The Firefly 2 vaporizer

[mitchgo61]

If this is broken, I really really don't want to fix it.

I use this thing almost every day, almost multiple times, and I've had an FF1 for quite some time as well. It's changed. It's changed for the better, but it's definitely got more of a change than just a bonus slider buried in an app somewhere.

I agree. If you're happy with it, and it seems to have changed for the better, no matter what the change agent was, better to just use and enjoy it rather than risk having it returned in a less-optimal state.

 

[Reggie Watts]

Can somebody make a video showing the vapor production with screen mod? That'd help others decide whether they want to try this mod.

 

[stickstones]

fwiw, when I spoke to Firefly a while back I asked them how much they played with the holes in the restrictor plate, and they said a lot. They messed with all kinds of variations in number of holes, hole configuration and size. So what's in there has been pretty well researched and tested.

I'm not saying a mod won't make it better for you or someone else, I'm just saying the current set up wasn't landed on haphazardly.

 

[Marctraider]

Well, im sure the placement is calculated and optimized, i can see how the small holes are evenly
distributed, and on top of that it forced the heat of those holes into the herb mix, just like a can of hairspray.

I dont think increasing the holes slightly will ruin stuff, just unrestricting the airflow a tiny bit is all i want.

The mesh screen ruins the even airflow here, so.

Also again the ultra tiny holes are impractical to clean, and as others stated: an inherent flaw of the device

 

[toecutter]

Left field here; has anyone disassembled the lid? Removed the colored plastic insert, which I assume is glued in. I'm out of town and don't have my FF2 handy.

 

[Marctraider]

Whatya mean

 

[toecutter]

Whatya mean

The lid appears to be made up of 4 components. Metal frame/chasis, rubber gasket, glass portal, and colored plastic insert that nestles within the metal chassis.

Just wondered if anyone had separated the plastic part out.

When I return home, I'll try to pop it out. Weird I know, but there is a reason behind the madness, that I hope to share in the next month or so.

 

[Elbuort19]

Well, im sure the placement is calculated and optimized, i can see how the small holes are evenly
distributed, and on top of that it forced the heat of those holes into the herb mix, just like a can of hairspray.

I dont think increasing the holes slightly will ruin stuff, just unrestricting the airflow a tiny bit is all i want.

The mesh screen ruins the even airflow here, so.

Also again the ultra tiny holes are impractical to clean, and as others stated: an inherent flaw of the device

Never had a problem cleaning the tiny holes by holding the FF2 upside down and scrubbing with an ISO dipped toothbrush. Check them every time after I clean and never had one blocked using toothbrush. I like the round disposable heads for electric toothbrushes because they get in the bowl better than a standard shaped toothbrush head.

I also only loose pack my FF2 so that might be part of it too because nothing is being pressed into the holes. A loose pack with a medium to fine grind will give less draw resistance and if you lay a ceramic screen on top you won't have to stir. If you see any charring start bumping the slider down by 1% until you don't.

 

[Marctraider]

The lid appears to be made up of 4 components. Metal frame/chasis, rubber gasket, glass portal, and colored plastic insert that nestles within the metal chassis.

Just wondered if anyone had separated the plastic part out.

When I return home, I'll try to pop it out. Weird I know, but there is a reason behind the madness, that I hope to share in the next month or so.

You're making me anxious now

I'm still not surr what ya mean, but if this means peeling off the rubber gasket im not even going to try anything there!

On another note, is it widely accepted that the power tuning works in a way thay it can basically make High and lets say medium/high be the exact same temps? in which case you can achieve the same temps on botb? the 'curve' is thus unchanged?

And does power tuning have any effect on the concentrate setting?

 

[Mr420]

I might have solved my "Only a few hits"-problem...I've been taking like 28sec hits all the time, stopping when the auto shutoff has turned the unit off...I set a timer just to check out and was surprised how short time 15sec really is . Now I take 10-15sec draws, let's see what happens...Will be testing today.

Happy vaping for everybody!

 

[Vaporcussion]

Now I take 10-15sec draws,

10-15 seconds just never did it for me, I always need longer. Part of what I'm hoping will change when I do the Mod.

 

[mitchgo61]

I might have solved my "Only a few hits"-problem...I've been taking like 28sec hits all the time, stopping when the auto shutoff has turned the unit off...I set a timer just to check out and was surprised how short time 15sec really is . Now I take 10-15sec draws, let's see what happens...Will be testing today.

That is weird. Supposed to be 30 seconds, give or take.

 

[Mr420]

It turns off if you stop touching the buttons...If I take 30sec draws, I only get 3-5 hits.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Hey y'all,

So my brother has had my FF1 for the past several months now (it was a brand new warranty replacement) and after it broke and repair parts are delayed, Firefly let us upgrade to the 2 for a very reasonable fee.

Was wondering if anyone could give me a brief rundown on any tips for the FF2, coming from FF1, or will they be all good on their own out of the box with same technique etc? I know the app will be its own thing, but basic use all the same if they enjoyed FF1 and got good results?

They typical hand break herbs, stir every few hits by flipping the load (with a flat metal collar stay that magnetized to the lid, presume that will still work with FF2 bc it was awesome having a stirrer attached) and they can get a little lazy about cleaning honestly...

Any thoughts much appreciated, thanks in advance (can't wait to try it for myself finally over Thanksgiving)

 

[Cl4ud3]

Hey y'all,

So my brother has had my FF1 for the past several months now (it was a brand new warranty replacement) and after it broke and repair parts are delayed, Firefly let us upgrade to the 2 for a very reasonable fee.

Was wondering if anyone could give me a brief rundown on any tips for the FF2, coming from FF1, or will they be all good on their own out of the box with same technique etc? I know the app will be its own thing, but basic use all the same if they enjoyed FF1 and got good results?

They typical hand break herbs, stir every few hits by flipping the load (with a flat metal collar stay that magnetized to the lid, presume that will still work with FF2 bc it was awesome having a stirrer attached) and they can get a little lazy about cleaning honestly...

Any thoughts much appreciated, thanks in advance (can't wait to try it for myself finally over Thanksgiving)

Stick a whole nug in the bowl, after a hit or 2 flip it, then break it up a bit. It's probably @stickstones who started that, it works for me as does a hand tear. My unit is better with a screen over the bowl and the stock mouthpiece screen removed, I can even grind use a solid screen cover and get hits. Most people seem to tell you to boost to 111% and go on high, but stay at stock 0 for a bit and low/med low and see how you get on.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Stick a whole nug in the bowl, after a hit or 2 flip it, then break it up a bit. It's probably @stickstones who started that, it works for me as does a hand tear. My unit is better with a screen over the bowl and the stock mouthpiece screen removed, I can even grind use a solid screen cover and get hits. Most people seem to tell you to boost to 111% and go on high, but stay at stock 0 for a bit and low/med low and see how you get on.

Ah yeah I used to do that too when I had it, best vape for whole nugs, I think they usually prefer to break em up more from the get go though I did show then the whole nug style when I passed it on. And yeah they probably won't need to boost like that, 400F is the standard that the FF1 was right? I feel like they will really enjoy the lower temps actually. Thanks dude

 

[mitchgo61]

It turns off if you stop touching the buttons...If I take 30sec draws, I only get 3-5 hits.

You referred to the auto-shutoff feature when you said you timed it at 15 seconds., unless I'm misunderstanding what you are saying here:

I might have solved my "Only a few hits"-problem...I've been taking like 28sec hits all the time, stopping when the auto shutoff has turned the unit off...I set a timer just to check out and was surprised how short time 15sec really is . Now I take 10-15sec draws, let's see what happens...Will be testing today.

And my point was, the auto-shutoff should be ~30 seconds, not 15.

 

[jay87]

I'm always surprised at how clean the reclaim is from the FF2. It literally starts out clear and as it collects it remains a light honey color. Very good stuff

 

[Mr420]

OK, I hear you there...The auto shutoff is actually about 30sec and all my hits were 30+ sec...The thing I realized was that I was taking much longer hits that everybody keeps recommemding so that might be the reason why I don't get that many...

 

[mitchgo61]

OK, I hear you there...The auto shutoff is actually about 30sec and all my hits were 30+ sec...The thing I realized was that I was taking much longer hits that everybody keeps recommemding so that might be the reason why I don't get that many...

Well, if it makes you feel better, I also often take hits close to the 30 mark, and yes, it lessens the total number of hits per bowl...but boy does it deliver great, thick vapor when you really take a long slow drag....

 

[Marctraider]

Ok so this is my theory of things.

The original FF had indentions, grooves, or whatever you want to call it, on the back of the top cover surrounding the glass.

Obviously this was to make sure the hot air got sucked equally out of the bowl to the mouthpiece path. And it worked as I can recall moist/honey deposit in those areas.

The FF2 no longer has this and it is obvious from looking at the desposits that the air being sucked away from the bowl straight to the direction of the mouthpiece side instead.

Probably one of the biggest reasons the hotspot remains towards the mouthpiece direction of the bowl, sadly I dont see a quick fix for this. Was thinking of something to make the layer between base and lid thin enough so that air is forced out of the bowl to each direction, but .... actually reducing the width of the gasket in half or so might pull this off. Think about it, if the top lid glass and the bowl are close enough together, air will be forcibly sucked from each direction.

Suppose I could buy a second top cover and play around with it. Just no idea where to get this kind of material, in thinner form.

Anyway, the mesh screen certainly did even airflow no good, and I have not yet received my ultra tiny drills so i literally smashed a few laser-cut holes on the original screen, but taking into account the 'theory' i stated above.

This sort of put the air restriction more equivalent to the original FF1 without overdoing it, and hopefully that tiny bit of extra air from the wider holes is forced to go through most of the bowl to the other side if that makes sense.

If successful I'll probably equalize it some more.

 

[malsanti]

Yeah, I do love the thing, but getting the grind wrong can be annoying.

Also, after removing the mouth piece filter, its easier to get big hits, but I see why they put it. It modulates how much air you can take in at one time, and although it is harder to get hits, if the grind allows for too much air circulation, it resolves this problem.

I mean, that's my main issue right now is that, with the mouth screen gone, and lost, if the grind aint right, theres just too much air flow, not heating up the bud properly.

And in terms of putting in large nugs, yeah, that does work a treat. And then you break it up, problem is many times you break it up, the grind is now wrong and there is too much airflow for it to heat up now.

 

[KLo]

Wow, ok.. haven't been on this thread for a minute and it's gone mad science up in here ! Jumping back a few pages, the heads have taken the unit to task.. tearing down, modding. Saw some decimated FF2s and had to look away.

Just updated firmware 1.9, app v1.1.102 (released today) and this time it seems to work with the Android. Was mental working with a gimpy app and brand new, expensive bit of hyped up tech (albiet pretty) that was horribly inconsistent, even with the defaults. Not holding my breath, but the interface is now active and the load is extracting to its fullest, sans charring. The difference is staggering.

Prior to this update, achieving an even and legitimate extraction took thought and effort. Huge deflating bummer when trying to medicate. Too soon to be vitriolic, but things are immediately looking up. Even the battery level is performing.

FF2 has been my daily piece for two months and has, admittedly, become my favorite device even with the roughest start. It's just damn impossible to get around all the positives.

FYI, I stuck with using a single battery from the start and after 2mos persistent use, the red lights started blinking. They discharge rather quickly and drastically, approx 50-70 % from yesterday

Two months average battery life, does that seem about right?

Time to pack another delicious bowl. 'Bit paranoid the app will fail. Trust issues

 

[MonsterWithoutBorders]

Yeah, I do love the thing, but getting the grind wrong can be annoying.

Also, after removing the mouth piece filter, its easier to get big hits, but I see why they put it. It modulates how much air you can take in at one time, and although it is harder to get hits, if the grind allows for too much air circulation, it resolves this problem.

I mean, that's my main issue right now is that, with the mouth screen gone, and lost, if the grind aint right, theres just too much air flow, not heating up the bud properly.

And in terms of putting in large nugs, yeah, that does work a treat. And then you break it up, problem is many times you break it up, the grind is now wrong and there is too much airflow for it to heat up now.

I have the same experience after breaking up the bud I have to play around with it a bit to get it to heat up now. I try to pack it down hard to restrict the airflow. I use the pinch a ff2 method to get optimum seal.

@KLo It seems that the firmware does not change. When I downloaded the new android app it said the firmware was up to date. Not sure what has changed in the app. Can anyone see what is new.

 

[Vapinmofo]

Ok so this is my theory of things.

The original FF had indentions, grooves, or whatever you want to call it, on the back of the top cover surrounding the glass.

Obviously this was to make sure the hot air got sucked equally out of the bowl to the mouthpiece path. And it worked as I can recall moist/honey deposit in those areas.

The FF2 no longer has this and it is obvious from looking at the desposits that the air being sucked away from the bowl straight to the direction of the mouthpiece side instead.

Probably one of the biggest reasons the hotspot remains towards the mouthpiece direction of the bowl, sadly I dont see a quick fix for this. Was thinking of something to make the layer between base and lid thin enough so that air is forced out of the bowl to each direction, but .... actually reducing the width of the gasket in half or so might pull this off. Think about it, if the top lid glass and the bowl are close enough together, air will be forcibly sucked from each direction.

Suppose I could buy a second top cover and play around with it. Just no idea where to get this kind of material, in thinner form.

Anyway, the mesh screen certainly did even airflow no good, and I have not yet received my ultra tiny drills so i literally smashed a few laser-cut holes on the original screen, but taking into account the 'theory' i stated above.

This sort of put the air restriction more equivalent to the original FF1 without overdoing it, and hopefully that tiny bit of extra air from the wider holes is forced to go through most of the bowl to the other side if that makes sense.

If successful I'll probably equalize it some more.

Somthing tells me that a small adjustment to the ceramic part that is holding the heating coil could be re designed or modified to " swirl" the hot air around the inside BELOW the "screen/bowl". Getting hot air to come up through those tiny holes is the key to solving the issue of the hot spot.
clearly the heated air is being concentrated prior to comming up into the herbs. it needs to be spread out.
Enlarging the screen holes is a balsey move. Ultimatly I think there is a better way. attack from below.