Focus V Carta Review – A summit higher than the Peak?
Editors Note: With the recent law changes in the states it can be harder to get your hands on wax devices. The Utillian 722 herb vaporizer provides hits that can rival wax devices and is still readily available to ship in the US.
If you would like to see how this electric dab rig stacks up against other popular units check out our Best Electric Dab Rigs & E-Nails article.
Review: Focus V Carta
How it Works
It can be a little tricky at first. Fill up the bubbler with a small amount of water first. You can either cold or hot load your concentrate material. To cold load, simply add a rice-grain-sized amount of concentrates into the dish. Fire up the device and choose your temperature setting.
To hot load, fire up the device and let it warm up before dropping in your material! Cover the chamber with the carb cap and inhale strongly for the best results.
Temperature Flexibility
As it stands, there are only four presets to choose from similar to the Utillian 5 (V3). However, this can be fixed using the smartphone app to create your own presets.
Without the app, were quite satisfied by the temperature settings as setting #1 has very wispy yet flavorful vapor, and setting #4 creates huge clouds at the cost of flavor.
The settings in between are where most users will play, we found ourselves leaning towards setting #3 most times.
With an app to control temperatures however, this evens the playing field and gives you all the versatility you could hope for.
Vapor Quality
The atomizers on the Carta do terrific work! It is able to handle a decent amount of wax at one time while chucking out the vapor. Draws are quite smooth thanks to the bubble and it does a considerably better job than the Peak at cooling down the hits, which is a good bonus.
We’ve covered other e-rigs that manage to vaporize both wax and dry herb, one of which can be found in our Dip E rig review. In comparison, the Carta does pretty mean dry herb hits as well when paired up with the Focus V Carta Dry Herb atomizer which is a nice alternative to have in case you ever get tired of vaping concentrates.
We wouldnt call the flavor quite as pure as an all-quartz banger setup, but it gets pretty darn close if you choose to use the quartz cup. If you are looking for clouds abound then you may want to stick with either the metal cup. All in all, we think the vapor quality is a step up from Puffco Peak.
Manufacturing Quality
The device itself feels good to use and we like the fact that the Carta features removable batteries similar to the Source Orb 4 Premium Kit. The Focus V Carta glass top is fairly standard and works well. Its reasonably thick and lends some confidence when using it.
Included in the box is the Carta itself, borosilicate carb cap, USB-C charger, 18350 batteries, wax chamber, carrying case, cleaning kit, and 1 each quartz and titanium bucket. This is pretty solid and mostly all youll need. We wouldve liked to see a carb cap tether included too.
Battery Life
The provided 18350s each hold 1200mAh. With a fully charged pair of cells, you can easily net 40-50 sessions. This is terrific, and the fact that the batteries are user-replaceable like the Source Orb 4 Signature Kit is a huge plus!
Not to mention the inclusion of modern USB-C charging makes the Carta easily the best e-cig for battery concerns. Once integrated batteries reach a certain charge/discharge cycle count, their life drops dramatically.
Portability
Its notably bigger than the Puffco Peak for sure. Much chunkier and bulkier, however, neither are really devices you want to ever carry around town. Thats a role reserved for wax pen vaporizers.
Its still small enough to be handheld without much issue, so consider it more of a home portable than anything. Users who want something more portable and pocketable usually tend to prefer Linx Blaze.
Ease of Use
It can be a little tricky at first unlike the other wax pens such as the Yocan Evolve Plus, especially if youre not used to using concentrates. You do have the option to cold load or hot load a dab. For sessions with friends, youre better off cold loading it unless they know how to operate a rig.
Cleaning is a crucial step that should never be left out when it comes to dab rigs. Some people are meticulous and clean after every day, but we find that a little unnecessary. Wed say every 3-4 hits or sessions is adequate, as long as youre not swamping the atomizers with globs of wax or burning at really high temperatures.
Discreetness
In all likelihood, youre probably not going to be using this in public. If you are, however, expect some strange looks, understandably. At home, it appears rather normal, though it will also probably raise a question or two. Users who are looking for a discreet unit usually prefer devices like the Linx Ares.
If you’re concerned about the odor in general and are wondering if vaping does leave a smell, we’ve compiled some data and opinions on the matter which should hopefully answer some of your questions. Feel free to check it out!
Overall Experience
The Focus V Carta is really gearing up to be the best e-rigs on the market! We wouldve loved to see the more common 18650 used instead of 18350s and built-in temperature control via OLED display, but were sure the next generation may bring an upgrade or two.
As it stands, the temperature control is good enough and you get even more control with the smartphone app. The hits can go from gigantic to wispy with great flavor. The build is nice and if you choose of the beautiful custom glass pieces for it, it can be a really stunning piece. You can grab your Focus V Carta from our shop today! And just in case you were wondering where to pick up replacement or spare Focus V Carta batteries, fret not because we’ve got them in stock as well!
If you like what Focus V has to offer but are looking for a unit that does both herb and wax check out their Tourist 2 in 1 vaporizer. If you’d like to compare the Carta against the Peak yourself, check out our Puffco Peak review or better yet, our comparison showdown on the Focus V Carta vs the Puffco Peak!
Still on the search for the best on-demand vaporizer on the market? We’ve compiled a shortlist of devices for you to check out!
If you have questions about our Focus V Carta review or just want to let us know what you think, feel free to drop us a comment below! Thanks for reading and as always, keep vapin