Hey everyone
it's Max here from Australian Vaporizers and today we’ll be having a look at the new CFX portable
vaporizer by Boundless.
The portable vape market is growing every day which is really cool.
Recently though, we’re starting to see a lot more familiar designs being, let’s say,
“Reimagined”; some good, some not so good.
So here we have the Mighty and the Crafty by Storz and Bickel —two of the best portables
available at the moment.
If you’re into vaping you’ll probably be familiar with them.
Now here’s the CFX and its little brother; the CF.
Both of the smaller options here use preset temperatures and a are geared towards discretion
and the larger versions have more battery life with full temp control via a screen.
I was understandably sceptical of these two units when I first saw them but I probably
shouldn’t have been so quick to judge.
They’re not exactly high-end units like the Crafty or the Mighty but they are about
half the price and have some cool features too.
Just how similar are they though?
Today we’re going to take a closer look at the CFX to find out.
First of all here we have the Kit.
Packaging’s pretty nice.
Opening it up this is obviously unit itself.
Not exactly discrete but, like the Mighty, there’s no parts that need to be carried
separately apart from the charger.
The first thing that grabbed me about this unit is the massive OLED screen on the front
here.
It’s probably the biggest and brightest display I’ve seen on a portable to date.
Great for visibility, not so great for discretion.
Then of course we have the standard power and temp control buttons.
A familiar style of swivel mouthpiece and this whole assembly is held in place by a
bayonet fitting (similar to the Mighty/Crafty’s).
Underneath is this huge filling chamber.
Look at the size of it…
With most other portables it would probably take about 2 or 3 sessions to vape as much
as the CFX holds.
Is this a feature though?
Initially I was worried about efficiency which we’ll talk about a bit later but I can say
the results were surprising.
Lastly, we’ve got our charge ports on the side here.
Yep, that’s right, I said “portS” plural.
One micro USB and one standard mains input.
This is definitely one of the coolest features I’ve seen in a while, but more on that later.
Overall, I’d say the CFX feels pretty well made.
Nice rubberised finish on the outside and a sleek mouthpiece design.
The screen’s really nice but the button feedback doesn’t really feel the greatest.
I’m being fairly picky here though.
As far as materials go, it is primarily made from high-temp plastic but it’s nice to
see ceramic lined filling chamber here.
Aside from that, we’ve got a stainless steel screen in the bottom of the chamber as well
as a replaceable stainless steel top filter.
The screens are more of a punched plate then a mesh, similar to that of the Flowermate
so they’re super durable and easy to clean.
Setting the unit aside for a sec, let’s check out what else we’ve got here.
Stock standard instruction manual, a micro USB charge cable, a wall charge cable, one
stainless pod for concentrates, a cleaning brush and a packing tool.
The CFX comes ready to use, so apart from a dry run to burn off any factory materials
from the element, there’s nothing you really need to do to set it up.
It’s good practice to run any new vape at its maximum temp for about 5-10 minutes after
you unbox it.
With the CFX I’d be inclined to push that out a bit further to around 15 minutes, if
possible.
I’ll explain why a bit later on.
To switch the unit on, press the power button five times in a row.
The first thing you’ll notice is this awesome colour display.
You’ll also notice that the unit has vibration feedback for powering on and reaching the
set temp.
The CFX shuts off automatically after 5 minutes so you’ll have to start it up again a couple
of times to complete the burn-off.
You can do this by just holding the power button rather than pressing it 5 times.
Try and keep an eye on it as this unit doesn’t vibrate when it shuts off which can be a bit
annoying.
While we’re on the subject of auto shut off though here’s something a little more
unique.
You can actually monitor how far along you are in the session via this meter on the display
which I think is pretty handy.
Anyway, once you’ve run the unit through a few dry cycles shut it down and let it cool
for a couple of minutes so you don’t accidentally scorch your herb.
After that you can start loading this massive filling chamber.
Boundless don’t include any kind of spacer but don’t be afraid to try small amounts.
I’ve had decent success with really tiny loads which I was really surprised by but
for best results I’d probably recommend between a one and three quarters full.
Reattach the mouthpiece assembly and switch the unit back on.
The CFX has a nice, broad temperature range of 40 degrees C to 220 degrees C and can be
adjusted by single degree increments.
Somewhere between 175 and 200 is generally the sweet spot but I’d be inclined to start
off at the lower end of that range.
Much like the Flowermate V5 series, the CFX has a super-fast heat up time.
It only takes about 20 seconds for the display to indicate that it’s finished heating.
In saying that, I would definitely be waiting at least another 30 seconds or so before taking
your first draw.
From my experience, vapour production is really sparse if you get into it too quickly.
I was really hoping that the Boundless vapes would have little to no draw resistance just
like the Mighty.
Unfortunately though they’re not as good as I was expecting in that department.
Now I could be wrong but I think the main reason for this is the top screen.
It’s pretty narrow and restrictive.
I feel like if they made it a bit wider and with a denser hole pattern it might improve
things.
It could also have something to do with the intake at the bottom of the unit though so
I’m not entirely certain.
At any rate, it still has slightly better airflow than most other portables at the same
price-point so it’s not that big of a deal I suppose.
Let’s move on to vapour production shall we?
Quite pleased with it overall.
As I mentioned earlier, you’d think that with such a huge filling chamber and no spacer,
efficiency would be a problem.
It really isn’t — or at least nowhere near as much as I was expecting anyway.
To put it into perspective for you, the vapour production is a lot better than the Flowermate
V5 series but not quite as good as the Arizer portables.
The huge filling chamber does cater for larger amounts than most other units though which
is something to keep in mind.
Cooling capacity is quite good considering how short the mouthpiece is.
Like most portables, it starts to get a bit harsh once you hit 190-195 degrees C.
This usually depends on the herb you’re using though.
Taste is probably the CFX’s biggest shortcoming.
The unit produces a noticeable plastic flavour during the first few uses hence the extended
burn-off I recommended earlier.
It might even be worthwhile dismantling the cooling unit and soaking it in some hot water
for 10-15 minutes as well.
This unit uses two internal rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries which are not replaceable by the
user.
I was able to get roughly 5-7x 10 minute sessions from a full battery which I’m 100% satisfied
with.
Once again, please note that this figure is largely dependent upon your set temperature,
draw style and several other factors.
I’ve noticed that the battery indicator tends to jump back a forth a little bit between
the last two bars which makes it a little tricky to gauge how much time you’ve got
left.
Not exactly a deal-breaker though.
So I want to talk about these dual charge inputs.
Every vape owner I’ve spoken to seems to have a different opinion on which charge method’s
the best for portables.
It really is a personal preference thing but there’s always this struggle between the
convenience of Micro USB vs the speed of wall chargers.
With the CFX, there’s no compromises.
You can just use whichever method you like.
In my opinion this should be a standard across portables.
Big fan.
Thumbs up.
If you’re using the wall adaptor, the CFX will charge in around 30-40 minutes.
Not sure how they’ve managed to pull this one off but who cares, that is super quick.
The USB will slow it up a fair bit but that’s a given.
If you’re charging via a USB port on a PC or something similar it will take around 3
hours.
Still so good to have that option
If you’re looking for a portable that can be used while charging, sadly the CFX isn’t
one of them.
I mean, it is possible because I’ve tried it and it technically works, but, when we
open to the “charging” section of the manual, it clearly states “Do not use CFX
while charging.
This will cause damage to the device”.
I suppose I should’ve read that beforehand…
It would’ve been nice to see pass through functionality officially supported by the
manufacturer but it probably won’t bother too many people given how quickly it charges.
Maintenance for the Boundless portables is fairly average.
If you use the included brush to dust out the chamber and the top screen after every
session you should only have to give it a thorough clean once every 3-4 weeks.
This will depend on how often you’re using it though.
The biggest problem is the fact that there’s no filling chamber spacer to filter out the
solid debris like there is with the Mighty.
Instead it just builds up inside the top screen and mouthpiece assembly.
This means you’ll be cleaning it a bit more often than you would the Mighty but luckily
it’s not that big of a mission to do so.
The mouthpiece section can be taken apart and washed with Isopropyl Alcohol.
I’d probably set aside the o-rings first purely because I’ve had bad experiences
with silicone degradation when using Iso as a cleaning agent.
Use an old toothbrush or something to give it a good scrub if necessary.
Once you’re done, rinse the parts under some warm water and leave them to dry.
I’ve found that the top screen can be a little hard to refit after cleaning.
To make the job a bit easier, use the back of your packing tool or brush to hold the
insert in place while you screw the screen back on.
In regards to replacement parts, I’d say it would be handy to have a spare mouthpiece
assembly on hand just in case it gets blocked up but it’s not entirely necessary.
As I mentioned before, the screens are fairly durable and easy to clean so they’ll only
need replacing if you lose them.
If you’re looking for a mid-range portable with great battery life, full temperature
control and the flexibility to use whatever amount of material you like per session then
the CFX is a great option.
It’s so refreshing to see a unit like this fill that void between the budget units like
the Flowermate and the mid-range units like the Arizer Solo.
It’s still relatively new so it’s hard to make a judgement regarding long-term reliability.
It is covered by a 2 year warranty though which is reassuring.
If you’re someone who’s sensitive when it comes taste, I should warn you that the
CFX might not tickle your fancy.
Aside from the taste there’s only a few minor gripes I have with the unit but overall
I’m really happy with it.
If you’ve got any questions or something you’d like to add throw us a comment below
and as always don’t forget to like and subscribe.
This is Max from Australian Vaporizers, have a good one.