Pen Focus Vaporizer

[PPN]

Hi, I got my Pro yesterday and my first impressions are less good than for the previous version.

-It smell very bad out of the box and first burn-off produces a ton of offgassing...although at the end I can't see anything. After to let it out a couple of hours smell was less noticeable but still present so I load it with abv for a short run without inhaling but blowing in the air inlet.
- But it still taste a bit too much new for a couple of sessions
- building quality seems a bit different and cheaper (this is explain this bad smell, isn't it?)
- it's not anymore the heavy hitter the digital version is, at 200°C clouds are whispy and abv is not totally spent after a 6-7mn session.
- a good thing is there is a passthrough function now.

This is my first impressions and I can change my mind after more uses but i need more time for a full review cause I'm really busy actually.

 

[djurodjakovic]

can someone explain this "passthrough function"?
thx

 

[moondog]

I'm so not happy to hear this and for you! What color is this unit? My replacement unit is black in lieu of the green I had the first time. I really liked the green, but it was tied to a smell I don't want to remember. Not sure that color will change anything, but it will to my mind.

I'm really not sure what to tell you, and the fact that this seems so isolated doesn't help. I know there's not much traffic here, but only three reports of this, but all three so similar.

I really wish we had a larger sample size to work from. If someone locally sold these I'd go thru every box checking them for a scentless one.

My unit is black, same as the first one.

can someone explain this "passthrough function"?
thx

It means you can use the vaporizer while it is charging via the USB cable. But only if there is at least "one bar's" worth of power on the battery indicator.

 

[moondog]

Double post. Sorry.

 

[MonkeyTime]

can someone explain this "passthrough function"?
thx

For starters, very few vaporizers are true pass thru from what I can see.

Pass thru is the ability for the vaporizer to work normally with batteries, and then be plugged in to a "wired" power source and by-pass the battery. The two largest advantages to this are being able to use the unit without a battery or with one that is completely dead, and the fact that while on wired power, you're not taxing or cycling your battery (extends the life which is important on non-user replaceable batteries).

I believe this unit works like most that have some sort of this ability, while plugged in, the power still goes thru the battery, and can't be used until it has about 15% charge.

I haven't confirmed this yet, I only had mine for a day before I RMA'd it. I'll check that out next week when I get my replacement.

** Edit - @moondog beet me to it!

 

[stickstones]

Do I keep going with burnoffs? How many do I do before I give up and send it back?

Trust your nose! It's located above your mouth for a reason...to keep nasty stuff out of your mouth. If it doesn't smell good, don't use it. There are way too many good, clean vapes to not have to settle for something.

 

[His_Highness]

@moondog - Thanks so much for the detailed review. Sounds like you've narrowed the smell issue to primarily the outside of the unit which may be drawn into the oven when turned on during a burn-off?

I wish I could help in some way but I didn't have any issues with smell or taste on either of my units. @stickstones told me he may be able to get me a unit for a tear down so maybe that will shine a light on something.

The worst smelling/tasting unit I ever worked with was the Xmax V2 Pro. It has no high end covering like the Focus and after a series of burn-offs the internal smell/taste issue from the oven disappeared and I was left with a nasty smelling/tasting silicon mouthpiece. I soaked that mouthpiece in ISO and rinsed it several times and after a few cycles of rinse and repeat it finally disappeared.

18 burn-offs and especially the number of burn-offs at the highest temps should have been enough.

For starters, very few vaporizers are true pass thru from what I can see.

Pass thru is the ability for the vaporizer to work normally with batteries, and then be plugged in to a "wired" power source and by-pass the battery. The two largest advantages to this are being able to use the unit without a battery or with one that is completely dead, and the fact that while on wired power, you're not taxing or cycling your battery (extends the life which is important on non-user replaceable batteries).

I believe this unit works like most that have some sort of this ability, while plugged in, the power still goes thru the battery, and can't be used until it has about 15% charge.

I haven't confirmed this yet, I only had mine for a day before I RMA'd it. I'll check that out next week when I get my replacement.

** Edit - @moondog beet me to it!

As far as pass-thru Monkeytime nailed it. One thing I'd mention is that I would steer clear of using the pass-thru IF the battery wasn't replaceable. On some units the pass-thru stresses the battery by interrupting the battery charge so over time the battery is weakened. Since the battery on the Focus is replaceable and inexpensive I would be comfortable with using the pass-thru.

 

[moondog]

@moondog - Thanks so much for the detailed review. Sounds like you've narrowed the smell issue to primarily the outside of the unit which may be drawn into the oven when turned on during a burn-off?

I wish I could help in some way but I didn't have any issues with smell or taste on either of my units. @stickstones told me he may be able to get me a unit for a tear down so maybe that will shine a light on something.

The worst smelling/tasting unit I ever worked with was the Xmax V2 Pro. It has no high end covering like the Focus and after a series of burn-offs the internal smell/taste issue from the oven disappeared and I was left with a nasty smelling/tasting silicon mouthpiece. I soaked that mouthpiece in ISO and rinsed it several times and after a few cycles of rinse and repeat it finally disappeared.

18 burn-offs and especially the number of burn-offs at the highest temps should have been enough.

Yeah, it's really feeling to me like it's the outer coating's (or adhesive's) reaction to the heat of the chamber. But the fact that your two (and others') units are smell free has me stymied.

I'd love to hear the results of a tear down.

It breaks my heart to give up on this guy since it so perfectly fits so many of my needs and I feel bad asking PIU for another exchange or straight return, but it does seem like if 18 burn offs doesn't remove the problem, the problem isn't going to be removed. Maybe I'll run a few more while I get up the nerve to email Jake at PIU.

Quick update: After another overnight session with the MOSO charcoal bag, I just ran my first burn-off of the day at 350 and the smell was almost nonexistent. Maybe I'm just kidding myself, but it seems to be reduced to the point where it feels like if I have the discipline to stick with the burnoffs a while longer, it'll be smell free.

 

[MonkeyTime]

Yeah, it's really feeling to me like it's the outer coating's (or adhesive's) reaction to the heat of the chamber. But the fact that your two (and others') units are smell free has me stymied.

I'd love to hear the results of a tear down.

It breaks my heart to give up on this guy since it so perfectly fits so many of my needs and I feel bad asking PIU for another exchange or straight return, but it does seem like if 18 burn offs doesn't remove the problem, the problem isn't going to be removed. Maybe I'll run a few more while I get up the nerve to email Jake at PIU.

You my friend are headed down the same road as I, you're just a little further ahead, I can see your taillights.

Have you tried contacting Focus direct? I'm not sure if that will complicate the situation or not, I trust Jake/PIU to treat us right.

 

[moondog]

You my friend are headed down the same road as I, you're just a little further ahead, I can see your taillights.

Have you tried contacting Focus direct? I'm not sure if that will complicate the situation or not, I trust Jake/PIU to treat us right.

I also have complete faith in Jake and PIU. I just want this thing to work out so badly.

 

[moondog]

Here's another burn-off update from "Can't Give Up on the Focus" HQ:

The unit came out of it's MOSO bag cocoon and didn't smell at all. I ran 4 more burn-offs today, all at 350F, bringing the total count to 22 burnoffs over 5 days.

During/after the first, the smell was so slight that it might not have been there at all.

During/after the second, the smell was somewhat stronger than after the first of the day, but still not substantial.

During/after the third, same as above but I noticed that any smell that was there dissipated very quickly once the heater turned off.

During/after the fourth, the smell was definitely less than the previous one.

Again, this may be wishful thinking, but it seems like whereas before the smell would have overpowered the taste of anything I was vaping, it now seems like any smell from the vape itself would be covered by the materials in the chamber. That doesn't mean I want to be inhaling whatever it is that's being masked, but the fact that it is so reduced makes me think that it will continue to lessen and perhaps vanish altogether.

At one point today the smell was so slight that I almost wondered if all I was smelling was the "native" smell of heated air from the chamber. Again, I'm not sure I really trust my senses given how badly I want this thing to work, but there is definitely a difference from when I first started this process.

I'm thinking maybe I'll email Jake at PIU and ask him what he thinks. And of course, your thoughts are welcomed as well.

 

[MonkeyTime]

@moondog , was there any visable vapor with this one or just the smell?

I guess this is my simple versioned opinion, we truly don't know where the smell is coming from, but the silicon cover sure seems likely. We don't know if the cover is toxic, so cause and danger are unknowns.

After 4 burnoffs I would hope you'd be clear, after 10 should be a given, beyond that, I thought you were continuing just to see if it ever went away.

If yours smelled like mine did, after 10, not a chance.

It really could be as simple as they've ramped up production and shortened their cure times and didn't expect them to be sold so fast. Three months from now they may be like everyone else's.

But I'm not sure I'm willing to take a chance when there are real alternatives available.

Maybe if we knew production dates?

 

[Hammahead]

Sooo… I bought the Focus 1 as a replacement for my replacement, and cause a german shop has them at a mere 74 euro incl. domestic shipping. From what I read I expected some pretty versatile gear at a rather reasonable price, that wouldn't exactly blow my mind, but would not disappoint me. And that's exactly what I got. Nothing really annoyed me, and it did a better job than could be expected at even the recommended sales price.

First impression: valuable, sturdy. Bit bigger than I hoped for. Immediately unscrewed the little screen and ceramic filter from the mouthpiece to see how easy to clean it is and could barely even _see_ the little bugger. Lost it on the supper table and had to bloody search for it with a LED lighted magnifying glass. Impossible for me to thoroughly clean on the road. I will leave it in, as with a conduction vape I rather like the limitation of airflow. Battery came just minimally charged and lasted only for two little "burn-ins" and took a little longish to charge. Well, extra battery is cheap, external charger is included. The pass through function though only works when the device would still work without charging, so that's nice but not really a game changer.

Next evening I tested it and wasn't exactly overwhelmed but it did his job pretty much as expected: a good conduction vape with a few nice details. Smelled to me like any other vape I tried, not too nice at the start, but totally ok after a few burns.

I like the buzzer, even though its kind of buzzing too early: the thing needs another 10-20 sec for really properly heating up the content. So basically it takes as long as my Atmos Boss to be ready to roll. Still only very few devices are faster than that. The "built-in" funnel is super, made packing and stirring super easy, really great. Its not that necessary to stir the content, but its getting more evenly browned if I do, so I do it. As the chamber holds a bit more than the boss or the Hopper, its fine for 2 persons at a time, and as it doesn't get that hot outside and has a pretty nice battery life, I can refill it a few times in a row for prolonged sessions.

Quite impressive on a bong. I put a little piece of 9 mm silicon tubing round the tip of the glass mouthpiece and just hold it to the female 14 mm intake part of my bong and took pretty large rips. For a conduction vape that is, but anyway: very, very nice. Clearly beats the Atmos Boss here.

Only used it for a couple days now and will only keep it as a backup, but I'm quite happy with it, the price/value ratio is very high. Would be my recommendation for a beginner to find out if vaping does it for her/him, I don't think you get anything comparable or even better at that price.

All the best
Hamma

 

[moondog]

@moondog , was there any visable vapor with this one or just the smell?

I guess this is my simple versioned opinion, we truly don't know where the smell is coming from, but the silicon cover sure seems likely. We don't know if the cover is toxic, so cause and danger are unknowns.

After 4 burnoffs I would hope you'd be clear, after 10 should be a given, beyond that, I thought you were continuing just to see if it ever went away.

If yours smelled like mine did, after 10, not a chance.

It really could be as simple as they've ramped up production and shortened their cure times and didn't expect them to be sold so fast. Three months from now they may be like everyone else's.

But I'm not sure I'm willing to take a chance when there are real alternatives available.

Maybe if we knew production dates?

I never saw any visible vapor. It's all just smell.

Everything you say makes good sense, but I have yet to find another vape that hits my checklist points the way the Focus does:

Discrete form factor
Glass mouthpiece
Swappable battery
Haptic feedback
User selectable temps
Easy to use for beginner friends
Well-suited for 2 or 3 people to pass around
Great price (I realize the tradeoffs involved here)

Anybody with ideas on alternatives, PLEASE chime in

 

[MonkeyTime]

That reads like a Focus key features list!

I hear ya on all of that, that's why I jumped when I saw it. I figured at that price point it's at least a good deal for the cost like @Hammahead .

Well now that I've seen it, I really want it to work, but I'll keep in mind that I was really kinda shooting for a diamond in the rough.

As for other options, the Haze Dual v3 meets almost all that, you'd be missing the haptic feedback and price.

I have haptic on my Mighty, love it! On the Focus, it was useless IMO because I used that to start a mental timer for soak time, not to signal it was really ready.

Price, that's a matter of perspective, means something different to everyone.

 

[moondog]

That reads like a Focus key features list!

Exactly! The Focus seemed too good to be true, especially at this price. And perhaps it is?

Well now that I've seen it, I really want it to work, but I'll keep in mind that I was really kinda shooting for a diamond in the rough.

"Diamond in the rough" is a great way to describe it.

As for other options, the Haze Dual v3 meets almost all that, you'd be missing the haptic feedback and price. Price, that's a matter of perspective, means something different to everyone.

Lack of haptic feedback is not a deal-breaker. The price is more of an issue since I'm waiting on 2 Grasshoppers. This unit is supposed to be the low cost backup. As you say price is a matter of perspective.

 

[Elac]

Do you own an original Focus? The smell of my original compared to the Pro is night and day. Although my Pro no longer has the 'new sneakers' smell to it. I prefer my original Focus to go out with as it is a bit easier/quicker to jump temps, though limited in range. Just don't care for the paint on the plastic around the mouth piece, which is corrected in the Pro. But they can be swapped or iso and elbow gease will remove the paint

 

[Hammahead]

The Focus seemed too good to be true, especially at this price. And perhaps it is?

when reading thru this thread, it seems to me you might want to try and get a model 1 instead of the Pro version. Haven't read anything on that smell thing regarding the older model. @Elac seems to suggest the same basically...

 

[His_Highness]

I have both the model 1 (analog) and the Pro (digital). They are both black, use the same covering and both had little to no smell or visible off-gassing right from the start. Which reminds me.....someone also complained about the 'taste' being an issue. I know smell can affect taste but the taste issue was described as leaving a bad taste in the mouth even after vaping was over. I'd be curious if anyone still has the same taste issue.

I love a good mystery but this one has got me feeling like Inspector Clouseau

 

[moondog]

I guess this is my simple versioned opinion, we truly don't know where the smell is coming from, but the silicon cover sure seems likely. We don't know if the cover is toxic, so cause and danger are unknowns.

This is indeed the concern.

After 4 burnoffs I would hope you'd be clear, after 10 should be a given, beyond that, I thought you were continuing just to see if it ever went away.

If yours smelled like mine did, after 10, not a chance.

As the strength of the odor decreased I kept going because it seemed like perhaps it was going away. The smell is so much less than it was a the start and even at the start, it was so much less than on my first unit.

It really could be as simple as they've ramped up production and shortened their cure times and didn't expect them to be sold so fast. Three months from now they may be like everyone else's.

But I'm not sure I'm willing to take a chance when there are real alternatives available.

This makes a lot of sense to me. The units are going in the box before they've fully set. (Adhesive? The silica gel coating itself? Who knows?) Since the box is shrink wrapped, the foam in the box absorbs all that outgassing and stinks horribly when you open the box.

The unit continues curing once it's out of the box and the smell decreases. Does heating the unit speed up or slow down the curing? Who knows?

If someone can point me to an alternative that has the feature set of the Focus Pro at a comparable price, I'd be all over it. But I haven't found one.

Discrete form factor
Glass mouthpiece
Swappable battery
Haptic feedback
User selectable temps
Easy to use for beginner friends
Well-suited for 2 or 3 people to pass around
Great price (I realize the tradeoffs involved here)

Although my Pro no longer has the 'new sneakers' smell to it.

That is a really good description of how my unit smells now. A very mild new sneaker smell.

Someone, maybe His Highness, mentioned that the Focus Vape people were really responsive to questions. Perhaps the time has come to reach out to them.

 

[MonkeyTime]

Which reminds me.....someone also complained about the 'taste' being an issue. I know smell can affect taste but the taste issue was described as leaving a bad taste in the mouth even after vaping was over. I'd be curious if anyone still has the same taste issue.

I love a good mystery but this one has got me feeling like Inspector Clouseau

That was me. I believe that the "taste" was from the air intake passing over the outter gel covering. The smell was bad, but after two burnoffs, I figured I'd try it. The first hit tasted like the smell and left a terrible taste in my mouth, it almost felt greasy. It was nauseating.

I have a replacement unit waiting for me when I get back from vacation, it's black this time. We'll see.......

In the mean time, I'm also waiting on two Ti GH's, but something tells me they won't be the answer to my eternal search for the perfect vape

 

[stickstones]

If someone can point me to an alternative that has the feature set of the Focus Pro at a comparable price, I'd be all over it. But I haven't found one.

I saw a unit just like this in a flowermate catalog last month. Check the release date on that one.

 

[moondog]

I saw a unit just like this in a flowermate catalog last month. Check the release date on that one.

I was just looking at the Flowermate stuff last night but didn't see a unit with swappable batteries. Did I miss something?

 

[stickstones]

I don't know about the feature set, but it's definitely a very similar design.

 

[moondog]

I don't know about the feature set, but it's definitely a very similar design.

I'll have to check again. Thanks.