users to access the device’s various functions. It allows for precision temperature control between 200F and 420F. Users can also adjust between Celsius and Fahrenheit or flip the screen to another view.
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A Closer Look at the Yocan Explore
The Yocan Explore copies the form factor of a lot of popular dry herb or wax devices like the Linx Gaia or the Flowermate Pro. It has a compact, boxy exterior with hard, straight edges and a side LCD that lets users access the menu. The user panel consists of an up/down button along with the central firing/power button located above the LCD panel.
The USB charging port to recharge the Explore’s 2600 mAh internal, 18650 battery, is on the base. The ceramic heating chamber is top-loading and sits right underneath the removable mouthpiece, which juts up from the top of the unit. The chamber has ample room for loading dry herbs, and the Yocan Explore uses convection heating to vaporize the active ingredients in the herb.
The entire Yocan Explore stands at under 100mm (3.5”) and is 45mm (1.7”). It weighs about 135g or 4.7oz. It features a solid, stainless steel build with a soft-to-touch rubber coating that makes holding the vaporizer more comfortable. The lining also keeps any potential heat transfer to a minimum.
There are two diagonal air intake vents on either side of the chamber. However, these vents are supposed to let air enter into the chamber, and they appear to open into the device’s internal electronics directly. This placement may bring the heat from the electronic components into the chamber and your vapor, which is not good.
Kit Contents
The Explore comes with the usual components that accompany most, quality dry herb devices. All dry herb or wax units need to be kept in good working order to produce the best vapor, and the Explore has everything a vaper needs to keep it clean and tidy.
The Yocan Explore comes with the following:
- 1 x Yocan Explore (built-in battery)
- 1 x Small Tool
- 1 x Concentrated Coil Mouthpiece
- 1 x Cleaning Brush
- 1 x Micro USB Cable
- 1 x User Manual
Yocan Explore Review: Its Battery Life
Explore has a powerful 2600mAh internal battery. The cell, on a full charge, can last for over two hours. This depends on the temperature that the user sets on the vaporizer. The cell also takes only ninety minutes to charge from a depleted state. Battery life on a unit like the Explore depends on how the user vapes it. Vaping a low to minimal temperatures can make the vaporizer last longer, while higher temperatures will drain the battery quicker.
Internal Heating Chamber
The internal heating crucible inside the Explore is 100% ceramic. The vaporizer uses convection and conduction heating to release all the active ingredients of the dry herb or wax as well as concentrates. The heating chamber for concentrates is a little different.
The built-in chamber is for herbs. The herb mouthpiece has a tiny stir tool attached to the bottom for users to stir their material mid-vape to ensure it is all evenly heated. The concentrates chamber is also connected to the bottom of the second mouthpiece.
Users must unscrew the chamber from the mouthpiece, fill up the crucible, which is all all-ceramic, and then re-attach it to the mouthpiece. From there, users need to snap the mouthpiece onto the built-in chamber and turn on the Explore.
Getting the Explore to Work
The Yocan Explore works similarly to e-liquid box mods. It has a small LCD that shows users information like:
- Battery life
- Vape cycle time
- Current temperature (in C or F)
- Desired temperature
The Explore also needs five clicks to activate. When the device is on, users can set their preferred temperature using the up/down button under the screen. The temperature moves in one-degree increments so users can set a precise setting. If they hold the up or down buttons, though, the degrees move in increments of ten.
Once a user has input their desired temperature, they must hold down the firing button to begin the heat cycle. The current temperature — which takes up most of the display — will start to flash, and the timer will start to countdown from five minutes. When the flashing temperature readout stops flashing, that means it is time to vape.
Users need to press the firing button again to stop the heating cycle at any time. Every vape session lasts for about five minutes, after which tahe unit automatically shuts down. The Explore is also equipped with a Smart Memory feature that remembers the temperature of your previous vape session and applies it the next time the device is activated.
Vaping the Yocan Explore
The Explore, despite its dual-functionality, is more suited to a dry herb or wax vaping than it is to concentrates. While the hidden concentrates chamber is a unique design, the Explore does not have the temperature range to extract all the flavor and purity of cannabis concentrates properly. With that said, as a dry herb vaporizer, the Explore excels.
The five-minute session time allows for good pulls, as the device continuously heats up for those five minutes, giving up consistent vapor within that time frame. The mouthpiece is wide and allows for loose draw resistance. It could have been longer to allow the vapor to cool down a little, but even at high temperatures, the vapor was not so harsh.
Using the concentrates attachment is very straightforward. Vapers need only unscrew the chamber from the mouthpiece and load their material with the packing tool provided. But even at the highest possible temperature — 426F — the vapor production was minimal compared to a dedicated concentrates device.
As the heat has to pass through the chamber walls, some of the heat gets lost, leading to the material melting, without really vaporizing. There is such a thing as low-temperature dabbing, and there might be users who are satisfied with the vapor production, but there are better, concentrates-only devices that could out-perform the Explore any day.
What are the Competitors?
Yocan I-Shred
The Yocan I-Shred is a dedicated, herb-only vaporizer that also features an internal 2600 mAh battery, full temperature control between 200-460F, and has a grinder built-into its base. The I-Shread also features an all-ceramic materials chamber and uses a hybrid heating style to vaporize dry leaf material. The unit is top-loading, and users must remove the mouthpiece to access the chamber.
The I-Shred stands taller than the Explore, as it has a tube-like, cylindrical shape.
The Pax 3
The Pax 3 is also a dual-function vaporizer and vapes dry herb as well as concentrates. The Pax 3 has a bottom-loading, all-stainless steel material chamber and a clear vapor path. Users can choose from the basic Pax 3 kit (no concentrates attachment) or the deluxe version (includes steel concentrates pad).
The Pax 3 features an all-aluminum anodized shell and has a buttonless design. The Pax 3 has four preset temperatures loaded onto the battery, but users can connect the device to a smartphone and set the precise temperature using an app. The Pax 3 has a 3500mAh battery and uses a proprietary charger to recharge.
Yocan Explore Vaporizer Specifications
| Yocan Explore | |
|---|---|
| Brand / Manufacturer: | Yocan Tech |
| Type: | Portable Vaporizer |
| Usage: | Herbs/Wax |
| Battery Capacity: | 2600 mAh |
| Average Battery Life: | 8 - 10 sessions |
| Temperature Range: | 200-460F |
| Material: | Stainless Steel |
| Chamber Material: | Ceramic |
| Size: | 8 x 4.5 x 2.3 cm |
| Heat-up Time: | ~ 5 minutes |
| Memory function: | Yes |
Pros & Cons
The Positives
- Easy-to-use and load
- Good battery life
- Dry herb vapor production is good
- Well-made from quality materials
- Easy to switch between herbs and concentrates
The Negatives
- Underperforms as a concentrates vaporizer
Final Thoughts: A Hit and Miss
The Yocan Explore strives to vape herbs and concentrates well, but it comes up short on the latter. Dry herb enthusiasts will like the Explore’s portable form factor, its sturdy build, and the precision temperature control. The opening of the heating chamber is full, and it is very easy to load.
Switching between the two mouthpieces is also straightforward, as with one snap, a user can remove the herb mouthpiece with the concentrates attachment. The concentrates attachment is also easy-to-load, but the temperature range is inadequate for exceptional extract vaping.
Premium extract vaporizers can reach as high as 700F, which is much more than the unit’s 460F maximum. If you want a budget, dry herb or wax vaporizer that is easy-to-use, has a wide temperature range and has a compact form, the Yocan Explore might be the model for you.
Do you like using dual-purpose vapes? Is there a dual-purpose vape that you think works well for both herbs and concentrates? Let us know in the comments section below.
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