Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci

Pickz

Vapes on vapes on vapes!
Maybe the next time you pack a fresh bowl, ramp up the temp from lower for more flavour to higher for more vapour and see what happens? That's what I do with my PAX, and on the highest end I get good clouds.
I'll try that next time I have more herb to use. I'm quite low at the moment and although I am personally liking my Ascent experience so far, it isn't the Cloud and I'll use the rest of what I have with that. I know I'm in the minority, but my limited experience has been good so far with the Ascent. I definitely agree that it is not as efficient as other vapes (again the Pinnacle being the only portable I can compare it to), but I feel loading techniques and starting it colder have been helping.
 

alphabj

Well-Known Member
It really perplexes me that so many who don't normally vape at such high temps are going high on the ascent. Are you just chasing visible vapor or is it that comfortable at high temps?
I almost felt like it was better not to run the vapor thru the bubbler as I was afraid of losing the wonderful flavor. It was just that smooth at the higher temp. It does dry my tongue a bit if I don't keep it away from the vapor path, but it's not harsh at all, and I still haven't yet coughed once. I would love to see some wisps at 375, but that is highly unlikely unless your bowl is full. You won't see anything on the exhale, and it's not like seeing nothing from the MFLB, which can be strong as hell without seeing vapor. Very tasty at 375, but doesn't get the job done as quickly.
 

Dreamerr

Always in a state of confusion and silliness♀
Watch this but don't tell anyone shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
NIGEL oh NIGEL....I know you can find that post by slim cause he doesn't do many that has the specs of the lower temps and not a full bowl. It may be the last vid he did and you know I hate searching. Pretty please with sugar on top for all the peeps here who missed it.:love:
 

nigel

And shepherds we shall be,for Accuracy & Discovery
Also I'd like to note, I have an incredibly powerful tactical flashlight

Oh... do tell! :)




@theCerberus - I've taken a look at my unit and I don't see the same issue you have. NO cords exposed. So I can only work off of your photo and guessing. I'm going to think about the whole airpath issue, allowing for what I can only guess is a defect in yours. (I have no defect, so I'm going to have to run some tests and then guess the rest of it.) I'll get back to you.


I just realized that's not even silicone inside the tube! The silicone is only at the very top and bottom to provide the seal. Inside the tube is plastic!

That is a concern. I do know the bottom seal is pretty tight. But will look at this also.


no...and I didn't have any of the air leakage other beta users reported, either. Mine was the second best tasting vapor I'd ever had after the Vapolution 2. These problems you guys are having aren't design issues, imo, because most of them did not exist in my unit. I think it is a manufacturing QC issue.

I also don't have this issue, and thus suspect not a systemic issue, but a QC. I'm thinking there is an ingress point on the problem units.


If anybody doubts that a bunch of that vapor would go out from in between the straws and into that void, take the glass out and mate them a few times.

We covered this in the previous thread like 3-4(?) months ago.


Have generated wisps of vapor compressing the load and vaping at hight temps (215C and above)...but my expectations due to pre launch marketing suggested the Ascent would rival a desktop.
@Pappy -- from your video, I KNOW you shouldn't have to work so hard for visible vapor. The fact that youcan get some, but only limited circumstances to produce it, still has me thinking something is wrong with your unit. Leverage an exchange. :)

PS: did you seem the videos that were posted here earlier?


Perhaps that piece was made too short in this production run. Are most of us experiencing this issue?

Only some of us. But good point, and this has me thinking about airflow issues.


I've really studied my photo since I can zoom in, I think its that the wires got wedged in between the silicone and the air path, i dont think that piece was made wrong/created the gap, the wedging of the wires did.

The units are hand-assembled. This leads to the biggest error: human. I think you are right.

Off hand, was yours in the first day or the second? I'm thinking the first full production run might have been ""getting up to speed" for the workers. (Or course, what day yours was shipped doesn't really tell us what day it was produced, but offers a slight guess.0

I was told that I could only have the refund within 14 days of the original purchase/send date. IE by the time I send in the faulty unit and receive the new unit my refund window has already closed.

I can't say for 100%, but Da Vinci knows there is an issue and I don't have any trouble seeing them work with us on any defect on their end. I'm sure the CS dude was really nice, but also can only repeat the corp line. Let's ask our rep directly as her word is law. :)

Has anyone figured out if you can open the case?

I'm about on the fence for "taking one for the team" here.
 

sam reynolds

because "Samantha" is a mouthful.
Thanks pickz, I hope more chime in as I am a 375 person but it is strange so many are going high.
I usually start around 385, then ramp up to 410 to finish. The Ascent really didn't feel too bad at those temps...I could sense some dryness, but didn't irritate like the Solo at that temp.

Did somebody say Solo? Oh, right. Me. Now that she and I are getting reacquainted, I thought I'd experiment a little...

I trimmed a piece of silicone tube to slide down the Ascent tube and cover the gap. My mouthpiece stem sticks up almost exactly the hight of the silicone...so it's not the bottom silicone part that's too short, it's the plastic above.

So I did the cover-the-glass-screen-and-suck test, and I'm still getting air. Probably because of the 2-3 mm gap at the TOP of the tube.

That's right...not one, but two points of entry for internal device air to get into the tube.
 

nigel

And shepherds we shall be,for Accuracy & Discovery
Watch this but don't tell anyone shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
NIGEL oh NIGEL....I know you can find that post by slim cause he doesn't do many that has the specs of the lower temps and not a full bowl. It may be the last vid he did and you know I hate searching. Pretty please with sugar on top for all the peeps here who missed it.:love:

Make me do work? *sigh* Let me make dinner first....
:luv:

Or can I just ask @Slightly Medicated ? That path involves less work for me.:)


@nigel Eye blinding beam at one end..... 750,000 volts at the other!


Specs, gent! Specs!
 
nigel,
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sam reynolds

because "Samantha" is a mouthful.
So, this is weird...after my little mod I'm now starting to actually get some clouds from this thing...it's freaking me out a little.

And since the mp was sticking out, I put a little silicone tubing on the end like a nipple and left the stem retracted. It's quite nice to use this way.

Know what would go great inside the nipple? A screen! [Update: yup. But the fishy flavor is back...ew....]
 
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VaPeD&CoNfUsEd

JoDa Glassworks
Glass Blower
Make me do work? *sigh* Let me make dinner first....
:luv:

Or can I just ask @Slightly Medicated ? That path involves less work for me.:)





Specs, gent! Specs!
I don't know the specs, it was a 30th birthday present from (of all people) my ex wife's new husband. Hes got a hook up on all that sweet shit! I do know it has 2 18650's running it. And the charger looks to be the same as an ascent actually. Oh yeah and it'll drop a 250+ish lb man in a heartbeat! Lol
 

Skulduggery

Member
If the bottom silicone piece went up just a liiiiiiittle higher in the tube (1/4" or so), it would close the gap exposing the wires.

Perhaps that piece was made too short in this production run. Are most of us experiencing this issue?

Yes, Sam. I have the same issue, a 1/4" gap in the pathway. Best way to check it folks is to take the glass pieces out, open the bottom, use your thumb and make a seal over where the 3 hole glass would be and take a cold pull. If the tube chamber is sealed, I'd imagine there would be no pull...for mine (with the 1/4" gap) it pulls the same as if my thumb weren't there.

I can also attest that, for mine, this 1/4" gap is completely independent of the off gassing, which can be verified by cooking the bowl while it's open from the housing unit. My Stealth has a Smokey Bottom and a Holey Top.


Thanks pickz, I hope more chime in as I am a 375 person but it is strange so many are going high.

Dreamerr, before I realized all the manufacturing problems with mine, this thing hit like a champ at 375! I too am fond of only low temperatures.
 

sxmokeUP

former combustionist
I have not received my Ascent yet, but reading all these new issues are even worse than yesterday's.

I just realized that's not even silicone inside the tube! The silicone is only at the very top and bottom to provide the seal. Inside the tube is plastic!

Plastic and wiring and mystery gaps. Oh my.

So we are vaping plastic? Regardless of the getting good units, every unit will still have that plastic between. Extending the glass mouthpiece will definitely force vapor to touch plastic. GonG?

Has anyone figured out if you can open the case? If so, it seems to me that vapor leakage would also be leaving tell tale 'wand hash' deposits in the works? Finding that I would think would be pretty conclusive......
OF

If there is any opening due to a short silicone or a gap showing wires, there will be resin buildup overtime INSIDE the unit. Good for the unit? How to clean? Also, what temps are you exposing the internal electronics to?

------
People have said they can cover the middle and bottom and still be able to draw air from somewhere. Others have gone so far as to say that air you are able to draw if the air from inside the Ascent and that it tastes like electronics (funny how we know how they taste). That is most likely true now that we have photos that show gap.

------
To the reason why beta testers get such great units is because the factory heads made those betas nice and crispy. After they get that right and get 100x that amount for an order, they go crazy. They go buy gold chains, nice cars, new condo. They cheap out and don't tell the designer they sourced cheaper crappier parts. Plus to save more money, they hire cheaper inexperienced labor and get rid of the slightly higher waged experienced workers. This last paragraph is a generalization of economics.
 

theCerberus

Well-Known Member
I can also attest that, for mine, this 1/4" gap is completely independent of the off gassing, which can be verified by cooking the bowl while it's open from the housing unit. My Stealth has a Smokey Bottom and a Holey Top.

That would be real burn off I would assume then. Mine makes no off-gassing when opened running at 430F. I only see the faint stream of gas out of the top during "burn off".
 

Skulduggery

Member
I've open burned mine for over 3-4 hours at 430 with a couple of 1 hour constant sessions and at least five 20 min sessions. Off gassing keeps on billowing. And blowing down the tube hasn't closed the 1/4" gap neither. Next I will try doing a rain dance around the ascent to fix it.
 

theCerberus

Well-Known Member
Well, to simplify things, my bowl does not smell, I opened it and then left it at 430F and smelled it and its like a hair dryer type heated smell, not bad.

I can confirm the bad overheated electronic smell is coming from the upper path, including the mystery gas that now seems to be only logically coming from the wires.
 
theCerberus,

baltik

Well-Known Member
Can we all agree that the Ascent is not a tru GonG vape? and not just because of production issues - it seems like it needs a fairly thorough redesign...

I've done a little testing saran wrapping the asent in various increments and I am convinced that there is an air leak by the hinge as well since i can feel air escaping there when i seal off the rest and blow through the buddy rim..
 
baltik,

Medical Mark

Well-Known Member
Well Ishould be getting my stealth nit tomorrow fingers crossed I think? And then I got a burl wood in the mail as well, so if everything is like others here my stealth will be crappy and m burl will be good I think from what I. Reading hear.
I my stealth is gasing ill take it apart for everyone and see what the fuck is going on inside these units.
I will still have the burl unit which I wanted anyway so ill take one for the team.
I can't imaging it would be that hard to open up, you have any ideas how to go about this and keeping it intact let me know.
So if my stealth unit is faulty ill operate on it.
Anyway I'm very nervous about this whole issue and wires ect.

Its really bumbing me out really, I don't want to be disappointed.
Cheers medical mark
 

theCerberus

Well-Known Member
Can we all agree that the Ascent is not a tru GonG vape? and not just because of production issues - it seems like it needs a fairly thorough redesign...

I've done a little testing saran wrapping the asent in various increments and I am convinced that there is an air leak by the hinge as well since i can feel air escaping there when i seal off the rest and blow through the buddy rim..


The issue is the "air path", it is truly GonG but that doesnt mean anything other than 2 pieces of glass sliding into each other.

The Ascent is as much an "all glass air path" as the solo is. I mean the air is coming from the bottom thru a grill which isnt glass, and now I realize it mingles inside the upper path (plastic, silicone etc) too, as if you notice the 2 straws (glass screen and mouth piece) have no proper GonG connection, and are therefore sucking up inside air.

Where does this air come from inside? I can confirm the top silicone seal if you pull the tool out raises up a bit, as if its not attached in anyway there is definitely an air gap there very similar to the solo. However PV sent me some silicone O rings for the solo that solve that air gap.
 
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theCerberus,
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Slightly Medicated

(SliM) Iron Lungs
Looks like I got summoned... sorry I have not been around much. Busy month here.

I tend to pack my ascent very tight. I will fill it full and pack it down and do that one or two more times. Roughly .4 grams. Sort of similar to the PAX. The difference is I get 2 sessions per load. Which works for me because I am usually out and about and don't wan to reload.

Small loads work... but I really can't emphasize TIGHT packing. Like a very compressed puck of material on the bottom. If you pull hard on the unit it should draw the puck up, not cause it to fall apart. You should be able to blow through the bottom of the grill and have a hard puck come out when you are done.
 

grokit

well-worn member
I finally put some herb through the ascent courtesy of a friend. We started with well-cured a grade, he ground up enough for a decent joint but it packed down to about 1/2 a bowl when tamped tight with the jar. We started at 420 f because we wanted to see what that would do for cloud production, and got some wispy hits. Then bumped it up to 430, a little better.

The load kept coming up to the top, but once we got it going it was sticky enough to stay down and we got some really thick clouds with it! It compressed further down to about 1/3 the bowl at this point, but actually lasted a a good while with decent vapor production. Then we turned it back down to 420 and the two of us got fully medicated. It actually seemed to work pretty well when the herb stayed at the bottom of the bowl, but once it pulled away all bets were off.

Then it was time for some ht testing, so I snapped of around 1-1/4" from the gong adapter and we ground up some b grade. We used more herb this time, but it didn't last as long as the better stuff did. Also it wasn't as sticky so we couldn't get it to stay at the bottom of the bowl at all, no matter how lightly we would draw or how firmly I would tamp it down.

I eyeballed the gong adapter cutting and that worked out pretty well, but unfortunately I only got one good cloud the second time around and we didn't catch that on video. We didn't attempt a video of the first session, and my friend's camera phone sucks. But here's a still of the ht in use with the shortened 14mm straight adapter, from the video that we did attempt:

vlcsnap.png


It's hard to tell from that angle but there's only about 1/4" between the ascent and the ht so I think I nailed it. Luck of the draw as I never formally measured, but I did put a bit of forethought into it and it worked out great

I think mine's a keeper, the taste was pretty good even through the popcorn stage with the first bowl at high temps, and when the load stayed in contact with the bottom of the bowl I feel like it was working pretty well. I think the biggest drawback is efficiency with small loads that won't stay down at the bottom. It can evidently be achieved with glass spacers or cotton, and I like both of those ideas.

Unfortunately, having to use such additional items affects both the self-contained aspect, and the simplicity of operation for the ascent. I will keep an eye out for some kind of glass spacer like vaped is using, but considering how dirty my glass screen got from two less than full bowls, stick's cotton method looks like it could be a real winner as well.
 
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