Utillian 850 Standalone Review

TVape sent me over a Utillian 850 with a one request — that I compare it to the Arizer Go SRT and Arizer Solo III. But, in order to do that, I had gathered enough data points to write an entire standalone review. I figured — why not post that? Especially since the wax mode was so impressive. . . but we’ll get to that!

While they supplied me with equipment to test, they didn’t pay me for my opinion or sponsor me or anything (I’m far too opinionated for that anyway).

What Ships with the vaporizer?

The Utillian 850 ships with fine mesh screens, two different screens for the magnetic cap, O-rings for the magnetic cap and mouthpiece, a cleaning brush, a multi tool that tucks into the bottom of the unit, a water pipe adapter, a usb-c cable and most exciting — a wax canister. In other words, it comes with just about everything you need to support a variety uses for the device.

Screens, Pods, and Chamber Size

The Utillian 850 has a very generous chamber size, and you can lightly pack the chamber with anywhere between .26 and .35 of a gram. There is also a wax canister / pod insert that can be used with concentrates (I wouldn’t recommend filling that to the brim, but you do you!)

Plainly put, the Utillian has more than enough chamber size to not just meet your singular demands, but passes easily among a couple of people (and the dual core helps keep that heat up.)

Durability

The Utillian 850 feels substantial and easily withstood the bag test (which is getting thrown into my big bag of stuff and being rattled around a lot). With the zirconia mouthpiece, there was nothing to get caught or shatter, and it traveled well in my bag. It performed as well on tests in these last few weeks of use as it did in the first week. Any delicate-seeming parts aren’t sticking out and are well-protected, and there’s nothing that will jiggle loose while being carried.

Ease of Use

As per my usual, I decided to try and use this vaporizer straight out of the box (after having a high temperature burn of course, to burn any oils, etc.) without reading the instructions. It’s like a trial by not-fire for me, and this one passed hands down. There is a single button separated from two other buttons by a full color screen which actually makes controls on the Utillian 850 quite intuitive. Should you need help there’s a QR code that will take you directly to a manual. The ease of the OS and the buttons that are available make the Utillian 850 a snap to figure out and configure to meet your needs. You can also use LITE mode to make the numbers and display far easier to read (and my over-tired cyclops eye thanks them for it.)

The Utillian 850 features an easy-to-read screen and intuitive three button interface. The screen is so nice I do vaguely wonder if you can play doom on it. Image Source: Author.

Cleaning

I found that the Utillian 850 cleaned very well. The gold layered screens came as clean as they shipped and all parts of the vaporizer were easily cleaned with the normal regimen of cleaning brushes and isopropyl alcohol when necessary. I had read some reviewers comment that the rubberized surface of the device was rubbed off with rubbing alcohol, but I didn’t have that experience. It was easy to disassemble the vaporizer for a complete cleaning, and to get it as clean as the day that it shipped, without any corners that are unreachable.

Session and Temperature Control

As I mentioned, the controls are really easy to use and quite easy to guess. There are two buttons that are obviously for temperature and one that powers on the unit. If you tap the on button twice you can switch between Herb and Wax mode (which uses different session timings because of how you use concentrates and to protect the device!). You can control session time in the menus, and are able to change temperature on the fly in either of the modes. Wax Mode will allow you to heat up to 500 degrees F (260 C for those who don’t use freedom units), and 446 F (230 C) for Herb. Defaults and on the fly session controls are at your finger tips.

Vapor Production

The Utillian 850 produces huge, voluminous clouds of vapor regardless of the temperature! At lower temperatures, like 365, the lightness of the vapor may make it seem comparable to a lot of other vaporizers, but it really starts to shine at the higher temperatures, especially those over 380. Sometimes it may take a pull or two to get going, but once there, those cloud stick around all the way to the end of the session.

Assisting this is the extremely welcome airflow control at the bottom of the unit. Even when passing among two of us using a water pipe or the Zeus Iceborn, the Utillian was able to create some lung bursting vapor clouds. The dual core heater also helps out here — other vaporizers may cool down during larger pulls, but the dual core heater makes sure that the hybrid heat is always at work.

If you’re the type of person who is looking to move from smoking to dry herb vaporizer and enjoy the lung feel of smoking, you might enjoy this unit quite a bit. My husband Darren, who smokes more frequently than I do, definitely called dibs, and found that this unit was both portable and helped him to smoke far less frequently and turn to vaporizing more.

Vapor Flavor

While I could still detect some of the more stand-out terpenes and expressions, flavor was a bit difficult for me to tune on the Utillian 850. There are two screens that sit in the vapor path — and while they are very effective at making sure you don’t inhale tiny bits of botanical — there is an interruption of flavor from it. It was easier to get flavorful hits without the O-ring and screen that sits between the chamber and the mouthpiece (but this surely causes more of a mess in the soakable mouthpiece itself). The major terpenoids are still easy to detect, and given how much vapor it’s able to produce, they become easier to find!

Initially I was concerned that the vapor may be far too hot coming out of the unit with the zirconia mouth piece, but the heat sink is extremely effective at keeping the vapor cool and the flavor as vibrant as possible (given that two screens are necessary!)

Wax Mode!?

Wax Mode, you say? Perfect for sampling some of Oregon’s finest … Image source: Author.

Do you want a great way to try that deliciously tempting and award-winning Temple Ball crafted by Sandcastle Hash , or any of their other products made from flower by my soul farm 54 Green Acres? The Utillian 850 has an answer in the form of a wax mode. (Hopefully Sandcastle will include vaporization as a way to consume on their information page soon!) Using wax or other concentrates is as simple as loading up the included wax canister (no proverbial paywall of accessory purchase here) and you are on your way. It’s easy to load, and easy to clean once you’re done.

This is the mode where the vaporizer delivered outstanding, notable flavors. I ended up starting down in the Herb Range for temperature before working up some of the temple ball into the higher areas of the Wax range. The terpenes were stated beautifully and clearly. The vaporizer delivered incredible, bright flavor and lung-challenging hits. The flavors in this mode with the right concentrate were incredible.

Time to Toke

Long gone are the days of slow heat ups, and the Utillian 850 will get you toking your herb in 25–27 seconds. Taking it to 500 F took around 34 seconds, which is also pretty speedy for my needs. What’s also impressive is the unit’s ability to maintain that heat regardless of how much air you get moving through the unit during your draw.

Portability / Form Factor

The Utillian 850 essentially has two form factors that you get — one with the water pipe adapter (WPA) and one with the zirconia mouthpiece. Obviously the WPA makes it a bit more unwieldy to carry (but no more so than some of the longer form factors offered by the Arizer Solo), but all of them are easily fit into a bag. The zirconia mouthpiece twists so that it tucks into the magnetic cap. Thrown in with my e-book reader, a phone, and a day’s worth of essentials, the Utillian 850 traveled well and delivered a great experience.

Here’s the Utillian 850 with Water Pipe Adapter with the Zeus Iceborn in the leather case that Darren made for them. Image Source: Author.

Battery Life

With a 5000 mAh capacity, the Utillian has a good amount of battery life to it, despite the dual core heating system it has to manage to power. I was able to average 12–15 5 minute sessions at 365 with the Utillian 850. That’s a lot of battery, especially given that it’s working with two heaters.

Reliability

Every time I needed the Utillian to deliver big, impressive clouds it was there to meet the need. There were no technical issues or errors that presented themselves while I was using it, and keeping it clean and in high working order is easy.

Price

MSRP is $319.99 but you can often find deals that take the price quite a bit lower (even to $250!)

Pros and Cons

There are so many pros — this is a good form factor to slip into a bag and carry on the go, it has a long battery life and powerful heater. It’s able to work with two different types of product — wax or botanicals, which differentiates it from a lot of other products out there. The dual core heater means that even towards the end of the session when it’s being passed from person to person it can maintain the heat. The cons mainly have to do with flavor, and it’s a nit pick — you still get great flavor from the Utillian 850, but some terpenes / flavors were harder to find in the Utillian 850 than in the Solo III. And while the hybrid heater does take a bit from those flavors, it’s not to the extent that you can expect from conduction heat. In fact, the airflow really helps keep that air moving. Cloud-wise, this one is honestly hard to beat. The Utillian 850 really especially shines when using with a water pipe / bong or with the Zeus Iceborn and is exceptional when it comes to using concentrates and wax.

Summary / Final Thoughts

It’s amazing how little this vaporizer truly asks in order to deliver some powerful clouds. It’s easy to clean, very easy and intuitive to use, and it stands up to any challenges a normal bag might cause it. It’s such a pleasure to have a portable vaporizer that not only just works but is powerful enough to sesh with others. Its dual mode makes it a stand out in the portable vaporizer space.