Alfa Vaporizer by goboof

narrowsparrow said:

I've been using my Alfa for a couple of weeks, so I must still have a lot to learn. I fill it up loosely, try to do short, soft, draws, and yet I can only get six hits off of it before the weed totally burns up. I'm using the medium heat selection. Plus, I'm not getting high! It's the same weed I've been using, and I get high from this weed using other delivery systems. What am I doing wrong? Having to use a lot of weed for a minimal high. Not happy with it yet.

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I almost always get my best results from packing it almost completely full and tight. I fill it tap all my material down pretty tightly and do that until I get to almost the top of the chamber. This is really the only way I am happy with my session using it. I start at medium and get nice clouds f, prob around 20 sometimes more depending on my material , could be less sometimes than when my vapor is getting wispy I'll either crank it to high to finish off a or once in a blue moon take it all out and stir and repack it and use on high. Some have said the sandwich method works nice for smaller loads. , drop you material in the chamber if it's a smaller amount and than pack it and put a second screen on top of making a sandwich. Give it a try and best of luck. Also remember grinding your material always helps allot , I do a medium to fine grind .

narrowsparrow said:

Thanks, Yoosh. I haven't been tamping it down, so that might make all the difference. Maybe I won't have to keep refilling it all the time to achieve the "desired effect." I'm also glad to know I don't have to fill the bowl, because I'm used to needing only a smallish amount with the MFLB. I appreciate your reply.

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Yup, what I do is loosely fill the chamber till its about 3/4 full, tamp that down as tight as i can, and place a second screen on top of that and press that down. Its about 0.1g or less, and I found that actually gets me and another person high. The screen on top really helps with vapor production, and I can get about 50-60 good hits for about 20 minutes before vapor production stops.

I am such a dimwit that when I heard about using two screens, I went to Planet K & got some screens, one of which I inserted on the other end of the unit by the mouthpiece. Now I know what to do! Thank you guys for giving me the inside skinny on proper procedure. It helps to know just how to use it. I was getting frustrated by using up so much material. Kept burning it, too.

What about the type of draw y'all take? Soft & quick? It's not like the long draw with a MFLB, right?

narrowsparrow said:

I am such a dimwit that when I heard about using two screens, I went to Planet K & got some screens, one of which I inserted on the other end of the unit by the mouthpiece. Now I know what to do! Thank you guys for giving me the inside skinny on proper procedure. It helps to know just how to use it. I was getting frustrated by using up so much material. Kept burning it, too.

What about the type of draw y'all take? Soft & quick? It's not like the long draw with a MFLB, right?

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I take slow/medium draws that are 5 seconds long. But when I use a water pipe I take 10-15 second draws.

vineetvel said:

Yes I've used it without the mouthpiece. It's hot on medium and on high, and it works well without a mouthpiece on low. However, there's a better way of doing this. You can flip the mouthpiece upside down until its nearly flush with the top, and it works without heat on all temps.

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Thanks for the info!

Thanks, spamspamspam. I think I'll give that a try. I did experiment with the "sandwich" screens last night, and I still ended up totally burning a 3/4-full , lightly tamped bowl with only 4 draws. I used the medium setting, and the draws were about 5 seconds long, as vineetvel suggested. Still, I am obviously still doing something wrong. Will give it a go with the inverted mouthpiece tonight.

Thanks to everyone trying to help me.

I tried a lot with my alfa during my few weeks of ownership.
so ended up pimping it a bit with the mouthpiece of an old tiny
metal pipe/one hitter.

Working flawless with now super cool vape

+ i def can backup the tight packing bit, did it yesterday for the first time,
the difference to just loose packing is night and day.

So next i need a bubbler to see how that goes.

Still deciding between steve`s Mobius sidecar or the D020 *hmmm

narrowsparrow said:

Thanks, spamspamspam. I think I'll give that a try. I did experiment with the "sandwich" screens last night, and I still ended up totally burning a 3/4-full , lightly tamped bowl with only 4 draws. I used the medium setting, and the draws were about 5 seconds long, as vineetvel suggested. Still, I am obviously still doing something wrong. Will give it a go with the inverted mouthpiece tonight.

Thanks to everyone trying to help me.

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Burning? As in combusting? It shouldn't be combusting, even if you let it sit at hi temp for 20 minutes. If the weed is burning, that means something is wrong with your unit.

Dolemite77 said:

I tried a lot with my alfa during my few weeks of ownership.
so ended up pimping it a bit with the mouthpiece of an old tiny
metal pipe/one hitter.

Working flawless with now super cool vape

+ i def can backup the tight packing bit, did it yesterday for the first time,
the difference to just loose packing is night and day.

So next i need a bubbler to see how that goes.

Still deciding between steve`s Mobius sidecar or the D020 *hmmm

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This looks great haha, does the vapor feel cooler? I would personally take the d020-d

Yet another update i decided against selling my unit, (it will remain my portable, i will eventually get a mighty for a cordless around the house, and an herbie for my nightstand and call it quits) and its back to getting me ripped again due to not using as much When im at a buddys place its going through constant use, while when at home its about once a day (compared to four seshes a day minimun being my prior usage). I have yet to give this thing a true clean, just been running the occasional pipe cleaner through it when it gets too clogged, and scraping the mouthpiece, mouthpiece hole, and oven lid with toothpicks. Havent even touched the bottle of graves for cleaning yet. My favorite way to hit it is to take the hardest hit i can for 4 seconds, taking a followup breath and holding the vapor in my lungs for 5-10 seconds before exhaling. This reduces the visible cloud, but imo you feel it sooooo much better. If its still toward the beginning of a pack, i will take a hard hit, wait like 6 seconds, and take another one (or two if i can) before taking the followup breath in before exhaling. Rinse, repeat until the very top near the oven lid starts browning a lil, then i'll usually dump it (waste of battery to stir imo). Im back at the honeymoon phase guys

vineetvel said:

Burning? As in combusting? It shouldn't be combusting, even if you let it sit at hi temp for 20 minutes. If the weed is burning, that means something is wrong with your unit.


This looks great haha, does the vapor feel cooler? I would personally take the d020-d

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Vape is absolutely cold with this attachement, you just feel taste and throat hit

You would prefer d020 before the mobius clone ?

Hey i'm going to buy the alfa and try and introduce it to my brother and give it to him if it takes, i'm really worried about his health because he combusts some seriously fat rollies loaded with tobacco.

He told me to get him one which is a great sign but he thinks you can buy some cheap chinese knock off and use that but I know differently and i'm get to set him up properly.

Then I will probably buy one for my self too! [My throat issues so i either vape or stop].

Can someone post the best hydrotube, preferably available in the uk? I want a counter in case he doesn't like drawing from the end.

I'll probably get myself what was recommended, the the mflb water whip as well as the pinnacle pro portable perc. But can i try the perc alone and see how i fair or is it not a standalone? Does it need any adaptors or does it go straight on the alfa even though its for the pro?

Sorry to keep going on but i'm basically buying for 2 people with different needs here. Def going to bite the bullet in the next fortnight i just don't want to screw up. Cheers.

I just want to thank everyone in this thread for some awesome info. I just got my Alfa and thanks to all the great advice I'm so incredibly high right now off such a small amount, it's crazy. The Alfa really is a great little unit.
The packing tool made out of a cork work perfectly and the sandwich technique is the way to go if you're not filling the bowl.

Thanks again everyone. It's a great community on here.

eskimo_rising said:

Hey i'm going to buy the alfa and try and introduce it to my brother and give it to him if it takes, i'm really worried about his health because he combusts some seriously fat rollies loaded with tobacco.

He told me to get him one which is a great sign but he thinks you can buy some cheap chinese knock off and use that but I know differently and i'm get to set him up properly.

Then I will probably buy one for my self too! [My throat issues so i either vape or stop].

Can someone post the best hydrotube, preferably available in the uk? I want a counter in case he doesn't like drawing from the end.

I'll probably get myself what was recommended, the the mflb water whip as well as the pinnacle pro portable perc. But can i try the perc alone and see how i fair or is it not a standalone? Does it need any adaptors or does it go straight on the alfa even though its for the pro?

Sorry to keep going on but i'm basically buying for 2 people with different needs here. Def going to bite the bullet in the next fortnight i just don't want to screw up. Cheers.

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You need the mflb whip if you want to attach it to the alfa. The dhgate pinnacle pro hydrotubes are not always perfectly sized, and the one I got doesn't fit snugly into the alfa. Thats why the mflb whip works well with it. I would recommend getting a larger bubbler though. http://www.dhgate.com/store/product/pinnacle-pro-glass-smoking-water-pipe-vaporblunt/184494946.html

vineetvel said:

You need the mflb whip if you want to attach it to the alfa. The dhgate pinnacle pro hydrotubes are not always perfectly sized, and the one I got doesn't fit snugly into the alfa. Thats why the mflb whip works well with it. I would recommend getting a larger bubbler though. http://www.dhgate.com/store/product/pinnacle-pro-glass-smoking-water-pipe-vaporblunt/184494946.html

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Oh, I guess this would also have the same problem?
http://www.vapefiend.co.uk/budget-bubbler.html?page=3

It's listed for the alfa and other vapes. The thing is my brother smokes on his balcony and is really paranoid so i'm trying to make the alfa look as close to my friends liquid e-cig unit as i can, it's basically just missing a tube.

I think i'll go ahead and get the alfa and see what his reaction is to a normal draw, maybe reverse the mouthpiece for cooler draws and see how that feels.

I feel completely out of my depth, i've never owned a vape before. Can you tell me what extras i need to start out? What kind of cleaning fluid etc.
Vapefiend is apparently recommended in the uk:

http://www.vapefiend.co.uk/alfa-accessories.html

I will be getting and adapting a cork for tamping down so that's fine but they've got all sorts on there and i don't know what's recommended and what is completely non-essential.

Also my brother breaks the weed up with a bamboo mat and a knife, it's kind of a ritual [don't ask I think we all have our rituals...], he can get it quite fine but i wonder if he still needs a grinder and which to get. A budget one that does the job would be fine.

Appreciate all the help and just want to echo what merckx said.

merckx -- Did you make that cork packing tool yourself, or is it something I can buy? I have some wine corks around here, but I think they'd be too big to pare down.

vineetvel -- I did better with it last night. I think I have been leaving the material a little too loose, and that might be why my stuff keeps burning up. My unit does get very hot, though. Not too hot to hold, but still pretty hot, even with my four hits (after which there is nothing left to vape). Is that normal?

PS:

spamspamspam -- I'm OCD about keeping my smoking paraphernalia clean, and the Alfa is the easiest of all! I clean it after each use. Takes about 2 minutes total. I put both screen and the mouthpiece in a jigger & pour a little alcohol over it. Then I dip a pipe cleaner into the bottle of alcohol & run it through the unit. The final step is an alcohol-moistened Q-Tip for the bowl, and you're done!

vineetvel -- I just read in one of your posts that you can get a 27-minute bowl?!?! I can only get those measly four hits before my sesh is done. Has to be the way I'm packing it, right?

merckx -- I am new, too, and I can't say enough nice things about these guys. They have babysat me through the care and feeding of my Alfa, and they have given me great advice. Great forum.

narrowsparrow said:

merckx -- Did you make that cork packing tool yourself, or is it something I can buy? I have some wine corks around here, but I think they'd be too big to pare down.

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As i understand it it's just a cork and you hollow out the middle enough so the pin in the middle of the oven can go into it, people are just maing it themselves and it's perfect for packing.

I'm a little worried about the isopropyl alcohol for cleaning, when I drink and smoke I throw up non-stop for hours. Most of it evaporates though? So will have to see. Also most of the bottles on Amazon have a poison warning, so is this the right stuff?

OK. That's easy enough. I think even I can make one!

Now you've got me wondering about using the isopropyl alcohol for cleaning. I am chemically-sensitive; what was I thinking? I cleans really well, and it's cheap. I always assumed that the toxic part evaporated; I rinse my stuff out in it, and then let it dry overnight on a paper towel. I'm going to think of something else, but I don't know what. Thanks for the warning.

narrowsparrow said:

merckx -- Did you make that cork packing tool yourself, or is it something I can buy? I have some wine corks around here, but I think they'd be too big to pare down.

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Yeah I just copy Snorcan's one http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/alfa-vaporizer-by-goboof.14959/page-39#post-782343 It works perfectly for packing

eskimo_rising said:

Oh, I guess this would also have the same problem?
http://www.vapefiend.co.uk/budget-bubbler.html?page=3

It's listed for the alfa and other vapes. The thing is my brother smokes on his balcony and is really paranoid so i'm trying to make the alfa look as close to my friends liquid e-cig unit as i can, it's basically just missing a tube.

I think i'll go ahead and get the alfa and see what his reaction is to a normal draw, maybe reverse the mouthpiece for cooler draws and see how that feels.

I feel completely out of my depth, i've never owned a vape before. Can you tell me what extras i need to start out? What kind of cleaning fluid etc.
Vapefiend is apparently recommended in the uk:

http://www.vapefiend.co.uk/alfa-accessories.html

I will be getting and adapting a cork for tamping down so that's fine but they've got all sorts on there and i don't know what's recommended and what is completely non-essential.

Also my brother breaks the weed up with a bamboo mat and a knife, it's kind of a ritual [don't ask I think we all have our rituals...], he can get it quite fine but i wonder if he still needs a grinder and which to get. A budget one that does the job would be fine.

Appreciate all the help and just want to echo what merckx said.

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You don't need any accessories to start out, other than a stir tool (to pack the bowl), some rubbing alcohol, and pipe cleaners. If you are getting the cork setup, that's enough. Cutting it up with a knife as fine as you can get it should work, but a grinder is probably easier and better. Honestly any 2 piece grinder or a 4 piece held upside down should work. I personally have a 2 piece space case grinder. You can try to flip the mouthpiece upside down, and use the hydrotube on that, hopefully yours will fit right like most people's, but I found that the whip makes for a better seal. But, that lowers the e-cig look. To be honest, all you need is the alfa itself, not the hydrotube. If you want cooler/less dry vapor, you can always buy that later. But I would first start out to see if he likes the alfa by itself.

narrowsparrow said:

PS:

spamspamspam -- I'm OCD about keeping my smoking paraphernalia clean, and the Alfa is the easiest of all! I clean it after each use. Takes about 2 minutes total. I put both screen and the mouthpiece in a jigger & pour a little alcohol over it. Then I dip a pipe cleaner into the bottle of alcohol & run it through the unit. The final step is an alcohol-moistened Q-Tip for the bowl, and you're done!

vineetvel -- I just read in one of your posts that you can get a 27-minute bowl?!?! I can only get those measly four hits before my sesh is done. Has to be the way I'm packing it, right?

merckx -- I am new, too, and I can't say enough nice things about these guys. They have babysat me through the care and feeding of my Alfa, and they have given me great advice. Great forum.

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Yeah i'm OCD about cleaning too. Yes, I got a 27 minute bowl with a half pack (0.1g). Part of the reason is that I have really good bud, but even with crappier bud I can get 10-15 minute bowls. My packing method is this: I fill the chamber loosely all the way with finely ground bud (mflb finishing grinder or 2 piece), pack it down as best I can, place a second screen on top, and then press down so that it's as tight as I can possibly get it. Then I start on low temp for about 5 minutes till the vapor stops, then medium for the rest of the time. I also recently did a full pack with a second screen on top (0.3g), and I got vapor on medium for about 35 minutes.

narrowsparrow said:

OK. That's easy enough. I think even I can make one!

Now you've got me wondering about using the isopropyl alcohol for cleaning. I am chemically-sensitive; what was I thinking? I cleans really well, and it's cheap. I always assumed that the toxic part evaporated; I rinse my stuff out in it, and then let it dry overnight on a paper towel. I'm going to think of something else, but I don't know what. Thanks for the warning.

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99% isopropyl alcohol is perfectly fine to use. The other 1% is water. All of the isoproypl alcohol evaporates if you give it time, overnight is definitely enough (unless you are cleaning a whip). However, after cleaning my alfa with it, I let it run on high for a full cycle, and sometime blow the hot air through the bottom chamber so that it comes out of the mouthpiece and helps the alcohol evaporate.

I discovered that an old dress knob I have from Ikea fits perfectly as a packer

http://imgur.com/a/CJuPE

Sorry I could get the image embed to work

ShayWhiteGrow said:

its smellproof. I dont think they market it that way though almost seems like it would float if dropped in a pool.

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hey new folk repost for info on best fit packing tool, iolite tamp tool!

merckx said:

I discovered that an old dress knob I have from Ikea fits perfectly as a packer

http://imgur.com/a/CJuPE

Sorry I could get the image embed to work

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Oh that looks great. Any chance you have a link to it? Or a link to that replacement part?

vineetvel said:

Oh that looks great. Any chance you have a link to it? Or a link to that replacement part?

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They're Ikea Rull Knobs. I'm not sure if Ikea still has them, I couldn't find them on ikeas website. But I did find them on eBay

merckx said:

They're Ikea Rull Knobs. I'm not sure if Ikea still has them, I couldn't find them on ikeas website. But I did find them on eBay

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awesome found them. do you they a hole through the center that fits around the pin?