Firefly Chief Executive Officer Mark Williams has made the Firefly 2 a sleeker, lighter, and more useful vaporizer, and he’s targeting dispensaries.
When Firefly 2 had its soft launch in April—2,000 units were distributed—one thing in particular struck CEO Mark Williams: Fewer than 1 percent of customers returned the item. Firefly 2 is a dramatic improvement over Firefly 1.
Williams has an impressive design/product developer resume: He worked at Apple for many years and led the team that created MAC OS X. In 2010, he had an epiphany as he sat on his couch smoking a joint. “I realized,” he remembered, “this is terrible for my lungs. There’s got to be a better way.” Williams, who had a nice nest egg from working at Apple, got to work designing Firefly 1. The product was a big success, but it wasn’t 100 percent what Williams, or the consumer, wanted or needed. Hence, the vastly improved Firefly 2 is coming this fall.
The Details
Designed for both aromatic blends and concentrates, Firefly 2 heats in only three seconds and produces a borosilicate glass vapor path. The device charges in 45 minutes via a new charging cradle with a USB 3.0 cable that connects to any phone or tablet charger. The sleek, magnetic lid keeps everything tidy. A two-year limited warranty covers damage. Five color choices—black, blue, gold, red, and white—allow consumers to pick a look they like.
Convection vs. Conduction
While almost all vaporizers use conduction technology—direct contact with a heated surface—Williams opted for convection, the passing of hot air around and through aromatic blends. “Convection is superior, I believe, because as you inhale you only heat what you want to use,” he said. “You can take small puffs…and there’s no waste while cooking with conduction.”
Smaller, Lighter, Better
By closely monitoring customer feedback (Williams read almost every customer-service record), Williams knew what he had to improve with the second version. “Customers wanted something smaller, and lighter, and they wanted more battery life,” he said. “Hence, Firefly 2 is 33 percent smaller and 55 percent lighter, and it comes pre-set at a default heat setting of medium-high. Finally, the entire vapor pad, sans the removable mouthpiece, is lined with the same resilient Gorilla Glass found in smart phones today. This provides a nice, clean flavor, as well as easy cleaning.
