Today we’re going to take a look at the G Pen Elite, a new portable vaporizer made by Grenco Science. The G Pen line of vaporizers is well known among a wide range of people for reasons ranging from their sleek designs to high-profile partnerships with celebrities like Snoop Dogg. However, one thing Grenco hasn’t been known for is creating vaporizers that succeed in true vaporization of dried material.
If you aren’t expecting much from a Grenco produced vaporizer, then you’ll probably be very surprised if you get the chance to try the Elite. This small and elegantly designed vape really blew us away in terms of overall quality compared to our expectations, especially given the price.
There certainly are a few downsides, but overall this is a vaporizer that we expect to be very popular. Let’s take a look at the materials and design that went into this vape, then we’ll go over how it performed when put to the test.
The Hardware
From the second you get the Elite out of the box it is apparent that this is a well made vape. There was a clear focus on the design, as this is one of the sleekest and smallest vaporizers available on the market. The Elite measures just 4.4 inches from base to mouthpiece, which is similar to the size of the Prima Vaporizer, and it feels like it belongs in the palm of your hand. There’s even an ergonomic finger hold area along its body.
The exterior of the vape is entirely plastic. While many vape enthusiasts tend to look down on all-plastic construction, the Elite doesn’t feel cheap like the plastic was chosen to cut corners on manufacturing costs. Many of the best vaporizers on the market today incorporate a good deal of plastic in their designs, and when well done they perform just as well and are just as durable as vapes made with other materials.
The Elite has three buttons in total. All are well machined and fit seamlessly into the rest of the body. One controls the power and initiates the heating element, while the other two are used to set the temperature. The exterior also includes a digital display that gives readouts including current temperature and battery life.
The heating chamber is accessed below the mouthpiece, which can be a bit hard to get off the first few times you remove it. When you look inside the unit, you’ll likely notice something immediately: the chamber is massive. According to manufacturing specs, you can fit up to .75 grams of dried material inside, as the overall depth is ¾ of an inch! In practice we found that to get a full .75 grams you would have to stuff it to the point that your material wouldn’t vaporize evenly, but the chamber is still the biggest we have ever dealt with on a portable vape by a landslide.
Another thing worth mentioning about the heating chamber is that it is 100% ceramic. Ceramic is a popular choice for chambers as it helps ensure even vaporization and heating, so this is a definite plus.
The Elite has a 2200 mAh lithium ion battery, which places it right among other leading vapes as far as power and battery life go. You should be able to fully charge the battery in 3 hours or less, and a full charge will last between 10 and 15 sessions, depending on what temperature setting is used.
There is a noticeable lack of glass in or on this unit. Many people prefer glass for vapor pathways, but the Elite was designed so that the heating chamber is located very close to the mouthpiece. This design means that the vapor heats in the chamber and immediately passes through the mouthpiece. There are some downsides to this, which we’ll go over in the performance review. An upside is that there is very little that will easily break on this unit, meaning it is likely to be more resilient than most.
The Performance
Like many portables, the G Pen Elite turns on with five clicks of the power button. Once the vape is on, you can set your desired temperature using the two buttons located above the LED display.
Temperature range for the G Pen Elite is fantastic. The display gives you precise control over the temperature, ranging from 200º F to 428º F (93ºC – 220ºC). You can adjust up or down while in use, and you even have the option to view the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit. With this range, you have full control over your experience and can modify it until you are getting your idea of perfect vapor.
Once you chose the temperature you want (we started around 365º F and worked our way up towards 400º F during the session), the heating element is engaged by pressing and holding the power button. We had read up on the Elite before trying it, but were still surprised at how fast the unit goes from cold to fully heated. The entire process took about 30 seconds, while many other vapes take 45 seconds or more.
Vapor quality was simultaneously impressive and a bit disappointing. Overall, the Elite is able to put out consistent and flavorful vapor from start to finish. While we’ve had better, this vape is still great as far as portables go. The material we used was also evenly heated and there were no signs of combustion at all.
The problem has to do with the temperature of the vapor. At the lower settings we tried, there was no problem at all. As we got towards higher levels, the lack of a vapor pathway to allow the vapor to cool meant it was entering our throats on the warm side. Some people are more sensitive to this than others, and many people may not even notice.
Related to this, the actual device itself can get very hot near the chamber and mouthpiece. By the end of the session, the mouthpiece is noticeably warm when you put it to your lips and the plastic surrounding the chamber can feel very hot to touch.
As a final note on functionality, those of you who are looking for a convenient, durable and discreet vape would probably find a lot of value in the Elite. The small size means it can very easily be concealed in the palm of your hand, allowing you to use it without attracting much attention at all. There’s also the fact that it bears a distinct resemblance to small electric razors, which raises the possibility of clever hiding places on vacations.
Conclusion
The G Pen Elite is by far the best offering by Grenco Science. This is a true dry herb vaporizer that puts out good, consistent vapor from a small, discreet package. Despite the small size, Grenco was able to pack a lot of power and functionality, including precise temperature control and 30 second heat up times. Lastly, the giant, ¾-inch herb chamber means this is a great portable vape for use with multiple people.
Pros
+ Sleek, attractive design
+ Large chamber that fits up to .75 grams
+ 30 second heat up times
+ Precise temperature control
+ Consistent, flavorful vapor
+ No glass = durable and portable
Cons
– No vapor pathway = hot vapor at high temperatures
– Unit can get hot to touch around heating chamber
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