PAX · 1321 Venice
Three devices, and they are not a good, better, best ladder. They are three answers to three different complaints.
Most comparisons of this lineup line the three up by price and imply the expensive one wins. That is not how these work. The Mini 2 is the cheapest and it is the fastest. The Four is in the middle and it has the biggest battery of the three. The Flow is the most expensive and it is the only one that is easy to clean. Pick by which of those you actually care about.
PAX Four vs Flow vs Mini 2: the short answer
Mini 2 if you hate waiting. Twenty two seconds from cold, and it is genuinely pocket sized in a way the other two are not.
Four if you hate charging. A 2800mAh cell, the biggest in the lineup, in something that still fits a jacket pocket.
Flow if you hate cleaning, or if the draw on your current vape annoys you. The oven loads from the side and the whole airpath comes apart.
PAX Mini 2 the quick one
The Mini 2 is built around one idea, which is that you should not have to plan ahead to use it. Twenty two seconds means it is ready before you have finished thinking about it, and at 3.6 inches it disappears in a pocket. Conduction heating rather than hybrid, four temperatures, haptic feedback so you know where you are without looking.
The detail people miss is the two lids. A full pack holds 0.5g and a half pack holds 0.25g, so a small session does not leave material rattling around a half empty oven going stale. That is a better solution to the small-session problem than any of the temperature settings are.
No app. Depending on who you are that is either a dealbreaker or the entire appeal.
PAX Four the endurance one
The Four is for people whose actual complaint about portables is the charger. 2800mAh is substantially more than anything else PAX makes, and hybrid heating, conduction and convection together, pulls noticeably more out of a bowl than the older conduction-only PAX devices did.
The interface leans on motion, which sounds like a gimmick and is not. Shake it to check the battery, shake to change heat mode, and haptics tell you it is ready. You end up using it without looking at it, which is the point.
The honest tradeoff: heat up is 55 to 70 seconds. That is the slowest of the three by a distance. If waiting is the thing that irritates you, this is the wrong one and the Mini 2 is the right one.
PAX Flow the redesign
The Flow is PAX's first full redesign since the original in 2012, and it fixes the two things people have complained about for a decade.
The oven loads from the side, so you pack it like a pipe rather than flipping the device and fighting a lid on the bottom. And the airpath is fully open with a mouthpiece that pulls off, which turns cleaning from a cotton swab archaeology dig into a two minute job. Anyone who has owned an older PAX knows exactly why that matters.
The third change is airflow. The draw is several times easier than previous models, so you are not working for the hit. Hybrid heating with real time temperature control that adjusts as you pull, four petal modes tuned to different sessions rather than just being four numbers.
Bong Mode, which nobody tells you about
The Flow has a hidden fifth setting. It sits above the four petal modes at 225 Celsius, and you unlock it by cycling through the settings twice until the petals go rainbow. It is the hottest and fastest the device gets, and it is built for running the Flow through a water pipe adapter.
Worth knowing before you buy the Flow expecting it: the water pipe adapter is a separate purchase, not in the box.
Side by side
| Mini 2 | Four | Flow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat up | 22 seconds | 55 to 70 seconds | About 35 seconds |
| Battery | 1500mAh | 2800mAh | 2000mAh |
| Heating | Conduction | Hybrid | Hybrid, real time control |
| Temps | 180 to 215C, four | 190 to 220C, four | 180 to 225C, four plus hidden |
| Oven | 0.25g or 0.5g by lid | 0.3g | 0.3g, side loading |
| Airpath | Standard | Standard | Fully removable |
| Size | 3.6" long | 4.2" long, 125g | 107mm long |
| Best at | Speed and pocket size | Battery life | Cleaning and airflow |
Which one to pick
- You use it in short bursts through the day. Mini 2. Twenty two seconds is the whole argument.
- You are away from a charger a lot. Four. Nothing else in the lineup comes close on battery.
- You have owned a PAX before and hated cleaning it. Flow, without hesitation.
- Restrictive draw is what bothers you. Flow. The airflow change is the biggest single difference between it and the older devices.
- You want to run it through a water pipe. Flow, for Bong Mode, plus an adapter bought separately.
- Small sessions, solo. Mini 2 with the half pack lid.
- You want it to be simple and do nothing clever. Mini 2. No app, no connectivity.
The accessories that do not fit
This catches people out, so it is worth being explicit. The rounded multi-tool and the USB mini charger are made for the PAX Mini, Plus, 2 and 3. They are not for the Four or the Flow, which charge over USB-C directly and ship with their own multi-tool in the box.
The multi-tool is worth having if you run a Mini. A generic dab pick is straight and a PAX oven is curved, which is how ovens get scored, and a scratched oven holds residue in the gouges permanently. This one is shaped to the wall.
Warranty, because it is unusual
PAX handles warranty claims directly rather than through retailers. That is not us passing you off, it is simply how they run it, and it means you keep your order confirmation and go to PAX if something fails. If you bought from us and need a hand starting a claim, get in touch and we will help you do it.
Come and hold them
All three are on the floor at 1321 Venice Blvd. Weight and size in the hand decide this purchase far more often than a spec sheet does, and the Four at 125 grams feels different to the Mini 2 in a way no photograph conveys. Open every day from 11AM until midnight, free local pickup, and everything ships.
Cross shopping outside the brand? The flower vaporizers collection puts these next to the Storz & Bickel line, and our write up of the German ones covers that side. If you are not sure whether you want flower or concentrates at all, start at flower vs concentrate vaporizers.
Questions people ask
PAX Four or PAX Flow?
The Four has the bigger battery, 2800mAh against 2000mAh, so it lasts longer between charges. The Flow heats faster, draws far more easily, loads from the side and comes apart for cleaning. If battery life is your priority take the Four. If cleaning or a restrictive draw is what annoys you, take the Flow.
Which PAX heats up fastest?
The Mini 2, at 22 seconds. The Flow is about 35 seconds and the Four is 55 to 70 seconds. If you use a vaporizer in short bursts rather than long sessions, that difference matters more than any other spec.
What is Bong Mode on the PAX Flow?
A hidden fifth heat setting at 225 Celsius, above the four petal modes. You unlock it by cycling through the settings twice until the petals go rainbow. It is the hottest and fastest the Flow gets and it is designed for running the device through a water pipe adapter, which is sold separately.
Does the PAX multi-tool fit the Four or the Flow?
No. The rounded multi-tool and the USB mini charger are for the PAX Mini, Plus, 2 and 3. The Four and the Flow charge over USB-C directly and each ship with their own multi-tool in the box.
Which PAX has the best battery life?
The Four, at 2800mAh. That is meaningfully more than the Flow at 2000mAh or the Mini 2 at 1500mAh, and it is the main reason to choose it.
Can I try a PAX in person in Los Angeles?
Yes. All three are on the floor at 1321, 1321 Venice Blvd in Venice, CA, open every day from 11AM to midnight. Size and weight in the hand decide this more often than specs do. Free local pickup on anything ordered online.