Mike M
Well-Known Member
I just punch mine out when I run a pipe cleaner through it.
Alfa Vaporizer by goboof
- Thread starter dopefiend
- Start date
-
- Tags
- battery powered
Out of curiosity, which do you like more and would you use both? I want to pick up something I can bum around with at home and something for the mountain. These are currently the top two vapes.
I value beauty, simplicity, flavor, size, and build quality. Price is a minor factor (i don't want to get ripped off or waste money)
In the portable I don't mind some warm up and a large bowl. I want something compact, discrete, easy to hit by anyone with gloves/a helmet on, and a big enough bowl for two/three people to use without stirring/refilling. Other portable vapes i've been eyeing are the Pinnacle Pro, Puffit 2, and Pax.
In the home unit I want instant on and no open flame/exposed heated metal, great flavor, easy to clean, little to no warm up time.
In both I want little to no ambient smell and a way to charge without leaving the actual unit plugged in (living with my parents and our cops are hardcore
). I've owned:
A Lotus - Owned two. amazing. great flavor, small or big bowl, good water pipe compatibility, no warm up time, cheap.
MFLB - Owned two. compact, great athestic, simple, love the flavor, minimal smell, batteries can be charged on there own.
DaBuddha - Hated it overall. Whip was always falling out. Warming up was a pain. Taste sucked. But omg did it get me and friends stoned...
Firefly Knockoff - Herb got sorta roasted and i got sorta high but I had to pull really hard to get the herb to vaporize. Couldn't get through a sesh without the thing overheating or dieing.
Homemade beast - I could elaborate but it was in high school and cost me $30. Wicked powerful. Brass bowl (:s). Kinda dangerous. What I wouldn't give for that vape.
I've used:
Valcano - amazeballs... see below
V-tower - Cheap POS. Eh vapor. Bad build quality.
Pax - Surprisingly liked it. Pretty and had a homey vapor
Solo - hated the loose stem. Vapor was meh. Buttons felt cheap
I someday want:
Digital Solid Valve Volcano - flavor is amazing. high is killer. classy looking. good resale value. nothing for people to break.
E-nano - beautiful, totally rips!
So more specifically:
- how bad is the smell?
- does it smell when not being used?
- is that oven lid as wimpy as it looks?
- is the pin in the bowl a pain?
- how many people can share it? Can two? How about two mtn seshions?
- would you guys get this over the pax, puffit 2, or grasshopper (were i to wait that long)?
- would you buy both vapes again or is one your go to?
- how is the vapor quality? Sounds pretty good
- would you be worried carrying this in a car or your parents house? I usually keep my stuff in a mason jar but that attracts attention so...
- how solid does that mouthpiece feel? Is it solid aluminum? Does it wiggle?
Last edited by a moderator:
Stananton
Well-Known Member
If anybody from Europe is wondering why Goboof is shipping only to Ireland and UK, well, this is what Ciaran wrote me:
"Good Evening Michal,
Thank you for your interest in the Alfa Vaporiser. We would love to sell you one line however we do not currently ship to Poland or other EU countries other than Ireland and UK. This is due to the fact we do not have chargers that will fit in a Euro socket yet as we are waiting on delivery. We should have these in a months time.
We can however sell you a unit via Paypal transfer but this would come with an American charger and you can use an adapter for this. This is how we sell them in IE/UK. Unfortunately we cannot source US to EU adapters here.
Hope this helps. Let me know how you would like to proceed.
Regards
Ciarán"
So if you want your Alfa straight from manufacturer, simply contact them or play waiting game.
Cheers
"Good Evening Michal,
Thank you for your interest in the Alfa Vaporiser. We would love to sell you one line however we do not currently ship to Poland or other EU countries other than Ireland and UK. This is due to the fact we do not have chargers that will fit in a Euro socket yet as we are waiting on delivery. We should have these in a months time.
We can however sell you a unit via Paypal transfer but this would come with an American charger and you can use an adapter for this. This is how we sell them in IE/UK. Unfortunately we cannot source US to EU adapters here.
Hope this helps. Let me know how you would like to proceed.
Regards
Ciarán"
So if you want your Alfa straight from manufacturer, simply contact them or play waiting game.
Cheers
maremaresing
Well-Known Member
pjwalm- If you liked the pax, you will love this alfa. The alfa is the pax without all the trouble, better hits, shorter heat up, longer runtime, better extraction, more stealthy, lower price but same build quality.
I think you need someone to teach you how to use a dabuddha
It's everything you want it to be, and more, but you were using it incorrectly.
To address your questions:
- how bad is the smell?
Not bad? Less than, or equal to, the solo. Especially when the herb is fresh. It hits big, so it's not gonna be as stealthy. This is par for the course, unless you want tiny hits like the mflb. The upside is you will need to use this less to be where you want to be. If you don't pack it as much, you won't get as much smell.
And, it's a vape so it's going to be far less noticeable and easily dispersed. When off, there is little to no smell.
- does it smell when not being used?
No, not really, unless you put the door of the vape next to your nose. The door does a good job of locking away smell.
Remember, this vape fits perfectly in an OtterBox 1000
- is that oven lid as wimpy as it looks?
No, not at all. The entire unit feels robust and well made. The door could be allowed to open to a wider angle so it stays open easier when loading.
I was worried that the latch on the door would wear down fast and this would be a failure point, but it's shown no signs of weakening.
- is the pin in the bowl a pain?
Not at all, and worth it for the better extraction. I actually like it, as it keeps things in the bowl structured. I even jammed some unground herb in there and it held it in place while it extracted.
- how many people can share it? Can two? How about two mtn seshions?
That depends entirely on what you put in, and how much you need out of it before you stop.
Personally, I got myself and two other high tolerance people completely wrecked off of one bowl. Then got about 6+ people blazed off of the same bowl.
The nice thing about this is the bowl is smaller, thus less wasteful, than a lot of vapes. But it's plenty massive enough for a dayhike, esp if you pack it full.
- would you guys get this over the pax, puffit 2, or grasshopper (were i to wait that long)?
I would, and I did. Right now, it's a superior vape. IMO
It does no good to compare it to vapes that aren't fully realized.
- would you buy both vapes again or is one your go to?
Ever since my alfa came in, it's been my only vape used. It's powerful enough that I don't even need my dabuddha (which I love).
- how is the vapor quality? Sounds pretty good
Incredible. No singing or burning, no matter how hot or how long you run it. Excellent vapor and extraction. Not always visible vapor (though it's easy to set up to get that), but always potent effects.
- would you be worried carrying this in a car or your parents house? I usually keep my stuff in a mason jar but that attracts attention so...
No, it's the least recognizable or sketchy vape I've used yet. It's completely stealthy on visual, and so small that it fits in your hand when in use. It's the only vape I've used that I didn't feel like I was drawing attention to myself.
- how solid does that mouthpiece feel? Is it solid aluminum? Does it wiggle?
It's a smooth, yet squishy rubbery-ish material. This part surprised me the most. I expected hard plastic, but this is so much better. It holds itself in with friction, but doesn't have that tacky rubber texture (which I cannot stand). It being forgiving makes it a pleasant mouthpiece to use.
Yes, you could easily use this with gloves and a helmet.
I think you need someone to teach you how to use a dabuddha
It's everything you want it to be, and more, but you were using it incorrectly.To address your questions:
- how bad is the smell?
Not bad? Less than, or equal to, the solo. Especially when the herb is fresh. It hits big, so it's not gonna be as stealthy. This is par for the course, unless you want tiny hits like the mflb. The upside is you will need to use this less to be where you want to be. If you don't pack it as much, you won't get as much smell.
And, it's a vape so it's going to be far less noticeable and easily dispersed. When off, there is little to no smell.
- does it smell when not being used?
No, not really, unless you put the door of the vape next to your nose. The door does a good job of locking away smell.
Remember, this vape fits perfectly in an OtterBox 1000
- is that oven lid as wimpy as it looks?
No, not at all. The entire unit feels robust and well made. The door could be allowed to open to a wider angle so it stays open easier when loading.
I was worried that the latch on the door would wear down fast and this would be a failure point, but it's shown no signs of weakening.
- is the pin in the bowl a pain?
Not at all, and worth it for the better extraction. I actually like it, as it keeps things in the bowl structured. I even jammed some unground herb in there and it held it in place while it extracted.
- how many people can share it? Can two? How about two mtn seshions?
That depends entirely on what you put in, and how much you need out of it before you stop.
Personally, I got myself and two other high tolerance people completely wrecked off of one bowl. Then got about 6+ people blazed off of the same bowl.
The nice thing about this is the bowl is smaller, thus less wasteful, than a lot of vapes. But it's plenty massive enough for a dayhike, esp if you pack it full.
- would you guys get this over the pax, puffit 2, or grasshopper (were i to wait that long)?
I would, and I did. Right now, it's a superior vape. IMO
It does no good to compare it to vapes that aren't fully realized.
- would you buy both vapes again or is one your go to?
Ever since my alfa came in, it's been my only vape used. It's powerful enough that I don't even need my dabuddha (which I love).
- how is the vapor quality? Sounds pretty good
Incredible. No singing or burning, no matter how hot or how long you run it. Excellent vapor and extraction. Not always visible vapor (though it's easy to set up to get that), but always potent effects.
- would you be worried carrying this in a car or your parents house? I usually keep my stuff in a mason jar but that attracts attention so...
No, it's the least recognizable or sketchy vape I've used yet. It's completely stealthy on visual, and so small that it fits in your hand when in use. It's the only vape I've used that I didn't feel like I was drawing attention to myself.
- how solid does that mouthpiece feel? Is it solid aluminum? Does it wiggle?
It's a smooth, yet squishy rubbery-ish material. This part surprised me the most. I expected hard plastic, but this is so much better. It holds itself in with friction, but doesn't have that tacky rubber texture (which I cannot stand). It being forgiving makes it a pleasant mouthpiece to use.
Yes, you could easily use this with gloves and a helmet.
Justpassedu
Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity, which do you like more and would you use both? I want to pick up something I can bum around with at home and something for the mountain. These are currently the top two vapes.
I value beauty, simplicity, flavor, size, and build quality. Price is a minor factor (i don't want to get ripped off or waste money)
In the portable I don't mind some warm up and a large bowl. I want something compact, discrete, easy to hit by anyone with gloves/a helmet on, and a big enough bowl for two/three people to use without stirring/refilling. Other portable vapes i've been eyeing are the Pinnacle Pro, Puffit 2, and Pax.
In the home unit I want instant on and no open flame/exposed heated metal, great flavor, easy to clean, little to no warm up time.
In both I want little to no ambient smell and a way to charge without leaving the actual unit plugged in (living with my parents and our cops are hardcore
I've owned:
A Lotus - Owned two. amazing. great flavor, small or big bowl, good water pipe compatibility, no warm up time, cheap.
MFLB - Owned two. compact, great athestic, simple, love the flavor, minimal smell, batteries can be charged on there own.
DaBuddha - Hated it overall. Whip was always falling out. Warming up was a pain. Taste sucked. But omg did it get me and friends stoned...
Firefly Knockoff - Herb got sorta roasted and i got sorta high but I had to pull really hard to get the herb to vaporize. Couldn't get through a sesh without the thing overheating or dieing.
Homemade beast - I could elaborate but it was in high school and cost me $30. Wicked powerful. Brass bowl (:s). Kinda dangerous. What I wouldn't give for that vape.
I've used:
Valcano - amazeballs... see below
V-tower - Cheap POS. Eh vapor. Bad build quality.
Pax - Surprisingly liked it. Pretty and had a homey vapor
Solo - hated the loose stem. Vapor was meh. Buttons felt cheap
I someday want:
Digital Solid Valve Volcano - flavor is amazing. high is killer. classy looking. good resale value. nothing for people to break.
E-nano - beautiful, totally rips!
So more specifically:
- how bad is the smell?
- does it smell when not being used?
- is that oven lid as wimpy as it looks?
- is the pin in the bowl a pain?
- how many people can share it? Can two? How about two mtn seshions?
- would you guys get this over the pax, puffit 2, or grasshopper (were i to wait that long)?
- would you buy both vapes again or is one your go to?
- how is the vapor quality? Sounds pretty good
- would you be worried carrying this in a car or your parents house? I usually keep my stuff in a mason jar but that attracts attention so...
- how solid does that mouthpiece feel? Is it solid aluminum? Does it wiggle?
I am going to give you my opinion , it may not be the best here as i had a broken unit arrive to me twice and really only had a brief session with it but i feel every bit of info. helps. As for the smell its there , herb naturally smells so when the unit is heating up with herb in it, there is some smell there , its not as strong as com-busting but its there and outdoors would prob be hard to notice. When not being used there is not much smell if you keep the unit clean but in my opinion the way the bowl area was designed is not great , there are small gaps very tiny between the heater were tiny particles of herb can get in and stuck and will not come out. This can produce some smell over time. The pin in the bowl is only a pain when packing the unit. It does get in the way some but can be made much easier to pack with a little creativity of creating your own packing device. Also i do not feel the oven door is well made but for users only time will tell. Its a click type of lock were you slide a small plastic handle to lock and close it. I felt it can easily break over time. As for sharing i'd say 2-3 people can prob share it , it really depends on how much medication you and the users need. two packing's should prob do you right. Also keep in mind the battery is non user replaceable so once it runs out you'll need to find a power source to charge it wich imo i feel isn't great to be marketed as a outdoors type vape due to this. Your battery dies snowboarding and your done . I prefer something that i can talke a few batteries with me and not have to worry. To me the mouthpiece doesnt feel so solid , its small and i felt i was almost puffing the whole vape or pulling the mouth piece up so i can get my lips on it. Fat lips wouldn't work great with this vape lol. It is not solid aluminum , the mouthpiece is rubber. This was not the vape for me , i had a bad experience with it so far but i do like its size allot. Many people have had great success with them so far here as you will read. This is just my 2cents . I'm sure if i got a working unit some of my opinions would be different and some i'd keep the same.
I will piggy back this post as I also received two bad units. He pretty much wrote what I was too lazy to write. Lol
Justpassedu
Well-Known Member
There are no attachments made to adapt water tools with the Alfa . You would have to make something custom on your own . You may be able to buy a 14mm to 18mm glass adapter and stick the rubber mouthpiece into it and it should work . If you turn the mp over it will work decent with 14mm using the opposite end.
Last edited:
PPN
Volute of Vapor
Hi, I picked up an Haze 2.5 recently and I would advise everybody here the Alfa is:
1- Tastier (Haze taste really good too but taste quickly degrade)
2- Cloudier (definitly a bigger hitter!)
3- Stealthier, smaller
BUT
4- less practical to use (Haze cans and dual bowl is very nice on the go!)
5- No concentrate option (where the Haze shines imho)
Definitly the Alfa is the way if you want something "on the go", no batteries and no stems to cary, decent longlife, amazing performances, very stealth and very easy to connect to a water tool, you only need to press the mp on a mâle 18 or 14mm joint...it works for me!
1- Tastier (Haze taste really good too but taste quickly degrade)
2- Cloudier (definitly a bigger hitter!)
3- Stealthier, smaller
BUT
4- less practical to use (Haze cans and dual bowl is very nice on the go!)
5- No concentrate option (where the Haze shines imho)
Definitly the Alfa is the way if you want something "on the go", no batteries and no stems to cary, decent longlife, amazing performances, very stealth and very easy to connect to a water tool, you only need to press the mp on a mâle 18 or 14mm joint...it works for me!
Highly recommend putting a screen on top of the bowl to press it down a little bit. Keep everything in place and is getting me clouds on the 'Low' and 'AT' and 'AP' settings, which before I wans't getting satisfying hits off. Getting so much more out of the unit now. Loving my Alfa still
Thanks for the replies! Nice to hear about that mouthpiece! Sounds like it will be plenty for a sesh. Also thanks for the case suggestion.
Idk the DaBuddha wasn't the vape for me. I think the heat up time and people constantly spilling the bowl is what ruined it. I much prefer the simplicity, vapor, efficiency, and dead simple cleaning of my Lotus at the same price.
So i'm now kinda leaning towards this or the Indica as a boarding/out and about vape. Does anyone have both?
From what I gather:
Win Alpha:
- I prefer the look. Smaller, less conspicuous looking, and more discrete in use and probably easier to use with a downhill/motorcycle helmet that covers one's chin without the clasp lid. Both seem high quality.
- The Alpha's warm up time is ~30 seconds while the Indica is ~80 seconds. This is pretty big for me.
- The Alpha has better controls then the Indica imo. It seems like the Alpha's dial would be easier to use with gloves on. AT and AP sound cool and three temp settings seems like plenty.
- Indica has lots of gaps above the bowl for stuff to get trapped. Someone mentioned that the Alpha has a narrow gap near the bottom of the bowl but I cant see one? I saw that 3d printed filler on here. Maybe I would be disciplined enough to use it. Advantage Alpha.
- The Indica has that cheap looking plastic base when you open the lid (they should have frosted it esp on the matte black model).
- Alpha is US made and few/no reports of off gassing. I've been seeing a lot of reports of off taste initially, off gassing, and other QC issues here. Furthermore, with a vape with a non user replaceable battery quality is extra important. :/
Win Indica:
- The pin in the Alpha bowl looks annoying. I get why they added it. I can just see myself getting burnt on it and dreading emptying the bowl because i can't find a toothpick or i'm out and about. I guess i could just keep a pick in my abv container and wait until i get home and it's cool to empty it. But then i'm carrying around a potentially smelly unit. The indica on the other hand wants you to carry around a full unit and seems to take smell into account with it's design/lid. I suppose the indica has a deep bowl which is going to be a pain to empty as well.
- The indica seems like it has a nicer bowl lid (which probably contributes to that area getting dirty). I dig that it sticks to the side of the unit. The Alpha's looks weak but there haven't been issues with it yet. Perhaps this doesn't matter.
- Indica uses a usb changer which is preferred as i could connect it to a usb power bank (living with my parents). Alpha use a DC barrel connector which imo is more durable. I guess i could make/buy a usb to dc cable.
- The Indica's box looks soo nice!
Tied/Wash:
- Sounds like smell isn't a major issue when not in use for either? Intuitively I would assume the indica would be less smelly when in storage.
- I have mixed feelings on the bigger bowl of the indica. As a session travel vape a big bowl seems nice and from what i've read here the taste doesn't get worse over the coarse of the bowl or when you come back to an old bowl. I assume the effects would change however. The Alpha's I'm typically a small bowl vape sorta guy because i'm cheap.
- From what I gather vapor quality is similar, customer service is similar, and price is similar.
- The black indica and this both have silicon mouthpieces/mouthpiece covers.
This will be important when out in the cold. Slightly prefer the Alpha's all silicon mouthpiece as i could see the silicon sleeve getting lost, stretched, or ripped with time. But there are replacements so it isn't a deal breaker.
- Indica is rated 6-8 uses or 1.5 hrs. Alpha is rated at 2 hours and sounds like it lasts 1-2. Both have plenty of charge for me.
- Neither have replaceable batteries. I guess I just need to accept it will only last 200 charges. That is ~400 uses...
Idk the DaBuddha wasn't the vape for me. I think the heat up time and people constantly spilling the bowl is what ruined it. I much prefer the simplicity, vapor, efficiency, and dead simple cleaning of my Lotus at the same price.
So i'm now kinda leaning towards this or the Indica as a boarding/out and about vape. Does anyone have both?
From what I gather:
Win Alpha:
- I prefer the look. Smaller, less conspicuous looking, and more discrete in use and probably easier to use with a downhill/motorcycle helmet that covers one's chin without the clasp lid. Both seem high quality.
- The Alpha's warm up time is ~30 seconds while the Indica is ~80 seconds. This is pretty big for me.
- The Alpha has better controls then the Indica imo. It seems like the Alpha's dial would be easier to use with gloves on. AT and AP sound cool and three temp settings seems like plenty.
- Indica has lots of gaps above the bowl for stuff to get trapped. Someone mentioned that the Alpha has a narrow gap near the bottom of the bowl but I cant see one? I saw that 3d printed filler on here. Maybe I would be disciplined enough to use it. Advantage Alpha.
- The Indica has that cheap looking plastic base when you open the lid (they should have frosted it esp on the matte black model).
- Alpha is US made and few/no reports of off gassing. I've been seeing a lot of reports of off taste initially, off gassing, and other QC issues here. Furthermore, with a vape with a non user replaceable battery quality is extra important. :/
Win Indica:
- The pin in the Alpha bowl looks annoying. I get why they added it. I can just see myself getting burnt on it and dreading emptying the bowl because i can't find a toothpick or i'm out and about. I guess i could just keep a pick in my abv container and wait until i get home and it's cool to empty it. But then i'm carrying around a potentially smelly unit. The indica on the other hand wants you to carry around a full unit and seems to take smell into account with it's design/lid. I suppose the indica has a deep bowl which is going to be a pain to empty as well.
- The indica seems like it has a nicer bowl lid (which probably contributes to that area getting dirty). I dig that it sticks to the side of the unit. The Alpha's looks weak but there haven't been issues with it yet. Perhaps this doesn't matter.
- Indica uses a usb changer which is preferred as i could connect it to a usb power bank (living with my parents). Alpha use a DC barrel connector which imo is more durable. I guess i could make/buy a usb to dc cable.
- The Indica's box looks soo nice!
Tied/Wash:
- Sounds like smell isn't a major issue when not in use for either? Intuitively I would assume the indica would be less smelly when in storage.
- I have mixed feelings on the bigger bowl of the indica. As a session travel vape a big bowl seems nice and from what i've read here the taste doesn't get worse over the coarse of the bowl or when you come back to an old bowl. I assume the effects would change however. The Alpha's I'm typically a small bowl vape sorta guy because i'm cheap.
- From what I gather vapor quality is similar, customer service is similar, and price is similar.
- The black indica and this both have silicon mouthpieces/mouthpiece covers.
This will be important when out in the cold. Slightly prefer the Alpha's all silicon mouthpiece as i could see the silicon sleeve getting lost, stretched, or ripped with time. But there are replacements so it isn't a deal breaker. - Indica is rated 6-8 uses or 1.5 hrs. Alpha is rated at 2 hours and sounds like it lasts 1-2. Both have plenty of charge for me.
- Neither have replaceable batteries. I guess I just need to accept it will only last 200 charges.
That is ~400 uses...
Last edited:
My repaired unit is working. However, the heat up time is approximately 85-95 seconds. I stopwatched the battery use from a full charge on the medium heat setting and recorded a total of 52 minutes until fully discharged. Almost completed 4 sessions. When the constant amber light appears you have about 10 minutes left. Not quite as advertised in these regards.
Justpassedu
Well-Known Member
maremaresing
Well-Known Member
Idk the DaBuddha wasn't the vape for me. I think the heat up time and people constantly spilling the bowl is what ruined it. I much prefer the simplicity, vapor, efficiency, and dead simple cleaning of my Lotus at the same price.
- Neither have replaceable batteries. I guess I just need to accept it will only last 200 charges.
The DBV heat up time is 3-4 minutes from cold, and can be left on indefinitely for zero warm up time. I'm not sure what more you could ask of such a device, at this point. If people are spilling loads, tell them to stop. People don't have trouble spilling loads when smoking from an open bowl, and this holds it in even more. If it's really a problem, inhale slightly as you turn the glass rod to put it in the vape. After the first or second pull, the load pretty much holds itself in place.
I hear good things about the Lotus, but that's a portable flame based vape. Completely different deal.
"non user replaceable" seems like a huge limitation, but 400 uses is A LOT. And, worse case, you undo one screw to access the inside and install another battery. If it isn't a plug, it's simple solder points. I used to worry about this until I realized it was a non issue in actual use. For something this small and powerful, you will have tradeoffs.
Mine was closer to 5 minutes. I would usually crank it then turn it down once it started to get hot; or rather forget to and end up waiting another few minutes for it to cool. Helped me understand why people dig digital temp vapes. I never left it on/out because I was in a school apartment at the time. It was usually 3-4 people around the machine sitting in a circle/on beds. Even when I used it I was constantly having the whip fall out. The whip was short so it tended to fall out. I got longer whips but their weight tended to tip the vape and their length caused them to kill the flavor and get caught on stuff. And they always kinda held the smell of stale vapor. :/ Just wasn't the vape for me. I did love the poking stick though and sold it for ~5/8 of what I paid for it. My next at home/group vape will be a bag vape or just the Lotus/this or the Indica.
And yea 400 is a lot. I don't anticipate it being a daily driver either. More of a weekend vape so that really won't be much of an issue - still a single cell goes bad and it's a slippery slope. I had a $800 bike battery rated for 1200 cycles go after a year and only 140 cycles dues to one faulty cell (that was welded and epoxied to the others).
Getting pretty off topic though... think i'm going to think it over for a few days then pull the trigger on one of these two.
And yea 400 is a lot. I don't anticipate it being a daily driver either. More of a weekend vape so that really won't be much of an issue - still a single cell goes bad and it's a slippery slope. I had a $800 bike battery rated for 1200 cycles go after a year and only 140 cycles dues to one faulty cell (that was welded and epoxied to the others).
Getting pretty off topic though...
think i'm going to think it over for a few days then pull the trigger on one of these two. Alfa performance update: Broke out the timer again to test battery duration. This time I went LO setting from power on to power off. 63 minutes total runtime for an (almost) completed 4 sessions. I think Goboof needs to amend their advertising as I call BS on their claims of 2 hours runtime. Also warmup times very similar to last post. Not even close to 30 seconds, SMH. 90 second heatup and 1 hour runtime is more accurate, IMO.
sorry to tell you this, but your unit is not working correctly. i dont know about how long my battery holds but it certainly does heat up within 30 seconds.
Yeah that heatup time definitely isn't normal. Even on low battery and heating up to highest setting it's like 30 seconds max. Agree with the battery time though. Probably get about 4 bowls on Low/Med. Iv'e started using a screen on top of the bowl and its so much more efficient so means I can get a lot more out my battery as i'm not using 'Hi' setting/
maremaresing
Well-Known Member
I'm very interested in your runtime tests, so keep them coming (within reason). Is this the unit being left on the whole time? Does the load cook off at all during this extremely long run?
I notice runtime hits when im just taking one pull each time and turning it back off. I attribute this to the massive amount of power needed to heat up the bowl super fast.
There are two sides to the heat up story. On the one hand, his unit may be defective. On the other, he may just not be packing it full enough. I find an emptier load to take longer, probably because of less insulation/more air to tell the sensor it's up to temp.
I notice runtime hits when im just taking one pull each time and turning it back off. I attribute this to the massive amount of power needed to heat up the bowl super fast.
There are two sides to the heat up story. On the one hand, his unit may be defective. On the other, he may just not be packing it full enough. I find an emptier load to take longer, probably because of less insulation/more air to tell the sensor it's up to temp.
darkrom
Great Scott!
I believe it to be the best conduction vape I've ever used. I'm usually only a fan of convection, but this thing really is great.
Hi, just wanted to say that this forum helped me a lot with choosing the Alfa as my first vaporizer, so I created an account to share my review and experiences with this little vape. I was in the same boat as most of you in terms of receiving a faulty unit (I was only able to finish one bowl before the blinking red light of death), but gotvape made it right and I've been enjoying this vaporizer ever since! In fact, I recently finished a road trip/move from socal to nyc and the Alfa has been a handy little sidekick throughout the several weeks of my epic journey (I took the long road lol). I have to admit, I was very nervous about it breaking down on me again, so I took a glass pipe with me just in case, but ended up not needing it and gave it away to a couple of cool hippies I met along the way lol.
Anyway, I am new to the vaporizer world so I am by no means an expert, but I narrowed my choices between the Alfa, Pax, Haze and Ascent. My biggest criteria for choosing a vape was its stealth factor as I wanted something I could use on the go and if I wanted to, in public. Also, I wanted something that was low maintenance, and something that produced the least amount of smell... though, I understood that there would probably always be some degree of smell with weed lol.
I crossed off the Ascent mainly because of its glass mouthpiece, since I wanted something durable for hikes and other outdoor activities (I tend to drop some of my electronics from time to time).
I was a big fan of the Haze's design and its convenience of a dual chamber for e liquids and concentrates. But since I rarely use concentrates and already have an ego v3 for my e liquids, I felt the Haze was a bit overkill for my needs.
I kept on going back and forth between the Pax and Alfa, and tbh almost pulled the trigger on the Pax, mainly because of it's design. I mean, let's face it, that thing is just too sexy, especially in green lol. Also the way the LED glows and changes color is just so
... But as I spent hours online reading and watching reviews, I decided the Pax was simply too much maintenance. Reading about its mouthpiece needing constant lubrication was a total turn off, which was really disappointing bc I was looking for every reason to pull the trigger on the Pax.
In the end, I bought the Alfa because it met and surpassed all of my needs. IMO, it's stealthier than the Pax bc it's smaller and at quick glance, looks like a little mp3 player. In terms of stealth factor, I think this is where the Alfa truly shines because the way it's designed, it doesn't draw attention, whereas the Pax's beauty usually demands a double take IMO. That's not to say the Alfa is ugly at all. It's well designed, but inconspicuous... like an Audi, as opposed to the Pax's Mercedes Benz. During my trip, there were many instances where people saw me with the Alfa in my hand (sometimes during use), and not one commented on it. This is including law enforcement (national park/forest rangers and state troopers). I'm not saying you could blatantly make it obvious and vape in front of cops and not get caught with it... just use common sense and you should be fine.
Whenever I pack a fresh bowl and vape, this is when the Alfa smells the most. I usually try to vape outdoors in a secluded area, or if that's not possible, in my car with the window cracked. The smell usually settles down after the 2nd or 3rd session (about 10-15 hits). TBH, I have yet to experience thick clouds with this vape. Most of the time, it's almost invisible or very thin clouds. Regardless, it still gets me really baked no problem. On a fresh bowl, I usually start off with 2 hits on low, then another 2-3 on medium, and I must say, I never knew the taste of weed could be this good lol!! In fact, ever since I started using the Alfa, I've never had the desire to combust ever again! After about 15-20 hits, this is when I hit the Alfa on its high setting until the ABV almost looks like tobacco brown.
Battery life was never an issue for me since I usually only take around 5 hits per session. During my hikes, I would sometimes hit the Alfa more frequently (well over an hour of total use), but it never died on me. I also bought a power inverter for the road trip to be able to charge it, along with other electronics, in my car. However, I cannot comment on its TRUE battery life, since I've never used it until it died (I've only gotten the amber warning light once).
One last comment about masking its smell. For me, the Ryot PackRatz case was perfect. It's small, fits in my coat pocket, is extremely effective at hiding smell, and best of all, can hold the Alfa zipped closed while it's charging. Here are some pictures to show you what I mean.
Anyway, sorry for the crappy ipad pics. I was too lazy to use my digital camera lol.
It looks like Goboof made some minor upgrades to their units. If you look on their website, there seems to be two separate LEDs instead of one. Either way, this little vaporizer hits like a champ!!
Anyway, I am new to the vaporizer world so I am by no means an expert, but I narrowed my choices between the Alfa, Pax, Haze and Ascent. My biggest criteria for choosing a vape was its stealth factor as I wanted something I could use on the go and if I wanted to, in public. Also, I wanted something that was low maintenance, and something that produced the least amount of smell... though, I understood that there would probably always be some degree of smell with weed lol.
I crossed off the Ascent mainly because of its glass mouthpiece, since I wanted something durable for hikes and other outdoor activities (I tend to drop some of my electronics from time to time).
I was a big fan of the Haze's design and its convenience of a dual chamber for e liquids and concentrates. But since I rarely use concentrates and already have an ego v3 for my e liquids, I felt the Haze was a bit overkill for my needs.
I kept on going back and forth between the Pax and Alfa, and tbh almost pulled the trigger on the Pax, mainly because of it's design. I mean, let's face it, that thing is just too sexy, especially in green lol. Also the way the LED glows and changes color is just so
... But as I spent hours online reading and watching reviews, I decided the Pax was simply too much maintenance. Reading about its mouthpiece needing constant lubrication was a total turn off, which was really disappointing bc I was looking for every reason to pull the trigger on the Pax.In the end, I bought the Alfa because it met and surpassed all of my needs. IMO, it's stealthier than the Pax bc it's smaller and at quick glance, looks like a little mp3 player. In terms of stealth factor, I think this is where the Alfa truly shines because the way it's designed, it doesn't draw attention, whereas the Pax's beauty usually demands a double take IMO. That's not to say the Alfa is ugly at all. It's well designed, but inconspicuous... like an Audi, as opposed to the Pax's Mercedes Benz. During my trip, there were many instances where people saw me with the Alfa in my hand (sometimes during use), and not one commented on it. This is including law enforcement (national park/forest rangers and state troopers). I'm not saying you could blatantly make it obvious and vape in front of cops and not get caught with it... just use common sense and you should be fine.
Whenever I pack a fresh bowl and vape, this is when the Alfa smells the most. I usually try to vape outdoors in a secluded area, or if that's not possible, in my car with the window cracked. The smell usually settles down after the 2nd or 3rd session (about 10-15 hits). TBH, I have yet to experience thick clouds with this vape. Most of the time, it's almost invisible or very thin clouds. Regardless, it still gets me really baked no problem. On a fresh bowl, I usually start off with 2 hits on low, then another 2-3 on medium, and I must say, I never knew the taste of weed could be this good lol!! In fact, ever since I started using the Alfa, I've never had the desire to combust ever again! After about 15-20 hits, this is when I hit the Alfa on its high setting until the ABV almost looks like tobacco brown.
Battery life was never an issue for me since I usually only take around 5 hits per session. During my hikes, I would sometimes hit the Alfa more frequently (well over an hour of total use), but it never died on me. I also bought a power inverter for the road trip to be able to charge it, along with other electronics, in my car. However, I cannot comment on its TRUE battery life, since I've never used it until it died (I've only gotten the amber warning light once).
One last comment about masking its smell. For me, the Ryot PackRatz case was perfect. It's small, fits in my coat pocket, is extremely effective at hiding smell, and best of all, can hold the Alfa zipped closed while it's charging. Here are some pictures to show you what I mean.
Anyway, sorry for the crappy ipad pics. I was too lazy to use my digital camera lol.
It looks like Goboof made some minor upgrades to their units. If you look on their website, there seems to be two separate LEDs instead of one. Either way, this little vaporizer hits like a champ!!
Dude you read my mind... Also thanks for the case recommendation! Any others people enjoy? Someone mentioned the Oterbox 1000. But i'm having trouble finding it for less then $50 and it looks kinda sketchy.
I've always been a fan of Dime Bags (the case)). Just pulled the trigger on this vape!
TBH, I didn't like the fact that the Otterbox was a hardcase. It also just looked to chunky for my needs. Unless you're looking for something that's completely airtight and waterproof, I think the Ryot case is the way to go.Dude you read my mind... Also thanks for the case recommendation! Any others people enjoy? Someone mentioned the Oterbox 1000. But i'm having trouble finding it for less then $50 and it looks kinda sketchy.
Just pulled the trigger on this vape!
maremaresing
Well-Known Member
Congrats! You are going to love it. Otter box 1000's are cheap. This one even comes with foam (though the alfa is a perfect fit anyway.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dry-Box-OTT...183?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa1f7881f
this may not, but its still cheap
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OtterBox-10...806?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e4dbb97e
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dry-Box-OTT...183?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa1f7881f
this may not, but its still cheap
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OtterBox-10...806?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e4dbb97e