By Versed Vaper, January 17, 2023
The AUXO Cenote is a premium e-nail, or electronic concentrate vaporizer. It’s meant to be a portable device which you can use for dabbing on-the-go, or even an alternative to your desktop concentrate setup.
AUXO calls the Cenote a “smart concentrate vaporizer” and as such, it brings a number of attractive specs and features to the table. These include 3 preset temperature settings, a customizable temperature setting, app control, wireless charging, and 360° lighting effects.
The Cenote has a stainless steel heating rod and uses aluminum oxide ceramic nails, of which you get 5 included in the box. It has a temperature range of 392-644°F (200-340°C) and heats up in only 28 seconds. Auxo says that the Cenote’s 2000mAh battery can last for up to 12 sessions per charge (100 second sessions), but we’ll see how long it lasts in real-world usage.
If you’re in the market for a new e-nail, is the Cenote the rig to get? I used it for two weeks to find out.
This device was sent to me by AUXO for the purpose of this review. However, this does not in any way affect my thoughts or ratings of this device.
Box Contents
- 1 x Travel Case
- 1 x Cenote Device
- 1 x Glass Recycler
- 5 x Ceramic Nail
- 1 x Recycler Nozzle
- 1 x Carb Cap
- 2 x Silicone Rod Seal
- 1 x Tweezers
- 1 x Loading Tool
- 5 x Cotton Swab
- 1 x 20W Charging Adapter
- 1 x Type-C to Type-C Charging Cable
- 1 x Quick Start Guide
- 1 x User Manual
As you can see from the above list, you get a lot of goodies with the Cenote. Heck, it’s a $400 device so I would hope that you get some cool things with it! The included travel case is a hard foam material that is useful for taking the Cenote out of the house if you have a bag, or just for storing the Cenote away if you aren’t going to be using it for a while. It’s a nice case for keeping all of your accessories too.
You get 5 ceramic nails with the Cenote, which is awesome. You can just swap nails when one of your nails is dirty, instead of being unable to use the device until you clean the nail. Also, if too much residue builds up, you can just toss the nail away.
The other included accessories are standard as far as what you usually get with a concentrate e-rig, so not a lot to say here.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 143mm x 95mm x 56mm
- Weight: 320.5g
- Glass Recycler
- Stainless Steel Heating Rod
- Aluminum Oxide Ceramic Nails
- PC+TPE Body
- Conduction Heating
- Temperature Range: 392-644℉ (200-340°C）
- Pre-heat Time: 28 seconds
- Session Time: 20-90 seconds
- Battery: 2000mAh
- Charging Time: 90 minutes
Design & Build Quality
The Cenote is a very nice e-rig and you can immediately tell that it’s expensive and premium. It’s meant to be a portable device so it’s not as large as some other desktop rigs that I’ve used, which makes it a good candidate for taking on-the-go.
The Cenote is 143mm tall, 95mm wide, and 56mm deep. The width measurement is from the tip of the mouthpiece on the glass recycler, but since it’s a circular shape it’s realistically 56mm in diameter. It’s compact for an e-rig, but it’s still quite girthy. It also has a weight to it that you can feel at 320.5g.
The weight makes it feel extremely solid though and adds to the premium feel. I would be disappointed if I paid $400 for something that is so light that it feels cheap, so I don’t mind the weight. I also don’t think that it makes it any less portable as you’re still going to need to carry the case and accessories, so the overall size and weight are good. No portable rig is going to be featherlight anyway.
The materials used on the Cenote are excellent, both from a design and from a vapor quality standpoint. It has a large glass recycler that can be filled with water to cool your vapor, which is necessary for the hot vapor that you get from dabs. The body of the Cenote is made of polycarbonate with a rubberized coating. This rubber skin is textured with vertical lines for added grip and it feels nice in the hand.
The heating rod is made of stainless steel and the Cenote uses ceramic nails for the actual heating chamber. Nails simply push into the top of the heating rod, which has a silicone seal around it.
The glass recycler slots on and over the heating road/nail, and twists and locks into place on the base of the Cenote with a quarter-turn. With the glass recycler installed you can remove the silicone and glass carb cap from the top of the recycler, which gives you access to loading the nail. There’s a small hole in the top of the carb cap which you can use to brew your concentrates.
A common problem with bubblers is that you end up with water in your mouth if you pull too hard. The Cenote solves this issue by providing a nozzle for the recycler. This nozzle still allows airflow through but effectively prevents water from exiting the mouthpiece. I haven’t gotten water in my mouth once while I’ve used the Cenote, which is a different experience from a lot of other water-cooled rigs that I’ve used.
On the Cenote is a single button which is used to control all of the functions. It’s not the most simple to use at first, but after following the instruction manual for a while you get used to the operation. It’s a lot easier to control using the app, which I’ll get into a bit later.
360° LED Lighting
The Cenote is a bit of a party device because it has what AUXO calls “360° Lighting”. There are LED lights that sit just under the glass recycler, as well as LED lights on the base of the Cenote. These are primarily for indicating the state of the Cenote when heating, cooling down, or charging, but it also serves the purpose of just looking awesome. You can customize the lighting, including the brightness and the colors, through the AUXO app. There are six lighting effects available out of the box:
- Lumino (multi-color)
- Aurora (light green and blue)
- Purple Haze (purple and dark blue)
- Pink Flamingo (pink and white)
- UFO (spinning shades of green)
- Lava (orange and red)
There are also two additional lighting modes that can be downloaded through the app (Zen and Lighthouse). I think that the lighting effects are pretty awesome but they definitely take a toll on the already strained battery life. This is a powerful device that can heat up to 644°F, so you know that the battery is already under heavy demand.
Unfortunately, while you can turn the light brightness to “stealth” (which turns off the LEDs that sit under the glass recycler), there’s no way to turn them off completely. The LEDs will still illuminate the base of the Cenote. This is better, but still not as stealthy as I would like for some situations.
Features
As I mentioned in the last section, the 360° lighting is one of the Cenote’s main features. But that has nothing to do with the performance and the other specs are what matter. Luckily, the Cenote has some impressive specs to go with its impressive lighting.
It has a temperature range of 392-644°F (200-340°C), more than enough for concentrate vaporization, and it heats up in only 28 seconds. There are 4 settings of which 3 are preset temperatures and one is a “PRO” mode where you can customize the temperature to your liking. These settings are:
- Setting 1: 518°F (270°C)
- Setting 2: 572°F (300°C)
- Setting 3: 626°F (330°C)
- PRO Mode: 392-644°F (200-340°C)
Pressing the power button once will change the temperature setting. The setting that you’re in is indicated by the glow of red LEDs. The softest glow is setting 1, and the glow gets stronger as you go through modes 2 and 3. PRO Mode is designated by purple LEDs, however it can only be customized through the app.
Speaking of the app, it’s a little harder to get it now that app stores have cracked down on vaporizer apps, but AUXO has developed a little work around. If you don’t have the AUXO app like I do (I’ve had it since I reviewed the Calent dry herb vaporizer), all hope is not lost. Here’s what you have to do to get the app:
For Android devices, download the AUXO Connect app on the play store.
For Apple devices, follow the instructions provided by AUXO on their website.
In my opinion, the app is a must-have for the Cenote. It’s just so customizable and it has so many features that trying to use just the single button to control your experience is just not the way to do it. Yes, of course you can still use the Cenote without the app, but if you use it this way then you’re certainly missing out.
The app allows you to set a custom temperature and session time, toggle the LED settings, choose the LED lighting colors that you like, view your battery charge level, and more. It makes using the Cenote so much simpler and overall makes for a better user experience.
If you aren’t using the app, the session timer is by default set to 40 seconds. However, you can press the button once to extend your session time by twenty seconds. In the app, there’s a toggle to add twenty seconds to your session time by default and then you can press the physical button on the Cenote to extend it a further twenty seconds. Sessions can be extended indefinitely, which is nice.
Nails
The Cenote comes with five nails in the box, which is just plain awesome. You can use one until it’s dirty and then replace it with another one so that you don’t have to miss out on using it. Plus, if a nail gets too dirty then you can always just throw the nail away. After a while of using a nail, the residue can really affect the flavor of your concentrates (especially with a ceramic nail) so treating these as disposable after heavy usage is the way to go.
Each nail has a 0.02mm super thin metallic strip embedded into it, for even heating without burning your concentrates. These nails heat your concentrates with conduction heating.
How To Use the Cenote
When you first take the Cenote out of the box you’ll want to plug it in and let it charge. That’s the first step. Once it’s done charging you can twist and lift the glass recycler from the base to expose the heating rod.
Next you’ll want to take one of the ceramic nails and place it into the top of the stainless steel heating rod. Press the nail down firmly to ensure that it makes full contact with the metal contacts in the base of the heating rod.
Once that is done, you can fill the glass recycler with water. There’s a sticker indicating the fill line. If done correctly, the water level should be about 14mm from the base of the recycler. Take the recycler nozzle and place it into the mouthpiece. This will prevent any water from getting into your mouth.
Installing the recycler onto the base is easy; it’s just the opposite of how you took it off. There are notches on the base of the recycler which align with notches in the Cenote. When installed correctly, the mouthpiece will be aligned with the power button on the Cenote.
Loading up material is also straightforward. Remove the carb cap from the top-center of the recycler and you’ll see the nail that you previously installed. You want to load up your material with the device cool and off, as to avoid burning yourself. The Cenote is meant as a session dab rig, not as one that you load up while it’s on and running.
Using the included loading tool, take a rice grain size amount of material and load it into the chamber. Replace the carb cap back onto the recycler and you’re ready to go.
With all of that done, there are two ways that you can use the Cenote: with the app, or as a standalone device.
Using the Device (No App)
Using the Cenote without the app really limits the experience but it’s still usable like this (just not my preferred way to go). Here’s how to do it:
- Hold the power button for three seconds to turn it on.
- Press the power button once to cycle through the heating modes. The brighter the red LED, the higher the temperature. You can reference the feature section of this review. A purple LED is pro mode which is really only useful when using the app, so don’t use this mode without it.
- After 5 seconds of inactivity after choosing the mode, the Cenote will begin to heat up.
- After 28 seconds of heating, the Cenote is ready to be used. Inhale on the mouthpiece and, if desired, use the carb cap to brew your concentrates.
- There is a 40 second session timer by default, however this can be extended by double pressing the power button once the Cenote enters “cooldown mode”. When the LED lighting changes to a red glow, the Cenote is in cooldown mode. Sessions can be extended indefinitely.
- You can end your session at any time by pressing the power button once.
- Once you’re done with your session, press and hold the power button to turn the device off.
Using the App
Using the app makes using the Cenote better because you can customize the pro mode, change the LED lighting, and easily see your battery charge level. When using the app, this is how to use the Cenote:
- Hold the power button for three seconds to turn it on.
- Open up the app on your phone. Make sure that you have bluetooth and location services enabled.
- In the app on the “Choose Device” screen, select the Cenote and hit next.
- The device should automatically connect.
- From here you can choose your temperature setting and use the toggle near the bottom of the screen to extend the session by 20 seconds from the get-go. The lighting switch can also be turned on to keep the colorful lighting after the session ends instead of the red cool down lighting.
- If you select PRO mode then you can set the temperature and session length to whatever you desire.
- Hit start and the Cenote will begin to heat up. After 28 seconds it’s ready to be used. Inhale on the mouthpiece and pay attention to the session timer in the app. You can press the button on the Cenote to extend the session by a further 20 seconds.
- You can end your session at any time by pressing the button in the app.
- Once you’re done with your session, press and hold the power button to turn off the device.
Battery Life & Charging
The AUXO Cenote has a 2000mAh battery built-in which can be recharged with Type-C charging, as well as with wireless QI charging. You can’t use the Cenote while it charges though, as there’s no pass-thru functionality.
AUXO claims on their website that a single charge will last you for twelve, 100 second sessions, and that’s pretty accurate, just make sure that you charge it fully with the included cable and adapter before using it.
In my experience, I used the Cenote for more than ten sessions per charge with each one being a minimum of 60 seconds. I tended to use the first or second temperature setting (518°F and 572°F), so expect less usage time if using higher temperatures or longer sessions.
Battery life is indicated by a glowing green LED on the base of the Cenote. You can check the battery life by pressing the power button three times and looking at the glow on the base. It’s difficult, actually impossible, to tell the battery life this way though. The green LED is supposed to fade more as the battery gets lower, but honestly it’s not a reliable way to see where your battery is at. Checking your battery life through the app is a much easier and more accurate way to go about it.
The Cenote recharges in 90 minutes using the included cable and adapter and as I mentioned earlier, it does not have pass-thru charging. If you try to use the app while it charges you’ll get a message stating to wait until it’s finished charging.
Performance
The Cenote is an all-around amazing device for concentrates. It’s one that I found myself wanting to use again and again, even with multiple other devices around me. The semi-restricted pull is super nice and smooth, even at the highest of the preset temperature settings.
I think that AUXO did a great job of setting the temperature settings appropriately for an experience that goes from chill to really feeling it as you go up through the settings. Of course, you can always use the PRO mode if you really want to max out the temperature that the Cenote is capable of.
Vaporization happens effectively with no waste. I can really taste the flavor of my concentrates and the vapor is warm but not hot thanks to the water cooling. You don’t have to pull very hard to get this thing going, and the carb cap is really effective for brewing before taking a large pull to clear out the chamber. No water got in my mouth either thanks to the handy mouthpiece cap.
It doesn’t take a lot of material for a good session either. I used about a rice grain sized amount for each session and got a bunch of decent sized rips off of it, so the heating is efficient. I never got a burnt taste either, so the ceramic nails do a good job of evenly heating without burning.
All-in-all, it’s a great experience using the Cenote.
Verdict
The Cenote is without a doubt one of the best concentrate vaporizers on the market right now. It’s an e-nail that you can take with you on-the-go but that is just as effective sitting in your home waiting for the next session. The swappable nails are excellent, not just because you get five of them and they can be disposed of if they get too dirty, but they heat up evenly and provide an excellent experience.
Using the app is the way to go with the Cenote, but it can still be effectively used without it. I highly recommend getting the app for the ability to customize pro mode, see your battery life, and overall just use the device more easily.
In addition to the performance, it’s just a really nice device. The only downside is that the price tag matches the premium looks and it’s going to run you about $400 USD to get a Cenote for yourself. Is the price worth it? It’s expensive but it’s definitely a device that performs at the top of its class. If you have the money to drop on the Cenote then I don’t think that you’ll regret the purchase.
Highly recommended.
