Lamart BakX

First Impressions

I cannot give unboxing information as this device was provided by a fellow reviewer, Numphy. However it's clear that Numphy cares deeply for this device based on how he packed it for shipping. Upon opening the case it arrived in, the beautiful artwork on the Acrylic BakX was apparent. Included in the case (and not necessarily available as a bundle from the manufacturer) was the Planet Hulk 510 extension cable, an Odin mod, and various stems including a Joda, 14mm WPA and FF stem.

Materials and Durability

This is definitely a collector's item. When i picked up the device i was impressed with how lightweight it is. It appears to be laser cut thin pieces of wood that are assembled around a glass tube wrapped in a thin conductive sheet metal connected to the 510 connection. the inner glass tube and the thin wood left me desperately aware of the risk of breakage.

Design and Aesthetics

While this is a 510 vape technically, it doesn't FEEL like a 510 vape. It is cottagecore at its finest, you can tell that Lamart is an artist and is good at his craft. although the materials seem inexpensive, time was definitely spent to finish the device. All the joints of the wood are well thought out as well as the cap design with the magnet polarity only letting it be assembled in the proper orientation. As for the extra cap that Numphy sent with the BakX, while it doesn't 100% match in terms of color, it is close enough and fits perfectly so it wasn't any issue at all. Customizations for this device center around heady glass stems.

Portability

This is where my review takes a slight turn. For a 510 vape, this is the least portable portable. I was afraid to drop it due to the intricate connections and the perceived frailty of the device, along with the glass stems. My wife and I usually sesh on the couch with portables through the little glass piece that came with my Stache Rio. This was only possible with the Odin between us, one operating the button while the other inhales. Using it natively was an issue for me that I will get into in a bit. I would take this to a friends house in a case, but there is no way to just take it on the go in your bag or pocket due to the device sitting perpendicular to the mod itself and then added size of the stem. this definitely falls into the 'at home portable' category.

Performance and Vapor Quality

The heating method has a learning curve here. It was already dialed in when Numphy sent it. I turned the mod on in TCR mode, double tap the fire button and waited until the screen reading for wattage got down to 20 or 18 and then slowly inhale so you don't overcool the heater. My background started in home made Macguyver vapes I made in high school back in the late 90's early 2000's. followed by Dynavap, battery portables (Pax, Ttinymight, Dotleaf) and the pinky into ball vapes and hotsticks like the Dani, Tempest, Stunner etc. Aside from the Splinter, this was my first 510 experience.

The first time I loaded a stem i didn't realize what kind of grind it required. I prefer a fine grind in most of my other vapes. The BakX likes a coarse grind or pinched off nugs. that makes performance a little tricky, I only had one cultivar on hand so couldn't compare to denser/floofier bud as I only had smalls on hand. That turned out to be quite the trick, with such small buds, i just plucked one out of the jar and slid it into the stem. Vapor was light and whispy due to the heater design. I could not get it to combust if I tried. Generally I creep up to 'the line' in steps while vaping in a session. It's quite possible that my short tenure with the device simply wasn't long enough to get fully acclimated to this vape, but it didn't quite scratch that itch for me.

My favorite way to use this device was natively with the Joda stem. Since this review I've spent time with another Joda and am quite pleased. I will be looking forward to adding a Joda to my personal collection soon. The nature of the heater suits a single user over a sesh with friends unless you have patient friends.

User Experience

In my opinion, the BakX is a little difficult to get going, but once you get it, you'll enjoy it. Connect the BakX to your properly tuned 510 mod, load a stem, insert into the cap about 1.5-2 inches. Place the cap on the device with the herb filled stem inserted and hit the button. Once the wattage drops to about 20, start a slow inhale, you will feel the thickness of the vapor change depending on your draw strength and can adjust to suit your goal experience. Faster for cooler whispy vapor and slower for warmer, more dense vapor.

Cleaning & Maintenance

Cleaning is similar to other 510 devices, soak the stem in ISO, rinse and dry completely.

Discretion

Not discrete at all, I would be afraid to cary this device in public in fear of someone confusing it for a remote detonator or other kind of destructive device.

Value for the Money

It should be noted that when purchasing this device from the manufacturer, it does NOT include the mod needed to operate it. Nor does it come with the extension cable. Those are sold separately.

The device itself is being sold for $315 USD and nearly $400 shipped to the US without considering the Tarrifs and import/customs fees. This is a dealbreaker for me as other devices in this price range outperform and are fully usable without having to acquire extra integral items. However, if you find one second hand, including a mod, or if you already have a 510 mod designed to work with 510 dry herb vapes, this may be right up your alley.

Final Opinion

First Impressions

I did not receive this item brand new, so I'm not sure how it arrives from the maker, however, opening the package, you could see the love and care that the owner put into transporting this device between Round Table members.

It arrived in a Pelican style case with foam cutouts for each piece and part, meticulously sized to fit. The BAKx came sparkling clean, with the wooden 510 connector extension cable in a beautiful honey colored wood (not provided by Lamart). Setup was easy. Connect the BAKx to the 510 extension, connect the 510 extension to the included pre-programmed ecig mod, load the stem, insert it into the BAKx, and it was off to the races.

Materials and Durability

The materials of the BAKx itself appear to be high quality, though the weight and feel are very lightweight and fragile. The design feels less like something you would throw in a bag to take on the go, and more like something you would build a vape station around, at your desk or favorite indoor sesh spot. While not technically a 'desktop vape,' I would consider this an at home/desktop portable.

Design and Aesthetics

The overall design of the vape is well thought out, it uses strong magnets, includes a well programmed mod, and has some beautiful acrylic decorative work on its surfaces. Again though, the overall device feels very lightweight and fragile, which wont be for everyone.

Portability

As I mentioned before, while technically this setup configuration is portable, it is not at all something you would want to take on the go with you. Based on the perceived fragility of the BAKx, the 510 extension cable, and the dual battery mod, this setup would be much more comfortable at a desk or vape station, sitting squarely at home.

Performance and Vapor Quality

As far as the heating method goes, this is a session based thermal heat soaking kind of device. It takes a few moments to really get going, like most Lamart vapes. This isn't considered any sort of con, you just have to go into it knowing that you will be investing several minutes towards the process. The Ecig mod that came included is well programmed with custom firmware by Lamart, which puts a nice touch towards the overall experience.

Heat up time was roughly 30-45 seconds to the point of being able to get any sort of visible vapor production, and you monitor the mod itself to know when the vaporizer is ready.

The mod itself uses temp control, but rather than looking at the temp to know when it's ready, you look at the wattage to see how low its getting. I personally was not a fan of this level of monitoring while trying to medicate, and prefer vapes that tend to be a bit more user friendly, where you can click the button, get a beep when the device hits the appropriate temperature, and you take your hits. Anything that requires a close eye to make sure the device stays safe while in use, makes me question what could go wrong if I didn't monitor things closely. As this issue has never come up from anyone I know who has used one, this must not be an issue, but it was unnerving for me personally.

Vapor quality was very flavorful, however light and wispy. I did not feel comfortable allowing the ecig mod to continue running on cruise control for extended periods of time, so unfortunately, the hits that I got from the BAKx were not very dense or fluffy. This is definitely a peak choice for those who prioritize flavor over vapor density. And perhaps it was my own insecurities with the mod usage, which held the device back from really putting out the clouds that I hear others report getting.

The first time I loaded a stem i didn't realize what kind of grind it required. I prefer a fine grind in most of my other vapes. The BakX likes a coarse grind or pinched off nugs. that makes performance a little tricky, I only had one cultivar on hand so couldn't compare to denser/floofier bud as I only had smalls on hand. That turned out to be quite the trick, with such small buds, i just plucked one out of the jar and slid it into the stem. Vapor was light and whispy due to the heater design. I could not get it to combust if I tried. Generally I creep up to 'the line' in steps while vaping in a session. It's quite possible that my short tenure with the device simply wasn't long enough to get fully acclimated to this vape, but it didn't quite scratch that itch for me.

My favorite way to use this device was natively with the Joda stem. Since this review I've spent time with another Joda and am quite pleased. I will be looking forward to adding a Joda to my personal collection soon. The nature of the heater suits a single user over a sesh with friends unless you have patient friends.

User Experience

As far as ease of use goes, things are pretty simple. The device likes whole nugs. So, you simply break them off, cram them in the stem, and drop the stem down into the BAKx device, and everything holds firm with strong magnets. The stems that came included were some beautiful works of art from Joda stems, so I did not get to try out the stock stems that traditionally come with the BAKx.

Battery life was decent, though my batteries at the time were older and didn't hold a charge for very long. That said, I got more than enough charge out of them for use with about 2-3 bowls worth of material.

Cleaning & Maintenance

Cleaning is similar to other 510 devices, soak the stem in ISO, rinse and dry completely.

Discretion

Based on the perceived fragility of the BAKx, the 510 extension cable, and the dual battery mod, this setup would be much more comfortable at a desk or vape station, sitting squarely at home.

Value for the Money

In addition, because this is a 510 device, it has the same drawbacks from other 510 style vaporizers, which is that the unit is only as good as the ecig mod connected to it. With a standard off the shelf ecig mod, the BAKx is utterly useless and will not function at all.

This device was built around the custom programmed ecig mod that is provided by Lamart, and requires the custom programmed cruise control feature. So if you are going for the BAKx, you better go for the pre programmed mod as well. This bumps the already premium price up even higher.

Comparison

Comparing to other 510 devices, there are others out there that produce equally as flavorful vapor, with much more dense vapor clouds, that require far less work and monitoring to achieve, with a much smaller price tag attached.

Final Opinion

First Impressions

As I am just borrowing this one, I didn't get to take part in the OEM unboxing experience. Numphy sent this unit in a hard case with foam cutouts in it, so it was certainly well protected! I'll touch more on that later.

Materials, Design, Durability and Aesthetics

This Bakx is of the acrylic variety. It's laser cut I'd imagine with a sort of puzzle piece design locking it all together. The cap is similar to the body in design, and the way the cap and body are held together with magnets is quite neat. Being able to quickly rotate the stem and have it snap in a full 180° turned around is just satisfying. I am sure it can also help in getting a fuller roast with things like whole nugs in the stem. It's very well designed and thought out, but ultimately, it doesn't feel durable in any sense of the word.

Seems like a fitting time to touch on that. The Bakx feels well designed and thought out, but it does not feel durable in any way that would inspire me to use this as a portable. I fully understand why this was shipped in a hard, foam filled case and I 100% would treat my own in the same way. Tossing it on a mod and going out and about with it? I just wouldn't be able to. Even just sitting at my desk, with a soft desk mat, and carpet under me if it were to fall, I still was being overly cautious. I think the price tag and scarcity of these lends to that nervous feeling as well.

Performance and Vapor Quality

Back to the bright side though! This thing is like a Terpsicle on autopilot with this Odin mod with the Lamart profile. I pinched off bits of whole nug and loaded one of the straight stems and double clicked the Odin and watched as the watts dropped. Once it dipped to about 19 watts I took a nice slow inhale and wow. Terp town. Absolutely delicious. I let the watts fall to about 14 for my next inhale and picked up speed and inhaled a bit deeper. Fantastic medium density vapor with tons of flavor, although it was getting a touch warm for me with the shorter stem. I swapped to the WPA stem and spent a ton of time going through my OWW Inception J-hook and my Wesley Pipes dry cactus. Coupled with the Planet Hulk 510 extension cable the Numphy sent along, this was my absolute favorite way to use the Bakx. Pinched off bits of each of the different strains I had on hand had pronounced flavor, and produced fantastic flavor.

User Experience & Maintenance

Heat up time was plenty quick. No issue with time from cold to vapor on my end. Super similar to almost all of my other devices that would be getting torched or dropped in the Wand. It was pretty easy to keep the temps in line by just timing your draws and balancing your inhale speed with the wattage on the screen of the Odin. Not temperature control per say, but easily learned. I'd start my inhale at about 14 watts, end it at 17/18, exhale and then hit again at 14. As soon as the vapor was gone or that deep roasty flavor was hit, debowling was as easy as popping off the cap with the stem and blowing out the pinched off nug bits into my AVB jar. Cleaning the device is just as easy as well. Pull the stem from the cap and soak it in ISO, rinse with hot water, and let it dry.

Final Verdict