DaVinci IQ2 Review

DaVinci has been making high-quality vaporizers for over a decade, and the IQ2 is one of their most popular flagship devices. Let’s explore why so many people love the IQ2.

DaVinci IQ2 Highlights

• Zirconia vapor path
• Airflow Control
• Smart path functionality
• Accurate heating

What is the DaVinci IQ2?

The DaVinci IQ2 is a portable dry herb vaporizer with some concentrate support manufactured by DaVinci that uses conduction heating. In addition, it features a sleek design, accurate heating within one degree of variance, a unique LED display that utilizes a matrix of tiny lights to create a visible display, and an optional app-based control system to expand functionality and customization options further.

Using the DaVinci IQ2 for the First Time

After turning on the IQ2 by pressing the control/primary button five times, you are greeted with a battery icon indicating the current charge, which is your first experience with the unusual display used by the IQ2. The display is simple, but it has a modern minimalist charm.

By default, heating is controlled via something DaVinci calls Smart Paths. There are four different Smart Path presets, which can be customized to an impressive degree using their app, that can be paired to your device via Bluetooth. Different paths can be set to different temperatures and shift to other temperatures at preset times, which is fantastic for those that enjoy temp stepping through their sessions. However, the default settings are good if you want to experiment at different common temperature points.

While this may sound complex, using the defaults is just a matter of selecting a path and giving it a try. Still, for more advanced users, you can certainly take things to a relatively impressive level of customization via the app, which has actually been executed quite well and doesn’t just feel like an afterthought. In addition, the app enables you to both explore customization of things like the Smart Paths and monitor your usage and other stats, so if you’re someone who just loves data, you will love the DaVinci app.

Switching to precision temperature mode is quite easy; when the IQ2 is turned on, it’s just a simple matter of pressing the control button once, and a specific temperature will be displayed. The up and down buttons are used to manipulate the specified temperature; it’s all relatively easy. By default, the precision temperature mode shows in Fahrenheit, but this can be swapped to celsius by briefly pressing all three buttons simultaneously.

The IQ2 heats up to the lowest typically useful temps in around 30 seconds, but if you’re looking to go straight for the higher levels, you’ll be waiting around twice that long. So it’s not the fastest vaporizer to heat up, but it’s not long enough to really be a problem in most situations, and the haptic feedback lets you know it’s good to go, which is handy if you happen to get distracted while waiting.

If you’re using the dosing caps, waiting a few extra seconds for the heat to soak into them sufficiently seems beneficial. Of course, you can start vaping right away still when using dosing caps, but the best initial results seem to be achieved by giving it a little longer to soak into the cap that acts as a bit of a buffer, slowing things down slightly. Either way, once you’re up to temp, the vapor is pleasant, and it’s fun to kick back for a few minutes and enjoy a slow session.

The experience using the IQ2 for the first time overall is quite good, and it’s not difficult to get familiar with the device. It also manages a pretty thorough extraction, so you shouldn’t find yourself having to dig around attempting to stir a hot bowl mid-session. Furthermore, the app is actually quite good, even if you just use it once or twice to customize some of the defaults; it’s one of the best vaporizer apps around and feels well integrated into the broader experience of using the IQ2, so it’s well worth your time to take a look.

What Comes in the Box?

• IQ2 Vaporizer
• Battery (18650)
• 10mm Mouthpiece
• USB Charging Cable
• Ceramic Extract Disc
• Pieces Organic Cotton (x9)
• Alcohol Swabs (x9)
• Extra Pick Tool
• Dosage Pod

How much does the DaVinci IQ2 Cost?

You can find the DaVinci IQ2 for around $295 USD. While it’s definitely not a budget-oriented device, it’s a well-engineered and designed vaporizer that provides a quality conduction experience. Unfortunately, many portable conduction vaporizers drop the ball in terms of providing a well-rounded experience, but the IQ2 does quite well in most fundamental aspects, making its price point a lot easier with which to get on board.

Now where things get really interesting is the warranty; DaVinci offers a ten-year warranty on the IQ2, which is very rare to see. The typical vaporizer warranty is only a year or two, and to see a ten-year warranty not only shows confidence in their products but also makes for an excellent deal with their customers. In addition, a warranty like this is a significant value add and makes the price point here seem rather fair.

Loading the DaVinci IQ2

Getting the IQ2 packed and ready to use is quite simple. It’s just a matter of lifting the bottom cover held closed with a magnet, adjusting the pearl to the desired position by screwing it in and out, then fill the chamber with ground material. A medium grind works best here. If you use too fine of a grind, you may find some material makes its way through the flavor chamber (a removable portion of the vapor path that can be loaded with suitable aromatics and other materials) and into your mouthpiece, but this only occurs when using really dusty or overly dry and crumbly material.

Is the DaVinci IQ2 Well Built?

One area where the IQ2 really shines is in its build quality. It’s clear that DaVinci is taking a lot of care both in the materials they use and the end product. The design is sleek and modern, and the unusual display format works quite well in most lighting conditions.

The IQ2 feels dense in a satisfying way, making it pleasing when in hand, and the brushed housing helps detract from fingerprints. The whole device comes together quite well regarding both build quality and design. It projects a pleasant modern aesthetic while each part of the device fits together with precision and respectable tolerances. It’s clear a lot of effort has gone into producing a high-quality vaporizer here, and it definitely shows.

Can you use the DaVinci IQ2 with a Water Pipe?

The IQ2 comes with two separate mouthpieces, the preinstalled flat version and an extended version included with the device. The extended mouthpiece is raised, but it’s also suited to 10mm joints making it a suitable water pipe adapter. While 10mm bubblers aren’t the most common, they are easy enough to find, and should you have 14mm or 18mm glass you’d like to use, sourcing suitable adapters from DaVinci or vaporizer retailers isn’t difficult or overly expensive.

Performance when using the IQ2 with a water pipe is decent. Tweaking the airflow control enables you to pinpoint the amount of restriction that suits your preferences, which makes using this vaporizer with a water pipe significantly nicer than it would be otherwise. It’d be great to start seeing more airflow control on conduction vaporizers that tend to have quite restrictive airflow at times, and the IQ2 certainly shows the value of a feature like this one.

Optionally, a small portable bubbler is available directly from DaVinci called the Hydrotube. The Hydrotube has an interesting spill-resistant design and can really take the heat out of longer high temp hits. If you occasionally want to push the limits of your devices, consider picking one of these up. Admittedly, the Hydrotube is a little pricey at around $85 USD, so it’s not for everyone. Still, if you catch it on sale somewhere, it’s an excellent little addition to this vaporizer, as well as other devices in the DaVinci range, and it can also work with a few other things you may have lying around as well that have a 10mm joint.

Is the DaVinci IQ2 Portable?

The portability of the IQ2 is quite good. It’s only slightly too big to fit in the palm of the average hand, and its rather unassuming modern look makes it rather discrete as well. You should have no problem slipping this into your pocket, bag, or car and taking it on the move with you. So if you’re looking for something that can mesh nicely in your day-to-day, the IQ2 could absolutely be that.

Does the DaVinci IQ2 have Good Battery Life?

The IQ2 lasts around 1 hour of continuous use. Given the average session will only last a few minutes, you should get a decent amount of use before having to grab a charger. So for more casual users, this should be plenty of battery life to get through the day and shouldn’t be much of a concern.

Charging the IQ2 is done via Micro USB, which, while a little outdated, is much better than proprietary alternatives used by some vaporizers, so there’s not much to pick at there. However, probably the weakest part of the entire device is the charge time of around 6 hours. Fortunately, the IQ2 utilizes a swappable 18650 battery. As a result, it’s easy enough nor too cost prohibitive to pick up an extra battery and charger, so instead of waiting on a charge, you can just swap out the battery and get back to it immediately.

Is the DaVinci IQ2 Easy to Clean?

As the oven is quite deep, it can be challenging to reach all the way in there to clean. However, an alcohol swab and a pick tool or a q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol make this somewhat manageable; it’s just too tight a squeeze to use a finger or anything like that. The flavor chamber can also be fiddly to remove. While it’s easy enough to get the cap off it, removing it can be a little difficult at times, but if you struggle to get it out, the swab and pick tool approach should work there as well. The mouthpieces are relatively easy to clean, so there's not much of an issue there either.

In short, it’s not the easiest vaporizer to clean, but it’s certainly not terrible. Provided you don’t have dexterity issues, this shouldn’t be a concern.

Can the DaVinci IQ2 Produce Good Vapor?

The IQ2 is very much a vaporizer for those that prefer a slower extraction, and it’s very much more of a sipping-style vaporizer. However, the vapor produced is both cool and rather pleasant. The oven being at the opposite end of the device from the mouthpiece and the zirconia vapor path both result in the IQ2 producing decently cool vapor, even at moderately high temperatures.

If you prefer direct lung inhales, you’ll want to open the airflow control entirely and be careful when packing to ensure the chamber is full but not densely packed to allow for the lowest resistance. For those that prefer small sips, adjust the airflow control to one of the lower settings, and you should be good too. It’s fantastic the amount of flexibility such a simple feature adds here.

Is the DaVinci IQ2 Good for Microdosing

Two different types of dosing capsules are available for the IQ2, which makes it an appealing choice for those interested in microdosing. Firstly, a stainless steel dosing cap option with around 0.3g capacity, and secondly, a ceramic variant with a 0.2g capacity (a single one of these is included with the unit).

Additionally, DaVinci has created a very polished experience when pairing these dosing caps with the dosing capsule case and dosage grinder, which helps you grind and fill the caps simultaneously. While going this route will add additional cost, it’s not often you come across such a well-considered and executed system for microdosing and medical users looking to have a consistent routine. Alternatively, they also offer a few different types of spacers, so there’s something for everyone who wants to modify the stock experience a little more towards less usage and microdoses.

Furthermore, there is also a spherical adjustable spacer that sits in the bottom of the oven when closed, this is referred to as the pearl and this can also be adjusted to reduce oven capacity by around 50% with a few gentle turns. So even if you don’t want to pick up anything extra, you can still have a good amount of flexibility in tweaking your oven capacity for smaller sessions. The only downside with the pearl is it seems to be held in place with a threaded silicone stem, and if it’s not sitting just right, it doesn’t always slot smoothly into the oven, but this is easily corrected with a bit of adjustment.

Overall, the microdosing potential of the IQ2 is quite good, especially if you expand it with a few optional accessories while leveraging some of the data and customization provided by the app, as it can result in a really streamlined and rather impressive experience.

Can you use Concentrates with the DaVinci IQ2?

While the IQ2 is best used with dry herbs, it also has out-of-the-box support for concentrates, which is great to see. Using concentrates with the IQ2 involves using the included dosing capsule alongside the ceramic extract disc that is also included. A small amount of concentrate can be scraped onto the disc and then surrounded with dry herb or cotton to fill the rest of the space in the dosing capsule.

The experience when using concentrates with the IQ2 is quite gentle. Of course, you shouldn’t expect the same performance you would get from a dedicated concentrate vaporizer, but it certainly is a nice addition. It works relatively well as a dual-use device, provided you have realistic demands for what can be achieved using this vaporizer with concentrates.

Is the DaVinci IQ2 Good for Beginners?

For those looking to switch from slower forms of combustion, the transition here can be quite a good one. While the IQ2 isn’t a device that will produce aggressive and rapid extraction, it certainly can provide a thorough extraction over a few minutes that can be perfect for many beginners, both to vaping and to vaping specific kinds of material for the first time.

DaVinci IQ2 Pros

• Modern design and aesthetic
• Replaceable 18650 battery
• Haptic feedback
• Precision temperature control
• Airflow control

DaVinci IQ2 Cons

• Slow charge time (~6 hours)
• The Micro-USB connector is outdated
• Heat up to higher temps can be a little slow

Is the DaVinci IQ2 Worth Buying?

The IQ2 does many things well, despite a few small things that let it down (most notably the slow charge time). Nevertheless, it’s an excellent option when looking for a portable vaporizer for those who enjoy the more relaxed experience of vaping with conduction heating.

When you look more broadly at some of the optional add-ons for this device, such as the Dosage Grinder, Hydrotube, and even some of the features, such as the app support via Bluetooth and Smart Paths, it’s hard not to be impressed with the polished and well-rounded ecosystem that DaVinci has created, and the IQ2 is an excellent way to explore that for yourself.