G-Pen Connect E-Nail Review – Disconnect or This Connect?
Weve checked out units from G Pen vaporizers before like the G Pen Elite and G Pen Gio and have often come away with mixed feelings. The new G Pen Connect is a promising device designed to slide right onto any bubbler with a 14mm joint and fit 10mm and 18mm pieces with a separate adaptor. Designed to be an easy to use and convenient e-rig, the G-Pen Connect is bringing some well-needed innovation to the market. Check out our G-Pen Connect review here for our thoughts and opinions on this intuitive device.
If youre in the market for other wax vaporizers, check out our Best Wax Pen Ranking Guide for some more information or see our guide on how to buy a wax pen for a more comprehensive look at our criteria for selecting a reliable wax vaporizer.
If you would like to see how this electric dab rig stacks up against other popular units check out our Best Electric Dab Rigs & E-Nails article.
Review: G-Pen Connect
How it Works
The G-Pen Connect may seem new, but it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, we have seen this design before with the Yocan Torch. The G-Pen Connect is fairly intuitive but has a little bit of a learning curve.
Once you affix the device onto your water pipe of choice, youll want to load up a rice-grain amount of cannabis extracts onto the ceramic G Pen Connect coil. You can either do this before or after the device has heated up.
Once youve determined your G Pen Connect temperature settings and your material is ready to go, just inhale smoothly and put the carb cap on top to intensify the vapor production. There is a side carb port to regulate the amount of fresh air coming in, allowing you to tailor the experience slightly.
Temperature Flexibility
The G Pen Connect gives you three temperature settings to choose from, which are instead voltage-regulated at 3.1v, 3.6v, and 4.3v. This is fairly standard for budget wax pens, but for a device in this price range, we were hoping to see a little bit better control.
At least 5 temperature settings or complete, incremental temperature control similar to the Source Orb 4 Signature Kit would be preferable.
Vapor Quality
Its good! It can produce large clouds of powerful and tasty vapor right out of the box.
However, we find devices with this type of atomizer attached (a ceramic plate disc) to have a few key problems.
First, ceramic doesnt taste as pure as quartz. Secondly, the device begins to develop a used wax flavour after a few sessions as reclaim begins to build up in various nooks and crannies.
The highest temperature setting is a bit too hot for our preference and doesnt give too great of flavour, and most people weve seen prefer to use the lower two settings.
With that being said, it works just fine and if you keep on top of maintenance and clean it meticulously, youll be quite satisfied with it! The flavour is passable and the cloud production is solid. Definitely a great party trick!
But we do feel that a dedicated wax pen like the Utillian 5 (V3) along with The Utillian 5 bubbler, tends to yield better clouds, better flavour, and the device is more flexible and can be used without glass.
Manufacturing Quality
G Pen/Grenco isnt exactly known for their manufacturing quality at all. With their past units having real safety and health concerns, were always skeptical of what the company puts out now.
The G Pen Connect, however, seems to be a step in the right direction for the company as it feels quite a bit better and uses much safer materials.
Long term reliability still isnt known since this is a fairly new unit, but the warranty should keep anyone safe in case of manufacturing defects.
Included in the box is an alright kit consisting of the device itself, micro USB charger, replacement o-rings, and travel case. We wouldve loved to see them include the 10mm and 18mm adaptor considering the price of the G Pen Connect.
However, users that prefer units that have stood the test of time usually tend to like devices such as the Focus V Tourist.
Battery Life
With an 850mAh battery, you get a pretty decent amount of battery to play with before it goes flat. In practice, you can expect between 10-15 sessions on a single charge, which is definitely more than enough for a whole day of use and then some.
We really cant complain about the battery life of the G Pen Connect considering the size of the unit, though we wish they used the more standard USB-C charging instead of a MicroUSB port like the one used with Focusvape Carta.
Portability
A portable e-rig? Not so fast, youll still need a bubbler or at least a j-hook to run it through! Still, its an ultra-convenient way to take a pretty full-fledged dab experience with you on the go. Something like the G Pen Roam vaporizer is good alternative if you intend on doing water filtration on the go.
While it wont exactly rival the likes of the Puffco Peak, its a decent option if you know theres going to be a water pipe where youre going.
Still, since its only half of an actual dab rig, we cant exactly tell you how portable it is. Itll fit easily into any bag and even your pocket, but the second half is necessary in order to get going. For a more portable dab experience, consider a Wax Pen Vaporizer instead.
Ease of Use
The G Pen Connect is fairly easy to use, marketed towards the mass market. As compared to using Source Orb 4 Premium Kit which could be overwhelming for many, its pretty easy to figure out and use and once youve tried it a couple of times, youll have basically mastered it.
Sharing with friends or strangers is no problem since you can just load it up and pass the bubbler to them for a hit.
Discreetness
While the device itself is pretty covert and not really conspicuous, taking a hit from a bubbler with it surely will gather a lot of attention if youre out and about.
Thus, the G Pen Connect is really best suited for at-home use and bringing to a friends place, unless youre comfortable taking hits from a dab rig out in public!
However, users looking for a unit that is discreet and can be used in public places usually tend to prefer devices like the Linx Blaze.
Overall Experience
A terrific concept with alright execution, we love the innovation that is the G Pen Connect. With e-rigs and wax vaporizers becoming ever more popular, its nice to see the scene being shaken up a bit.
With that being said, the performance isnt quite on the level that the price tag demands. For less money you could get a Utillian 5 (V3) and a bubbler and have similar experience. Or you could save up a bit and get the full experience with a Focusvape Carta.
The G Pen Connect is not bad by any means, but for people obsessed with performance and flavour, the G Pen Connect leaves a little to be desired. We love the innovative design and see a lot of potential in the future, maybe a G Pen Connect V2 with upgraded atomizer and temperature selection will come out!
Still obsessed with Grenco devices? If you’re looking to get the G Pen Connect in Canada, just follow the link to grab one from our store! If you’re looking for a dab rig that’s a bit more portable, definitely check out our G Pen Roam review.
If you have questions about our review, want to know more about the top 10 shatter pen, or just want to let us know what you think, feel free to drop us a comment below! Thanks for reading and as always, keep vapin