Discontinued Lil' Bud by Vapwood

[Bravesst]

If I put a down payment now do I get moved from March to February?

Good question, and I cannot predict exact ship dates, but I'll reveal my system for right now. This will probably change if it gets busier, but for right now this is it.

All orders paid or down payment before February 1 get filled first (mid February)
All waiting list sign ups before February 1 are next (end of Feb to beginning of March)
All February paids / down payments next (beginning to mid March)
All February waiting list sign ups lastly (probably March, but if demand continues, maybe April)

It's much easier for me to predict the paid or down payment orders at this point. If you put down money, I can guarantee 30 days or less. Let's see what March brings. I may go to a uniform system based on the demand. Let's see what happens. Just trying to be fair to everybody.

 

[kaisersosay415]

Good question, and I cannot predict exact ship dates, but I'll reveal my system for right now. This will probably change if it gets busier, but for right now this is it.

All orders paid or down payment before February 1 get filled first (mid February)
All waiting list sign ups before February 1 are next (end of Feb to beginning of March)
All February paids / down payments next (beginning to mid March)
All February waiting list sign ups lastly (probably March, but if demand continues, maybe April)

It's much easier for me to predict the paid or down payment orders at this point. If you put down money, I can guarantee 30 days or less. Let's see what March brings. I may go to a uniform system based on the demand. Let's see what happens. Just trying to be fair to everybody.

Sounds good to me. I’ll be putting my 50 down ant the end of the week.

Is there a short system substitute if I go with the bare bones version

 

[P.A.M.]

Looking great! Think i still prefer the walnut body but dang that cherry laying down is hot !

Here's some GNR Live ! knocking on lil'buds door

The pine lid grows on you I think the more it's looked at. Looks like adirondack spruce with the dark lines . Nothing beats a adirondack spruce and Brazilian rosewood combo for acoustics guitars.

In my experience spruce dings easily and ain't a solid wood , not sure about pine ? but I'll take the lid rather then you scrapping it, if helpful . Might be nice on a dark body with blonde batt & switch compartments as far as contrast, I don't know.

I ordered the day before my 1st born was born (in other words , my last personal expense and vape for a long while lol) he turned 1 month yesterday, at the same time the first units were finished. This is awesome . Really stoked for the lil'bud

 

[Bravesst]

For now, it's either Bare Bones with a long glass stem, or All Wood, and a cherry, or possibly walnut stem. Working on acquiring more wood stems, but glass stock is unlimited. I can't really find a good source for short glass, but there are many out there for small quantities of 19/22 glass stems.

I am hitting on one of my units. I have to say, the smoothness and taste of the vapor is some of the best I've ever experienced in this Cherry body. I made some Cherry lids for this batch, need to finalize, but the pine was just an impulse. The Cherry lids look off the chart. Speaking of lids...

What's nice about the removable lid is the ability to swap out lids. This leaves the lid as a simple way to ad future innovations. I'm already thinking of a couple of cool ideas. Here's a semi finished Cherry lid, needs to be fared up and beeswaxed, but it looks sophisticated.

 

[P.A.M.]

Très élégant ! We'll have to start you a French thread in Fuck la combustion !

 

[Diggy Smalls]

That. It's. Slick.
Very beautiful.
Wow.
Did you go and add some glare to add some pizzaz? Cause it kinda works.
Seriously though, the wood grain is lovely and the flow of lines is modern feeling with an old world medium. This is a classy piece.

 

[Bravesst]

Cherry lids are very, very cool. I have all of these cut to size. Now it's a matter of mounting and smoothing. I have to make an observation. Thanks to Alan, I've been using the iH for the last few months. It's the iH that convinced me to build a coil based wooden vape. It's great to have to this engineering marvel, powerhouse little vape to compare with. I don't recreationally vape with Lil' Buds because I can't stop working / evaluating while I'm just trying to relax. Yesterday that all changed.
______________________________
PERFORMANCE REPORT
The performance of Lil' Bud Zero, the vape I'll probably keep for myself, is rockin' my world. I'm walking on air at this level of performance. I mean I knew cosmetically Lil' Bud would be off the chart, but the design / electronics were a challenge (unless you are lucky enough to have Alan teaching you). Some early mistakes had to be made, truly the only way to really learn is to do it the wrong way 20 or 30 times. Once I realized that I wasn't trying to build a vape every day, but rather eliminate problems, it became a steady push forward.

This vape was built with the intention of improving everything that is known about portable, wooden, on demand, convection. Nothing to break, no glass, no glue, just a pure wooden, hand held vaporizer with one battery and a coil heater. And that battery elegantly housed, and out of the way, with solid conductivity throughout. With Alan's help, every measure was taken to ensure no loss of power because of weak connections, there are none. We eliminated the heat loss by eliminating anything that is a big heat thief. All extraneous parts have been eliminated from this vape.

This spells simple, consistent, performance, with thick, voluminous, sweet tasting vapor. The quick heat up time, and direct heat transfer to the load, and no glass stem or wong to steel away the heat, also means lots of control. This vape doesn't take a lot of technique. Thinking a vape should take a high level of technique to get it right, is just an excuse for a vape that's not performing, and you skillfully found a way to get the most out of it.

Lil' Bud, load, press button, inhale, let go of button, inhale some more. For you more *advanced* users, feel free to feather the switch for a bit more control. I really wasn't ready for this level of *self regulation*. I do not plan on regulating Lil' Bud. Once you get it in your hands, you'll understand why.

 

[kaisersosay415]

Preach my brotha.....this vape got me feenin’ like Jodeci

 

[little maggie]

I have too many vapes. But I'm addicted to handmade wood vapes. I've decided to forego the Haze square because of this. I like the wood stems but it doesn't look like they will fit a whip or water. What are you selling as a water adaptor?

 

[Bravesst]

@little maggie
The water adapter can be special ordered any time. Just lemme know.

So, been looking for a way to measure battery life remaining. Problem with on board stuff is unreliability, issues, problems, as as someone mentioned, drama. But, what if the battery gauge wasn't really part of the vape, but a convenient, inexpensive option.

After scoping out many models, I tried this one, not completely sold as the wires are so ridiculously fragile. That would not be the customers problem, because once installed that's a mute point. Also, mediocre conductivity also wouldn't really matter, as it would not compromise the vape itself.

Besides the wires breaking off their soldered connection after just normal handling, it seems to be about 10 volts off on the low side. If it's consistent, no big deal, but it can really give you a good idea when to swap out, and that's all that really matters.

Remember, it's a rough prototype, but it works pretty well. Battery lid pops off very easily, and the battery can stay in the unit. It needs to be referenced to positive and negative. I think this might be a way to keep on top of battery life, while keeping Lil' Bud, pure and dependable. There are contacts in the back that just need to touch the terminals in the unit, so the battery isn't compromised. In the end it will probably fit on like the lid with smaller contacts. This was just thrown together in a couple of hours with parts I have on hand.

I see this as part of an accessory kit with pick tool, case. I plan to offer all 3. Not sure how exactly this will end up, price wise, look wise, but you got the general idea. It's not designed to be used wit the gauge in place. I have a bunch of these being delivered, so we'll see, but I kinda like it.

 

[Bravesst]

I always wanted to say this, but it's *GO TIME*. Final assembly of the remaining 10 cherry units will be commence this morning. Each one will be taken through some routine testing. I can hopefully get them all assembled and out by week's end. I do anticipate a rush of new orders / sign ups once Lil' Bud ships, and in your hands, and wait time may increase considerably. If you're thinking about it, now would be a good time to get on the list.

Next, I will go to work on 10 walnut units (some walnut / walnut, some walnut / cherry), then 10 cherry, and back and forth for the time being. My pace is getting faster, which is good for everybody, as pricing is dependent on it, but to keep quality high, I can only get so fast, and that is the nature of hand made.

We are in Full Steam Ahead mode!

 

[Bravesst]

Time for our nightly picture show...

Here's our Cherry beauties sporting Cherry stems (outer left and right), as well as our cobalt and lake green long stems. In the middle is my new Daily Driver, sporting an old maple stem.

Back door man, with first view of simple current blocker. They store easily in the battery compartment. The design will evolve I'm sure, but it will never be safer than a mechanical block.

The inside bottom of the battery compartment - fin, first Lil' Bud to have this final step taken.

All units will get fared up and polished one last time, but first they need to be put through a few standard tests.

Forgot to mention. Been testing battery capacity testers. There are quite a few out there, go figure? I like this little digital guy I rigged up last night, but the wires need to be handled ever so gently until fixed in place. Once fixed, they work well. I like that they are digital and not just a percentage. It seems to be like 10 under consistently, but maybe the connections could be stronger, it was my first attempt.

There are other choices. Maybe tomorrow I'll give it another shot.

 

[P.A.M.]

The "fin" is that piece laying at bottom of battery compartment ? It is so nicely sized that it is barely detectable to the naked eye without zooming in !

What does it eat? Heat?

Bravo , Bravesst! The Lil'bud gets better everyday and moves forward at fast pace. Thank you for the updates. Your devotion and diligence is truly remarkable!

 

[G1000]

these units are looking ever so impressive. I'm so happy I decided to jump on the Vapwood train early because I'm confident this could top even the most highly regarded vaporizers on the market. Your transparency is inspiring, shows the customer you really don't have a thing to conceal, and in this day in age, that is something a lot of manufacturers could benefit from. Cheers.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Thinking a vape should take a high level of technique to get it right, is just an excuse for a vape that's not performing, and you skillfully found a way to get the most out of it.

Highly intriguing statement...I hope your product proves the theorem!

p.s - what is the function of that thin piece of cardboard(?) situated on one end of the battery terminal? Protection for battery wrapper? Battery stabilizer? Aha! Battery blocker?

p.p.s- what does the term "fare up" mean in this context?

TIA!


.

 

[P.A.M.]

Highly intriguing statement...I hope your product proves the theorem!

I have no doubt that it will.

I think what is referred to here is the feeling of accomplishent from a successful vape hit or session. many vaporizers lack that or are very tough in finding the proper techniques and accessories required to accomplish the goal .

I will take for example my Bamboo HI log from @Alan ,

I had never used a log vape before . Was my first experience successful? Hell yes ! Did my technique improve over time making it more efficient? Yes indeed! But that does not take away the fact that a log vape gave me the sense of accomplishment and achievement right from the start. No accessories needed , no flame or temp setting to choose from and figure out distance or how to use, no bubbler required to see a cloud or feel that I "got something" etc. The HI didn't make me feel like I was doing something wrong.

The same can't be said of all vapes.

If all vapes worked perfectly from the get-go , there would be awhole lot more vaporists out there . I firmly believe the reason behind this is that most combustors get turned off from vaping due to their first experience being with a shitty vaporizer or one that is technical in its use .

it's quite hard to not get high from combusting a joint, pipe or bong . The goal is easily achieved. Same can not be said of some vaporizers , so instead of feeling disappointment or stupid in not achieving their goals when vaporizing, some stick to combustion ..

I strongly believe VAS (vaporizer acquisition syndrome) is in due part to People not having fulfilled their feeling of achievement/accomplishment from the vaporizer they have purchased, hence needing to buy / try other vaporizers to fill the void they miss from combustion days. True some
VAS sufferers just have lots of spending money to buy every vaporizers or are vape collectors .

People who can't afford to buy countless vapes want one that will fulfill their needs and perform above average. I don't see why the Lil'bud wouldn't prove Bravesst's theorem and be a great vaporizer . its a on demand vape , natural vape path, no glue ,plastic or useless parts used , handcrafted and well priced . A bargain if compared to other handmade or not so handmade vaporisers of its class . How can one go wrong ?

 

[Bravesst]

Thanks for all the kind comments and interesting points. The most important thing about getting consistent performance, is stem / screen maintenance, herb prep, and loading properly.

Drying the herb, I found for any vape, dramatically improves performance - at least in battery operated portables. This allows you to break up without a grinder to a medium / fine grind. No *Lil' Buds* left, but not fine dust. Packing the stem, like Alan describes, so the herb forms a hockey puck, firmly tamped, but not crushed is crucial to optimize performance.

I like to keep my screens pretty close, maybe a 3/8 in basket style. I load about half way. This can change, sometimes I move the screen closer, further back. load heavier, tamp harder. I guess it depends on the herb / bud you're using, some is dryer than others.

Once loaded properly, insert, hit the button and start to draw. With a clean screen (mandatory for a good session) you should feel a pretty wide open air flow. The button is pressed, the only thing you can control now is the force, speed, of your inhalation. You will feel the heat hit the load and instinctively let the coil do it's thing for a couple of seconds, and you pull slowly. Feeling the thickness / temp / taste tells you when to release the trigger.

You can continue to draw a bit after you let go of the button. This will give you a bit more vapor possibly, as well as keep things cool. A bowl is best not left half done, as this has a tendency to cake up. A quick stir and retamp solves that.

About stirring. I like to stir a couple of times to get the most out of a session. If you don't stir at least once, you'll be leaving a few good hits behind.

Faring up is a woodworking term that means smoothing, sanding, getting rid of blemishes, prior to the finish.

That's an early version of a battery blocker, it's a thin piece of wood. Currently this is still a work in progress, but it functions well, and stores in the battery compartment.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Thanks Mike,

Really like what you're doing...it's fun following your progress.

I'll be keeping an eye on your products...and on my VAS budget as well!


.

 

[Bravesst]

You're welcome, always happy to reveal what's going on. This project, from the beginning, has been wide open for everybody. It's kinda like a vape reality show starring Lil' Bud.

The last few assembled units have been put through their processes. I am not kidding when I say this is not an easy part of the job. It truly is quality control, where I can detect anything that needs to be addressed, or is this Lil' Bud ready to go off on his own.

The unit I'm hitting on how, all cherry, is quite a looker, and passes every check. On to the next. Where does it end?

 

[TeeJay1952]

I volunteer to be Quality Control Dept. I think $30 an hour is about right. I can't afford to pay you any more than that.

 

[Bravesst]

QC is part of the work though, isn't it? I need to set aside time each day to take some hits, char on purpose, blah, blah, blah. I need lots of naps...

It is easy to make poor observations because all the variables are always changing. Don't wanna blame Lil' Bud for a bad load, dead battery, or clogged screen, but at the same time I want to evaluate performance level, and then try and figure out what is really going on with each session.

If something works better, or worse, I need to know. Most likely I can tweak the current vape (it disassembles pretty easily with a philips screw driver) if it lags in any way, but more importantly, a lagging Lil' Bud is worth his weight in weed if he can identify a future improvement.

I almost forgot how pleasant it is to be able to take apart and put back together again. Takes a lot of pressure off during the assembly process.

 

[Bravesst]

Spent most of the day assembling units. When I needed a break, I went back to the battery gauge project. Getting closer. This just touches terminals and gives you a readout, must be positive to positive. Same size as the lid. It would also be nice to have a gauge that measures the battery out of the Lil' Bud, kinda of a storage case that with this gauge built in.

I love this concept mostly because it keeps all this crap outta Lil' Bud and still keeps you on top of your battery life. Once I nail down the lid gauge concept, it'll be on the the case / gauge.

 

[mixchu69]

Spent most of the day assembling units. When I needed a break, I went back to the battery gauge project. Getting closer. This just touches terminals and gives you a readout, must be positive to positive. Same size as the lid. It would also be nice to have a gauge that measures the battery out of the Lil' Bud, kinda of a storage case that with this gauge built in.

I love this concept mostly because it keeps all this crap outta Lil' Bud and still keeps you on top of your battery life. Once I nail down the lid gauge concept, it'll be on the the case / gauge.

an innovation that is missing on all unregulated portable wood vapes these days

 

[HindelangGG]

Thank you again for all the updates you gave us so far. Love the transperence of the whole process and your shares of thoughts the whole time. The only problem is you make it harder for us to wait for it hope to hear soon from you that this bad boy finally can join my vaporizer family
Just love this unique vaporizer

I am not sure and please don't pin me down on this @Bravesst but didn't you mention a stiring tool somewhere before? Because I would really like to get a wooden one matching the unit
If you never mentioned it you can maybe take it in consideration as a accessory to ad to the order
Because when I need to stir this unit I wanna do it with as much style and elegance as possible

 

[Bravesst]

@HindelangGG
I can rush quality control, but what's the point of being able to take Lil' Bud apart and fine tune, if you don't take the opportunity to do it. It will be worth the one extra week...

There is bound to be an issue here or there. I want to try and catch them as best I can, as to ensure every unit I ship is representative of the Lil' Bud quality potential.