Help choosing the best vaporizer (for me)

Hello to all of the FC community. This is my first post but I have been reading the forum post for years now. Thank you to all that provide feedback on your experiences as they lead me to make my first vape purchase a few years back when I bought a Buddha Vaporizer. I first laughed at the idea of having multiple vapes but I soon learned that it is inevitable for me to purchase more than one.

I have used and owned both the Buddha and SSV as well as a magic flight. I only own my magic flight as of now but I am looking at purchasing another vaporizer again in the future. If you are wondering, I got rid of my Buddha because I acquired an SSV and got rid of that because I had to stop vaping for a long time due to job related issues.

I would like to know based on user experiences, what the best vaporizer is on the market as of now. I considered many things we I got the SSV and was very happy with the vaporizer but I am not sure if there is a better vaporizer on the market. Please don't recommend the Volcano as I am not a fan of bag style vaporizer. Budget is not a concern as long as it is worth the price. Below is a list of the things that I would like it to include:
-High quality materials (silicone only on the whip if any)
-Long whip or easy to pass around for multiple people accross living room(I bought a six foot hose for my SSV)
-Thick and dense vapor
-Easy to use for newbies (for my guest)
-Durability and build quality
-Ability to use water if possible (the Aquave adapters are cool for the SSV)
-Fast heat up time
-Small or portable if possible but not crucial at all, would be mostly used at home so...

Currently I am considering a few but I know there are so many on the market that it is hard to choose. I am thinking of a PHX Trinity (or other nice glass piece) in combination with a Vriptech Heat Wand. Maybe another SSV with the Aquavape inline water vapor cooler or VapeXhale with the Hydratubes. I am open to all types of vapes as long as they fit the items I listed above. I would really like to own the best of the best, so if it does not surpass the SSV, I would not consider it. My only real negative that I had with the SSV, is that I like to conserve energy and I did not like leaving it on the whole time wasting energy while I was not hitting it. Besides that, I thought it was pretty much perfect. Sorry for the super long post but I would like anyone's feedback who has used all three of any of the setup's that I listed or any other which they think are better and why you would recommend it. Thank you all for your feedback and I wish you all a great day!

IMO the Cloud is the best out there right now. It doesn't meet your whip requirement, but it does provide the densest vapor out there. It will surpass your SSV experience if reports around here are to be believed.

Hi Vapelover, welcome to FC.

Stu knows what he is talking about, and the Cloud is what many consider to be the "holy grail" of vaporizers.

However, based on your needs (emphasis added by me) I would have to suggest a log vape for you (UD, HI, EV, E-Nano, WW...etc). These get dense vapor and are very user friendly, and more importantly they are very durable. The Cloud has an all-glass air path and it is extremely fragile (at least in terms of dropping it), I would be a little concerned using it as a party piece.

Cloud or a log vape... the best choices have already been covered

unless you are in the market for a butane-powered vape

The only one that addresses everything you said is the miniVAP. It is as expensive as the Cloud, can be bought with a battery (+100USD).

The Cloud addresses everything you said, except it is not very easy to pass around, nor is it very safe for newbies, due to the water piece on top.

OTOH, the Arizer Solo also addresses everything you mentioned but in terms of experience (taste, thickness), is not at the level seen in the previous two. It is a third of the price though.

Having bought a miniVAP recently I could be biased but like vorrange said it's a really good unit for what you asked.
If you want to ask anything about it fell free to do it or give a look at the official thread, located in the portables area.
MiniVAP could be defined as a hybrid portable/home unit. It's easy to figure out for a newbie, you just have to say "pull when the green light goes solid". And you call pull however you like, the harder the better, not so much technique involved to get you medicated. You can use it also for concentrates with a liquid pad, but I didn't try it for now.
The heat up times are more less 5 minutes when the Cloud requires 10 minutes at least.
If a Cloud hits concrete it will shatter (at least the glass parts), my MV fell down from the table to the floor yesterday and has just a little scar on the battery from what happened.

All good responses IME. Admittedly, I don't own any of these vapes, but read these forums lots and these recommendations all make sense. To narrow the list further vapelover you'll have to prioritize your needs.

Thank you Max for the correction! My application is unique and I totally agree that the best vape is an opinion based on specific needs. I am very thankful for all of the feedback that I have received thus far. The Vapexhale does look very nice and I had never heard of the miniVAP until today but it looks pretty awesome.

I was honestly hoping someone would comment on the Vriptech heat wand as this is what I truly wanted before my Buddha purchase but my wife was not to happy of the idea of a big water piece being passed around. I think I am finally talking her into the idea of it now. Newbies are a concern because I have had many people blow into by vaporizers before and burn herbs. I have also had people trip on my cord before and my SSV took drops that would have totally killed the VapeXhale. I figure, if I am going to have something that sensitive, I might as well get a real glass piece that looks nicer and works better.

Taking the newbies out of the equation and focusing mostly on the quality and density of the vapor between the SSV and Vriptech heat wand, what would your suggestions be?

I don't own either, but i do own a DBV.. the VHW will have a flavour closer to the Cloud, and the efficiency of the extraction too since this unit as a temperature sensor that adjusts power to maintain temperature.

The problem with the VHW is that you mention newbies and passing around.. the VHW is somewhat delicate due to the exposed glass being half the vaporizer itself.

The HA has a very small learning curve, is quite efficient and durable, and can be linked to whichever device by simply inverting it.

The downside is that it is electric and not portable, and that the kind of hits most people are looking for take somewhat large amounts of material.

OTOH the hammer is compact, has a somewhat long learning curve, is portable, and is somewhat durable, but is very efficient and effective. It also uses very little material, and has a GONG adapter available.

As far as materials are concerned, I don't see any health issues with these if used as suggested.

I am sorry I am not all familiar with all the abbreviations and I am not sure what you are referring to as it relates to the "HA" or the "OTOH" hammer?

I think I narrowed it down to the Vapexhale Could or the SSV. I really like the price of the SSV with a Aquavape inline water vapor cooler and the ease of use. It seems like with the Cloud, the vaporizing experience requires more work as far as loading and stirring vs the SSV and I am assuming that is does not vape the materials as evenly as an SSV because of the straight patch. I am guessing its more like the Buddha that I had? But I have never used it so I am not sure.

I have been in contact with the Vapexhale company to find out more about their warranty and repair and they seem to be very friendly and quick in responding as well as. I would not mind trying the Vapexhale as it seems to be a nice unit and I know I stated that price was not much of an issue but the model that I like is $649.99 which is the Swagger Double... I am having a hard time understanding how that the vapor density and quality is worth that much more dollars wise over the SSV. Any comments from someone who has used both?

OTOH = on the other hand

I've never hit the cloud, but I imagine that you're paying for vapor quality; namely the evenness of vaping. 7th floor vapes, in my experience, do not vape that evenly (brown spots in the middle). The ssv will hit identical to the da buddha unless you get the standard wand.

Have you considered an LSV + a waterpipe? You could purchase both for much less than $650

For the shortest learning curve, the HA is the one to choose, no stirring at all, and it also has amazing heat retention like the cloud.

For most other vapes you will have to do some stirring, notable exceptions being log vapes.

Do some readings of the threads of the vapes recommended, and then search other vapes you find interesting. A little research goes a long way.

Yeah I knew about the LSV when it first came out but had no idea that they had it set up to use in a very similar way to the Vriptech Heat Wand...That is pretty awesome! Very much something to consider if I device to get a glass piece and I think this would totally make more sense over a the Heat Wand. Thanks for the advice stickstones and Bouldorado!

The SSV standard bowl does definitely require stirring but it is very easy and quick to do. I usually just take it off the heater and just shake it around while keeping the end of it closed with my thumb and it works very well. Of course you do have to move the wand around to get even vaporization but I think it was totally worth it over the Buddha for example, it has a fixed position for the heat to travel and therefore leaves a portion of the herbs not evenly used unless you constantly stir it. The reason why I state that the cloud seems more tricky to use, was based on the review posted online from the Vape Critic. But I do think that he has a huge bias towards the Volcano and Plenty vaporizer, so I don't know if that plays a role in his comments. He mentioned that you do have to open and stir it a couple times per session and makes it appear to be a pretty annoying task to do. Now that I know that you don't really have to stir, that is something to def. take into consideration.

I would not consider myself a vapor connoisseur (not as of yet at least) since I have only owned and used three vaporizer to date. I really don't mind spending money on things that I really want and budget is really not an issue since I look at my vaporizer purchase as an investment anyways. I just really like to make sure that my spending vs quality ratio is up to par. I don't think that a slight advantage for example constitutes doubling the price, but of course a significant advantage does.

As far as my selection of the Hydratube, it was my wife that picked that one lol. What can I say, she has expensive taste! I totally agree with you Max, I am sure they would all do well. I was personally favoring the SwaggerCirc. But when she looked at the prices she told me we might as well go for the one that she liked, which is only $50 more than the one I liked. It just happened to be that she also liked the most expensive one. I did overlook the benefit of the good hit no matter what the draw speed is. My wife actually does not draw heavy hits at all and she does have a hard time hitting the SSV and MFLB sometimes, so this would actually be a pretty big advantage over the SSV unit.

I think I will just hold off and wait to get the Cloud. My wife seemed to be a pretty big fan of the all in one type of setup that it offers, so she was really leaning towards that one anyways. By the way, thanks for your feedback Max! I do still like to shop around for the best deal when possible, but then again who doesn't...is there any discounts on the cloud for the FC members? And do you have any idea on when they are scheduled to get the build issues ironed out?

Before knowing anything about my last purchase I saw this "wand-LSV" video and I was a click away from buying it (still considering).

If b00bs video didn't convince you, i don't know what will.

I'm a huge fan of the Vriptech Heat Wand 3.0, and you're right to keep bringing it up Vapelover. It's a fantastic vaporizer which doesn't get half the love it really should - mine is a second hand unit and has had 500+ operating hours in my care without ever missing a beat. True it's nowhere near as durable as an LSV but the flavor is on an entirely different level, equaled only by the other 100% glass airpath vaporizers such as the Cloud, Gn0me and Vapolution w/ AIWB. I've owned a DBV and LSV in the past and can definitely appreciate a difference in taste between them and the VHW, as others have attested in other threads.

I have not yet used a Cloud and don't own one due to hesitation concerning long term reliability and price, but do not feel that I am missing out due to the VHW 3.0 - not to say I don't want a Cloud some day as well.

Thanks justcametomind! That was actually one of the exact videos that I watched before I commented on the LSV vaporizer. It does seem pretty awesome and the setup does appear to be more durable than the Vriptech Heat Wand so its def. tempting. Wish they had this back when I got my Buddha.

Thanks for the feedback charliedontsurf! I actually didn't even know the Vapexhale Cloud existed until recently. When I came to the forum to get feedback, I was still under the impression that the Vriptech Heat Wand was still the vape connoisseurs unit of choice, as it is hypothetically the only one that provides the ability to have a 100% glass air path and that is why I still had it in mind. I was trying to get as close to the perfect clean hit as possible. Unfortunately, I didn't know about the Heat Wand until after I purchased my Buddha.

Like the Vape Critic points out in his video, the Vapexhale is not exactly 100% glass air path. This is due to the chamber that you load into the path which is made from metal and has a metal screen. It is being picky but I would still would not consider it a fully glass air path either if you get technical about it. The Vriptech Heat Wand with a custom made bowl and glass screen would be the only way I could personally think of getting a fully glass air path along with water included.

It's funny because when I first came on this site, I had a lot of toys and accessories that I used for combustion but got rid of them when I moved to vaping. I read on here that once you get one vaporizer, you wont be satisfied and will want to keep purchase more and more. I told myself that I wouldn't do that and I would only stick to one... here I am three vaporizer later and still trying to get another one lol. I guess this community really knew what they were talking about when they made that comment! Thanks for all the feedback everyone!