Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci

[grokit]

My ascent is in the house, and cosmetically it is excellent except for the screen is scratched like everyone else's. Also if anyone got an XL t-shirt and wants to exchange for an L, please PM me!

While I sincerely wish that the screen was the only issue to bitch about, it is a really stupid (meaning easily avoidable with a little forethought) thing to have go wrong as it ruins the finish of a really sleek-looking device. It also puts quite a damper on the unboxing rush. But I understand that whether we're called early-adopters or beta testers, we can't be too surprised by this kind of issue; at least it doesn't affect operation.

I love the way it feels, from a tactile point of view it reeks of quality (no pun intended!). It feels a bit heavy, but that's part of the quality vibe. Opening the unit up, the silicone, bowl and screen are also finished well with no visible flaws. I used my tvape brush (perfect fit) and 99% iso on the vapor pathway, and swabbed the other areas inside the unit with a pipe-cleaner and a q-tip. I'll give the glass parts a quick iso rinse.

There was no visible residue on any of these cleaning tools when I was done, so if I get black residue after burn off that might reveal something about the nature of the odor/empty smoke. Meaning that it may not be residue from manufacturing, but some material in the unit breaking down, probably the new silicone seal material since the early testers did not experience this issue.

My plan is to burn it off until it stops, clean it again and heat it up again. If I do get more smoke, I will rinse and repeat until I don't. Then with the unit still warm, I will swab all the plastic/rubber areas with a bit of coconut oil, which will get sucked back into the pores of the unit like seasoning a wok/skillet. This seemed to help with the rubber mouthpiece taste in the tvape thread, so maybe it will help here.

While I am irrationally disappointed that the display was imperfect on my ascent, I am "cautiously optimistic" at this point about the rest of it. The battery light just turned solid, but my instincts are telling me to let it go for the full 10 hours before I attempt the burn-off, mainly because my unit was dead as a doornail upon arrival. Not that unit, my ascent!

 

[zongo47]

I got my Stealth earlier today and just tried it out.


I noticed with the glass mouthpiece if I twist it slightly when its extended it tightens in place so it wont easily slip out if someone accidentally grabs it by the stem.

Murphy's Law, your a dick.

On 2nd thought, don't twist it when its on. I put a little crack in one of my mouthpieces. Good thing I got 3! I wish they were a little thicker.

 

[nigel]

Pretty sure it's not a sensitivity issue--my bro and I both experience painfully high temps holding the bottom casing.

Is anyone else's shutting off from overheating?

Sam -- Do you have access to a IR thermometer? (Maybe a friend?)

Of course I don't know about your situation, and can only guess, but my slightly-edumacated guess it that yours is indeed overheating (ie, thermal sensor in wrong place) so that when it thinks it is 390°F, it is actually higher, and then a different circuit shuts it down. (If you have eliminated both the motion-sensor timer and the other timer.) As, opposed to, it is actually the right temperature, but somehow your unit isn't insulating the outside as well. Just a guess.

But I'd like to see a measurement of the outside of the base when it's running at 430°F and get stats from others. IF you could find out a way to take a measurement before exchanging it, that would be great.

Sorry, about the fisherman's foot taste! I don't have that issue (Thankfully!).

[EDIT: Sam -- sorry, I posted this before catching up on all of the posts today. A page later I think you said basically the same thing or at least on the same lines.]

Yeah, and no one has had the unit for longer than a week to test

Why, that just simply is NOT true. I can think of 6 people who post/posted at FC that have had theirs for quite some time.

People new to FC and/or new to this thread are so willing to overlook the fact that there was ANOTHER Ascent thread, and three of our people acted as reviewers and tested the device for many weeks, before commenting. Some of them have popped up in this thread.

Now... if you meant to say, "No one has had a unit from the first production run for more than a week", then THAT is true.

 

[grokit]

Not that I'm committing to anything yet, but does anyone here have one of those Ryot cases? Ascent is 4.75" long, and specs say the Ryot is, too. But is that inside or outside dimensions? Sounds like it may juuuuuust barely fit, or not at all.

I'm glad you asked!

I posted the a ryot smell safe krypto kit that I bought on amazon earlier, and the ascent fits perfectly length and width-wise. Unfortunately, the ascent is too thick for the krypto case to zip up with all of its sewn-in pockets and loops. It looks like it would work if that extra stuff is removed, it's almost spooky how well it seems like it would fit without that stuff! But if you want to carry anything else besides what will slip into the outside pocket forget it because as I said, like a glove.

I have a dialog going with the factory rep, and he said that they may have some left without the pockets and stuff. I may try and take the stitching out of mine but that seems like a pain so I will probably return it to the amazon seller and try for an empty one from him. Should it fit, it may be a great opportunity for some kind of a group buy, or perhaps ryot would be interested in making it the ascent case since it looks to be perfectly sized already.

 

[sam reynolds]

Just got in touch with someone from Ryot and asked about the krypto kit. He said the Smell Safe Head Case fits the Ascent "perfectly."

Dimensions are bigger than the krypto kit, though...maybe it'll give a little room for extras?

 

[nigel]

except for the OLED screen is scratched like everyone else's

Can you clarify here? There are actually two separate issues with the screen: One is the film or coating separating that a lot of people seem to have. The other is actual physical scratches. The film issue may look like scratches, but it is not.

I've now seen units with the film issue. I'm not so bothered by those. Of course, not my unit so I might be biased. But you can't see the issue when it is on.

The other issue of the real scratches bugs me a lot more. That problem I haven't seen in person, but the one photo that was published here looked really really bad, and I'm shocked that went out the door.

So, which issue (or both) is it you think you have?

 

[grokit]

Just got in touch with someone from Ryot and asked about the krypto kit. He said the Smell Safe Head Case fits the Ascent "perfectly."

Dimensions are bigger than the krypto kit, though...maybe it'll give a little room for extras?

Yeah that one's definitely bigger.

I'm hoping to preserve the pocketable form factor, so even the hardshell krypto kit is too big for me.

edit: My battery meter started to blink again so I'm glad I followed the instructions, I will continue to let it charge for at least the full 10 hours.

 

[thesoloman]

So I busted out the infrared thermometer, i didn't get any readings above 220c. I also think that the off-gassing starts at about 190-195c from what seen.

 

[nigel]

So I busted out the infrared thermometer, i didn't get any readings above 220c. I also think that the off-gassing starts at about 190-195c from what seen.

Thanks!

I'm sorry: Reading what? The exterior? The interior of the bowl?

PS: I've now done a few more tests, as per your suggestions, but still working on the write-up.

 

[thesoloman]

I read everywhere i could! In the bowl was the hottest and the outside and grill were about half the temp of the bowl
Edit: batt meeter was at 50% then i shut it off and powered back on and now it shows 75%, hmmhhh, Edit: and now its back to 50%

Grill max temp at 93c
Body max about 70c

 

[sam reynolds]

I'm glad you asked!

...

I have a dialog going with the factory rep, and he said that they may have some left without the pockets and stuff. I may try and take the stitching out of mine but that seems like a pain so I will probably return it to the amazon seller and try for an empty one from him. Should it fit, it may be a great opportunity for some kind of a group buy, or perhaps ryot would be interested in making it the ascent case since it looks to be perfectly sized already.

Definitely let us know how this goes.

 

[nigel]

I read everywhere i could! In the bowl was the hottest and the outside and grill were about half the temp of the bowl

Cool! Could I perhaps ask you to make a little table of all the measurements, for a given set temp on the Ascent?

I don't have my IR therm, so I'll have to depend on others' readings.

I'd like very much to see what @sam reynolds 's reading are.

But, also, I'm keen to see what temps the people that are seeing the wisps like what your are vs. the people that don't. (I have a theory...)

NOTE: As @Hippie Dickie has pointed out, it is very difficult to get an accurate read on the bowl temp during real use. So, even if your device is set to a temp, doesn't necessarily mean that an open empty bowl will read that exact figure.

So, no one get alarmed if that is the case!

 

[stickstones]

Smart reasoning Sticks, makes sense.
"Your love for the Halflings leaf has(not) clouded your mind!"
Would you share your cotton configuration, do you line the bottom, create a small ball and toss in,...?
TIA
PS sorry in advance if I missed that in an earlier post.

When using ground leaf I would put the desired amount in there, pack it down just a little, then tear off a piece of cotton to fill the space and pack that just slightly. Keeping the cotton on top kept the glass air path crystal clean. When using a nugget, I would wrap it in a thin layer of cotton just to keep the bud from touching the edges of the bowl directly. I really liked this configuration since it didn't require pulverizing my bud with a grinder and I found the bud to be evenly baked all the way through. The hits were different, though...whispier at first, like it needed to buildup before it hit hard. But it would hit for longer.

 

[VaPeD&CoNfUsEd]

My daughter has this glass bead kit and I found the perfect piece of glass to fit in my ascent bowl. It holds the packed load to the bottom and I get CLOUDS for the whole session without opening up to repack at all.

 

[Skulduggery]

I want to believe it'll work out, like most of you, but this desire may be blinding us to realize the sad truth that using the ascent may pose a serious health risk..

Quoting myself here, I deeply apologize with my incorrect use of "us" when I meant "ours", meaning i was posting to thesoloman and whoever else may be sharing our issue of an odd, unpleasant discharge stream from the bottom oven. in that post, i was trying to state that we (thesoloman and i) shouldnt use it until the mystery smoke rids itself, but even if it does, should the two of us risk it or return it? I did not mean to suggest that all Acsents have this problem, obviously there are posts claiming no issue. And if I make the mystery smoke burn off tonight, I may have to inconvenience me and davinci for a repair because As I've said, I Love this thing.

I apologize for the miscommunication on my end, which as the mod pointed out was irresponsible of me (however my use of "most likely" "probable" and "may" are responsible words that i used deliberately when discussing that the "potential" harm is an opinion and thus should be received as purely speculative. I did not use these words for the cancer treatment, because that has a wide body of evidence. I mean no disrespect, for I respect the forum and the mods, I just want to clarify and apologize for how my earlier post may have been received). Best, skulduggery

 

[Tweek]

Duuuude, that was like trying to read a P.K.D. novel while stoned.

 

[stickstones]

My daughter has this glass bead kit and I found the perfect piece of glass to fit in my ascent bowl. It holds the packed load to the bottom and I get CLOUDS for the whole session without opening up to repack at all.

Well whaddaya know?!

 

[grokit]

Can you clarify here? There are actually two separate issues with the screen: One is the film or coating separating that a lot of people seem to have. The other is actual physical scratches. The film issue may look like scratches, but it is not.

I've now seen units with the film issue. I'm not so bothered by those. Of course, not my unit so I might be biased. But you can't see the issue when it is on.

The other issue of the real scratches bugs me a lot more. That problem I haven't seen in person, but the one photo that was published here looked really really bad, and I'm shocked that went out the door.

So, which issue (or both) is it you think you have?

To me the streaks along the outside of the display look like it's scratched from the backside.

The one on the right side is much more visible in this picture. What do you think?

 

[nigel]

To me the streaks along the outside of the display look like it's scratched from the backside.

The one on the right side is much more visible in this picture. What do you think?

I think that is the film issue.

 

[thesoloman]

@Skulduggery Im not going to use, If i were to hold a unit in my hand that didn't smoke at all i would love to use it. I don't want to inhale anything other then the precious vapor we all crave! I litteraly had a friend begging me to use it today. and i was like "no fuck off, are you fucking idiot" don't you care what you put in your body? His reply was "no, i just want to try the ascent, i don't care if i inhale bad shit" (I actually apologized for calling him a fucking idiot shortly after i did it. )

 

[YeeeBuddy]

Don't all vaporizers require a "burn in" when they're new? To get rid of that "new" smell/taste? All the units I own and have tried have needed this...including the solo. Is the smell/taste being discussed here something other than that?

Neither my cera or flashvape required any type of "burn in" period the taste was pure from the first session.

 

[grokit]

I think that is the film issue.

Meaning there is a protective film on the back of the display that should have been removed but wasn't, and is now separating? If so, that's even more avoidable than I had originally thought.

How do I open this thing to remove the stupid film (rhetorical question, probably not possible)?

 

[nigel]

Meaning there is a protective film on the back that should have been removed but wasn't, and is now separating? If so, that's even stupider than I had originally thought.

We covered this earlier (today? Yesterday?), but perhaps you weren't around?

The OLED screens were getting scratched to heck in assembly. (And for a few users, they still might be.) To combat this a film and/or a coating were used to protect the screens.

What's happening is a separation of either the film or the coating. I'm unclear on the exact specifics of either, so I can't give you a better answer at this time.

But it is NOT something that "should have been removed" from what I understand. It is something that should have stayed in place to protect the parts, but isn't staying in the place it should.

 

[OF]

Folks,

I think I said this before, "mystery vapor", these Forums and DaVinci go a long ways back (in vape terms). If you go to the DV thread and search on "mystery vapor" you'll find 51 posts about it. Lots of discussion of curing silicone rubber (IMO most likely going on here) and a most interesting (to me at least) point from the maker that it's coming from the mica used in the heater there. While the heater in Ascent might be different, companies tend to keep technology (like how to make a heater) that works for them rather than invent something new that may have new problems.
http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/davinci-pocket-vaporizer-by-karma.4928/page-68#post-324950

At any rate, "we have been here before on another time around the wheel.....". We, DV and "mystery vapor" are really old friends. With few exceptions most found it was not a long term problem, I bet the same will happen again? History does repeat here too?

OF

 

[Reveen]

Folks,

I think I said this before, "mystery vapor", these Forums and DaVinci go a long ways back (in vape terms). If you go to the DV thread and search on "mystery vapor" you'll find 51 posts about it. Lots of discussion of curing silicone rubber (IMO most likely going on here) and a most interesting (to me at least) point from the maker that it's coming from the mica used in the heater there. While the heater in Ascent might be different, companies tend to keep technology (like how to make a heater) that works for them rather than invent something new that may have new problems.
http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/davinci-pocket-vaporizer-by-karma.4928/page-68#post-324950

At any rate, "we have been here before on another time around the wheel.....". We, DV and "mystery vapor" are really old friends. With few exceptions most found it was not a long term problem, I bet the same will happen again? History does repeat here too?

OF

Thanks for pointing this out!