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Ardent FX Review: Decarboxylate & Infuse THC or CBD

Ardent's FX activates your plant material including flower, kief, concentrate and stems so you can infuse with the cannabinoids of your choice.

If you want to make your own cannabis infused edibles like gummies, cookies and chocolate but aren’t sure what equipment is needed, then today’s review is for you.

The Ardent FX can best be described as an all-in-one canna kitchen that was made to decarboxylate THC, CBD and CBG. Essentially it removes the active elements from cannabis and transfers or infuses them into other material like butter for example. Then you can cook or bake with your infused material (i.e. cannabutter) adding it to whatever receipts you wish.

Here’s how simple it is to decarb your flower…

The machine is quite efficient as it can activate between 97% and 100% of the plant material including dried flower, kief, concentrates, stems, shake and even little larfy buds.

Check our review, rating and photos below.

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QUALITY OF CONSTRUCTION

The Ardent FX has 3 primary parts – meaning the device was extremely simple to assemble and operate.

With the unit being cylindrical in shape, it’s just slightly larger than a typical kitchen blender or coffee maker and is coloured purple because of the creator has a fondness for that colour. The chamber alone measures 10 3/8 inches tall with an outer diameter of 4 3/4 inches, inner diameter of 3 1/2 inches and a 7 inch deep cavity. Plus, they added a max fill line to assure you never add to much.

This chamber is made of high quality stainless steel and can hold up to:

  • 4 ounces of dried flower (fill to max line without packing), or
  • 28 ounces of oil (liquids must be under the max fill line)

Assembling the Ardent FX was simple and the same can be said about turning the machine on and running because it features just 2 buttons and 4 settings. The base is attached to a 3 foot power cord which gives you plenty of space to find an outlet and the lid has a built-in handle to make opening and closing the top very quick.

One thing we didn’t realize was they also included a Concentrate and Infusion Sleeve in the bundle. This accessory is made of FDA-approved, food-grade and BPA-free silicone that has oval handle holes which are 1 inch in length x 3/4 inch wide. Just like the material chamber, you can fill it safely with up to 3.5 cups or 28 fluid ounces.

If you like to make a lot of infused oils and want an easy way to strain the decarbed dried flower material from the infused oils then you’ll want the Gen2 FX Fusion Press. The connecting handle is 7 3/4 inches tall. At the very bottom is the strainer with 2 screens which measure 3 3/4 inches in diameter. The lid, which can slide up and down the handle, is 4 3/4 inches in diameter.

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EASE OF USE

The FX from Ardent was easy as using a toaster.

With just 2 buttons (Power and Mode) using 4 settings, this cannabis kitchen appliance is a must have for anyone who has thought about making their own edibles.

Initially the settings A1/A2/Infuse/Bake had us wondering why it was labelled like that instead of THC/CBD/Infuse/Bake. We checked the website and learned the A1/A2 settings are for discretion. Unless you’re familiar with this device, it could sit on your counter top and no one would be the wiser.

So what’s the purpose of the Ardent FX? Simply put, it extracts THC and CBD from dried flower or concentrates and then infuses that THC or CBD into other material like butter or oil.

The material chamber is made of stainless steel and can hold your flower directly or use any heat safe (tempered glass) container that fits comfortably inside. The Ardent FX has no minimum volume but in terms of maximum it can hold 4 ounces of dried flower or 28 fluid ounces so long as the liquid is below the max fill line.

Taking a closer look at each Mode and their settings, we noticed there was 3 modes but 4 settings total: 2 decarboxylation cycles A1 and A2, an infusion cycle, and a bake cycle.

The Decarb cycles of A1 (for THC) and A2 (for CBD) respectively reach about 220 degrees F (104 degrees C) and last for between 45 minutes and 3.5 hours based on the amount of material being decarboxylated. Ardent’s own internal testing showed that a minimum of 45 minutes was needed to decarb the majority of the material with minor gains made for longer decarb sessions. So just set and forget, the machine will do all the work for you.

  • The Infuse cycle peaks at 176 degrees F (80 degrees C) with a full cycle lasting up to 3 hours again based on the amount of material present.
  • The Bake cycle peaks at over 300℉ (148 degrees C) for a little over 2 hours. While a relatively new feature in the Ardent, we can see this being useful for baking infused bread or lemon loaf.

If you are frequently decarbing and infusing with dried flower, then the Gen2 FX Fusion Press (sold separately) is worth looking into because it gives you the ability to strain raffinate (used plant material) from infused liquids directly in the Ardent FX.

While it looks like a plunger and a sink stopper had a baby, the reality is something else. After you have infused oils with decarboxylated dried flower, remove the Ardent lid and attach the Gen2 FX Fusion Press. The strainer slides in very easily and securely with a plugged spout so once you’ve pressed the material to the bottom, you can easily pour out the infused product. That means you can’t use the concentrate sleeve though so you’ll have to clean the Ardent FX more but it also means there’s no messy straining process.

We did have difficulty removing the Fusion Press from the Ardent but we found a removal tip on the Ardent website: With the fusion press nearly removed from the Ardent FX, pull the handle 90 degrees toward you and the fusion press pops right out. So much smoother than trying to tear it out.

Side note: You can’t use the Concentrate and Infusion Sleeve with the Gen2 FX Fusion Press, you must use either the sleeve or the press with the Ardent FX.

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OVERALL VALUE

The Ardent FX is $299 and currently available on their website.

That price is a steal when you consider it’s a triple threat that can decarboxylate, infuse, bake and has a 1 year warranty. Any cannabis lover interested in cooking with cannabis or making their own infused edibles from scratch should own one. Since this device is small enough to be portable, the Ardent team includes a purple carrying case with Velcro handles so if you wanted to take this over to a friends house you can easily.

When you buy the Ardent FX it also includes the FX Infusion and Concentrate Sleeve which can be purchased separately for $35 USD. In our opinion, the time this saves with cleaning ends up paying for the whole investment.

The Gen2 FX Fusion Press (separate accessory) retails for $55 USD and comes in handy when straining raffinate (used plant material) from liquids. However it doesn’t work with the FX Concentrate and Infusion Sleeve, so using the press means you’ll have a little more cleaning at the end.

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Summary
The Ardent FX is a simple-to-use machine that decarboxylates, infuses and bakes with cannabis. Currently available for $299 USD, it's perfect for anyone interested in making their own infused edibles from scratch as this device opens the door to baking and cooking with cannabis.
Good
  • Does decarb, infuse and bake
  • Super simple to use and clean
  • Easy to travel with
Bad
  • Fusion Press sold separately
  • Only 1 year warranty
  • Bake cycle not needed
8.8
Blazed
QUALITY - 8.4
EASE OF USE - 8.9
OVERALL VALUE - 9
Written by
Since high school my friends and I have been recreational cannabis users so we decided to start Merry Jade after legalization in 2019. We review and photograph the different products then share them on this website. The rating system we use is called “SAFE” which stands for Smell, Appearance, Flavour and Experience. Each category gets a score out of 10.

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