Welcome to High Tech, iDigitalTimes’ cannabis-focused gadget review column. Each month, we’ll have updates on new/popular vaporizers, electronic smoking devices and other cannabis-related gadgetry, always with the same thoroughness you’ve come to expect from all of iDigi’s gadget reviews.
ZeusArsenal’s Smite vaporizer has been my go-to vaporizer the last couple of weeks, having shown up shortly after iDigitalTimes' Crafty review went live, and I’m more convinced than ever that the only people who should be spending hundreds of dollars on vaporizers are those whose salaries let them waste money.
The Smite vaporizer occupies an interesting space in the market, with a price many would expect from a top-tier vape pen and a few more features than you typically find in comparably-priced devices. Its vapor may not impress the pickiest of connoisseurs, falling short of many premium competitors. But ZeusArsenal’s first dried botanical vaporizer makes an excellent alternative for anyone dissuaded by the $200+ price tags carried by some its strongest competition.
It probably won’t change the mind of a person who doesn’t prefer vaping over other consumption methods; however, the Smite does offer both a reliable and inexpensive means of vaporizing in areas where cannabis concentrates (wax, shatter, etc) aren’t easy to come by. It’s also a bit more convenient than the vaporizer pens we typically see in the $100-150 price range.
Like so many modern vaporizers, the Smite features an anodized aluminum frame, painted matte black to match the plethora of other handheld gadgets taking up space in your home and/or backpack. And if you have the mouthpiece stored, via the built-in storage compartment, there’s a good chance you could convince someone the Smite is a Wi-Fi extender or other (mostly) button-free gadget. The Smite even relies on an A/C charger, as opposed to the increasingly popular micro-USB chargers we tend to see for small devices, further enabling the “aging gadget” excuse if your Smite receives any unwanted attention.
The Smite only has one button, which is used to cycle power and adjust the temperature of the device’s oven. An LED ring around that surrounds the button indicates the current temperature setting and lets you know when the Smite is ready to be used. There’s also a small white light, situated behind the logo etched into the shell, which lets you know whether or not the Smite is currently on.
Lids on the top and bottom of the device, which slide in/out of place as needed, obscure the Smite’s oven (top) and mouthpiece storage compartment (bottom). When “broken down,” ZeusArsenal’s vaporizer isn’t much bigger an iPod classic, and the fully-assembled unit looks like your run-of-the-mill box vaporizer. If anything gives away the device’s true purpose, it’s probably going to be the scent of your vapor; especially if you’re using the Smite to vaporize cannabis with a strong scent. So you might want to pack something other than your favorite Diesel strain if you’re going to be out and about.
Everything is as it should be, save for a criminally undersized heating chamber. ZeusArsenal’s first dry herb vaporizer might produce a pleasant (and incredibly aromatic) THC vapor but it’s only going to do so a couple of times before you have to pack a new bowl into the Smite. The battery may last three hours but you’re lucky if you’re getting more than three to five hits out of the Smite before wondering whether it’s time to pack a new bowl.
Given the lack of space in the Smite’s heating chamber, it would have been nice to see ZeusArsenal offer some sort of first-party support for vaporizing concentrates. Whether that be custom-sized liquid pads, or some other accessory that lets users vaporize cannabis concentrates, doesn’t really matter. But those with high tolerances will need more than half a dozen hits to get the job done and having to wait for the Smite to cool down between bowls will leave many users wondering why they ever gave up traditional smoking in the first place.
One area where the Smite easily bests its competition is battery life. It might be common for vaporizer pens to last for days or weeks on a single charge, but power is frequently the biggest weakness of the premium portable vaporizer market. Even iDigitalTimes favorites, like the aforementioned Crafty, can be a bit of a disappointment when it comes to discussing battery life. But the Smite reliably offered three-plus hours worth of power, when given a full charge, and Smite even puts itself in a sort of hibernation mode when left idle for too long.
All things considered, ZeusArsenal's first dry herb vaporizer occupies an interesting segment of the market. The Smite can't match the 3-in-1 functionality offered by most top-tier vaporizer pens, though most will acknowledge they are combusting any dried matter you load. But the Smite offers a vapor unmatched by any sub-$200 vaporizer I've encountered and a single charge of its batter offers the user at least twice as much on-the-go vaping as we've seen from any of the Smite's competition.
The Smite is an ideal solution for those who still live in one of the 26 states that don’t have some kind of medical and/or recreational marijuana laws on the books. With concentrate still pretty rare in areas that criminalize marijuana, there's little reason to sweat the device's focus on dried botanicals and the Smite is more than discrete enough for semi-public usage. In fact, it'll probably be my go-to recommendation for friends living in non-medical/recreational states.
But those residing in states with medical/recreational laws will probably want to hold out for a multi-purpose vaporizer. As nice as the Smite's longevity may be, particularly in comparison to its current competition, it still doesn't beat throwing a dab or two into a concentrate-ready vaporizer and getting twice as high in half the time.
Full disclosure: The Smite we tested for this review was provided by Toronto Vaporizer, currently the sole distributer of the vaporizer; however, the company did not receive any editorial privileges.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more cannabis-related gadget reviews throughout the remainder of 2015 and for however long the industry continues to churn out new/interesting gadgets in the years to come.
