Need cool vapor, efficiency, easy cleaning dry herb vape (semi-portable is fine)

Hi all - please drop your knowledge bombs of mass destruction on me. I've been researching vapes for awhile but nothing beats real users posting their own real talk. I get the impression most reviewers on Youtube are just shills. They seem to like almost all vapes they review, probably because they sell the units through their web stores and rely on goodwill from manufacturers to get free review samples. But you guys are the real deal.

My needs are pretty straightforward. I don't need ultra-portability or stealth. I just need the vape to be cordless so I can use it around the house or stick in my trunk for camping trips and such. I'm in a batsh*t crazy bible state where marijuana is worse than child rape so I'm not going to be carrying the thing around in public.

Here's what I do need:

1) Cool vapor (not hot) --- my current cheapass desktop "easy vape" tends to give me a lot of lung and throat irritation because the air is so hot. I partially blame this on its uneven heating which makes me compensate by upping the temp in order to get everything vaped. So I really want a unit that produces cooler vapor.

2) Efficiency --- thanks to my draconian state govt weed is expensive here; the more mileage I can get from my herb the better.

3) Easy cleaning --- the whips on my current vape are very hard to clean. Luckily replacement whips are cheap but it would be nice to have a unit that cleans up easily.


Currently I'm favoring the S&B Mighty and Arizer Solo\Air, but I'm open to anything. Please advise...

Are you close to your car when you camp? The Mighty & the Solo can be charged in you car. Otherwise, if you're a backpacker, an Arizer Air might fit the bill. You can carry charged, replacement batteries.

I own all three, and for my purposes, The Mighty is 1st, but the Solo and the Air are very very good. I generally vape the material once on low, then I bump it up and get all I can at a higher temp. For me, I can't go straight to high temp, as the vapor is too irritating on my lungs.

I just don't get how so many can justify purchasing a 400 dollar vape. Hell, even a 300 dollar one.

I have a couple suggestions for you.

My first is the VaporGenie, I am suggesting specifically the Bronze design.

My other suggestion is the Firewood.

I'd suggest adding the Firefly and Lotus to your list

paytonpenn said:

I just don't get how so many can justify purchasing a 400 dollar vape.

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Ah, it's an affliction, for sure. Disposable income is a contributing factor. If I had no money, I'd have no vapes. V.A.S. (Vaporizer Acquisition Syndrome) strikes all income strata: disposable income is the limiter.

I vote for the Arizer Solo or Air. It ticks all of your boxes (and does it quite nicely I might add), and tastes amazing with the all glass vapor path. I own a Solo, and I wouldn't give it up for the world. You can get them new for around $160.

I also own a VaporGenie, and it too is a great vaporizer (especially for the cost!), although it is a completely different beast. The ability to use it with a candle-flame style (Bic style) lighter is what makes it so appealing to me. It's my "off-the-grid" vape. The vapor can be a little hot (I have the VG Classic) but I understand the Bronze VG allows for more cooling than the classic. Definitely worth looking into, if only for bringing along camping.

As far as S&B products are concerned, they are overpriced IMO. There are plenty of other options out there that work just as good and cost a fraction of the price. Not trying to incite any hate from S&B fans, just voicing my opinion. Maybe someday when I have $400 to blow I'll get one to see what all the hype is about lol.

Good luck with your search for a new vape!

The Solo or Air are great options for your needs, I would also look into the Haze. Very portable, rechargeable batteries which you can carry extra on trips and has a ton of different options for its use.

My top vote would be for a Daisy from Trihouse. Seems to fit all the requirements you have posted. Plus being butane powered you are completely free from electricity. There are so many vapes, but others to consider include the Vapman, Lotus, Lily, and the Hammer. I feel all of these are satisfactory to what you are looking for in a vape. They have the highest return for your money and they are built for a lifetime of use. I own all except for the lotus. (I will have one soon.) And I use all of them everyday, but Daisy is my top girl. Hope this helps. Also welcome to FC @Boxman

P.S. you could buy all the vapes I listed above for about the cost of the S&B Mighty.

Great info guys keep it coming!

Regarding butane vapes, don't you end up breathing in some of the fumes? Butane fumes are bad mmkay?

I would suggest getting a torch, once you have combustion/fire you can't inhale butane because it becomes nothing more than carbon dioxide, water and heat.

I believe science rules are something along those line.

Boxman said:

I don't need ultra-portability or stealth. I just need the vape to be cordless so I can use it around the house or stick in my trunk for camping trips and such.

1) Cool vapor (not hot) ---

2) Efficiency --- the more mileage I can get from my herb the better.

3) Easy cleaning ---

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The MiniVap (through water or flexicon+) and the FireFly checks off all those boxes. There may also may be others that some would recommend as well.

In regards to the S&B portables, being that they have more conduction going on as well as not being able to instantly apply and remove the heat, they have a tendency to not be as efficient as the two vaporizers I mentioned above.

paytonpenn said:

I just don't get how so many can justify purchasing a 400 dollar vape. Hell, even a 300 dollar one.

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How can someone justify spending the money on a Ferrari or Bugatti, or a high end 200,000 dollar state of the art home theater system or a hundred dollar bottle of single malt scotch, or a 125 dollar bottle of Opus One.......etc etc etc ?

The answer is simple and is............because they can. If they desire these things and have the resources to afford these things, then the way I see it, that is all the justification they need, so for me.........I totally get it.

Boxman said:

Regarding butane vapes, don't you end up breathing in some of the fumes?

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Not unless you're expelling butane with no flame. You'll get some leftover partially burned carbon with a regular lighter, but the Genie is the only flame powered (that I can think of) that works better with that. The others do much better with a torch lighter, which leaves nothing but harmless byproducts.

hoptimum said:

I'd suggest adding the Firefly

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That one fits your requirements for a battery powered vape. You can even get an extra battery to pad your vaping time. It's not a mindless hitter though. You'll have to pay attention to your hits in order to get the best results.

lwien said:

The MiniVap (through water or flexicon+)

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Cool, efficient, easy cleaning miniVAP.
Cool with a flexicone plus whip that comes with it or add a longer Herbie whip/ make your own
Efficient as a little bud goes a loooong way. My meager stash has to last months.
Easy cleaning as it has small wire basket modules ( a wire basket with a silicone cover) that go into the heating chamber. My miniVAP is 14 months old and I've cleaned it once and the chamber looks like new.
The miniVAP battery lasts much longer than any other between charging.

MinnBobber said:

The miniVAP battery lasts much longer than any other between charging.

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Have you ever timed yours?

I'd say the Firefly could possibly work quite well, but...

How much herbage do you like to go through? The new 770 mAh batts FF released recently are a major upgrade, but when you say take it camping, how much use do you plan on putting it through? Battery life, though improved, is still a weakness for the FF, to some people.

At home, I think there's little question that it's a fantastic portable - the batteries charge in 45 minutes, and you can simply get an external charger and extra battery to avoid downtime if that 45 minutes is not acceptable. Good to have a backup battery anyway.

Cool vapor? Yeah, the FF has that up the yin-yang. You can find rave reviews of its "vapor quality" all over the FF thread - hell, even from generally negative reviews. And the flavor? Oh, lord. Unbeatable, to my taste buds. I can't think of anyone who would deny that the FF shines up the wazoo as a flavor vape.



As @lwien , pointed out, the FF is efficient in the sense that it only applies heat when you're inhaling - never at any other time. We have tested this fairly extensively in the FF thread and there seems to be pretty much zero heat actually applied to the herb except while inhaling. The FF seems to be entirely convection - or, as entirely convection as is possible, anyway. Fuck, I'm not a rocket biologist.

Some users such as @mitchgo61 (whose love of the Firefly surpasses even mine, if you can believe it) and myself find the FF yields best results from a fully packed bowl. The chamber is pretty small though, and you'd be surprised at just how many fucking hits you can get out of one chamber if you're easy and quick on the heat.

But, if you want something "efficient" in the sense that it will drain your herbs of all possible goodness, the FF may not be right, as it's designed to only go to 400 F. You can, to some extent, "trick" the device to reach slightly higher temps by letting off the button and starting it up again right away and repeating, as well as VERY SLOWLY inhaling, but I don't feel the need to do either. 400 is a higher temp than I want anyway. Above 400, and I start to feel slow, stupid, and stinky.

Cleaning the FF really couldn't be any easier - it's one of its strongest points.

Many people need a little time to "get to know" the FF before they start having great results with it. It's been said that the FF is an "instrument" vape - takes a while for some to master, but pays off greatly in the end. And as @max said, it's not a mindless hitter - there is technique involved. But with a little practice, oh man... you can yield wildly successful results - results that I would say are currently unmatched in the world of electric portable instant convection vapes. Though other manufacturers are nipping at FF's heels...

I bought mine in late December of 2013 and have been enthralled with it since day fucking one. My love for it is probably not healthy in any way, but oh well...

Furthermore, the FF customer service is pretty tough to beat. They may be a "major company" (as far as the Vape Biz goes...), but they tend to treat every customer like their only customer. You can find as many raves for their customer service in the FF thread as you can about its flavor...

Oh, and I'm not a shill - ask anyone! No company in their right mind would want my unstable personality representing them...

I do not profit (monetarily) in any way from my love letters about the FF; I am simply one ecstatic regular fucking customer who will spend 55 fucking minutes editing a goddamn post about it.

EDA keeps it real!
Christ, do I love my Firefly...

I really *should* be on their payroll.

EveryDayAmnesiac said:

Oh, and I'm not a shill - ask anyone!

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It would take one helluva talented shill to remain here with 2,367 posts, eh?

lwien said:

Have you ever timed yours?

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No I haven't timed it. I think Hermes says 3 hours on low temp but obviously less on higher temps.
At first I always used the battery as it was great to be free from a cord.
Then I started using the AC puck and it was great that it was so much lighter and was fine for the bubbler which is kind of in one place/ no need to wander.

For my new hydratube I may use the battery again as it adds more weight/stability.

I had just started my "hybrid experiment" when I went to mostly AC power. My "hybrid" is to plug in AC to bring it up to temp and then switch to battery. IMO, going from 70 F to 400 F takes a lot of power but keeping it at the set temp takes much less (let's say unit drops 10 F from and it has to bring it up again). With that, the battery seemed to hardly ever need recharging

I'd use the battery a lot more if it was legal to stroll in the backyard with it, etc---- non legal state here

lwien said:

It would take one helluva talented shill to remain here with 2,367 posts, eh?

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Hmm. I don't know. There's this one cantankerous old SOB with nearly 13,000 posts and a legion of fans that I'm keeping a pretty close eye on...

EveryDayAmnesiac said:

I'd say the Firefly could possibly work quite well, but...

EDA keeps it real!
Christ, do I love my Firefly...

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My mama raised me never to argue with someone who is 100% correct on all points....so.......that right there....

Yeah, as lwien said, the FF ticks all your boxes. Cool flavor? You're unlikely to find cooler vapor in a portable (unless you are hooking it up to water, he said in an attempt to keep Grokit from smacking me upside the head with The Power Cosmic...). It's extremely efficient in your terms (as EDA says, you pack a dense bowl of like .15 g's and it can last you a really long time, upwards of 25-30 hits). It's also very easy to keep clean...I can do a full deep ISO cleaning in like six minutes.

Battery life can be an issue, but the new ones are quite good. There's a learning curve, but most people get great vapor very quickly. There are better portables for other priorities (FF not the most stealthy, or the smallest, etc). But for your short list...the FF is right in the middle of that Venn diagram.

I don't work for the company either (once they hire EDA, he'll tell them about me, and that'll kill my chances! ). I've had my ups and downs but I own two and am very loyal to the device and the company. As EDA says, the support and service are second-to-none. The FF is an investment in vaping pleasure that really isn't like any other vape on the market...and it meets all your needs. No brainer.

I have to agree with the above sensei's of all things firefly, @mitchgo61 and EDA. Their advice in the firefly thread led me to purchase my firefly last year. Loved it so much I bought another one as backup. Coolest most flavorful vapor
I have ever experienced so far from some others I own and have tried.

Great responses guys, thanks. I was about decided on the Solo or Mighty and now you've got me really thinking about the MiniVap and FireFly.

I should have stated in my original post that I really don't want a vape that's only good for complete sessions. I rarely vape that way; typically I take a few hits and then leave it alone for the rest of the day. Then I do a longer session before bed, using up the remaining weed. My current whip vaporizer makes this easy; just remove the whip (which also contains the herb chamber) and you don't waste anything.

My main concern with the Firefly is technique; my current vape requires a lot of fiddling and proper technique to get good vapor and avoid combustion. It also requires constant stirring and\or shaking up the herb between hits. I was hoping to get away from all that. I want a vape that guests can use without a learning curve, and I don't want to be stirring the weed between hits.

This is why I was so attracted to the Mighty. It just works. But if it's only good for one-session vaping then probably not the right choice for me.

How would you rate the MiniVap in this regard? Is the vapor as cool as the Mighty? Do you have to stir the herb between hits? Is it easy to use?

I'm sorry. I got off on a tangent (…@EDA's post : ) (It was a really good tangent.)

Has the Air been mentioned? Because in the area of "efficiency, easy cleaning dry herb vape" it's gotta be right up there… And it is really "cool," in a way.

I came to FC to learn about vapes.
I've stayed for things like:

EveryDayAmnesiac said:

Fuck, I'm not a rocket biologist.

Above 400, and I start to feel slow, stupid, and stinky.

...unmatched in the world of electric portable instant convection vapes.

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Boxman said:

Great responses guys, thanks. I was about decided on the Solo or Mighty and now you've got me really thinking about the MiniVap and FireFly.

I should have stated in my original post that I really don't want a vape that's only good for complete sessions. I rarely vape that way; typically I take a few hits and then leave it alone for the rest of the day. Then I do a longer session before bed, using up the remaining weed. My current whip vaporizer makes this easy; just remove the whip (which also contains the herb chamber) and you don't waste anything.

My main concern with the Firefly is technique; my current vape requires a lot of fiddling and proper technique to get good vapor and avoid combustion. It also requires constant stirring and\or shaking up the herb between hits. I was hoping to get away from all that. I want a vape that guests can use without a learning curve, and I don't want to be stirring the weed between hits.

This is why I was so attracted to the Mighty. It just works. But if it's only good for one-session vaping then probably not the right choice for me.

How would you rate the MiniVap in this regard? Is the vapor as cool as the Mighty? Do you have to stir the herb between hits? Is it easy to use?

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The Mini requires no stirring whatsoever.

There is a learning curve with the Mini, as there is with most vaporizers, but once you learn it, it's as easy as pie to tell others how to use it. It's one of the reasons why I think the Mini would make a great portable to use in groups.

Boxman said:

This is why I was so attracted to the Mighty. It just works. But if it's only good for one-session vaping then probably not the right choice for me.

How would you rate the MiniVap in this regard? Is the vapor as cool as the Mighty? Do you have to stir the herb between hits? Is it easy to use?

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The miniVAP is great for many sessions with one load. The teflon core miniVAP only heats the herbs when you draw, almost entirely convection. The glass core minivAP has some slight conduction. A small load will often last me for 3 sessions.
It has a laminar airflow which evenly heats/vaporizes the entire load so never needs stirring. It's max temp is about 440 F but it never combusts.
The Mighty vapor is slightly cooler as it has a cooling unit. With a slightly longer whip than stock , the miniVAP gets cool too.
The miniVAP has more flavor and is more efficient with your herb--- a smaller amount gets you medicated.
The miniVAP is easy to use--load it's wire basket module (wire basket and silicone cover), snap it into the cover and pick your temp. The Mighty is also very easy to use but it requires much much more cleaning of its cooling unit which gets gunked up.

Both are nice, in the top 5 vapes made IMO.
MiniVAP battery lasts much longer and you can get an AC puck to make it a desktop too.

For me, I have the trifecta of vaporizers and as of now, VAS is in total remission.

I bring out the LSV when I want to be instantly hit in the head by a 2x4.......both wet and dry.
I bring out the Mini when I want to be a bit more relaxed with a 3 to 4 hit session.
and I bring out the MFLB for a quickie maintenance hit.

I really can't think of any other scenario where another vape would be required unless I throw a lot of multiple vape parties, which I don't, but if I did, a bag vape would be on order.

So, for a cordless vape to use around the house...............I LOVE my Mini.