Update: The Ascent is no longer sold. Davinci has released quite a few vaporizers since the release of the Ascent. Check out the articles below:
- Davinci Miqro-C Review – Small, Cheap, Effective $99
- Davinci IQ 2 Review – Full Featured + Custom Options $249
- Davinci IQC Review – Middle of the Road $199
The Davinci Ascent is a portable conduction vaporizer made by the vape company Davinci. The Ascent produces decent vapor quality, packs a huge bowl for long sessions, and features precise temp control. The best feature about the Ascent is the above-average battery life. I can get well over an hour of continuous average use but the downside being it takes nearly five hours to completely recharge from dead.
The Ascent can be used with both dry herbs and concentrates although the amount of cleaning involved with concentrates makes it almost not worth using for that purpose. It uses an OLED screen with plus and minus buttons that let you to set the precise temp you want giving you more control for different types of herbs which is nice.
Overall, this vaporizer has been out for quite a while now and some other top portable vapes have been released more recently. Read more below to find out if the Ascent is the best portable vaporizer for you.
Table of Contents
Size & Portability
The size of the Ascent is one of the features I really like about this unit. It’s about the same size as an iPhone 5 which makes it perfect to keep in your jeans or short pockets.
The glass stem stores securely back into the unit when you are not using it and the flip out bottom makes it fairly easy to load and unload while on the go.
The Ascent weighs roughly 190 grams.
Heating Element & Vapor Path
The Ascent uses a glass-lined ceramic heating element with precise temperature control up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. The average heat up time is around 50 seconds which is pretty standard for session vapes.
The company claims that the Ascent is a convection vaporizer but it’s definitely more conduction than convection. Air is pulled from the grill at the bottom of the unit which passes through four tiny holes in the bottom of the chamber. So it does have roughly one percent convection but the majority of your herbs are in contact with the bowl.
It uses an all-glass vapor path by using two internal glass sleeves that slide within each other. It’s not completely sealed but it does fit fairly snug. Both glass parts can be removed from the unit for easy cleaning.
Chamber Size & Packing Techniques
The chamber on the Ascent is huge! I’ve got a 45 plus minute session between two people starting out at around 375 and ending around 410 degrees Fahrenheit. We literally passed it back and forth for an entire episode of Mad Men. Now, this is fun and all but this isn’t very practical when it’s just one person or if you’re trying to conserve your herbs. I’ve found you can get about .3 grams of dry herbs which is quite a bit when you consider the Firefly holds .15 grams.
So what I and others on FC recommend is to pack the first half of the chamber with dry herbs and then put the oil canister over your herbs. This drops the chamber size in half and makes it a much more realistic session for one person. You can also pick up glass flowers that you can add to the bowl to take up space and increase heat distribution.
Battery Life & Charging Times
The Ascent battery life is actually very impressive and one of the best for portable vaporizers. It uses two non-removable lithium-ion batteries. The manufacturer states the unit gets 3 hours of continuous but after testing I’ve found this to be more around the 60-90 minute range which is still fantastic. The downside being is the Ascent can take upwards of 5 hours to fully recharge but this unit can be used while charging and Davinci does offer a car charger.
Accessories
The Ascent comes with some pretty great accessories to include 2 glass mouthpieces, 2 glass internal components, 2 glass oil jars, a carrying case, cleaning tool/poker, and your standard wall charger. You basically get a back-up of every piece which is nice for the oops moments.
Cleaning and Maintenance
The cleaning is about average for portable vaporizers. It’s less cleaning than the Pax but more than the Firefly. It also depends if you decide to use concentrates or oils because that will create an entirely new type of mess. If you use just dry herbs then you can get away with a quick cleaning every 4-6 sessions by just checking the holes in the glass stem above the chamber and wipe off any residue on the silicon around the chamber. A thorough cleaning is needed after about 12 sessions. Just remove all internal glass components and clean with ISO. I took a q-tip with ISO to the chamber and then wiped down all the silicon with ISO as well. It’s a fairly easy and quick process.
Warranty Information
The Davinci Ascent is warrantied for 2 years from date of purchase against defects in craftsmanship, electronics, heating chamber and structural integrity. The batteries are only warrantied for 90 days.
Davinci Ascent Review Summary
The Ascent is currently rated as my third highest-rated portable vaporizer overall, behind the Firefly and the Pax. I would even consider it on par with the Pax because of the extended battery life, but you can’t really beat the Pax’s discreetness. The Ascent is stylish, easy to use, and can be used effectively both on the go and at home.
