Ok, some of my first impressions of the cloud:
The Pros:
I love the EZ-load bowl setup. There was 3 of us, each with our own bowl, and we could just swap out elbs whenever someone wanted to have a hit. They fit nicely and were easy enough for me to handle without any special tools. They can get pretty hot after a few consecutive hits, but they seemed to cool down pretty quickly.
The cloud itself didn't get very hot at all when we were using it, but MCG mentioned it got pretty hot if used for multiple hours at a time. I'm guessing its casings heat output would be similar to a hot LSV, so I'm happy with that aspect.
There were bands over the screws, so I didn't really see how hot they get, but I understand they can get significantly hotter than everything else.
It was very easy to use, literally just invert it and plug it into some glassware. The vapor output was great, (though I can get comparable vapor output from my LSV), and the ABV was all coming out nicely evenly toasted.
It also got us impressively high, though that may have had something to do with the keif elb I had
I tried it out with my hydratube, I like the ergonomics of that setup.
I'd already used my HT with other vapes, so it felt perfectly natural to me, but since MCG got the cloud without one, it seemed to be a bit nerve inducing the first time.
I like the red light/green light system of letting the user know when the unit is up to temp.
It's a nice quick reference point that can be seen at a glance.
Overall, functionally, I love it.
It's very easy to use, gives a great output of tasty vapor, and the whole process of using it with glassware felt natural.
The Cons:
As MCG mentioned earlier, his unit had some minor chips/scratches to the outer heat guard part.
Nothing major, but given the price point of the cloud (basically top of the line for vapes) I'd expect a perfect, unblemished unit.
A point I consider relevant is that 7th floor sell "blemished" units at a discount (on eBay, and possibly directly) and what they consider a blemish is simple, non-functional cosmetic issues like these.
7th floor may be a larger or longer established company, but I feel the point stands.
The unit itself was also clearly not symmetrical.
The bamboo was off to one side a bit (closer to the side of the unit where the cord comes out), so much so that for a few of my pieces, it would fit on when the cord was facing me, but not when the cord was facing away...
The cord is very short.
It was maybe 1/2 the length of my LSV... I find that my LSV has the perfect length cord for me, so I'd definitely need some kind of extension cord for it...
It seemed strangely short to me...
I'm not sure if it was just a coincidence, but at least 4 times, I'd pick up a green cloud, turn it over, and it'd turn red.
Not a major issue, but it was just kinda odd, and interrupted the flow a bit.
It turned green pretty quickly after turning it on, but it seemed to need a bit longer to properly heat up.
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So overall, for me, the cloud is a great vape, it still has a few kinks to work out, but its definitely up there with the best of them.
It's cons are relatively minor, but at its price point, IMO, they should be worked out...
If I was talking to a vapor enthusiast who wanted the pinnacle of water conditioned vaping, I'd totally recommend he cloud.
If I was talking to anyone else, I'd consider other vapes which are at a lower price point while providing a significantly similar experience (im thinking LSV and Solo here.)
While its a great vape, I don't necessarily know if I'd say its entirely worth the price premium over some other high quality desktop vapes that are available right now.
Since I'd condider myself "a vapor enthusiast who wanted the pinnacle of water conditioned vaping" I'm still planning on getting one, but I don't know how easy it'd be for me to recommend it over the LSV when looking at it from a cost to performance standpoint.
I'm sure ill have other bits and bobs to add, but for now, that's my initial impressions after my 1st sesh with the cloud.
Bryan at VXL said they never found the exact issue with my Cloud, but my guess is it probably just sat in the box at the refurbishing center.
I was just saying that when my first unit failed, I was drawing on it more heavily than usual. Not sure if that was the culprit, and we'll never know since VXL staff never told me.
