Yocan Explore 2-in-1 Vaporizer Review – Magellan!

How it Works

For a vaporizer that can be used with both dry herbs and concentrates, the Explore is actually very easy to use. That’s because all you really have to change is the mouthpiece. It’s a little hard to explain, but the best analogy I can think of is that the chambers are like Russian nesting dolls.

If you’re just looking at the base unit, you’ll see the ceramic chamber for dry herb under where the mouthpiece goes. The chamber for concentrates is actually attached to one of the mouthpieces and just slides inside the chamber that’s built into the device. It’s a pretty interesting setup.

The mouthpiece for dry herbs has a stirring tool that sits down inside the chamber. This allows you to keep your material mixed without having to take the mouthpiece off, which makes it much easier to get even vaporization.

The screen is located along the side of the base. There are three buttons total, the main one and two for adjusting the temperature up and down. Turning it on or off is as simple as clicking the main button five times. To engage the heat, you just press and hold that same button for three seconds. It will heat continuously for about 5 minutes and then shut off.

Temperature Flexibility

The temperature flexibility may seem good, but there is a big problem with it too. The good part is the fact that you have full control to the individual degree. The range of 200F to 460F also more than captures all the temperatures you would want for vaping dry herb. Users that prefer a more streamlined approach to temperature settings tend to like the Zeus Arc GTS Hub with its 3 temperature settings.

The problem is that the range is not very good for vaping concentrates. And by not very good, I mean way too low. I’m saying this even though I’m a fan of vaping concentrates at lower temperatures. The top temperature of 460F will technically get the job done, but it will be slow and the vapor won’t be dense.

Vapor Quality

The vapor quality is average at best with all things considered. When you first open this, there are noticeable scents. I definitely recommend letting it go through at least 1 or 2 full five-minute cycles at 460F before using this.

In dry herb mode, it performs pretty good. Make sure you dry your herbs using a zeus temple de humidor box for your herbs for the best results.  The flavor starts decent but drops off pretty fast, even with the stirring tool. I’m not sure if its the plastic mouthpiece, but the flavor didn’t seem pure to me. In other words, it seemed like I was getting flavors that weren’t just from my herbs.

Like I said above, the temperatures are too low to get a great experience with concentrates. It will get the job done, but it is hard to get a satisfying draw, unlike the Utillian 722 with its convection vapor. Instead of 1 or 2 big draws, I had to take a bunch of draws with very thin and wispy vapor.

Manufacturing Quality

The manufacturing quality is also average. There are a lot of things I like about this, like the built-in stirring tool, but there are other areas where I wish they would have put more work into.

One big area that could have been improved is the internal airflow. There are vents on the side of the device for letting air in, but you can tell that air is coming from other places as well when you take a draw.

The easiest way to test this is to cover the airflow holes and inhale. The air still moves relatively freely in this. This raises concerns over what other materials you may be inhaling that the air could pick up on its way through the device. If you want a more robust airflow, consider checking out the Utillian 421, which features full airflow control.

Battery Life

The battery life for the Explore is good. It has an internal battery with a capacity of 2600mAh. In my experience, it will last for up to an hour and a half on a single charge whereas its competitor, Arizer Solo 2 lasts about 3 hours and even features precise temperature control.

Obviously the temperature you use will affect this. Maxing it out at 460F for concentrates will make the battery drain faster.

Portability

The portability of this is good. It’s small enough to fit inside a pocket easily or slip into a vaporizer case and it also seems pretty durable.

I imagine this could take a few bumps and falls and still work fine, although I didn’t actually test this.

The battery life is also good, as you should easily get 12-15 sessions or more from this on a full charge. However, if the size isn’t a concern users tend to prefer the Mighty Vaporizer by Storz & Bickel which has hybrid heating and 90 minutes of battery life.

Ease of Use

This is very easy to use. The button setup is simple, and there really isn’t much to remember. Like I mentioned above, it’s just 5 clicks to turn it on and then you click and hold the same button to engage the heat.

 the up and down buttons are used to adjust the temperature. Even if it doesn’t have preset temperatures and haptic feedback like the Flowermate Slick, it’s all very intuitive, and a complete beginner shouldn’t have any problems figuring out how to use Yocan Explore.

Discreetness

The thing that jumps out at me about the Explor when it comes to discretion is how similar it is to an AIO box mod.

If you aren’t familiar with e-cigs and vaping liquids, AIOs are just all-in-one devices (like the Flowermate V5 nano)  that happens to look almost identical to this, including the mouthpiece on top.

I could see this being an advantage if people weren’t sure what you were vaping. Other than that, the discreetness of this is average.

Overall Experience

Going back through this review, I notice that I repeatedly used a certain word to describe the Yocan Explore: average.

There’s nothing particularly exciting about it other than the ability to vape two different materials, but as I explained above, it really doesn’t do concentrates very well. In my opinion, you shouldn’t get this if you are looking for a device primarily for concentrates. This should only be used for concentrates occasionally or when in a pinch.

The biggest thing going in the Explore’s favor is the price. It does get the job done, although the airflow concerns I mentioned are something you may want to consider before buying it.

If you are looking for a more conventional starter vaporizer, the Utillian 420 retails for under $100, features a glass mouthpiece and digital display. And if you are looking at a more advanced vaporizer that features convection heating and does a much better job at also doing concentrates check out the Utillian 722.

If you have questions about our Yocan Explore Vaporizer 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’!