The Limelight Frolic edges the Tafée Bowle 2 8.7 to 8.5 overall, a narrow lead. The Frolic is the better all-rounder, with session and on-demand modes, 1°C control and a removable battery. The Bowle 2 is the better flavor vape for home, with pure convection, ceramic pots and a heater that stops when you stop drawing.
Key differences
- Price: a $399 US list price for the Frolic, $449 for the Bowle 2.
- Modes: session and on-demand on the Frolic. On-demand only on the Bowle 2.
- Temperature: 1°C steps on the Frolic, up to 220°C in session mode and 240°C on demand. Five power levels up to 260°C on the Bowle 2.
- Heat-up: about 5 seconds on the Frolic, about a second on the Bowle 2.
- Loading: a 0.2 g open oven on the Frolic. Ceramic pots of about 0.1 g each on the Bowle 2.
- Airflow: an adjustable ring rated to 25 L/min on the Frolic. A fixed but very open draw on the Bowle 2.
- Battery: a removable 21700 in the Frolic. A built-in 6000 mAh battery in the Bowle 2.
Vapor and flavor: power vs purity
The Frolic scores 9.5 for vapor quality and the Bowle 2 scores 9.3. The Frolic is the harder hitter. Its 120W heater clears a full 0.2 g oven in 2 to 3 hard draws at high temperatures. At 190°C it tastes clean and terpene-forward, and by 205°C the clouds turn thick and milky.
The Bowle 2 is the purer flavor vape. It runs 100% convection through an inert ceramic pot, and in our sessions all we tasted was the cannabis. Its lowest two levels give bright, terpene-forward draws. The long stem cools big pulls so well that more than once we exhaled a bigger cloud than the gentle inhale suggested.
Tafée Bowle 2 highlights: pots and one-button hits
The Bowle 2's pot system is its best feature. The Potter+ grinder fills four pots at once, and a swap takes about 5 seconds. Press fire and inhale when the lights turn green, which Tafée puts at about a second. The Frolic takes about 5 seconds from cold, so the Bowle 2 is the quicker vape for a single hit. The heater shuts off when your draw ends, so you can pause for 30 minutes and the next hit still tastes fresh. Never fire it without drawing.
Pots are sized for about 0.1 g, and we went as light as 0.02 g. That makes the Bowle 2 a strong microdosing vaporizer.
Controls and session style
The Frolic scores 8.5 for ease of use, just ahead of the Bowle 2's 8.2. It gives you more choice: hold to heat for single hits, or run a timed session from 100 to 500 seconds. The screen sits on the bottom, so you flip it over to check settings. Keep your fingers off the base when you snap the cooling unit back on, since pressing both bottom buttons with the vape off opens the setup menu, and a tight pocket can do the same.
The Bowle 2 has just two buttons, one to fire and one for power level. There's very little to learn, though a tight pack or too much heat can char your cannabis. The trade-off is flexibility, since there's no session mode and no numeric temperature.
Battery, size and where each one lives
Both run a long time per charge. Our Bowle 2 review got 20 or more pots from its 6000 mAh battery. The Frolic runs on a removable 5000 mAh 21700 cell, and a charged spare swaps in seconds. The Bowle 2's battery is sealed, and Tafée handles battery service.
Neither is a pocket vape. The Frolic measures 105 × 63 × 24 mm and fits cargo pants or a jacket. The Bowle 2's 246 g puck is built for a table, and the optional cup makes it look like a travel mug. Both carry a 2-year warranty, and the Bowle 2's needs registration.
Which should you buy?
- Cloud chasers: the Frolic, for its 120W heater and wide-open airflow.
- Flavor-first home vapers: the Bowle 2, for pure convection through ceramic.
- Microdosers: the Bowle 2, with pots that work down to tiny loads.
- Long days out: the Frolic, with a spare 21700 in your bag.
- Jacket-pocket carry: the Frolic, at 24 mm thick. The Bowle 2's 77.5 mm puck and stem stay home.
- Water pipe fans: the Frolic, with Limelight's 14 mm and 18 mm adapters (sold separately). Our guide to vaping through a bong shows the setup.
- Hosts who pass a vape around: the Bowle 2, since pre-loaded pots and a fire-and-inhale routine make hand-offs easy.
- Budget-conscious buyers: the Frolic, which costs $50 less.
Both make our best portable vaporizers list. Our convection vs conduction guide explains why both taste so clean.
