The Lotus Vaporizer

grokit said:

After you see red glow -- back off! You will get vapor at this point, and there are only three factors that determine how dense that vapor will get, or even bring you close to combustion:

1. Force of inhale -- the slower you draw, the more dense your vapor will be. Conversely...
   
2. Torch distance, duh. If you back off too far after seeing red, the vapor production will stop. If you lean on it too hard you can combust. I usually back off a lot and then re-introduce it a bit during my hit.
3. Torch flame length -- if your flame is too short, it will be hard to get a good hit regardless of technique. And if the flame is too long, it can be harder to refine your technique but it's better to have too much flame than too little. The most important factor here is consistency of flame length.

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This.
I'd say this is the the best guide I've read.

Back to the High Temp Cap, the reason I want one is I'm slowly killing my original model. If you get the plate hot enough too many times you will burn the wood underneath. Eventually it won't function properly.
I use my Lotus as the "Heavy Hitter" when necessary, and it suffers from it. Like the story @Baked55 mentioned, too many one hit bowl killers.

grokit said:

After you see red glow -- back off! You will get vapor at this point, and there are only three factors that determine how dense that vapor will get, or even bring you close to combustion:

1. Force of inhale -- the slower you draw, the more dense your vapor will be. Conversely...
   
2. Torch distance, duh. If you back off too far after seeing red, the vapor production will stop. If you lean on it too hard you can combust. I usually back off a lot and then re-introduce it a bit during my hit.
3. Torch flame length -- if your flame is too short, it will be hard to get a good hit regardless of technique. And if the flame is too long, it can be harder to refine your technique but it's better to have too much flame than too little. The most important factor here is consistency of flame length.

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Grokit, I feel like there's a 4th variable, which could be valuable for beginners:

4. Chamber load. One Lotus Scoop is pretty hard to combust in my experience. You can get the AVB to a really dark shade of brown. A load that is above half the chamber has a higher risk of combustion.

For newbies, start off with tiny amounts. Get familiar with the other 3 factors. Then you can practice to fully master the Lotus with full, to the brim loads.

peterpiper said:

I totaly blocked my eds tnt solo stem with reclaim mixed with abv that made it through the screen. Scraped it out in large blobs and put onto clingfilm. Put in freezer then straight into my lotus bowl.
After first hit it turned to oil and i thought would just run through the screen into thr stem. However 20 or more hits later all that was left was the abv it came with, none ran through.
I got 2 large bowls full, was pretty blocked.
That took a lot of heat. And i always use pollems, black etc that require higher temps than grass.
Excuse my ignorance but what is the higher temp plate for. Like dabs?

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I too use my Lotus a lot with good quality Moroccan has and bubble hash with great success.
In fact I'd say the lotus was my fave vape for hash

grokit said:

After you see red glow -- back off! You will get vapor at this point, and there are only three factors that determine how dense that vapor will get, or even bring you close to combustion:

1. Force of inhale -- the slower you draw, the more dense your vapor will be. Conversely...
   
2. Torch distance, duh. If you back off too far after seeing red, the vapor production will stop. If you lean on it too hard you can combust. I usually back off a lot and then re-introduce it a bit during my hit.
3. Torch flame length -- if your flame is too short, it will be hard to get a good hit regardless of technique. And if the flame is too long, it can be harder to refine your technique but it's better to have too much flame than too little. The most important factor here is consistency of flame length.

Click to expand...

Excellent simple guide imo.

I have my torch flame on the longer side and after the first heat up its only the end of the outer flame that touches the plate.

I only ever heat it up to the point that I start getting the red spot on the first hit of a bowl. After a stir and for subsequent hits I tend to fund the cap is still hot enough that it's not needed.

Fantastic bit of kit, and well worth taking the (short amount of) time needed to master it...

Maybe its just me, but I see little need for a high temp Lotus. I roast pressed hash in it, and to vape pressed efficiently takes high temps than concentrates imo. I dont do hash regularly but I always vape near combustion and 5 months later it still works as good as day one, with minimal warping. I would be more interested in a concentrates insert for the bowl or a concentrates specific wpa. I have a v3.

I'm sure the high heat version will be worth it ! Of course I also vape pressed hash and bubble with the Lotus and with great success. But it needs to be pushed a bit and if the new cap gets hotter more easily without damaging the cap, this is an improvement. Cause vaping resins push you to flirt with the limits.
Let's not forget the new version will be able to be fully cleaned ! Another improvement ...
I wonder if the high heat version will be working nice with herb too or will it need a large amount of heat to work properly ?
Well, I'll be in for the new cap for sure !

I think the high temp version should be more durable than the Lotus. I've seen two dead Lotus caps (first one was my fault!) - caused by excessive heat (unnecessary heat yes, but in the hands of an inexperienced user.....)

They still *work* and in fact they are hard to combust with, but there is a smell of burnt wood and the load is not evenly cooked any longer (really black in one spot, uncooked everywhere else).

I suspect the new lotus caps may resolve this issue.

(Note my replacement cap is still alive and well, but I will only use it for flowers, I don't even bother with reclaim or concentrates in that vape since I have several other vapes to choose from)

BabyFacedFinster said:

Thanks! I ordered one. WTF I'll give it a try. I'd rather keep trying than just whine about it. I found the clear, Power ones on ebay for $5 bucks more, but they come from the US so it should arrive sooner. I know what you mean about DX. I ordered another lighter from them (forgot about that one) and it did take 8-9 weeks, and it sucked BTW.

I will add that my kitchen torch, a Roburn, is pretty well made, although it was having some problems shutting off. Like it wouldn't until you slid the on/off switch back and forth a few times. I wrote to the Roburn company and they sent me a free new one. Cheers to them!

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Try different gas .i have been having the same issues with my torches.It was an issue with triple filtered newport which i will save now for extractions.ive tried several cheap brands of fuel too,they did nt work out well,caused spluttering,altering flame and cutout when pointed down.in fact most of my torches a dozen or so were experiencing flame issues.

I found some good quality stuff that works and im a happy camper again.

empty youre lighter and add new gas.push a blunt wooden skewer or cocktail stick into the valve and point the valve to the floor until empty.then add new fuel and wait for a minute until your fuel stabilises It should help.lighters are reliable but fuel can be finicky and vary in quality somewhat.
Ive heard vector is good but I cant get it here.I use Ventti.

u bwade wunner said:

Try different gas .i have been having the same issues with my torches.It was an issue with triple filtered newport which i will save now for extractions.ive tried several cheap brands of fuel too,they did nt work out well,caused spluttering,altering flame and cutout when pointed down.in fact most of my torches a dozen or so were experiencing flame issues.

I found some good quality stuff that works and im a happy camper again.

empty youre lighter and add new gas.push a blunt wooden skewer or cocktail stick into the valve and point the valve to the floor until empty.then add new fuel and wait for a minute until your fuel stabilises It should help.lighters are reliable but fuel can be finicky and vary in quality somewhat.
Ive heard vector is good but I cant get it here.I use Ventti.

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Well, I have given up on smaller torches. They all suck. I'll just stick with my kitchen torch turned way down. It is pretty tried and true except having to wait for it to shut off. So I just start it and leave it running till I'm done with a bowl. Works for me.

I do use the vector butane.

stickstones said:

I've posted my teaching method in this thread before somewhere...

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...perhaps here:

stickstones said:

I have now introduced three people to the Lotus using a bubbler for two of them and the stock stem for the other one. All three were hitting it like a champ on their first hit. One of them bought one and the other two want one.

I tell them to heat it up before inhaling just to the point of glowing. Then inhale and find the sweet spot by moving the torch closer/farther and/or changing your draw speed faster/slower. I tell them how those tow things effect temp. Then I watch them do it and tell them what to do while using it...draw faster, draw slower, pull the torch away, bring it closer. Those are the only four things to do with this vape. As nervous I am about people combusting with my rig, they have all hit it better than I do!

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Ratchett said:

I think the high temp version should be more durable than the Lotus. I've seen two dead Lotus caps (first one was my fault!) - caused by excessive heat (unnecessary heat yes, but in the hands of an inexperienced user.....)

They still *work* and in fact they are hard to combust with, but there is a smell of burnt wood and the load is not evenly cooked any longer (really black in one spot, uncooked everywhere else).

I suspect the new lotus caps may resolve this issue.

(Note my replacement cap is still alive and well, but I will only use it for flowers, I don't even bother with reclaim or concentrates in that vape since I have several other vapes to choose from)

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Same here! Hate that dark spot...can't wait for the high temp model!!! Both my caps are shot at this point.

Quick lighter tip. If you empty it and pop it in the freezer for an hour or two before filling it again, you'll find more butane will enter the chamber as it's not expanding as much when filling the lighter. Really works too

I'm just lovin the Lotus.
Personally, I never wait till I see the red glow. Pretty much start a slow inhale right away. Speed up my draw pending on taste and back off the lighter from the plate about 1 cm or so. Go till lungs are as full as I like. And yes, like riding a bike becomes a fairly natural task. Not to say I don't get carried away at times and get minor combust. But a rare thing and usually when I'm fairly medicated.
I have the original V2 from 6 months or more now and still running great. Want to order a replacement plate just as back up but waiting for the high temp version to order the complete cap only. Pending on the price of course. Since I use the WPA for the most part I can use the pipes portion for the extra cap. Or the glass WPA I made.
In any case, my guess on the difference of the high temp version would be durability to endurance to higher temperatures. As I have read here, many have troubles training friends to use and the damage caused from excessive heat. Really have doubts it will improve the performance any. We have more than enough heat to play with in the current set up.
My main in house driver these days....(months)
A good lighter is key for this puppy.

Unisonruss said:

Same here! Hate that dark spot...can't wait for the high temp model!!! Both my caps are shot at this point.

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I had the black spot since first try and I was thinking it was normal and I get it every time I drive it with red dot (fast and big clouds).
When my torch is at low level in gas tank and it runs colder I start to inhale before red spot and I get slower but very even extraction.

So I think maybe is not a burnt cap who makes black spot but rather the way you use it, smell of burnt wood obviously came from wood who is burning or that did it in recent past but I think they are separate issues.

Andreaerdna said:

I had the black spot since first try and I was thinking it was normal and I get it every time I drive it with red dot (fast and big clouds).
When my torch is at low level in gas tank and it runs colder I start to inhale before red spot and I get slower but very even extraction.

So I think maybe is not a burnt cap who makes black spot but rather the way you use it, smell of burnt wood obviously came from wood who is burning or that did it in recent past but I think they are separate issues.

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Trust me, there's a big difference between a darker spot caused by poor torch handling, and then there's a difference when the cap is broken. Literally the inside plate comes loose on one side, and the hot air favor's that section of the load. I figured this out by rotating the cap 180 degrees and testing the heat distribution.

The only way to be certain if you killed a cap is to remove the top plate and inspect the inner plate. I have pictures inside the dead cap on a previous post in this thread.

Ratchett said:

Trust me, there's a big difference between a darker spot caused by poor torch handling, and then there's a difference when the cap is broken. Literally the inside plate comes loose on one side, and the hot air favor's that section of the load. I figured this out by rotating the cap 180 degrees and testing the heat distribution.

The only way to be certain if you killed a cap is to remove the top plate and inspect the inner plate. I have pictures inside the dead cap on a previous post in this thread.

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I Believe you, and I remember the photo of the open lotus with charred-burnt wood under.

My black spot stays the same position, no matter how I turn the cap, definitely poor handling of the torch.

Anyway, Is the hot plate V3 a consommable or you have to change only if you over heat it?

And @Ratchett can you repair your losen one by changing the plate or is it the whole cap that is damaged?

Andreaerdna said:

My black spot stays the same position, no matter how I turn the cap, definitely poor handling of the torch.

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That was the dead giveaway for me - the hot spot always followed the cap, no matter how I used the torch!

Andreaerdna said:

Anyway, Is the hot plate V3 a consommable or you have to change only if you over heat it?

And @Ratchett can you repair your losen one by changing the plate or is it the whole cap that is damaged?

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Nope, they are not consumable, you don't need to change the plate unless it has been damaged. The newest version of the hot plates look like they are holding up quite well - haven't heard any new complaints about cracks!

I haven't found a way to repair my dead cap - the inner plate is held in place with a metal trim ring which looks specially installed. I don't see an easy way to re-secure this trim ring to the wood once it has been charred to that extent.

I'd like to announce that I've created a Best of the Lotus Vaporizer thread based on selections that @Gray Area was good enough to suggest. This is a work-in-progress and there are more nominations to process. I also encourage all of you to nominate the best posts you've read here. Read How the "Best Of" threads work for details. Gray Area has reviewed pages 1-60 so far, and I'm grateful for that work. I'd really like to see more volunteers—yes, multiple—to review the whole thread. I bet you'd be surprised what you learn. Also, never assume that all the best posts have been found. Opinions vary, and no one is perfect.

pakalolo said:

I'd like to announce that I've created a Best of the Lotus Vaporizer thread based on selections that @Gray Area was good enough to suggest. This is a work-in-progress and there more nominations to process. I also encourage all of you to nominate the best posts you've read here. Read How the "Best Of" threads work for details. Gray Area has reviewed pages 1-60 so far, and I'm grateful for that work. I'd really like to see more volunteers—yes, multiple—to review the whole thread. I bet you'd be surprised what you learn. Also, never assume that all the best posts have been found. Opinions vary, and no one is perfect.

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Thanks for selecting a bunch of my posts I've also aggregated my feedback into a review as well for anyone interested I hyper linked it above.

Some of the gifs and images I posted in this 200+ thread are included.

So what's the difference between the three versions of the Lotus offered at Vaporstore?

This, has piqued my interest.

I got the VAS, and I have it bad, and I REALLY kind of want one more to add to the collection, and this is looking promising....doesn't help I went + at the casino yesterday and get an end of the year bonus next week....

I read the front of this thread, and the back end. Had a few questions:

- Bowl size? Big, Small, adjustable?
-Portability factor?

Honestly...my chief reasoning for another vape was one that I would be able to easily use with friends out and about, which would require portability and not be battery powered. I saw a handful of posts of people talking about having dead caps, some of which may be the result of human error, so that is really bothersome to say the least....I don't want something I really have to teach people how to use.

That being said....this thing looks like it delivers, and the other vape I was looking at for this purpose was the Hammer, and while that kind of seemed like it would be easier for my friends to "pick up and play" , the Lotus looks like it may be able to deliver more massive hits and be more of a party bowl, long as people aren't stupid. That J-Hook looks slick, and my bubbler is still on the way, its pretty tiny though I haven't seen it in person, probably would hook up real nice with a WPA.

Meh, idk, doesn't help my wallet that I like the aesthetics, that is pretty important to me lol call me shallow but I want my vapes to look like the sleek machines they are

Everything being said, need to hear more on the high resistance caps.

HellsWindStaff said:

This, has piqued my interest.

I got the VAS, and I have it bad, and I REALLY kind of want one more to add to the collection, and this is looking promising....doesn't help I went + at the casino yesterday and get an end of the year bonus next week....

I read the front of this thread, and the back end. Had a few questions:

- Bowl size? Big, Small, adjustable?
-Portability factor?

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I'm not sure on the exact specs, but the bowl size is about right for a solo session. Maybe 1.0 cm wide/ deep? All bowls are adjustable, just add more or less matter into them The attached stir stick is pure genius and gets used all the time.

The Lotus would suffice as a passing apperatus, but I think it's better suited to one or two people. Personally, I find it pretty hard to combust with the Lotus. By the time it comes down to ignition, my herb is so depleted that I'm already changing it out. So I think it'd be just as good as any other flame driven vaporizor for beginners.

It's highly portable but not the most stealthy piece around. As others have mentioned, using the Lotus looks a lot like smoking crack. So you can't exactly hit it when mingling with the unenlightened.

I'd recommend the Lotus. It's a must-have and there are a lot of forum members that happily include it in their quiver even if it isn't their go-to vape.

Superficially, it may seem kind of expensive. But when you get your hands on it, see it's quality and what it can do you probably won't be disappointed.

I'm still using the original plates that came on the V2 models that I purchased. I did buy replacement plates but haven't needed to use them yet. I'll probably buy another cap when the HD version comes out.

The aluminum stem is very durable and works well but I'd recommend accessorizing. At the bare minimum, I'd recommend getting a WPA and J hook (or two, you will break them). Many, many people are happily running Lotus caps on bubblers. I was going to take this route myself but blew my budget on a Daisy instead.

Go for it. You will not have buyers regret.

The Lotus fills that "I want to smoke" void for me.
I really enjoy the act and rituals of smoking, but my lungs can't handle it anymore. So I must vape, and every once in a while I get that itch, where I want to actually smoke, but mostly just when I use a lesser vape.

Tha Lotus is the closest I've come to a smoking experience from a vaporizer. Especially when used with the WPA and a bubbler or bong.

I just ran across a ruler and realized how far off my original statement was off...way off. I have my Lotus kinda put away so can't measure it, but it's more like 1.0 cm not 1.5.

While I'm at it, you might as well go ahead and order one, because you will be doing it eventually.

So...uh I've been doing some thinking and got that bonus today....know of any coupon codes for the Lotus site

Thanks for the help too

Edit: Shit forgot another ?, how often do you folks use the aluminum stem and would you consider that worth it? Leaning towards forgoing it, but that's gonna limit my portability which was my motivation for a butane vape in the first place..... I guess what Im asking too is how big is the J hook? Small Enough to put in that bag?

s

HellsWindStaff said:

Edit: Shit forgot another ?, how often do you folks use the aluminum stem and would you consider that worth it? Leaning towards forgoing it, but that's gonna limit my portability which was my motivation for a butane vape in the first place..... I guess what Im asking too is how big is the J hook? Small Enough to put in that bag?

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First off, this is my daily driver. I have a very nice VB whip unit and a Firefly that are collecting dust because they are too involved or too big to be used in my situation. I need to take quick hits most often and the Lotus can be packed, fired up and done in a very short period of time. You just need a "go to" torch lighter that works for you.

I have the Al stem, the J hook and the wpa. They are all real cool, but I use the stem the most. I have the long stem because stealth is not a big issue for me. It has the least parts needed to assemble and is the fastest for during the week quick hits.

When I have more time, then the j hook and wpa is a luxury. I can sit back and enjoy the set up and watching the vape clouds form. I also love the sound of GONG joints clicking and clanging as bowls are packed and the j hook is cleared. I bought this part of the set up for fun. The Al stem does the daily grind.