The Dabcool W2 is a new contender on the portable e-rig market launched in late spring of 2020. For the purpose of this review I will be comparing it to the Puffco Peak – IMO the Tesla of portable e-rigs. Note that for me a portable e-rig must fit in a cup holder. Sorry Dr. Dabber.

If you need material to dab give my guide on rosin pressing a read.

The Good

The most striking difference between these two similar looking units is the price. The Dabcool W2 comes in at $99 US while the Puffco Peak retails at $299 US. This should be expected because one is a Chinese knock-off and the other is an American product that is made in China.

The Dabcool actually comes with more accessories than the Peak. It has a better dab tool, silicone container and an optional quartz bowl (though I certainly prefer the ceramic and I can see why Puffco does not include a glass bowl). I have found heat transfer to be much better with the ceramic bowl.

I love that the Dabcool uses USB-C for charging. This makes the Micro USB on the Puffco Peak seem outdated. The battery capacity is similar, 1500 vs 1400 mAh for the Dabcool Vs Puffco respectively. The Dabcool charges faster but the batteries last a similar amount of time.

The Dabcool has one serious advantage over the Puffco. This is the light display that lets you determine which heat setting you are at, and if the unit is cooling or not. The Dabcool uses 4 bright blue lights at the front to indicate temperature. The Peak uses a questionable system of 4 colours around the base. The colours on the Peak are not very intuitive with white being hotter than red. IMO the biggest design flaw on the Peak is how hard this light is to see in ambient daylight. You have to create a tent over the unit to see

The Bad

Well of course with a 3:1 price difference and a list of advantages there are bound to be some shortfalls.

Perhaps the most frustrating is how small the base on the Dabcool W2 is. This thing is so damn prone to falling over compared to the wide-set-heavy-bottomed Puffco Peak.

The next problem comes when the W2 inevitably does fall over. The Puffco has a smart sloped design. If water makes it out of the bubbler it does not short circuit the atomizer. The Dabcool W2 on the other hand I have had short circuit on me after a spill (could hear it short circuiting as it was trying to heat up). This has never happened with my Peak. No permanent damage but a serious design flaw.

Is the Puffco Peak Atomizer the same as the Dabcool?

The atomizers on the Puffco and the Dabcool W2 are very similar but are not interchangeable due to a slightly different coarseness on the 510 threading and overall length. The coils on the other hand are interchangeable. If you are familiar with the Puffco unit you will know that you can buy replacement coils for $5-10 from places such as Mr. Bonsai and Puffco Coil Repair rather than paying Puffco $40 for a replacement atomizer.

Dabcool Vs Puffco – Dabbing Experience

I had some issues with my Dabcool not hitting well initially but I think it was either due to a low battery or not fully seated coil. The vapor you get from a dab is almost indistinguishable between the two units. Smooth perfect hit when you pack the right amount of hash with both units. I found the Peak runs a bit warmer, on the peak my favourite heat setting is green (power 2) but on the Dabcool I prefer the power 3 setting.

Build Quality

Build quality obviously goes to Puffco over the Dabcool. The lines don’t quite line up right on the Dabcool. The water bubbler is harder to put into the Dabcool. If you are looking for the little things the Peak is a more refined unit with higher R&D spend. At the same time the Peak is not a perfected product either. As mentioned the lights are near impossible to see in ambient daylight and the controls are not intuitive. For 3x the price you would expect a bit more from the Puffco.

Dabcool W2 Vs Puffco Vapor Path

The air path on both units is made of silicone. The atomizer is metal and the bubbler is made of glass. I know some Peak owners would look down on the Dabcool for being a Chinese product but at the end of the day both units are made in China and use identical materials. I would have no worry about dabbing from either unit.

Dabcool W2 Conclusion

If I had the money to buy either unit it would be the Puffco Peak but the Dabcool W2 provides better value for the cash strapped consumer. If you are looking to get into dabbing either one is a good choice. Both units are discreet and easy to clean. If you have the money go for the Puffco. But if you just want to get into e-rigs and have a great backup unit down the road when you inevitably upgrade, the Dabcool W2 is an excellent choice. Just make sure you build a base for it or keep it where it won’t get knocked over.

EDIT: Since writing this post Puffco has dropped the Peak Pro which address pretty much every concern I had with the original Peak. At this point I would not recommend anyone buy anything other than a Peak Pro. It is so refined anything else seems like a waste of time.

Preferred Retailers

Puffco Peak – Amazon
Dabcool W2 – Single unit
Dabcool W2 – 5+ units