Discontinued Thermovape Cera

[CG420]

Yeah, my friend got his just a few days ago and his stopped working as well. He's pissed about it but you know you can't blame him. I hate to see a product with such quality as this to still have problems arise but man I thought for a moment I had a working product all along. Definitely will mail Zeki tomorrow and see what I should do next. Super huge headache so I guess it's back to hitting the bong for a little while.

 

[iamn3ko]

Yeah, I gotta disagree, it looked unclean, it looked like a shower curtain pole rubber stopper. The thermal cap is already too much, a big rubber thing on the end was way too much for me.

Plus that's too much to operate, the switch how it is now looks easier, adding a thumb press switch would make it all the easier on and off. Rather than having to squeeze off a rubber stopper.

Don't get me wrong I'd never use the switch I posted exclusively, my switch worked yes, sometimes, but it looks like trash.

I'm looking for something along the lines of either ceramic, brass (OF), high temp quality plastic.

Sorry if this sounds stuck up, I just like my stuff to look proper.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Nothing wrong with looking sharp. Aestheics are a major selling point for a lot of stuff.

 

[iamn3ko]

For the record, that end cap is a great idea, it also balances out the thermal cap for those who prefer it (I don't). I just don't want to have to squeeze anything off or unscrew anything to turn it off. It's not that hard I get it, but it makes a simple task way more complicated than it has to be, given you have the right parts to make a thumb switch. Once it's done, it's easily operable at any given moment.

So please whoever made it, dont take it like I'm ragging on it, for those who prefer it that way, I'd say its the best/nicest design for those who want a screw on/off switch.

I rewatched the video, it wasn't as bad as I remembered. But it's still not for me.

 

[YeeeBuddy]

LOL am i the only one who just pushes the button? . Just start doing finger workouts in the meantime so you will be ready. All jokes aside i guess it could be uncomfortable if you have arthritis or dont have gorilla hands like I do.

Also steama it shouldnt be getting hot at all anywhere near the switch so you dont really have to worry about that when rigging up a latching switch.


I love these things for storage/loading, no more spilling. DOOB TUBES, color coded for my different strains. Found them at the LHS.

 

[TheRobbo]

Man, I would call for an RMA and send it in PRONTO — I have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This is bad the Cera is so plagued with problems. I hope the makers can get a grip quick. It is shocking how many people are sayin': Well, today my Cera quit working. It is to the point of a 'unreliable' JOKE. I am not expecting too much any longer so if she quits on me at least I know it isn't something abnormal.

I have to disagree, yes there have been quite a few people coming here with problems, even confirmed unit deaths but without counting I would say less than 20. With at least 250? Units in the wild. making less than 10 percent failure rate, yep probably higher than TET would like but with something so new I would call that acceptable, I bet you in the coming months when things settle down a bit at their shop the cries of failures will fade off too.

Also don't forget it is usually much easier to hear a disgruntled customer because their shiny new toy just broke, over a happy one sitting at home playing with his working toy. Especially when the new toy happens to be a Cera and the happy customer is sitting in the corner grinning insanely at him self trying to work out what appendage his shoes are supposed to go on let alone decipher a keyboard, remember his FC login details and tell the word how great Cera really is.

Hang on what is this interweb thingy anyway...


Who am I?


What was my name again?

 

[iamn3ko]

YeeeBuddy, I use the button, that's all I use right now, it's easy to use yes, and I've gotten used to it. I just still feel this thing calls for a thumb switch.

 

[nopartofme]

Hang on what is this interweb thingy anyway...


Who am I?


What was my name again?

Sorry man, I can't help you; my Cera came back today.


Guys. I loved it before. It's working better now.

 

[Highnstein]

Sorry man, I can't help you; my Cera came back today.


Guys. I loved it before. It's working better now.

Mine is also coming back today after mailing it back two weeks ago. Just a couple more hours!

 

[Skored]

In the little time I’ve gotten to know my Cera, I feel like I’m mastering this thing after trying every technique posted here, the recent article written, and the Thermovape website. I’m starting to think that each user will find a slightly different technique that works for them.

For some of you new users or others interested in trying a slightly different technique, my inhales at Step 2 are much slower than the ones suggested, and it’s working SO much better now. Here’s my technique:

1.Turn on Cera (I‘ve modified a latching switch) and load the bowl. The process of getting container, loading and putting away probably allows the preheat to be around 45-60 seconds.
2.Put the MP on and draw slow and steady, really slow. This was my biggest hang up before, I was doing medium-fast pulls, and I don’t think I ever got the load to “vaping temperatures”. So super slow steady pulls, either one for 20 seconds or two or three totaling 30 seconds. This works particularly well if you are only loading 1/4-1/2 of the bowl. Think of pulling soft enough so that you don’t lift the load. You should be blowing out vapor by the end of these draws.
3.Now that it’s going, I can pull however I want. I find slow start and increasing speed over a 15 second draw gives me very nice satisfying vapor. But I can take small fast inhales, or long fast inhales. It’s very forgiving, assuming you’ve successfully done Step 2, getting the load to vaping temperatures.

I’m using the stock MP. I’m getting so good with breath control and duration that the coolness from this MP allows me to take monster hits. Much bigger than I thought I would want, similar to Noah’s. It also travels a little easier with the stock MP. But I do intend to try open flow at some point to compare.

Again, the key for me has been super slow steady pulls to complete Step 2. With that, I’ve been able to load smaller bowls, even bowls with just a little kief, and get great production. My advice to many of you would be to stick with it. Practice a variety of techniques and find the one that’s best for you. Play around with your draw speed and you’ll define your preferred technique in no time.

Oh, and I start every session with a fresh battery. It just works better. Since they charge fast, there’s no need for me to not have a fresh battery every time. Also, a fine grind is very important. I’ve retired my 4 piece grinder and now use a Cuisinart spice and herb grinder. You can grind a good amount in seconds. Canister is removable and it’s easy to extract keif with a credit card.

So happy I’ve mastered this thing! I’m finding it to be super efficient. A little bit goes a long way when using the Cera properly.

 

[OF]

I am hoping to be one of the lucky ones that has a solidly built working unit, however, I know the negative possibility is common with the cera at this stage in manufacturing.

Congratulations on your long anticipated blessed event!

I understand, but cannot agree with, the perspective above. Luck really has little to do with it, we ALL have "a solidly built working unit". The only real issue is a (IMO modest) delay should you get one that has a problem. And I think that chance is slight indeed.

Let's step back for a moment. Everyone's problems have been resolved or are in process as far as we know, right? Nobody is being ignored, nobody has lost their money, nobody claims to have been cheated. In fact about the worst I can think of is strong disappointment. No victims. No nasty down side.

And those guys who do get (quickly) sorted out seem very very happy with their units, as are those who haven't had problems (yet?).

And the majority have no problems.....they're happy 'right out of the box'.

I see no grounds for negativity. The odds are very much in your favor of having no problems related to hardware, more so if it's a SS unit it seems.

Best wishes with your new unit. I'm sure you too will love it, starting this afternoon probably, if not as soon after that as the good folks at TV can make that happen?

OF

 

[nopartofme]

A couple notes:

When I pulled it out of the package, I unscrewed the core to do a visual inspection (read: enjoy the sexiness in my hands again) and found that there was a noticeable rattling sound coming from the core. I could hear it when it was gently shook, but could not hear it when I wiggled the stainless steel bottom of the core. My heart sank at first when I heard this, because of how my core had failed (abnormal lighting behavior and sparking in the core). The core still has a very light stain to the inner ceramic bowl from my previous usage, so I know that I received the same core and it wasn't replaced. My worry was that they only fixed the grounding strap (I can see the new solder point) and did not investigate the core itself. Perhaps, I thought, the core became damaged, or further damaged, during it's journey through the mail. Anyways, moving on. I had success but noticed two strange things.

I screwed it back in and threw in my fully charged battery that was ready in the waiting. I pressed the switch and quickly saw it start to glow nicely. Hope returns! Mere seconds later and it was at full brightness, doing so faster than I recall prior and reaching a brightness level that I want to say is greater than what I had experienced before. It seems easier to see a red glow through the outer ceramic wall of the core now.

The first strange part– after doing that initial test run, the core is no longer rattling.

So, without any further ado I loaded it up with a solidly sized bowl pack and gave it a go. Mouthpiece on, button down, gave it maybe 10 seconds given the glowing behavior I had just observed, and gave a good "Step 2" pull for 3-5 seconds. A little short, yes, but I was excited and I'm still new to this… I exhaled a test puff after that modest pull and so much pretty vapor came out that, given my surprise and confusion, I went right back at it without exhaling the starter pull. Hey, you can forget the 3 steps if you aren't trying to maximize things, and I don't need maximization with performance like this!

Now, here is where strange part number two came in. A little while after my happy first run, I dove back in. This time I decided to try giving it a harder pull. Worryingly I heard a sort of click sound after I picked up the speed, and soon after the vapor became harsh. I exhaled, and it didn't taste nice. I dumped it out and sure enough there was a solidly blackened little ball at the bottom of the bowl. No cherry, thankfully.

Thanks if you've read this far, please excuse my long winded writing style. In the end I'm very, very surprised by how well my Cera is performing. But I am nervous about the strange sounds I'm hearing. Is it at all possible that there was a break somewhere in the coil and there is loose metal in there? Is it conceivable that I could have pulled up a fleck of hot metal, causing the combustion? Or, is my Cera just a hot rod and I'm paranoid?

Last thing: my Cera had a little hand written note on it marking it as "high res". Any thoughts on what this might mean? Thanks in advance! Can't wait to see everyone else who's getting theirs today happily posting later…

 

[toros23]

I am getting my unit today at any moment and I am very excited. I am hoping to be one of the lucky ones that has a solidly built working unit, however, I know the negative possibility is common with the cera at this stage in manufacturing.

Hey Steama - I know exactly how you feel, I felt the exact same way Saturday when my unit was out for delivery but those feelings melted away (literally) very quickly... I've already placed an order for a 2nd EO cart and am still contemplating the LL cart. Good luck but hopefully you don't need it and everything works perfectly out of the box.

I have to say, the EO cart is just friggin amazing.. I have been re-reading this thread and still cannot find one negative comment about the performance. That is pretty damn incredible for any product, especially amazing given expectations around here. My only complaint is taste but I screwed up and didn't clean mine before loading. I should have known better since the taste was there doing dry pulls (w/o button pushed) before I loaded anything.

 

[hektik8625]

I see no grounds for negativity. The odds are very much in your favor of having no problems related to hardware, more so if it's a SS unit it seems.

OF

so right now OF you believe SS has less problems then Ti. It just so happened that I could not get my hands on the Ti version NOW no matter what it cost.. =) .. Now looking in the direction of SS. Guess shit happens for a reason huh?

 

[Soflo]

so right now OF you believe SS has less problems then Ti. It just so happened that I could not get my hands on the Ti version NOW no matter what it cost.. =) .. Now looking in the direction of SS. Guess shit happens for a reason huh?

Why weren't you able to get a Ti cera? I know my buddy has 6 on order, and can probably spare one. I am also concerned about the issues with the Ti models. OF can you elaborate on this? Are we still talking about how the strap is not soldered in to the Ti or is this a different issue? I am sure everything will work out in the end! And I'm not stressing about it, would just like to know what to look for when it gets here. Thanks again, love this community!

 

[hektik8625]

impatience is why..... <<<This guy is a spoiled brat!!! ill still get it later when its MORE available , but ill get the SS "NOW" way faster!!! ps... Soflo let me know if your friend has a spare when he gets em =)

 

[SameOldTim]

A couple notes:

When I pulled it out of the package, I unscrewed the core to do a visual inspection (read: enjoy the sexiness in my hands again) and found that there was a noticeable rattling sound coming from the core. I could hear it when it was gently shook, but could not hear it when I wiggled the stainless steel bottom of the core. My heart sank at first when I heard this, because of how my core had failed (abnormal lighting behavior and sparking in the core). The core still has a very light stain to the inner ceramic bowl from my previous usage, so I know that I received the same core and it wasn't replaced. My worry was that they only fixed the grounding strap (I can see the new solder point) and did not investigate the core itself. Perhaps, I thought, the core became damaged, or further damaged, during it's journey through the mail. Anyways, moving on. I had success but noticed two strange things.

I screwed it back in and threw in my fully charged battery that was ready in the waiting. I pressed the switch and quickly saw it start to glow nicely. Hope returns! Mere seconds later and it was at full brightness, doing so faster than I recall prior and reaching a brightness level that I want to say is greater than what I had experienced before. It seems easier to see a red glow through the outer ceramic wall of the core now.

The first strange part– after doing that initial test run, the core is no longer rattling.

So, without any further ado I loaded it up with a solidly sized bowl pack and gave it a go. Mouthpiece on, button down, gave it maybe 10 seconds given the glowing behavior I had just observed, and gave a good "Step 2" pull for 3-5 seconds. A little short, yes, but I was excited and I'm still new to this… I exhaled a test puff after that modest pull and so much pretty vapor came out that, given my surprise and confusion, I went right back at it without exhaling the starter pull. Hey, you can forget the 3 steps if you aren't trying to maximize things, and I don't need maximization with performance like this!

Now, here is where strange part number two came in. A little while after my happy first run, I dove back in. This time I decided to try giving it a harder pull. Worryingly I heard a sort of click sound after I picked up the speed, and soon after the vapor became harsh. I exhaled, and it didn't taste nice. I dumped it out and sure enough there was a solidly blackened little ball at the bottom of the bowl. No cherry, thankfully.

Thanks if you've read this far, please excuse my long winded writing style. In the end I'm very, very surprised by how well my Cera is performing. But I am nervous about the strange sounds I'm hearing. Is it at all possible that there was a break somewhere in the coil and there is loose metal in there? Is it conceivable that I could have pulled up a fleck of hot metal, causing the combustion? Or, is my Cera just a hod rod and I'm paranoid?

Last thing: my Cera had a little hand written note on it marking it as "high res". Any thoughts on what this might mean? Thanks in advance! Can't wait to see everyone else who's getting theirs today happily posting later…

Nice writeup! your concerns are nothing to worry about.

The core is made up of two primary pieces, the threaded base and the Ceramic bowl. Aside from that its just the heating coil and fastening hardware. The Ceramic and the Metal pieces have vastly different thermal expansion rates and due to this we incorporated a little "wiggle"
room between them. You will notice however that once you put your core with o-rings into the body the wiggling will basically stop.

On the rare occasion if a set screw comes loose you shouldn't worry too much either. The 3 remaining will still secure the bowl onto the threaded based sufficiently.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Tim

 

[nopartofme]

Well, it gets stranger. The threaded base on my cart has zero wiggle now. I remember the wiggle it had before very well, it caught my attention when I first received my Cera and I asked about it here. The jingle sound has come back unfortunately. I can hear it if I gently turn the core upside down, then right side up, as if something is shifting easily inside. It really sounds like a tiny loose piece of metal. But it isn't the threaded base, that is locked solid now for some reason.

 

[darkrom]

I've got my SS on order just waiting for a shipping notification eventually. I'm one of the many people who thought the T1 was an amazing product, so this should be even better.

I fully expect my pax to go into retirement as a backup portable once the cera shows up.

 

[VapeAttic]

Holy Sh!$...there is a Cera for sell on ebay already! With some extra goodies. Wow!

 

[OF]

Thanks OF, I appreciate your helpful nature and knowledge of the cera.

With any luck I am about to prove her wrong.

You're very welcome. I try to "call 'em like I see 'em" as they say. Glad to help if I can.

Sorry, no advice on the wife. You know what they say, "there are three common theories of women, all of them wrong".

so right now OF you believe SS has less problems then Ti. It just so happened that I could not get my hands on the Ti version NOW no matter what it cost.. =) .. Now looking in the direction of SS. Guess shit happens for a reason huh?

OF can you elaborate on this? Are we still talking about how the strap is not soldered in to the Ti or is this a different issue? I am sure everything will work out in the end! And I'm not stressing about it, would just like to know what to look for when it gets here. Thanks again, love this community!

Yeah, that's exactly it. It seems that there's a few switch issues still out there, but the common failure is strap connection issues. SS has a fix in place (soldering) that seems to have worked well (lack of field failures) so the Ti units seem to more 'per capita' problems. A couple of different solutions are being checked out so I'm sure that they too will become rare soon.

The other way I guess is current production SS version don't seem to have a common fault to point to and problems are statistically low?

Well, it gets stranger. The threaded base on my cart has zero wiggle now. I remember the wiggle it had before very well, it caught my attention when I first received my Cera and I asked about it here. The jingle sound has come back unfortunately. I can hear it if I gently turn the core upside down, then right side up, as if something is shifting easily inside. It really sounds like a tiny loose piece of metal. But it isn't the threaded base, that is locked solid now for some reason.

If I was a betting man I'd say you're listening to the core form. There's a skinny ceramic rod in the center of the coil for support. By nature, it has to be a loose fit but is retained in the coil by the top and bottom turns (they cut across the ends). This is covered in a lot of detail in the 'how to make a core' lessons I got the other day. The exact length and spacing of the coil has to be right or the rod won't fit. The ones I made were too snug to rattle (my coils aren't all that straight so the core touches along the line) but a more perfect coil could easily have the rod loose, at least sometimes. Aside from that there's nothing else in there that can be loose. There's two ceramic washers (you can see one on the outside, the other is inside), a screw and nut (which has to be tight to thread the heater on), the heater wire, the base/body and the four screws (also tight) in addition to the bowl. That rod's the only part that's not screwd down tight.

How snug the core is in the body depends on the rings and the mounting of the screw plate it screws into. As Tim said above, it has to be able to shift so the ceramic doesn't crack. This can, BTW lead to a 'clicking sounds' as it heats. One of my LL cores does this a lot. My guess is it's the screws building up stress then moving all at once?

Nothing to worry about IMO. Enjoy it is my advice.

Holy Sh!$...there is a Cera for sell on ebay already! With some extra goodies. Wow!

Man, bummer story to go with it, poor sod. I hope someone with some extra money and little time will bid that sucker up there for the man. Not that I wish guys to pay a premium, but the brother sounds like he needs the bucks more than his Cera. Responsibility again, I bet......

OF

 

[Gasketeer]

Hey fc folks. I just signed up but have been following this thread since mid February. I purchased the cera with little known about it other than knowing that people were very happy with their previous generation devices and the hype and frothing of the mouth you folks displayed. I figured that's good enough for me. First things first though, I know y'all like flowers and oils and such, and while that's cool and I'm very happy my home state and CO legalized it, I don't medicate. However, I do the ecig thing and noticed that this is a far superior form of ecig than anything else on the market. So, on February 11th, I put myself on the back order list with the transaction hitting my bank on the 13th. Bidding my time with my current setup has been a labor of love as I can see the grass is greener on the other side. However, I've noticed people getting shipment confirmations that have been waiting less to get theirs. Does anyone have any insight into this. I purchased the SS EL.

 

[toros23]

There's two ceramic washers (you can see one on the outside, the other is inside), a screw and nut (which has to be tight to thread the heater on), the heater wire, the base/body and the four screws (also tight) in addition to the bowl.

OF - Do you know if the EO carts are now shipping with just 3 screws? Mine only has 3 and I really like the airflow the missing screw provides. Sorry if this has been covered, currently on page 76 re-reading the entire thread. Also, if more appropriate to ask TET directly will do that, just trying to avoid emailing them so they can assemble/ship orders. As always, thanks so much for all the help!

 

[OF]

However, I've noticed people getting shipment confirmations that have been waiting less to get theirs. Does anyone have any insight into this. I purchased the SS EL.

You should probably contact them to check (lot of guys do it a lot....). Thus far such cases seem to be model (Ti later), battery delays (orders without went out while waiting for batteries), orders for less than full systems (lone cart orders often ship early) and order modifications (adding or removing can result in a new effective order date). So far AFAIK nobody has actually been overlooked (despite some posters who were sure they were), although I guess you could be the first......

Anyway a call or email to TV requesting the status of the order would be common and serviced in a timely manner I think.

You'll love it when you get it, but you know that part already.

Good luck.

OF - Do you know if the EO carts are now shipping with just 3 screws? Mine only has 3 and I really like the airflow the missing screw provides.

No, sorry, I don't. And it would be news to me, not to mention a bit dangerous I think. If one of the remaining ones next to the hole worked loose (doesn't have to come out) it could goof it up good as it expanded and contracted (nothing to keep it centered any more). It could wedge itself in off center easily I bet. My Beta core lost a screw (before there was a retention crimp), they replaced the 3 remaining with the new style. If it were me I think I'd ask for a screw and put it in (I actually did just that, didn't I?), in fact I've got a spare now in my kit, just 'cuz I'm paranoid.

Your call, but I seriously doubt they decided to remove one for shipments. Tim would know for sure.....

OF

 

[Highnstein]

Hey fc folks. I just signed up but have been following this thread since mid February. I purchased the cera with little known about it other than knowing that people were very happy with their previous generation devices and the hype and frothing of the mouth you folks displayed. I figured that's good enough for me. First things first though, I know y'all like flowers and oils and such, and while that's cool and I'm very happy my home state and CO legalized it, I don't medicate. However, I do the ecig thing and noticed that this is a far superior form of ecig than anything else on the market. So, on February 11th, I put myself on the back order list with the transaction hitting my bank on the 13th. Bidding my time with my current setup has been a labor of love as I can see the grass is greener on the other side. However, I've noticed people getting shipment confirmations that have been waiting less to get theirs. Does anyone have any insight into this. I purchased the SS EL.

You should get yours shipped soon. I believe they are doing the Febuary batch of orders at the moment. I would call in and ask if there have been a lot of people getting it before yours.

EDIT: Looks like OF beat me to it!