G Pen Elite II Review: The Best Way To Vape Dry Herb?

The G Pen brand is one that has just celebrated their tenth year anniversary, so they have been around for a while. Over the last 10 years, they have manufactured some of the best selling vaporizers around. With their focus on dry herb vaporizers along with concentrate vaporizers, the brand G Pen has become a household name. 

Today I will be reviewing the second edition of the Elite line, the G Pen Elite II. I’ll tell you everything that you need to know so that you can decide for yourself if you should add this device to your collection.

Box Contents

• 1 x G Pen Elite II Vaporizer
  1 x G Pen Elite II Silicone Sleeve
  1 X USB To USB-C Charging Cable
  1 X Hemp Travel Case
  1 X Pick Tool

Specifications

• Convection & Conduction Dual-Heater System
• Magnetic Zirconia Mouthpiece
• Draw-Activated Convection Boost Heating With LED Indicator
• Full Ceramic Heating Chamber
• Oven Holds Up To 0.5G of Dry Herb
• Full Color, High Resolution Display
• Rechargeable 2100mAh Battery
• Temperature Control Between 200°F-430°F (93-221°C)
• Haptic Feedback
• Clean Air Intake With Finger Carb Airflow Control

Design & Build Quality

The G Pen Elite II is a beautifully designed dry herb vaporizer. The look is very clean and classy and it comes in an all black design. I think a lot of people will like this because not everyone is looking to carry around a bright yellow or baby blue vaporizer with them. 

The Elite II is a little bigger then some of the dry herb vaporizers we have reviewed in the past, but it’s by no means overly large. It has a height of 116mm, a width of 27mm and it’s 30mm deep.  

The mouthpiece is a strange shape but it feels very comfortable to use. However, there is no way to adjust the orientation of the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece connects magnetically to the body so you won’t have to worry about it falling out. The magnet is very strong and you can feel its strength as you attach the mouthpiece to the body of the Elite II.

The Elite II comes with a zinc alloy body and it feels very solid. I feel like this is one of the best upgrades from the original Elite, which featured a heat resistant plastic body. Heat resistant or not, I feel much more comfortable vaping with the zinc alloy body on the Elite II.

The front panel of the Elite II is very simple with just a “G” logo at the bottom in a light grey colored font, along with a small LED that shows your battery level. 

On what I will refer to as the left panel, you will find the power button along with the two adjustment buttons. The buttons are a good size and are in an almost wing-like shape. It does take quite a bit of pressure to push the buttons so you won’t have to worry about the buttons being pressed accidentally while in your pocket or bag.

The back of the Elite II has the display screen and the airflow. The airflow intake holes are oddly placed because, with the way that I hold the device, my finger naturally rests over them. This isn’t a deal breaker by any means, but you have to be mindful of the airflow intake holes and remember not to cover them while you’re using the device. Below the airflow hole is a full-color, high resolution TFT display. The display screen is absolutely beautiful and the colors are stellar. It is also super crisp, clean and easy to read.

At the bottom of the Elite II is the USB-C charging port as well as the integrated stir stick. I really like that they have designed the device to house the stir stick, as the original Elite came with a keychain stir-stick which still worked, but it was easier to misplace. 

The heating chamber is made of ceramic and it will hold up to 0.5 grams of dry herb (the G Pen Elite II is not compatible with concentrates). It is also very easy to clean the oven as it has a simple design with no hard to reach places.

The Elite II comes with a built-in 2100mAh battery that will last up to 60 minutes of vaporizing time. It can reach a max temperature of 430°F, which is an upgrade from the max temperature of 420°F of the original Elite. 

The Elite II comes with a travel case that allows you to carry the Elite II, your charging cable, some dry herb, and even a small portable power bank for those heavy users that may be looking for more than 60 minutes of usage time. Also included in the case is a silicone sleeve that helps keep the device comfortable to hold, as the G Pen Elite II does get quite hot after being used for a good amount of time. I strongly suggest using the silicone sleeve for longer sessions, but it’s also great to use in general because it will hold the mouthpiece and act as a sort of hinge.

Portability

The Elite II is a little large and hefty. As a standalone device, you would have no issue with fitting it into a small bag. However, it’s a little too big for a pocket. If you are going to use the included travel case you will need a bigger bag or backpack. 

I suggest using the travel case as it makes it easy to carry along your dry herb, and if you want, a slim power bank for any needed recharges. The best thing is that the travel case has a foam cutout that will keep the device safe. It also comes with a strap so if you wanted to take the case without a bag, you could do that as well. 

Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece of the Elite II is very comfortable to use. The best thing about the mouthpiece is that it is made with zirconia which is heat resistant and I can tell you that it actually doesn’t get hot. This is most likely due to the fact that it has a spiral ceramic vapor cooler which means that the air is essentially spiraled as it is being drawn to the mouthpiece and this in turn allows it to cool down before it reaches your mouth. 

The mouthpiece is removable so you can access the heating chamber to fill with dry herb. The silicone case has been made to account for this and allows you to remove the mouthpiece without having to remove the silicone case. The mouthpiece connects to the body of the Elite II using magnets and, I will say, they have used a very strong magnet with this little guy. No need to worry about the mouthpiece falling off.

However, if you do lose the mouthpiece, G Pen does sell replacement mouthpieces. You can also purchase replacement mouthpieces if you are just looking to replace the one you have, or if you would like to have a backup. 

Chamber

As I stated before, the Elite II comes with a ceramic heating chamber that will hold up to 0.5 grams of dry herb. The shape of the chamber makes for easy cleaning. One thing I noticed was that the Elite II does not come with a cleaning brush like the original Elite, so you may want to order one of those to help keep the chamber clean between sessions. To clean the chamber, use an alcohol wipe or a cotton swab with alcohol, ensuring that there is no excess liquid dripping. You just want it to have enough to wipe the chamber, not flood it with alcohol. 

How To Use

The Elite II is super easy to use and that is one of my favorite things about this device — anyone can use it. It’s not too complex, even for a beginner, but it has enough features to keep more experienced users happy. Controls are straightforward as there are only three buttons on the device: one power button and two adjustment buttons. 

Button Combinations:

• Power On: Press and hold the power button for 4 seconds to turn the device on
• Power Off: Press and hold the power button for 2 seconds to turn the device off
  Settings Menu: Press the power button 5 times consecutively to access the settings menu.
• Begin Heating Cycle: Press the power button 2 times to begin the heating cycle. The device will heat up in 15 seconds or less depending on the temperature you have set. 

The settings menu allows for quite a few adjustments to cater to your preference. You can adjust the brightness of the display screen from “bright” to “dim”, switch between fahrenheit and celsius, turn the haptic feedback on or off, and change the session duration.

Performance & Vapor Quality

I was really impressed by the performance of the Elite II. It uses a combination of convection and conduction heating and it takes about 15 seconds to heat up to a full temperature of 430°F. The vapor quality is quite good and isn’t too hot, even at the hottest setting. This results in a very smooth and warm draw.

My herbs brown nicely and evenly thanks to the hybrid conduction and convection heating, and I didn’t find the need to stir the oven during a session. The heating on this device is really great and I found it to efficiently extract all of the goodness from my herbs. 

While drawing on the G Pen Elite II you can expect your herbs to brown evenly. This is because the Elite II comes with a feature called convection boost which increases the conduction portion of the heating for better draws and more evenly browned herbs. The LED will change to orange when you draw with convection boost turned on.

I found that the Elite II is able to offer a fulfilling draw while also maintaining the flavor of the flower. I didn’t find it to tone down the flavor, and draws are full and tasty. 

You can expect to get around an hour of usage with the Elite II, without needing to give it a recharge. I think this is perfect as I found myself using the device for shorter sessions, especially when I was in a time crunch. With the quick heat up and satisfying draws, I was able to get six sessions before having to recharge.

Airflow

The Elite II’s airflow can be found just above the LED screen. At first I thought that this was a strange position for the airflow, as I found my finger covers that area when I am holding the Elite II. However there is a reason that the airflow is placed there and coincidentally shaped in a manner that allows your finger to rest comfortably. Awesomely enough, the airflow on the Elite II can be used as a carb, like you would on a pipe. 

To use this feature, place your finger over the airflow to close it off and begin drawing on the device. This will allow the herb to cook in the bowl, then release your finger to get a larger draw. With this feature though, you do have to be careful not to accidentally cover the airflow, as your finger tends to rest there naturally.  

Battery Life & Charging 

The Elite II comes with a built in 2100mAh battery that will get you around an hour of usage time. The device can be charged in around 90 minutes and it comes with passthrough charging so you can use it while it is being charged. 

It has USB-C charging and you can use the travel case to bring your charging cable along with you. I mentioned earlier that there is even enough room in the travel case for you to bring a small power bank if you don’t have access to an outlet. 

Cleaning & Maintenance

When it comes to cleaning the Elite II, or any dry herb vaporizer, how often you should clean it will depend on how often you use it. If you are someone who uses your vaporizer a couple of times a week, you will not have to clean your device nearly as often as someone who uses it every day, all day. A given rule is to clean your device with a brush cleaner between sessions. When it comes to a more thorough clean, you should use alcohol wipes to clean the device as you see fit. Just remember, the G Pen Elite II, like all dry herb vaporizers, will perform best if it is cleaned correctly and routinely. 

Verdict

The Elite II is a gorgeous device that is also really easy to use. It has a zinc-alloy body which is very solid and should stand the test of time. It also has a heat resistant zirconia mouthpiece and a heating chamber that holds up to 0.5 grams of dry herb. 

The device can get rather hot as it heats up but it comes with a silicone sleeve that helps fix that. It heats up to a maximum temperature of 430°F in about 15 seconds. It comes with a 2100mAh battery that will give you up to an hour of usage and can be charged in about 90 minutes.

The Elite II comes with a super handy travel case that allows you to bring along your charging cable and dry herb. One of the greatest things about the case is that it has a foam cutout to keep your device safe while traveling. 

If you are looking for a dry herb vaporizer that can produce great flavor and a warm draw that isn’t too hot, I suggest picking up the G Pen Elite II.

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