Discontinued The Firefly Vaporizer

[natural farmer]

Designed in the usa, assembled in china. Just like the iphone. And the quality is equally high. Also just like the iphone, if you use it too much (and I do cause I fall in love with it) you need a power plug nearby!
Now that I think about it, the Firefly may as well be the iphone of vaporizers!! The attention to every detail is amazing!

 

[Tickdickler]

Hey guys, I just got mine today. After a full charge and 3 uses I am starting to hear a buzzing/ticking noise when I press the heat button. I'm on live chat with them now.


edit: They are telling me I grinded too fine and small particles are hitting the coil. They told me to blow in the vents. When I did that it did reduce the noise. Instead of a constant noise now its quieter and intermittent. I still hear it though. Now I'm being sure to use my hands instead of the grinder.

 

[Vitolo]

Is it working for you with the hand ground consistency?
Is your screen in there evenly? (no gaps)

 

[Tickdickler]

Is it working for you with the hand ground consistency?
Is your screen in there evenly? (no gaps)

It works much better hand ground now. There was a gap in the screen. I think I need a bigger screen in there. Also one more question, does your unit get very hot in your hand by the end of one session? I feel like it was almost to hot to hold by the 8th or 9th draw.

 

[mitchgo61]

It works much better hand ground now. There was a gap in the screen. I think I need a bigger screen in there. Also one more question, does your unit get very hot in your hand by the end of one session? I feel like it was almost to hot to hold by the 8th or 9th draw.

It can get fairly hot, though 8 or 9 draws sounds a little early to get too noticeably hot. Are these 8/9 draws full, 30-seconds-with-the-button-pressed draws?

 

[darkrom]

I've heard the little buzzing noise before. Sounds like some kind of electrical system whine to me. Whatever it is it hasn't caused any issues.

 

[Tickdickler]

It can get fairly hot, though 8 or 9 draws sounds a little early to get too noticeably hot. Are these 8/9 draws full, 30-seconds-with-the-button-pressed draws?

Yeah these were like button pressed to preheat for 4-7 seconds then inhale with it pressed for 10-20 seconds.

 

[mitchgo61]

Yeah these were like button pressed to preheat for 4-7 seconds then inhale with it pressed for 10-20 seconds.

Yeah if you have the button held down that long for nine or ten straight hits it can get fairly hot. The inner surface and even the glass bowl cool down quickly (though be careful sticking your finger in the bowl when it's hot) but the body stays hot for longer than you'd think. It doesn't really stay too hot to hold for long (mine usually doesn't get quite that hot) but the main body feels warm for quite a while. Anyway sounds normal to me. If it truly overheats you'll get a yellow light.

 

[Vitolo]

Some folks are more in tune to electronic buzz than others.
I was worried that you may have had a gap...
you can reopen and center the screen and then tighten it again.
My unit does get hot after 8 or 9 hits of durations like you described.
I do not notice it much, but others invariably comment about it.

 

[Mynameismud]

Is it working for you with the hand ground consistency?
Is your screen in there evenly? (no gaps)

It works much better hand ground now. There was a gap in the screen. I think I need a bigger screen in there. Also one more question, does your unit get very hot in your hand by the end of one session? I feel like it was almost to hot to hold by the 8th or 9th draw.

I found that when i tried breaking it up by hand i wasnt getting good airflow. As a result i was getting dark brown spots and uneven vaped (i was worried it was running too hot again like my last replacement, but even with the black spots it wasnt nearly as bad or hot as the first replacement) since ive been grinding ive been getting even nice light brown abv! Bht whatever works for you works for you.

As for the unit getting hot, i was sharinrg it with about 5 people and noticed by the second go around it was a little uncomfortable to hold. So after about 10 hits total (with 5 second preheats for each person) regardless we packed it again and kept it going. Alittle uncomfortable but nothing even remotely close to how hot the cera is and can get. Also no burnt lips either And everyone was getting solid hits no matter how long they chilled with it and talked away as people seem to do

 

[rplenty]

Wow! Nice work! Glad that ended up well for you. I personally would be scared shitless to try and tweak the coil. I'm sure I'd screw it up, or break it, or something. If this were my FF I'd just spend 10 bucks and send it to FF to fix, but again I am all but assured to mess this kind of thing up. It's actually surprising that such a small positional change would have such a dramatic effect, but I guess that explains the variations we are seeing reported from unit to unit...because I can see how easily the coil's position might be a teeny bit different in some units, despite quality control. And that could explain why every unit seems to have a bit of variance.

Which leads me to Day Five with my new Red FF. I have noted the following differences over my Silver FF:

• Battery cover fits more snugly. The silver's didn't come off by itself or anything but had a slight play in it, side to side, at times.
• Heat button is weird. I'd almost call it "mushy"...sometimes it's tricky to feel the detent position when you push it in. It never fails to work, but I'm a bit alert for issues with it. Hopefully it won't cause any operational problems. The button on the silver unit had a weird side-to-side play to it. Also weird, but different weird.
• Heat shuts off after 30 seconds of holding down the button. The silver shuts off at 45 seconds.
• Overall, a touch cooler, or should I say it cooks in a smoother, less heat-spikey fashion. ABV is almost always very even, almost never see any charred bits. Basically it's getting to the same temp and level of extraction, but it takes longer with the button to get there, particularly in the back half of the session. I have a feeling this one is calibrated the way FF intended, though the silver worked great...It just got hotter faster and so technique differences are required between the two FFs.

Be interesting to see what I get back from FF...if they replace my silver one, the new one may be more like the Red than the old Silver. And if they tweak/repair the Silver, that could affect temp profile also (in fact it absolutely will). Life is never boring in FF Land.

Bottom line: Red FF is gorgeous, works great, extracts as well but more smoothly and evenly, and is noticeably different than the Silver.

I am concerned now because mine takes 45 seconds to shut off. Is that with a cold start, a newly charged battery, empty of contents, and with top cover on? Can we use this as a standard to judge whether our units are defective? It would ask for others to share their results in seconds before shutoff, and how the vaporizer appears to be working.

 

[Mr. Gweilo 420]

Designed in the usa, assembled in china. Just like the iphone. And the quality is equally high. Also just like the iphone, if you use it too much (and I do cause I fall in love with it) you need a power plug nearby!
Now that I think about it, the Firefly may as well be the iphone of vaporizers!! The attention to every detail is amazing!

Thanks @naturalfarmer - that is what I imagined. Thanks for confirming that. Unfortunately this confirms for me what many of you will consider to be bad news. I was offered a Firefly directly from a China supplier. Firefly may be about to experience what Pax have gone through with counterfeits. I admit I am going to pick one up but it is more for my curiousity than anything.

 

[darkrom]

Thanks @naturalfarmer - that is what I imagined. Thanks for confirming that. Unfortunately this confirms for me what many of you will consider to be bad news. I was offered a Firefly directly from a China supplier. Firefly may be about to experience what Pax have gone through with counterfeits. I admit I am going to pick one up but it is more for my curiousity than anything.

There still isn't a 100% identical clone of the pax, there also is no warranty. The pax clones are close, but still not perfect and its been quite a while. I don't think a chinese clone firefly is going to be decent at all, considering how subtle differences in the heater seem to make a big difference in quality and temp. Something tells me they won't be so great at judging the heater distances etc.

Did we ever figure out what that car charger was all about? Still not on the website...

 

[Mr. Gweilo 420]

@darkrom - I feel kind of bad for going there but in my experience some unofficial products are identical to the real thing. They come from the same factory, same parts, same moulds, etc. I don't know if the Firefly clone would be good or not but there is a strong chance that a Chinese manufacturer has taken the opportunity to generate some additional revenue. Trust me I have numerous AAA China products that are identical in quality.
Anyway, I don't really want to promote it. I just simply wanted to let you guys know that this is coming. For example, if anyone sees cheap Fireflys on E-Bay in the near future they will most certainly not be legitimate. Also, am I correct in thinking the Firefly has not been released internationally yet? A lot of people may get caught in the first wave thinking they are buying the real deal.

 

[mitchgo61]

I am concerned now because mine takes 45 seconds to shut off. Is that with a cold start, a newly charged battery, empty of contents, and with top cover on? Can we use this as a standard to judge whether our units are defective? It would ask for others to share their results in seconds before shutoff, and how the vaporizer appears to be working.

Why are you concerned? There is no correlation (that anyone has yet demonstrated) between seconds-to-cut-off and operational problems. I assume it's programmed somehow, and maybe it differs from unit to unit, but I don't think there's any reason to fear malfunction based on a 45 second cutoff time.

I was only mentioning it as one of the (benign) differences I noticed from my first FF. Unless your FF is not functioning properly, I wouldn't sweat the cutoff time. (In fact I'd enjoy it, I prefer the 45 seconds...find myself hitting the 30 second cutoff not infrequently.)

 

[natural farmer]

(In fact I'd enjoy it, I prefer the 45 seconds...find myself hitting the 30 second cutoff not infrequently.)

I'd like a longer cutoff as well…



I had an epiphany this morning while vaking after my waking. On how similar the routine of a session is to the MFLB. Anyone else noticed this? Open the lid, pour some herb in and brush a bit around the bowl, push the button to preheat for a few secs, hit it, shake or open the lid to stir a bit etc…

The FF actually has everything that is missing from the LB. Convection that is and smooth and tasty vapor. FF is missing on size, battery and stealthiness. Cost as well, but I guess the FF won't tear a screen every few months and have to wait for a replacement…

I opened up my FF and brushed some ABV around the bowl area yesterday. I'll need to do that from time to time it seems. When you blow in the bowl after a session bits somehow find their way in. Mind this for when traveling… Also messed with the heating coil a bit…

 

[fernand]

It seems they changed the max time on one button press in the firmware. I wouldn't worry about it, it's just a safety cutoff.

I'm the one who started with the coil moving, because to an engineer it seemed like the most logical cause of the temp variations. In truth when you adjust it it's a roll of the die, we don't really know the optimal airflow, but I figured leaning against the ceramic was surely dissipating heat.

@natural farmer I love your SONG. I wanted to try a Solo Turbo adapter, but Planet Vapes tracking shows 5-10 WORK days now to get me my PVHEGonG. So here's another adapter solution:

Should you, for whatever hobby or obsession, purchase a "universal domeless Ti nail" like this one, or even this one, you may find that it can be assembled into all sorts of useful devices. Such as a little Titanium stem that sits perfectly in the FireFly bowl, and (with a little screen to retain the substance, or a Brass Wool pad for concentrates), creates a lovely adapter from the FF onto a Male 14 or Male 18 mm water tool header. Pressing the button requires a hand anyway, so holding the FF against the adapter is fine, you won't crash your glass that way.

In its life as a Universal Nail it also adapts to female 14 and 18 mm heads, but this is left as an exercise for the student, as we're using a male part as the "stem" in this application.


And of course there's always a 1/2" ID tube, that mates perfectly with the beak of the FireFly and onto a 14mm male header, as on this water device.

Please ignore the other distracting forms of iniquity in this photo, it was intended as a contest: how many distinct ways do you see to medicate in this picture?

 

[Mr. Gweilo 420]

I had to look at everything in that picture and I will not be the last!!

 

[fernand]

Just leave a little sticky powder residue under the glass port, and you never need worry about pulling in particles. Don't pack it, a pinch goes a long way and it swirls best in the hot air. And just invert, tap and shake it between tokes, no need to open and stir.

So, yes @natural farmer, a lot like a Launch Box, but (big difference) you never have to worry about burning anything!

 

[natural farmer]

Just leave a little sticky powder residue under the glass port, and you never need worry about pulling in particles. Don't pack it, a pinch goes a long way and it swirls best in the hot air. And just invert, tap and shake it between tokes, no need to open and stir.

So, yes @natural farmer, a lot like a Launch Box, but (big difference) you never have to worry about burning anything!

Swirling? I try not to make it swirl actually. I can't get it dark enough if I draw that hard it seems... Are you starting your draw slower and go faster after a few secs?

 

[darkrom]

@darkrom - I feel kind of bad for going there but in my experience some unofficial products are identical to the real thing. They come from the same factory, same parts, same moulds, etc.

A lot of people think this is the case with the pax, but I'm yet to see a pax clone with working party mode for example. Sure the underpaid thieves can play legos and put the parts together, but the design and intelligence simply isn't there. They can make it heat, but there is always some kind of difference. I don't think they are going to be able to make a firefly that works as good as the firefly. The heater tolerances will be all out of spec, the parts will be thrown together sloppily. How hard would YOU work for a couple dollars a week? I sure as hell wouldn't be doing it with precision and care.

 

[fernand]

@natural farmer, yes, start very slow, build up speed as the unit heats up. I used to pack it more, then found that just crushing and breaking up some bud in there, like under 0.1 g, lets it swirl around and doesn't require turning, since it's moving anyway. I do need to load it more often, but with hardly any attention, and a smaller amount per bowl. That's what's working well at the moment.

 

[rplenty]

Why are you concerned? There is no correlation (that anyone has yet demonstrated) between seconds-to-cut-off and operational problems. I assume it's programmed somehow, and maybe it differs from unit to unit, but I don't think there's any reason to fear malfunction based on a 45 second cutoff time.

I was only mentioning it as one of the (benign) differences I noticed from my first FF. Unless your FF is not functioning properly, I wouldn't sweat the cutoff time. (In fact I'd enjoy it, I prefer the 45 seconds...find myself hitting the 30 second cutoff not infrequently.)

I am concerned because sometimes I feel the unit is not quite hot enough and it takes more time than I would expect to get the vapor. My impression is if it gets hotter faster that might improve. More than one person on this site has returned their FF's to get a unit that runs hotter and gives better vapor. Just want to make sure mine is running properly. I would expect that all units should run the same, this should not be hit or miss as I am sure the designers had a spec that each unit should meet and a 33% difference between units seems excessive. Is anyone else seeing a shutdown at 45 seconds?

 

[Tickdickler]

I am concerned because sometimes I feel the unit is not quite hot enough and it takes more time than I would expect to get the vapor. My impression is if it gets hotter faster that might improve. More than one person on this site has returned their FF's to get a unit that runs hotter and gives better vapor. Just want to make sure mine is running properly. I would expect that all units should run the same, this should not be hit or miss as I am sure the designers had a spec that each unit should meet and a 33% difference between units seems excessive. Is anyone else seeing a shutdown at 45 seconds?

This may be because I haven't gotten the technique down yet but I feel like I got a "cold" unit. I only get 1 or 2 big clouds a session so far and I pre heat 7-10 seconds. After the 2 big clouds the rest are much smaller. I also feel I have to try really hard to get the material all brown.

 

[mitchgo61]

I am concerned because sometimes I feel the unit is not quite hot enough and it takes more time than I would expect to get the vapor. My impression is if it gets hotter faster that might improve. More than one person on this site has returned their FF's to get a unit that runs hotter and gives better vapor. Just want to make sure mine is running properly. I would expect that all units should run the same, this should not be hit or miss as I am sure the designers had a spec that each unit should meet and a 33% difference between units seems excessive. Is anyone else seeing a shutdown at 45 seconds?

Several experienced users have assured you that there is no correlation between shut off time and overall performance. (Yes, others have reported 45 second cuttoffs.) If you still want to be worried about this aspect of the FF, it's your right, but I would submit the following two approaches are more productive:

1. If you are still in the first week or two of use, keep working on your technique. Lots of users thought the FF was "cool" and not producing enough vapor, and once they got over the learning curve, realized it was a matter of technique and not device performance. The FF can be tricky and take a while to get good with. I am one of the first people to own an FF, consider myself pretty solid on technique, and when I received my new Red one six days ago, it took me a couple days to get used to a slightly new technique with it. (Yes, there are some minor differences between units. Perhaps it's due to coil position, which seems to have very low tolerance. Perhaps it's something else. Perhaps they will achieve a more consistent output of devices in the future. Perhaps not.)

2. If you feel you are doing everything correctly and still not happy with the FF, contact the manufacturer and have a chat with them. They are fantastic people to deal with, can give you good advice technique-wise if you need it, and will be happy to get you a replacement if your FF isn't functioning correctly. Their customer service is impeccable and they want nothing more than really happy customers...and they'll make one out of you too if you give them a chance.

Your device may or may not be working as designed (odds favor it is), but the cutoff time isn't an issue. Again, don't sweat it. Call FF if you are unhappy. Good luck. One way or another I think you'll get to a happy place with your FF. Most of us have!!

This may be because I haven't gotten the technique down yet but I feel like I got a "cold" unit. I only get 1 or 2 big clouds a session so far and I pre heat 7-10 seconds. After the 2 big clouds the rest are much smaller. I also feel I have to try really hard to get the material all brown.

Make sure you stir and break up material as you go through the session. If you are indeed getting your material to a dark brown, you are likely extracting correctly. You can always try throwing your abv into a high temp vape to see what else can be extracted. If you can only get one or so decent hits from the material, the FF has worked fine and extracted its usual amount.