Aromazap/Myrtlezap/CeramicRockZap

[Rick]

That is the beauty of the VV PS. Dial it in. Watcha feel like? Morning or late night? Or in between? Plus countless other variables that can be steadied with the VV PS.
Good news again on that front. I have a good supply of the Hildbrandt Spartan, brushed SS, arriving soon. I also have some factory, black 6 foot, 20 gauge cords with black Zap plugs installed, due soon. These will make a much better VV PS power cord with the all silver plugs we have to go in the VV PS. It does take time and customer feedback for the old man to get it close to right. I do love change that makes it all flow better.
Now we have three VV PS's in stock and available with Zaps as a substitute for the regular 12 volt unregulated wall transformer.

I also will be doing a little mix of shapes. Not much, mainly back to the straight log. These just went up today with some others.

The yellow Spartans do have a bright blue led and voltage display that works well for a night light.
If you load the tip very loose, you can finish a stem tip quickly.

Meeting with chefs today went very well. They will take whatever we and Mother make. They were very happy and impressed with our produce, especially this early in the season. Gives the gang much incentive to get out and get it done.

 

[TheDudeNextDoor]

Well crap. Now I want to buy a new cord. lol

 

[Jeppy]

Rick,,,,,,hmmmm,,,,somehow I get the feeling your saying the camaro yellow VV has a turbo charger. That's awesome news about your produce! You make log vapes and grow and sell produce. Now that's real life, right there!

 

[NewVape]

So I arrived home from work to find a package on my doorstep. Just a few days ago I decided to order one of the VV power supplies. I had gotten my first CRZ a few months ago, and like others I found the heat fluxuated depending on the time of day. And while I was ordering that I decided "What the heck, let's try one of the Glass Tooties". So I ordered one and OMG was I surprised at what I received.

It's pictured here with one of the nylon stems that come with the CRZ. This is a nice step up from the nylon. The glass is nicely blown and fairly substantial. I really am impressed. Once I get my new VV up and running we'll see how it works.

This brings me to a Question. Are the VV power supplies suppose to be this "fiddly"? I find that the knob on mine is extremely sensitive. If I even barely touch it there is a change of anywhere from .10-.30 V. Is this normal. I find it very hard to get the kind of temp settings with the accuracy that you guys are talking about. A mere move of a millimeter changes the V way beyond the .25 V adjustments you're talking about.

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[TheDudeNextDoor]

My stealth is exactly like that, NewVape. My understanding is that the Spartan is more exact in dialing in the voltage. With the stealth, you have to be satisfied with "close enough."

 

[Jeppy]

This brings me to a Question. Are the VV power supplies suppose to be this "fiddly"? I find that the knob on mine is extremely sensitive. If I even barely touch it there is a change of anywhere from .10-.30 V. Is this normal. I find it very hard to get the kind of temp settings with the accuracy that you guys are talking about. A mere move of a millimeter changes the V way beyond the .25 V adjustments you're talking about.

Am I doing something wrong?

I call my next door neighbor over to turn mine to an accurate setting as he is a dwarf and has tiny hands. But don't piss him off as he can 'throw down'. lol

 

[NewVape]

*Sigh - Wishes he lived in a magical forest like Jeppy*

Thanks for the feedback Dude.

 

[Jeppy]

Ok ok. NewVaper,,,when you get it close to the temp you want it,,try 'Barely' tapping the knob in the direction you want to go. If this doesn't work,,,I'll have Dopey or Doc come over and dial it in for you.

 

[Lo]

Okay... short and sweet cuz I've had a long damn day BUT... Oh. My. God.

I finally got a CRZ and... it is divine. I had an original Myrtle Zap from back in the day which has since been gifted to a cancer patient but I used for quite awhile...actually was one of my first few vapes back in 2009.

Unpacking the CRZ it felt like I was switching from a Ford to a Lexus lol. I got the Glass tooty, the variable power box lol.. options are always cool.

The vape itself is so nice and the changes are immediately evident just visually. The wood is really nice, the small size is nice too. Exceeded my expectations immensely.

Of course I had to plug that sucker in and give it a whirl. Used the VV and Glass and was very pleased. Finally I can love a log vape again as you can't beat the conservation and ease of use for quick sessions Can't wait to take it when I hang w/ some friends next week. I know they'll be tickled to bits over it.

Thanks Rick! I'm only sorry it took me this long to give this new design a spin!!! Kudos!

 

[StealthGrower]

Rick, I've been putting this off, I've been trying to convince myself it's me and not the vape, i've tried very hard to be happy with it, but i'm not.
i can't get my CRZ to perform nearly as well as my MZ in any regard. the MZ runs cooler, gives thicker clouds, and gives more clouds.
you mentioned that hard wood gets hotter than soft wood. well my vaporizer is made of very soft wood, and yet at temperatures that leave the weed still green the vape is hot to the touch. at increasing temperatures it only gets hotter. this confuses me and doesn't seem right at all. i have no theory as to why this is happening.
I don't get as thick of a hit in my CRZ as my MZ, i guess this could be because it's not as hot, but it doesn't seem to matter what temp i have it on, to get a hit out of my CRZ that is comparable to the MZ i have to pretty much torch the bowl and do the whole stem in one hit.
I don't get as many hits with the CRZ as with the MZ. i have tried low temps, high temps, mid temps, i've even tried starting low and moving to high, it doesn't matter i can't get as many hits out of it.
i mean tonight i packed a stem of keif up, and didn't get a single milky hit. i got 5 or 6 whispy hits, and the stem was 100% full probably with a 50/50 ratio of bud to keif. the results i get from this zap are very inconsistent too, sometimes it will work nearly as well as my CRZ (possibly equally as well) and other times will be like the aforementioned.
the stem of keif got vaped, it ended up brown. i don't understand it. it really doesn't make sense to me at all. i have racked my brain for hours trying to think of a reason or reasons why things are like this, and i just can't come up with anything. something appears to be wrong, but i have no idea what, or even how something could be wrong. if it is heating the weed up enough to turn it brown, and i am getting pretty even roasting, then how is it even possible that i'm not getting just as much out of it from this vape as i would with another.
i have no idea why these things are happening, i can't figure it out, i have no theories, i've tried coming up with a bunch, but none that make sense.
for the first time in a long time i am actually choosing to smoke over vaporizing, because i can't get this thing to work well at all, and even if despite that it's still more efficient than smoking it's too damn frustrating to have this beautiful machine that should be working just as beautifully not functioning anywhere close to my expectations.

even if the performance difference between the CRZ and the MZ is somehow entirely in my head it does not explain why my soft wood zap is so god damn hot even at low voltages. i can put it on 13 volts and vape a stem, it will give some vapor, but the weed comes out green. however if you touch the vape at that temperature it is HOT! not burning you, but well past warm. right now it's set to 13.45 which is hot enough to vape a stem to a golden brown color. picking up the vape and holding it causes discomfort, if it was barely any hotter i wouldn't be able to pick it up.

 

[Jeppy]

Stealth, you are proof that the CRZ isn't for everyone. First off, I have a Myrtle. There is no comparison. Like apples and oranges. It definately can't be compared to smoking. I run my zap at at least 13.50. Does it run hot,,,yes. Always? No. Does it compare to the Myrtle?? Well hell no,,,,you can pert neer combust with the Myrt. The CRZ is more refined. More level headed, with alot more manners. Some folks don't run with such a crowd. While your descriptions sound like they fall within normal parameters, I just don't think you're happy? I wasn't initially automatically enthused myself. The Black Locust grew on me.
NOW: The wrist bones connected to the Zap bone.

 

[momofthegoons]

First off, hot damn Lo!!!! Do you know how long I've wanted you to try one of these things? So glad you like it.

StealthGrower, if you weren't an old MZ user, I'd be questioning your method, your grind, how dry, etc. Maybe it's time to email Rick and see if you could make a trade? It might just be the unit. I can't imagine that it's that hot and that your herb isn't going past green. My CRZs get my herb much darker than all of my old school Zaps. IMO, it's either technique or the unit itself.

 

[StealthGrower]

Stealth, you are proof that the CRZ isn't for everyone. First off, I have a Myrtle. There is no comparison. Like apples and oranges. It definately can't be compared to smoking. I run my zap at at least 13.50. Does it run hot,,,yes. Always? No. Does it compare to the Myrtle?? Well hell no,,,,you can pert neer combust with the Myrt. The CRZ is more refined. More level headed, with alot more manners. Some folks don't run with such a crowd. While your descriptions sound like they fall within normal parameters, I just don't think you're happy? I wasn't initially automatically enthused myself. The Black Locust grew on me.
NOW: The wrist bones connected to the Zap bone.

you may be right jeppy. that's why i've put off posting that for so long. all my complaints besides it running so hot seem like they are within normal use of a properly functioning zap. It's very possible that it's functioning exactly as it is supposed to and i'm just not used to it yet.
if i never owned a vape before i'd probably be ecstatic, but because i have a great MZ to compare it to, i end up disappointed.
although it usually seems like it's functioning within normal parameters a stem of over 50% keif giving only 5 or 6 very whipsy hits doesn't seem anywhere close to proper functioning. if that was the MZ it would not have been possible to get less than 10 MILKY hits out of that.

 

[StealthGrower]

@ mom, i have the VV PS so i can turn it up or down to vape the weed any color i want. i was just saying even at temps that leave the weed green, the vape is still hot to the touch

EDIT: how do you delete a post?

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

Hey Stealth couple of thoughts first maybe the difference of fit btw the brass stems and the SS stems.

I find that with the tighter fit on the brass stems it doesn't allow as much extra airflow directly in the vapor stream as the SS stems. Since that air hasn't been heated as much it tends to make hit seem a tad cooler since more cooler air is in the mix. Really a small difference and in less you own both MZ and CRZ don't think even notice it...

My solution has been to follow Rick advice with the crz slow and steady, if I hit her hard and fast I tend find air takes easiest pass and and more cool is sucked in the side of the stem. Thus allowing less thru the heater path. Also maybe try another stem maybe current ones has a small bent or something allow more air to slip pass heater area? Or try cupping hands around top to slow airflow.


Other thought is how old is the MZ? I found mine got hotter the older it got as the wood got more charred.

 

[momofthegoons]

Good advice Herbie!

Stealth, you do not have the ability to delete a post, unless you just edit out all the content. We'd much prefer if you hit your report button and ask one of us mods to delete it for you. Then there isn't an empty post sitting there. If it's just an instance of needing to edit something, you've got 6 hours to change a post with your edit button.

And, I still say get in touch with Rick. Something's up. Your abv should be getting dark.

 

[StealthGrower]

i can get my ABV dark. that's not the problem lol. the whole part about the weed still being green was just to show that my vape actually is abnormally hot to the touch, it's not just because i have it cranked way way up. even at very low temps where it still leaves the weed green my vape is hot to touch. i can if i want turn up the VV PS and get my weed as dark as i want.
from what i understand a softwood CRZ should not feel anywhere near as hot as mine does. right now with my VV PS set to 13.45 it is difficult to pick up. it is causing discomfort because it's so fucking hot. i mean it's extremely fucking hot.

@Herbie that makes perfect sense, and is probably why i sometimes get inconsistent vaping of stems.

EDIT: I just vaped a stem without touching the VV PS, the vape has been at the same temp for hours so it has leveled out. at 13.45 the vaporizer was very uncomfortably hot to hold. I vaped a stem out of it and the weed is very light brown/green. it's half way between brown and green. i took a picture with my phone, and the phone makes it look a few shades darker, but you can still see about half the contents are light brown and half are light green still.
a softwood CRZ should not be this damn hot and only vaping contents to that color. at least i don't believe it should be.

 

[TheDudeNextDoor]

Hmmm...maybe the unit is not insulating correctly? It sounds to me like you are losing too much heat through the wood somehow. Like the others, I would say it's technique, but since you have experience with an mz, I would think you'd have these techniques refined already. I can tell you that when I first got my zap, pre-vvps, I was having the same issues you are having (minus the extreme heat) and I initially thought something was wrong with the unit, but after changing my methods, I suddenly started getting excellent results, so it was all technique. My zap, though, never gets too hot to handle, regardless of how high I have the voltage set.

 

[StealthGrower]

Hmmm...maybe the unit is not insulating correctly? It sounds to me like you are losing too much heat through the wood somehow. Like the others, I would say it's technique, but since you have experience with an mz, I would think you'd have these techniques refined already. I can tell you that when I first got my zap, pre-vvps, I was having the same issues you are having (minus the extreme heat) and I initially thought something was wrong with the unit, but after changing my methods, I suddenly started getting excellent results, so it was all technique. My zap, though, never gets too hot to handle, regardless of how high I have the voltage set.

this is my thinking. any performance issues may still just be my inexperience with the zap, but there is something wrong with it for it to be getting this hot. OK time to E-mail Rick I guess.

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

Surprised really by that much heat...My black locust CRZ is a tiny mushroom shaped unit and she can really heat up, but what your describing just doesn't sound right none of mine get that hot and they shouldn't IMHO.

Only other thought is since you got the crz right when you got the VV ps have you tried just running the crz off a 12 volt dc transformer to rule out the VV ps?

If worse comes to worse sure Rick will work with ya and figure out a happy outcome.

 

[StealthGrower]

I've e-mailed Rick, he didn't say much because he was busy, but he said he would get me fixed up and he has an idea what the problem is if it's the unit he is thinking of. so i await further response from him.

 

[Rick]

Here we go again!!!IT'S THE WOOD! That piece sticks out in my mind more than any other for a couple reasons. One, it was one of a kind for only one Zap. It had some writing on it "flamme" or close or maybe not close. I just could not make it out. Second it was a hard wood for sure but had a different feel to it which I thought was softer. The truth is, no matter how pretty some wood may be, it does not work good for a Zap for some reason. Sometimes an unknown reason as this case. I will also say that wood stunk when I worked it. A smell never smelt before.

So, Stealth, I am going to ask you to send it back to us and we will make a new shell. You can keep the old one for nostalgia sake but it does not make a good Zap.

We want Zaps to function real good and be comfortable to handle at the same time. Your description of your experience convinced me we need to get you in another Zap. Then, when I saw that oddball piece of wood, even though real pretty, it all started clicking as our regular woods do not do what you described.

Stealth fussy digital readout is because it shows volts to the hundredths of a volt. The higher quality Spartan totally eliminates that effect because of the ten turn dial and showing a voltage display only to the tenth of a volt. It takes a quarter turn or so on the Spartan to get it to move one tenth of a volt. The voltage display also stays right where you put it.
I am getting the Tootys made a little shorter as you can see in post #8679 by NewVape. Nice short vapor flow for less condensation inside the glass.

 

[Vicki]

Rick,

I just tried to use the zapville@fc discount code, and it said it was invalid. I am looking at the Zap's you have left for purchase too. I put on in the cart, and tried the code. "Not valid." Not sure why it isn't working. I was looking at the Walnut zap.

 

[StealthGrower]

Thanks a lot Rick, i'll get tht sent back to you ASAP. right now i have to start the drive back home to North Carolina though.

 

[momofthegoons]

Vicki, if you have a particular one in mind, shoot Rick an email. Although he's pretty good about checking in here on the thread, he may not see your post in time and someone else might snap it up...

Should this happen, it wont be the end of the world. I find one I want in every damn batch Rick puts up!

Stealth, I knew Rick would hook you up!