After purchasing my first Dynavap - the M 2021 - I was initially blown away by it because of the simplicity of the device and the great performance at an affordable price. With daily use, however, its few but significant drawbacks started becoming apparent. Having used an electronic vape - the XMAX Vital - for years before switching to Dynavap, I was used to the convenience that comes with electronic devices. I could use my Vital discreetly outdoors at the press of a button without carrying a butane torch around or worrying about drawing odd looks from strangers.
So, a few months after buying the M 2021, I also purchased a Storz & Bickel Crafty+ for the use cases that Dynavap wasn’t apt for. Soon, though, I observed that the fixed temperature of 410 °F made the device work well with dry herbs but not concentrates. Additionally, the battery life wasn’t large enough to survive an entire day of heavy use either. I considered getting a Mighty+ for the extended battery life, but it would still be locked at 410 °F. Enter the Airvape Legacy Pro.
When I started researching the Legacy Pro, I soon realized that this is exactly what I was looking for. The device can reach a maximum temperature of 464 °F and comes with a removable 3,200 mAh 18650 battery that lasts twice as long as the Crafty+. The device is as pocketable as the Crafty+, albeit slightly heavier. The best part is, unlike the other options that I had narrowed down to - Tinymight/Tinymight 2 - the Legacy Pro was less costly and easier to acquire. Here are my thoughts on the Airvape Legacy Pro after five months of use.
Unboxing
The Airvape Legacy Pro is marketed as a premium device. This can be felt even before you open the box as the packaging is classy and sturdy. The outer box (not pictured) is plain black and carries tasteful branding while the inner box has a trippy design and a magnetic lock.
Inside the box, you will find the device, a removable battery, a concentrate pad, a USB-C charging cable, some tools and extra screens. It is always appreciated when a company includes extras to make maintaining the device easier.
Style, Materials & Dimensions
The Legacy Pro is impressively compact and easily fits in my hand and pockets. The device is around 4.6” tall by 2” wide and weighs in at a hefty 232 gm. It feels quite dense and is noticeably heavier than the Crafty+ but is roughly the same weight as the Mighty+.
The body is made of ‘aerospace aluminium’ and has a black-and-gold colour combination. While I have the original black version of the Legacy Pro, Airvape has also released a ‘Steampunk’ version which has a brown and green colour combination.
The rounded corners give it an appealing look and good ergonomics, while the hemp-based fabric and vegan leather used on the body give it a truly premium feel. The device has a door with a hinge that swings open to reveal the inside.
On the inside of the device are the gold-plated heating chamber, a gold-plated micro-dosing disk, a stirring tool and another door that can be removed to access the battery and glass tube.
The Legacy Pro comes with a removable black ceramic mouthpiece which has a tapered shape and is comfortable to sip from.
Device Controls
Ease of use is the biggest factor that drives me towards electronic dry herb vaporizers. The Legacy Pro delivers in this aspect as it is quite simple to use. The device has only three buttons - a power button and up/down buttons to control the temperature. There is a small LCD screen which shows information related to the temperature and mode.
Pressing the power button thrice turns the device on and off while the up/down buttons control the temperature. Holding the up and down button together toggles between on-demand and session mode and the Legacy Pro goes into ‘wax mode’ when you increase the temperature above 427 °F.
The default session time is 3 minutes, which can be increased to 5 minutes or 10 minutes by holding the Power and Up buttons together. 3 minutes is usually enough for me to finish a small load at high temps.
Battery Life
Long battery life was another huge reason which made me consider buying the Legacy Pro and I was pleasantly surprised to experience that it lasts for 8-10 sessions at high temps; double the 3-4 sessions that I get from the Crafty+ which does not even reach the same temps.
The battery is swappable which means that it can easily be replaced on the go if you are carrying an extra battery. Having a removable battery also improves long-term durability as the entire unit does not need to be sent in or discarded if the battery stops working.
The battery is charged via a USB-C port and takes around 3 hours to reach a full charge. A neat feature of the Airvape Legacy Pro that I have seen in few other vapes is that it can also be charged wirelessly. The device is compatible with all Qi wireless chargers, including Apple’s MagSafe wireless charger which can charge the Legacy Pro in around 6 hours.
Device Performance
Fancy looks and features mean little if the device does not perform well. The Legacy Pro is the successor to the Airvape Legacy which was heavily panned for poor design decisions and combusting herbs easily. Due to this, I was sceptical of trusting Airvape as a brand and the Legacy Pro as a device but those concerns are now behind me.
The Legacy Pro is a hybrid device which means that it uses a combination of convection and conduction to extract from the herbs. It works best with a full bowl, though a half bowl also works just fine, especially if you adjust the micro-dosing disk. I found that heating can be uneven sometimes as the bowl is heated from bottom to top but the bowl can easily be stirred using the included stirring tool for even extraction. I also found that dosing caps help with even heating thereby negating the need to stir.
I have to give props to Airvape for taking the feedback of users seriously and making a number of improvements. Apart from some cosmetic differences, they have upgraded the heating mechanism so that combustion is no longer a problem. I have cranked up the heater to the maximum possible temperature of 464 °F numerous times and never combusted, even though you are not supposed to crank it all the way for dry herbs. When you set the temperature to 427 °F and above, the screen says ‘wax mode’, implying that the high temperature is more suitable for concentrates.
I have tried oil and hash in the Legacy Pro and they work perfectly well. I find that they work best if you skip the concentrate pad. Instead, you can put the concentrate at the bottom of the bowl and unscrew the micro-dosing to use it as a filler which provides conduction heating. The dosing caps also work well for hash.
The Legacy Pro features two modes - session and on-demand. In session mode, the heater is continuously on which leads to more conduction heating. In on-demand mode, the heater is only on when you hold the power button down, which leads to the bowl being heated mostly through convection heating and less through conduction. On-demand mode keeps the herbs in the bowl fresher for longer, allowing a single bowl to be consumed over a longer time instead of in a single session.
The Legacy Pro has a complicated air path which includes a metallic bowl, a glass tube and finally a ceramic mouthpiece. I find that this mutes the flavours compared to vapes in which the vapours pass through a single material. The cooling is adequate but I like to use the device with a bong using the water-piece adaptor accessory for bigger hits.
The draw resistance can be a bit tight at first with a full bowl but gets better as you continue taking hits.
Airvape Legacy Pro: Mighty-Killer?
The Legacy Pro is often touted as a ‘Mighty-killer’ because they are both high-end portables with similar features. However, they have their own strengths and weaknesses which makes me consider them complementary instead of competitors. Both have a similar level of convenience but the Mighty is slightly easier to use and maintain. It is also more durable as it has fewer and less-breakable parts. On the other hand, the Legacy Pro is more compact and powerful, and handles concentrates much better. I also think that the Legacy Pro has a cooler design than the Mighty but that is up to personal preference.
Vapour taste may also be subjective but I prefer the rich flavours put out by my Crafty even though it is often criticised for having a ‘plasticky’ taste. My guess is that the vapour passing through multiple materials in the Legacy Pro strips some of the flavours and the higher temps also deteriorate the taste.
Cleaning & Maintenance
I will make no bones about the fact that the Legacy Pro is a messy and dirty device, especially if you don’t use dosing caps. There are a lot of parts and screens, and they all collect resin or bits of herb, so keep iso and cotton buds handy.
Loading and unloading the bowl is a messy affair with herbs falling, spreading and sticking in places around the bowl and the micro-dosing disk. It looks worse than it is though because the stuck herbs can easily be cleaned using a brush and blowing some air.
The glass tube, metal screens and bowl can be cleaned using iso-dipped cotton buds. There are also some silicone pads which accumulate resin and need to be cleaned. The ceramic mouthpiece and its metal screen also need to be scrubbed to remove gunk.
Though you don’t need to clean it constantly, the Legacy Pro does require considerable maintenance if used without dosing caps.
Airvape Legacy Pro Price & Where to Buy in India
The Airvape Legacy Pro is not yet available in India at the time of writing this article. I was able to get it through a friend who was visiting from the US. Though it retails for $269 (approx. ₹22,000), I got it for $188 (approx. ₹15,500) using a limited-time discount code. Airvape has sales throughout the year, such as 4/20, Black Friday, Xmas and other occasions during which the device can be even cheaper. You can sign up for their newsletter to be updated about promotional offers.It is likely that Terpene Central and The Giggle Grass may stock it in the future after this article has been published, so check them out to see if they have the Airvape Legacy Pro.
Conclusion
The Airvape Legacy Pro became a top contender in the dry herb vaporiser market soon after its release because it packs a big punch in a small size. It delivers an impressive set of features and definitely feels like a premium device. There were moments when I felt that the Legacy Pro was an over-engineered Franken-vape that borrows ideas from a number of other devices but ultimately everything comes together quite well, so I can’t really complain.
Even though I will refrain from calling it a Mighty-killer, it’s easy to recommend to most people as it fits a variety of needs and use cases. If you are on the search for a well-designed, easy-to-use vape with a great battery life that can handle dry herbs as well as concentrates, you need to look no further than the Airvape Legacy Pro.
Would you like to know anything more about the Airvape Legacy Pro? Drop a comment below or DM me on Reddit and I will answer your question!
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Purchases made through links on the page may be eligible for an affiliate commission. Affiliate partners strictly do not have any editorial inputs.
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