Review: The Firefly Is the Cadillac of Vapes

The Firefly vape has been on the market for a little over a year, but is still unsurpassed in its reputation to not sacrifice on vapor quality in the name of portability.moreBefore I could weigh in on its performance, I needed to try it. Holding the device in my hand, the first thing I noticed was its heft. It has a nice weight and is not heavy enough to be burdensome and yet has enough presence that I'm not worried about fumbling around and dropping it. Next, I noticed its glossy finish and chrome accents. This one is red, but the colors available on the Firefly's website include black and silver. I will say this is not a pocket sized device, but it is slim enough to fit in a small handbag or jacket pocket.

The folks at Firefly were thoughtful enough to include a soft carrying case to protect all that gloss and chrome. Because a friend had already tested the Firefly with a fragrant, sickly sweet tobacco, I first wanted to clean it out before testing it with my herb of choice. So I lifted the magnetic lid and dumped out the remaining tobacco. A bit was stuck to the quartz glass viewing window and a bit more to the the borosilicate glass holding chamber. I rummaged around in the box included that had contained the vape and withdrew a cleaning kit in a small plastic bag. This includes alcohol wipes, replacement screens, plastic toothpicks, and a tiny brush with stiff plastic bristles. I selected the brush and removed the remaining tobacco particles from the aforementioned glass and stainless steel alloy plated vapor path. Next, I took an alcohol wipe and passed it over the metal and glass sections to removed the residual tobacco oils, doing it twice because I really wanted to check out the flavor the Firefly offers. Lastly, I used a plastic toothpick and removed the screen and replaced it with a fresh one, because why not?

This vape is extremely easy to clean. Opening the lid exposes not only the chamber but the entire vapor path which is a desirable feature for the flavour-conscious vaporist. I flicked on the power and pressed the heating button, but the unit was out of juice. Note the included charger is large, about the size of half a pack of smokes. (Firefly also offers an external charging dock and extra batteries at an additional cost.) The LED next to the power switch pulses blue when it's changing, solid blue when it's charged, solid green when it's on (pulsing green when heating button is engaged), and pulses red when in need of a charge. Getting the battery from 0 to full took forty minutes.

The circular quartz window on the lid and air intake vents on the body glow orange when the firefly is engaged, which is badass. The button to heat the device should be held no more than 10 seconds but can be pulsed to extend the hit. This and draw rate determine the temperature. The taste is amazing. I could still detect the tobacco but the flavor of my herb overpowered it and tasted incredible. The bottom line is if quality vapor and the ability to thoroughly clean your vape are important, Firefly delivers those and has a flashy and memorable look to boot. This vape is definitely not discreet, but since when are high-end products meant to be discreet?

Text by Reynaldo Schwartz