Discontinued herbalAire

@smokingjoe - You're very welcome. Might you be able to make a long distance phone call to them? I did that a couple of times, if I recall correctly. There are services (like 10-10-987 here in the U.S.) that allow international calls to be made much more cheaply than local phone companies' rates. Perhaps you have similar services available in your country? Of course, the time in Europe is different and you'd need to call during their local business hours. Just a thought...

Here's a link for U.S. based service, including to Europe: http://www.1010987.com/rates.html

I've never heard anything but positive things about their customer service so I'm hoping it's just a holiday or something.

The PM via FC has put me in contact with herbalaire support! Thanks for the tip.
The reply was very fast and very kind like always

herbalaire cs sucks. sents them 2 emails and never even received a response. they left out part of my order. will never deal with them again.

bobo305 said:

herbalaire cs sucks. sents them 2 emails and never even received a response. they left out part of my order. will never deal with them again.

Click to expand...

herbalAire customer service has treated other FC members (including me) very well. @smokingjoe got a fast reply by sending a PM to their FC representative/member, @herbalaire, according to the post directly above yours. Maybe helpful if you try that.

bobo305 said:

herbalaire cs sucks. sents them 2 emails and never even received a response. they left out part of my order. will never deal with them again.

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@smokingjoe pm'ed them and got a response. I'm surprised they haven't been responding to email to their cs.

Edit: Oops, my feed just updated and I saw @Amoreena 's response that said the same thing I did.

Amoreena said:

This page: http://www.herbalaire.com/contact-us.html includes a form to contact them (which you may have already used?). It also has their snail mail address and phone number in Canada:

herbalAire Ltd.
PO Box 746
Bragg Creek, AB
T0L0K0 (lower-case "0"s are actually zeroes)
CANADA
Phone: 403-949-2754

Their representative here is @herbalaire. They haven't posted since last September and I don't know if they get notifications about private messages sent through this site or not but it's worth trying to send one.

Am sure the lack of reply to you must be due to some kind of misunderstanding. They were very helpful when I got my H2.2 almost two years ago and had a rare defective mouthpiece.

I hope the link and their representative's profile here are helpful to you.

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Amoreena, 1st time I think I've been ear-memed by someone's handle

OK I'm an OG old fart here (probably), but a noob on this forum.
(I used to wrangle the ASA Web Forums eons ago, before they succumbed to FB and Twitter)

I've got an HA 2.2 that's been berry berry good to me, but... I've got to increase my intake,
and even with vapes, they can still tear your throat out with heavy use
(thank you to the growers who don't purge or cure their stuff properly-<cough>)

BTW, I've also had stellar support from Herbalaire over the years (although I wish they had been much clearer about cleaning initially).

so I bought the TonG adapter, and even with it in hand, every glass shop in my area of So Cal has been utterly useless.
After reading a bunch of this thread, I think I'm going to try the cut-down crucible trick and use the TonG with a HydroTube. I see you folks inverting the HA, but I'm not as confident doing that with concentrates, so I figure the upright configuration should still be an improvement as far as taking some of the bite out. The flower/concentrate are all top shelf lab-tested, hopefully I won't lose much in the way of terpenes with the water bath. I was almost convinced to find the GonG adapter, but I think the cut down crucible is easier, and it saves me a chunk of change. Whaddyathink?

FYI, I think my HA unit hit it's 10 year anniversary recently
How many other units have that kind of build quality?

@looney2nz

I've got an ancient 2.1 that still works like a champ, and I got a TonG for it a while back. I found it seals well with any of my 18.8 glass pieces. I also cut down my crucible, using a dremel tool, I'd suggest using a something like a dowel that fits tightly inside the cruc to allow it to keep it's shape, as you cut carefully.

The only other suggestion I have, is to try cold/cool/tap hot water in your glass to find what takes out the bite best, for you. Perhaps vape at a slightly lower temperature, as well.

Good luck

nicelytoasted said:

@looney2nz

I've got an ancient 2.1 that still works like a champ, and I got a TonG for it a while back. I found it seals well with any of my 18.8 glass pieces. I also cut down my crucible, using a dremel tool, I'd suggest using a something like a dowel that fits tightly inside the cruc to allow it to keep it's shape, as you cut carefully.

The only other suggestion I have, is to try cold/cool/tap hot water in your glass to find what takes out the bite best, for you. Perhaps vape at a slightly lower temperature, as well.

Good luck

Click to expand...

I'll go back and check, but just in case, has anyone measured what size dowel it should be?

looney2nz said:

... has anyone measured what size dowel it should be?

Click to expand...

Eyeballing through a clear plastic ruler, the crucible diameter appears to be 9-10 sixteenths of an inch or 1.5 centimeters. Take a crucible with you when dowel hunting to make sure it will fit on while providing support? @herbalaire may be willing to provide or sell a short crucible; it can't hurt to ask via PM.

As another old fart, you might find this thread interesting...get a sense of FC's demographics: http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/age-of-the-fc-community-plus-a-lot-of-nostalgia.18835/. I'm in the 61-70 y/o group.
==========================
Adding to general care ideas since my January post about cleaning the chamber (http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/herbalaire.276/page-105#post-916875):

A chunk of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works better than a wad of paper towel though one must be gentle as it shreds easily. The ragged chunk of Magic Eraser with ISO/salt makes crucibles look new with little effort.

The best way I've found to clean a mouthpiece is soaking in a combination of salt and alcohol, rather than just alcohol. I push the lower end into salt poured into a snack-sized zip-lock baggie's corner, then add ISO to cover the whole MP. By morning (maybe sooner is enough?) most crud has dissolved. What hasn't dissolved rinses off under running water. After removal of screen, any remaining spots wipe off easily with paper towel/Q-tip/toothpick.

Vaporbrothers ceramic screens sometimes clog with resin that doesn't come out easily while/after soaking. Wire from inside twisty ties (that come with baggies) can be held after peeling back a little paper so it's short enough to be stiff and the gauge is fine enough not to damage ceramic screens' tiny holes. Haven't found anything else narrow enough for that task.

Hope the above is useful.

looney2nz said:

Amoreena, 1st time I think I've been ear-memed by someone's handle

OK I'm an OG old fart here (probably), but a noob on this forum.
(I used to wrangle the ASA Web Forums eons ago, before they succumbed to FB and Twitter)

I've got an HA 2.2 that's been berry berry good to me, but... I've got to increase my intake,
and even with vapes, they can still tear your throat out with heavy use
(thank you to the growers who don't purge or cure their stuff properly-<cough>)

BTW, I've also had stellar support from Herbalaire over the years (although I wish they had been much clearer about cleaning initially).

so I bought the TonG adapter, and even with it in hand, every glass shop in my area of So Cal has been utterly useless.
After reading a bunch of this thread, I think I'm going to try the cut-down crucible trick and use the TonG with a HydroTube. I see you folks inverting the HA, but I'm not as confident doing that with concentrates, so I figure the upright configuration should still be an improvement as far as taking some of the bite out. The flower/concentrate are all top shelf lab-tested, hopefully I won't lose much in the way of terpenes with the water bath. I was almost convinced to find the GonG adapter, but I think the cut down crucible is easier, and it saves me a chunk of change. Whaddyathink?

FYI, I think my HA unit hit it's 10 year anniversary recently
How many other units have that kind of build quality?

Click to expand...

I wasn't too into inverting so I started just running a whip from my ha to my bubbler and I've been much happier that way. Then you're just holding the bubbler and taking the whip off to clear it instead of lifting the whole vape off. Also that way you don't need a gong unless you need it for the whip to the bubbler.

If you're worried about the wax melting and it being inverted it's actually better since the wax would just go out the top of the mp. Not inverted the wax goes down into the airpath of the vape which has happened to me twice (totally my fault).

Also I can't say enough good things about the build quality, mine's been going strong for 6+ years.

Pinnacle Hydrotube was delivered late today... have the TonG, now just need the dremel tool to cut down the crucibles, it's KILLIN' me to wait! Like a toy with no batteries.

looney2nz said:

Pinnacle Hydrotube was delivered late today... have the TonG, now just need the dremel tool to cut down the crucibles, it's KILLIN' me to wait! Like a toy with no batteries.

Click to expand...

Ya know you don't need to use the crucible if you don't want too so you could give it a go.

Dremel tool is here, now I just need a 5/8 ths dowel Not long now

RUDE BOY said:

Ya know you don't need to use the crucible if you don't want too so you could give it a go.

Click to expand...

yeah, I relented last night and tried it with no crucible... ended up using the pump motor, made it easier to hit. Not bad, easier on my throat... turns out a 5/8ths dowel is too large, you'll probably need to go to 9/16ths (I'm going to trim the 5/8ths down and then trim a bunch of crucibles). But this solution opens the door to trying other kinds of glass, should get interesting

looney2nz said:

yeah, I relented last night and tried it with no crucible... ended up using the pump motor, made it easier to hit. Not bad, easier on my throat... turns out a 5/8ths dowel is too large, you'll probably need to go to 9/16ths (I'm going to trim the 5/8ths down and then trim a bunch of crucibles). But this solution opens the door to trying other kinds of glass, should get interesting

Click to expand...

hey man, I also use the pwt upright with the tong, no crucible, you don't need it. I was skeptical also but it's fine without the crucible. only change I made was to take out the screen, you don't need it. I also invert into a bong, works like a charm.

bobo305 said:

hey man, I also use the pwt upright with the tong, no crucible, you don't need it. I was skeptical also but it's fine without the crucible. only change I made was to take out the screen, you don't need it. I also invert into a bong, works like a charm.

Click to expand...

I got an 18" Heavy Hitter beaker setup as a gift, I'll try that next

Anyone using the HA3/Elite? Curious if there are any changes to crucibles or how it gets setup for glass.

looney2nz said:

I got an 18" Heavy Hitter beaker setup as a gift, I'll try that next

Anyone using the HA3/Elite? Curious if there are any changes to crucibles or how it gets setup for glass.

Click to expand...

There's a thread for the elite you could ask on. I... actually don't know if the crucible is the same size for both. I know on the elite/ha3 the teflon mp is totally different. You drop the crucible into a teflon cup/sleeve, attach the top of the teflon mp to that, then drop the whole thing into the ha. Also that mp works as a water tool adapter (I guess it's a tong in this case). I know they made the bowl taller, but I'm not sure if they made it wider to fit the new teflon mp and crucible or if they just made the crucible skinnier and taller.

Considering the longevity of the HA (I've had mine 10 years), I may take what I've learned on the HA 2.2 and give the whole setup to my brother (along with the extra crucibles and some 91% iso) so he can benefit from it, and I'll spend my birthday money on a new Elite

looney2nz said:

Considering the longevity of the HA (I've had mine 10 years), I may take what I've learned on the HA 2.2 and give the whole setup to my brother (along with the extra crucibles and some 91% iso) so he can benefit from it, and I'll spend my birthday money on a new Elite

Click to expand...

I've really been wanting to get the elite for years and more recently the v3, but I've had my 2.2 for 6+ years and absolutely love it. I just can't bring myself to replace it though, after so many years I've got some strange sense of loyalty towards it or something. Same with my car of 14 years which has never broken down.

Edit: Oops, I have the 2.1 not the 2.2. I always type that wrong.

In August, my 2.2 will be 2 years old and I absolutely love it, too.

How does everyone load their herbalAires? Whole buds as suggested by the manufacturer, ground material or anything in between? Any special ways you pack for different load sizes and what temps do you use?

I find if I have her packed with a solid gram I can leave it on 350 and while the first bag won't be super dense, it will be the most flavourful bag you've ever experienced and the subsequent bags that get pumped out will be super dense without ever raising the temperature. Eventually when the vapor is thinning out you can turn up the temp to get the last little bits extracted.

For smaller loads I tend to just crank it up to 400 so I get a dense enough bag to satisfy me.

I try to load the crucible in a way that the material is fixed in position once loaded because I find that provides more consistent dense bags than when the material is loose and bouncing around the crucible - note this only happens with small pea sized amounts.

However you load the herbalAire, it always extracts fully - even that pea sized amount bouncing around will become fully extracted. Some ways just extract over longer periods of time yielding less dense bags while others extract much quicker with greater bag density. This speaks to the versatility of this vape IMO.

Not everyone wants wasteful clouds of vapor, but if you do, this vape can certainly do it. Sometimes I like them too.

I used to do whole nugs, but now I just tear it into little chunks. Either way it will get completely extracted, but I think my clouds are bigger and the session is shorter when I do chunks. Otherwise it's just smaller clouds with a little longer session. I run it at a little over 375. I know most people don't like it, but I use the vinyl whip 99% of the time. I loop it up around a bookshelf so the end of the whip just hangs by my head. I love that for gaming, especially when I'm playing online and don't want to stop. I also run the whip from the ha to a bubbler instead of inverting the ha on top of it.

At the end of a 1/4th or 1/8th when I do all the loose stuff I actually put a ceramic screen on top in the crucible to keep it all in place and off the mp screen. I think the material staying in place helps too, I remember it being described as causing air turbulence which helps extraction and [other science stuff I don't know here].

Doing concentrates I crank it up to 400. Their concentrate crucible does a pretty good job, but I like to put a little flower under the wax too. I'll do that with the regular crucible also. The session takes a long time but it is so damn tasty. I don't do it to often though because it knocks me the hell out and I usually end up napping all day.

mikek9 said:

... Whole buds as suggested by the manufacturer, ground material or anything in between? ...

Click to expand...

Whole buds except when finishing the last of a strain. The HA extracts completely from every consistency. I start at 375 and stay there. Use extra (unnecessary but preferred for neatness' sake) stainless steel screens: one under the load and one on top. I was also using Vaporbrothers ceramic screens on top but stopped for now because of resin clogging holes and being too difficult to clear. Don't miss them as much as expected or understand why they started to clog when they didn't during first several months of use.

Happily, remaining lung lobes allow me to use the direct draw method through a standard mouthpiece w/o an extension. I hold the unit in my left hand like a beverage and sip at the MP as if through a straw. It's perfect for me!

Amoreena said:

Whole buds except when finishing the last of a strain. The HA extracts completely from every consistency. I start at 375 and stay there. Use extra (unnecessary but preferred for neatness' sake) stainless steel screens: one under the load and one on top. I was also using Vaporbrothers ceramic screens on top but stopped for now because of resin clogging holes and being too difficult to clear. Don't miss them as much as expected or understand why they started to clog when they didn't during first several months of use.

Happily, remaining lung lobes allow me to use the direct draw method through a standard mouthpiece w/o an extension. I hold the unit in my left hand like a beverage and sip at the MP as if through a straw. It's perfect for me!

Click to expand...

whole buds, packed tight like a hockey puck.