Iolite vaporiser

[charliedontsurf]

Looks kind of like the seat pattern off a racing-green MGB.

 

[Albert Hofmann]

So, how many of us have a nonfunctioning iolite, and are not eligible for a warranty claim? I no longer have my receipt, and even if I did, it probably wouldn't matter because it was purchased from a local shop. Not an authorized retailer I'm certain. I've only used vector in it, and I've followed the venting and refilling instructions probably 50 times. I hear the gas flow, see the blue spark, but it never ignites. I luv this thing, it suites my lifestyle perfectly, probably my favorite vaporizer, and I have a few. Anybody know of a cure for these things? I miss it terribly, but it looks like I'll end up just throwing it away unless someone knows of a fix for it.

 

[chucku]

So, how many of us have a nonfunctioning iolite, and are not eligible for a warranty claim? I no longer have my receipt, and even if I did, it probably wouldn't matter because it was purchased from a local shop. Not an authorized retailer I'm certain. I've only used vector in it, and I've followed the venting and refilling instructions probably 50 times. I hear the gas flow, see the blue spark, but it never ignites. I luv this thing, it suites my lifestyle perfectly, probably my favorite vaporizer, and I have a few. Anybody know of a cure for these things? I miss it terribly, but it looks like I'll end up just throwing it away unless someone knows of a fix for it.

After purging, have you tried a new can of gas?

 

[max]

Gotvape featuring new color design for the iolite. Looks really cool actually:

http://www.gotvape.com/store/iolite-vaporizer.php

So now there's...dots?

O&B is definitely interested in changing the looks of the iolite, due to the Skyda ripoff, but since the color is described as 'Got Vape Green, I suspect they're just making a label design for Gotvape. I had heard that the big changes in looks would take place later on, after the WISPR had starting shipping.

Skyda=iolite This shows how far they're going, trying to make it look like the cheap Skyda is actually made by Oglesby & Butler.

Skyda pretending to be an iolite This is NOT an iolite, despite the label. Notice the button at the top (different shape too) instead of the bottom.

So, how many of us have a nonfunctioning iolite, and are not eligible for a warranty claim? I no longer have my receipt, and even if I did, it probably wouldn't matter because it was purchased from a local shop. Not an authorized retailer I'm certain. I've only used vector in it, and I've followed the venting and refilling instructions probably 50 times. I hear the gas flow, see the blue spark, but it never ignites. I luv this thing, it suites my lifestyle perfectly, probably my favorite vaporizer, and I have a few. Anybody know of a cure for these things? I miss it terribly, but it looks like I'll end up just throwing it away unless someone knows of a fix for it.

Warranty status depends on when you purchased. As noted in the 1st post of this thread- Any iolite (or i-inhale, for early models) sold before Feb. 1st, 2010, has the two year warranty, no matter where it was purchased. After that date, any online purchase must have been made through an authorized dealer for the warranty to be valid. This info is not stated anywhere on the my-iolite.com site, so shame on O&B.

They do have a North American service center. You might contact them to see if you can get an idea of the repair cost.

Toll Free Telephone: 888-710-3055
Fax: 815-425-8042
Email: cs@my-iolite.com
Address:
iolite Warranty Service North America
8550 Ridgefield Road , Suite C
Crystal Lake, IL 60012

 

[Albert Hofmann]

First thing I did when it wouldn't fire up, was go get a new can of vector. I've used over half of it venting/purging and fefilling. No luck yet. Now it's just causing me stress, which is the opposite of what it should be doing.

And max, mine was purchased after Feb 1 2010. And their north American service center told me they can't/won't do anything for me.

 

[max]

their north American service center told me they can't/won't do anything for me.

They won't fix it even if you pay for repair/replacement? That's nuts. It makes no sense that you have to buy from an authorized dealer to get out of warranty service.

 

[Albert Hofmann]

I never asked them about paid service. I'll give them a call later today, and report back what they say about it. I thought I had seen it posted on here a few times that they don't offer paid servicing or repairs of their product. But It's worth another phone call for sure, I would pay a reasonable amount to get it fixed.

 

[max]

The iolite (i-inhale) was first sold in Oct. of '08, so with the 2 yr. period there are many of them now out of warranty. It's hard to believe they'd refuse to fix or replace units once the warranty expires. Sounds like a great way to go out of business. :/

 

[Albert Hofmann]

Well, no paid service available. They simply replace broken units that are under warranty. If i ever get another one, I'll be sure to buy from an authorized dealer and keep the receipt.

 

[chucku]

Albert.

I'm pretty sure all brick and mortar head shops are considered authorized dealers.

 

[Albert Hofmann]

Albert.

I'm pretty sure all brick and mortar head shops are considered authorized dealers.

Not according to Kate, the customer service representative I spoke with at iolites north American service center. Nce enough girl for sure, just couldn't do anything for me. I wonder if iolites are recycleable or if I should toss in the garbage. It's a shame, I really loved my iolite.

 

[chucku]

Albert,

Just for the hell of it, try blowing compressed air at the orifice where the blue/orange glow appears. Yhere may be an accumulation of dust at the intake for the heating element. Yesterday I took a dual flame lighter to the cigar shop where purchased to get a warranty replacement. Forceful blowing at the catalyst dislodged what was causing it to fail and now functions perfectly.

 

[jonf35]

Hi,
I have owned an IL now for 10 months. Bought it through Vaporworld.com with the fact auth warr. After almost daily dependable and satisfactory use, the thermostat won't turn off once the chamber reaches the proper temp. In effect, the beginning heat-up cycle burns longer than it used to and for too long. Thus, the contents of the chamber are burn pre-maturely. I would like to return it to the company for repair, but their disclaimer states the warranty is null and void if the item is used for particular substances.

HOW CAN I DEODORIZE MY UNIT TO QUALIFY FOR AUTH REPAIR? IS IT IMPLANTED IN THE PLASTIC PERMANENTLY? WHAT SUBSTANCES ARE GOOD TO COVER-UP THE SMELL OF THE COMMON SUBSTANCE USED IN VAPS?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[max]

Just clean the heating chamber with a cotton swab and alcohol. You may not have to return the mouthpiece, but if you do, a pipe cleaner will do for that part. If you've made a good attempt at cleaning, I'd think that would pass. I haven't heard of anyone being denied warranty service due to finding a speck of residue. They know what vaporizers are used for, and the 'illegal purposes' disclaimer is probably there for legal purposes. If a company denied repair/replacement every time they could spot a spot with a magnifying glass, the word would get around and their business could really suffer.

 

[Albert Hofmann]

Max, thank you for the private email, and for taking the time to contact Ogelsby and Butler about their current warranty info. I'm sure I'm not the only one on FC with a malfunctioning/nonfunctioning iolite and no receipt. Good news folks, "shortly" you will be able to pay to have your broken iolite fixed!
So Max, did they mention anything about when "shortly" would be or how much they will be charging for these repairs? I don't really want to send it to Ireland. But I'm very glad I will be able to get it fixed.

 

[max]

No details on repair/replacement costs, or the timeline. For anyone wanting to investigate service before the US facility is set up to do out of warranty svc. the contact info is: Support@iolite.com
+353 5991 43333

The other good news is that they've changed the warranty policy. It's no longer necessary to buy from an authorized dealer to get warranty service. If your iolite isn't over two years old, and you have proof of purchase (receipt or invoice), you have warranty coverage. I've updated this on the first post of the thread.

 

[StickyShisha2]

i wonder how many fake iolites with receipts will be sent in. looks like a good way for O&B to find who has been selling garbage under their name.

 

[jsn9333]

I was excited about my iolite when I first purchased it, but my excitement has since turned to disgust. I actually purchased the unit when they were calling it "I-inhale." It is the same exact product. Basically, when I first got it (in 2009 or so) it seemed to work really well. However, it was my first vaporizer. So I had nothing to compare it to.

But after about a year, the hits it produced were just were not as good. It isn't really a problem I can send back for repair though. I still get some vapor through it, but it just doesn't produce as much vapor. It also tastes bad. I'd say it produces 1/4 of the vapor as when I first used it. It is really odd because I can leave the product I vaporize in the chamber for a long time and turn it really brown and crispy, but the hits just aren't nearly as big as they used to be when it was new. And they taste relatively nasty... almost like a chemical taste.

I was almost turned off to vaping entirely by this thing, to be honest, because I felt like it was a waste of money. Like I said, when I first got it I was very happy with it and felt it was a great use of my money. But if I have to buy a new one every year or two... no thanks. Not worth it.

So I've just been smoking for the past year. Luckily I was finally able to try a Volcano today. It was even an old one and...Wow... I got so much more vapor tan I thought was possible. I probably got 4 times as much per similar sized bowl as I did even when the iolite was at its best (when it was brand new). So know I'm looking into either purchasing a volcano. I may go for a silver surfer or herbal air though. I'm going to explore the forums and see if there are any complaints about those not lasting long.

My guess... the iolite is most likely just made very cheaply in order to keep it that small without the cost being sky high. If what I've read about the herbal air, budda, and silver surfer are right... the iolite doesnt doesn't work nearly as well as other, larger, similarly priced vaporizers.... and doesn't last long either.

 

[ManFlies352]

How do you know it's not something that can be sent for repair? If the hits are tasting that nasty and it's not heating up the same that seems more like a defective product than anything. I've had the Iolite since when it first came out and the only thing i've had to replace are the mesh screens. It doesn't taste nasty and produces as much vapor as ever.

 

[jsn9333]

How do you know it's not something that can be sent for repair? If the hits are tasting that nasty and it's not heating up the same that seems more like a defective product than anything. I've had the Iolite since when it first came out and the only thing i've had to replace are the mesh screens. It doesn't taste nasty and produces as much vapor as ever.

That's good to know. I guess what I was trying to say is if they test it it may work fine for their purposes (since it still makes vapor), and it could end up being a losing battle to get it fixed. I just have a feeling that if I try to send it back it is going to end up being a waste of time in the end.

Part of the reason I feel that way is because I snapped the snapped/stripped some of the threads off the stem once, and when I tried to get a replacement part I couldn't even get a response back from the manufacturer's "customer service". They just strike me as not very customer friendly and probably a pain to work with. So I don't plan on even trying to even get it fixed. Even when it was at its best (brand new) it only made half as much vapor as the Volcano I tried today (probably less than half) using the same amount of weed.

 

[SD_haze]

The difference is iolite is mostly conduction heating.

 

[charliedontsurf]

- Always-on, inherently wasteful conduction heating, unlike a MFLB approach.

I will say that I had a chance to try a post-redesign Iolite that had been babied more than my first one, and it seemed like a better unit than I remembered. I also got to try it with and also without the Optimizer which was a first. I don't think it seemed to measurably increase vapor or efficiency.

 

[max]

The difference is iolite is mostly conduction heating.

If that's the case then it's the most efficient conduction vape, by far, on the market. In fact, it performs so much better than a conduction model that you'd have to put it in a class by itself. Uneven, inefficient heating is what you get with the vast majority of conduction models. Even a relatively packed iolite bowl will turn out ABV that's evenly cooked. Since conduction depends on contact with the heated surface, that's not gonna happen with a full iolite bowl, no matter how much you shake it. Calling the iolite a conduction model just isn't accurate. There is definitely heated air going through the herb.

So know I'm looking into either purchasing a volcano. I may go for a silver surfer or herbal air though. I'm going to explore the forums and see if there are any complaints about those not lasting long.

Let me cut your exploration short. The Volcano is the most overpriced vape on the market, for what it is, since it will only fill bags. The SSV is both a top performer and one of the most reliable models on the market-same goes for the herbalAire. It does seem like you need to decide what kind of vape you want. The 'cano is a one trick pony. The HA is the best buy you'll find in a dual mode vape, but in whip mode it doesn't come close to measuring up to the hits you can get with the SSV. I'm getting off topic though. This is the iolite thread.

 

[elevation]

I have been using my MFLB for the last three months.

But i bought some new iso, cleaned my Iolite, and it hits like never before.
It's not as stealthy as the MFLB, but when the screen is clean, i can get clouds!

I am glad i re-found my Iolite for now. I will keep it clean, because that seems really the best way to reach optimal vaping results.

 

[jsn9333]

I did the same thing (cleaned it out and changed the screen) and it did nothing for the extremely weak vapor I get from the thing.

I have to fill the chamber at least halfway (two to four times more than I would normally smoke) to get any vapor at all. And even then it is a pitifully small amount compared to when I first bought the thing (and especially compared to the hits the volcano, herbal aire, silver surfer, etc would give). I have to position myself near a light at just the right angle to see if there is vapor in what I blow out. And it takes forever for the weed to get brown (like 10 minutes). And I barely get high.

The iolite has turned me off to vaporizing to be honest. I'm switching back to a bong for a while. Maybe I'll save up to try an herbal aire or a silver surfer. From what I've read, those are two that seem to have the longest life and give the best vapor hits (even with relatively small amounts of weed).

I have been using my MFLB for the last three months.

But i bought some new iso, cleaned my Iolite, and it hits like never before.
It's not as stealthy as the MFLB, but when the screen is clean, i can get clouds!

I am glad i re-found my Iolite for now. I will keep it clean, because that seems really the best way to reach optimal vaping results.