Should you buy the High Five Duo?

If you’ve been hunting for an E-Rig that can give you excellent vapor quality and a fully modular design, then look no further than the High Five Duo. Since being released in 2020, the ‘Duo’ in the name comes from being compatible with both dry herbs and dabs. Unfortunately, two years later, they still haven’t released their awaited dry herb atomizer, so we’ll only be looking at dabbing performance today.

However, with a unique, sturdy, and durable design, we’ll be seeing how the titanium and quartz bucket inserts perform compares to modern competition like the Focus V Carta 2 and Core 2.1. So, let’s get into it.

High Five Duo

High Five Duo Specs + Ratings

Material Compatibility Dabs
Pass through charging Yes
Swappable Batteries No
Charge Time 2 Hours
Charging Port USB-C
Battery life 30-40 sessions
Heating system Quartz / Titanium Buckets
Heat up time 5 Secs.
Temperature control Yes (10F increments)
Temperature Range 350-600°F (176-315°C)
Oven Size 16mm (large)
Vapor path way Steel
Accessories Glass, Flower Atomizer
Vibration Alert Yes
Motion sensor No
Warranty period 3-Year
Price $250 USD
Coupon Code
Ease of Use 8/10
Vapor Quality 8/10
Manufacturing Quality 7/10
Ease of Cleaning 7/10
Portability 6/10
Durability 8/10

Key Features

  • Pass Thru USB-C Charging
  • Solid Battery Life
  • Large Capacity 16mm Bowl
  • Easy User Interface
  • 11 LED Light Settings
  • Durable Hardware
  • Modular & Easy to Clean
  • Lifetime Warranty Insurance Available

What’s in the High Five Duo Kit?

  • 1 x DUO E-Rig
  • 1 x Allen key
  • 1 x Carb Cap
  • 1 x Dab Tool
  • 1 x Quartz Bucket
  • 1 x Titanium Bucket
  • 1 x USB-C
  • 1 x Wax Atomizer
  • 1 x Borosilicate Bubbler

High Five Duo accessories

Bucket Heating System

The atomizer is integrated into the rig’s design and the user will place either a titanium or quartz bucket onto the steel heating element.

After you hold the power button down, it will begin heating after you hold the power button down and the unit vibrates. You’ll see the text ‘heating’ turn into ‘at temp’, at which point you can take your inhale. Personally, I enjoyed clearing the bowl in one big inhale since the glass and steel airpath do a good just at making the vapor smooth. With a wide temperature range of 350-600°F (176-315°C) adjustable by 10F increments, the High Five Duo can pump out solid clouds and give the user full of control over how they’d like their session.

High Five Duo Heating

High Five Duo Vapor Quality

Between the two buckets, there isn’t too much difference in flavor, but the titanium will get a bit better heat transfer if you want to reduce pooling from a very big dab.

One nice thing is that the atomizer is a very large 16mm compared to the 10mm or 14mm on most E-Rigs, so combined with the temperature ranges gives you enough variations to play around with how you want your sessions to go.

While there might be a bit of pooling on the max temperature compared to the Dr. Dabber Switch‘s 800°F, it’s quite a solid device for the price that performs similarly to the Utillian 5 with its Glass Bubbler.

One other thing that I liked was that the airflow holes were big enough to provide awesome airflow, which is always a welcome feature and allowed for bigger inhales. The High Five Duo does a good job at being super consistent, nothing mind-blowing, but solid.

Dab Extraction Rating

Overall, my tip for heavy users would be to stick to the titanium bucket and crank up the temperature so that you can clear the bowl within one heating cycle. Overall, I don’t mind the bucket design as they prevent your dab from overcooking, and you’ll still get your flavor for a more efficient hit.

Is it portable?

The High Five was definitely made with the stability of the base in mind over portability, so it’s best to be left at home. While there is a vape case satchel included in the kit, I wouldn’t suggest using it unless you’re going to be hitting it from a table on something like a business trip or while camping as you definitely can’t just whip it out in public for a quick hit like you can from a wax pen.

High Five Duo portability

Strong Battery Life

Even though you can clear the bowl in one hit on lower temperatures, there still might be some residue that you can cook off with a second heating cycle.

  • If you’re taking smaller dabs that are fully cleared from one heat cycle, you can expect between 15-20 sessions which are relatively strong from the market.

There are some nice pros about the battery though, as you can use the pass-through charging feature to take dabs while it’s charging up. A full charge time is also not bad, coming in at only two hours.

Unique Build Quality

Regarding build quality, the Duo is super awesome as it’s nearly fully modular while remaining very simple, just like the Rio Stache or PuffCo Proxy. The two main parts are the base and the glass bubbler, which you’ll build everything around. The airpath is steel from the atomizer plate, and the vapor will run through that directly to the hand-blown glass bubbler, so it’s one of the cleaner devices on the market.

  • High Five also has some additional glass accessories that you can customize your device with, such as a side mouthpiece bubbler, or different colors of carb caps.

High Five Duo build

E-Rig Comparisons

If you’re liking the style of the Duo, you might also be interested in The Core 2.1. While it doesn’t have the same temperature flexibility as the Duo, the battery life is stronger, and the temperatures are a bit on the higher end for better extraction. The ceramic atomizer will also be easy to maintain just like the Duo’s buckets are.

core 2.0 red voltage

Getting it Working

The first thing to do is set up the bubbler. To do that, just fill it with water above the airholes, and then place it into its slot with the airhole line up with the atomizers. From there, the commands on the unit are pretty simple:

  1. Five buttons to turn it on
  2. Up/Down to adjust the temperature
  3. Holding the power button to begin heating
  4. Pressing square will also give you different options like lighting and session timers

That’s about it, it’s super easy and the bowl options will also let you play around as well. For example, the quartz bucket for low-temperature concentrates. The only other thing to note is that High Five suggests that your bowl is centered on the atomizer before you drop the lid down!

High Five Duo How to use

High Five Duo Maintenance

The nice thing about the modular base design is that you’ll have easy cleaning access to the air path and bucket atomizers. For the airpath and bucket resin buildups, Alcohol Q-Tips are going to be your best friend. For easy maintenance, a simple swipe of the bucket with these Q-Tips will remove anything before it gets cooked on and harder to remove.

For the bubbler, the easiest method of cleaning is hands down some Orange Chronic which will zap any hard water or yellowing instantly. After, just give it a quick rinse with some hot water to get it all out.

Warranty

You’ll get 3 years of warranty on the base, and 3 months on the atomizer. Very respectable warranties for the market, and you’ll also be able to purchase a lifetime device warranty insurance for about $70 if you want to be safe.

Pros

  • Durable and Consistent E-Rig Design
  • Easy to Use
  • Lots of Customization Options
  • Large Atomizer / Buckets

Cons

  • Not portable
  • Some pooling even on high temperatures

Final Thoughts

With a wide variety of customization options and very few sessions, the High Five Duo is a good pick for new Electric Dab Rig buyers, but it doesn’t quite earn a spot on our list of the Best Electric Dab Rigs.

My only complaint is that everything it does can be done a little better by the new Focus V Carta 2 apart from its battery life. The smartphone app will also let you customize pre-sets and the LED’s a whole lot more than the Duo for not too much of a price increase!

We hoped you enjoyed our review, and until next time – To health and high times!

If you’d like to learn about another unique E-Rig, be sure to check out our Dablamp Review!

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