InstantVap vs ProVap vs Varrox Eddy: Oxalic Acid Vaporizers Compared

InstantVap vs ProVap vs Varrox Eddy: Cordless Oxalic Acid Vaporizers Compared

If you search for an oxalic acid vaporizer today you will land on three names: InstantVap, ProVap and Varrox Eddy. We sell the InstantVap, and we're the primary US seller of it, so read this knowing that. But we also built and sold our own corded vaporizers for years before the InstantVap existed, we have used every unit below, and we'd rather you buy the right tool than buy ours for the wrong reasons. Here is the honest comparison.

The short version

The ProVap 110 is a fast corded unit that needs an outlet, inverter or generator. The Varrox Eddy is a self-contained walk-away unit with a built-in battery, slower per hive and limited to about 15 hives per charge. The InstantVap runs on the tool battery you already own, treats a hive in 10–25 seconds depending on model, and is the only one of the three with a $349 entry point and a $550 top end. See the InstantVap lineup.

Specs Side by Side

	InstantVap (Lite / Compact / Original / Turbo)	ProVap 110	ProVap 18-20	Varrox Eddy
Power	Your 18V/20V tool battery: DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Ridgid, Bosch, Metabo (not included)	110V AC, 330 W; needs outlet, inverter or generator	18–20V DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee or Bosch tool battery (not included), 250 W	Built-in lithium battery (included), about 4 h charge
Time per 2 g dose	Turbo ~10 s; Original and Compact ~25 s; Lite 25–30 s	"As little as 20 seconds"	About 20 s	A couple of minutes per hive (set it and walk away)
Dose adjustment	Tool-free plunger, 1–4 g with infinite adjustment in between, on every model	Cup, 1–4 g	Dial dispenser, 1–4 g in 1 g steps only	Pre-loaded cup
Construction	Full stainless steel body and components, replaceable brass stem	Metal chamber, non-stainless components	Plastic housing, non-stainless components	Plastic housing with integrated battery
Hives per charge	Original: ~44 at 2 g on a 6 Ah DeWalt; Lite: ~10 on a 2 Ah	Unlimited on mains; depends on inverter/generator	About 40	Up to about 15
Display	LED status on all; voltage meter on Original; full temperature/voltage/cycle-counter screen on Turbo	None	None	Staged LED
Where it goes	Entrance	Entrance	Entrance	Entrance, hands-free
Price	$349 / $445 / $495 / $550	About $550	About $526	About $495 (some Canadian pricing reported higher)
Warranty and service	2 years; Lorob Bees is reachable by phone and turns repairs around fast, in the USA	Limited warranty; service path unclear	Limited warranty; service path unclear	Limited warranty via dealer/Andermatt; proprietary battery

Competitor figures are from current dealer listings (Mann Lake, Meyer Bees, OxaVap) and may change; check the retailer for today's numbers.

ProVap 110

The ProVap 110 is a well-made corded unit and a lot of sideliners have run thousands of hives through one. Its limitation is the cord: 330 W at 110 V means an extension cord to an outlet, or an inverter and a deep-cycle battery, or a generator in the truck. In a home yard next to the garage that's manageable. In an out-yard it's a second piece of equipment to haul, and it's the setup that produced the best-known vaporizer injury write-up, when a blocked outlet pressurized the chamber. At about $550, it costs the same as an InstantVap Turbo that needs nothing but the battery from your drill.

ProVap 18-20

OxaVap's cordless answer. It runs on the same tool batteries as the InstantVap, dispenses 1–4 g from a dial in fixed 1 g steps, and does a hive in about 20 seconds, roughly 40 hives per charge. It is the closest competitor to the InstantVap Original, at a similar price. The differences are in the details that matter over a few seasons: the ProVap's housing is plastic and its components are not stainless, where every InstantVap is full stainless steel with a replaceable brass stem; the ProVap dial moves in whole-gram jumps, where the InstantVap plunger adjusts continuously anywhere between 1 and 4 g so you can dial exactly the dose a single deep, a deep and a medium, or a double deep needs. Then there's the range: a Lite for $150 less if you have a few hives, and a Turbo that halves the per-hive time with a temperature readout if you have a lot. And the service: if an InstantVap ever needs work, you call Lorob Bees, talk to a beekeeper, and get it back fast. With the others the warranty is limited and the repair path is something you find out about when you need it.

Varrox Eddy

Andermatt's Eddy is a different idea: a sealed unit with its own battery that you push into the entrance and walk away from while it runs a timed cycle. The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture called it well-engineered and simple. The tradeoffs are real, though: a couple of minutes per hive instead of seconds, roughly 15 hives before a four-hour recharge, and a proprietary battery you can't swap for the spare in your truck. For someone with five hives who wants to set it and step back, it's a fair choice. For anyone running summer rounds across a yard, the 15-hive ceiling is the whole story.

Why We Went With the InstantVap

We spent years building corded vaporizers. We know what a heated pan, a cord and a car battery cost you in time and attention, and we know what fails. The InstantVap solved the cord and the battery in one move by using the tool batteries beekeepers already own, and it did it in full stainless steel with a replaceable brass stem, an infinitely adjustable 1–4 g plunger and, on the Turbo, real temperature control. Do the easy math: a stainless unit with a two-year warranty and a phone number that answers, for the same money as a plastic one. It's why we became the primary US seller and why every unit we ship is backed by stateside service and a two-year warranty from beekeepers who've repaired every kind of vaporizer there is.

Not sure which InstantVap? Read the Lite vs Compact vs Original vs Turbo comparison. And whichever vaporizer you buy, use EPA-registered oxalic acid and the right respirator.

Tools We Use (and Recommend)

InstantVap Oxalic Acid Vaporizer: the cordless, battery-powered oxalic acid vaporizer we use in our own yards to keep mite loads low, which is the single best defense against every problem on this page. See the Lite, Compact, Original and Turbo. Lorob Bees is the primary US seller, with stateside customer service and a warranty we stand behind.
Mite Monitoring: the Easy-Check mite wash. How to do a wash in five minutes.
Oxalic Acid: EPA-registered EZ-OX.

Happy Beekeeping from the Lorob Bees Team

Written by Rob Pollock

Rob keeps bees in Baltimore, Maryland, and owns Lorob Bees. He built and repaired his own corded oxalic acid vaporizers for years before becoming the primary US seller of the InstantVap, and he still picks up the phone when one needs service. Oxalic acid vaporization is the thing he cares most about in beekeeping, because it's the treatment that keeps hives alive without breeding resistant mites. More about Lorob Bees.

Keep reading: Explore all Lorob Bees beekeeping guides — varroa, oxalic acid vaporization, pests and diseases, all in one place.

Sources

Mann Lake, ProVap 110 Sideliner/Commercial Oxalic Vaporizer listing
Meyer Bees, OxaVap ProVap 18-20 Vaporizer listing
OxaVap, Varrox Eddy listing
Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture, Varrox Eddy evaluation, 2022
Honey Bee Suite, Use an oxalic acid vaporizer with caution

General beekeeping information, not a substitute for the product label. Always read and follow the label of any product you use in a hive.