Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 – Featherweight Title Match

Updated: October 6, 2023

Today we look at two of the top portable units on the market, the newcomer Zeus Arc GTS Hub vs the seasoned vet Pax 3. The Zeus Arc is brand new on the scene, boasting a gold vapor path in the GT version, providing a powerful vapor, along with haptic feedback, an accelerometer, built-in multi-tool and 3 heating cycles. The Pax 3 has been on the market a while featuring a stainless-steel heating chamber and vapor path, 4 heat settings, and Bluetooth capability. So lets dive right down and see how these two super portable units stack up.

Zeus Arc vs Pax 3
Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 showdown


Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 mouth pieceVapor Quality

As we mentioned off the top, the Pax 3 has been on the market for several years now and it’s stainless-steel heating chamber while capable is starting to show its age. Vapor from the Pax 3 is decent but lacks overall flavour and character, with the default settings, the first 2 heat settings struggle to produce much visible vapor.

Settings 3 & 4 are where the Pax starts to produce decent clouds, however, it takes a couple of draws before the vapor becomes visible.

The Pax 3 requires a super tight pack and a stir during your session to maximize the efficiency of your cook, failing to do so will result in cannabis on the bottom being cooked, while the cannabis closest to the magnetic lid remain green.

Like almost every other Zeus vaporizer, the Zeus Arc GTS Hub is very impressive when it comes to vapor quality, for best results the Zeus Arc requires a medium tight pack, you want to lightly tamp down your cannabis but ensure there is space for some airflow. The Arc is fairly flexible though and will handle both tight and loose packs, but for optimal performance, a medium pack is best.

At the first temperature setting the Zeus Arc produces smooth, satisfying and flavourful vapor, while also producing a decent sized cloud on the very first draw (no more ghost hits!). What is impressive is that the Arc’s vapor path is shorter than the Pax 3 but the vapor is just as cool and smooth, while retaining a better flavour profile. Another thing to note is water filtration is also a possibility with the Zeus Arc GT water pipe adapter which lets you hook up the Arc to your water rig for even cooler and smoother draws.

This is due to the unique heatsink housed in the Zeus Arc’s mouthpiece, the GT version which features a gold heatsink is the most efficient when it comes to extracting the heat from your cannabis while maintaining flavour, but the stainless-steel variant does a good job as well.

Airflow in the Zeus Arc is much more free-flowing than the Pax 3 which can have a bit of a restriction requiring a slower draw. It still is not as free-flowing as a convection unit, but for a conduction unit, we are very impressed.

Temperature setting 2 is where the Arc starts to pull away from the Pax 3 in the vapor department, producing ample amounts of clouds which are more reminiscent of convection-based units.  Kicking the Zeus Arc up to temperature setting 3 will kick the vapor production of the Zeus Arc into overdrive. Vapor on temperature 3 is ample, rivaling units like the Mighty in terms of how much vapor it can produce.

The Zeus Arc has a built-in stir tool to stir your cannabis mid-session, however, a lot of times stirring your cannabis is not necessary and the Zeus Arc gives an even cook without your assistance.

One last thing to note is that we found the extraction of the Zeus Arc much more efficient than the Pax 3, a 5 – 10-minute session on the Zeus Arc produces better results quicker than the Pax 3, which can take almost 20 minutes to fully extract your cannabis.

Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 front displayManufacturing Quality

When the Pax 3 was released we were a bit underwhelmed. There were not many improvements made to separate it from the Pax 2, it looked exactly the same but now featured Bluetooth functionality and increased battery life.

The Bluetooth functionality is a decent addition, allowing you to custom set the pre-set temperatures and change the heating profile but we found we largely ignored the app and just relied on the Pax’s default settings.

The Pax itself is well built but can suffer from an uneven cook as we mentioned because of the way the heater is built.

The manufacturing quality of the Zeus Arc is very impressive for the companies first foray into the ultraportable market. The exterior shell is made from hard-coat anodized aluminum that has a satin black finish that feels very nice in your hands. In fact, the Zeus Arc feels more robust in your hands than the Pax 3 does, which can come across as a bit dainty. The curves in the Arc remind us of the curves on a sports car and feels ergonomic in your hand.

The Arc GT really shines when it comes to manufacturing quality, featuring an old gold vapor path, a first in the industry, which not only adds a luxurious feel to the unit, it also does a better job at transferring heat to your cannabis while removing it before it hits your lips.

The Zeus Arc opts for a standard micro-USB charging port which we think is worth noting, this makes the Arc easier to charge than the Pax 3 which requires a proprietary charger. If you lose your Pax 3 charger you will need to replace it in order to start charging your Pax 3 again. For the Zeus Arc, it’s as simple as finding another micro-usb cable (and we all have a drawer full).

Of course, that micro-usb port can be found underneath the included multi-tool, which is magnetically connected to the bottom of the Zeus Arc, another great feature which makes stirring or emptying the Zeus Arc a breeze.

Overall, while the Pax 3 build quality is good and offers users Bluetooth functionality, but the Zeus Arc wins this section. It looks better and feels better in the hands, the Arc GT’s all gold vapor path cannot be ignored in terms of performance, the micro USB charging port is super convenient, and the built-in multi-tool constantly comes in handy during a sesh (you can even use it to clear the screen in the mouthpiece). You can tell that Zeus built the Arc with user feedback in mind and tailored everything to the user experience.

Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 in handEase of Use

The Pax 3 is a fairly straightforward device and this is why people have flocked to it for years now. However, it does have a slight learning curve to get the most out of it, mainly in how you pack it. With the Pax 3, a tight pack is required for best results and your draw needs to be fairly slow in order to get good vapor.

The Zeus Arc is far more forgiving for users when it comes to the pack, as we discussed the Zeus Arc does best with a medium pack, fill the chamber full of cannabis and lightly tamp your pack down. You don’t want the cannabis moving around, but you also don’t want to restrict airflow.

However, the Zeus Arc is able to handle a loose pack and a super tight pack without much issue. A tighter pack will bring the airflow closer to the Pax 3 and a looser pack will open up the airflow creating a freer experience similar to the Utillian 722.You can also accompany it with a Zeus arc iceborn adapter.

When it comes to cleaning and maintenance the Pax 3 is a bit of a pain in the ass. Airflow gets clogged fairly easily as oils and debris build up around the edges of the stainless steel screen. The longer you neglect to clean the Pax 3, the more the crud builds up and chars to the stainless steel chamber and screen. Cleaning a Pax 3 takes a lot of patience and arm power, you will probably want a metal poker to help chip away built-up deposits.

The Zeus Arc, on the other hand, is a much more straightforward cleaning process, especially on the GT version. The gold does not allow the material and oils to adhere the same way they do on the Pax 3 and airflow does not suffer as much from lack of cleaning. Periodically you will need to clear your screen with the multi-tool but that can be done rather quickly. The chamber can easily be cleaned with a cleaning solution or q-tip with 99% alcohol. The mouthpiece and heatsink can all be soaked in a cleaning solution for a hassle-free clean. For an even easier time with the Zeus Arc GT cleaning, the Zeus Purify Cleaning kit is another handy accessory that’s worth considering.

The Pax 3 also introduces Bluetooth to the vaporizer like the Crafty plus, which adds a bit of a learning curve for the non-tech savvy among us and will most likely be ignored by most. The Zeus Arc puts function first offering 3 perfectly calibrated heating cycles with just a single button to switch between them. And of course, the built-in multi-tool which is invaluable to emptying a chamber and other various maintenance.

Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 with armor casePortability

The Zeus Arc and Pax 3 are very close in size, with the Zeus are being a tiny bit shorter and a little wider than the Pax 3. Both will easily slip into your pocket for easy sessions on the go similar to the Davinci Miqro.

The built-in multi-tool shines again in this department giving the Arc a slight edge to the Pax 3 which does have a stirring tool, but it is a separate piece not built into the device and requires you to carry it along with the device (and we know must of us will forget it or lose it).

The convenience of having the tool magnetically attached to the bottom can’t be overlooked when you are out and about with your Zeus Arc, allowing you to easily stir a bowl or empty your chamber after a session.

Lastly, the USB charging port on the Zeus Arc lends to the Arc’s portability over the Pax 3 which requires a proprietary charger. If you are ever out and need to charge your Zeus Arc its as simple as plugging a USB cable into an available outlet. With the Pax 3, you have to remember to also carry the charging dock around, which most people simply won’t do. Also if you ever lose that charging doc while out, you are out of luck.

The USB charging port on the Arc also allows you to easily charge the Zeus Arc with external power banks like the Zeus Charge.

Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 batteryBattery Life

Both the Pax 3 and the Zeus Arc sport a 3500mah internal battery giving both units around 90 minutes of battery life unlike the Davinci IQC that is able to give just 60 minutes with the 3500mah battery.

Not to hammer a point home, but the USB port of the Zeus Arc does allow for more convenient charging over the Pax 3’s proprietary charger.

Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 power controlTemperature Flexibility

When it comes to temperature flexibility the Pax 3’s Bluetooth app gives it an edge over the Zeus Arc which has pre-set temperatures. The Pax 3’s app will allow you to custom set your temperature down to the individual degree, does require the app to do so. However, this method of temperature control forces the users to be dependant on the app which is not desired by many hence inclining them to get other units like the Focus V Pro that too allow the temperature control via the device instead of using a mobile app.

The Zeus Arc will have an option to change your pre-set temperatures through a firmware update, however, it will be another set profile rather than custom temperatures and firmware is currently in the works and not readily available. However, this will eventually allow users who prefer lower temperatures to have a “Low Temp Profile” that they can apply via a computer when the firmware is available.

For now, though the Arc is locked at its 3 pre-defined heat cycles, which do an ample job on their own.

Zeus Arc vs Pax 3 winnerSHOWDOWN

The Zeus Arc wins this showdown, visible vapor from the first draw and impressive vapor production throughout your session just cannot be ignored, rivaling larger convection units while staying perfectly pocketable.

You can tell every aspect of the Arc has been crafted with the user experience in mind, from its simple one-button design, 3 well calibrated heating cycles, haptic feedback, accelerometer, built-in multi-tool, and unique heatsink. The GT version of the Arc just oozes luxury with the gold vapor path and gold flairs on the body and the flavour easily trounces the Pax 3.

Don’t get us wrong, the Pax 3 is a good unit in its own right, featuring an elegant slim design, but maybe a bit dainty for those with larger hands. The Pax 3 is starting to show its age with a basic bottom loading heater that gives an uneven cook, lack of vapor from the first draw, and muted flavours. We also wish Pax would move away from the proprietary charger and opt for USB instead of allowing customers the easier flexibility to charge the unit when away from home.

Either one of these portable vaporizers will serve you well, but if you are looking for potent vapor in the palm of your hand, and are looking to buy Zeus Arc GTS Hub in Canada, you can visit our website. The Zeus Arc will rock you!

If you’d like to see a comparison, check out our recent showdown between the Zeus Arc and DaVinci IQ and to see how these 2 units stack up against the field, be sure to check out our Portable Vaporizer Ranking Chart.

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About Author
Avatar for Alex Karakatsanis

Alex is a cannabis enthusiast, long time vaporizer lover, writer and filmmaker. He is also a board and video game nerd with a penchant for hosting a weekly board game night. Partygoers have been heard saying things like “is anyone else going to show up?” and “I don’t think I can make it next week”. He strives to make people laugh at every opportunity and sees cannabis as a helpful tool in doing so.

The reviews and ratings are based on personal and decade-plus of industry experience. Such content is based on the opinion of the Editor/Author. They are solely provided as a basis for research and should be used only as guidance. We encourage thorough research by all visitors to attain the most objective viewpoint before purchasing.