New Puffco Plus Review

Background

The original Puffco Plus was launched in 2016 and probably sold more units than any dab pen out there. The new Plus joins a very strong lineup by Puffco, that includes the Proxy and the new version of the Peak Pro.

The new Plus keeps the same retail price of $89, and you can use coupon code TVG10 to save 10% with Vape-smart.com (visit store).

Design & Features

The new Plus has the same thickness as the previous version, but it is slightly taller. The housing is made of a matte metal alloy instead of the metallic of the outgoing version. I personally prefer this new look because it attracts less attention. This is the Onyx version, but there is also a Pearl version available.

Here is how it compares in size and thickness to the G Pen Micro+ (review), Utillian 5 (review), Yocan Orbit, and Tronian Gammatron (review). It is the slimmest one out of the five. And by the way, coupon codes for all of these are on the review pages.

The Puffco Plus is made up of three parts – the battery, the chamber, and the mouthpiece. Let's discuss each of these individually, starting with the battery.

The Battery

The battery is fairly standard, with one activation button. It's 510 compatible, which means it can be used with any 510 cart. Although the Plus is primarily a b, it's great to have the option to occasionally use it with 510 carts as well. The battery can be purchased separately for around $50 (visit store).

The Chamber

The chamber sits on top of the battery and has a silicon grip, which protects your fingers from the hot chamber. The bowl itself is similar to the previous version, with a coil-less ceramic bowl.

To get a better understanding of the term “coil-less,” let's take a look at the Tronian Gammatron, for instance. In this vaporizer, the heating coil is wrapped around an external, visible center rod. In contrast, the ceramic bowl of the Puffco Plus has a smooth surface, making it a coil-less bowl. Typically, such bowls produce softer vapor and are less harsh than those that use rods. Additionally, they are easier to clean, as a quick mop after each session is all that's needed. I use these Glob Mops, and they work great.

The bowl is fairly small and has air holes at about half its height. It's important to use small amounts of wax and avoid overfilling. You don't want your hot wax anywhere near these holes. Keep in mind that while using the vape, it may be slightly tilted, so melted wax can accumulate on one side and get to the holes. You definitely don't want to use the pen while horizontal. Try to keep it upright and use small amounts.

The Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece has a built-in “dart” that can be pushed out and removed for cleaning. When the dart is inside the mouthpiece, you can push the tip to make the loading tool stick out, scoop a tiny amount of concentrate, and then screw it back in. This will push the dart back into its position and place the dab in the center of the coil. One thing you definitely want to avoid is scraping your wax on the side of the chamber. It has to go at the bottom, ideally in the center. The integrated tool works great and means one less thing to carry around.

Usage

Five clicks to unlock, four clicks to cycle through the three preset temps. I'll set mine up on Blue, which is the lowest.

Then, I can hold the button for manual operation or click twice for 12 seconds, so you don't have to hold the button.

The way I like using it is in manual mode, and pulse the button on and off as I inhale. This allows me to vape at a lower temp and take long inhales. I have more granular control over how much heat is applied and how much vapor I'm actually getting. I almost never cough or find it overwhelming.

Of course, some users, would rather set it up on the highest temp, sess mode, and inhale aggressively, to get a more “nail-like” experience. Even Jolly Roger himself, the CEO of Puffco has said in a recent podcast that that's how he uses it.

Vapor Quality

The vapor quality of the new Plus is practically identical to the old one, which is a good thing. The flavor and performance of the Plus are consistently great.

Puffco has made small changes that make for an even more enjoyable experience with the new Plus.

What could have been better?

But with that said, there is one thing about the Plus that annoys the hell out of me. The charger.

The Plus uses a “510 charger” that has an old-school USB-A plug. I think that anything except for a USB-C charge plug is unacceptable.

First- Having a “special” or “proprietary” charger means that if you're traveling and forget it in the hotel room, your Plus is worthless. Many vapes use USB-C plugs to charge, making it a lot more flexible.

Second, the process of unscrewing the chamber and then screwing the battery into the charger gets old very fast when you do it daily. Compare that with a simple USB-C plug-to-charge that takes exactly one second to connect.

Bottom line

The Puffco Plus keeps the same iconic design and performance as the outgoing model. It can easily be a daily driver for 90% of users out there.

The vapor tastes clean and pure. It's more discreet than most concentrate vapes, and it looks and feels modern and high-end. Put that together with the 510 cart compatibility, and at $89, it is an unbeatable value and certainly one of the best dab/wax pens of 2024.