The G Pen Elite Vaporizer is the newest release from Grenco Science, a US based online retailer that specializes in portable vaporizers. Grenco Science  is perhaps best known for its most famous collaborator: a well-versed cannabis connoisseur of many years, Snoop Dogg partnered with Grenco Science for some of their previous portable vaporizers. And while these previous models weren’t deemed as the best vaporizers on the market (and they were mostly rebrands of already existing vapes), the Elite surprised me in many ways. In this review I will elaborate on what led to this conclusion.

Looks

Upon receiving the G Pen Elite, I was struck by how futuristic it looked – its minimalistic design and all-black exterior made me think of something you might see in a sci-fi movie and once I held it in my hand, I knew that every aspect of the G Pen Elite was engineered to be enjoyed by a modern customer base.

Unlike other portable vaporizers on the market, like the PAX 2, the G Pen Elite was designed ergonomically, so it fits exactly into the palm of either hand, which makes it usable for right- and left-handed users alike. The silicone grip also ensures that the vaporizer lies securely in your hands even deep into a session.

Function

The G Pen Elite joins the existing dark and elegant ensemble of vaporizers as one of the most economical and user-friendly models when it comes to vaporizing ground materials. Not only does it boast an ergonomic design, it also includes a ceramic chamber that fits up to .75 grams of finely ground product, which is more than double the oven capacity of the PAX 2, which lies at .3 grams.

Before my first session with the G Pen Elite, I connected its USB port at the bottom with my phone’s USB charger. Usually, a USB cable already comes included, but using a different USB cable posed no problem at all and the G Pen Elite was fully loaded after two hours and usable for five to ten sessions.

What’s most interesting to me about this vaporizer is that it has a minimal vapor path – I just had to lift the silicone mouthpiece with my fingernail to expose the ceramic oven directly underneath. However, the smaller vapor path doesn’t necessarily mean that this vaporizer is easier to clean than others – quite the opposite, in fact. I’ve found the mouthpiece clogs up easily and the metal roster is difficult to clean even with the included brush.

However, despite those drawbacks, I consider the G Pen Elite an excellent portable vaporizer: it includes a full LED display that shows the vaporizer’s battery status as well as its temperature, which ranges from 93 °C to 220 °C or 200 ° F to 428 °F and can be controlled easily by clicking two buttons on the side.

The deep ceramic oven gives a clean taste similar to glass and even heats up coarsely ground herb that does not need to be fully packed for you to have a great session, either by yourself or with friends.

Another advantage the G Pen Elite holds over its competitors is its remarkably low price: at 169 € it can be considered a more affordable alternative to the PAX 2, which costs 259 €. On top of that, the G Pen Elite also offers a wider feature set than its more expensive competitor.