The XLUX Roffu wins this one on our scores, 8.3 against 8.0 for the Arizer Air Max. It leads on ease of use, value and portability, and it costs $90 less at US list price. Pick the Air Max if you vape mostly at home and want glass tube flavor with a bigger battery.
Key differences
- Heating: the Air Max is a hybrid that heats a glass aroma tube. The Roffu is convection, with swappable glass or stainless steel chambers.
- Weight: 96 g for the Roffu against 160 g for the Air Max.
- Heat-up: about 15 seconds for the Roffu against 60 for the Air Max, which also wants a 30 to 60 second soak before the first draw.
- Load: both hold about 0.15 g, so neither suits big group sessions.
- Battery: both take a replaceable cell, a 5000 mAh 26650 in the Air Max and a 3200 mAh 18650 in the Roffu.
- Modes: the Roffu offers session and on-demand heating. The Air Max is session only.
- Charging: the Air Max runs while plugged in. The Roffu can't.
- Warranty: two years for the Air Max, plus lifetime cover on its ceramic heater. XVape gives the Roffu's electronic base 12 months.
- Price: $219 against $129 at US list price.
Flavor and vapor: glass tube vs swappable chambers
The Air Max scores 8.2 for vapor, just ahead of the Roffu's 8.0. Your cannabis sits in a borosilicate glass stem, and vapor travels through that same glass to your lips. Flavor is the reward, especially below 190°C, but clouds take technique: slow 8 to 10 second draws after a short oven soak work best.
The Roffu lets you pick the character. Its glass chamber gives brighter terpenes with lighter vapor, and we like it between 175°C and 200°C. The steel chamber makes thicker clouds with slightly muted flavor, but the Lite Kit leaves it out, so check your kit first. Our convection vs conduction guide explains why the two heaters taste different.
Size and build
Size is one of the Roffu's biggest wins, with 9.5 for portability against 8.5. At 114.5 mm tall and 96 g, it's shorter than most phones and easy to forget in a pocket. The magnetic zirconia mouthpiece snaps on with no threading.
The XLUX Roffu (center) is the shortest of the three, and the Arizer Air Max (right) stands tallest with its glass stem fitted, next to an XMax V4 Pro (left) for scale.
The Air Max answers with the sturdier build, 7.5 against 7.0. Its anodized aluminum tube feels solid, and the OLED screen flips for water pipe use. The glass stem adds length, so we treated it as a home or backyard portable. On the Roffu, the body warms noticeably during back-to-back sessions, and the glass chamber wobbles slightly in its housing.
Battery and charging
Both vapes let you swap in a charged cell instead of waiting on a cable. The Air Max carries the far bigger 26650, 5000 mAh against 3200 mAh, and it lasted 13 sessions per charge in our testing. XVape's figure of 20 or more for the Roffu counts three-minute sessions, and the Air Max's cell holds over 50% more charge, so it's still the one for long days away from a charger. Pass-through charging means a session can carry on at the wall, and a full charge takes about three hours.
XVape puts a full USB-C charge of the Roffu's 18650 at about three hours on a 5 V/1 A plug, and you can't vape while it charges. Carry a spare cell in a case and that stops mattering.
Session style and ease of use
The Roffu scores 8.5 for ease of use against 8.0. Its exposed chamber loads in seconds, and the full kit adds a funnel that clicks on top. Session mode holds your temperature for 3 or 6 minutes, and on-demand mode heats only while you hold the button, for single hits. It's ready in about 15 seconds, so a quick hit on the way out the door really is quick.
The Air Max is a pure session vape. You scoop cannabis straight from the grinder with the stem, set the temperature with three buttons and take unhurried draws. Cleanup is a simple isopropyl soak for the glass.
Which should you buy?
- Pocket carry: the Roffu, at 96 g with a quick, simple load.
- Microdosing: the Roffu, since on-demand mode stretches one small load across the day.
- Fast, spur-of-the-moment hits: the Roffu, ready in about 15 seconds.
- Home flavor sessions: the Air Max, with its all-glass path and bundled water pipe adapter.
- Long days away from a charger: the Air Max and its big 26650 cell.
- Tight budget: the Roffu, one of the picks in our best budget vaporizers ranking.
- A higher score for less: neither. The XMax V4 Pro scores 8.9 and costs $109 at US list price.
Weighing Arizer's bigger portable too? Our Air Max vs Solo 2 Max comparison covers it.
