Discontinued herbalAire

PoisonousHydra said:

Lords, you're scaring me now, as I have to return my unit, just as soon as I get Da Buddha in the mail! At least it's in the same city as me, after what feels like forever. I just hope I get it today, since it's a long weekend, so it would be nice to have, not to mention Monday being a holiday means no post ...

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I'm curious, are you switching to the Da Buddha? Or just exchanging your HA for a new unit?

Edit: Sorry for the double post. I forgot how frowned upon it is in some circles. I couldn't figure out how to delete this post.

@DelitaHeiral : curiousity is the root of all knowledge and understanding. I ordered Da Buddha, half because I wasn't entirely satisfied with my HerbalAire, and half because I needed a good backup vapourizer. It turns out that this worked in my favour, as I have since learned that my HerbalAire was probably defective out of the box, almost exactly a year ago. I had some niggling suspicions that something wasn't quite right when I first started using it, since what I was reading wasn't correlating with my experience. Unfortunately, I quickly dismissed the fact that it buzzed a little, and never really got hot enough for me, and sort of assumed that the HerbalAire and I simply weren't a perfect match. It wouldn't be the first time in my life that I've been the only one in a crowd of people all loving the Hell out of something who is just not getting it . Having said this, in spite of the fact that I have been using my almost certainly defective HerbalAire for a year, I would say that I'm about 85% satisfied with it. I decided thus to continue my search for the perfect vaporizer for me, and the next step along that path was Da Buddha. However, now that I finally have Da Buddha in my hands (lungs?) I am looking forward to returning my HerbalAire, and receiving an optimally performing unit. Who knows? I may fall in love with it all over again, and I give you all my word that I will be posting my updated impressions of the unit if / when I get a replacement.

@PoisonousHydra Oh thats great news! You'll be Dual Wielding in no time haha!

I am somewhat concerned about my unit, because of the condition the pump came in. But I looked at the AVB (is that what you call it?) and mine did look even throughout. And I definitely got lost in thought after a test drive, so hopefully its ok haha. I will post a picture later of some coloring on the edges of the chamber (without the crucible). There is a somewhat orange/red tinge to the edge that concerns me...

(Can anyone confirm this is nothing, or standard among new units?)

...and since I most likely need to return my pump, I'd like to make sure the Unit is alright, otherwise I'll send them together. Then again, the warranty covers it for like two years I think so I may hold onto it this week as I have guests coming next week who will want to use it.

Try holding the unit upside down and giving your chamber a wipe with a q-tip damp with ISO on the discolored areas.
If it wasn't present when you unboxed it then it is likely just a bit of vapor honey buildup in the chamber.
The heating chamber is stainless steel so most anything should clean right off.
Also, the warranty was changed to 3 years some time ago.

@DelitaHeiral - You know, I never thought to mention this earlier, but here in Canadaland, of which HerbalAire are natives, it is a long weekend. While only Monday is actually a holiday, that could very well be why "nobody's home" chez HerbalAire!

MG23 said:

Try holding the unit upside down and giving your chamber a wipe with a q-tip damp with ISO on the discolored areas.
If it wasn't present when you unboxed it then it is likely just a bit of vapor honey buildup in the chamber.
The heating chamber is stainless steel so most anything should clean right off.
Also, the warranty was changed to 3 years some time ago.

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I will have to try that later. It came with the discolored corners of the chamber, right where the wall meets the floor of the chamber in a circle all around it. I will post a picture later when I get time. Any specific variation of ISO I should use? I will pick a bottle up when I get screens today or tomorrow. I've never had to "clean" any of my equipment as I was a strictly GB kind of person before converting. Speaking of which, would you guys say that vaping is more conservative/efficient than GBs?

PoisonousHydra said:

@DelitaHeiral - You know, I never thought to mention this earlier, but here in Canadaland, of which HerbalAire are natives, it is a long weekend. While only Monday is actually a holiday, that could very well be why "nobody's home" chez HerbalAire!

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That would make sense! Hopefully I get an email back by Tuesday then if I don't get anyone on the phone today. My concerns aren't major, since the High Output pump should be here before the replacement stock. Plus, I hate dealing with support/representatives over the phone .

Any ISO above 90% should be fine for cleaning purposes. Just keep the unit upside down until its all dried up.
I have found Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to be nearly perfect for cleaning vapeware, but they are a bit pricier than ISO.
I haven't seen or heard about discoloration out of the box before but even if it's manufacturing residue or something it should clean off fine.

And personally I use about half as much material for desirable effect when vaping than I did with any method of combustion.

DelitaHeiral said:

After just inspecting it, I have some concerns. First, my stock pump is missing the switch, and actually has a huge gap of one "cable" of the power cord. I think it's where the switch would be...I've already emailed them about obtaining a replacement.

Third, does anyone know how well the customer service is for the unit? I emailed using the website once before with a question and never got an answer. I tried straight emailing from my email this time.

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I bought mine direct about 2 months ago and a part was missing. They took care of it immediately and included a little extra to be sure I was happy. Their support seems good, though there is not likely to be a lot of need for it.

Sounds like someone cannibalized that pump for the switch and sent it to you by mistake. I would be surprised if they didn't send you out a new pump right away. Just FYI, I have only used my pump twice as I prefer the whip or water treatment over bags...

Edit: added
So, I am feeling a little noobish here, but what are GBs? And what is the "glass piece" that came with your HA? I got a plastic cleaning tube with parts in it, but no glass that I recall...

Salutations CybrGuy,

cybrguy said:

...like someone cannibalized that pump for the switch...

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Excellent opportunity to add a half-speed setting:


HerbalAire's switch was black originally, the white one here has 3 positions!

cybrguy said:

So, I am feeling a little noobish here, but what are GBs? And what is the "glass piece" that came with your HA? I got a plastic cleaning tube with parts in it, but no glass that I recall...

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GBs = gravity bongs. ---> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_bong

If you were referring to my use of the term "glass piece", I was referring to a standard water bong. If you were referring to @DelitaHeiral 's earlier postings, I believe he was referring to the standard adapter available from HerbalAire: http://www.herbalaire.com/uploads/1/6/1/3/16138330/s599715827640600789_p1_i1_w300.gif

By the way, Delita, that is an awesome name and avatar. I really need to go back and beat Tactics, as it was always one of my favourite games.

PoisonousHydra said:

GBs = gravity bongs. ---> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_bong

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Thanks, after 40 years of combustion I have never run in to one.

PoisonousHydra said:

If you were referring to @DelitaHeiral 's earlier postings, I believe he was referring to the standard adapter available from HerbalAire.

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Ah, he is talking about the TONG, which is teflon not glass. Your link didn't work, but I have one so I understand. Sorry, I missed what he meant.

@DelitaHeiral
To pack the TONG mouthpiece you have to remove the screen in it and add a 3/8" one lower in the TONG. There is only one place for it to go, so once you remove the existing screen you will see where it goes.
There isn't a lot of room for herb there, but enough to get a couple good hits and it is nice not to have to deal with the crucible, but I still prefer the crucible.

And, incidentally, to use the TONG with a crucible you need to trim the crucible about 3/8 inch, because the connector for the TONG is significantly longer than the one on the standard mouthpiece. I was able to get a buddy who is good with a dremel to do it for me on a couple crucibles and it's great because I use the TONG much more than the regular MP.

This Elite TonG improves the HA's experience, I close it to my Cloud dry mp and I can use my HA as a logvape with a stem, you can take a puff or 2 and put down the mp+TonG waiting for the next puff.
With a very small load I can vape for 30mn at least (sometime I like to take my time, cooool)

Hey everyone, "The Sleeper has Awoken"!

After going through two straight days of "Get to know you" with the HA, I must say this truly is an amazing unit. AVB was evenly brown throughout, and after experimenting with all the options (grinding, whole piece, gradual temp, max temp off the bat) I have found that there is just a ridiculous amount of possibilities and outcomes to get.

Gradually increasing temp gave me and the other guinea pigs an energetic and clear lift. We ended up playing Dance Central one of the nights for about 2 hours. It was 1 AM .

Max temp with fine and firmly ground/packed crucible (about half full) gave closer to the typical "faded, foggy" feeling. Although this "haze" was "stronger/more noticeable", it wasn't anything close to couchlock and even the weakest, most couchlock prone person in the group was still coherent. Grinding did increase milkiness though it was nothing close to the videos I have seen.

All comparisons were done with whip and a bong (such an unusual word, I prefer the term glass[ware/piece] haha). Sorry for the confusion.

The HA is an awesome unit! It was very easy to pass around and use during a long (4 hour!) boardgame, and did not "haze" anyone down as would often happen with gravity bong hits ("Wait...what was I doing?"). I swear looking back, a late night GB is the equivalent to a feeding a Mogwai after midnight >_<.

Sidenote: Yea, Gravity Bongs aren't exactly widely known. IMO they've a high school connotation, because they're so cheap to make and efficient with how much you use considering how lifted you get. Plus I live in the south and we can get pretty "ratchet" over here . And nothing says ratchet like a 2-Liter bottle in a bucket haha.

Does anyone else's unit get very hot during use? My mouthpiece can get annoyingly hot for direct draw, and the unit's body itself grows considerably warm. It's not hot enough to burn me or anything, but it is very, very warm, enough for me to wonder if it is meant to be like that. It's almost uncomfortably hot.

The top half of the body of the vape can get very warm if left on for a long time or used continuously. The bottom rounded part stays cool. I tend to turn it off if I'm not going to use it for an hour or more. It doesn't take that long to reheat it.

DelitaHeiral said:

Does anyone else's unit get very hot during use? My mouthpiece can get annoyingly hot for direct draw, and the unit's body itself grows considerably warm. It's not hot enough to burn me or anything, but it is very, very warm, enough for me to wonder if it is meant to be like that. It's almost uncomfortably hot.

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The teflon parts will get very warm during use; that's normal. They are in contact with the heat stream.
If the teflon MP is too warm directly you may consider putting a length of silicone tubing on top as a straw.

The top half of the body gets warm during use, but nothing close to uncomfortably hot in my experience.
The HA retains the majority of generated heat inside rather than letting it idly escape through the body.
Unlike 'similar' designs, the entire HA body is adequately insulated to grip without wristbands or a neoprene coozie.

Hmmmm. I think mine may get hotter than yours, MG23, or you are less temp sensitive. I would say the top portion of mine can get too hot to "comfortably" hold, and if I need to hold it for more than a few seconds I usually hold it from the bottom.

If there is a difference between yours and mine (and maybe DelitaHeiral's), both of ours are quite new and HA may have made insulation or other changes more recently. Yours IS a 2.2, yes?

I own both the 2.2 and 2.1 models; as far as I can tell they both reach roughly the same body temperature during use.

I rarely use stock setup, though. Perhaps the lack of idle conduction is the difference.
Even before I switched to convection mode I typically used a GonG stem and lifted the unit between pulls.
It is possible stock MP/Crucible gets the unit hotter than the methods I typically use.

My memory is a little 'hazy', but I do know that none of the HA's i've used have ever gotten too warm to grip.

For direct draw I crammed one of the mouthpiece extensions deep into the mp then pushed one of the mouthpieces for the bags onto that, looks odd but works well.

I can take mine at max without any issue, it's warm but not too hot! and since I use it most of the time with direct mode it's always in my hand

The stock teflon mp is not really a mp I think, in direct mode I use one of the little white plastic stems provided or my better choice is a nice glass dry mp

I could never use mine via direct draw: not because of the heat, but because I would taste dripping resin on my tongue. Nothing gives me the shudders, or is quite as bitter as that. The Teflon definitely gets hot, but not unbearably so. I would say mine gets about as hot as a WISPR; or a computer component like a video card, or a high-capacity hard drive: not exactly comfortable to hold in the hand, but never hot enough to burn you.

When I was using mine I ended up buying a dry mouthpiece from a cloud off a FC classified. Really a sweet addition IMHO, along with the elite TONG it was pretty Bad Ass.

@DelitaHeiral - As mentioned at least a thousand times, the stem from an Arizer Solo will also work very well, if direct draw is your plan of attack .

cybrguy said:

Hmmmm. I think mine may get hotter than yours, MG23, or you are less temp sensitive. I would say the top portion of mine can get too hot to "comfortably" hold, and if I need to hold it for more than a few seconds I usually hold it from the bottom.

If there is a difference between yours and mine (and maybe DelitaHeiral's), both of ours are quite new and HA may have made insulation or other changes more recently. Yours IS a 2.2, yes?

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^ This. It's not "hot" but incredibly warm. Towards the end of a group session it's uncomfortable to hold, though still safe.

Also big ups to PlanetVape, received the gong adapters and they were nice enough to send a pack of screens because one of my gong adapters was missing it. And the 14mm f-bomb hydrotube has been amazing for personal sessions. Absolutely love how I can get around 2-3 good sessions with a small amount. May get the pinnacle 18mm down the line.

I've been using zephyr bags to hold vape for things I couldn't bring the HA to. Saw Godzilla on Friday, and after a to-go zephyr bag in the parking lot, I was ready. Seems to work well until I get something portable. Only downside is the slight leakage when filling, even with the "straw".

Has anyone tried rubber carb plugs as a stopper to the standard HA bag pieces?


Edit: As for solo stems, I read somewhere they can potentially damage the HA as the fit is tight like a tiger. I'm guessing you have one, could you describe the fit and such more?

I've used the rubber caps that come with MFLB batteries as bag stoppers before.
I typically just use my finger, but they work well if you need to put the bag down.

Solo stems don't fit tightly in the HA; they spin freely and even allow extra fresh air into the vapor path.
I believe you are referring to early runs of the HA specific GonG from PV; some of which fit tightly enough to 'screwdriver' the core when twisted inside.
From what I understand they've since altered the design to avoid that possibility.