Puffco is the Los Angeles company that builds electronic dab rigs and concentrate vaporizers. Roger Volodarsky founded it in a Brooklyn basement in 2013 and still runs it as CEO. The lineup covers the Peak, the Peak Pro, the modular Proxy and the Pivot pocket device, plus chambers, glass and the Hot Knife loading tool.
The scale is real. Forbes named Volodarsky to its 2026 Cannabis 42.0 list and estimated Puffco's sales at $100 million.
From a Brooklyn basement to a Los Angeles dateline
Puffco started with pens. MG Magazine reported in July 2016 that the company was based in Brooklyn with 10 to 12 staff. Its Pro pen arrived in 2015 with a three-setting temperature-controlled battery and a ceramic heating chamber, built without plastic or adhesives. The Plus followed at $99 with a ceramic dart heater.
The numbers moved fast. Volodarsky told MG the company lost money in its first year, brought in $200,000 in its second and $3 million in its third. By February 2023 Puffco counted more than 100 employees, and its 2026 press releases carry a Los Angeles dateline.
The company stays independent. PitchBook lists Puffco as privately held with no outside backing, and its own site says MG Magazine keeps naming it one of the 50 best companies in cannabis to work for.
The Peak and the Peak Pro
The Peak put the whole rig into one battery-powered device, and Forbes wrote that it looks as if it were designed in Cupertino. It took Gold for Product Design at the 2019 Clio Cannabis Awards. The credited team was Volodarsky, head of product development Avi Bajpai, design engineer Roger Sayre and industrial designer Justin Cohen.
The Peak Pro builds on it with the 3DXL chamber, sidewall heating with temperature tracers embedded in the ceramic bowl, and Bluetooth control through the Puffco Connect app. The app sets temperature to the degree, stores custom heat profiles and tracks dab counts and session length. It ships in Onyx and Pearl with a Joystick Cap.
Proxy, the modular piece
Proxy launched in June 2022 and split the heater from the glass. Its 3D Chamber heats the sidewalls of the ceramic bowl rather than the bottom, and the system stays backward compatible with every past Proxy glass piece. The February 2023 Desert Collection added earth-tone kits, a Travel Pack and a Bub water attachment.
A redesigned Proxy followed in September 2025, with early access on September 16 and general access on September 23. On March 19, 2026 Puffco added the Proxy Core, a glass-free aluminum and silicone e-rig with ceramic terp pearls, USB-C charging and up to 15 dabs per charge. It launched at $220 in Onyx, with a $50 Core accessory for existing Proxy owners.
By September 2026 Puffco's Proxy page listed the Core Kit at $250 and the Proxy Pipe Kit at $280. Add-ons include the $100 Proxy Bub water piece and the $100 Proxy Wizard dry pipe with a spiral stem.
Pivot and the Hot Knife
Pivot is the pocket tier. It runs four heat settings with real-time temperature control, USB-C charging, Boost and Disco modes and roughly 15 dabs per charge. It comes in Onyx and Sapphire, and a $60 Glass Adapter connects it to a glass rig.
The Hot Knife got its own redesign in March 2026: a glazed ceramic tip, USB-C charging in about 25 minutes, a battery indicator and a travel cap with a lanyard loop. It launched at $50 in Onyx and Haze.
Puffcon and the DTLA block party
Puffco throws its own festival. Its events page bills Puffcon 2026 as the sixth annual edition, which puts the first in 2021. The fifth ran October 4–5, 2025 in Downtown Los Angeles, and two days before it opened Puffco announced it had become an Official Partner of UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The calendar lists Puffcon 2026 on October 3–4 at Los Angeles Center Studios, 450 South Bixel Street. The announced lineup puts Metro Boomin atop Saturday and Action Bronson with The Human Growth Hormone atop Sunday. Curren$y, OhGeesy, BIA, TiaCorine, Jesse Royal, and The Alchemist with Boldy James fill out the bill.
The door policy keeps it an owners' party. Saturday, two-day and VIP tickets require a Peak, Peak Pro, Proxy or Pivot, with the serial number entered at checkout and the assembled device shown at the gate. Sunday general admission needs no device.
Price moves and the fall 2026 road calendar
Puffco raised prices on select devices by $10 to $30 starting August 19, 2026, covering Pivot, Peak, Proxy, Peak Pro and Hot Knife. Chambers and glass kept their prices. The same update extended the warranty on Peak 3D, Proxy 3D and Peak Pro 3DXL chambers to six months, while devices keep a two-year warranty.
The road runs past Puffcon. Puffco's events page lists a Puffco Experience at the Astor Club in New York on October 21, 2026, during Hall of Flowers NYC. Expoweed in Buenos Aires follows on October 23–24, then Expocannabis Brazil in São Paulo on November 20–21 and MJBizCon in Las Vegas on December 1–4.