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Firefly 2 vs. The Ghost MV1

Comparing on Demand Convection: Ghost MV1 and The Firefly 2

Comparing the Ghost MV1 and the Firefly 2

If you’re looking for an on demand portable convection dry herb vape the two best on the market at the moment are the Firefly 2 and the recently released GHOST MV1 Vaporizer.

With the kinks worked out from the Ghost MV1 pre-release and the App/Firmware update on both the Firefly 2 and Ghost MV1 we figured no better time than now to compare the Ghost MV1 to the Firefly 2.

Both these vaporizers fall in higher end of quality and price for dry herb vapes, but more specifically the are both on demand and vaporize the herb using convection heating.

Comparing the Firefly 2 and the Ghost MV1

Getting Started

Both are aesthetically pleasing. You can tell alot of time and effort went into nailing down a design that fits. The Firefly 2 goes with a feeling of what one would expect in an Apple device and the Ghost takes a stealthy futuristic approach in their design. Which looks better is for you to decide.

Out of the Box Use – The Firefly 2 has an edge here for a few reasons. One the battery comes already with some juice in it and the unit’s default will power on by pressing both buttons. You can literally open the Firefly 2 fill it up and start using it on the spot, although this is not recommended.

Unboxing the Ghost MV1 you must power the battery overnight. This is something which can be kind of a bummer when you get a new vaporizer and it finally arrives and you have to wait a few more hours to use it. If you use my link to pick up the Ghost MV1 it will come with a free fast charger. This will allow you to start using your Ghost in 3 hours vs. Charging with the USB mini cable.

The Ghost MV-1 also has a good amount of moving parts which you need to understand – The heat sink, glass mouthpiece, the crucible door and the herb chamber and cover. It’s by no means rocket science to read the manual and get familiar with the Ghost MV-1 but out of the box it’s more involved than the Firefly 2.

Syncing with your Smart Phone

Downloading the respective vaporizer’s app on your smartphone is going to be the next step. Here you can control your vaporizer’s temperature, update to the latest firmware or check your battery level.

There’s really no variations between the two vaporizers here in regards to pairing your device. In regards to the usage with the app, the Firefly 2 once required a smartphone to change temperature but with the latest firmware upgrade you can now adjust your Firefly 2’s temperature directly on the device by holding down the right button and pressing the left button quicky three times. This will put your Firefly 2 into temperature setting mode where you can choose between heat settings on a scale of 1-7. To go back into vape session tap the left button once more while keeping the right button pressed down. 

Firefly 2 vaporizer updated Firmware

The Ghost MV1 has a built in sequence on the home button which enables you to adjust temperatures on the vaporizer itself. If you don’t have a smartphone I would not buy either of these devices. On the flow chart of “What vaporizer should I buy ?” no smartphone equals Do not pass Go , do not collect two dollars , go straight to the Mighty.

Herb Chamber

The Grind

With the Firefly 2 you can get away with a more coarse grind and even tearing your herb by hand to fill the herb chamber. Granted if you decide to tear by hand you will have to rework your herb mid session. Grinding too fine with the Firefly 2 or the Ghost will lead to particles dirtying up the device and causing complications down the road with the internals.

The Grind for the Ghost MV-1 I have found works best with a medium to coarse grind, only slightly more of a grind than what I use in the Firefly 2.

Firefly 2 vs. The Ghost MV1
Loading the Ghost MV-1

Filling

With the Ghost MV-1 you need to fill up your chamber and put on the top screen. The top screen will not latch on to the herb chamber so you need to make sure it stays put when placing into the crucible. From here you need to unlatch your Ghost’s crucible by sliding your finger or thumb across the release button, put the chamber into the holder and close by pressing it back in place. If you have any sort of issues with your hands such a tremors or severe arthritis this could be an issue when preparing.

This goes back to my statement about using out of the box. With the Firefly 2 you remove the cover, input your herb and place the cover back on. Your locked and ready to rock. Filling the Firefly 2 is significantly easier.

Both the Firefly 2 and the Ghost MV-1 work best with a full chamber. What is great about these two on demand convection vaporizers is you will not jeopardize the integrity of your herb by taking a hit and coming back two hours later for another hit. So needing to fill your chamber full is not that big of a deal when compared to a conduction vape like the PAX 3 or Davinci IQ that you may want to only take 1 or 2 hits from using a small amount of herb.

Powering On

Session

When using the Ghost MV1 you want to pull out the glass mouthpiece at least half way to get good airflow. Hit the vape button and begin pulling when you hear the first vibration. Stop pulling when you get the second vibration as the heat is now off. This happens 22 seconds after you have initially pressed the button. Below I have removed the heatsink for a better look at drawing sequence

On the the Firefly 2 you have to use more breath control, draws should be more slow and concise, but still long. Like with the Ghost , the Firefly 2 heating element will shut off automatically after being engaged for 30 seconds. So you do get a tad more heat  time with the Firefly 2, but I have found the Firefly 2 takes more time for the heat to transfer into the herb and is not ready as fast as it is with the Ghost. So the Ghost would be the more “on demand” of the two.

 

More interesting was when I packed both vaporizers with .13 grams and had a comparison session at 390 degrees;  Both vaporizers produced a good 9-10 draws before overheating. This was pretty much in line with how much vapor life the plant had left. After they cooled down I was able to get another OK 2 draws from both the MV1 and the Firefly 2, but these two draws could just as well been disregarded. In essence both produced similar output quantity wise.  I didn’t need to stir my Firefly 2 herb mid-session, which has been a common complaint about the Firely 2. Both the Firefly 2 and the MV1 – surprise surprise – also got a little hot to the touch. There still are few vaporizers which do as good a job as the Mighty at not getting how to the touch after a prolonged session at high temps. The Ghost and the Firefly 2 both will get hot to the touch after a few minutes use, but so will all vaporizers, they heat up to 400 degrees so it can be expected it might feel like holding a cup of coffee after a few minutes.

For a disclaimer the overheating was a continuous use in one session. I’ve had no issues with the Ghost MV1 or the Firefly 2 overheating and getting hot to the touch when sessioning and taking 30 second breathers between draws. When I walk around my house, doing errands and taking draws throughout the chores there is no overheating whatsoever.

Firefly 2 ABV
ABV herb from the Ghost MV1

Here you can see the shots of the already been vaped (ABV) herb from the Firefly 2 and the Ghost MV1. The Firefly 2 ABV is a little Terminal Lance reference, probably a bit too inside , but if you get it give us a shoutout.

Vapor Quality

You feel these vaporizers in totally different ways. The Ghost gives you some really plentiful hits and lets you pull free and fast. There’s no need to hold back with this one as your herb is encapsulated so it will not blow all around the place when pulling  as it can on the Firefly 2. The draw resistance on The Ghost can be adjusted via the length of your glass stem, but even then draw resistance is next to nothing. I recommend pulling the glass draw about half way and that seems to be the consensus from the vapor community and Ghost themselves.

In comparing the Ghost MV1 and the Firelfy 2, The Ghost is much more involved to get prepped and going, but much easier during use than the Firefly 2. Whereas the Firefly 2 is much easier to get prepped, but more involved to get optimal results when using.

Draw Resistance

The Ghost is going to deliver a more potent punch. You can really get a good amount of vapor due to the low draw resistance and the internal vapor pathway more so than the Firefly 2. I have never used a vaporizer with this little draw resistance in my life. The complete absence of draw resistance almost makes it feel like I am getting negative draw resistance. Although there is no draw resistance it still requires a good amount of lung capacity. When I try and give little puffs (2 seconds pulls ) there is little to no vapor production. The ideal draw is 7-9  seconds pulling moderately fast and man you can get alot of vapor out of this.

With the insanely low draw resistance, I can’t feel the incoming vapor when I draw, but after a few seconds pull I feel the tickling in the back of my throat and exhale a ploom of vapor. It’s like it creeps in like a Ghost. I don’t know if this inspired the name or if I’ve had one too many hits from the MV1  =)

Taste

The Firefly 2 is going to be a better mechanism to taste and enjoy your herb on a mellow level. I could use either of these throughout the day, but would prefer the Ghost MV1 if I am going to get it all done in one session and the Firefly 2 for chilling with and micro dosing throughout the day.

When comparing the vapor the Firefly 2 gives me more full bodied texture and a richer taste. The Firefly 2 is the king of flavor for a reason. The Ghost does provide excellent flavor as well, but I feel it’s muddled by the smooth delivery of the vapor. You really pick up on what a vaporizer delivers best and with the Ghost that is the smooth texture and potency.

To get your ideal vapor production , both require a longer draw time and thus more lung capacity versus conduction vaporizers.

I would also prefer the Ghost MV1 if I am turning my friends on to vapor or having a session with another buddy and we are passing the vaporizer  back and forth.

Battery Life

The Ghost MV1 has a considerably longer battery life than the Firefly 2, and will average 100 hits on a charge. On the flip side the Ghost MV1 takes longer to charge. Charging the unit itself back to 100% takes a few hours if using the mini USB cable. I have not run out of battery with

my Ghost yet as I keep putting it back on the fast charger every 5 sessions with the vape.

The Firefly 2 will last you about 50 draws on a full battery and like the Ghost MV1  this varies dependent on temperature. With both you will burn your battery down much quicker when using the concentrate heat settings. I just had my Firefly 2 battery die after 5 sessions without charging.

I recommend picking up the Firefly 2 external charger as well if you decide to buy the Firefly 2 as the Firefly 2 comes with two batteries.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Given the Ghost has more moving parts there is more to clean. It’s by no means difficult to clean, but in comparison to the Firefly 2 cleaning the Ghost MV1 is more tedious. Also with a dirty Ghost you are going to have a very diminished session.

A personal anecdote here was when I was cleaning the cover screen to my Ghost MV1 herb chamber. I was soaking it overnight in 99% ISO and then wiping it down, but could not figure out for the life of me why the MV1’s performance had suffered over time. I held it up to the light and could barely see through it. It wasn’t until I hit with tooth brush and pushed the bristles through the holes of the screen I got it immaculate and my next session was amazing. This is something I have to do every 5-7 sessions and makes a world of difference

The Ghost MV1 and the Firefly 2 disassembled

The Firefly 2 also requires more upkeep than your typical conduction vaporizer, but a basic cleaning  with an ISO wipe of your mouthpiece screen is more than sufficient. The small holes at the bottom the of the chamber will affect air circulation. I find using a small dental tool or pin to proactively keep these holes cleared works best. The deep clean with the pin only needs to be done every 25 sessions or so.

Ultimately the Ghost MV1 is going to require more upkeep and cleaning than the Firefly 2 . Also with more moving parts you run the risk of misplacing or breaking parts and pieces.

 

The Ghost MV-1 and the Firefly 2 are amazing feats of vaporizer engineering. Keeping them clean will ensure they can perform to their designed specifications.

Wrapping it Up

So in all you have two on demand portable convection vaporizers which offer great vapor in their respective ways. Below you will find a table with all the other pertinent information and specs about the Firefly 2  and the Ghost MV1 such as size, warranty , etc. As always if we didn’t cover anything specific you would like to know we’re happy to answer your questions via our chat, email or phone.

Specs Firefly 2 Ghost MV-1
Price $329 $295
Size (L x W x H ) 5 x 1.5” x .75” 5” x 2” x 1.5”
Weight 5 oz 12.1 ounces
Warranty 2 years 5 years
Herb or Concentrates Both Both
Materials Magnesium Alloy, Titanium Super Alloy, Glass, Triton polymer Metal Alloy, Stainless steel, glass , ceramic , silicone
Temperature Range 200 – 500 Degrees (F) 284 – 428 Degrees (F)
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