PAX have finally given the PAX 2 a proper update. The headline change is speed: the PAX 3 hits temperature in around 15 to 20 seconds, where the 2 made you wait closer to 45. There’s also a phone app now, and it ships with an insert that turns it into a concentrate vape. Same pocketable shape, same brushed-metal look, a fair bit more going on under the lid.
If you’ve used a PAX 2, the 3 will feel instantly familiar. That’s the point.
The big change: heat-up time
This is the one you’ll notice every single session. The 2 was no slouch, but waiting most of a minute for a vape you carry around for quick draws always felt a touch long. The 3 gets you there in a third of the time. It runs an upgraded battery too, so you’re not paying for that speed with shorter run-time. If anything it lasts a little longer between charges.
The oven and the magnetic lid carry over, and the lip-sensing mouthpiece is still here. Pick it up, have a draw, it warms when your lips touch it and idles when you put it down. Clever, and it saves your herb.
The app
The PAX 3 talks to your phone over Bluetooth. You get four preset temperatures on the device itself, but the app opens the lot up properly. You can set an exact temperature, fiddle with the heating profile, lock the device, and run the LED in different modes if you’re into that.
The four on-device presets sit at roughly 182, 193, 199 and 215°C. Honest take: most people find their spot and leave it. The app is genuinely handy for dialling in a custom temperature once, but it’s not something you’ll open daily. Good to have, easy to ignore. No judgement either way.
Dual use: herb and concentrate
This is the other real addition. In the box you get two ovens. The standard one is for dry herb, same as always. The second is a concentrate insert, a little metal cup that drops into the chamber for waxes and similar.
It works, with a caveat. The PAX is a conduction oven built around herb, so the concentrate side is more of a bonus than a reason to buy. If concentrate is your main game, a dedicated concentrate vaporiser will do it better. But for the odd dab on a device you already carry, it’s a nice extra to have in your pocket rather than a second purchase.
PAX 3 vs PAX 2: should you jump?
Coming from nothing, the 3 is the easy pick. You get the faster heat-up, the better battery, the app and the concentrate oven, and the price gap to the 2 isn’t huge.
Already own a PAX 2 and happy with it? Less clear-cut. The core vapour quality is much the same, because the oven design hasn’t fundamentally changed. What you’re really buying is the quicker warm-up and the dual-use insert. If the wait has been bugging you, or you want to dabble with concentrate, it’s a worthwhile step up. If neither bothers you, the 2 is still a cracking little vape and you’re fine where you are.
One thing worth flagging at launch: a few of the listed features sit behind a higher-spec version, so check which kit you’re getting. The base bundle covers the herb side; the complete kit adds the concentrate insert and a couple of extras.
Where it sits
The PAX 3 keeps the thing PAX have always been good at, which is a discreet, well-built portable that just works and slips into a pocket without a second thought. It’s not the most powerful portable going around, and it won’t out-flavour a unit with a glass path. What it does is make the everyday stuff faster and a bit more flexible, and it looks the part doing it.
For the full lineup and how the models differ, have a look at the PAX range. If you’re weighing up portables more broadly, our vaporizer maintenance guide is worth a read too, since keeping the oven and screen clean is what keeps any of these tasting right.