Vape-test

• Latest version (2026.09)
• Same heating system as the Tempest 2
• 14.5 mm body in stainless steel or titanium
• Four chamber sizes, 0.05 g to 0.2 g
• Designed to empty the chamber in one heat-up
• Visual temperature gauge plus click signal
• Ready in about 40 seconds on induction
• No battery, no electronics, nothing to charge

The Tempest 2 Slim is the newest stick vape from MAD Heaters, the makers of the Tempest 2, a stick vape many enthusiasts rate as the best in its class. It packs the same heating system into a slimmer, lower-priced body, and early feedback puts its vapour and flavour on par with its bigger counterpart.

It suits anyone who wants a full extraction from one heat-up with nothing to charge. The Slim needs a separate heat source; that is what buys you a vape with no electronics to fail. The body warms after a few heat-ups in a row, so it shines in short sessions: one chamber, one heat-up, done.

The Tempest 2 Slim is 12 cm long and 14.5 mm across, about the thickness of a marker pen. The titanium version weighs 42 g, close to a golf ball. The stainless steel version weighs 61 g and has a little more heft in the hand.

The vape has three main parts. A screw-on Cap holds the balls and the temperature indicators, a short chamber sits on O-rings on top of the metal body, and the body ends in a tapered metal mouthpiece. A heat shield sleeve made of PPS plastic wraps the body where you hold it.

Everything apart from that sleeve is metal, with no battery, screen or buttons anywhere. The chamber has locking tabs that line up with slots on the body, which gives your fingers a firm grip when you twist it off. The Slim refines these grooves and the ball screen track compared with the Tempest 2.

The Cap is filled with about 40 small balls, each 3 mm across, which an induction heater or a torch heats from the outside. The balls work like the stones in a sauna: the heat source warms them, and the air you draw picks up that heat on its way through to the herbs.

This is a convection-heavy design, so hot air does most of the work and the herbs never touch a heating element. MAD Heaters built the Cap for a full extraction in a single heat-up, and the Slim improves the heat distribution inside the Cap compared with the Tempest 2.

The Slim has no battery of its own; the heat source is always external. The heater we recommend is the YLL Induction Heater 3.0 (sold separately): you set the watts and seconds from MAD Heaters' official table, and every heat-up comes out the same.

At 80 W, a cold stainless Cap with quartz balls takes around 39 to 43 seconds, and a titanium Cap with zirconia balls around 35 to 40 seconds. A warm Cap needs 8 to 12 seconds less.

A torch also works away from power: a dual, triple or medium single-flame torch held about 1 cm from the Cap while you turn the vape slowly, never pointing the flame at the indicators.

Vapour travels from the Cap through the herbs, down the metal body and out of the tapered mouthpiece. Inside the body sits a removable cooling spiral that lengthens the path and takes heat out of the vapour before it reaches your mouth. The draw is smooth for a convection stick vape, and water makes it smoother still.

The Slim gives you two separate airflow adjustments. On the Cap, you loosen the top screw with the included 2 mm bit, turn the induction sleeve to open or close the air holes, and tighten it again. On the body, a small ring below the heat shield opens, adjusts or fully closes the air intake.

With the body intake open, cool air mixes in for a lighter, cooler draw. Closed, all the air passes through the hot Cap for a warmer, stronger character. MAD Heaters suggests long, slow draws with the intake covered for most of the draw.

The tapered mouthpiece doubles as a 10 mm joint, so the Slim sits in 10 mm water pipes with no adapter. Some 14 mm adapters work as well, provided at least 45 mm of the body fits inside.

The Slim has no thermostat or display. The Cap carries a visual gauge and two click discs that show how hot it is: a pointer moves over markings on the end of the Cap as the heat rises, and the discs click when they reach their set temperature.

The pointer keeps moving for a moment after heating stops, because the heat spreads and evens out inside the Cap. The indicators respond to where the heat is applied, so they read best when the whole Cap is heated evenly. The click discs change slightly over the first 30 to 50 uses, then settle.

The first click usually arrives at the lower end of the ideal temperature range. Owners who want a deeper, roastier flavour heat on towards the second marking. A cold Cap on the first chamber of the day needs longer than a warm one, so for a reheat you stop one marking earlier.

With an induction heater there is even less to judge. MAD Heaters publishes a settings table with watts and seconds for every body and media combination, so you set the timer and heat until it ends.

The Slim is the first Tempest offered in two body materials. The stainless steel version weighs 61 g and ships with quartz balls; the titanium version weighs 42 g and ships with zirconia balls. Both bodies use the same Cap design, screens and tools.

MAD Heaters publishes separate heater settings for each Cap. Titanium takes on heat faster, so the titanium Cap needs shorter heat times than the stainless Cap with the same balls inside.

Owners report that the difference in the draw is small: stainless steel holds its heat a little longer, and titanium is lighter in the hand with a slight edge in flavour. In their experience, the balls or core inside the Cap change the character far more than the body does.

The balls lift out through a twist-to-lock ball screen, so you can change the media without tools. Lighter balls such as quartz heat quickly for a brisk draw; heavier balls store more heat for a slower heat-up and longer heat retention. MAD Heaters lists official heater settings for every option in both Caps.

You can add ruby balls, silicon carbide balls or stainless steel balls, all sold separately, or swap the balls for a two-piece Heater Core that adds conduction and is easier to clean. Early owners recommend the titanium core for the stainless Slim and the stainless core for the titanium Slim.

The chamber holds four sizes from 0.05 g to 0.2 g of ground herbs: 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 or 0.2 g, depending on where you set the chamber screen. You move the screen with the included steel tube; for the two middle positions you push it all the way down first, then back up from the neck side until it seats. The included Bowl Screen Tool makes this easier.

The 0.05 g position is new on the Slim; the Tempest 2 does not have it. It gives you a true micro-dose: one small chamber, one heat-up, and the herbs are fully used. Two spare chamber screens and two spare ball screens come in the box.

Loading is straightforward. You push the open chamber into ground herbs, level it and tamp lightly, keeping the threads clean so the Cap screws on smoothly. Side air holes in the chamber feed air through the sides of the herbs, so a light fill lets that air through.

There are no buttons on the Slim; the session runs on the heater's timer and the Cap's indicators. Before the first use, MAD Heaters recommends loosening the Cap screw and tightening it again, because shipping vibration can leave it too tight. A session then runs like this:

1. Loading: Unscrew the Cap, push the chamber into ground herbs, level the top and tamp lightly. Screw the Cap back on gently, and avoid touching its steel parts because finger oil burns on.
2. Airflow: Set the Cap sleeve and the body ring to taste.
3. Heating: Set the induction heater to the watts and seconds from the official table for your body and balls, for example 80 W and 39 to 43 seconds for the stainless Cap with quartz. Drop the Cap in and heat until the timer ends.
4. Inhaling: Draw slowly and steadily with the body intake covered for most of the draw, directly from the mouthpiece or through 10 mm glass. One heat-up is designed to extract the whole chamber.
5. Reheating: On a warm Cap, take 8 to 12 seconds off the timer or stop one marking earlier on the gauge. Keep the watts the same.
6. Finishing: The Cap stays very hot for several minutes. Hold it by a magnet, twist the chamber free and empty it, then let the vape cool in a case, never in a pocket.

A Tempest Case or Reload 3 (both sold separately) holds the hot Cap on a built-in magnet while you twist the chamber off, and both carry a tool for emptying it. Tilt the Cap to release it from the magnet.

The Slim ships without a heater, batteries, case or Heater Core, so a working setup is built from a few separate parts. In the box you get the vape with its balls and cooling spiral, four spare O-rings, two chamber screens, two ball screens, the steel tube, the Bowl Screen Tool, a few extra balls and a 2 mm screwdriver bit.

For the heat, add a YLL Induction Heater 3.0, the heater MAD Heaters recommends. It runs on two 21700 cells fitted at once and ships without them, so a pair of Reliance RS50 batteries belongs on the same order.

An Xtar VX4 charger charges those cells outside the heater. Its four bays take the pair in use plus a spare pair, so a charged set is always waiting while the other pair sits in the heater.

For hot handling and storage, a Tempest Case holds the Cap on its magnet, empties the chamber and stores ground herbs, and it is safe for carrying the vape while the Cap is still hot. A Reload 3 does the same job at home and adds airtight pots for pre-packed chambers. All of these are sold separately.

MAD Heaters suggests a quick clean every 30 chambers and a deep clean every 100. The quick clean is short: a spray of alcohol on the cooling spiral, a cotton bud inside the body and a wet wipe over the chamber and mouthpiece.

For the deep clean, the fully assembled Cap goes straight into alcohol, balls and indicators included. The whole vape, apart from a wooden heat shield, soaks in 99 % isopropyl alcohol for about 30 minutes in a sealed bag, gets a rinse in warm water, and dries with a short heat-up of the empty chamber.

The balls themselves only need attention every 300 chambers or so, with a torch over a mesh strainer or an overnight soak in degreaser. The Cap discolours near the induction sleeve from the heat, which MAD Heaters notes is expected. A soak in 5 % white vinegar restores the shine.

The Tempest 2 is the flagship stick vape from MAD Heaters and shares its heating system with the Slim. It comes in titanium only, with an aluminium heat shield that stays cooler over long back-to-back sessions, and its wider body fits 10, 14 and 18 mm water pipes.

The same heating system, slimmer and cheaper. The Slim measures 14.5 mm across versus 18.5 mm, comes in stainless steel or titanium, and adds a 0.05 g chamber setting the Tempest 2 lacks. The titanium Slim is also lighter, 42 g versus 46 g, and it costs noticeably less.

One or two heat-ups at a time in a pocketable body favours the Slim; long sessions and bigger water pipes favour the Tempest 2.

The UniDyn is DynaVap's convection-focused, battery-free stick vape, heated by torch or induction like the Slim. Its one-piece titanium body weighs only 17 g, it uses a BallR cap, it offers seven airflow settings, and it costs much less.

Built to clear the chamber in one heat-up. The Slim gives you a visual temperature gauge plus clicks, four chamber sizes from 0.05 g to 0.2 g, and swappable media with official heater settings for each. It is also heavier, at 42 g or 61 g versus 17 g.

The UniDyn is the lighter, cheaper way into battery-free vaping; the Slim is the step up when one heat-up should finish the whole chamber.

Right now we offer a 25% discount on all accessories when you buy any vaporizer here at MagicVaporizers. The Slim ships without a heat source, so this list starts with the parts that make it work and ends with the options that change how it draws.

YLL Induction Heater 3.0: The recommended heater; it gives repeatable heat-ups you time from the official settings table.

Reliance RS50 - 5000 mAh 21700 Battery: The heater runs on two cells at once and ships without them, so order a pair.

Xtar VX4 - Battery Charger: Four bays charge the pair in the heater plus a spare pair, so a charged set is always waiting to swap in.

Tempest - Case: Holds the hot Cap on a magnet for emptying, stores ground herbs and lets you pocket the vape straight after a heat-up.

Reload 3: A magnetic Cap holder and chamber emptier for home use, with airtight pots for chambers you pack in advance.

Tempest - Funnel: Fills the herb pots of the Case and the Reload 3 without spilling.

Tempest 2 - Heater Core: Replaces the balls with a two-piece core for more conduction, easier cleaning and nothing to spill when you empty the chamber.

Tempest - Ruby Balls: A step up in heat retention from quartz for the stainless Slim, or a like-for-like alternative to zirconia in the titanium Slim.

Tempest - Silicon Carbide Balls: Sits between quartz and ruby in heat retention, with a quicker heat-up than the heavier media.

Tempest - Stainless Steel Balls: The heaviest media with the longest heat retention, for a slower heat-up and a long, even draw.

Tempest - Quartz Balls: A replacement set for the stainless Slim, or the lightest, fastest-heating option for the titanium Slim.

Ispire - The Wand: The second officially supported induction heater; its temperature setting works as a timer, and it needs the Wand Adapter.

Tempest - Wand Adapter: Required for the Wand; it seats the Slim at the correct depth in the glass, and its depth doubles as the roast adjustment.

The Tempest 2 Slim comes with a 1-year warranty from Mad Heaters covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. All Tempest 2 Slim vaporizers we sell are authentic Mad Heaters products.