Best of the Firefly Vaporizer thread

After a few weeks of use I thought I would chime in again. I've been researching grinds and heating techniques, all in the name of science of course, and have reached some conclusions.
The FF is incredibly versatile, you can get any kind of draw you desire just by altering your draw method or grind. Clouds or small tasty hits without changing heat temps are easily obtainable.
From the first hit to the last the taste is unmatched by my other vapes. Every different strain I sample has it's own unique flavors.
I tried the whole unground bud method and was rewarded with yummy new flavors, take a couple hits, flip it, take a few more then break it up, simply wonderful.
Between cleanings I use the supplied brush then a blast of air to clean for the next bowl, if you trim about half the length of the narrow long bristle side it becomes stiffer and more useful.
I had to re-seat the small o-ring under the window a few times with the supplied toothpick. after tightening the screws it hasn't moved.
Iso and q-tips work well for cleaning, I try to keep the iso from the o-ring.
The FF has become my vape of choice, and I'm thankful for it and this great resource for discussing it.

steama said:

As far as adjusting my draw speed/pressure I have found if I pull until the moment I feel resistance then I ease up a little bit and then let that remaining 'soft' resistance gently pull the vapor through the device. This way your are never pulling your draw beyond the resistance the Firefly was designed for. This technique also eliminates slow draw problems.

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This tip is GENIUS. Tried it last night. It's subtle, takes some nuance and some practice, but once you can clearly "feel" where the natural resistance starts, you can pull right UP TO that point and it regulates the draw perfectly...this allows you to hit faster, hold the button longer, get bigger, deeper hits *without* charring...just the perfect way to describe it. Of course it takes a little repetition and some intuitive feel for the device, but this is a great tip.

Nice description Steama. Once again I learn a new twist on a device I've been using for a month. Says much about the FF that its simple design allows for a lot of user variation, yielding all kinds of results.

steama said:

Everyone that owns a Firefly should try comparing vapor production and results from a 'whole bud' to ground bud and decide for themselves. Experimentation can be enlightening. I know what I will be putting in my Firefly and it ain't whole bud.

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I totally agree that this is a user-experimentation thing. I've used all kinds of grind in the FF, from whole small nugs to much finer. They all yield, again, different results. Which is best or taste bests or whatever is completely subjective. For me, one thing is constant...if I'm going to *use* up the material, it eventually has to get ground up. Either before the bowl starts, or during, but if the material doesn't end up much much finer, then obviously you haven't gotten all of the goodies out of it. I've read some folks like to "finish" it in another vape, and as I said like a zillion pages back, I find I can't get those last few hits in the FF and use my V Tower to really finish the material. But no matter how big the pieces are when I start a bowl in the FF, they are surely much closer to "ground" when I'm done.

stickstones said:

I can't speak to the firefly, but my use of the vapolution 2 has led me to think that unground bud is more efficient due to it not having lost everything that is in the kief left behind in my grinder. the herbalaire was always touted as being very efficient and tasty and it didn't require grinding either.

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For me personally, this more of an indictment of using a grinder than "grinding" in general. As I've said, I hate all the stuff that gets lost in the grinder. You can still use ground material in a vape and not be subject to the exigencies of a grinder. Another reason why God gave us fingers.

stickstones said:

I can tell you that the last four or five vapes I have tried have got me thinking we don't know shit about vaporization yet as a whole. There are so many variables that haven't been scientifically explored that we are left to describing subjectively. I think we all need to open our minds again to new possibilities and variables in the vaporization process.

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That's the real takeway for me. The more I learn, the less I know, somehow. Four or five years and 8+ devices and every week or so I try something different, and what I think I know about vaping technique shifts on me. Half the fun of this whole thing is how variable everything is. Any jerk can hold a flame to a pipe. Vaping...now *that's* art...

I wish both of the Firefly's buttons had a little more resistance to them.

The main power button definitely takes a little effort to move, but I'd prefer a little more. I'm about 97 % sure that I would never accidentally turn it on in my pocket, but I'd like to be 100% you know?

The heat button is okay, but it's such a light push that I do find myself occassionally hitting it when I don't want to (like taking off the top of the FF) and starting the heating process. It doesn't have any "real click to it." I find that kind of "click" to be satisfying. A couple times my finger has just slipped off the button while heating and I had to wait all of 15 seconds to start again!

Although I can understand that people with arthritis or whatever might prefer the ease at which it can be pushed.

Just nitpicking there. That's about the only minor issue I've found with the FF and it's not even an issue, just a preference. It has made vaping on the go a much easier and all-around better experience for me. I am vaping at times and places not possible before, what with the lack of smell (especially if you can use a smokebuddy) and the speed and the fact that it looks so sleek and techie. I have never enjoyed the experience of a portable like with the FF.

The FF is just a fantastic vaporizer. I would be very surprised if more FC regs don't jump on board very soon.

Slightly Medicated said:

Turn it upside down when you clean that part out. Will prevent anything from dripping down into those holes.

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You beat me to that one. The battery mistery is over once and for all.

Sarah C. (Firefly)
"I have received confirmation that the Firefly batteries are Lithium-ion. Our IT Department has corrected the information on our webpage to reflect this."

"My Technical Specialist has informed me that Lithium-ion batteries have better energy density than Lithium-polymer. This is the most common type of battery in mobile devices and the energy density made it the most attractive fit for the Firefly. Lithium-polymer batteries can be made thinner, and may not degrade as quickly but have less energy. In regards to the charger stating Lithium-polymer on it, I have notified my supervisor of this and we are contacting manufacturing immediately. We can confirm that the charger is for Lithium-ion and there was a typo on the laser etching of the charger plates. This will be corrected. I am very sorry for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused. I truly appreciate your understanding and bringing this to our attention. Please let me know if you have any questions!"

mckeen said:

I see you own an Ascent, what's the verdict between these devices.

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Yeah, these seem like the most high profile of the new flower-friendly ports. Maybe the PnP and Pax would be in there as well.

Generally, I'm the type of user who likes to take just one hit about every 15-20 min or so, if possible. So that makes the Firefly just perfect for me since, as you know, I can just get that one hit and not heat any herb I won't be using ya know? For personal use, for flowers, the Firefly is just divine. When I'm hitting it normally, I'm getting the perfect hit - enough vapor to confirm that I definitely got a good amount in my lungs, but not so much exhaled vapor to be wasteful. If you have enough privacy to use a smokebuddy, the amount of smell is really stealthy.

The Ascent warms up really fast, so that's not an issue there. But knowing that I'm using its battery to get it going when I just want one hit makes me think the battery won't last long (love knowing that I can replace the FF battery!), so I end up taking two hits and then turning it off and taking a third just so product isn't going to waste as the Ascent cools down (takes a while) and that the battery power was worth it. At that point, I am usually more medicated than I need to be with plenty of smell all around me. It's a stinky one, in my opinion. If I use it in my car, man do people know it. Just the device laying around after it's heated your herb once is stinky. The Firefly does not have that problem.

When I keep the Firefly in my bag and then open up its compartment after an hour or so, there is barely a smell. There is smell, but not enough for anyone around me to notice. When I did the same with the Ascent, the smell just came FLOODING out even worse than an MFLB that has tons of resin built up in it.

However, the Ascent does work great when you just want to pack it up, not use any technique, and just keep toking really simple-like. It's great around the house. I've had great success passing the Ascent around with friends who don't vape and they've done quite well. I also prefer to use the Ascent when driving, as using the FF while driving is NOT stealthy, that's for sure.

I also get more even burning with the Ascent. I have never seen ABV as uniform as after it's been through there at 430. It's gorgeous, the ABV. I LOVE using the Ascent with water. Its taste is even better than the FF, I think.

Plus, you can use it while charging. That's nice. And its battery life is great. If I were to go hiking for the day, I could just pack the Ascent full and it would be all I'd need. With the FF, I'd need an extra batt or two and extra herbs.

After using the Ascent, I usually feel STONED no matter the temp. After using the FF, I feel HIGH, but I can get the STONED feeling if I want to.

So, I think the Ascent really shines as a session vape with water, as it's meant to, but its smell really prevents it from being stealthy out in public.

The problem with the FF as a portable is that it's so expensive and beautiful I don't like it leaving the house! It actually makes the beautiful Ascent look a little clunky and outdated. Damn, it is pricey though, once you add on extra batts and the external charger...

The FF does take some technique, maybe a little more than the Ascent?

Will post more as I think of it. If anyone has a specific question, just ask.

A Firefly was one of my Xmas gifts, so I've had one for a little over two weeks now. I've held off on posting any kind of review, because I wanted to actually get to know the unit before making up my mind about it.

The verdict is that I'm really happy.

I was a little nervous for the first day I had it, mostly because I was reasonably happy with the portables I had (Lotus, Solo, PnP, DV as a backup) and hadn't really planned to buy another. The only reason I did was because of how much the FF reminded me of the Lotus (my overall favorite vape), particularly the potential to take single hits on-demand--which is important to me. As much as I love the Lotus, it's not great for stealth out of the house. I'd previously owned the Firewood, which I'd purchased with the same desire, but didn't really care for using it enough to want to keep it. While the FF is clearly a higher quality vape than the Firewood--and much heavier than I'd anticipated--I wasn't sure it was going to feel worth $250 to me.

After a couple weeks, however, the FF has completely replaced the PnP in my daily routine. It works a lot better for me because it doesn't take the pre-planning the PnP does, nor the maintenance. Not having to mess with bullets is a blessing! I'd love a better battery life, but the fact that I can even buy a backup battery makes it a relative non-issue. The FF is easy to load, easy to use, tastes great, and easily fits in my pocket/purse. I feel like I've simplified my life now that I'm using it when I would've grabbed the PnP in the past.

In response to some of the discussion above, I can't imagine how anyone has managed to get material in their mouths while using the FF. I've run the gamut of grind types in playing with this thing, from a whole nug to hand-shredded to medium ground to finely ground, like sand. I've varied my draw speed from barely an inhalation to a fairly steady suck, and not once have I managed to get anything green on my tongue. I'm not saying it's impossible, obviously, but anyone on the fence about purchasing one of these shouldn't worry too much about the possibility. This is honestly one of the simplest vapes to operate that I've come across, once you get a feel for how long to hold down the button while heating.

Overall, I'm really happy with this purchase to the point that I'm ready to narrow my collection again, since some old favorites are no longer seeing any use. Given the distracted, multi-tasking nature of my sessions, the FF is the closest to perfect battery-powered vape (for me) that I've found.

I have started breaking a whole flower into two or 3 pieces as I put it in the glass bowl. It is a good compromise for me and works well. I keep a set of cue tips and some moonshine on my night table to clean the glass and air ports around the porthole.

Had a friend over who owns a volcano and he was very impressed. He kept checking out the magnetic lid and just generally caressing the FF like I always end up doing. I love when you watch someone else and you can see the glow in the side ports. looks just like they are enjoying a pipe. The hold and feel is quite the same.

I did tell him that if he bought one an extra battery and the charger is pretty mandatory. Still think they should market the premium package instead of keeping it on the downlow. The extra battery really mitigates some of the only problems with the FF. (number of draws before battery drain)

I like to shallow discharge the battery too with an occasional deep discharge as L-ion prefers shallow discharge. So with the new battery I can switch out about when I estimate the battery is half empty.

Is it too soon to talk about a FF2? haha. Why not. I would love to see these things in the FF2
1. A bend at the bowl end with matching bend in lid. I would love to see the porthole more directly. Not too extreme of a bend just a few degrees. I don't want to make it non-pocket friendly.
2. Ability to vape with cord attached. This would help those with only one battery.
3. Improved screen retention system. Its prob just me and I think the screen still protects the ports but I don't like that it can move back and forth so easily.
4. More of a positive click in the on button, I don't mind the one as is but a little more button feedback would be nicer.

The lack of these features is hardly a deal breaker for me. I could find things about a Lamborghini I would change. haha.

I think this vaporizer begins a whole new category of vaporizer for me. It has become a portable vaporizer that doesn't leave the house. I don't need to drag a larger vaporizer around. I can go to the kitchen with it in my pocket and vape while cooking, going back into the living room to share some with my girlfriend. The vape then easily goes upstairs with me and takes up a nice spot on the nightstand while I play my Xbox and my girl watches the bachelor. We can pass it back and forth between us and it travels around the house without a hitch while giving a superior vape. In fact I am so attached to it in a personal way I wouldn't dare take it out of the house!

A good analogy would be those people like me that only have cell phones at home and don't need a phone dedicated just for the house. Another might be those that don't use a desktop at home because they have an ipad.
@WildChild, If I slow the draw or really compact it in the bowl I get dark brown to black results. If I loosely break it up and dont pack so hard and draw evenly without effort I dont get super dark results.

Miwiwa said:

...what i have noticed, and I know that it sounds impossible, is that you can let the button up midway through your draw and keep drawing with the power off. I swear It seems to "catch" in a way that keeps the vapor flowing... not every time, but more and more often. This machine becomes very second nature. By that I mean, I have gotten some of the largest most satisfying hits when I was paying the least amount of attention to my technique... Is this crazy?

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It's not impossible...it's pretty common. The chamber is still hot, and despite how quickly the FF cools down, the bowl stays warm for a few minutes, especially later in the session when it's really warmed up. So your material is still cooking...there are still heat molecules bouncing around that material after you let off the heat button, so you're still drawing hot air over it. And you can get a nice hit from that point on. This is similar to carry-over cooking...you can remove the food from the oven, but there are still heat molecules bouncing around and cooking it.

Someone here mentioned letting off the button as soon as you feel the hit in your lungs. If I wait that long, it's a bit late for me, and hoo boy, too big of a hit. But I agree, you get a personal, intuitive rhythm built up with the FF, and eventually conscious technique falls away and muscle memory takes over. Just like guitar.

proghead said:

I should be receiving my FF tomorrow or Monday, but am still hungry for numbers like the ones you are posting/asking. Wish more members were more forthcoming and share their figures!
How are you actually getting the best results?"

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We have pages and pages of folks sharing their approach...but I guess it's a lot to sift through. Anyway:

Medium grind, using fingers. (Finger grind...the craze that's sweeping the forum.)
Fill up the bowl to the rim and tamp lightly.
Keep the device level.
Hit the button for a four count, hit steadily, pulling until you feel the natural resistance of the FF. Let off the button midway through the hit. Exactly where? You'll have to figure it out. It's different for every person and every hit. Keep hitting for several seconds after letting off the button. Don't press the button more than once per hit. Pulsing on and off can cause a heat spike.

How often do I shake? Zero times. I find it makes a mess. I open the lid and stir, quite a few times. I break up the material. Eventually, it's much more finely ground, and much darker, and I have to hold the button longer. The last hit or two are not always extractable via the FF, for me.

If there's one thing we've all learned about the FF is that everyone finds a different technique that works for them. You'll figure it out with practice. Don't get frustrated at first. The learning curve is steep but fairly short. (And then it flattens out and you'll learn teeny new things all the time that enhance performance.)

Volteric said:

LMAO: The MFLB battery is the PERFECT tamper for this device!

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Some pages back someone (Sorry, I've forgotten!) discovered a Chapstick or similar product works perfectly as an FF tamper.

proghead said:

What I am requesting is additional specific average values from members for ONE session:
1. Length of time
2. # of draws
3. # stirs or shakes
4. % bowl filled
5. grind level (though this one has been thoroughly discussed)

Can you and others share yours?
About how many times/often do you open lid and stir?
Thanks!

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I'm sure you'll agree a successful session is one where retention of this kind of data is simply impossible. But, ok, if I had to guess...

1. Probably takes me a 20-30 minutes to finish off one bowl.
2. Tough to say....more than 20, fewer than 35...maybe? at least 20-25, but i try to get as much as possible out of the material.
3. Wow, I'm a bit OCD, I probably open, stir, break up material slowly, re-compact once every 4 hits. So I probably open the lid 5-6 times a session.
4. not sure what you're asking...I fill it even with the edge of the glass bowl. Tip: the FF does much better with more, not less. You're better off filling it too much than using too little.
5. medium, using fingers...eventually finely ground by the end of the session.

mckeen said:

Pressing the heat button my unit glows bright in about 2 seconds glows strong for about 10 seconds then dims a slight amount for another 20 seconds for a total glow time of 30 seconds. Does your unit really take 8 seconds to glow?
I'm with steama on this one, no need to pre-heat. Use your first hit as a set up for the next one. Why waist the battery energy or the vapor? Pressing the heat button and watch the green light go on and off once then the fun starts.

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Yes yes yes. Don't pre-heat. Wastes battery life and can cause the first hit to be too hot. Give yourself a four count on the first hit and then start hitting. But holding down the button to warm up the unit without hitting is totally unnecessary. It's convection, so your first hit, unless you potentially over-heat it, is always the "warm-up" hit. The second hit is the first really good hit.

proghead said:

What I am requesting is additional specific average values from members for ONE session:
1. Length of time
2. # of draws

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Hey, can't answer every question but I can help with the first two.

Session length can really vary from person to person, situation to situation. I think that with the way the FF works, you won't be kept waiting too long for it to heat up and start producing vapors. Some days you may want to casually take a few pulls every 15 or 20 minutes so a session could last you an hour or two, and some days you just want to get everything in as fast as possible and you'll be done much faster. On top of that, it also depends on how much you load. A small load will have a "shorter" session time compared to a fully loaded unit. As you get to know it better, you'll be able to shorten the downtime between hits and cut it closer if you want.

As per number of draws, again this is dependent on a few factors. Quality of material, length of draw time, and such. Whereas some members here prefer many short draws, many also enjoy getting as much vapor as they can. Shorter draws will give you more draws, bigger hits will be fewer. Again it's preferential and something that is hard to accurately quantify in words.

I asked the same questions when I started getting into vaping and soon after realized that it's a little hard to make everyone use a vaporizer the exact same way. Hell, it's hard enough to get that done sober

b0 said:

Can you post pics of the 3 vapes together to compare size with the FF?

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Sure thing!

mitchgo61 said:

Well now I've got the little gasket seal on the outside of the port window coming out on me. Anyone who's re-seated this have any advice on performing this operation?

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I just used a toothpick to push it back in and around and that worked fine. I noticed it unseated when I used too much pressure to clean the window. A hot wipe with a qtip or tissue with light pressure does the trick

Another helpful tip if you have two batteries and no fingernails you can easily remove the battery in the FF with one of the little prongs on the one end of the battery. It works perfectly to pop it out.

Miwiwa said:

You will need a T5 torx driver. and maybe good magnifying glasses. the three screws will come out easily, be careful as you remove them, and lift the cover apart, the other side will fall out of position too. no problem, if its expected. clean everything, and put it back together. As I recall, there is a little tab on the bottom port cover, which will allow it to only be re-assembled one way. My o ring started coming out after I cleaned the outside of the portal glass. maybe should not have used ISO on the outside. If you over-tighten the screws ( which is easy to do, you will see the gasket of the inside starting to squeeze out. if this happens, back off the the screw(s) a slight bit, and you're done!...time for a fresh vape break! hope this was helpful.


I Agree. Even though 45 minutes isn't that long, It can seem like an eternity while waiting on the blinking blue light With the extra battery AND charger, its generally (so far) a non issue IMO.

WildChild, and Steama, I was wondering how many screens have you needed? what is the main reason that you have needed to replace them? Mine still looks pristine, except for a tiny combustion stain.

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Thanks...luckily I was able to re-seat it using the toothpick and a slightly loosening of the screws (ShayWhiteGrow's approach) rather than having to take the whole thing apart. Good thing too because neither my eyes nor my hands have the skill likely needed to re-configure the whole port assembly. But if it ever comes to that I will revisit your advice.

As for screens...had a brief conversation with Sarah C about this, telling her I didn't know *when* I'd ever need to change the screen because it stayed so clean. She agreed, but gave me some good tips on changing the screen. (Make a dome of the replacement screen, put it in dome side UP, and the edges should now form a small enough circumference so that you can gently push on the dome and slide the edges of the screen under the edges of the glass bowl.)

Shiggity said:

I think your grind may be the culprit. No grind and subsequent mixing, breaking up with q-tip, or a medium handgrind works well for me in making the unit not so hard to clean. I do still use an ethanol qtip once a session to clean the channels and plates.

I tend to go for 4-5 inhalations and then change out the bowl when vapor production goes down.

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Yup, I just got off the phone with the friendly FF folks and it sounds like I have a coupe issues that I'm hoping might help others.

Convection is conceptually new to me since I've really only used conduction. I didn't understand that warmed up air needs to pass through the material versus just heating a steel plate and baking the material. This is why too fine a grind is not optimal, namely there isn't enough pathways for the air to flow through. Exactly why 2 things happen: 1) Herb in my mouth and 2) a little hole in the bowl of material forms because the material is to closely bound preventing proper airflow so the unit forces a pathway which in turn makes material fly around in the chamber and thus into the pathways and into me throat!

One last piece of advice for noobs to convection like me. Don't overly rely on the glow to be your visual cue. Let flavor be your guide. It was recommended that I try closing my eyes and focus on a slow, steady draw and focus on the flavor. I think this is really good advice and look forward to trying this next session!

[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

Hello fellow FC's,
I had been away from the forums for quite some time until I had some extra time over the Christmas/New year holidays. I needed to stay away do to just another addicting habit of mine, wanting yet another new vape!

As I wanted the Ascent from the getgo and I was on the early pre-order list, I decided not to buy one for many reasons. About a month ago I started reading all the FF and some of the Ascent posts.
I'd like to say, to all the FF owners who had persuaded my interest,
Thanks!
I received my FF about a week ago and couldn't be happier.
As others have stated the build quality is outstanding, it looks sleek and works fantastic.

It took me quite a few days to get everything working/producing to perfection.
My technique is the same as most have reported. Medium grind, I use a heaping load just above level and compress it to level the bowl, about .12-.15g
Hold down the power and warm up 8-10 seconds, steady medium draw with the power still depressed until I feel the expansion in my lungs (10-15 seconds) let off the power and continue drawing for a few more seconds.
The load size/temp/draw speed are key to great hits and vapor production.
The taste is great and the vapor starts rolling on hit #2. I'm getting from 8-10 goods hits per bowl.

I find cleaning to be easy. I just brush clean it after every bowl and a good alcohol cleaning every 2-3 days.

One of the things that I am most impressed with is, for a small portable unit, the vapor is very cool and smooth. No harshness or dry irritation to my throat! It's so cool and smooth its hard to judge just how big a hit your getting!

Thanks again to all for the great info here at Fuck Combustion.

[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

Ok so I mentioned that I had a vapir one before this and my GF hated it (sound and clunkiness,cord). She has also tried the volcano and hated it (big bag, breathing in same bag as others). Vapor genie, hated it (too much work to get right). She prefers to combust through water.

When I got the FF a few weeks ago, she was like "not again!" But then she got sick and had a terrible cough. It happened the first day I got the FF and she couldn't combust without a ten minute coughing fit. So she used the FF with me for the last few weeks. No real coughing problem. She also admitted that it worked on her which she didn't really feel from the others (not sure why). She also liked the pipe like form factor and the light giving her feedback during the run. She liked the light on the side going from solid green and finally to red when the battery needed changing.

A few days ago she tried the combustion thing again and was surprised at how awful it tasted and that it left a lingering funkiness in her mouth she had never noticed before. We took some of the same flower and put it in the FF, the space coffin delivered as she always does, with beautiful flavor and nice vapor. She turned to me and said, "This is the best thing you have ever bought." Boom she is converted. We haven't combusted since.

I also note a reduction in the amount of flowers we are using through the past 3 weeks. So much less and we get much more of an effect. We don't worry about our house smelling like a shisha bar anymore when people come to visit. And she can run up for a quick med when she wants to using a bathroom break as an excuse.


Some things I have noted on extended usage.
1. It is really important to make sure that the device is clean. EtoH or Iso and cue tips do that nicely.
Every new pack or two I use the q-tip to clean out the channels around the window and the window itself. Otherwise draw quickly becomes an issue with high resin flowers.
2. I clean the steel plates once a day at a minimum. This keeps debris away from the mouthpiece and helps to make sure the seal is good around the top layer of the lid.
3. I hand grind right into the glass bowl and use a skewer (I have a bunch of 4" bamboo skewers) to rake any crumbs or kief from the hand grind into the bowl. Or sometimes get lazy and just push a flower in.
3.5 I have found that it works best for me to make sure I can see all the glass edge of the bowl with no debris or my draw becomes affected because the little channels get clogged.
4. I do a one second preheat but no longer. Then draw for 8-10 seconds, let off and draw for a few more. I use the skewer after each draw to stir the goods and break up any clumps.
5. I find that when I like to use a finger or two to apply pressure to the lid helping to make sure the seal is as tight as it can be.
6. The skewer is great to clean out the bowl into my ABV container.
7. I love carrying this thing around the house with me. One problem though, when you drive to work and realize it is still in your pocket!!!!! Good thing home is only 7 minutes away.
8. After 3 packs I switch the battery with a fresh one. L-Ion do better with shallow discharge cycles. Every once in awhile I drain it fully but I dont think they have "memory" like the old nicads do.

[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

It seems as though we're starting to see that the Firefly can be used very differently.

I usually take in the 6-8 range. Filled almost to the brim. Very gently tamped one time. SCS grind. Clouds if I want them. I prefer to save my still light-ish ABV for my Ascent rather than push it in the FF. Most of what I want during the day is 390 and below, anyway.

For me, the FF is my daytime vape. I still don't think I'd use it as my only home vaporizer, but it certainly can act as one.

I still don't quite know how to explain it, but the more I use my "mouth power" rather than my "lung power," the better results I get. I have also found that making a "pucker-up" type of connection to the mouthpiece to be helpful.

If you've watched either of my 'Fly vids, you know (mini) clouds are possible!

[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

Just wanted to add the perspective of a 20something tech and physics nerd (but no expert by any means) to this discussion.

I didn’t see these things covered in my read through, but perhaps I missed some of them.

First off, my Firefly brand power adapter is rated at 100-240V,



so unless they’ve changed this in the past few weeks since I got mine, international users should be fine with just an adapter. Perhaps other owners can chime in.

On the electrical system in this thing, we have to do a bit of math, and I’m simplifying and rounding, but there are a few unknowns we can figure out. The battery is a 5.55 Watt-hour unit,



if my understanding of electrical systems is correct, that means it should be able to put out 5.55 watts for one hour. The podcast that was linked to a while back had an interview with the designers. They mentioned that this little gizmo can draw up to 50 watts, but usually runs lower.

5.55 watts (joules/second) * 60 minutes per hour * 60 seconds per minute ≈ just shy of 20,000 joules stored in this little battery.

≈ 20,000 joules / 50 watts ≈ 400 seconds ≈ 6 and two thirds minutes that this unit could run at full tilt (assuming it could dissipate that much heat, which it can’t) before the battery was drained.

rehash
Now we know that power delivered to the heating coil (it’s coil shaped, of course I took it apart) varies in order to make sure the temperature of the air doesn’t go above 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204.44 C, 477.59 K), but the designers mentioned that you can get a heat boost by restarting the heating cycle, that’s why it will glow brighter for a few seconds when you do that. The coil also reduces in brightness as air flows over it, but I think most of the dimming as you inhale is due to the heating/power curve winding down to maintain rather than heat.
/rehash

I did do a test to see how many 30 second hits (the time before my unit turns off when holding the button) one could take on a charge. The total time it was running was just shy of ten minutes (running time, not including cooling time), meaning that it averaged 20,000 joules / 600 seconds ≈ 33.3 watts for about ten minutes, meaning that it averages about 2/3 of its heating capacity, stacked toward the front end of each heating cycle.

My unit did not overheat (amber light) during this test, but it did get too hot to hold comfortably at about the five minute mark, so I put it on a cool surface for a few minutes. This is why they are so heavy (also what the designers said, heat dissipation and thermal mass), you would get a pretty serious burn from a 50 watt (or even a 30) bulb after it had been running for five minutes. Also where most of your money went, that alloy and the thermal design. Only a very small amount of material in the heating coil, but a light bulb without its protective inert gas and glass shell would burn out in seconds. This thing has to cycle rapidly between room temperature and probably well above 400 degrees for short periods of time (hate thermodynamics work, and I don’t think it’s possible to know the actual temperature without knowing the composition of said proprietary alloy. If one did know, then I believe you could figure out the temperature based on the color of the glow). Otherwise the whole thing is a very simple and robust design. It must have taken some very serious engineering to get everything balanced just so, because that’s a hell of a lot of thermal energy to play around with.

This is also why they didn’t use Li-poly batteries. You can’t get that much power out of a Li-poly that quickly. Also the reason you can’t use while charging. You can fully charge a battery in about 45 minutes (have not timed this), but it only takes 10 minutes to drain it. The power (temperature) regulation chip design must not allow for both paths to run at the same time, and clearly the charger doesn’t provide enough (750 milliamp-hour battery, 310 milliamp output from the charger) juice to run the heating coil.

tl/dr: Some numbers and math, you won't find any help here.

I believe that’s all I’ve got. Questions, comments, concerns?

[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

EveryDayAmnesiac said:

Did you take any pictures of the Firefly as you were taking it apart?

Click to expand...

No, but could do so within a few days, unfortunately my Torx T6 (or whatever it was) was since sacrificed to my Macbook pro while I was doing some work on that machine, so I need to go out and buy a new one.

Also just remembered there was some discussion on the magnets in the device a while back. They are (just tested) powerful enough to put an Apple laptop to sleep if you put the lid in the right place. That's how the computer senses the screen is closed. If you have a solid state computer, don't worry about it besides keeping the lid away from that point. If your computer has a spinning disk, don't put the lid near the hard drive while it's running (probably fine while off, but backup your data before testing any of this).

Should be fine next to a credit card in a wallet, but don't put the card under the lid and close the device. I'm also not going to test this one.

Volteric said:

So it sounds like the glow is not a good visual cue or it is? If not, why not? If so, why so?

The glow has been confusing me because I'm thinking of it just like a corn cob pipe.

Thank you for such a complete breakdown on the engineering components, etc!

Click to expand...

The glow is a bit counter-intuitive. That it dims at all when air passes over it (easier to see if you inhale briskly with no material in the bowl) means the aerodynamic design is very effective at removing heat from the coil, thus into the air and through your herb. That said, a huge amount of the energy is lost(ish) to the device. The lost energy is not actually lost, the coil doesn't have to work nearly as hard when the device gets hotter.

I think most of the heat in the air is lost after it passes through your material and collides with the lid, which is somewhat thermally isolated from the bowl (good thing glass to metal is such a terrible way to transfer heat, not that the bowl gets very hot near the top anyway), and has quite a bit of thermal mass itself. I believe this is why you see the window and lid getting dirty, a few of the heavier molecules condense out of the air as it cools rapidly on contact with the lid.

In short: as the device heats, the glow will dim and move from the yellowish to the orangeish (these are highly technical terms) part of the visible spectrum, all this indicates is that it has sensed the coil is the proper temperature to heat the air to about 400 degrees. I believe at this point it is mostly variation in draw speed that will cook material different amounts, and obviously the bottom of the bowl cooks a bit faster as the air cools on its way up. I've found it to be quite effective with a moderate but consistent draw (10-20 seconds) and occasional stir, but don't really want to get into dissecting method. It's all rather intuitive for me.

[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

natural farmer said:

Hey Stu! Have you received yours yet? We haven't heard any thoughts...

Click to expand...

I've been playing with my fire engine red FF for a couple of weeks now. I must say that I have mixed feelings so far.

I've been able to coax decent clouds using proper technique. I feel that the pre-heat time can vary from hit to hit. The biggest factor seems to be how warm the unit is. A dead cold unit will require you to lean on the button more in the beginning. As the unit warms up, it takes less energy to get the bowl up to optimal vaporization temps, so you don't need to pre-heat quite as much.

The vape signature of the FF is reminiscent of the T1 IMO. Taste is pretty good, but I can detect the SS in the flavor profile.

The problem that I'm having (and I seem to be the only one as I have not read anyone else having this issue) is that I can't seem to get a good hit that doesn't make me cough really hard. My lungs are pretty sensitive due to chronic bronchitis and lots of vaporizers make me cough. But the FF seems to really take it to another level and it's quite frustrating. I'm not sure why this is tbh.

I also made the mistake of not purchasing the external charger. I did pick up an extra battery, but with no place to charge it (aside from inside the FF) it doesn't come in too handy.

For me the jury is still out on this one.



[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

Is that Firefly car charger legit? I hadn't heard anything about one and it's not available on the official site or Vape World.

Would be nice. Although, my car's battery is so little that any time I used/charged my old DV, the car wouldn't start again without a jump.

I was also disappointed with the fact the external charger still needed the same power adapter. I ended up picking up an extra adapter since $15 doesn't seem so bad (and I needed to add an extra $10 to get free shipping from Vape World anyway!). Will probably find other use for it at some point. Nice to have an adapter for home and an adapter to keep in the travel bag. I do rarely find the need to charge two batts at once, though.

I'm glad to see the external charger price was lowered to $30. A little lower would be nice, but at least it's not ridiculously overpriced anymore. But a replacement lid for $35? And I'd prefer to be able to buy the screens separately. The "cleaning kit" is bullshit. Tough love.

Besides these gripes, I am loving the FF more each day. Far and away, the best portable I have used.

EDIT: I have also become convinced that the FF can indeed be used as a home unit as well. What little time I have to vape at home, I've been using the FF more and more. Kinda nice to have something of this high of quality that I can carry from room to room with no fuss when I'm home.

As a portable, I'm still finding it to work great if I know I'll have access to my car, if I'll be carrying around my backpack, or if I know where I'm going. But to take it with you for the whole day when you don't know what you're doing or where you're going? You'd need a lot of pockets and a belt for batts and tools and containers, or to carry a little messenger bag with you or something.

It's really worth it though because it's so fast and there is so little smell involved. If that's important to you, I find the extra effort to carry around the FF to be a more-than-acceptable trade-off.

[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

Can someone using th escree

mitchgo61 said:

Yeah I've never really believed using a top screen caused my serious combustion issues...seemed to be faulty heater control. I've just been a bit wary of trying it on my second FF....but I'm gonna give it a shot and see what happens.

Click to expand...

Ummm...so this caused almost instant combustion. I suppose this might have been my fault but it seems that the top screen def adds temperature...




[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

grokit said:

I don't think the combustion is a sensor failure, as much as about the thermal mass that can build up from the entrapment of heated gases that can occur "under the dome", if that makes any sense at all.

Click to expand...

Something must be happening here. While I am not about to test my current unit for this behavior, I will say that I cannot get my FF to combust under normal circumstances no matter how densely I pack, how fine I grind, or how long I hold the heat button. For combustion to suddenly occur with a top screen, something more dramatic than just a need to finesse one of the handful of variables we normally juggle as full-time vapers is happening.

So, again, haven't tried this with my current FF, but I'm starting to think something changes heat-wise in the chamber when you use that top screen, and it isn't good, or controllable. I wonder if the folks who've done it successfully without combusting have one of those "cold units" the FF folks told me were floating around. (My first unit was a "hot" one...maybe it would have been fine had I never used a top screen. Maybe the "cold" units are cool enough that they can tolerate the extra heat generated with a top screen. Maybe I'm just speculating mindlessly. )

Volteric said:

I haven't had any combustion issues recently and generally getting good at working this unit. What I'm very surprised by is that while I get medicated and better herb efficiency I just don't notice much flavor and I've tried 4 different mid to top shelf strains. I def think the pax tastes better and so surprised when someone says they taste plastic with the pax.

Why should I be surprised by various opinions, tastes and experiences?

Click to expand...

Still haven't tried the Pax myself but of all the vapes I've used, I think FF delivers by far the smoothest, tastiest flavor. Just my 2 cents.

[URL='http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/best-of-the-firefly-vaporizer-thread.16628/'] [/URL]

EveryDayAmnesiac said:

Although I feel a little uncomfortable "breaking up" the material in the bowl. Seems like maybe I'm putting too much pressure on that screen - which still hasn't needed a cleaning since I bought the FF.

Click to expand...

I think you're fine. The airflow holes notwithstanding, the screen sits on a solid floor above the heating element. Just don't press *too* hard! But gentle pressure while breaking up material should be safe.

Volteric said:

I think grind is the key to this device. Everything else had been directed by the grind, namely draw speed, air flow and temperature control. My grind was too fine and it affected those other areas. Now with a medium grind the air flow and temperature feel easier to control with more regularity/consistency.

Click to expand...

I'm starting to find that I get my best results with...

a. medium-barely broken up grind. Like smallish chunks, erring on the side of bigger pieces than finer grounds.

b. fresh, not-too-dry material.

c. moderately tamped, but definitely not loose.

d. filled right up to the bowl rim.

This seems to provide me with lots of big hits upfront, little or no debris choking the vapor paths, and seemingly endless bowls. Yes, the first hit or two are mild due to the material's moisture. And yes, as the material cooks and dries, you end up with finer grind and debris issues. But I can go like 12 hits, easy, before i have to start breaking up the material beyond nominal stirring.

I can get good results from drier, more finely-ground material, but the bowl seems to last twice as long if I'm using material that is still pretty fresh and retains a fair amount of moisture.

It's a little counterintuitive, and I'll probably have contradictory results next week or tomorrow, but that's my most recent conclusion. Fresher, mostly unground, moderate pack density=lots of hits, no mess, seemingly endless succession of equally great-tasting hits.