I would call Davinci and ask if that shop is an authorized vendor. I wouldn't take any chances buying the Ascent from an unauthorized vendor
Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci
- Thread starter Davinci_vaporizer
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- battery powered
I would call Davinci and ask if that shop is an authorized vendor. I wouldn't take any chances buying the Ascent from an unauthorized vendor
CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
When buying any vaporizer make sure they are an authorized vender or you maybe out of luck if you need to send the unit back. It's not worth the gamble even if you save $20.
I've been having real good success in using crumbled wax within the herb. I do bump the heat up to 410 to 420 degrees. No mess at all, very pleased. It am using the glass 14mm gong as a mouthpiece. I didn't want to dirty up the Eds Wong. Easier to reclaim and see any oil residue.
I like a thicker mouthpiece with the glass or the Eds Wong.
I've been having real good success in using crumbled wax within the herb. I do bump the heat up to 410 to 420 degrees. No mess at all, very pleased. It am using the glass 14mm gong as a mouthpiece. I didn't want to dirty up the Eds Wong. Easier to reclaim and see any oil residue.
I like a thicker mouthpiece with the glass or the Eds Wong.
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RD
"Hawaii Home Grown"
Just received my 4th replacement Ascent after returning #3. After 2 stealths, & a burl wood, I asked if the replacement could be a carbon fiber. Carbon Fiber it is. First time I received only the Vape and charger with no glass, accessories or manual. I could be wrong but it would appear they are finally repairing / rebuilding returned units and putting them out as replacements as the S/N is 2AA1 R00007 on hand written tag over original Crock S/N 2AA1 004383 on box. I do not have a problem with this as long as it continues working, as it had someone actually look at it and do WORK to fix a problem. One small scuff is only cosmetic problem, Not. Bowl looks new but 1 of my 5 jars does not fit. (Of course it's one of my modified jars.) Came with 3/4 charge. Seems to heat up fast. Slight burn off but not as obnoxious as #3. Very very hard to tell this is not new. Like the Carbon Fiber more than stealth or wood.
DaVinci was very specific about wanting proof of ORIGINAL purchase to establish warranty. They made it sound like the two years is from original purchase date and not two years from when the replacement is sent. When asked for clarification, twice, they would not respond. At this rate, I am almost a year in and just receiving a working unit.
DaVinci was very specific about wanting proof of ORIGINAL purchase to establish warranty. They made it sound like the two years is from original purchase date and not two years from when the replacement is sent. When asked for clarification, twice, they would not respond. At this rate, I am almost a year in and just receiving a working unit.
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BHOMG
Well-Known Member
Good stuff on this thread, I love my Ascent and haven't had any defects or warranty issues... and I think I want to start looking at some mods, but i'm having a hard time chasing down a good repository of mods... I found a few on this thread, anyone else got any links that might be useful?
chester222
Member
Which mods u find so far?
Have had very similar experience and other than the ascent which by my calculations will need returning within a month! Then I will demand a refund.
I will never deal with this company again! Feel ripped off with this product and wish I had just chucked the thing in the bin. The amount it has ended up costing is a joke!
They have stopped answering emails. And the state of the box they returned it in means I can't even sell the thing. Quality control is a joke
Careful with the truthful posts! (every one's a winner, every body gets a trophy, no matter how they perform) I understand your frustration, and how it could help someone else, but FC frowns on honest reviews. I absolutely loved my Ascent, on the occasions that it worked.
momofthegoons
vapor accessory addict
@Critter ....
Your above post is insulting, not only to the forum but the members. And you couldn't be farther from the truth. What we frown upon here is company bashing... and that is what you have gotten into trouble for here. You were given many opportunities to state your opinion and experience, but took it too far and that is what we don't allow.
With all of 6 posts here and less than a month of membership, I don't think you can call yourself an expert on how this forum works. I also think a revisit to the rules might be a good idea.
Your above post is insulting, not only to the forum but the members. And you couldn't be farther from the truth. What we frown upon here is company bashing... and that is what you have gotten into trouble for here. You were given many opportunities to state your opinion and experience, but took it too far and that is what we don't allow.
With all of 6 posts here and less than a month of membership, I don't think you can call yourself an expert on how this forum works. I also think a revisit to the rules might be a good idea.
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
So if you expect it to break the same as your 3 previous units, it's the proof that you didn't question the way you use it and intend to keep your habits, which obviously lead to failures...
So, how do you guyz open your bowl? That's the question. Are you following the advices given here?
Provided their fix is effective, and if you use your device 10 times per day, doing the math tells us it should be good for at least 5 years and a half. 2Axx devices produced after March 2013 should have the fix. Any device produced before that date might have weak solder and/or no strain relief, yet many people (like @nigel and @CarolKing for instance) have old devices working perfectly. What are they doing differently? They just are careful when opening the bowl. So follow that advice, it's not like it's hard to do, just refrain from opening the bowl more than 90°. Heck I open mine even less and only 90° when cleaning it.
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OF
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure I agree with "obviously", but "evidently" or "likely" might fit? Something else is going on in a world where most (?) guys are happy and have no serious problems while others have 3, 4 or more duds? From a statistical POV it's just not useful data as we're trying to use it here.
You can ask random co workers about women and marriage. Most will follow Socrates with "By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." You'll also find the odd duck that's lived too close to Hollywood, had 4 wives all of which 'took him to the cleaners'. Right? Women are entirely different to him when it comes to marriage. Same women of course.
Such questions don't really tell you about women, but rather about the guy giving the opinion I suggest.
OF
I don't feel I have been using units wrong. And my last unit wasn't even used 10 times! And have had supposedly new units with the plastic pieces peeling off straight out of box!
The ascent when it works is ok I'm not denying that. Quality control leaves a lot to be desired!
And feel it's really bad that I have spent more on post and customs charges than the ascent.
I marked value down as requested by davinci then they mark value up so I have to pay! And have now gone silent no reply to emails.
If anyone wants to discuss further please pm as I don't want to derail the thread.
This was only a response to the post saying maybe I was using it wrong.
The ascent when it works is ok I'm not denying that. Quality control leaves a lot to be desired!
And feel it's really bad that I have spent more on post and customs charges than the ascent.
I marked value down as requested by davinci then they mark value up so I have to pay! And have now gone silent no reply to emails.
If anyone wants to discuss further please pm as I don't want to derail the thread.
This was only a response to the post saying maybe I was using it wrong.
CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Why don't you see if Divinci will let you order the original Davinvi portable vape? It's been on the market a long time. I've heard some folks really like it. It would have to be sold to you at a discount with no price for shipping. Just a thought.
Make sure your emails are polite and don't have an angry feel to them. I know it's hard - But you want them to answer and respond to you. If it appears you are angry, that might put them off.
Make sure your emails are polite and don't have an angry feel to them. I know it's hard - But you want them to answer and respond to you. If it appears you are angry, that might put them off.
adamm
Well-Known Member
Hey, new here and recently purchased a Davinci Ascent after using an MFLB for the past 6 months.
First things first, wow! This is a very impressive piece of kit, vapes the herb thoroughly and hits hard, very impressed overall but just a couple points.
> I made a bit of a cock up when removing the stems where I pushed the bottom stem down into the bowl seal area while it was shut. It got stuck for some time but I eventually eased it out but the seal around the heating bowl was dislodged from this, I managed eventually to sit the silicone properly around the bowl. Has this occured anywhere else in here? Is it likely to have damaged anything? Seems to be working okay.
> Air flow feels restricted, am I over packing? I was under the understanding this worked best with a well packed load but I seem to be struggling to get a good airflow through the bud. Also had the rising puck a few times (need some glass flowers!) does this effrect performance? Or should I keep opening the unit to push it back down.
I have read about 30 pages of this thread but my mind is like a sieve and I just forget unless I'm specifically looking for an answer, I'm sure I will think of more questions so if I fail to find the answers with a search I'll just make a quick post and hope not to annoy anyone in the process
.
First things first, wow! This is a very impressive piece of kit, vapes the herb thoroughly and hits hard, very impressed overall but just a couple points.
> I made a bit of a cock up when removing the stems where I pushed the bottom stem down into the bowl seal area while it was shut. It got stuck for some time but I eventually eased it out but the seal around the heating bowl was dislodged from this, I managed eventually to sit the silicone properly around the bowl. Has this occured anywhere else in here? Is it likely to have damaged anything? Seems to be working okay.
> Air flow feels restricted, am I over packing? I was under the understanding this worked best with a well packed load but I seem to be struggling to get a good airflow through the bud. Also had the rising puck a few times (need some glass flowers!) does this effrect performance? Or should I keep opening the unit to push it back down.
I have read about 30 pages of this thread but my mind is like a sieve and I just forget unless I'm specifically looking for an answer, I'm sure I will think of more questions so if I fail to find the answers with a search I'll just make a quick post and hope not to annoy anyone in the process
.
Amoreena
Grown up Flower Child
I had the same problem with air flow feeling uncomfortably restricted even when sucking in or blowing out through the inner glass straw outside of the unit to test. It was resolved as described below.
Also, some have posted about using wooden alternatives to the original glass pieces. A member of this forum makes them specifically for the Ascent.
OF
Well-Known Member
Several guys have managed to lock the door up that way. Next time it happens (if it does) I suggest trying to fish a wire (say a straightened paper clip?) up through the grill on the bottom, through one of the vent holes and push up gently on the glass piece that's shifted down. Forcing it from the side is a bad plan, as you've experimentally determined.......
You want it 'lightly packed' I think. Not tight enough to reduce the draw much over empty, but you want slow airflow to make vapor, really. Don't honk on it.
Yes, I think it's safe to say glass flowers increase vapor production on a couple of fronts without increasing draw restriction. I don't recall anyone saying they were disappointed with the performance. Some find it fiddly to load and of course Nigel runs out of them to break awfully quickly........
Glad you're enjoying your Ascent, you're in good company.
Regards
OF
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
Yes, clearly quality control has plagued this device right from the very start. I know this happened for nearly all vapes on this forum, early versions always have problems, but I have to admit we had quite our share of horror stories in this thread!
So much in fact that it tends to give a bad impression, and it's sad because the Ascent is a great vape (I hate to add that, but yes, when it works) I also dislike having to play Devil's advocate, but I need to do it simply because @Davinci_vaporizer has left the building!
We're still waiting for their spacer, for a real solution to the air-leak problem, and in fact any sign of life would be good, I don't understand why they stopped posting here, but maybe my expectations are too high? It's just that we got the chance to have very active manufacturers on this forum, and they were present too... maybe we scared them?
It's a shame because it's a great opportunity to get feedback and to show that they stand behind their products. Meanwhile unless the few happy campers like nigel, CK and a few others including me keep posting regularily how much we enjoy this vape, and due to the unfortunate fact that unhappy people tend to be louder and more likely to report their problems than satisfied ones, it tends to outweight the positive in the thread and lead to said "bad impression". And we would like to avoid that, if possible.
You mean it was completely removed and you had to put it back in place? Or just that the alignment with the bowl was off? If it's the latter then yes no problem, mine had one side slightly off above the ceramic bowl, just pushed it hard and it eventually took a good shape. Now if it's the former I have strictly no idea how the silicone is secured in the hard plastic around the bowl. I hope they're not using any kind of a glue as it would be one extra thing to worry about. Maybe it's just friction and tight fit. If you removed yours, then you know better!
You're not over-packing you're over drawing dude!
Sip very slowly by making a depression with your mouth rather than using your lungs to inhale. If the puck rises, you're drawing too strong. It happened to me maybe during the first week at most, but since then I rarely have to repack it down. Sometimes it rises slightly because someone shaked the device too much during handling, but when you get the correct drawing technic right, it's not an issue anymore. Yet again, we're still waiting for the official spacer from DaVinci that would solve all our problems (hippy glass flowers no more!)
Obviously and in retrospect, "evidently" was a more likely fit.
adamm
Well-Known Member
Awesome and fast responses guys
Awesome, I was looking at the holes and even tried sucking on the stems while they were out of the device to see what the resistance was like. Drilling could be a good option although I'd probably mess it up and a negative to this would be that herb is more prone to ending in the stem if the puck rises or bits float about. Will definitely consider this if all else seems to fail though.
Had seen the wooden stem mentioned in the thread a few times but seen no links...? I think I prefer to toke from the glass though but would be interested in a wooden one still, I'm in the UK so not sure if said member will ship to here or not. Cheers.
Yeah I was searching everywhere in the flat for something but couldn't find anything any use tbh, my own silly fault, live and learn with that one so hopefully wont be doing it again anytime soon.
Okay I think that maybe my problem that perhaps I am drawing too hard, I have varied it and still struggle so maybe I am just expecting to be able to hit it like the mflb or a normal joint. I definitely need to try the glass flowers out, also need to try the oil jar as a spacer.
Thanks.
Yeah have read a fair few posts in here about people being on there 2/3/4th devices now! Certainly a bit worrying but I'm sure out of the numbers they have sold that the issue now, at least on the 2aa1 units, will be minimal so heres hoping for an 'okay' unit, time will tell I guess lol. So far I have to say I am very happy but have only owned it a short while, providing it doesn't break on me I'm sure I'll stay as keen as I am.
The latter thankfully, I'd have cried if I pulled the actual thing out. The rubber was just pushed to one side exposing more of the top of the bowl, I got a knife (gulp) to it, managed to carfully pop the knife under the rubber seal and pop it out and it just sat where it should by itself, I did try your way, putting more pressure on but had no luck with it that way, maybe a bit more persistance would have helped.
Would be interesting to know how this bit is fitted though, I was very careful so didn't really start lifting it to see how it was all mounted or anything.
Yeah as per my response to OF, I think I am just over drawing from it and expecting too much air flow. I am still in my first week so I guess I am just being a noob to it lol. I'll try the method you mention, hopefully get a bit more sucess that way.
I'd love to see an official spacer from Davici too, the actual product hasn't even been out a year yet if I am correct? Guess there's potentially more accesories in the pipeline yet but as you mentioned just to hear them say something on the topic would be nice in itself.
Cheers for all the help guys, appreciated. I know there's something else I want to ask but I'm having a mind block so maybe another time lol
I had the same problem with air flow feeling uncomfortably restricted even when sucking in or blowing out through the inner glass straw outside of the unit to test. It was resolved as described below.
Also, some have posted about using wooden alternatives to the original glass pieces. A member of this forum makes them specifically for the Ascent.
Awesome, I was looking at the holes and even tried sucking on the stems while they were out of the device to see what the resistance was like. Drilling could be a good option although I'd probably mess it up and a negative to this would be that herb is more prone to ending in the stem if the puck rises or bits float about. Will definitely consider this if all else seems to fail though.
Had seen the wooden stem mentioned in the thread a few times but seen no links...? I think I prefer to toke from the glass though but would be interested in a wooden one still, I'm in the UK so not sure if said member will ship to here or not. Cheers.
Yeah I was searching everywhere in the flat for something but couldn't find anything any use tbh, my own silly fault, live and learn with that one so hopefully wont be doing it again anytime soon.
Okay I think that maybe my problem that perhaps I am drawing too hard, I have varied it and still struggle so maybe I am just expecting to be able to hit it like the mflb or a normal joint. I definitely need to try the glass flowers out, also need to try the oil jar as a spacer.
Thanks
.Yes, clearly quality control has plagued this device right from the very start. I know this happened for nearly all vapes on this forum, early versions always have problems, but I have to admit we had quite our share of horror stories in this thread!
So much in fact that it tends to give a bad impression, and it's sad because the Ascent is a great vape (I hate to add that, but yes, when it works) I also dislike having to play Devil's advocate, but I need to do it simply because @Davinci_vaporizer has left the building!
We're still waiting for their spacer, for a real solution to the air-leak problem, and in fact any sign of life would be good, I don't understand why they stopped posting here, but maybe my expectations are too high? It's just that we got the chance to have very active manufacturers on this forum, and they were present too... maybe we scared them?
It's a shame because it's a great opportunity to get feedback and to show that they stand behind their products. Meanwhile unless the few happy campers like nigel, CK and a few others including me keep posting regularily how much we enjoy this vape, and due to the unfortunate fact that unhappy people tend to be louder and more likely to report their problems than satisfied ones, it tends to outweight the positive in the thread and lead to said "bad impression". And we would like to avoid that, if possible.
Yeah have read a fair few posts in here about people being on there 2/3/4th devices now! Certainly a bit worrying but I'm sure out of the numbers they have sold that the issue now, at least on the 2aa1 units, will be minimal so heres hoping for an 'okay' unit, time will tell I guess lol. So far I have to say I am very happy but have only owned it a short while, providing it doesn't break on me I'm sure I'll stay as keen as I am.
The latter thankfully, I'd have cried if I pulled the actual thing out. The rubber was just pushed to one side exposing more of the top of the bowl, I got a knife (gulp) to it, managed to carfully pop the knife under the rubber seal and pop it out and it just sat where it should by itself, I did try your way, putting more pressure on but had no luck with it that way, maybe a bit more persistance would have helped.
Would be interesting to know how this bit is fitted though, I was very careful so didn't really start lifting it to see how it was all mounted or anything.
You're not over-packing you're over drawing dude!
Sip very slowly by making a depression with your mouth rather than using your lungs to inhale. If the puck rises, you're drawing too strong. It happened to me maybe during the first week at most, but since then I rarely have to repack it down. Sometimes it rises slightly because someone shaked the device too much during handling, but when you get the correct drawing technic right, it's not an issue anymore. Yet again, we're still waiting for the official spacer from DaVinci that would solve all our problems (hippy glass flowers no more!)
Obviously and in retrospect, "evidently" was a more likely fit.
Yeah as per my response to OF, I think I am just over drawing from it and expecting too much air flow. I am still in my first week so I guess I am just being a noob to it lol. I'll try the method you mention, hopefully get a bit more sucess that way.
I'd love to see an official spacer from Davici too, the actual product hasn't even been out a year yet if I am correct? Guess there's potentially more accesories in the pipeline yet but as you mentioned just to hear them say something on the topic would be nice in itself.
Cheers for all the help guys, appreciated. I know there's something else I want to ask but I'm having a mind block so maybe another time lol
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
@adamm : you know what, two days ago we were at a pub on the tables outdoors for a birthday celebration and I shared the precious with plenty of curious people who wondered why we were sucking and passing a cell phone around. Needless to say that strictly nobody caught a glimpse of the smell and it was a pretty dank load in there, strong kush with hearthy/decay/humus taste and a good deal of that classic skunk aroma... but I'm drifting sorry!
The thing is: I kept telling them beforehand "draw really slowly" then I watched them and everytime had to tell them "you're pulling too strong", they said "oh really" and tried a second time and everytime I had to tell them "still way too strong, slowly, jut like taking a slow breath with your cheeks"... it's frustrating really with this device. The FlowerMate is braindead easy in comparison!
The Ascent is definitely not user-friendly: you need to learn how to pack it, need to learn how to draw, need to learn (at your expense) not to open the bowl too much, need to learn how to clean the bloody edges of that tiny bottom straw, need to learn how to fix that damn vapor/air ratio (and as a bonus, spare yourself from vaping your batteries and electronic board!), need to learn finding the best matching straws pair, need to learn how to clean that nasty brown bowl (or live with it!)...
But I love it, and I hope you will! And don't forget to keep the glass clean if you want to preserve your taste. Do a search for "recclaim" in this thread as you will have a considerable quantity of oil to collect and you don't want to waste that, really.
The thing is: I kept telling them beforehand "draw really slowly" then I watched them and everytime had to tell them "you're pulling too strong", they said "oh really" and tried a second time and everytime I had to tell them "still way too strong, slowly, jut like taking a slow breath with your cheeks"... it's frustrating really with this device. The FlowerMate is braindead easy in comparison!
The Ascent is definitely not user-friendly: you need to learn how to pack it, need to learn how to draw, need to learn (at your expense) not to open the bowl too much, need to learn how to clean the bloody edges of that tiny bottom straw, need to learn how to fix that damn vapor/air ratio (and as a bonus, spare yourself from vaping your batteries and electronic board!), need to learn finding the best matching straws pair, need to learn how to clean that nasty brown bowl (or live with it!)...
But I love it, and I hope you will! And don't forget to keep the glass clean if you want to preserve your taste. Do a search for "recclaim" in this thread as you will have a considerable quantity of oil to collect and you don't want to waste that, really.
CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
I think that after a while for the owner it just becomes second hand and really no hassle. Sticking in 5 or 6 small glass flowers and taking them out afterwards, not a big deal.
It's so nice to be able to set the temp to what heat level I want. My battery life seems to be at about 50 min. To me that's pretty good for after nine months or so of use. I have another portable vape where the battery life has degraded so much I might as well use it plugged in most of the time. It's about 9 months old also.
I wouldn't want to use my Ascent with more than maybe one other person during a session. It's really not much of a party vape. It's good to expose others to the joys of vaping, not to mention the health advantages.
It's so nice to be able to set the temp to what heat level I want. My battery life seems to be at about 50 min. To me that's pretty good for after nine months or so of use. I have another portable vape where the battery life has degraded so much I might as well use it plugged in most of the time. It's about 9 months old also.
I wouldn't want to use my Ascent with more than maybe one other person during a session. It's really not much of a party vape. It's good to expose others to the joys of vaping, not to mention the health advantages.
DaVinci is sending out rebuilt/repaired units without accessories to honor the warranty, and vendors like GotVape are sending out new units with glass, chargers, and accessories to honor the warranty.
I recommend not buying your Ascent from DaVinci as the value and quality of warranty offered by GotVape is a better deal. GotVape customer service is better as well IMO.
adamm
Well-Known Member
Practice makes perfect mate, I'm sure I'll get it eventually. Actually just been hitting it, I still lifted the puck a bit but I think I'm getting the jist with drawing on it slowly. Got baked testing it haha, love this thing. Cheers for the tips
.
OF
Well-Known Member
Good attitude, glad to hear you're getting a handle on it.
I think the key insight to it came from some tests I ran on Nigel's Ascent when he so foolishly loaned it to me a year or so back. I put a thermocouple (temperature measuring gizzie) in the load area by running the leads up the vents (I used 2 to keep the leads of the TC separated). It showed that the temperature display was very accurate (within a degree or two F) if you gave it a minute or two to 'soak in'.
Here's the key bit: The temperature is highest just before you hit it. All it does as you hit is cool off. The ceramic and glass walls are just too much insulation for heat to get from the heater element to the load in time to help the vapor making process. What heat is stored in the bowl and load is what you have to work with. Drawing cold air in only cools it off faster, meaning you get more vapor per second for a few seconds then the temperature drops locally and production tapers off. I was able to get drops of over 100F (yes, from 390 to well under 300F) with one heroic (for me) pull. As you know vapor production at 300F is nothing to get excited about.
That's what started the experiments that led to the glass flowers. They store more heat spread throughout the load, to make up for the heat that's used making vapor. The work as well as they do because they take little space, have high heat capacity (probably more than the glass glazing in the oven walls I bet?) and perhaps most important have lots of surface area to transfer the heat fast and are spread through the load (as opposed to only being on the outside).
Just draw the vapor off slowly, no 'faster than it wants to come' and give it plenty of time between hits to recover the heat (remember, it only gets colder as soon as you start the hit).
Even bigger smiles await you.
Cheers.
OF