Davinci IQ 2 Review and Guide

Background

The original IQ was released by DaVinci in 2016 and followed by a smaller version which is the Miqro in 2018. DaVinci IQ 2 was released in 2019 which retains most of the good features of the original and offers many improvements that make it still a viable choice as of now.

The DaVinci IQ 2 is a simple-to-use dry herb vape that features an adjustable airflow that makes it easier to inhale the vapor. It features a flavor chamber that you can use to put different kinds of herb for some interesting flavor notes. It has well-calibrated temp settings (smart path mode) and a precision mode which allows users to precisely set the temperature from 350-430°F. It has a Zirconia Pearl in the oven that reflects the heat for evenly vaped herbs and can now be adjusted to reduce the bowl size.

What’s In The Box

Aside from the IQ 2 vaporizer and USB charging cable it contains:

• Dosage Pad – This is a little canister that can be used with dry herbs. It fits 0.2g of dry herbs instead of 0.5g that fits into the oven. This is an effective oven reducer if you don’t want to twist the Zirconia Pearl that much.
• Ceramic Extract Disc – This can be inserted into the Dosage Pad so that you can put concentrate. As always, I don’t recommend using concentrates in your dry herb vape since over time, residues will build up and everything will become sticky. You should use a concentrate pen for your extracts and use this vape only for dry herbs.
• Extended mouthpiece – aside from the flat mouthpiece that’s already equipped in the device, the IQ 2 has an extended mouthpiece that can also be a 10mm adapter for various accessories.
• Cleaning Tools (Alcohol wipes, cotton pads)
• Extra Pick Tool

Optional Accessories

There are optional accessories which you can purchase on their website:

• Multi-Tool – This multi-tool contains a brush that can be used to clean the oven and flavor chamber after a session. It also features a dosage pad loader and a pick tool for pulling the flavor chamber.
• External Charger – There is also an optional external charger for the removable 18650 battery, which halves the charge time of the included micro USB cable.
• Spacers – There are optional 10mm and 6mm glass or zirconia spacers available for the IQ 2. They are inserted into the chamber to reduce the capacity of the oven.
• Carrying Case – This is a smell-proof case that can hold your IQ 2, charging cable, extra batteries & accessories in place.

What’s New?

The IQ 2 keeps the same basic shape and weight as the original and still features the unique fifty-one LED light display on the front. This is a quick summary of the upgrades of the latest IQ:

• The IQ 2 is slightly shinier and slicker than before since it’s now made from brushed aluminum rather than sandblasted aluminum.
• There’s now an adjustable airflow feature at the bottom of the device. This is a common feature in vape pens, but the IQ 2 is one of the only—if not the only—dry herb vaporizers to have this feature.
• The original IQ had a zirconia pearl in its oven that helped with heat distribution so that the herb was always evenly vaped. The IQ 2 still has that feature but it feels firmer than the one in the original and it can be extended to serve as a way of effectively reducing the oven size without the need for one of the optional glass spacers.

Design & Features

The IQ 2 has a thick brushed aluminum body that feels smooth and looks durable. It has curved edges that feel comfortable to hold, and it measures at 3.6″ tall and 1.7″ wide that makes it easy to conceal with my hand or put it in any pocket/purse.

It has a power button and temperature dial on the side and features the same unique LED Display in the middle like the original IQ. It displays the temperature levels and battery life as well as some various settings that we’ll discuss further in the review.

The top and bottom part of the IQ 2 can be opened with a latch mechanism to expose the internal parts of the IQ. The bottom part is where the oven rests while the top latch is where the mouthpiece, battery, and flavor chamber is located. 

Mouthpieces

The IQ 2 has a flat mouthpiece located on the top latch and comes with an extended mouthpiece in the box. Both mouthpieces are from Zirconia which has similar properties to Ceramic. I liked using the extended mouthpiece since it feels more natural and the longer airpath cools down the vapor. The extended mouthpiece can also be used as a 10mm adapter for various accessories or a water filtration system (water bubbler).

On the other hand, the flat mouthpiece can be uncomfortable to use since you need to place your lips directly on the device. Your lips might get burned since the device might get hot for extended use. 

Flavor Chamber

The Flavor Chamber (aka vapor path) is also made of Zirconia which means that it doesn’t affect the purity of the vapor while it cools down the vapor as it goes up to the mouthpiece. It sits under the top lid and can be pulled out with a pick tool that’s tucked next to it.

The Flavor Chamber can be used as an extra bowl that can be useful whenever you want to take a quick session. Also, you can put a mixture of herbs such as sage, lavender, rosemary, or whichever herbs that you think might improve the flavor of the vapor.

Battery

The IQ 2 features a replaceable 18650 battery that’s located underneath a ‘hatch’ just beside the flavor chamber. It could last for an hour of continuous vaping which is pretty nice since you can have 6-8 sessions before needing it to recharge again.

However, the thing is it needs to charge for 6 hours when using the proprietary micro-USB charger. This can be easily solved if you buy an external charger which can reduce the charge time to 3 hours. A good technique is buying extra 18650 batteries so that whenever your battery goes dead in the middle of a session, you can pop it out and put in a fully charged battery.

Heating Oven

The bottom latch is designed for the heating oven, it has a funnel-shaped sink that makes it easy to load the herbs. The IQ 2 has a ceramic heating oven that can hold up to 0.5g of herbs. It uses a conduction heating method which means the herbs are directly heated inside the oven.

As you can see, the previous IQ had a Zirconia Pearl in its oven that helped with heat distribution so that the herbs were always efficiently vaped. The IQ 2 still has this feature and it can now be twisted so that the oven size will be reduced for microdosing.

However, one thing that I noticed is that when you twist it too much, the latch doesn’t close smoothly. Another thing is if you adjust the oven size often, the Zirconia Pearl might get worn-out in the long run. So as much as possible, leave it in the default position and don’t mess around with it.

Airflow Dial

The bottom latch of the IQ 2 has a dial that has four levels of airflow which allows users to customize their airflow and draw resistance. It has four levels of airflow that will increase/decrease the amount of air that can pass through as you inhale from the mouthpiece.

If you increase the airflow, it will cause the air to pass through the oven faster which resulted in a cooler and less dense vapor. While reducing the airflow will result in a warmer and intense vapor. In my opinion, this is probably the best feature of the DaVinci IQ 2 since users will have zero problems with finding the vaping profile that suits them.

How To Use

Before using the DaVinci IQ 2 make sure you fully charge the battery. To use it you need to:

1. Open the bottom lid.
2. Slide the dried herbs into the oven.
3. Close the bottom lid.
4. Click the power button 5 times to unlock the device.
5. Use the Up/Down button to choose from the preset temperature.
6. Inhale from the device after the device vibrates.

Temperature Modes

There are two modes that you can set the temperature of the IQ 2:

• Smart Path: The Smart Path is on default and when on smart path mode, the IQ will gradually increase the temperature over an Eight minutes session. There are 4 smart path modes- 
  • Mode 1: starts at 350°F and increases to 370°F
  • Mode 2: starts at 370°F and increases to 390°F
  • Mode 3: starts at 390°F and increases to 410°F
  • Mode 4: starts at 410°F and increases to 430°F

• Precision Mode: You can precisely set the temperature between 350-430°F. This can be activated by pushing the power button once and when the temp is displayed, you can adjust it by pressing the up or down button.

Other Functions

These are the additional functions that you can toggle to your DaVinci IQ 2:

• Boost Mode: If you press and hold the power button it will boost to the maximum temperature of 430°F which is indicated by an arrow on the LED Display. During this function, the power button will turn red and if you want to return to the previous temperature, press the Up/Down button.
• Standby Mode: If you release the control button while in boost mode, it will enter in ‘standby mode’ that will cool the device and conserve herb and battery life. After two minutes, the IQ 2 will automatically turn off.
• °F | °C Toggle: If you want to toggle between Fahrenheit and Celcius click all three buttons at once.
• Stealth Mode: If you want to dim the LED display completely, press the control and down button at once. If you want to adjust the LED display to full brightness, click the control and up buttons.
• Battery Life: To check the battery life, press the up and down at once. Also, if the device will vibrate when there is a 10% battery life remaining.
• Factory Reset: Turn off the device and press all three buttons together for ten seconds. The IQ 2 will vibrate and reset to factory settings.

Cleaning and Maintenance

DaVinci IQ 2 has more parts than some standard vapes which make it harder to clean and maintain. To clean it you need to:

1. Remove the mouthpiece, the flavor chamber, and the pearl from the device.
2. Soak it in a small dish that’s filled with isopropyl alcohol for 15 minutes.
3. Clean the flavor chamber compartment by using a q-tip dipped in alcohol. Give it a few twists and turns to wipe out any residue.
4. To clean the oven, take another q-tip dipped in alcohol and wipe all around the bottom and sides of the chamber.
5. Once the mouthpiece and other pieces are done drying, put them back together and run a burnoff. To run a burnoff, activate boost mode by holding the power button. Do this until you don’t smell any alcohol and you’re good to go.

Tips For Using DaVinci IQ 2

For best results you can follow these tips & tricks for dry herb vapes:

• Grind Your Herbs – Using a good-quality grinder like the SLX Grinder V2.5 will break down the herbs to the right consistency so that the herbs are vaped efficiently.
• Empty Your Oven After A Session – You should empty your cashed herbs in the oven after a session since it will be harder to remove if you leave it for a long time. To empty your oven, push out the herbs with the pick tool and use a cleaning brush (sold separately) to brush off any residue.
• Find The Perfect Inhaling Technique – Use the airflow dial to adjust to comfortable draw resistance. You can either take deep slow inhales or quick sips until you find the comfortable draw technique. 

Performance & Vapor Quality

The Davinci IQ 2 can store up to 0.5g of herbs and heat up to the preferred temperature in around 30-40 seconds. It has a funnel-shaped sink which makes it easy to load the herbs into the oven. As for me, I load 0.3g of herbs and adjust the airflow dial into the middle setting so that I can inhale the vapor easily.

I got 5-7 good hits before the flavor of the herbs started to fade. The AVB is brown and crispy which means the herbs were extracted efficiently. The issue here is the device might get a little hot when you’re using it for a while.

Yes, the device might get hot and can be uncomfortable to use but the vapor isn’t that harsh. I assume it’s because most parts of the DaVinci IQ 2 are made of Zirconia. This material has a high resistance to heat that keeps the vapor cool as much as possible.

As for the vapor quality, this is probably the best you can get for a $295 vape. It produces clean, potent, and flavorful vapor, especially on lower heat settings. I got the best result when using the second or third smart path mode or at around 390°F on precision mode, since the vapor is dense while I could taste the premium flavor of the herbs.

Bottom Line

After using the DaVinci IQ 2 for a year, I must say this is a highly portable vaporizer that I can bring whenever I want to take a hike or travel out of town. The battery life is pretty decent and the option to take extra batteries for longer sessions is convenient. Buying an external charger is a must since I can’t stand the long 6 hours of charging.

The vapor it produces is among the best that can compete against bigger vapes like Crafty+ or Mighty. The precise temp control and adjustable airflow feature make it easy for vapers to find the perfect customization to inhale the vapor whichever they want.

However, the downside of DaVinci IQ 2 is it’s hard to clean and maintain since it has more internal parts than standard dry herb vapes. Another thing is it’s small, it gets hot when using for an extended period because there’s no way for the heat to disperse properly.

So as long as you don’t mind bringing some accessories (extra batteries, external charger, etc) and cleaning this vaporizer often, this is an appealing choice. But if you want an advanced vaporizer that requires little to no maintenance at all, I recommend the Zeus Arc GT or the two vapes I’ve mentioned above.