Discontinued Splinter Z by RBT

[cybrguy]

Is it possible you may have gotten the newer xl8r-d? Since it is a recent upgrade taking d from the drydrotube bc it has more square flat fins vs dimples, so could have less of em, but better cooling with more of a maze for vapor to follow...

The dimples on my stem definitely look like they were made with a flat head screwdriver rather than a poker so if there IS such a new version this might be it.

What does HA stand for?

HerbalAire, my first vape.

Now there's a xlr8"d"?

Yeah, I hadn't heard this either.

I don't think it's the thickness of the glass if you are microdosing because I are not using the vape long enough for the glass to get hot.

Actually I think glass thickness is important to reducing heat. And, generally, if you feel any warming of the glass than that is heat taken out of the vapor.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Probably not a vape. What does HA stand for?

Now there's a xlr8"d"?

Haha yup, he was wondering, but that reply was to me since I volunteered the NAV info presuming it wasn't known. There were so many acronyms with that fiasco lol xl8rD-NAV just a cooling stem!

The dimples on my stem definitely look like they were made with a flat head screwdriver rather than a poker so if there IS such a new version this might be it.

HerbalAire, my first vape.

Yeah, I hadn't heard this either.

Actually I think glass thickness is important to reducing heat. And, generally, if you feel any warming of the glass than that is heat taken out of the vapor.

Yup so then that resolves it, you have the new xl8rD which is going to replace the older US custom xl8r cooling mouthpiece I believe as the square fins are more effective. Not sure if the Chinese cooling stems will adopt this as well, but if they don't that will be another easy way to tell them apart aside from the thinner glass.

 

[cybrguy]

And, generally, if you feel any warming of the glass than that is heat taken out of the vapor.

I wanted to add that the joint gets some heat directly from the heater, so some of the heat in the stem, especially at the joint, is NOT coming from the vapor. But heat further down the stem is.

 

[Vision103]

@sickmanfraud Yeah that's all the kiln does, if he is annealing them it still shouldn't add that much to the cost as you just have to program the kiln and then put the glass in to anneal. It does take a few hours but he isn't actively doing anything during that time. And the COS of oxygen and fuel is not expensive either. Think of it this way, you can by a pipe from a head shops that has had significantly more work done to it, even if it's clear, for $20 or less. Now the XL8R is a niche product so it's understandable that it would cost more but not $30 dollars more.

Edit: just so everyone's aware the kiln, torch, and wet saw setup Ryan would need to do this would would cost less than $1000, maybe $1500 if he went for some nicer quality tools but with how successful his company is he could've easily just eaten the cost and not transfered it to his customers. I can't think of any other lampworker who would charge so much for the very very simple work he is doing here. I own an xl8r and once I saw what it was I couldn't believe the cost.

It's his business, he has to make money to. If it's so easy make them yourself.prices on everything is incredibly fucked but don't throw a small company guy under the bus. These big companies can do that.

@sickmanfraud Yeah that's all the kiln does, if he is annealing them it still shouldn't add that much to the cost as you just have to program the kiln and then put the glass in to anneal. It does take a few hours but he isn't actively doing anything during that time. And the COS of oxygen and fuel is not expensive either. Think of it this way, you can by a pipe from a head shops that has had significantly more work done to it, even if it's clear, for $20 or less. Now the XL8R is a niche product so it's understandable that it would cost more but not $30 dollars more.

Edit: just so everyone's aware the kiln, torch, and wet saw setup Ryan would need to do this would would cost less than $1000, maybe $1500 if he went for some nicer quality tools but with how successful his company is he could've easily just eaten the cost and not transfered it to his customers. I can't think of any other lampworker who would charge so much for the very very simple work he is doing here. I own an xl8r and once I saw what it was I couldn't believe the cost.

 

[Monkeyhouse]

@Vision103 As I mentioned in a later post, he is running a small company and has seen some rough times in the past year or so, but you will never see any small time glass blower charging $50 for a clear pipe that takes more time and effort to make than an Xl8r. Ryan's prices on his vapes are in line with the rest of the market and feel justified for the amount of labor put into a single unit, so when his glass priced like it is it just seems out of place.

 

[Mangu]

@Vision103 As I mentioned in a later post, he is running a small company and has seen some rough times in the past year or so, but you will never see any small time glass blower charging $50 for a clear pipe that takes more time and effort to make than an Xl8r. Ryan's prices on his vapes are in line with the rest of the market and feel justified for the amount of labor put into a single unit, so when his glass priced like it is it just seems out of place.

Hey man! If you can have these made for much cheaper please sign me up for 2 or 3 of them! I love stuff that’s cheaper than the original price! I’m assuming you can probably ship them out for a fair price also?

I wish the Xl8r were more like $20 or $15....that would be so neat! But I had to buy it at a higher price because that’s what it’s being sold for by the manufacturer.

 

[cybrguy]

The Chinese version is available for $25 for thinner glass. I think this one (the custom) will last longer. Here is a better pic that shows the new design on the thicker one.

 

[Shit Snacks]

@Vision103 As I mentioned in a later post, he is running a small company and has seen some rough times in the past year or so, but you will never see any small time glass blower charging $50 for a clear pipe that takes more time and effort to make than an Xl8r. Ryan's prices on his vapes are in line with the rest of the market and feel justified for the amount of labor put into a single unit, so when his glass priced like it is it just seems out of place.

I don't know if its entirely fair of you to presume to know how much time and effort it takes for him to make these... Aside from the fact I think most nice non-chinese glass can be ridiculously expensive in general, even if these don't live up to those standards (which personally I might disagree) Ryan is not really a professional glass worker. He has been getting much better, but I think the price must be a reflection of everything that goes into them, along with the thick n effectiveness of them.

Meanwhile I just received these lovelies with my new Sliver Beta from RBT:

MrTwisty there on the left is actually a botched attempt at an xl8r-d (that might actually suggest the difficulty in making them?) salvaged into a funky bent stem. In my initial use I actually noticed the glass does get super hot, which makes perfect sense as the heat must go somewhere. This one obviously can't be sold because the fins and turns are super warped meaning a more restricted airpath and more glass mass to heat up (it might actually work pretty well as an N-nav, not not a vape lol) That being said it cools the vapor SofaKing-well and I'm enjoying this first bowl in it very much as a well-known bent stem advocate!

The green machine seems like an early test of a drydrotube, I have seen one on Instagram before in someone else's package and I was wondering... It does seem to have the flat fins though, while the green glass is actually noticeably thinner so I can see why the clear longer tubes are being sold. They are a bit more premium to command the price, I was also using that when this package arrived and it is pretty impressive with Splinter and Tubo so far, I'm sure plenty more...
V E R S A T I L E

 

[Monkeyhouse]

Here's a link to the glass he is most likely using, https://www.mountainglass.com/German-Male-19-26-Bistabil-Joint-130mm-200 , as you can see the price varies for less that $2 per joint to $2.75 depending on the quantities he's buying. And as an amateur glass blower myself I think I have a fairly good idea of how much effort and time it takes to make an Xl8r. Also being a novice does not mean you get to charge more for your work, if anything it means you have to charge less as the quality of your work isn't as nice as someone with years of experience. And I'm not comparing these stems to heady bongs or anything, I'm talking about simple dry pipes with out color or even chillums, pieces that still take more time and effort to make than an Xl8r yet cost less.

 

[Alex3oe]

Don't you need anything like a special oven to put the glass into, after you reformed it? To prevent micro cracks or such, what makes the glass fragile?

 

[Monkeyhouse]

Don't you need anything like a special oven to put the glass into, after you reformed it? To prevent micro cracks or such, what makes the glass fragile?

Yes you do, but kilns can be as cheap as $500 or as expensive as $5,000. And torches can be found for less than $200, which is all that's needed to make an Xl8r, or as expensive as $5,000. I've talked about the cost of running these earlier in this thread as well. All in all the cost of making an Xl8r is not a whole lot and the initial cost of the torch and kiln should be viewed as an investment, yoully make your money back, but it takes time. If anyone wants to look at prices themselves check out mountainglass.com or waleapparatus.com. Glassblowing can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it.

 

[sickmanfraud]

Yes you do, but kilns can be as cheap as $500 or as expensive as $5,000. And torches can be found for less than $200, which is all that's needed to make an Xl8r, or as expensive as $5,000. I've talked about the cost of running these earlier in this thread as well. All in all the cost of making an Xl8r is not a whole lot and the initial cost of the torch and kiln should be viewed as an investment, yoully make your money back, but it takes time. If anyone wants to look at prices themselves check out mountainglass.com or waleapparatus.com. Glassblowing can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it.

Maybe you should consider making a less expensive alternative cooling stem?

 

[Mangu]

Maybe you should consider making a less expensive alternative cooling stem?

I’m in strong support of this.

I’ve already purchased every cooling stem I could find and have apparently Overpayed. You better believe I’ll be a customer if it’s cheap as you’re saying it can be . Also he’s legit making these things wth a torch and a screwdriver so I’m sure you could easily make some improvements since you’re more familiar with glass and with using the right tools.

 

[cybrguy]

I’m in strong support of this.

I am definitely a customer of a $20 thick glass dimpled cooling stem. I have thought about getting their thinner glass stem as a backup, but I'll buy yours if you can really do it at that price. I'll watch for it...

Added: Needs to be 22mm joint or shorter. 19mm would make it universal. 22mm would be ideal for me, but 21 to be certain.

 

[Easywider]

+2

 

[Monkeyhouse]

I'm not saying all cooling stems are over priced, just the Xl8r, Ddave's and 420 EDC's stems are appropriately priced in my opinion. I have been working the past few weeks on some different cooling designs in that I would like to be in the $20-30 range when finally done and some cheaper options that offer less cooling but also take less time to make. @Improvize has been testing some of them for me as I'm on a t-break right now for work.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this next part, but if anyone else would be interested in testing some PM me. I only have 3 function units right now with 19/22mm joints. They aren't pretty so they're gonna be cheaper than the final units but I'm getting the process down. I should have the same glass as RBT within the next week along with a wet saw so look forward to thicker stems with 19/19 joints.

 

[cybrguy]

The more makers in this forum the better. There are certainly lots of customers...

 

[DDave]

just the Xl8r, Ddave's and 420 EDC's stems are appropriately priced in my opinion.

Thanks for the mention Friend!

Awaiting 316 SS (not 304) Stainless Screens and will be releasing a Cooler that fits all these 510 box mod vapes. Same piece will have Regular and Micro-Dosing capabilities.

 

[Alex3oe]

and bring the whole shit over to Europe please, we're still in the dark ages of vaping here

 

[Monkeyhouse]

@DDave no problem! Love your products.

Also for anyone who's curious of what the stems look like here's a picture of them with an Xl8r for size comparison.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Maybe we need a new thread just for cooling stems? By all manufacturers

 

[muunch]

Maybe we need a new thread just for cooling stems? By all manufacturers

http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/cooling-stems-for-splinter-stempod-tubo-lil-bud-mil.34133/

 

[Stu]

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this next part, but if anyone else would be interested in testing some PM me. I only have 3 function units right now with 19/22mm joints. They aren't pretty so they're gonna be cheaper than the final units but I'm getting the process down. I should have the same glass as RBT within the next week along with a wet saw so look forward to thicker stems with 19/19 joints.

Reaching out for testers is one thing, but this thread is not the place for it. If you are going to sell stems on FC then you will need to apply for accessory maker status first, so please PM me if you want to go that route.

http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/cooling-stems-for-splinter-stempod-tubo-lil-bud-mil.34133/

Thanks @muunch. That thread would be the appropriate place to discuss aftermarket stems, so please take any discussion about them over there.

Thank you.

 

[alleyhoops]

Guys, finally got my Splinter Z today in the mail. The USPS driver lost my package under his seat. It's been in there since last Thursday. I was kind of panicking because of what I spent for this and I was hoping it was not lost. I do need some help setting up my RX GEN3 Dual with Arctic Fox. I really thought I had some sort of idea, but I am pretty lost. I posted an image below of these settings. I scanned through this thread last week in anticipation, but still I am pretty unsure of everything. There are so many settings. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Summer]

Vgoodiez.com is running a promotion. Get a free King Kooling Kit with any Splinter version purchase. The sale starts at Midnight eastern today and will go through Sunday up until midnight. This is while supplies last so don't wait if you want to get in on this. You must add both products into the cart and use code "champs2019" at checkout to receive the discount.
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And per Vgoodiez, "The splinter has the Milaana heater in it while the Splinter Z has the Zion heater. The extra mass of the Zion heater takes a few more seconds to heat but provides more full bodied hits.

The V1 and V2 are Standard which means they are manufactured in China. The difference is wood, v1 is Bubinga, v2 is blackwood. V1 has the ceramic insulator but uses mica in the design. V2 gets rid of all mica in favor of ceramic.

All custom is made here in the US by Ryan. It has everything the standard has but has thicker higher quality German glass as well. This and choice of woods is the advantage of Custom over Standard."

I did ask:

"Is the V1 slated to drop the mica & become all ceramic like the V2? And are the Custom Splinter & Z going to continue to use mica?"

Will post when I get an answer.