Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci

[pakalolo]

WTF! Why! How!? I just found out a friend of mine ordered one and it arrived today, and he told me he's not very satisfied with the cleanliness of the vapor and it turned out after inspection that it has the same exact problem that mine did! Except with his you can only notice a gap at the top while you're pulling the stem upwards or else it's hard to see or capture on camera but it's there... (I have a feeling the other junctions that are throughout the straight stem tube are not air tight either, obviously and especially including how the top piece seems to be resting on the top of the stem column is many units, not even fully glued, let alone one straight piece that's airtight...)


EDIT: How do you add/ upload images on this site again??

You read How to post pictures.

First, I have examined my Ascent carefully and the "stem chamber" as you call it is a single piece of silicone with a slight constriction near the heater end. I can see this easily by shining a bright light down the path. It makes no sense at all for the construction to be in multiple pieces. Aside from increased construction complexity and time, there is no logical reason to do so and many not to do that. For me the clincher is that I spent quite some time discussing the Ascent with Cortney (the designer) and I know that he put user safety at the forefront. Your accusations just don't make any sense from what I know.

Second, you said you were done with this so I let it go, but now you're back. We all know you wouldn't buy one and you've stated your reasons multiple times. I am therefore putting you on notice: we have a rule against bashing companies. Some would say you've already broken it.

 

[Osn Dosn]

May I interpose a simple question: has anyone seen a EU shop that sells spare parts or more specifically the glass stems?

Just broke the second one -.-

 

[CarolKing]

So went out and got an Ascent yesterday to have a portable unit (getting a DBV cheap as fuck from a friend soon too). About .18 got me a nice buzz going last night, not as potent as I thought it'd be (the vape, not the weed, one snap from my bong with this stuff puts me on my ass).

However, I ran into a problem. If I pull on it with more than just a little bit of force, my mouth gets like FILLED with particulates. The screen just doesn't do a very good job whatsoever of keeping it in place, every second pull I was getting a few bits and pieces on accident.

I put one of the included screens at the bottom, which kept me from blowing particulates through the vent on accident (which also happened when I exhaled with the mouthpiece too close to my mouth), and I tried placing one on top as well.

The one on top worked when I placed it perfectly, but the slightest bit out of place and it did nothing.

Is it just my screen in question, or is this a fairly common occurence? I'm using a 4 piece Space Case as my grinder for the record.

Try using organic cotton on top of your herb to keep everything clean. Works great.

 

[chester222]

Is there an article about using cotton in a vape? My mind keeps telling me it's not safe to do so. Any information would be great.

 

[bassman]

Is there an article about using cotton in a vape? My mind keeps telling me it's not safe to do so. Any information would be great.

The cotton is talked about all through this forum. From what I have read, the organic cotton works just fine.

 

[EveryDayAmnesiac]

Is there an article about using cotton in a vape? My mind keeps telling me it's not safe to do so. Any information would be great.

http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/vaping-with-cotton.9892/

 

[CarolKing]

I use cotton with all my portable vapes except the Solo. I used it with the Solo before I bought some screens. it makes cleaning your unit a lot easier. There is a bonus of vaping the cotton with all the oil buildup at the end before you throw it away. Cotton works well to wrap a little of hash in the middle, then vape. No mess.

 

[StraightChill]

You read How to post pictures.

First, I have examined my Ascent carefully and the "stem chamber" as you call it is a single piece of silicone with a slight constriction near the heater end. I can see this easily by shining a bright light down the path. It makes no sense at all for the construction to be in multiple pieces. Aside from increased construction complexity and time, there is no logical reason to do so and many not to do that. For me the clincher is that I spent quite some time discussing the Ascent with Cortney (the designer) and I know that he put user safety at the forefront. Your accusations just don't make any sense from what I know.

Second, you said you were done with this so I let it go, but now you're back. We all know you wouldn't buy one and you've stated your reasons multiple times. I am therefore putting you on notice: we have a rule against bashing companies. Some would say you've already broken it.

I'm so sorry I've come across in such a way... I was just very frustrated about how long I waited to finally feel safe purchasing one(now that it's been out for much longer) and how excited I was and to go and test it out all to find a very poorly constructed unit, with nearly every part chipped or defective, with what (for mine, and now my buddy's that I've learned as of today) was mostly a design flaw... And that really confused and frustrated me, because being an engineer, it blows my mind how something like that could be overlooked after all this time. I can show you pictures of what I mean, I'm not making this up, it is actually exactly what you have just stated to be absolutely ridiculous and overly complex to the point where it would be extremely impractical to design something in such a way, and that was exactly why I was so upset. I was really bummed out, but I've been under a lot of stress recently so my tone resulted in anger and aggression instead, and I do thank you for pointing that out by the way because that type of energy is really something I don't want to spread.

But this is very strange to me now, because more than one person including you is saying that they have perfectly sealed units, exactly how you would expect, that are not made up of multiple materials, so I guess what's very odd how is that certain models seem to be built how you would intuitively expect and other are not...

I'm very glad and relieved that they did most likely correct this, but I'm still confused why mine and my buddy's were still constructed so differently... They were both Stealth models and they were both ordered from DaVinci directly in the past week or so... Which model do you have? Is it the newer carbon fiber version?

Here you can see, his Ascent, which is identical to mine, but mine had many other smaller defects as well, is made from silicone at the buddy rim, silicone at the bottom, and (I will try to ask him for a picture of this so you can finally see what I mean) multiple materials throughout the stem column... But yet again, this is not what all units are like... (but thank god)



But as you may be able to see, in me and my buddy's Ascent, it is not a straight piece of silicone, for some strange reason it's multiple different materials. It seems to go from silicone on the top, to very thin high temperature plastic (perhaps a mica composite), to another shade/type of high temp plastic, and then back to silicone at the end. But the question is why some units seem to be defective like this and others are not when they are all suppose to be the most recent version... And I repetitively tried to ask DaVinci this but they would not respond to it, they just worked around the question and THAT is what drove me into so much frustration, and again I really apologize for my tone because nevertheless, that is still not okay...

 

[Norcalsun]

I just don't understand why some units interior plastic pathway is airtight and some are not. If its supposed to be airtight I want mine to be airtight. I don't care if it stills works without it being airtight, I want my unit to be 100%- that's what I paid $250 for. This is the only issue I have with the Ascent. I'm leery about sending it back for an exchange because I'm not confident that the new one would be airtight and have no other problems. So far mine has not shown any other problems other than the leaking air path. I'm going to give this issue some time and see if any answers come out.

 

[JWGordon79]

Bought one of these (Burl Wood) and got it it December. The night before I was going to do a video review of the unit it refused to charge with the AC adapter. I checked to see if it would work with my car adapter and... the same thing. It ran until it was dead and never was able to charge again... even after just leaving it plugged in overnight. No screen activity and no powering on. Less than 30 days of use too. Sent it back for replacement (not happy about how much I had to pay to ship in back) and just got the new one today. It works great and I hope it stays that way. I have one concern though. The OLED on my original Ascent was off-center... kind of tilted. This one is a bit worse. Anyone else see this?

I just don't understand why some units interior plastic pathway is airtight and some are not. If its supposed to be airtight I want mine to be airtight. I don't care if it stills works without it being airtight, I want my unit to be 100%- that's what I paid $250 for. This is the only issue I have with the Ascent. I'm leery about sending it back for an exchange because I'm not confident that the new one would be airtight and have no other problems. So far mine has not shown any other problems other than the leaking air path. I'm going to give this issue some time and see if any answers come out.

Actually forgot to mention something about in my post ^^ My original Ascent had a loose pathway. My replacement one is hella tight. Very big difference in extending it... much more effort required. I feel it increases performance too.

 

[hitmeman]

I'm so sorry I've come across in such a way... I was just very frustrated about how long I waited to finally feel safe purchasing one(now that it's been out for much longer) and how excited I was and to go and test it out all to find a very poorly constructed unit, with nearly every part chipped or defective, with what (for mine, and now my buddy's that I've learned as of today) was mostly a design flaw... And that really confused and frustrated me, because being an engineer, it blows my mind how something like that could be overlooked after all this time. I can show you pictures of what I mean, I'm not making this up, it is actually exactly what you have just stated to be absolutely ridiculous and overly complex to the point where it would be extremely impractical to design something in such a way, and that was exactly why I was so upset. I was really bummed out, but I've been under a lot of stress recently so my tone resulted in anger and aggression instead, and I do thank you for pointing that out by the way because that type of energy is really something I don't want to spread.

But this is very strange to me now, because more than one person including you is saying that they have perfectly sealed units, exactly how you would expect, that are not made up of multiple materials, so I guess what's very odd how is that certain models seem to be built how you would intuitively expect and other are not...

I'm very glad and relieved that they did most likely correct this, but I'm still confused why mine and my buddy's were still constructed so differently... They were both Stealth models and they were both ordered from DaVinci directly in the past week or so... Which model do you have? Is it the newer carbon fiber version?

Here you can see, his Ascent, which is identical to mine, but mine had many other smaller defects as well, is made from silicone at the buddy rim, silicone at the bottom, and (I will try to ask him for a picture of this so you can finally see what I mean) multiple materials throughout the stem column... But yet again, this is not what all units are like... (but thank god)



But as you may be able to see, in me and my buddy's Ascent, it is not a straight piece of silicone, for some strange reason it's multiple different materials. It seems to go from silicone on the top, to very thin high temperature plastic (perhaps a mica composite), to another shade/type of high temp plastic, and then back to silicone at the end. But the question is why some units seem to be defective like this and others are not when they are all suppose to be the most recent version... And I repetitively tried to ask DaVinci this but they would not respond to it, they just worked around the question and THAT is what drove me into so much frustration, and again I really apologize for my tone because nevertheless, that is still not okay...

I'm not seeing it .

 

[StraightChill]

I'm not seeing it .

If you look closely at where the glass stem meets the buddy rim and look through the glass in the picture you can see the circuit board for the LCD. But yeah, that's the thing that's got me is that some people's units are apparently one piece of silicone all the way down from top to bottom of the stem column and other people's units are not... Even the most recent of the models. One thing to note is, I'm pretty sure everyone with Carbon Fiber units has reported a full straight silicone lining with perfect air tight seal... I'm wondering if this is true that some of the Stealth units are still on some old design and the newer Carbon Fiber models are updated in some ways... And if so, why? Because as someone has already stated, it would make absolutely no sense for the models to be different internally when all that should be changed is the outside material... It's confusing and once again I still wish @Davinci_vaporizer would chime in about this one. Even if it's not just a coincidence, it's quite strange at the least.

 

[CarolKing]

I gave a post a day or so ago about how I start out at 395 degrees while using the Ascent and gradually I go up to 408 or so. But that's not always the case. I just got some herb that requires a lower temperature so it won't be so harsh. Things aren't always written in stone.

I've been having to start out at 385 degrees and I haven't been going past 395, so my temp depends a lot on the strain of the herb. This herb is a little dry, still good quality.

This continues to be an education in progress for me. So try different things and see what works. What may work for me may not work for you.

My glass mouthpiece when I pull it out is straight, not wobbly and has some resistance. It feels sturdy and well built. I get very good vapor production.

 

[chester222]

I think we r all obsessed with ascent

 

[CarolKing]

I just wanted to clarify, sometimes folks want things to be precise and they are not always that way. Have a good time. Try not to sweat the small stuff. Those of you having problems, DV will work with you. Give them a little credit they've been around for awhile and have been making quality products.

Many times in the beginning a new product will have problems. StraightChill, you are taking a risk when buying a new vape that has just hit the marketplace. Wait a year down the road if your not willing to take that risk.

Nigel, Strike, and Of I would like to know your opinion on buying a brand new vape. Could you chime in if you see this? Thanks

 

[hwl83]

I believe I have figured out why I get such crappier vapor production compared to my 1st two units.

It has to do with the air path. When I blow into my current carbon fiber ascent with the holes of the glass stem plugged or the singular glass stem hole (stem removed), I get a whole lot of air that escapes through the LCD screen and buttons. When I draw with the air path blocked compared to un-blocked, it's not that noticeable a difference.

I get better vapor production when I block the buttons and screen with the palm of my hand. This is very annoying to do. I will call DaVinci soon to see if they can send a replacement. This test should be done at the factory floor. I would love to know what their quality department looks like and their quality plan because from here it looks like they don't exist.

 

[Osn Dosn]

May I interpose a simple question: has anyone seen a EU shop that sells spare parts or more specifically the glass stems?

Just broke the second one -.-

I know this is not as entertaining, but any alternative ideas maybe?

DaVinci directly wants 40$ shipping ;(

 

[pakalolo]

If you look closely at where the glass stem meets the buddy rim and look through the glass in the picture you can see the circuit board for the LCD. But yeah, that's the thing that's got me is that some people's units are apparently one piece of silicone all the way down from top to bottom of the stem column and other people's units are not... Even the most recent of the models. One thing to note is, I'm pretty sure everyone with Carbon Fiber units has reported a full straight silicone lining with perfect air tight seal... I'm wondering if this is true that some of the Stealth units are still on some old design and the newer Carbon Fiber models are updated in some ways... And if so, why? Because as someone has already stated, it would make absolutely no sense for the models to be different internally when all that should be changed is the outside material... It's confusing and once again I still wish @Davinci_vaporizer would chime in about this one. Even if it's not just a coincidence, it's quite strange at the least.

I can see the gap you mean. Now that I know where to look, mine has a similar gap, about 1 mm or less. I don't see a concern here. Airflow will follow the path of least resistance. This gap is far enough from the nearest intake that I just don't see how it would be a source—not to mention that I don't believe that there is any risk from "air passing over the electronics".

 

[turk]

....I would tend to agree...had mine about 6weeks now...only use it when "out"....it has NOT failed me yet...the "stem" moves slightly...big deal....I'm still ripped...

 

[OF]

If its supposed to be airtight I want mine to be airtight. I don't care if it stills works without it being airtight, I want my unit to be 100%- that's what I paid $250 for. This is the only issue I have with the Ascent.

Haven't we been told that they are not supposed to be airtight? Through as quote from DaVinci CS in a detractors post? Some might be, but I seriously doubt they are absolutely so and can guarantee that as the seal wears with the straw movement that will degrade over time. No matter, it's not a guaranteed feature.

I do disagree with the above somewhat, while you may wish it was "100%" (by your standards) and have wished for that when you bought one, in fact what you paid for is spelled out in the purchase contract. One new Ascent to DaVinci standards. You may have wanted perfect, but the agreement doesn't say so. Perfect ones cost more......... And you need to agree before hand what '100%, perfect' means if it's not their call.

I get the expectations, I just don't think they're realistic. In the end it's a tool, not a work of art.....although some are mighty pretty.....

I hope you come to enjoy your purchase (or dump it and get one you do), IMO that's what you really wanted to boy, satisfaction of ownership?

OF

 

[EveryDayAmnesiac]

Yeah, after examining in the right spot, my Ascent also has this little gap. Using a cheap magnifying lens w/light, I was able to spy a little bit of electronics and board.

Just sayin'.

Perhaps everyone's is like this if they look closely enough?

 

[bassman]

I just don't understand why some units interior plastic pathway is airtight and some are not. If its supposed to be airtight I want mine to be airtight. I don't care if it stills works without it being airtight, I want my unit to be 100%- that's what I paid $250 for. This is the only issue I have with the Ascent. I'm leery about sending it back for an exchange because I'm not confident that the new one would be airtight and have no other problems. So far mine has not shown any other problems other than the leaking air path. I'm going to give this issue some time and see if any answers come out.

If It does what is supposed to do, then what is the problem? Davinci doesn't say it is airtight. All they say is all glass pathway. If it works and you are getting medicated then be happy.

mod note: Edited to fix quote tags.

 

[Norcalsun]

Haven't we been told that they are not supposed to be airtight? Through as quote from DaVinci CS in a detractors post? Some might be, but I seriously doubt they are absolutely so and can guarantee that as the seal wears with the straw movement that will degrade over time. No matter, it's not a guaranteed feature.

I do disagree with the above somewhat, while you may wish it was "100%" (by your standards) and have wished for that when you bought one, in fact what you paid for is spelled out in the purchase contract. One new Ascent to DaVinci standards. You may have wanted perfect, but the agreement doesn't say so. Perfect ones cost more......... And you need to agree before hand what '100%, perfect' means if it's not their call.

I get the expectations, I just don't think they're realistic. In the end it's a tool, not a work of art.....although some are mighty pretty.....

I hope you come to enjoy your purchase (or dump it and get one you do), IMO that's what you really wanted to boy, satisfaction of ownership?

OF

I did not say I wanted it to my standards. I said if the pathway is supposed to be airtight, mine is not and that means mine is not 100%. If it not supposed to be airtight, OK. No one has definitely said if its supposed to airtight, I'm still looking for an answer. Just because it works with an air leak doesn't mean it wouldn't work better without an air leak. If you are not concerned that's OK. When I buy something I want it 100%, not 98%, not 90%. Sorry if me doing this bothers you, I'm not trying to upset anyone. I posted some of my communications with Davinci because I thought others might be interested, this has been brought up several times. Ill just keep this to myself so not to upset any forum members. Sorry.

 

[sektr]

To the people saying to use cotton to keep particulates out of my mouth when using this:

Does cotton not filter some cannabinoids out? Hence using crutches instead of cigarette filters when rolling joints?

 

[bassman]

="sektr, post: 531223, member: 9526"]To the people saying to use cotton to keep particulates out of my mouth when using this:

Does cotton not filter some cannabinoids out? Hence using crutches instead of cigarette filters when rolling joints?

Don't suck so hard and you will not have that problem.

Modnote: Edited to fix quote tags