I just received a brand new Mini and it seems that our prayers have been answered.... it's come with no bottom screen in the bowl!! It comes with two sets of screens in bags now, one set for the mouthpiece and one set for inside the bowl! So, I will just be using standard SS screens in the bowl now without having to go through the trouble of taking it apart. I don't know if this is the same for the 5s and Pro but I am one happy bunny.
FlowerMate Vapormax V/V5.0/V5.0S/V5 Pro
- Thread starter Shit Snacks
- Start date
archangelz001
FIRE!!
Where, or who, did you get it from?
It was from Essex Vapours on eBay (UK). Also the holes in the mouthpiece part have been made a bit wider too, I just noticed.
startedflowermatingnimere
Member
can you post pics please thanks
GetLeft
Well-Known Member
Ordered a mini from piu on Wed. got it Fri.
Dang.
Read here for a good while (thanks everyone!) while looking at the unit. Took out the removable stem screen. Now it's charging. Guess I'll give it a burn off (a first for me) and give it its virgin voyage mañana. Silicone around the the metal stem base will be critical for convenience, I'm thinking (I think I saw @OF referencing sizes a little earlier). I'm figuring it will snug the stem in its carrier, but also allow me to stash the stem in a pocket or hold it while changing loads.
The Air, with the load in its stem, permits an unfinished load to be removed from the oven and finished later. The mini won't be as effective at storing unfinished loads, from what it looks like, which is just fine. I'll make an adjustment or two. This thing looks like it may up my vaping versatility by miles.
I'll be doing small loads and probably screening them in. Feel free to recommend good 'small load techniques' if there are any out there.
Edit:
Did a bunch of burns; was about to ignore the waning odors and load a small one up. Actually, I did load one up and wouldn't you know. Battery was gone. So I'll recharge tonight and maybe do another burn or two tomorrow before the first go.
Did learn though that I don't see myself successfully pinning the herb down in the oven with a screen. I'd need a lifetime supply of screens and special pockets sewn into my clothes to carry back ups around in. Think I'll backtrack on that one and look a little closer at the ss screen in the stem and letting the herb shake rattle and roll in the oven as it sees fit.
Dang.
Read here for a good while (thanks everyone!) while looking at the unit. Took out the removable stem screen. Now it's charging. Guess I'll give it a burn off (a first for me) and give it its virgin voyage mañana. Silicone around the the metal stem base will be critical for convenience, I'm thinking (I think I saw @OF referencing sizes a little earlier). I'm figuring it will snug the stem in its carrier, but also allow me to stash the stem in a pocket or hold it while changing loads.
The Air, with the load in its stem, permits an unfinished load to be removed from the oven and finished later. The mini won't be as effective at storing unfinished loads, from what it looks like, which is just fine. I'll make an adjustment or two. This thing looks like it may up my vaping versatility by miles.
I'll be doing small loads and probably screening them in. Feel free to recommend good 'small load techniques' if there are any out there.
Edit:
Did a bunch of burns; was about to ignore the waning odors and load a small one up. Actually, I did load one up and wouldn't you know. Battery was gone. So I'll recharge tonight and maybe do another burn or two tomorrow before the first go.
Did learn though that I don't see myself successfully pinning the herb down in the oven with a screen. I'd need a lifetime supply of screens and special pockets sewn into my clothes to carry back ups around in. Think I'll backtrack on that one and look a little closer at the ss screen in the stem and letting the herb shake rattle and roll in the oven as it sees fit.
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Sevenaito
Member
Hello all, I've been thinking about getting a flowermate and was wondering, is it possible to open the unit and replace the battery somehow when it dies eventually? Other portable units I'm looking at let you swap the battery but there doesn't seem to be that option on the flowermate. Thanks.
Reliable ShotZ
Active Member
I think I have what you call a 5s, it has 3 temperature settings and long battery life but definitely not as small as the mini. I drilled a hole in the pocket where you store the mouthpiece. This allowed me to push a pin in and extract the mouthpiece from the bottom of the chamber. I found lots of black Abv dust upon removal and has certainly reduced draw resistance so am very happy I managed to get it out. Does anyone know if you can get a mouthpiece similar to the shape of the Zion stem?
OF
Well-Known Member
You can open it up (screws under the sliding doors) but the battery is soldered in. This means not only being able to solder at least at the Intermediate level but you need to find the right size battery, without protection, with welded tabs. They are around, but not all that easy to get.
While I might try (I have a supply of the 'right' batteries from making Solo packs) I cannot recommend it for most.
OF
GetLeft
Well-Known Member
Nice first session with the mini this morning. Interesting difference in the flavor it produces. I'm guessing I'm noticing the shorter vapor path with less diffused vapor. Nice change.
The second session caught me off guard due to the noticeably reduced draw. All indications were the stem, which had a nicely scented sticky layer of resin in it, screen included. The vape wasn't going to get used if I had to clean it after every session. Pondered things, and decided to drill out the five hole screen in the metal stem base and replace it with a ss screen. Just did a sesh and of course a much improved draw. And accompanying reduced vapor. I used a bud; will grind next time. Perhaps bump the temp from low to medium.
The second session caught me off guard due to the noticeably reduced draw. All indications were the stem, which had a nicely scented sticky layer of resin in it, screen included. The vape wasn't going to get used if I had to clean it after every session. Pondered things, and decided to drill out the five hole screen in the metal stem base and replace it with a ss screen. Just did a sesh and of course a much improved draw. And accompanying reduced vapor. I used a bud; will grind next time. Perhaps bump the temp from low to medium.
jackhammer
Well-Known Member
Nice find. Do you notice any difference?
Hopefully this will work its way into the rest of the range
H4mandCheese
Well-Known Member
Just ordered my Mini from PIU to ship to UK for $75+$19 shipping. Great service! From first emailing to shipped within 2 hours. I will update when it arrives what the chamber/screen situation is.
Definitely, much better air flow. I haven't actually changed the bottom screen yet since I started using it but I can already see there is abv and oil under there but of course I can now just take the screen out, clean it all up and pop a new screen in! Hopefully they will be doing this across the full range.
Can someone help me out? After a full year of using my Flowermate v5.0s, it finally broke. Well, it works, but the button is broken. I was turning it on, when all of a sudden the button got pushed in and unable to come back out. I tried everything, even disassembling it. After taking it apart, I found the little white square behind the button, and I think this is the problem. http://imgur.com/wqlR2hX This is the square I'm talking about (not my photo). Mine is stuck, and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to act as a button as well(read as: being able to be pushed in). Does anyone have any idea to what I could do to fix this?
OF
Well-Known Member
The rectangular (not square) white thing on the right is the actuator on the switch. It should indeed click and otherwise control the unit, the button that pokes through the case is just a keytop. A mechanical spacer.
These sorts of switches do fail, as yours seems to have. The only useful cure is replacement. This is normally a strip down and solder job, but if you have a spare, time and skill you can sometimes take the switch apart while still mounted in the board. That is remove the metal clip that holds the actuator, and any springs and the contact plate you find underneath. Be careful, the plate has an 'up' and a 'down'. Then replace those parts (retaining the black body soldered to the board) in place using parts from a new switch. Still needing a new switch but not needing soldering nor further disassembly.
Or you could put it out to pasture and get a new one from PIU for $79 shipped:
http://blog.puffitup.com/2015/09/flowermate-sale-new-low-prices-on-the-v5-0s-mini-pro/
OF
I've been in contact with Smiss this week as had a problem with my old Mini, they have been really helpful and are sending a new one. I asked about the bottom screen and it seems that they are actually making more changes and the newer version I have is already old! This is the picture he sent me.
throwawaytre3s
Well-Known Member
Hey there everyone, so I ordered a flowermate v5 pro today, in anticipation of moving back home and being able to vape on a regular basis once more. I just have a few questions about the pro specifically. Everyone is suggesting that I remove the top and bottom screens from the chamber, which I'll most likely end up doing to help with airflow. My main concern, is the five bottom holes of the chamber clogging over time. From what I understand, the pro isn't as easy (or at all possible) to disassemble, unlike the v5.0s. Is there any way to clean these bottom holes without poking through the holes? I'd hate for gunk and stuff to fall through, and potentially kill the vape by ruining the heating chamber. I haven't been able to find much on cleaning the pro, or whether or not it clogs up over time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated guys! Thanks in advance.
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
Like all vapes, it needs maintainance. I don't have a single vape that doesn't require to be cleaned from time to time. In my FM5's I managed to gunk the bottom screens sometimes, but you just need to use a Q-tip dipped into ISO to scrub the screen and it's good again.
The mouthpiece on the other hand will clog pretty fast if you don't clean it often. After every session when it's still warm and fluid, I use a paper towel and wipe the screen there. Takes about 3secs max. Then less regularily I do a ISO bath and shaking to clean it fully.
I did not remove any of my bottom screens but I did completely remove my mouthpiece ones, while keeping the plate with 5 holes intact.
I'm really not convinced that opening any wider the air flow is a good idea. You are pretty much limited by the ceramic heat-exchange rate (this is why you need to maximize the contact surface by tamping the load and having it sit properly on the bottom screen, which does get hot to some extent even if there's nothing below) Drawing faster than the music will only overwhelm the heater, there's no magic involved.
Finally there's nothing under the bowl to damage. The heating element (resistive metal film wrapped inside kaptan tape and rockwool-like insulation) is around the ceramic bowl and AFAIK the wires are routed from the side and not from below. So I think you can poke safely anyways if you really need to...
But the best remedy is to use properly dried material. It has been said several times. When I gunked mine the most it was with fresh herbs that still had too much moisture content.
The mouthpiece on the other hand will clog pretty fast if you don't clean it often. After every session when it's still warm and fluid, I use a paper towel and wipe the screen there. Takes about 3secs max. Then less regularily I do a ISO bath and shaking to clean it fully.
I did not remove any of my bottom screens but I did completely remove my mouthpiece ones, while keeping the plate with 5 holes intact.
I'm really not convinced that opening any wider the air flow is a good idea. You are pretty much limited by the ceramic heat-exchange rate (this is why you need to maximize the contact surface by tamping the load and having it sit properly on the bottom screen, which does get hot to some extent even if there's nothing below) Drawing faster than the music will only overwhelm the heater, there's no magic involved.
Finally there's nothing under the bowl to damage. The heating element (resistive metal film wrapped inside kaptan tape and rockwool-like insulation) is around the ceramic bowl and AFAIK the wires are routed from the side and not from below. So I think you can poke safely anyways if you really need to...
But the best remedy is to use properly dried material. It has been said several times. When I gunked mine the most it was with fresh herbs that still had too much moisture content.
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OF
Well-Known Member
Bang on! 3 times in a row (although the first and last are related?). You're on a roll, time to buy a few Lotto tickets.......
Well done, thanks. I hope folks are listening.
OF
OF
Well-Known Member
throwawaytre3s
Well-Known Member
Good to know man, your advice definitely put my mind at ease about my order. I assumed there'd be maintenance, there always is! Even for my EQ. I'm just glad that it won't be difficult. Also, I hadn't planned on messing with the air flow much, if it all. Someone else earlier in the thread was keen to point out that the engineers designed it that way for a reason, you know?
OF
Well-Known Member
Now let's stick to the facts here, it's $94.99 shipped. That's how rumors start you know.......
Somehow it seems a bit like Pinnacle to me, I sure hope it works out better. Seems like a natural progression to me, did you see the photo on PIU:
http://blog.puffitup.com/2015/11/the-flowermate-v3-air-vaporizer-breakdown/
One thing sure, owner replacement of the battery doesn't seem to be an option?
OF
OF
Well-Known Member
Actually I was responding to what PIU said, "The FlowerMate is not meant to be disassembled, we had to cut this one open and destroy the unit in the process. It was a lot of fun.
Obvious Disclaimer: Dismantling your vaporizer will void the warranty. The Flowermate v3 is not an easy vaporizer to open and we do not recommend doing this."
I haven't even seen it, but I tend not to do destructive opening on working gear I care about.....and if I don't care about it, why bother?
I'm not even sure where I'd get unprotected tabbed 15500s anyway. It might be best to cut the bottom off and convert to say IMR 15500s???
I'm thinking the 'head to head' here is with IMAG+? Looks like a much smaller and lighter unit with glass rather than plastic vapor path? Sounds cool to me. I like the IMAP+ for what it is/does, this one seems to upstage it in key areas?
Then again, hard to say what I might think/do tomorrow. Ain't life fun that way?
I'll swap battery life for smaller/lighter.
OF