Underdog Log Vapes

dr.jabroni

New Member
Just had a great holiday weekend with my new dog! Hope all else did as well. Some follow-up thoughts after the first few days with my UD, FWIW:

Overall, I love it. Runs hot at 12V after a full warm-up but with the VVPS and a little adjustment depending on the stem type- no more combustion. Thx to the tips to try under 10.5, seems to be the sweet spot for my UD. Super efficient. It really is a beautiful piece of woodwork, you can tell the love that went into making this little thing and I am feeling it more and more with each use. I don't know much about wood craftsmanship but the tiger stripe maple unit I have is gorgeous and was totally affordable. My Ex-Q is shelved, RIP, big thumbs up to the UD. :)

I'm honestly blown away by the interactive product development with the consumer base, especially in this thread alone, that has taken place over the years. That being said, some questions for the pros:

I've seen posts about stems/accessories that seem to be discontinued ("j-hooks", silicone, etc). Are these essentially obsolete and the currently available UD accessories the best available?

While I like that the metal screen in the glass pieces is adjustable, I'd be interested to try an all-glass stem or built in glass screen. Is this something in development or maybe available off-brand?

The "loose-fit" and curved ends of the stems, while do make sense in terms of preventing breakage, lead to a semi-awkward feel while the vape is being used. It's probably just my perception, but it "feels" like efficiency is being lost. Is this just a misconception and worth getting used to, or is there a way to get a tighter seal albeit higher risk of breakage?

Lastly - kinda dumb but- the "straw" method is definitely the best way to add/remove material, yet I feel like sucking/blowing into the stems repeatedly is not the most sanitary of options. Thinking of looking for a small rubber suction device to accomplish this, anyone every try something like this?:sherlock:

thx all!
 

JCharles

FC 06/06/2017 | ACMPR 26/07/2017
@dr.jabroni an all glass stem/gong with glass screen has my vote. It's the only thing I'd really like to see for my UD - the flavour, ease of cleaning, a screen that doesn't slip.

Heck ya, I'm in!! If you find anything (I was going to have PlanetVape.ca make me a couple custom pieces) please let us know!!
 

2clicker

Observer
@dr.jabroni an all glass stem/gong with glass screen has my vote. It's the only thing I'd really like to see for my UD - the flavour, ease of cleaning, a screen that doesn't slip.

Heck ya, I'm in!! If you find anything (I was going to have PlanetVape.ca make me a couple custom pieces) please let us know!!

what if you used a larger wire diameter screen? could be able to get something wedged in there nice in snug, but still removable.
 
2clicker,
  • Like
Reactions: Magic9

2clicker

Observer
I'd like to take the screens out all together. Glass screen similar to an Arizer stem - flavour is the main motivator

yeah i feel ya, but until those are available maybe a mesh change could help it from moving around in there.

what about getting someone like JoDa to make some stems with like a fritted disc in it. couldnt be that hard.
 

underdog

shade-tree vapor engineer
Manufacturer
Heya Dogs just a heads up to let you all know that we're going to let the sale run a bit longer so all the people who are tapped out from the holidays can still get in on it.. we hate to leave any of you hanging. It'll now run until the 14th of Jan.

Also we've refreshed the site with a couple dozen new unique vapes so be sure to check those out.. some real lookers as usual. Thanks!

:cheers:
 

Madcap79

Jack of all trades, master of none.
Happy Holidays Dogs! Much love! Cheers!

blg8h.jpg
 

rogrog

Well-Known Member
maybe a dumb question...

I want to pickup the travel sized vvps. my current setup is: underdog > stock extension cord > dimmer dial from amazon > stock power supply. I'd like to replace the dial with the vvps. do I need an additional cord or power supply for the vvps? I'm a bit confused by the description.
 

underdog

shade-tree vapor engineer
Manufacturer
Nope you should just be able to swap the VVPS into the position that your dial-dimmer is currently in. It works the same way with an input for your power supply and an output for your extension.. easy-peasy. Just make sure you don't feed it anything more than 15v, other than that they're rock solid and simple. :cheers:
 

various127

Well-Known Member
I hear a crackling sound sometimes when my log heats up. Right now its on and off. Sometimes it wont heat up and sometimes its working. Is it my cord or did something happen with my log? It's about 3 years old.
 
various127,
  • Like
Reactions: underdog

underdog

shade-tree vapor engineer
Manufacturer
I hear a crackling sound sometimes when my log heats up. Right now its on and off. Sometimes it wont heat up and sometimes its working. Is it my cord or did something happen with my log? It's about 3 years old.

It's possible that a 3 year old Log could have a loose connection inside but it's more likely that you have an intermittent problem in the power supply itself and/or cord. Easiest/cheapest way to troubleshoot is to hook it up to a different power supply (12v, 1A) and see if it heats.

Try the above if you can and then let us know how it goes so we can help further. Logs in general are pretty simple, durable devices so problems usually aren't too hard to nail down and correct. :cheers:
 

various127

Well-Known Member
It's possible that a 3 year old Log could have a loose connection inside but it's more likely that you have an intermittent problem in the power supply itself and/or cord. Easiest/cheapest way to troubleshoot is to hook it up to a different power supply (12v, 1A) and see if it heats.

Try the above if you can and then let us know how it goes so we can help further. Logs in general are pretty simple, durable devices so problems usually aren't too hard to nail down and correct. :cheers:

That definitely has to be the case. It's still working, but often I go back to it and its cold. The only thing that threw me off was the pop noise. But that might just be cold steel being heated. Thanks! I've been meaning to buy an adaptor, but I haven't been vaping too much lately.
 
various127,
  • Like
Reactions: underdog

Gigsabits53

Well-Known Member
It's possible that a 3 year old Log could have a loose connection inside but it's more likely that you have an intermittent problem in the power supply itself and/or cord. Easiest/cheapest way to troubleshoot is to hook it up to a different power supply (12v, 1A) and see if it heats.

Try the above if you can and then let us know how it goes so we can help further. Logs in general are pretty simple, durable devices so problems usually aren't too hard to nail down and correct. :cheers:

I just wanted to pop in here and thank you for your excellent customer service. I see questions on here all the time and you or @underdogette are always right on top of things. :)
 

underdog

shade-tree vapor engineer
Manufacturer
That definitely has to be the case. It's still working, but often I go back to it and its cold. The only thing that threw me off was the pop noise. But that might just be cold steel being heated. Thanks! I've been meaning to buy an adaptor, but I haven't been vaping too much lately.

Yeah it's normal (or not uncommon) for there to be popping/pinging sounds as the metal heats/cools and all the little pieces of stainless expand and contract. Like when turn a car off in the summer and you can hear all that happening as it cools down. :tup:


I just wanted to pop in here and thank you for your excellent customer service. I see questions on here all the time and you or @underdogette are always right on top of things. :)

Thanks @Gigsabits53 we try! It's been a struggle to find good internet at times/places during our travels but I think we've stayed in touch pretty well. Of course it's super helpful that the Dog Pack members are always here to help each other out even when Underdogette and I can't get online. :cheers:
 

rogrog

Well-Known Member
Nope you should just be able to swap the VVPS into the position that your dial-dimmer is currently in. It works the same way with an input for your power supply and an output for your extension.. easy-peasy. Just make sure you don't feed it anything more than 15v, other than that they're rock solid and simple. :cheers:

got the travel vvps the other day and it's perfect. everyone should get one. it's great. thanks!
 

JESUSgotNAILED

Well-Known Member
What's up guys and gals. I have a quick question. My sweet doggy rattles around when I shake it now, even when hot. I also have to crank the VVPS up to high numbers around 11.5, 11.6+ when it used to be plenty hot at 11.3.

Does this mean my dog is reaching the end of its life? I bought it on Aug 8, 2016 and the wood is spalted hackberry. It's only been a year and a half and nothing is wrong with the wood so I would hate to give it up (it was a custom order too).... if it is dying can the body be saved by chance?

Thanks!
 
JESUSgotNAILED,

underdog

shade-tree vapor engineer
Manufacturer
What's up guys and gals. I have a quick question. My sweet doggy rattles around when I shake it now, even when hot. I also have to crank the VVPS up to high numbers around 11.5, 11.6+ when it used to be plenty hot at 11.3.

Does this mean my dog is reaching the end of its life? I bought it on Aug 8, 2016 and the wood is spalted hackberry. It's only been a year and a half and nothing is wrong with the wood so I would hate to give it up (it was a custom order too).... if it is dying can the body be saved by chance?

Thanks!

Do you recall what core you have? (AirCore, EconoDog, SC1, SC2, etc)

The rattling and the need for increased voltage are almost certainly unrelated so we can separate them and address each individually.

Rattling/movement - I'm going to assume this is the core 'rattling' (moving a bit) inside the wooden body and not something like a herb seed rattling around inside the core itself. In the Underdog design we purposely don't attach the core to the wooden body, it instead basically 'floats' in it's position under the snap-ring at the top of the core. We do this so that they can expand/contract independently of each other which dramatically reduces stress and cracking in the wooden body. The flip side of this is that the core is allowed some movement and this tends to increase over time as heat exposure makes the wood recede away from the core, this increased movement can end up as 'rattling'. Sometimes you can gently push down on the snap-ring (equally on all sides) and stop the majority of the movement, sometimes this requires the addition of an o-ring under the snap-ring. Regardless the movement shouldn't cause a problem from a functionality standpoint since it's meant to happen. If you want help tightening it or to talk specifics about this we can do it here or you can message Underdogette.

Need for increased voltage - No cause for concern here. As heating elements (whether its a custom one like ours or a traditional resistor based) are used they slowly degrade (ie, wear out). This process results in a gradual increase in the resistance of the heating element which causes it to run less hot at a given voltage (see ohms law). You just counter this by increasing the voltage to compensate as you have been.

Regardless it sounds like your Pup is ok and just aging as they tend to. Neither would leave me to believe it's reaching the end of it's life so that's good. That said we'll have some shop space set back up in another couple months and would be happy to take a look at it for you if you want. If nothing else we could check and make sure nothing untold is going on and then tighten the core back down as best as possible. :cheers:
 

JESUSgotNAILED

Well-Known Member
Regardless it sounds like your Pup is ok and just aging as they tend to. Neither would leave me to believe it's reaching the end of it's life so that's good. That said we'll have some shop space set back up in another couple months and would be happy to take a look at it for you if you want. If nothing else we could check and make sure nothing untold is going on and then tighten the core back down as best as possible. :cheers:

AirCore I believe. I will try to find a tool and push down on the snap-ring (mine has actually worn into the wood now, if I am looking at the right ring). If these are the symptoms of aging though then I can certainly live with it. Thanks for the reassurance!
 
Top Bottom