Today we will look at the Waxmaid Ares, one of the latest eRigs to hit the market this year. Waxmaid is best known for offering a variety of smoking and dabbing hardware and accessories built out of silicone and glass. Currently, Waxmaid sells flower pipes, water pipes, reclaim/ash catchers, nectar collectors, grinders, and other dabbing accessories. We have previously reviewed their Traveler Water Bottle Pipe here and One-Hitter Dugout here. Currently, the Waxmaid Ares electronic dab rig runs for a full retail price of $169.99 on their website. We will detail our experience objectively as always in our non-affiliate reviews. For this review, I will compare the Waxmaid Ares to other similar portable eRigs.

Pros:

• Quick heat-up time
• Portable design
• Solid flavor
• Efficient performance

Cons:

• Limited temperature settings

Recommendations: Maybe an additional heat setting at 500F would be welcome.

The Waxmaid Ares is one of the best new portable eRigs for several key reasons

The build quality for the Waxmaid Ares introduces some innovation over other portable eRigs, such as The Core from Shenzhen Crossing and The Dip from VapeDynamics. The Waxmaid Ares has a sleek idiosyncratic design that allows for a more comfortable experience with the water percolation at the bottom of the base with a silicone mouthpiece. The Waxmaid Ares dab rig also comes in a black rugged travel-ready case, perfect for a quick sesh at home or to take with you for your next session with friends. We found the Waxmaid Ares is easier to assemble than other eRigs. Specifically, there is no need to line up the airflow of the bubbler to the battery. The glass cup and water percolator for the Ares easily twist and slide onto the bottom of the battery with no extra steps.

When opening the travel case, you will find the following:

• 3000mAh Ares battery
• Backup quartz atomizer
• Stainless steel dab tool
• Cleaning brush
• 4 Q-tips
• Carb cap
• Glass cup
• Carb cap belt
• Honeycomb water percolator
• Octopus silicone glass container
• USB charging cable
• Instruction manual

Using the Waxmaid Ares:

• Charge the Ares battery if necessary (Red light means low battery, green means fully charged)
• Screw the atomizer onto the top of the battery
• Assemble the carb cap onto the atomizer using the belt included in the kit
• Insert the water percolator onto the bottom of the battery
• Fill the glass bubbler with water slightly below halfway full, just above the surface of the honeycomb water percolator
• Twist the glass cup onto the bottom of the battery
• Turn on the Ares battery by pressing the power button five times
• Choose your preferred temperature by pressing the power button three times
• Load your preferred extract onto the center of the atomizer
• Press and hold down the power button, then slowly inhale through the silicone mouthpiece after a few seconds

Waxmaid Ares allows for quicker heating time with less warm-up needed than the average eRig

One key aspect of the Waxmaid Ares that differs from other eRigs, is that the atomizer has an ultra-thin quartz chip between the coil and your extract. This stellar feature allows for quicker heating time with less warm-up needed than comparable eRigs. Specifically, both The Core eRig from Shenzhen Crossing and The Dip eRig utilizes a ceramic heating element in their atomizers. In addition, the quartz clip is fixed and will not move above the coil of the atomizer, unlike the quartz insert provided in the Focus V Carta kit.

The Waxmaid Ares compared to other eRigs:

Waxmaid Ares has only two main temperature settings

Another key difference is that while most similar eRigs have four temperature settings, this eRig has only two heat settings: 475F (green) and 525F (yellow). Since most extracts are best enjoyed between two preset temperatures, it never feels like the extract is lukewarm or burnt. The green setting at 475F felt perfect for live resin badders, sugars, sauces as well as cold cure live rosin. The yellow setting at 525F felt ideal for live resin diamonds and/or any crystalline extract.

The Dip still wins for better overall performance with its 4200 mAh battery and its slightly more flexible temperature settings

The battery strength and performance for the Waxmaid Ares is somewhat similar to The Core eRig from Shenzhen Crossing; however, it is still more efficient than the Focus V Carta. It’s a toss-up between the Waxmaid Ares and The Dip eRig in terms of value. Overall, The Dip still has the best overall performance with its 4200 mAh battery and its slightly more flexible temperature settings between 450F – 600F. However, the 45-degree silicone mouthpiece is more comfortable than the traditional 90-degree glass bubbler mouthpiece of similar eRigs.

The Waxmaid Ares is just as easy to take apart and clean as it is to assemble:

• Remove the atomizer along with the carb cap and belt
• Use a cotton swab with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol to clean the atomizer and the top of the battery
• Carefully twist off the glass cup 
• Remove the honeycomb water percolator
• Soak the carb cap with the belt, water percolator, and glass cup in 90%+ isopropyl alcohol
• Clean the silicone mouthpiece with hot water, then rinse off the carb cap with a belt, water percolator, and glass cup

Overall, I would recommend the Waxmaid Ares for its efficient performance

In conclusion, the Waxmaid Ares eRig is highly recommended for its quick heat-up time, slightly more portable design, solid flavor, and efficient performance. The Waxmaid Ares is slightly more compact in size and lighter in weight than eRigs in its class. With its silicone mouthpiece and water percolation at the bottom, the Waxmaid Ares also allows for a more comfortable and less messy experience than other eRigs. On the other hand, the Dip eRig is slightly more efficient with a stronger battery and more temperature control. Although the temperature settings are somewhat limited, I found it to be sufficient enough to achieve the desired potency and flavor for most concentrates. You can find the Waxmaid Ares eRig for $169.99 on their website here.

Have you tried the Waxmaid Ares? Let us know in the comments or on our forum.