Yocan Phaser Max Review

Background

The Yocan Black MAX is an eRig that is compatible with wax/dab and retails for $160 (use coupon TVG10 for 10% off at vape-smart.) 

It was released together with three other dab vaporizers- the Celestial, ARC, and ACE, which I have separate reviews for.

Design & Features

The Yocan MAX has a small bubbler, and it uses the same TGT coils as the other Yocan Black Products. The shape is a lot more ergonomic than the Celestial eRig. 

The activation button is a trigger (that makes a lot of sense), and overall this vaporizer is very comfortable to hold and use. 

It has RGB lights below and a little OLED display with plus/minus buttons on the sides.

Temperature Control

Unlike the Celestial, which has three voltage levels, here there is temperature control between 400-750F. Mine came in with Celsius by default, to switch, click and hold the power and plus buttons together. 

Then you can also click the power and down buttons together to change the session length to anywhere between 15-60 seconds. 

Now, the screen shows the desired temperature, and then when I press the button, it is supposed to show the temperature in the coil. Is it accurate? I doubt it. Yet, it does feel like the device is making adjustments to the voltage sent to the coil to create some type of temperature regulation. This is preferable over, say, the Celestial, which just gives a constant voltage to the coil. This may cause overheating and burn the extract.  

Yocan MAX VS. Celestial

The same:

• Same TGT coils
• USB-C charging 
• RGB lights
• Price of around $150-160 (TVG10 for 10% at vape-smart)

Different:

• The MAX is more ergonomic and better designed.
• MAX has precise temp control vs. three presets
• The bubbler on the MAX is smaller.
• Max has better vapor quality. 

TGT coils

The MAX uses what Yocan calls a TGT coil which is a flat ceramic donut with a raised center. All three Yocan Black dab vapes use the same exact coils.

Here are the two biggest downsides of TGT coils-

Hard to clean: unlike “bowl-shaped” chambers with a smooth, easy-to-clean surface, these coils have small holes channels that are harder to mop at the end of each session. This means that over time residue builds up in these small holes, and the coil will have to be replaced. 

No “real temperature control”: Vaporizers at this price level just don't keep a precise temp in the chamber, which means that the flavor is nowhere near as good as, say, the Puffco Peak Pro. The wax burns too fast, and the vapor is harsh. 

But the Peak Pro is $400 for the vape and $65 for replacement chambers. The TGT coils are around $10 each. So the devices are in different leagues when it comes to price (and performance), so it wouldn't make sense to expect a similar vapor quality. 

Yet, regardless of the Peak Pro, I wish Yocan would have gone with a bowl-shaped coil instead of these TGTs. Like, even the coil they used for the Orbit vape pen is better than these, in my opinion. The TGT coils connect with a 510 thread, so I wouldn't be surprised if they release a bowl-shaped coil in the future that is compatible with these units. 

Performance & Vapor Quality 

The vapor quality here was a lot better when compared to the Celestial, which is the main reason that this is the better choice between the two. It has better vapor, but also, easier usage with the display, and a much more comfortable grip. The units cost the same price, making the MAX an obvious favorite between the two Rigs. 

While it can't compete with more advanced rigs such as the PEAK PRO, the vapor quality here is not bad considering the $160 price tag.