G Pen Roam Review

Background

G-Pen (visit homepage) is one of the top players in the vape world and has many blockbuster products under its belt. They released the G-Pen Connect earlier this year, which was a big success amongst users that wanted an electronic heating source for their traditional dab rig.

But what if you don't have a dab rig and you're looking for a portable concentrate vaporizer with a self-contained water filtration? Enter the G-Pen Roam.

The Roam was released on April 1st, 2020, and is available directly from G-Pen for $249.95. The Roam is basically a full functioning dab rig, that is packed into a sleek and very-portable vape. It is compatible with Wax, Dab, Shatter, or any other solid CBD or THC concentrates.

Kit & Accessories

The Roam comes in a nice travel case (that's made from Hemp!), and the kit contains-

• The vaporizer unit
• Quartz tank with a cover and housing
• Mouthpiece and Glass tube
• Micro USB Charging cable
• Loading tool & Cleaning Tips

Design & Features

The Roam sports an aluminum alloy shell that feels durable, and it has an ergonomic design that feels well balanced and comfortable to hold. The bottom of the device is slightly thicker than the top, making it stable while standing upright. It has a three-button interface with an LED screen as well as haptic feedback. The iconic G-Pen logo on the front of the device lights up when it is turned on.

oThe body of the device can slide up to access the glass tube, silicone mouthpiece, and the air-path. The two halves of the body close snap to close with magnets.

Heating coilf

The heating element of the Roam is located at the top of the device. The Quartz coil is covered by a protective housing that keeps the heat source away from your fingers. 

The housing can slide out of the device for cleaning, maintenance, or even loading. Inside the housing is the quartz tank, with the heating element just at the bottom. 

Water filtration 

One of the Roam's most unique features is its self-contained water filtration glass tube. Before the Roam, there were two types of wax vaporizers– Dab pens, or e-Nails. Dab pens are portable, and e-nails have water filtration. The Roam is a new type of vaporizer that combines portability with water filtration.

Some e-nails have the water tube at the bottom, some have it on top, but none of them have the hydro tube self-contained inside the device. They all use rechargeable batteries but is none is truly portable enough to use discreetly or out of the house. The Roam is a new type of vaporizer that combines portability with water filtration. 

The water filtration tube is housed inside the body of the Roam, so it is not visible at all while the device is being used. The attachment is leakproof, and it connects to the removable mouthpiece, which sticks out of the device. I'll fill the tube with water, so it's ready for use.

Interface & Usage

The Roam has three buttons- two temperature +/- buttons, and a power button. It also has an LCD that displays temperature level, battery status, or other settings. 

How to use-

• Fully charge the battery (Empty to full in 90 minutes)
• Fill up the hydro-tube to the marked line
• Turn the Roam on by clicking the power button five times
• You can adjust the temperature in 25F increments by clicking the +/- temperature buttons (Temp range: 600F-800F | 315C-425C)
• Load concentrates into the coil

The Roam has two Heat Activation Modes- Automatic and Manual.

Automatic Heat Mode– Press the power button twice to activate auto-heat. The Roam will heat up to the desired temp and vibrate to signal “ready to vape.” It'll stay hot for 30 seconds and then vibrate again to signal “heat deactivated”. You can also click the button twice to deactivate at any time. 

Manual Heat Mode– Click and hold the power button to manually activate heat. The Roam will heat up to the selected temp and maintain it until the button is released. 

Max mode– while the device is active on its top temperature of 800F, you can press the power button once to enter Max mode, which outputs full power without temperature control. “MAX” is displayed on the LED screen while this mode is active. If the device overheats, the LED will display a hand (that looks like a stop sign), and it'll turn off until it's cooled down to operating temperature. Max mode can be used to clean the device by “burning off” residue or for extracts that require higher temps. 

Other functions

Switch between C/F– Hold the up button together with the power button for three seconds to toggle Fahrenheit and Celsius. 

Troubleshoot– if the Roam detects a problem with one of the connections will display an “X” with an arrow pointing downwards. Check your tank/coil connections and try again.

Temperature range– 600F (315C) to 800F (425C)

Performance & Vapor Quality

It takes only a few minutes of using the Roam to fall in love with it. Vape Pens use to be my go-to for extracts, but that changed when I got the Roam. The heating element is calibrated perfectly, and the water filtration delivers tasty and rich vapor. 

What could have been better?

1. The Roam uses a Micro USB charging port, which is old and outdated. I would have loved to see a USB-C on such a technologically advanced device. 
2. Dry herb compatibility- The Roam is compatible only with solid extracts, and I wish G-Pen would release a dry herb tank sometime in the future. I know that vaping dry herb requires a lot more power, so maybe that's just wishful thinking, but just the thought of using the Roam with Dry Herb blows my mind. 

Bottom line

The Roam is not less than a revolution in wax vaping. I think this is a great concept that will be copied by other manufacturers. It's apparent that a lot of thought and creativity went into designing and engineering this vape. Packing a self-contained water filtration system into a small and portable device is no easy task, but G-Pen pulled it off remarkably well.