The DaVinci IQC is a weed vape that does everything right

I’ve long been a fan of DaVinci’s marijuana vapes: they’re lovingly crafted, constructed with premium materials, and deliver a fantastic smoking experience. This trend hasn’t changed with the just-launched DaVinci IQC.

Over the past two weeks or so of testing, it has become my portable weed vape of choice. And, in this DaVinci IQC review, we’re going to find out exactly why that is.

First though, let’s talk about DaVinci.

Who is DaVinci?

Nope, nothing to do with Leonardo — DaVinci is a company that makes some of the most popular marijuana vaporizers on the market.

Are DaVinci’s weed vapes good?

Yep. The company’s flagship device was the IQ, a product I was a big fan of. Since then, it’s released the IQ2, its successor, and the MIQRO, a smaller version of the weed vape.

So what is the Davinci IQC?

Shockingly, it’s the latest weed vape from DaVinci.

The IQC has an interesting place in the company’s product line though. Rather than being a sequel to the IQ2, a DaVinci spokesperson told me that it’s “a new and improved version of the IQ.”

In other words, its aim is to be a high quality entry-level vape, rather than an experimental or flagship device with crazy new features. This is also why it’s retailing for $230, rather than the $295 of the IQ2.

How does the DaVinci IQC work?

Almost exactly like DaVinci’s other marijuana vaporizers. There’s a full breakdown of that here, but we’ll sum it up again quickly.

At the base of the device is a glass-lined ceramic conduction oven. Here’s where your dried bud goes. There’s a mouthpiece on the top of the device that you pull on to access the vapor.

The LED lights on the front display either a specific temperature you can set using the side buttons, or “smart paths,” which are effectively pre-set temperatures if you don’t want to get that granular.

This ability to customize precise temperatures on the device been one of my favorite aspects of DaVinci vapes. While the LEDs on the front can be a little hard to see in daylight, I love being able to control my high setting specific temperatures without the need for an app.

It really makes the IQC and other DaVinci models truly independent, bud-blazing machines.

What’s new with the IQC?

Now we’re getting into the meat of what makes the DaVinci IQC a good buy.

Probably the most important aspect of the new vape is all about battery and charging. Because of the introduction of USB-C, the IQC can now be fully charged in about two hours. To put that in perspective, the IQ2 could take up to six hours to be filled with juice.

The 18,650mAh capacity battery is still replaceable, which is good for two reasons. The first is you can keep a spare one to keep sessions going. The second is that your device has a longer life, because it’s not chained to an internal, irreplaceable battery.

Eventually, the battery in my IQ2 began acting up and it’s comforting knowing that while this could brick other vapes, it’s merely an inconvenience with the DaVinci range — and easily solvable.

While we’re talking about batteries, I found I could get around eight sessions per charge with the ICQ — which is a solid hit rate. Still, this is bound to drop over time.

What other stuff is fresh with the IQC?

Here’s a big one: the magnets securing the top and bottom of the device are stronger. I had an issue with these sometimes creaking open, and that isn’t the case with the IQC now.

What’s the difference between the DaVinci ICQ and IQ2?

The biggest difference is the removal of airflow dial from the IQC.

This is a bit of a shame, as I thoroughly enjoyed the vaping experience with some airflow. When I asked Davinci about why they didn’t include this, a spokesperson told me they “received feedback” that many people “enjoyed the simplicity” of the IQ.

In other words, DaVinci saw a public hunger for a simple vape.

It makes sense that’d you’d remove something that’s “nice-to-have” like the airflow dial — especially when I’ve read other reports online of it not being wholly reliable.

Aside from this, the IQC and IQ2 are very similar. They’re about the same size and weight — both will fit comfortably in your palm and are in the region of 150g. They also share a design.

The batteries in both are identical — but the IQC is a good $65 cheaper.

What’s the vapor quality of the DaVinci IQC like? How does it smoke?

Like a dream. The vapor clouds are full of flavor and taste fresh. You can discern the details of the different dry herbs you’re vaping. The whole experience is damn impressive, especially for a device this compact.

Is the DaVinci IQC worth it?

I truly believe the DaVinci IQC is one of the best portable vapes on the market — especially for the price.

If I had a criticism of the IQ2, it was the company tried to fit too many new features into the vape without truly testing out how they hold up long term. The IQC is the opposite.

Here, DaVinci has streamlined the device, focused on ironing out a range of small issues in order to produce a weed vape that thrives in everyday conditions. There are no bells-or-whistles, but there don’t need to be.

The IQC is a gorgeously simple weed vape that does almost everything right. It’s close to a perfect balance of price and performance — and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to switch up their smoking.