VaporGenie

after a couple of weeks of owning the alu bat i think iv developed my own technique to hit it efficiently. like shotgun willy says, holding the hole at a 45 degree angle to the ground allows for more heat to be transferred into the ceramic filter. another thing i found is that you should make sure that when hitting it, try making the flame go into the MIDDLE of the pipe (i know this is hard because the hole is located on the side but keep playin around with the way you hold the lighter, youll learn eventually - it took me a week! haha). i learnt my lesson because i noticed that when i held it wrong, my herb was combusting on the side of the bowl. that and i was applying the flame for way too long haha. i find that the first 2 draws require a little more time, i apply the flame for about 5-7 seconds (the first 3 hits are the tastiest too!) and every hit after that only apply the flame for about 3-5 seconds, as the ceramic is already pretty hot. also, if i feel too much heat on my tongue while drawing, but know that i havent reached vaporisation temperature, i draw in a lot faster to allow more cool air to enter the chamber. depending on how much u pack in the bowl i can get anywhere from 6-10 hits, depending on how long i apply the flame and how 'big' i want my vapor clouds another great thing about the vaporgenie is that i save all my vaped herb n roll a MASSIVE joint i know it defeats the purpose of vaping but i enjoy a nice j every now n then (just note tho that i mix herbal spin with my mary jane - a ratio of about 50:50 - i do this with my vape and when i roll j's - depending on the spin you have you get different flavours! my spin atm contains apple juice, marshmallow leaves, n other weird shit haha but it tastes SOOOOOOO GOOD!).
on another note, i live downunder in Australia, n it took 12 days to arrive, a bit long but its international so its understandable.
hope this info helps some ppl out there

oh n another thing, how do u guys clean your vg alu bat? lately iv been just putting the two components into a bowl of boiling water (leaving the ceramic filter inside one of the components - i dont kno if i should take it out when i clean it.. i dont even know how to take it out!) but i find that theres some soot around the entrance of the hole (my friends keep leaving the yellow flame around the hole without drawing so soot builds up near the hole! arrghh!). other than that, alls good havent caused any soot buildup on the ceramic filter or anythin

Good info andreisnt.
However I think that vaporizers with smaller bowls are more efficient (if you want to vape small amounts without waste), and I am wondering how big is the VG bat bowl... What is the minimum amount of herb that works well with? Can I load less than 0.1g (like I usually do) and get good hits, or the bowl is too big?

overtone said:

Are there differences in flavor between the walnut & the teak?

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Yep. Walnut tastes like the smell of walnut and the same with teak and I'm sure the same with maple. But only during the first few break-in uses.

overtone said:

Does the goo form & flow as readily through the teak? Is one wood more porous than the other?

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Teak feels more dense. No idea on flow as I only just started using the teak.

I do prefer the smooth model stem versus the spiral model's wider stem.

However I think that vaporizers with smaller bowls are more efficient (if you want to vape small amounts without waste), and I am wondering how big is the VG bat bowl... What is the minimum amount of herb that works well with? Can I load less than 0.1g (like I usually do) and get good hits, or the bowl is too big?

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Anyone has tried it?

gb902 said:

However I think that vaporizers with smaller bowls are more efficient (if you want to vape small amounts without waste), and I am wondering how big is the VG bat bowl... What is the minimum amount of herb that works well with? Can I load less than 0.1g (like I usually do) and get good hits, or the bowl is too big?

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Anyone has tried it?

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I'm not sure what 0.1g looks like on the end of my finger, but I just tried a "as small as possible" sample fill of the VG bat & got a satisfying 2+ hits before the flavor veered off toward popcornville. While the VG bat's bowl is deeper than the classic, it's the same circumference/diameter/width; the filter from the bat will screw onto the classic & vice versa (though the bat filter on the classic body makes for a truly cumbersome piece). Anyway, a mere pinch o' green across the screen of the genie should produce the intended results.

On another note, the bat breaks in really beautifully. I never knew aluminum (aluminium?) could taste so good.

overtone said:

I'm not sure what 0.1g looks like on the end of my finger, but I just tried a "as small as possible" sample fill of the VG bat & got a satisfying 2+ hits before the flavor veered off toward popcornville. While the VG bat's bowl is deeper than the classic, it's the same circumference/diameter/width; the filter from the bat will screw onto the classic & vice versa (though the bat filter on the classic body makes for a truly cumbersome piece). Anyway, a mere pinch o' green across the screen of the genie should produce the intended results.

On another note, the bat breaks in really beautifully. I never knew aluminum (aluminium?) could taste so good.

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On another thread I have read that the Purple Days requires a very tiny amount to work well, even half unlike others vaporizers. That doesn't make sense to me, since every vaporizer work in different ways, but the purpose is the same (the herb reach a certain temperature, then releases THC and other compounds).

I think there is a little difference (in terms of waste) between models, but I can't believe that in a PD the waste is reduced by half than a VG. Can anyone confirm this?

gb902 said:

I think there is a little difference (in terms of waste) between models, but I can't believe that in a PD the waste is reduced by half than a VG. Can anyone confirm this?

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I can confirm. When I went from my classic VG to a PD, my consumption was cut in half, that is, I got just as high with the PD as I did with the VG, but I used half the amount of bud to get there.

lwien said:

I can confirm. When I went from my classic VG to a PD, my consumption was cut in half, that is, I got just as high with the PD as I did with the VG, but I used half the amount of bud to get there.

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How is it possible? Maybe it is due to ease of use, or the PD is more suitable for your tecnique?
After months of experience, I can get ripped with less than 0.1g with my TheUbie (10$)...
So, assuming that (in order of quality) UBIE<VG<PD... If I use less than 0.1 with UBIE, I would consume even less with VG, and less than 0.5 with the PD... It sounds very strange to me.

Pheraps every vaporizer is more capable of great things, but some models are more easy to use, while others require lots of time to get used to, mastering the tecnique is the real challenge.

Yeah, I can't get into the reasons why. All I can do is just relay my experiences.

lwien said:

Yeah, I can't get into the reasons why. All I can do is just relay my experiences.

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I am so curious and worried about it because I have oredered a VG bat, and I wouldn't expect to use more herb with it than with TheUbie...

Hi all, been lurking for a couple weeks, finally decided to join the site! i must say this thread helped me out a lot in my decision to buy my new VG bat! I've been enjoying it for the past week, but I had a couple questions. Does anyone else experience particulates falling through the screen? It seems to be happening more often than it should. Also, I can't seem to get consistent hits out of this thing, I feel like im getting the temp the same each time, and drawing for the same time, but after the first hit (which i always get nice vapor clouds on) if I don't increase the temp. I don't get any vapor... the line between vaporization and combustion seems pretty fine on this device. Both of these problems could just be cause by the dry, bricked mid grade I have been using. I have read (on here somewhere!) that mid grade herb doesn't yield as much vapor as higher grade herb, but it doesn't seem like it should be that little for the amount i put in. (usually half a bowl) Either way, it might just come down to figuring out a good technique ( or possibly getting better herbs! always been a problem around my home town, god i miss being at college ) After getting this device however, I found that I REALLY LOVE VAPING!!!

Ok the bat is just arrived, maybe this evening I'll try it. When I have opened it, my first impression was that the bowl is too big (it may contain about 0.3g I think), and I have the bad impression, as Zippo024 said, that the particulate falls from the screen. However it looks VERY nice, I can't wait to try it!

Maybe you should try it before making any premature judgements. I have the feeling that youll be satified.

right on gb902, glad it finally arrived...look at andreisnt or my previous post to help you with the technique at first so you dont burn up your smoke... zippo024, yes, i have a build up of very fine herb dust on my little wire thing that hold the screen up... and i do get particulates thru...i seem to notice more nowadays because ive removed the screen a bunch and the outside of the screen is a little frayed, thus letting bigger bits thru...as far as increasing temps after the first hit... i bring my disc up to heat in about 6 second or so increments...(ie. hit with flame for 6 secs or so then remove flame and keep drawing air for 2-3 secs, then reapply heat to bring up the temp a little more...) i found that after about the second 6 second interval that i start getting vapor, by the third application of heat, i can only hold the flame there for about 3-4 secs before you get big vape...then i pull away the heat and finish the hit a little slower without the flame and its lovely... reapplication of heat on consecutive hits are usually 6 sec increments till finally, i will hit it with 4x 6 second hits with "cool" air draws in between and i get nothing, then i know im pretty much vaped out...plus you will feel the temp of the air on the "cool" air draw at the end cranking on heat and will have the starting taste of getting burnt... with that technique, i get about 6 or so good hits...that is using monster extreme herb from a dispensary, ground up fine, and the amount i use, (ive never weighed a hit) is about the size of a new pencil's eraser (before grinding)... it fills the bowl about 3/4 up with it barely "tamped" to hold it together so the herb doesnt fall forward when im hitting it and hit the disc...(if you are not careful, you will get combustion if this happens!) and when i say "tamped" i mean barely pressed down... just enough for the herb to hold its form but not enough to keep it from being "fluffy"....anyway, hope this helps... oh...and for cleaning, ive been using rubbing alcohol, clean everything with q tips and alcohol and i just pour alcohol thru the top hole so it flows thru the disc to remove any residues...just make sure you blow all the alcohol out before trying to use it...i also heat it up afterward without hitting on it to burn off any extra alcohol stuck in the disc...you definitely do not want to suck on any alcohol hits! anyway, hope this helps...good luck guys!

Ok I've tried it, but I must learn the tecnique. Probably I have done something wrong, because the vapor is too hot and now my mouth (and upper throat) hurts. I have packed about 0.1g, but I think it's not enough for the bowl (very big, IMHO), so the heat doesn't pass all through the herb (without touching it) and it comes directly in my throat.
I have tried your tecniques, but I am a novice and probably I draw too fast.
Do you have any problems with hot air?

Can the portion of the aluminum vapor genie with the ceramic filter be soaked in isopropyl alcohol?
I'm thinking of taking it overseas and am wondering how thoroughly it can be cleaned...

digglover said:

Can the portion of the aluminum vapor genie with the ceramic filter be soaked in isopropyl alcohol?
I'm thinking of taking it overseas and am wondering how thoroughly it can be cleaned...

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VG.com once recommended cleaning in water but since retracted due to issues with the wood. Based on that I would think it can be soaked it alcohol.

shotgun willy: yup I tried it like that with flame "pulses" and it works a lot better now. I've also been practicing quite a lot over the last few days and im finally getting the hang of it. This thing rocks! I can get big vapor hits with no combustion everytime and so little gets you stoned its crazy

I have always been a fan of the vapor genie and I have a good friend that uses his as his daily driver and now finding out that they started making an aluminum bat style they have sealed the deal on my future camping/portable vaporizer.

digglover, yes, i soak my top piece in alcohol, then finish it off by pouring the alcohol thru the hole (where the flame would go) and rinse it thru.... just be sure to blow all the alcohol out and then i heat it up to burn off any excess alcohol... i definitely make sure there is no alcohol residue left before hitting on it...it seems to work great in cleaning it...and GB902 to heat it up, try hitting it in a series of 6-8 sec flame hits followed by 2-3 sec draws of cool air, drawing on it about the same rate or power as just breathing normally...once the disc is heated to the right temp, consecutive hits with the lighter dont need to be as long...also if you breath slower, the air off the disc gets hotter.... i have found that i get around 6 hits or so off a 3/4 bowl and the bat starts getting pretty warm on the last hit or so...(im hitting it longer to get the last of the vapor) i also stir my herbs every 2-3 hits....

Thanks for the advice, I've tried it again and it was better.
I am wondering... if the herb must touch the ceramic disc, or it's better to keep the bat tilted so the herb remains on the screen?
I've tried to keep it tilted down, so the herb touches the ceramic filter, and it seemed to be better.
Another question... the vapor taken from the bat is VERY dense and hot, (it makes me almost cough) compared to other vaporizers, but it doesn't taste as good as them. Is it normal?

no... i dont let the herb touch the disc...if it does, it will ignite it... you might have some pieces igniting thus the harsh vapor... what i do is grind my herb fine, fill the bowl about 3/4 way, i find that a piece of bud about the size of an eraser on a pencil does this... i put it in the bowl and barely tamp it, and i mean barely, just enough so the herb sticks together and doesnt fall forward and hit the disc...i find if i do this, it still allows for the air circulation around the herb and i dont have to worry about the position of the bat, i just try not to bang it or handle too rough so it doesnt break up the herb, although i do stir it after 2-3 hits and re-tamp it.... (again, just barely so the herb doesnt fall forward and hit the disc...)...as far as the heat goes, just play with it.... it took me a good 3 days or so to really start getting the hang of it so i was getting the most out of my herb without combusting...

...as far as hit sizes and strengths go, i have only owned the iolite....which has a much lighter vapor... its great for stealth, but a very light vapor.... the vapor i get from the bat is almost comparable to what i would get from a regular combustion pipe... but without the combustion....in fact, i would recommend it to people who still like that big pipe hit feel.... ..i mean i will get a monster hit and look at the herb thinking it had to have ignited, just to find it to be as green as can be...once you get the hang of it, the bat rocks...

Nice! However, 3/4 of the bowl seems too much for me, it requires more herb than other vaporizers...

I use medicinal plants to help lower my intraocular pressure. I also get chronic, daily migraines without it, so it's necessary for me to just be able to function. I tried all other meds. I bought the VG because I started coughing up black sludge and I know that just can't be a good sign at all. I smartened up and did the research. I thought this would be a good transition to vaping, but for me it just didn't make me happy. I hated the taste, and the effects I was getting from inhaling butane. It actually made my asthma worse. I've experiemented since with cooking the plants in recipes, but it uses a lot more product and had more of a narcotic-like effect than I like. I gave it to my friend to try out to see if she found it any better, for herself, but she said it tasted nothing like the box-type vape she's used to using. She said it tasted weird. I looked it up and found information saying that when the butane mixes with the air it creates carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, so that's what your inhaling alone with your vapes if you use a butane lighter. I decided to just stay away from fire all together and give the LB a try instead. I hope others have better luck than I did with the VG. I never heard of the VG bat, but it sounds like a lot of people are enjoying it too.