MiniVAP Vaporizer

MinnBobber

Well-Known Member
I just found an EQ elbow with 5 inches of poly whip on it. The MV whip pops right into the EQ whip, which is now popped in a 12" bubbler. Rawk and roll :)

edit - It looks almost exactly like @mixchu69 , which popped up as soon as I posted this message - great minds and all that stuff... ;)

Edit 2 - just tried the wee flexicone upside down on a bubbler. Gawd this thing is a bit of a train! It seems to need a good strong inhale to get started, but once it gets started it just keeps going!
........................................

Keep on trying new methods.
The flexicone inverted onto a bubbler and mV then inverted over it is definitely a signature, full flavor, with moisturized vapor setup !!!
 

Michel

Well-Known Member
@Kommyknocker
@mixchu69
I'm not sure if it is really a gradual power drop or a sporadic power drop since I got this from the beginning. I guess it makes no difference. I own it for 2 or 3 weeks only. I think contacting Hermes directly would be better since it should be hard to explain the seller that a heating unit with clouds producing is defective...
Thx for your replies, kommyknocker please let me know if the new unit is better
 

Smknbud

Well-Known Member
Hello everybody,

I am one of the new minivap users, too, but only because I needed a backup unit for my broken mighty and because of VAS of course (I have some other vaporizers already to survive without the mighty, like the crafty :) )
Didn't want to get something inferior to the mighty (which happened anyway, I suggest) so I pulled the trigger for the tcmv 2014.

I am really not impressed by it (most of the times). I have to inhale hard and so much hot air to get some small clouds that I am coughing like crazy. Can't tell anyone who don't now about vaporizers that this is healthier than smoking. But I did not want to give up so early.
Sometimes it does work like a charm and I am wondering why I'm even talking about other vaporizers. Smooth, tasteful hits with big clouds from 5-7 seconds inhalation without coughing. So smooth I wouldn't believe if I couldn't see it.
Sometimes I get barely some clouds. I'm coughing most of the time, sometimes with clouds, sometimes without clouds.
I want to enjoy my f******g 519.-€ Tier 1 vape like you do all, but seriously, it is a PITA. Charging the basket and not getting big clouds can be very annoying if I have time pressure or haven't the mighty with me. It tends me to not use it at all. Only for demonstration for guests visiting me. Expensive entertainment for guests.
If it weren't so beautiful and expensive, I would smash it against the wall...

Out of 10 sessions:
3 sessions are amazing, 5 are ok but inferior to the mighty and 2 sessions are getting spend without giving real clouds at all.
I tried everything from small to no basket, flexicone, Teflon cone, whip style, no cap or cap with washer / shim / o-ring from mighty to increase air seal, slight pack, dense pack, coarse grind, fine grind, nothing is really satisfying. Next step is to remove the first of the sieves and charge directly to give less space of the load to the heater. The only big clouds I get are when starting directly on red, sometimes green. I think to remember getting some clouds on pink, too, when the unit was new, but I don't use pink or blue anymore.
Perhaps I should mention I'm hitting only dry with flexicone+ and 10cm silicone whip and the glass stem of the mflb.
I don't want to sound like a S&B fanboy or a minivap hater, but I am really disappointed. Is it possible that my unit is defective? I get this humming sound when the device is heating, I can hear it too loud, I think.
My throat is irritated after 2 or 3 big baskets. Never expected this with mighty or volcano.

I am open to any suggestions. Perhaps I should get a gcmv. As I read a 2-3 seconds draw is enough for big clouds.

Sometimes the front light stops blinking and goes black like the unit is frozen. No reaction to button press'.I have to disconnect the batterie to reset the Unit.
Often when turning the MV on, the front light goes solid for 1 minute or so before it starts blinking.
It doesn't get hot enough to finish the small bowl with pure kief. I have to finish the darkened kief in another vaporizer, looks like 2nd degree hash when out of the MV but fairly away from finished because I can get some more good hits.
Should I send it in for repair and hope for an updated gcmv?

Excuse my misspelling , I am a German user not native English speaking. If I wasn't clear or misunderstanding, excuse I am enjoying the mighty back from repair for several hours now!

Bottom line. This is the classic failed/failing MV I and others have had to have replaced. Same for you it seems.
 

Kommyknocker

Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm gonna strive to remember(might even take a video lol) how this new one performs from the off, and remain as aware of any change as I can.. Trouble with that? All the flowers I get are different.. No real consistency to variety so there's no real constant way to accurately gauge a long term change.
 
Kommyknocker,

lazylightning

It's an obsession but it's pleasin'
Yeah I'm gonna strive to remember(might even take a video lol) how this new one performs from the off, and remain as aware of any change as I can.. Trouble with that? All the flowers I get are different.. No real consistency to variety so there's no real constant way to accurately gauge a long term change.

Get some Boveda packs and a nice airtight, lightproof jar and save a few grams for testing purposes. :science:

Aged properly, you can preserve flower for many months with very little degradation to CBN. :leaf:
 

Smknbud

Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm gonna strive to remember(might even take a video lol) how this new one performs from the off, and remain as aware of any change as I can.. Trouble with that? All the flowers I get are different.. No real consistency to variety so there's no real constant way to accurately gauge a long term change.
The way I eventually knew was if the herb I thought was or should have been spent in the MV actually wasn't.
 

Kommyknocker

Well-Known Member
Strange, I was super surprised how brown my Abv was from my back up solo.
Now I know it's conduction mostly and generally that'll mean it'll get darker but i think there was a definite drop in how spent my load was from the start point until just before core failure.
Solo clouds taste bunk as fu#k after first draw though.. Can't believe I used to sing the solos praises.
 

Sid

Member
I noticed that differences too. The noise is from the regulator, inside the mv, not in the battery pack. I may have been used to it already or it has faded because it doesn't bother me a bit.


Thanks for this @Roger D, I was worried that it was a problem with the core, as my GC is absolutely silent!

EDIT - Does your TC also turn itself off quicker than your GC?
 
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Sid,
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OnCloud8

Vapor Vixen
Yeah I'm gonna strive to remember(might even take a video lol) how this new one performs from the off, and remain as aware of any change as I can.. Trouble with that? All the flowers I get are different.. No real consistency to variety so there's no real constant way to accurately gauge a long term change.

I think the key here is to have a back-up vape that is solid that you know and love. While my MV has been down I went first back to my EQ and then picked up an e-nano (which is awesome btw). So yeah, as soon as I switched back to my EQ I was like "oh yeah, my MV is broken", cause I'd had that same concern you are talking about (is it my technique? dryness of material? etc...). I'd had it all cleaned and packed away so I sorta dragged my feet getting it out, but as soon as I did it was obvious that the MV was underperforming. Now I figure going forward I will judge my eventual replacement against the nano (now my daily driver). It's a bit Apples to Oranges I know, but you can get *some* idea of how good your fill material is if you have even one reliable reference point.
 

mmafighterthe25

Well-Known Member
With mine, if I don't squash the flexicone to make a great seal I won't get huge clouds. When I do massive clouds mostly all temps. I heat to red then step it down. But my favorite temps green an red. It Def gets hot enough touching flexicone hot as f out chamber.
 
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Michel

Well-Known Member
Put a ring washer or an o-ring between lid and flexicone to increase pressure.
I put one of the small o-rings from the mighty/crafty on the flexicone+ before putting it through the lid. Hope you understand what I mean...
 
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Michel,

Wzfbaby7

Well-Known Member
How do you guys keep the mouthpiece cooled? On green, the air is so hot that I almost burned my lips on the mouthpiece while inhaling. Also how do I tell if I have the new firmware and what's the secret to bigger clouds? There is so much I don't know yet and I've tried to read but there's too many pages to get to the info I want. Thanks in advance.
 
Wzfbaby7,

Michel

Well-Known Member
Use a whip or a water tool, or even a glass mouthpiece for longer vape path and use the flexicone + at minimum
Let the unit preheat on red for 15 min before hitting on your desired temperature.
Inhale long and steady, perhaps even hard as long as you can several times behind to heat up the load.
Don't use the standard mouth piece, it's to small and whistles.
For firmware you could contact Hermes directly?
Make sure the flexicone makes a good seal by pushing it down, use without lid or read my post just above.
Experiment with grind and moisture, the dryer the better. If it still don't work send it to Hermes (like me after experimenting for 3 weeks, contacted them already)
 

bigmouth

Well-Known Member
@Michel, as others have noted, it sounds like your MiniVAP is faulty. But one thing you didn't mention in your post was how long you let the MiniVAP heat up before you use it. I assume you've tried allowing it to heat up 15 minutes or more before using it?
 
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Wzfbaby7

Well-Known Member
@Michel, as others have noted, it sounds like your MiniVAP is faulty. But one thing you didn't mention in your post was how long you let the MiniVAP heat up before you use it. I assume you've tried allowing it to heat up 15 minutes or more before using it?

Yup! I definitely made sure it was heated up to red first and it took about 15 minutes which alarmed me at first because I was used to portables. I'll play with it and determine if its faulty.
 
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killick

But I like it!
So I'm trying the mini straw thingie for the first time. I don't have to give the unit a 'kick-suck' (throwback to my old bike daze). I started it, forgot about it til it was timed out, restarted (on red), and while it was blinking took a nice slow test draw - and warmish, and cloudy! Turned it down to blurple, and on draw 3 it's nice and lemony and unscrewing my head. Probably because, when I forgot the MV was heating up, I refilled the INH and turned it back on. So this is actually #3 of the day... but man it's a nice day! :)
 

Michel

Well-Known Member
@bigmouth

Like I considered to @Wzfbaby7 in my post just above around 15 minutes. I turn my MV on directly after waking up by the alarm clock and smelling the sweet smell of the reclaim in the flexicone :)
Then I'm getting ready for the day in the bathroom before hoping to enjoy my MV with a nice cup of coffee before leaving the house with crafty for a walk with the dog or going to work / university with the mighty...
I think I take between 10 to 30 min in the morning where the MV preheats. I'm bold and don't have to make my hair so I'm fast in the bathroom :rofl:

Today I had one nice session after letting it preheat till it shuts off totally (24 min?), like @killick, then I let it reheat on red directly and hitting it right after the light goes solid. Taste and clouds delicious, throat irritated anyway from riping the silicone. I finish my bowls until there is no more vapor which could cause the throat irritation...

Edit: I'm bald, not bold. At least I hope so!
 
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Michel,
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Smknbud

Well-Known Member
So I'm trying the mini straw thingie for the first time. I don't have to give the unit a 'kick-suck' (throwback to my old bike daze). I started it, forgot about it til it was timed out, restarted (on red), and while it was blinking took a nice slow test draw - and warmish, and cloudy! Turned it down to blurple, and on draw 3 it's nice and lemony and unscrewing my head. Probably because, when I forgot the MV was heating up, I refilled the INH and turned it back on. So this is actually #3 of the day... but man it's a nice day! :)
Not sure if I'm interpreting what you wrote correctly or not, but if you like blurple (I don't have that color choice btw :D) just heat it to that. No need to heat it to Red first with a proper MV. Hitting the MV dry on Red will trash my throat....way too hot. Red needs water for cooling....at least for me.
 

killick

But I like it!
@Smknbud I have no clue what temp I was at. It heated to red, auto shut off. A few minutes later I restarted on red. It was flashing for a couple of minutes. I took a draw and got a wisp of vape and flavour, so turned it down to blurple (I think the manual calls it pink - 2nd lowest? Thats no pink - thats blurple!)

As for the heat - I was waiting to get scalded by the heat, especially with the shortie hard plastic one - but it wasn't as bad as expected. This may be due to my using an Inhalater INH05S, with the skookum heater. Thats a hot unit and will roast at higher temps. Maybe I'm just getting used to that, and finding this not as hot. Maybe it's the better airflow? The architecture is pretty similar in that the heat comes from a couple of small holes on the sides, and the air is heated before going through a chamber full of herb. I guess I'm not really surprised that that I like them both so much! :)
 

Michel

Well-Known Member
@Smknbud
I use a longer whip, double the length of the flexicone + so heat isn't a real problem. I like some heat anyway. When the whip is too long I can't estimate the amount of vapor producing because I feel it only when breathing out and then it is too late to not cough like sick. At least when the device works properly.

My unit is giving some good tasting dense clouds on red after I spend the bowl on green until there weren't any clouds left. This is why I finish or even start on red directly because I don't really enjoy oral consumption like tinctures or baked stuff and don't want to throw away not entirely vaped abv. But I'll see if the new unit (if I really get one ) will be better.
Perhaps I should try a gcmv for instant clouds like mighty without priming and more CBD in a session? what you guys are saying? Worth to spend money on a second gcmv if I am enjoying the mighty more besides taste, batterie and general look n feel?
@mmafighterthe25
I let heat soak for 5 to 30 minutes with different success
 
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