High-Five DUO E-Rig Review – Duo or duo not, there is no try.

How it Works

We actually found the High-Five Duo to be a little involved in the initial setup. A little different than something simple like The Core. While filling and installing the bubbler is easy, you want to be precise with the atomizer assembly installation to ensure the device works properly.

Beyond that, though it’s straightforward and you can now power it up and opt for a hot dab or a cold dab;

A hot dab requires you to heat up the atomizer before loading your material.

A cold dab requires you to load the material into the atomizer, and then heat it up.

Either way, the large 16mm insert can accommodate fairly large chunks of wax, though if you’re a beginner it’s likely best to start off with a rice-grain sized amount or similar.

From there just select your temperature, allow it to heat up, and you’re basically ready to go! Feather the intake on the carb cab to adjust hit density and enjoy your tasty hits.

Temperature Flexibility

Prior to 2020, we were plagued with fixed temperature control settings on most e-rigs or smartphone apps. Now, we’ve got a whole array of devices that have full temperature control and the Duo is one of them.

350-600°F (176-315°C) is what you can play with, which is more than adequate and you’re given full temperature control in 10-degree increments. Nice.

The experience will differ between the titanium & quartz atomizer, which the next section will explain. Users that are looking for a more powerful device, we recommend the Utillian 8 which features a BurstHit 3D Atomizer, designed for powerful yet flavorful hits.

Vapor Quality

Two included inserts – titanium and quartz. This offers some variability in the flavor characteristics and hit traits. While this is imperceptible to novices, experts will find the differences to be slight yet unique.

Either way, the Duo is able to give you full-bodied dab hits or gentle sips, depending on your temperature setting. To be honest though almost every dab rig out there now is able to accomplish such and we find the Duo hits as well as the other best e-rigs out there.

Sadly the dry herb atomizer for the High Five Duo isn’t out yet which is a shame. They promise a non-conduction bowl which would be revolutionary, but we’re not convinced yet.

Manufacturing Quality

We’re very fond of the design in terms of ergonomics and modularity, however a little disappointed in the materials chosen.

In particular, the shiny plastic and OLED panel are not optimal. A smudge magnet, we find that the black plastic is out of place on an otherwise premium design. The OLED panel can definitely be improved too as its fitment and design aren’t quite top-notch.

For the price of the unit, we can’t help but notice these things when stacked up against attractive premium e-rigs like the Dr. Dabber Boost Evo and Puffco Peak Pro.

With that in mind, the atomizer design is clever, the unit is easy to deep clean, and the ability to use an aftermarket Puffco Peak bubbler (with adapter) are some attractive features we can’t forget.

Not to mention a 3 year warranty on the base which is nice to see as High Five are a fairly new company with not much reputation behind the brand.

Battery Life

USB-C with pass-through power? Yes please! They’ve certainly covered that aspect and while they don’t disclose the battery capacity it seems to be fairly high. We’re able to get about 20 sessions per full charge, and it charges to full within 2 hours.

Thanks to pass-through charging you’ll never run dry as long as you’re near an outlet, and you’ll have plenty of juice for extended group sessions or back-to-back hits.

Portability

High Five seemingly likes to advertise the portability of the unit and we’re not sure why.

The Duo takes up a significantly larger chunk of the room than the Puffco Peak and if you’re really looking for portable dabs, then it’s hard to best the G Pen Roam.

Sure you can throw it in the carry bag and take it out and about, but this is a unit better suited towards. 

Ease of Use

Without a doubt, the cleaning and long-term maintenance of the High Five Duo is one of the biggest selling points. A very simple and accessible air path means deep cleaning and routine maintenance is miles better than many units out there.

This is really important for dab enthusiasts who want clean hits, top-notch flavor, and simple maintenance.

The device is very user-friendly as a whole from the buttons & functions within the digital interface. This is why we would choose the High Five Duo other some other e-rigs on the market.

Discreetness

E-rigs isn’t exactly what we consider to be stealthy or discreet. The High Five is designed to be a little bit flashy too what with the colorful LED lights and shiny flair.

No fooling anyone – using this e-rig in public is a very big advertisement for wandering eyes and curious stares.

Overall Experience

2020 brought one thing good; a wide assortment of top-notch e-rigs. Stoners were spoiled that year and the High Five Duo brings something new to the table.

While so many e-rigs are very good these days and choosing one over the other is mostly a matter of preference, the High Five Duo certainly fills a role as an easy to maintain and reliable e-rig.

At its launch price, it’s a hard trigger to pull, though we’re fairly convinced by it. Cheaper units like the Focus V Carta may be more appealing. If you’re looking for another well designed unit that offers a carrying case, the Puffco Peak vaporizer is also worth checking out.

The compatibility with aftermarket Puffco Peak bubblers is a huge selling point for glass heads out there and we can’t deny the Duo as a whole is like an improved Peak in some regards.

Overall, it’s a good unit though it has its faults. You’d be happy with one or any other quality e-rig out there – and whle it’s quite far from being one of the best vapes we’ve laid our hands on, it all comes down to preference. If you like what you see with the High Five Duo but are looking for something a bit more compact, the Utillian 5 vaporizer is a great wax pen for concentrates so definitely check that out.

If you’re more of a whip and balloon kinda guy the Storz and Bickel Volcano Hybrid is also another great alternative not to mention it can vape both concentrates and dry herb making it a great all-in-one device for the home.

Thanks for reading and if you have questions, drop them down below as we’re glad to help out!

If you have questions about our High-Five Duo e-rig 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’