Aromazap/Myrtlezap/CeramicRockZap

Rick, I definitely get the impression from the forum as well as your website that you're upping quality and attention to detail. The new super high polish on the new zaps, your fantastic quality pictures, your new glass work, I love it! Congrats and great work, I love my zaps and may need more down the road.

I want one of those straight gong tubes!

Greetings,
I bought a Zap back in 2009 and have loved it very much. About a year ago it seemed to be vaping at a lower temp which is odd since I read prior to buying my zap that with age will vape at a warmer temp which seemed ideal (I naively assumed I was buying a lifelong device). I also noticed my unit was shaking a little, almost as if the metal was coming loose inside the log which I couldn't understand since I never move my vape from my table, never even tipped the thing over let alone dropped it.

I haven't been on these forums in a year or so but today have spent quite a while reading through this thread and it appears this was a problem with the initial design and the wood shrinking, at least that's what I can glean, and now there are new zaps called ceramic zaps which apparently have addressed that flaw.

I really love the Zap but I am a little sad that it provided such a short lifespan for me. I have tried wrapping it in a towel or a scarf to try to get it to vape warmer, but when I do this it vapes way too warm and the abv comes out too dark and the taste isn't right. Today is the first day where my vape is simply refusing to give up a decent hit so I think it's toast now but I'd hate to think my vape is already dead. Do most zaps end up this way or is there a specific defect with mine? I don't want to jump to conclusions I just want to figure out what may be going on with my zap.

Do you offer any kind of repair service for these older models? Is my only recourse to purchase another one? Are there any guarantees or warranties you offer?

Any advice is very much appreciated and sorry for all the questions. Many thanks

The loose heatport is a common problem with the old school Zaps. However, the loss in heat isn't necessarily due to this. There are Zaps much older that are still in operation. It could be as simple as your wall adapter needing to be replaced. Is this your original power adapter?

Shoot Rick an email and see what he has to say.

Hey flouris. Before you give up on your baby I would recommend trying a new power adaptor, or fixing the one you have. What you are describing - a general slowing down - is a common theme with log vapes. Although you have been careful 3 years of movement for a small wire can cause breakage. As the strands break one-by-one the power getting to the vape diminishes.

Rick does sell a kit to fix the power adaptor. Also, the rattling can be fixed with a 'Tite Kit'. Checkout the aromazap.com website in accessories.

Edit: Or as mom says just shoot Rick an email.

Yes I have gone through a few AC adapters and that was the first thing I checked - it wasn't the problem this time.

It's excellent that there is a Tite Kit, I didn't see this when I was on their site earlier today but I'm going to try it out and see if this resolves my issue - it seems certain that it would.

Many, many thanks for the suggestions

TheDudeNextDoor said:

Just a suggestion, Rick, but it would be really cool if you were able to use some of the same type of wood for the bubbler base stand to match each zap. It would be sweet to have the matching set when buying a new zap.

Click to expand...

That would be so awesome, if when you buy a new zap Rick offered a matching bubbler/stem holder.

flouris, my opinion is a tite kit will not help you. If you are experiencing low heat/no heat. tightening the heat port will not help. Get in contact wilt me and we will see what we can do. I would like to get you into a new CRZ somehow. A 2009 purchase was a while back but will give you some points here at Zapville towards a new CRZ if you are interested.
TheDude, collegerower:
Matching wood for a bubbler holder sounds cool but will not happen. The wood we get for Zaps is in the form of blocks that have been cut and pre-bored(for thorough drying)specifically for Zaps. The wood used for bubbler holders, if that is what we decide to do, will come from our own woodlot. We have some very nice wood around here, including Western Red Cedar and blued White and Ponderosa pine that would work very well. The holder has to be big enough to hold a bubbler with water which will require more wood mass than regular stem holders.
While I am on that subject, since we are finding no charring and very good wood 'survival' and the softer woods are performing very well, we will be trying some CRZs from our own woodlot soon. We have some drying now. Lots and lots of Blue Pine and Western Red Cedar around and a little bandsaw mill to cut them into blocks. Almost full circle as when we started over ten years ago, we tried some blue pine for Zaps but it was too soft and smelled of pine. The new design should save the wood and eliminate any wood smell. Time will tell on this plan.
Blue pine. I'll get a shot later of a hutch I made for Pat that shows it much better.

Lots of this stuff sounds cool from a customers perspective but we also have to get it out there at a reasonable price. We are also a production shop. We do not have the talent or the time to do exceptionally trippy pieces of matching this and that in the high art category.
We're the simple ones that just keep making very close to the same thing as always only mo better in function and durability. Getting one is simple too. Order it and get it in a few days(most of the time).
Had the family over yesterday for St Pattys day. Very good family day with all the grandkids(4 of ours+1 almost granddaughter) and lots of corned beef and cabbage. A very good day. Today, the Zapville depot is open again. I will be getting more units completed to ship tomorrow including a couple that have been waiting tooooo long. Sure am glad I have some of those heavy GonG tubes to help make up for my scatteredness. I will also get those heavy 14 mm GonG tubes up on the website later today.
Thanks for all the bubbler comments from all you pros out there. We are listening. The elimination of the top tube in our design was not just for better cleaning, etc. We also considered the 'FLOW' as NYC mentioned. Remember what I call IT? The Master Flow.

GOOD stuff, wood holders for them sounds interesting.

Loving the look of the blue pine. Since pine is pretty soft, that should run hotter than a denser wood, correct? I know size and shape matters also, but how would it compare to maple in terms of density? The zap I have now is maple burl.

TheDude, all pine is soft wood as is Cedar, Redwood, Myrtle Burl and most other conifer trees. We will be experimenting with different woods in the near future.
Here is the Blue Pine Hutch I made for Pat a few years back. Many colors in Blued Pine wood. The Bluing is actually a type of decomposition of the wood that happens after the tree is down, as is much coloring in wood.

And here is a long overdue Classic Black Locust that should ship tomorrow. This one did not go on the website. In this wood we see the classic depth of grain in much Black Locust. As with all CRZs, it is much funner to look at when held in the hand. These girls do like to be felt up.
EDIT: I just edited the images to look a bit more realistic.

Wow, that blue pine hutch is beautiful to say the least!

Some lovely wood pics there Rick. Loving the detail in the rim of that Black Locust.

Oh Rick! That hutch is so cool. Love the colors in that pine.

And I know someone who is going to be a happy, Zappy gal with that Black Locust!

Very nice! Love that blue pine, and the grain in the lip of that black locust is gorgeous. While they have their place, this is the kind of cool stuff that vapes made from plastic and metals are missing. Wood is where it's at.

So am I correct in thinking that the softer woods tend to run a little warmer?

New member here. I purchased a Black Locust CRZ after some helpful dialog with Rick. Looking forward to its arrival later in the week. That new stem promotion with the purchase of a CRZ was the icing on the cake.

Welcome to FC and to Zapville mudshark.

Welcome to Zapville, mudshark. Your CRZ is on the test bench right now. We expect to ship tomorrow if all goes well. That is one sweet Black Locust you picked. Try it under a black light if you have access to one. Thanks for the order.
Heavy 6" 14 mm GonG stems are up on the website now. They come with a short 14 mm GonG stem. My apologies for the dust and fingerprints. Lots to learn always.
http://aromazap.com/stems/glass-1

Welcome mudshark. I guess I 'stole your thunder' in regards to your Black Locust Zap.

Just ordered my first zap! Can't wait to get it.

Hi DannyVi and welcome to the forum and Zapville.

Fortunately, you wont have long to wait.

Wow Rick that is a beautiful Hutch you made, its awesome to see a great carpenter like yourself using your skills in other areas! And damn that BL Zap is the shit, the grain in the top is super nice, the depth of it just seems to never stop, looks like a smooth snakes belly. I bet she is absolutely stunning in black light!

that is a bad ass hutch rick..if that blue pine passes the pressure test I.will def have to get one.. it almost resembles blue mahoe, I believe someone showed off a mahoe zap on here, I do remember she was a beaut... can't wait for those bubbler stems to come out also, was about to buy a water pipe but now I am not. just gonna wait on that bubbler to pop up on aromazap.com... all these new products are keeping it interesting around here, can't wait to try em out...

Random Black Locust RockZap under Blacklight~

Ok,,,,I should be an 'O fish E UL' Zap owner by Weds or Thurs.. Got my shipping notice today.

I couldn't find the answer to my question...I admit I may not have mastered this new search function.

Anyways, will a ClearDome stem (PD style tip) fit into the new CRZ?

Thanks