Zeus Arc GTS vs. XMAX V3 Pro

Which vape should you buy?

As two of the newest dry herb vaporizers coming out in the 2021 release, the Zeus ARC GTS Hub and the XMAX V3 Pro have been making waves for their super easy-to-use and understand kits. Each has its own pros and cons though, that a prospective buyer should know about and in this review, we’ll be going through each device’s key features to give you a better picture of what they’re like. By comparing them to one another in important categories like vapor quality, we hope that you’ll be able to fully understand their differences before making a decision! So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

Zeus Arc GTS vs. XMAX V3 Pro – Key Features Comparison

The XMAX V3 Pro was released in the summer of 2021 and has quickly become one of the most popular dry herb vapes for its powerful convection and optional on-demand heating. You’ll have a large number of accessories to choose from, as well as ways a ton of different ways to use the vape. For under $130, it’s one of the best options on the market with a lot of bang for its buck.

The Zeus Arc GTS Hub is a very versatile vape dry herb vape kit that includes 15 dosing capsules, a de-bowler, and of course the GTS vaporizer. In the metal Hub that everything comes in, you’ll be able to store everything you need in one convenient place which could mean up to 15 fully pre-loaded sessions that can easily be swapped in and out of the unique bowl system as we’ll get to later in the review.

GTS Conduction vs. V3 Pro Convection

With a pure conduction heating system, the Zeus ARC GTS relies on a gold-plated 0.3g oven chamber to heat up either your loose flower or aluminum dosing capsules. You’ll have three default temperature pre-sets which can be updated on a web application that comes out of the box at 205C, 215C, and 225C. These temperature pre-sets can also be slightly tweaked with an easy-to-use web application. With a slower heating-up time of around 80 seconds, you’ll have to be a little bit more patient than you would normally be while you wait for inhales to be ready.

With the XMAX V3 Pro, you’ll be able to fit a maximum of 0.25g into the stainless steel oven. With adjustable precise temperature control between 212°F – 428°F (100°C – 220°C), you’ll be able to operate the heating in either session or on-demand mode. With fast heating in as little as 15 seconds, you can have sizeable clouds in just moments. With the recent release of their dry herb dosing capsules alongside their V3 Pro Wax Cups, you’ll be able to preload as many sessions as you’d like before knocking out the old pod and placing the new one in.

Which is more portable?

If you’re looking for a portable dry herb vaporizer, the GTS is going to be one of the best. With its sleek black and gold design, you’ll be able to fully conceal it in the palm of your hand. The only real downside is the compact design might get a little hot in the hand during summer, but overall it will fit into just about any pocket while being able to carry some loaded dosing capsules around with you with a 420 storage keychain.

While the XMAX does have a design that most people will think is just a nicotine vaporizer, being six inches tall is going to be a problem fitting into smaller pockets. For this reason, most people will find a Tools420 lockable vape case useful to keep their vape and everything they might need like a USB-C power bank and XMAX V3 Pro Bubbler in one convenient spot.

Can you use concentrates in the GTS or V3 Pro?

With the XMAX V3 Pro, the wax cup will allow you to vaporize low-temperature concentrates like shatter. Since it will all be confined to one spot in the cup, you won’t have to worry about a mess or damaging your vape’s chamber. On the GTS, it’s a little different since there is no real spot to place your wax unless you want to ruin an aluminum dosing capsule.

With long and slow draws on the XMAX, you can easily bring the chamber to well above the max defined temperature of 428F / 220C so that you can ensure a good heating of your dabs. Personally, I wouldn’t suggest using the sandwich method with loose flower on the XMAX to avoid clogging the very important air intake holes at the bottom of the chamber.

GTS Hub vs XMAX v3 Pro – Vapor Quality Review

In terms of vapor quality, this category comes down to personal preference between wanting a slightly draw-restricted experience full of flavor and terpenes on the GTS, or a free-flowing massive cloud producer with a little less flavor on the V3.

Let’s start with the GTS vaporizer. Since the gold the vape uses in the oven distributes heat extremely well throughout the oven, you’ll get an extremely even roast of your loose flower, especially in the dosing capsules. However, due to the somewhat overcomplicated air path, there is some draw resistance between the chamber air filter, the mouthpiece filter, and then the heat sink plate in the rubber mouthpiece. However, it all adds up to really concentrate your vapor so that the flavor is some of the best on the portable dry herb vape market.

With the XMAX V3 being a pure convection vaporizer focused on heating, it more so leaned towards maximizing its airflow and cloud production over flavor. To better explain this, we can look at the on-demand heating mode. Once you have it set to on-demand mode and hold the power button down, you’ll have almost instantaneous vapor production as in just seconds the device will reach a high temperature with super-charged hot air passing through the chamber to extract your THC that won’t really give your flower enough time to heat evenly. This is why the stir tool on the mouthpiece is important, as the heating can be a bit uneven, and you’ll want to stir once or twice per session to get the most out of the bowl.

In my opinion though, the XMAX V3 does somewhat suffer from the same issue as the Utillian 620 where they can form massive clouds, even at lower temperatures, but somewhat forgets about the importance of terpenes. For this reason, I would suggest a very skunky strain so that you can still get that good hit of terpenes with every inhale.

With the XMAX V3 intense air flow, you’ll notice the two air intake ports on the side of the vape are quite large. During inhales, you can hear them whistling as they bring loads of air into the heating element and then into your chamber. To be honest, it’s quite loud, especially if you’re taking in big sips. However, the airflow can be a huge benefit when using the V3 with vape bongs and bubblers. Since there is virtually no airflow restriction and the vape pumps out massive clouds, you’ll be able to get massive tokes almost unlike any other vaporizer. With the 10, 14, and 18mm ports on the V3 Pro Silicone Bong Adapter, you can easily attach your vape to almost any bong, or for a more straight-shooting experience, we can recommend the 18mm curved tip bubbler for a simple way to add a lot of cooling to your session.

The GTS almost suffers from the exact opposite problem where at times it can feel like you’re sucking on a very thick milkshake straw during inhales. I have very good lungs and those long and slow draws can get difficult at times even for me. However, the high is always worth it as I’d say the GTS gets me the most high every single time out of all of the portable dry herb vapes that Tools420 carries.

Overall, we’d give this category to the GTS for its more potent vapor, as opposed to just big clouds.

Battery Life Comparison

With the XMAX V3 Pro, you’ll get around 45 minutes of battery life while using it in session modes, which you can have a maximum timer of six minutes for. While this might seem like a downside, just know that the 18650 batteries are swappable, and the vape itself comes equipped with a pass-through (useable while charging) USB-C port. This adds a lot more versatility to the device, as for simply $20 each, you can pick up an extra 18650 2600mAh battery and battery bank. Alternatively, a full charge can take around ninety minutes from dead.

On the GTS, you’ll be able to get up to 90 minutes of battery life before needing a recharge. It does however use the outdated micro-USB style of charging which will take ninety minutes to two hours for a full charge. Overall, we’d give this category to the V3 Pro for its better battery versatility.

Zeus vs. XMAX Manufacturing Quality

For manufacturing quality, the GTS is the clear winner. With many of the internal parts being made out of gold for better conductivity and a solid metal exterior, it just feels more durable and overall better in the hand. Our only  knock would be the rubber and hard plastic mouthpiece which could be upgraded to a swivel-out zirconia mouthpiece on future editions for a truly amazing vapor quality and luxurious feel that I feel would put it as one of the best vapes on the market.

For the XMAX V3 Pro, there is a definite quality difference when compared to the GTS. The aluminum body is quite lightweight, but the main thing that holds it back is the standard plastic mouthpiece that has a mouthpiece opening similar to that of a wooden popsicle stick. It’s a little awkward and takes a bit of getting used to. Combine that with the whistling noise and these are two traits that slightly hold it back. It does have its pros though, as the screen and precision temperature are very nice features for a budget vaporizer.

Zeus GTS vs. XMAX V3 Pro – Ease of use comparison

With the Zeus Arc GTS Hub, it’s quite a simple system that will mainly revolve around Zeus ArcPod dosing capsules. In the kit, you’ll get 15 aluminum capsules and 45 paper lids. As the paper lids only have a maximum of three uses, you’ll get a total of 135 sessions out of the box if you’re sticking to just the dosing capsules. Of course, you can also just choose to use the loose flower in the chamber, though A replacement set of the same quantity of pods will cost about 25$. While you can use the included Zeus Xtruder Grinder to fill the pods to 0.3g every time, most people will just scoop up their ground flower and then place a paper lid on top.

To begin a session with the GTS once you have your pods loaded, you will first start by removing the metal pick from the bottom of the vape to lift the mouthpiece on the notched side upwards and out to reveal the 0.3g chamber. Simply plop a filled pod in, place the mouthpiece and pick tool back onto the vape, and then turn the vape on by pressing and holding the three notches for three seconds until the vape vibrates. While the lights are blue, this means that the vape is heating, the three blue lights correspond to what pre-set temperature that you have set which you can adjust by simply pressing the mouthpiece power button down once. After eighty seconds the lights will turn green and you’ll be free to enjoy your session. Something to note is that the dosing capsules and paper lids can be really helpful in keeping the need for cleaning to a minimum.

With the XMAX V3 Pro, it’s a bit on the easier side as all you’ll need to do is remove the magnetic mouthpiece, load in your 0.25g, and then click the power button three times to turn the vape on. As soon as you turn the vape on, it will automatically begin heating to your last set temperature, or you can choose to swap to on-demand heating by pressing both the up and down arrow at the same time and then holding the power button for a very fast heat. Holding the power and down arrow for a few seconds will also engage the six-minute session timer. Because of the very powerful heating, you’ll be able to clear bowls very quickly in as little as 3-4 minutes, making this a great vape for fans of microdosing. Something to know is the wide variety of mouthpieces that you can choose from the V3 Pro including a glass stem, 14mm glass WPA, or bubbler.

Which is easier to maintain?

On the GTS, you can give the chamber a quick wipe down with vape cleaning sticks. The only other real thing to clean are the aluminum pods and metal parts of the mouthpiece which you can slide out of the rubber for a ten-minute soak in some isopropyl alcohol before a hot water rinse and gentle scrub if needed. If the mouthpiece becomes too far gone with time, you can also just pick up a GTS care package.

On the XMAX V3 Pro, the only real thing to clean is the stainless steel oven which for the most part you’ll be able to keep clean with the stir tool built onto the mouthpiece. If you notice the metal screen filter getting clogged, you can use some iso on it and in the chamber for maintenance about once a month.

Warranty

On the XMAX, you’ll have a one-year warranty, and on the Zeus, you’ll have a three-year warranty. Each covers against manufacturer defects not caused by normal wear and tear.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the winner of this comparison has been the Zeus Arc GTS Hub for its overall versatility and ease of use with the included 15 dosing capsules. However, it’s an extra 150$, so it should be the winner. The XMAX V3 Pro packs a lot of great features into a super-nifty and innovative dry herb vape with very powerful pure convection heating. With a swappable 18650 battery and precision temperature control, it swings above its weight class. For the vapor quality comparison, it comes down to whether you want an awesome high with high-quality terpenes or free-flowing air with the possibility of pumping out absolutely massive clouds.