The VaporGenie is a $55 portable vaporizing pipe. It uses a regular old lighter (or just about any source of flame) and diffuses the heat across a ceramic filter and then carries it through the bowl of herb beneath.

At first I was surprised by how compact and portable it is. It will easily fit in the pocket of your jacket or a pair of loose-fitting pants, and due to the design you can pack a bowl in it and then just throw it in your bag and carry it around for later without having to worry about it spilling.

Aesthetics / Construction (8.0)

This little guy is extraordinarily well built with a solid wood body and diffuser, the only parts which aren’t wooden are the bowl (which connects the body to diffuser with a threading on the inside) and the mouthpiece. I have taken this genie everyone from the ski slopes to the classroom, and it will hold its own. Mine has a few burn marks here and there from the occasional inaccurate torcher, as well as a few scratches and dents from being dropped on rocks etc. It still vapes like a champion though, and all of the damage it has sustained has been purely cosmetic; the VaporGenie is built to last. It feels nice to hold and is just the right size to torch the bowl without burning your brows.

Ease of use (7.5)

The best part about the VaporGenie is that you can just pick it up and vape, no warming up or assembling tubes. There is however a small learning curve with the genie (which most people exaggerate), I have found that the best method is to hold the lighter sideways (as shown in the diagram) and drag just hard enough that I can hear a slight whistling. I do not let the flame be entirely “sucked down” into the bowl, instead I adjust the flame so that it is being partially sucked in, but is still almost fully above the silver rim. The secret to vaporizing is how hard you drag: if you suck extremely hard, air will be brought through the bowl of herb much more rapidly, resulting in thinner, more wispy vapor. If you drag very lightly you are allowing that heated air to slowly roll through the herb, fully decarboxylating and vaporizing the THCA.  *Don’t touch the lighter to the ceramic filter, it will cause it to fill with soot

Convenience / Portability (9)

This thing takes the cake for portability and convenience. I have used it in many a restroom before taking a test, as well as while walking down the street. It has a high stealth factor as it resembles a regular old wooden pipe (albeit a strange one) and upon examination the filter appears to be an empty bowl – which could keep you from getting into trouble at some point.

Group Usability (7)

The VaporGenie is not the ideal group toker. It works just as well as a spoon pipe would. It will get the job done for 2-3 people, but it’s a little underpowered for any larger groups. I’ll be sticking with my SSV for that.

Clean Factor (7)

The genie has a screen in the bowl which will eventually get clogged up like all vape screens do. It also sometimes accumulates ash around the silver part on top of the filter which can be easily wiped away. I have used cleaning solution in my genie only once, I’m not sure if that’s advisable (for the health of the wood) but it seemed to get a whole lot of black crap out from the area beneath the screen/mouthpiece and it definitely allowed more airflow. As long as you make sure your screen stays in place at all times you shouldn’t have too much need for washing it out though, I think I got some herb below mine somehow.

Vapor Quality (8)

The VaporGenie is a portable, flame powered vaporizer. The manufacturer acknowledges that the vapor which it produces will not be as clean as that of a vaporizer which is powered by a ceramic heating element. However, it is still capable of producing large, thick clouds of vapor which smell and taste wonderful. On this note, the VaporGenie unlocks the smell of your herb wonderfully. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the ganja is being roasted with flame-heat rather than electric, or maybe it is due to the small distance the vapor must travel to reach your lips, but if you throw some fruity weed in your VaporGenie it will certainly smell wonderful for the first 5-10 hits (after that the herb is pretty flavor-void)

Total Score: 7.75

The VaporGenie is a solid vaporizer and among the best portable vapes. While it may not be the showpiece vaporizer, it is certainly solid enough to be your primary smoker. If you already own an electric vape this piece makes an excellent portable / no electricity addition. I would say that for $55 from the manufacturer this vaporizer is a must have.