Discontinued The Venus Apollo

Now all you guys know why I'm desperately looking for these damn flexicones..

As for the basket the cheaper arizer ones will do the job too.

Flexicones as in silicone? No thanks!

Out of curiosity, many bulbs have some amount of anti-UV treatment inside but I know that there is always a variable fraction that can escape (as in metal hallide bulbs for instance, which output considerably more than HPS ones) We know that UVs are pretty bad for most plastics (including silicone) So... do you have any idea of the actual light spectrum outputted by the various bulbs we can use @villekille2 ?

@KeroZen why would you say that about the fkexicone? Ive always used them with great success..do you not use silicone?

Some of us our very sensitive to the taste/smell of silicone to the point that we have no tolerance for it. I believe Kero is one of these people as am I. Some of us also look at heated silicone as a health concern.

One of the great things about this vape is the fact that it seems @villekille2 really seemed to pay attention to health concerns as he designed and built this vape. I do like the question about the bulb that Kero asks. Kero seems to pay more attention to health concerns of using certain materials then many others in this forum and I can really appreciate that.

Yeah the idea of IR and convection is awesome, I want one to review so bad. But I have to wait.... My gosh 2016 is the year for vapes!

nosmoking said:

Some of us our very sensitive to the taste/smell of silicone to the point that we have no tolerance for it. I believe Kero is one of these people as am I. Some of us also look at heated silicone as a health concern.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you guys are allergic to silicone.

I get the sensitivity and such but minivap is very safe vape and uses very solid materials..ville was the one who put the flexi in his well thought out device. Was just curious s to if Kero was have issues with silicone?

if anyone has an 18 female attachment you can put it in place of where the bowl goes and put the chamber ontop. i dont have one around me but i think this should work. it should cut airflow by a little bit,
maybe something like this

subway13029 said:

I get the sensitivity and such but minivap is very safe vape and uses very solid materials..

Click to expand...

This is very subjective to say but such discussion would be better off in the miniVap thread or one like this...
http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/silicone-offgassing-is-it-a-health-concern.19154/

Adding something chemically made with harmful VOC's to a vape like the Apollo made with inert materials such as glass, wood and metal is ridiculous to me. I like to taste my flowers, not my vaporizer or its parts and pieces. With that said I am ok with a hint of wood flavoring however.

Speaking of such...does this vape have a strong woody taste like some other wood vapes? I never thought my Daisy was that woody tasting but I feel like the Firewood 3 has a stronger hint of wood that just never seems to go away.

Yeah let's not open that can of worms too much here, it's best discussed elsewhere. And yes it appears I can be sensitive to some silicone smells/tastes. As long as it stays an optional accessory, everyone should be happy!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BC0KUYQtbS2/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BC0KYertbS_/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BC0LSL4tbVr/

Oh there are color options on the product page now. I wonder what color I'll get.....

I found a good efficient way to load small loads. heres the album with pictures
http://imgur.com/a/rU0nV.
So i'm basically just loading it in the top cover and covering it with a screen after. Then i place is on the heater and it flushes perfectly where it's not sitting on the heater but it's not too far off from it either. Also because now theres more glass within that gap area the chances of scorching urself from the steel are slimmed a bit more down. (but you still have to be careful.)

Well pleased to say we're getting on a bit better now!

Thanks @villekille2 for customer support here and via PM! But in the end I had to experiment to get the most out of it, which has got me very stoned over the past few days indeed.

I think I understand it now. Best way I can describe it is like a sci-fi Daisy. So I'm getting much better clouds out of it now. This is crying out for an 18mm adapter! This should be at the top of your accessories list Ville! As with any convection vape I've tried apart from the ESV, I find dry usage a bit too hot, harsh and dry. But whoever suggested putting the Mighty CU on top is a genius, took the edge off the vapour and I had nice enjoyable clouds!

But through water with a proper adapter would best, like the Evo or MV (with the delrin adapter), I need to try a bit of silicone tubing or something. You can kind of use it with an 18mm male adapter 'naked', but there isn't a good seal. I need to put it through a water tool properly to see what it can REALLY do. I think it could hang with the Evo?

I covered the bottom air intake with my hand and that seemed to help get thicker clouds as well.

Also must be said this is the best tasting vape I've tried, something about the wide air path I guess, and it holds the flavour right to the end. However this based on using it dry, and I'm sure water will take some of the flavour.

So with the heater, I've found it best not to draw too early after turning it on. I prefer a longer heat up time, or to let it sit for a while after the warm up. I've found about 5-6 to be the best setting, sometimes boosting sometimes not.

The way I understand it the warm up heats the lamp at 100%, for however long you set it to. When that finishes, a power level of 6 for example is putting out 60% of the bulb's energy? And the boost makes it put out more energy - up to 100%?

All the while, it relies on you drawing on it at regular intervals to keep the bowl cool. So if you're a slow sipper, you will want a low power level and maybe high boost so the heat doesn't build up as much between draws. If you want to rip through it, you will want a higher power level and maybe wouldn't use the boost. It's not like 'set temp and forget' vapes, it's up to the user to calibrate it to their usage.

Is that right Ville?

Btw you were right about how it combusted and the over heating. I had just finished a bowl, turned it off long enough the cool the chamber and reload, and let it go through the heat up time again. So holding the boost button to cancel the warm up would have prevented that!

All in all it's been one of those brain lernings. A vape for vape nerds if you know what I mean

It's this kind of manual control, the wide glass vapour path and wood that reminded me of the Daisy.

I've also found best to fill the chamber as much as possible to get dense vapour, but not tamp it down. Too little and it tends to go to one side, which means you get an airy and hot draw.

Aesthetically it's great looking and the build quality is very good indeed, the finish, vibration, lights and touch controls are all nicely done, and it all feels high quality.

And lastly, after the water adapter, the next accessory should be a chamber cover! You have to think about where you put your hand all the time, which makes it hard to really relax while using. Maybe it could magnetically attach to the side of the chamber?

Anyway much more experimenting to do. I have a flexicone so I'm going to give that a go....

Alan Partridge said:

Well pleased to say we're getting on a bit better now!

Thanks @villekille2 for customer support here and via PM! But in the end I had to experiment to get the most out of it, which has got me very stoned over the past few days indeed.

I think I understand it now. Best way I can describe it is like a sci-fi Daisy. So I'm getting much better clouds out of it now. This is crying out for an 18mm adapter! This should be at the top of your accessories list Ville! As with any convection vape I've tried apart from the ESV, I find dry usage a bit too hot, harsh and dry. But whoever suggested putting the Mighty CU on top is a genius, took the edge off the vapour and I had nice enjoyable clouds!

But through water with a proper adapter would best, like the Evo or MV (with the delrin adapter), I need to try a bit of silicone tubing or something. You can kind of use it with an 18mm male adapter 'naked', but there isn't a good seal. I need to put it through a water tool properly to see what it can REALLY do. I think it could hang with the Evo?

I covered the bottom air intake with my hand and that seemed to help get thicker clouds as well.

Also must be said this is the best tasting vape I've tried, something about the wide air path I guess, and it holds the flavour right to the end. However this based on using it dry, and I'm sure water will take some of the flavour.

So with the heater, I've found it best not to draw too early after turning it on. I prefer a longer heat up time, or to let it sit for a while after the warm up. I've found about 5-6 to be the best setting, sometimes boosting sometimes not.

The way I understand it the warm up heats the lamp at 100%, for however long you set it to. When that finishes, a power level of 6 for example is putting out 60% of the bulb's energy? And the boost makes it put out more energy - up to 100%?

All the while, it relies on you drawing on it at regular intervals to keep the bowl cool. So if you're a slow sipper, you will want a low power level and maybe high boost so the heat doesn't build up as much between draws. If you want to rip through it, you will want a higher power level and maybe wouldn't use the boost. It's not like 'set temp and forget' vapes, it's up to the user to calibrate it to their usage.

Is that right Ville?

Btw you were right about how it combusted and the over heating. I had just finished a bowl, turned it off long enough the cool the chamber and reload, and let it go through the heat up time again. So holding the boost button to cancel the warm up would have prevented that!

All in all it's been one of those brain lernings. A vape for vape nerds if you know what I mean

It's this kind of manual control, the wide glass vapour path and wood that reminded me of the Daisy.

I've also found best to fill the chamber as much as possible to get dense vapour, but not tamp it down. Too little and it tends to go to one side, which means you get an airy and hot draw.

Aesthetically it's great looking and the build quality is very good indeed, the finish, vibration, lights and touch controls are all nicely done, and it all feels high quality.

And lastly, after the water adapter, the next accessory should be a chamber cover! You have to think about where you put your hand all the time, which makes it hard to really relax while using. Maybe it could magnetically attach to the side of the chamber?

Anyway much more experimenting to do. I have a flexicone so I'm going to give that a go....

Click to expand...

Great report, Mr. Smell my cheese

Really, a lot of very good information - and please let us know about the flexi mod. Trying hard to get these over here.. But then again, for securities sake - we needed to know better about the temps that are around that spot, as I think the silicone is max 260°Cmm some even lower. And I don't know what the Apollo is capable of when unleashed.
Maybe that silicone could lose something. What do you think @KeroZen? I truly appreciate your concern and opinion as I have the same principles. Don't want to do anything risky.

Ok, I'll do it again...

@vapen00b : hard to say without more data and without having a device to test... For now I'm more concerned about the reports of sub-optimal vapor/air ratio, as it was if I remember correctly what plagued the previous Venus "portable desktop" from the manufacturer.

Can someone explain simply how and where fresh air enters and if there are possible dilution sources on the upstream part (that is between the bowl and the mouthpiece) Any air intake before the heater shouldn't be a concern as you can always decrease your draw speed and simulate a resistance that should be there (the Ascent is a perfect exemple: you need to create the restriction yourself, compare that to the early Solo where the restriction was unbearable for some but created the adequatly slow flow as to not overwhelm the heater)

In my secret wish list for the perfect vape I would like to see some kind of variable intake, maybe like a diaphragm or the like. But it could be something way more simple in a wooden vape like that: imagine a rotating wheel with a series of holes of varying size, you would turn it exactly like your salt dispenser and chose the right diameter for your preference. But I'm drifting, sorry....

Back to the silicone topic, we would need to ensure the temperature isn't too high *and* that it wouldn't be subjected to too much UV's from the bulb. In other words, we need moar data!

Alan Partridge said:

Well pleased to say we're getting on a bit better now!

Thanks @villekille2 for customer support here and via PM! But in the end I had to experiment to get the most out of it, which has got me very stoned over the past few days indeed.

I think I understand it now. Best way I can describe it is like a sci-fi Daisy. So I'm getting much better clouds out of it now. This is crying out for an 18mm adapter! This should be at the top of your accessories list Ville! As with any convection vape I've tried apart from the ESV, I find dry usage a bit too hot, harsh and dry. But whoever suggested putting the Mighty CU on top is a genius, took the edge off the vapour and I had nice enjoyable clouds!

But through water with a proper adapter would best, like the Evo or MV (with the delrin adapter), I need to try a bit of silicone tubing or something. You can kind of use it with an 18mm male adapter 'naked', but there isn't a good seal. I need to put it through a water tool properly to see what it can REALLY do. I think it could hang with the Evo?

I covered the bottom air intake with my hand and that seemed to help get thicker clouds as well.

Also must be said this is the best tasting vape I've tried, something about the wide air path I guess, and it holds the flavour right to the end. However this based on using it dry, and I'm sure water will take some of the flavour.

So with the heater, I've found it best not to draw too early after turning it on. I prefer a longer heat up time, or to let it sit for a while after the warm up. I've found about 5-6 to be the best setting, sometimes boosting sometimes not.

The way I understand it the warm up heats the lamp at 100%, for however long you set it to. When that finishes, a power level of 6 for example is putting out 60% of the bulb's energy? And the boost makes it put out more energy - up to 100%?

All the while, it relies on you drawing on it at regular intervals to keep the bowl cool. So if you're a slow sipper, you will want a low power level and maybe high boost so the heat doesn't build up as much between draws. If you want to rip through it, you will want a higher power level and maybe wouldn't use the boost. It's not like 'set temp and forget' vapes, it's up to the user to calibrate it to their usage.

Is that right Ville?

Btw you were right about how it combusted and the over heating. I had just finished a bowl, turned it off long enough the cool the chamber and reload, and let it go through the heat up time again. So holding the boost button to cancel the warm up would have prevented that!

All in all it's been one of those brain lernings. A vape for vape nerds if you know what I mean

It's this kind of manual control, the wide glass vapour path and wood that reminded me of the Daisy.

I've also found best to fill the chamber as much as possible to get dense vapour, but not tamp it down. Too little and it tends to go to one side, which means you get an airy and hot draw.

Aesthetically it's great looking and the build quality is very good indeed, the finish, vibration, lights and touch controls are all nicely done, and it all feels high quality.

And lastly, after the water adapter, the next accessory should be a chamber cover! You have to think about where you put your hand all the time, which makes it hard to really relax while using. Maybe it could magnetically attach to the side of the chamber?

Anyway much more experimenting to do. I have a flexicone so I'm going to give that a go....

Click to expand...

Yes please use a magnet if you do a door @villekille2 . Great idea. I'm happy to hear it has a triihouse vibe to it.

Alan Partridge said:

I think I understand it now. Best way I can describe it is like a sci-fi Daisy.

Click to expand...

Alan Partridge said:

It's this kind of manual control, the wide glass vapour path and wood that reminded me of the Daisy.

Click to expand...

Daisy, now we're talking!
Now as with Daisy I get your comparison with the manual control, wide glass and wood, but how about a big blast of vapor as Daisy does so well, so quick.
I mean after the warm up, can it produce thick heavy vapor like Daisy can on quick hit?

Vapzilla said:

Daisy, now we're talking!
Now as with Daisy I get your comparison with the manual control, wide glass and wood, but how about a big blast of vapor as Daisy does so well, so quick.
I mean after the warm up, can it produce thick heavy vapor like Daisy can on quick hit?

Click to expand...

I'm hoping so my self.. I love the daisy. To have a "sci-fi" version would be pretty awesome!

Still using my LSV wand with the basket screens here and getting about 5 stems before the batteries drop to 3.6v or so, which is pretty good I think?

The only other portable I could compare this to would be the Ascent and it's batteries would be completely drained after 5 bowls.

As for flavor, the Apollo is right there with my LSV. I am so wrecked right now!!!

I was thinking about replacing the bulb with the 35w for faster heat up time but I am not sure there is going to be much of a difference in battery life with a faster/hotter bulb vs slower/cooler stock bulb?

I have not used my LSV or any other vape, since Monday, if that says anything.

KeroZen said:

@vapen00b :

Can someone explain simply how and where fresh air enters and if there are possible dilution sources on the upstream part (that is between the bowl and the mouthpiece)

Click to expand...

The heating element has a stainless steel outer shell with the bulb inside. At the bottom of this stainless steel part are the multiple holes which let fresh air inside the heating path. And this air comes about 50/50 trough the back panel hole and the slot at the side where herb chamber is located. The side slot entering air gets pre-warmed as it travels between the outside of the heating element and the stainless steel "heat shield" which covers the wood around the heating element. So if restriction is wished, I recommend to cover the back panel input, as the side slot input gives better efficiency and more heating surface for the air and cools down the device in use.

The herb chamber sits well on top of the heating element, there is no air leak between them. The only place where any air could enter the path between heating element and the user's mouth is the connection between herb chamber and the glass mouthpiece. The glass tube moves up and down and the connection isbetween the flat surfaces of the glass tube and herb chamber stainless steel. I wanted to follow my principles of not having any synthetic materials in the vapor path and this proved to work well, simple stainless steel/glass connection. When the glass tube is pressed down and turned a little bit against the herb chamber,they align with each other to make air tight connection. and any possible amount of air that could enter from that point would be extremely small in comparison to the air path total surface area and thus I don't see a source of dilution in this design. Also the reports of improved density when restricting air input speaks for this, as higher input restriction causes stronger vacuum and any air leak sources would then become more pronounced. On the other hand, for high draw speeds which fully utilize the free flowing characteristics of the Apollo, a high power bulb might be necessary, to give a very strong boost as I said earlier the heat power can be doubled. And this way, unrestricted, the capacity is there already, just a matter of a bulb change.

@AlanPartridge yes you understood it right. Except the boost, the possible power for boost is 85%, 115% and 100%. what does that 115% mean? It means that normal 100% is calculated so that it stays stable trough the battery charge, when The voltage is highest and when it's near the end of the capacity. This is very important to keep the performance stable troughout the charge. But since most of the time we are not near the low end of voltages, the high boost setting drives an overvoltage to the bulb and as boosting is a temprorary situation it doesn't really affect the bulb lifetime. Only I would guess the five last minutes of a charge this maximum boost would get near the normal boost level as there would not be that extra overvoltage available anymore.

Many requests I have gotten for water adapters. I have no experience of them and need to educate myself but surely this is something I wish to offer for my customers. And the idea about the removable side door protection is good. I had thought earlier about creating a wooden piece that fits the design, which would be attached to the herb chamber, so that in addition to the protection It could be used to remove the herb chamber easily as it is quite hot immediately after a session. But the complex shape of wood piece manufacturing wise, and the need to get this securely and cleanly and robustly attached to herb chamber made me forget this plan. And there is something special about the bare look of that ss chamber just like that but I agree that a removable piece would be good to have and a magnetical connection sounds doable!

As usual, great answer from you @villekille2, thank you! I'm now confident it's all down to developing the right technique, chosing adequate settings and proper bulb selection. I was already impressed back then by the Venus but I guess the rather odd form factor was what made me skip. Now with the Appolo you are definitely on the right track and seem to have gold in your hands! Bravo!

Now if only I didn't have a black hole sleeping inside my bank account... heh! Keep the reports flowing guys, it eases the VAS of the poor chaps like me, just reading that you are happy makes me happy.

Just wanted to let everyone know that the enano gong makes a really good seal for connecting it to your water pieces. I use the 18mm so im not sure about the 14 mm one. It also makes a nice smaller mouthpiece when I use it dry. Also has anyone removed the screen that covers the bulb? I ordered the 30w bulb that was suggested awhile ago and it should be here any day. This thing is amazing. It gets better and better every time I use it.

Nssl said:

Just wanted to let everyone know that the enano gong makes a really good seal for connecting it to your water pieces. I use the 18mm so im not sure about the 14 mm one. It also makes a nice smaller mouthpiece when I use it dry. Also has anyone removed the screen that covers the bulb? I ordered the 30w bulb that was suggested awhile ago and it should be here any day. This thing is amazing. It gets better and better every time I use it.

Click to expand...

That's the adjustable peice right? Does it fit a d20?