PAX Mini & PAX Plus Are Shells of their Former Selves

At their height the PAX 2 and PAX 3 were some of the best selling portable herb vaporizers on the market. As the cannabis vaporizer industry stalled out and then suffered a precipitous decline many anticipated a vaporizer behemoth like PAX would be less susceptible to the market woes given their market share and wondered when a new PAX 4 was going to be released.

That day never came and instead PAX released two different model vaporizers in the PAX Mini and PAX Plus.  When released in 2023 many opinions were floated about the new PAX portable vaporizers.  Are they better, are they worse or are they just a rebrands after 7 years of no new vaporizers ?

After nearly two years with the PAX Mini and PAX Plus, the general consensus has been these units are actual downgrades from their predecessors and not as quality of vaporizers with many features removed along with other cost cutting measures. It turns out PAX was one of the most affected from the bursting of the cannabis bubble.

The concept of the PAX Plus was to simplify the PAX 3 and provide an ideal portable herb vaporizer for those seeking a tailored for you experience with their vaporizer and a simple user experience. The PAX Plus allows control of four experience modes through one button, simplifying the process for everyone, but especially new users.

The PAX Plus works well for those who don’t want to deal with confusing buttons or syncing your device with an app. It streamlines the process and reduces the available settings from the PAX 3 down to what PAX deemed the most essential. So in essence it is not only the best pocket portable herb vaporizer on the market but the best portable herb vaporizer on the market for beginners and casual users.

As mentioned above the PAX Plus has four experience modes. Breaking them down it is hard to argue this is an upgrade but instead PAX just saying how can we do away with the app,  custom settings and total temperature control and provide 4 heat settings on our Plus Vaporizer for simplicity sake. If you look below you will see the setting descriptions for each “experience” mode which we took directly verbatim from PAX’s website.

Stealth (Purple) – Minimizes visible vapor, dims LEDs & vibration settings for ultimate discretion
Efficiency (Teal) – Optimizes vapor production and conserves flower for a session.
Flavor (Yellow) – Highlights the subtleties of your flower’s flavor with on-demand vapor.
Boost (Red) – Provides maximum vapor production, ideal for concentrates.

So give me a break guys. This is just a fluffy marketing way of saying. Heat Settings 1, 2, 3 & 4 – low to high. This is all you really need. When I used the PAX 3 and PAX 2 I was not hopping all over the place, jumping around to different settings or using the app. It is not really needed. these temperature “experience” settings are more than substantial to provide a quality session and the PAX Plus remains the best pocket portable herb vaporizer to do so. It just does not offer with the same array  of features the PAX 3 Complete Kit did which only about 10-15% of the users utilized.

In another sign of things not being all that good over at PAX Labs, PAX released the PAX Plus Starter Kit in late 2024. A version of the vaporizer which comes stripped down to its most basic form without accessories, such as the concentrate insert and half pack oven lid , for $40 cheaper.

PAX did do this with the PAX 3 upon its release. There was the PAX 3 Basic Kit and PAX 3 Complete Kit with the complete kit offering an assortment of accessories you could use to vape concentrates, an unloading and loading tool and a half pack oven lid permitting quality sessions without having to pack the chamber full.

So why is this bad for PAX ? Well the complete kit is essentially selling you some plastic parts and accessories which cost very little to produce but bring PAX in extra revenue. Don’t get me wrong, I have found the PAX Half Pack Oven Lid to be great when not wanting to pack my herb chamber full. However the concentrate insert is more just something one will use out of curiosity once or twice and realize you’re better off buying something like the Puffco Plus if you want something portable for dabs.

The PAX Plus Complete Kit was not released alongside the PAX Plus Starter Kit likely because PAX really wanted to charge the premium and with the Plus being leaps and bounds better than the PAX Mini you only had one option. Get the PAX Plus Complete Kit or go with the far inferior PAX Mini.

What is bad for PAX’s bottom line is great for you the consumer. With the PAX Plus not selling to expectations the cheaper more stripped down PAX Pus Starter Kit was released. We strongly recommend buying this version and adding any accessories as you see fit after the fact.

There are many good qualities of the PAX Plus. It is simple to store in your pocket and provides a fast enough heating time, hitting optimal temperature in 30-40 seconds. It is simple to use and share with others if needed. The PAX Plus also boasts a large oven, four experience modes, and a ten-year warranty for confidence in your purchases. It is just as durable as the old PAX 3.

However, there are also cons to consider before purchasing the PAX Plus. There isn’t any new tech in this improvement, which is a disappointment to those hoping PAX would release something innovative. Many also report that it is not equipped for two sessions in the same bowl and that the flavor quickly disappears after a few uses. As said above. It is just as durable as the PAX 3 but also kind of just feels like the PAX 3, with less features,  at the same time. Ironically you are actually losing some control as the PAX Plus does not offer an app where you can dial in the exact temperature.

The PAX Mini is a more universal product than the preceding PAX 2. It simplifies the experience and provides easy access to anyone. Beginners and experts will enjoy using the single-button feature built into the upgraded PAX Mini system. But that one button, one temperature control is about all the more experienced users enjoy as it does not play out in practical application as it does in theory.

The PAX Mini is also excellent for those who want to carry their vaporizer from one location to another. It’s more portable than any of the other models of herb vaporizer out there. While there is only one temperature setting it is still the most durable, most portable and at $100 gives you much better vapor than other competitive entry level portables in the same price range.

There are many excellent qualities in the PAX Mini. It’s an ideal choice for a beginner and permits simple carrying in the pocket. It has a speedy heat-up time and provides a single vape mode for easy use. It brings its well known classy appearance and many vaporizer beginners do appreciate the smaller oven size for smaller solo sessions.

However, there are also less-than-ideal traits. It comes with less features  as the predecessor, disappointing serious  users. There is no control available with the temperature and a lack of custom options for users to fiddle with.

Reviewers prefer the PAX 2 over the PAX Mini, despite the compact improvements and other features. The Pax 2 has greater versatility, a larger oven, and four temperatures rather than a singular heat mode, as in the PAX Mini.

One of the biggest differences between the PAX Plus and the PAX 3 is the level of control you have with each device. The PAX Plus is an automatic version, allowing the experience without the worry of messing with custom settings. The PAX 3 is the complete experience with the ability to tinker with the experience through an app.

The PAX Plus isn’t an improvement of the  PAX 3, but it a newer mode recent model for what it’s worth.  It’s simpler and more accessible to everyone. However, many users did not appreciate the lack of intricacy in the new PAX Plus. They wanted more out of the latest PAX products on the market.

It is hard to split hairs over the lack of innovation in the newer PAX models. The PAX Mini and Plus will remain the “go to” portable herb vaporizer as nothing else is as durable, pocketable and quality as a PAX. If you blind fold me I will notice the downgrade from  PAX 2 to the Mini, but I will be hard pressed to distinguish the PAX 3 from the PAX Plus.

By and large it is a good thing the PAX Mini and Plus utilize technological advances to make the vaping easier on new users. However, they aren’t drastically different from PAX 2 and 3, much to the chagrin of other customers. As the company focuses less on herb vaporizers and shifts into Rosin pods and now gummies, these products seemed posted to  lead its new revenue stream.

Overall, the innovations in the PAX Mini and Plus are a way to add technological innovations coupled with ease of use to the PAX lineup, capitalizing upon the improvements of the last few years. Although the conceptual upgrades are minor, many new users would see these as  an improvement upon the PAX 2 and 3 that will likely become common place over the years.

If you must have a pocket portable herb vaporizer they are about the only show in town. You can purchase the PAX 2 and PAX 3 while supplies last at To the Cloud Vapor Store. But after than you will need to decide between the Mini and the Plus. We strongly recommend the PAX Plus Starter Kit for if you are looking to for the best standard pocket  portable herb vaporizer.