It’s 2021, and by now you may have noticed that there are a whole slew of portable vaporizers and dab rigs on the market. There are so many, in fact, that it makes choosing the right one a difficult task. With prices ranging from $20 for a cheap vape pen to over $300 for a portable convection vaporizer, there is something on the market for virtually every budget.
The under $100 market is pretty crowded, with many more to choose from than in the high-end category. This makes finding a decent vape an overwhelming task. Many of the cheaper vapes and dab rigs offer sub-par performance that will leave you wanting more. They all can perform their duties of vaporizing your concentrates, but some just do it much better than others.
The Qomo Max
The Qomo Max from Inhalco is a newcomer in the sub $100 category, billing itself as a portable dab rig. Portable dab rigs typically offer a higher temperature range than vape pens, and can more efficiently vaporize your precious goods.
The Qomo is one of the smallest portable dab rigs that I have come across, and it does not look that impressive at first glance. Don’t let its small size fool you though, it offers high temperatures up to 662 degrees Fahrenheit (350 Celsius) to quickly combust your wax or shatter into a plume of tasty vapor.
How it works
This palm sized device has 3 preset temperature settings. You will find that this is pretty standard among inexpensive vapes, typically it costs a bit more to have full temperature control. The lower end of 536 F (280 C) provides pretty good flavor without being very harsh, producing a more stealth worthy vapor, while the higher setting will give you clouds a plenty.
The Qomo Max does have one downfall that is shared with any portable vaporizer or dab rig this size: a very short vapor path. The designers attempted to compensate for this by adding a small water-cooling bubbler to the unit.
Unfortunately, the amount of water that the percolator holds does not offer very much in terms of cooling. It is somewhat cooler than using a vape pen, but not nearly as good as something like a Puffco Peak.
Qomo Max Performance
After adding the miniscule amount of water to the percolator, I took a quick drag on an empty chamber just to see how the airflow worked. I quickly confirmed that you need to take a slow, steady pull versus a massive rip in order to get any value of from the water cooling.
I first chose to go with the highest temperature setting to see what this little guy could do. 3 quick clicks turned on the device, resulting in the percolator being illuminated by a hidden LED in the base – pretty cool looking. The LED colored correspond with the 3 different temperature settings: White for low, Green for medium, and Red for high.
Once you choose your temperature, you click the button once more to start the preheat process. This takes about 10 seconds and the LED blinks red during the process. During this time, the ceramic cup preheats to your chosen temperature.
After preheating, you add a small amount of concentrate, drop in the included carb cap, and slowly inhale. The session lasts about 20 seconds – plenty of time to finish as long as you don’t overload it.
Battery Life
The Qomo Max has a built in 1350mAh battery that is charged with the included micro-USB cable (wall outlet not included). The battery will fully charge from dead in approximately 2 hours and easily provides 12-15 sessions depending on your temperature choice. This is more than enough for to get the average user through a full day and even be able to share a few sessions with friends.
The Verdict
The Qomo Max is a pretty decent little device. The short vapor path and relatively small water-cooling chamber does not give you the smoothest or coolest of vapor, but it is not overly hot or harsh like most vape pens. Don’t expect this diminutive device to perform like a full-sized water-cooled dab rig and you will not really be disappointed.
The best feature of this device honestly is the size. It is very stealthy, completely fitting into the palm of most people, and on the low setting it doesn’t produce attention grabbing plumes of vapor. On the high setting it produces a pretty decent rip with a nice cloud, although a little on the harsher side as expected from something this tiny.
You do not have to add water to the percolator of you don’t want to. To be honest, the amount of water added does not really make that much of a difference as the volume (maybe ¼ tsp?) is pretty small. Most people probably won’t be able to really notice that much of a difference. Anything over a gentle pull on the glass will result in you drinking the water.
Final Thoughts
The Qomo Max, currently priced at $89.98, packs a pretty good punch in an extremely small package. While the water-cooling feature is pretty much useless, this unit still performs admirably for its size. The short vapor path does not allow for much in the area of cooling the vapor, but it is a little more agreeable than the standard dab pen.
The battery life is decent, more than enough to get you through the day, and it recharges relatively quickly. The included carb cap is actually a nice feature, as it allows for directional airflow to really make sure you get the most out of your concentrate. The replaceable ceramic bowl heats fast and pretty evenly and is easy to clean after a session.
If you are looking for a sub $100 portable electric dab rig, then the Qomo Max may be something you would want in your inventory. While not something I would use as my main rig, it is more than up to the task of being the “one for the road”.
Check out Inhalco for this and more offerings.
