The G Pen Elite is a quality vaporizer with a number of cool features for dry herb vaping. Its a great choice for novice to advanced individuals who want something that's easy to use and move around with. And the long battery life, variety of temperatures and fact that it works like magic make it an attractive option for anyone who wants quality without breaking the bank. We've reviewed the G Pen Elite in full below but here's the quick answer:
Quick Answer:
The G Pen Elite features a ceramic bowl, holds between 0.2 and 0.5 grams of dry herb, hits well and heats up quickly. We don't love that the battery's not replaceable but its not a deal breaker. Overall this is a good dry herb vaporizer that won't break the bank.
G Pen ELITE Key Features
Quick heat up time ~ 30 seconds
Built for dry herb
Ceramic chamber
60 minute battery life
Large bowl fits up to 0.5 grams
Wide range of temperatures from 200-428 F
Super sleek design with temperature controls directly on the side of the unit
What's in The Kit
Rechargeable G Pen Elite Vaporizer for Ground Material
1 G Pen USB Charging Cable
1 G Pen Tool
1 G Card
G Pen Elite Discretion
The G Pen Elite is a discreet portable vaporizer. It’s not quite as small or as short as the Pax or DaVinci IQ but still small enough to fit in your hand easily (it's 4.5 inches tall). I found that I was able to cup it and almost entirely hide it in my hand (the top sticks out just a little but it's hardly noticeable).
The thinness of the Elite makes it easy to toss it in your pocket without any bulging and if you wanted to, you could probably fit two or three in there without being uncomfortable.
As far as the discretion goes when you're vaping outside, the Elite is coated in a black rubber that doesn’t reflect any light. It also has a simple one button design and it was pretty easy to unload and repack on the go.
G Pen ELITE Portability & Vaping Capabilities
The G Pen Elite is specifically built as a dry herb vaporizer. You can fit about 0.5 grams in the bowl when you’re packing it tight but as little as 0.2 can comfortably fit for personal sessions. It's super easy to hold the Elite in your hand when you’re vaping which makes it fun to use. And it has indents for your fingers so it's almost impossible to hold it wrong.
As for the portability, the battery life is great at about one hour and I was able to take it out for the day and use it without the battery dying on me. However, the battery can’t be removed or replaced so once it does die, you’ll have to charge it. I prefer replaceable batteries but this isn’t necessarily a deal breaker.
The draw resistance on the G Pen was about average when I packed it with a medium-fine grind. As you make the grind finer you’ll begin to notice more resistance so I kept it at medium-fine for the very most part.
I did test with different grind levels and found that no matter what consistency was used, the material was evenly vaped every time and you’ll usually get around 20-30 hits per full bowl.
G Pen ELITE Battery Type & Quality
The Elite uses a micro USB charger that you can plug into any charging block or computer with a USB port. Overall the battery life was good and didn’t have any problems with it dying on me.
- Battery Type: Lithium-ion
- Replaceable: No
- Charge Duration: 1 hour
- Charge Time: 2 hours
Vapor Quality
The Elite has good vapor quality for a small portable vaporizer for the very most part. I’m always tempted to compare it to vaporizers like the Mighty and Pax because they have such good vapor quality but both of those models are more than twice as much money - and you get what you pay for.
With that in mind, the vapor quality from the Elite was good - not great. However, it did get me higher than cloud 9 so I know it was working excellent. But you won’t exhale clouds from every rip unless you set it on high, take big draws and wait 20-30 seconds between each hit so it can fully heat up again.
When you set it on high, the mouthpiece and vapor start getting hot and harsh though. To keep this at bay I found the best temperature settings were between 365-375 F for the majority of the session. Then you can crank it up towards the end to get the last bit from your weed and get some better clouds.
As I mentioned before, the draw resistance was average and increases when you grind your herbs finer. It really wasn’t very noticeable and for the most part I thought the resistance was perfectly fine.
The flavor of the vapor is good but you’ll want to put the G Pen through a few burn off sessions. There were some manufacturing oils in the pen so I cranked it up a few times to burn everything off before putting any herbs in. The flavor was good after that. You can taste the florals well but as you get to higher temperatures you’ll see diminishing returns on taste.
Overall the vapor quality was good for this unit and it's one of the better G Pen’s on the market - especially for dry herb.
Build Quality
The Elite does have style when it comes to the look and build quality. It's sleek design makes it discreet so it doesn’t grab unwanted attention but when you want to show it off to your friends, they definitely notice. The unit has two little grooves on the edge for your fingers to rest in which is great because it's nearly impossible to drop it once you’re holding it.
The Front of the unit features an inlaid button which you press 5 times to get the unit started. It's nice because the one button makes it beyond simple for anyone to use and if you're familiar with other portable vaporizers, chances are that you already know how to use this one too.
The chamber is constructed from an ultra hard ceramic that fits lots of dry herb. Ceramic chambers are ideal because ceramic’s an inert substance that doesn’t add any flavor to your herb. Ceramic also has the added benefit of holding temperature longer and heating more evenly hence the even vaporization of the material after each session.
The one thing I don’t like about the build is the mouthpiece. The unit is designed to be so streamlined that the mouthpiece is hard to take off.
I found it's easiest if you push the mouthpiece forward first and then lift up from the edges. It's not a huge problem but it's slightly frustrating at times.
Beyond that, it features an LED display on the front that shows both the battery life and temperature settings. Today it's pretty standard to have the battery settings on portable vaporizers (at least anything that's semi-quality) but I won’t negate the importance.
There’s nothing worse than having your vaporizer die completely unexpected when you’re away from a charger. On the side there’s two buttons that adjust the temperature settings up and down. It heats up to within about 30 seconds so it's convenient and quick to get started if you’re in a hurry.
Overall I have to say the build quality is solid and feels like it can withstand the normal use and punishment that comes with keeping it in your pocket, traveling and normal daily use.
Temperature Settings
The temperature settings on the G Pen Elite are extremely easy to use. There’s two buttons on the side which control the temperature up and down. I found the temperatures between 365-375 to be ideal for most sessions. It keeps the heat of the vapor low, the vapor less harsh and the flavor at it's best - while maintaining decent clouds. You can crank it higher but the vapors harsher and doesn’t taste as good - but you’ll get bigger hits.
The range of temperatures on the Elite are form 200-428 F which gives you a wide variety of options but you’ll probably not use the lower temperatures. You can play with them and see what you think though because it's better to have and not need than need and not have right?
It does tend to get hot quick though. It only took about 30 seconds to get to 400 F when I tested and between 20-30 seconds for lower temperatures. Additionally, if you use Celsius you can switch the temperature to display these settings as well.
Overall the temperature settings are basic and efficient. They’re easy to control, it heats up fast, and it has a wide range to choose from.
How to use the G Pen Elite
The G Pen Elite is pretty simple to use with it's one button interface but if you’ve never used it before, it may be a little tricky. Here’s how to get started:
If you just got your new G Pen, fully charge it before using.
Press the front button five times to turn it on.
To change the temperature reading to Celsius, press the up arrow and front button at the same time. To change it to Fahrenheit, press the down arrow and front button at the same time.
After you choose a temperature, press and hold the power button for a moment. The G Pen will then heat up to temperature and in about 30 seconds you’re ready to start vaping.
Before loading your G Pen with herb, I suggest you run it through a few burn off sessions (crank up the heat to full blast). You want to burn off any oils that may have made it into the unit during the manufacturing process. Then you can load it with herb and experience the full flavor of your flower.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
The G Pen Elite is a good portable vaporizer for dry herb overall. Its moderately affordable at around $149.95 (at the time of this writing). The ceramic bowl, quick heat up time and even vaping of material get the job done every time.
It's also reliable and small enough to bring with you on day trips and the bowls big enough to share with friends. I don’t love that the batteries not replaceable and the vapor gets hot. But for a moderately cheap dry herb vaporizer, it's good.
Where to Buy The G Pen Elite
G Pen Elite $149.95
The G Pen Elite is a great vaporizer for anyone who wants a budget friendly dry herb vaporizer with premium features.
