Boundless Tera v3 Review – Terraforming the future?

How it Works – How to Use the Tera v3

As with most cannabis vaporizers, using it’s a pretty simple process. Pop off the magnetic lid to reveal the heating chamber, load up the chamber with some ground cannabis, power it on, set the desired temperature and the press and hold the power button to begin heat up.

Once the Boundless Tera v3 reaches the set temperature you are going to want to take long smooth draws. And we are talking long draws, because of the pure convection nature of the device the Tera seems to need a bit of air in order to ramp up vapor production.

As for use with cannabis extracts, power on the unit and set it to cannabis extracts mode by pressing the power button 3 times, insert the pad, apply your material and away you go.

Temperature Flexibility

The Tera has a healthy temperature range to choose from, letting you go anywhere from 140°-428°F/60°-220°C, and up to 500°F/260°C in cannabis extracts mode. The heater is rather quick to bring up to speed, letting you get strong vapor within around 30 – 45 seconds, depending on your heat setting. Heating time is actually faster than desktop units like the Volcano Hybrid, which has excellent temperature flexibility.

The integrated display makes it a piece of cake to monitor the current temperature, and of course, the buttons on the side makes adjusting it a breeze.

Vapor Quality

When it comes to vapor production the Tera can certainly hold its own against other units like the Solo 2 or Mighty thanks to the Tera Convection Heating System.

However, other users tend to prefer the thick vapor production from conduction units like the Zeus Arc GTS Hub, if you are more into vapor production, check that vaporizer out.

The standard mouthpiece requires a rather long draw at a high temperature in order to produce lots of vapor. The unit does not produce much vapor with short draws and for best results, we recommend drying your cannabis with a de-humidor.

The glass mouthpiece is more of a hassle than it is worth, it offers little to no cooling between the heating chamber and your lips and is uncomfortable to use. This adapter could be used in conjunction with the Iceborn though to produce some pretty great results that rival the water pipe adapter.

The water-pipe adapter is where the unit really shines allowing you to set it to higher temperatures without as much irritation. When used like this the Tera can produce some serious vapor.

Now, this isn’t just the vapor production section, this is also the vapor QUALITY section. And unfortunately, if we were comparing the Boundless Tera vs Mighty, the quality of vapor of the Tera seems to be lacking when compared to the likes of the Mighty and Solo 2.

Vapor from the Tera seems to be a bit harsher than most other units across the temperature spectrum. The Tera had me reaching for a glass of water more than most vaporizers do, which is not the most comfortable experience.

The Boundless Tera also requires a stir about halfway through the session to ensure a proper cook of your material. If you go an entire session without stirring there will be a hot spot right in the middle of the bowl while the outer edges will remain green.

So while this unit can be an absolute beast in the vapor department, it is far from perfect and puts the power over precision.

Manufacturing Quality

Not unlike Boundless’ other products, the Tera has sturdy construction with their signature rubberized coating. After initial quality control issues which involved chemical off-gassing, the Boundless Tera seems to be quite well built. For those concerned with the Teflon in the vapor path, a statement by Boundless assures us they used a highly heat-resistant polymer that shouldn’t present any issues at all. Regardless, they’ll be removing said Teflon in future units anyways.

With all that being said, the Boundless Tera 3 feels very ‘substantial’. While it does fit in your hand it’s not the most comfortable device to hold in your hand. Some users prefer the Flowermate V5 Nano which is a bit more affordable but offers comparable manufacturing quality if you are looking for a more value-driven option.

Everything secures snugly (perhaps too snugly for the mouthpiece) and there are no notable manufacturing flaws to take note of. Oh, and there’s haptic feedback too (fancy talk for saying it vibrates)! Always a handy feature which lets you know when a session has started and finished.

To add to that, the Boundless Tera accessories include a strong kit which features plenty of replacement screens, a cannabis extracts pad, 2 2500mAh 18650 batteries, a glass mouthpiece, water pipe adapter, cleaning brush, USB charger and user manual.

Battery Life

An industry first, the Boundless Tera has two removable 18650 batteries, which sure does sound impressive and you would think would result in ample battery life. With a handsome 5000mAh between the two batteries somehow I ended up topping out at around 6, 10-minute sessions. The battery indicator read that it had a bit of charge when I went to go for my 7th but the unit died the minute it went to heat up.

So that leaves you with roughly an hours worth of battery life from the Boundless Tera. Considering it has TWO 18650’s this is a bit disappointing considering the Mighty recently got a bump up in its battery life lasting over an hour and a half and with the Solo 2 topping out at 3 hours.

Now, your mileage may vary depending on your temperature selections and draw techniques, but that is my experience so far.

Obviously, you can extend the battery life by purchasing additional 18650’s, but you have to purchase 2 to even double your battery life. Meanwhile, the Arizer Air 2 has an hour and a half battery life with just one battery.

I do understand the heating technologies are vastly different, but clearly, the heating method in the Tera is not all that efficient if it runs through 5000mah of power in an hours worth of use. One thing I did notice is that the Boundless batteries run in parallel, meaning that the positive contacts are both at the top, rather than in series, which would see one with the positive terminal at the top and the other the negative.

Batteries run in parallel are usually more concerned with harnessing the power for purely output, while batteries in series are used to extend battery life. So this may be the reason why despite having 2 batteries and 5000mah of power between them the unit is average for battery life.

It is also important to note that with a parallel setup the concept of marrying batteries becomes very important. Essentially this means you should always use batteries in pairs and never mix the batteries as it could result in issues.

Portability

The Boundless Tera is not very portable. The shape of the unit does not lend itself to fitting in a pocket, in fact, I would say both the Solo 2 and the Mighty are more portable than the Boundless Tera.

The overall shape of the Tera is not something we particularly love, it feels clunky. It appears from a distance to be ergonomically designed with ridges for your fingers, however, once it is actually in your hand it feels extremely chunky and awkward. Some users will find the Tera bulky for travel and may want a backup like the super portable LITL 1 Vaporizer.

Considering the battery life, if you wanted something this powerful in a portable package I would strongly recommend a Crafty over the Tera for portabilities sake.

Ease of Use

As with most portable cannabis vaporizers on the market, the Tera’s rather straightforward to use. The included user manual covers all bases and a complete beginner can get decent results with little to no attention to detail. Some users find units like the Flowermate Slick easier to use because of the single button and preset temperatures, so it really depends on how intricate you want to make your session.

The only place to pay special attention to is in loading it with cannabis. You’ll achieve results best with a finely ground, yet light pack. Don’t tamp your material down as it begins to restrict air flow, hindering the end performance.

Also as we stated earlier you are going to want to stir your cannabis about halfway through the session for best results.

On the cleaning side, everything disassembles very easily and a simple soak in a cleaning solution will make quick work of any build-up and residue. Soak a cotton swab in some alcohol and gently clean the inside of the chamber to give it a full cleaning. Rinse the mouthpieces in some warm water afterward and set to dry. Run a quick empty chamber to finish up the process.

Discreetness

Due to the chunky design, it doesn’t completely hideaway in the hand. On the flip side, it looks similar enough to your standard e-juice vaporizer that most people won’t give it a second glance, although its a bit chunkier than units like the Utillian 722.

Also because of the convection style heating, the Boundless Tera should only be producing the strongest odor when you are actually drawing from the device. When the device is idle your cannabis are not being cooked.

Overall Experience

What can we say, the Boundless Tera is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, it can be an absolute vapor beast, if you’ve got a water pipe, iron lungs, and love big clouds, the Tera is definitely going to satisfy you.

However, if you are looking for a bit more of a well-rounded vapor experience you may want to look elsewhere. While vapor output is ample, overall vapor quality is lacking depth, smoothness, and flavor that can be achieved by other similarly priced units like the Crafty+.

The chunky design would be forgivable if the battery life lived up to the expectations that come with including 2 removable 18650’s but pales in comparison to other battery giants like the Solo 2.

In the end, the Boundless Tera is a good device that is not without its kinks and will find itself in the middle of the pack when compared to other units in the same price range. It is sure to gain a following with its powerful vapor, but many others will be left wanting more.

If units like the Mighty or Crafty seem a bit out of your reach, you may want to consider a unit like the Utillian 722 which utilizes a similar convection style heating system but at a fraction of the price.  On the other hand if you’re looking for a bit of novelty with something like a nectar collector, the Boundless Terp Pen is also worth checking out!

If you have questions about our Boundless Tera Vaporizer review 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’!