Every February, we make a pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the CHAMPS tradeshow. It’s a great chance for us to spend hands-on time with new and upcoming products from some of our favorite brands. With so much to see, we wanted to share some of the latest and greatest products from the world of vaporization, as well as some general trends we spotted while spending time on the show floor.
DynaVap induction heater
DynaVap’s first year at CHAMPS was eventful. DynaVap founder George Breiwa brought the new induction heater, which is still mid-testing and development. This waterproof container fits perfectly in a cupholder and is powered by three 18650 batteries. Simply drop your VapCap into the heating end, and wait for the click -- no torch needed. They also brought a variety of one-off and sample VapCap bodies and mouthpieces, built from exotic materials and colorful wood. We hope some of these beautiful, unique options will make it to market during the year.
Related: Ultimate DynaVap Buyer's Guide
(photo by Storz & Bickel)
Storz & Bickel
Having just updated the Mighty with 20% better battery life, Storz & Bickel didn’t bring a whole lot else to the show this year. Instead, they brought a new accessory meant for filling 40 dosing capsules at once, with a scale for weighing out doses, a tray for filling them quickly and consistently, and a plunger for applying lids. It’s targeted directly at medical patients, so you can properly measure equal doses. Since the capsules work with all of the Storz & Bickel products, you can load up as many as you need and take them on the go, or stay at home.
Related: Mighty 2018 Update
Boundless bunch
Boundless always brings plenty of new products to show off, and this year was no exception. The team showed us four new vapes, including three portables, and a desktop vape with a built-in Bluetooth speaker. With so many new products on offer, we decided to break out the latest Boundless announcement into their own post.
Related: Boundless Rolls Out Four New Vapes at CHAMPS Las Vegas 2018
Ghost MV1
We also had a chance to sit down with the team behind the elusive and flashy Ghost MV1 vaporizer. They’ve been hard at work addressing some of the issues with the first wave of units, and have made promising progress towards a refined, wider release. We spent a few minutes testing out some of the changes and found a flavor-forward vape with a lot of customization options, but a slightly cumbersome user interface. Thankfully, it has an excellent connected app, and promises of new features and updates to come.
Haze Square
It can be tough to stand out at a densely-packed show like CHAMPS, and the Haze Square does so with a feature that’s more than a gimmick. The Square has four separate bowls, with a special rotating side piece that lets you quickly swap to another bowl when yours runs out. It’s an appealing feature to anyone who wants to head out without carrying extra pieces or likes to switch back and forth between different herbs. It’s also one of the only vapes on the market right now that boasts USB Type-C charging. Expect to see the Haze Square vaporizer on shelves by the first week of April.
Electronic nails
Outside of herbal vapes, we’ve seen a number of new products for home concentrate and extract use. The Hyer by Vapium clamps onto the bottom of your existing glass, converting your classic rig into a battery-operated nail. If you’re looking for something all-in-one, the Dr Dabber Switch might be a better option, with included hefty glass, and a quick-heating induction nail that stays cool to the touch. The extra sleek Puffco Peak packs a lot of smart technology into a compact package with a glass top, and it really roars.
So long desktops, hello cordless
Corded, desktop vapes are notably absent from this year’s show. Battery life and power management are easier than ever, which has led to a new category of medium-sized, battery-powered vapes like the Boundless Tera and Ghost MV1. They won’t easily fit in your pocket, but they’re happy to move from couch to desk and back again. At this point, it’s unclear if we’ll see many more corded desktop vapes in the future.