The HI

[invertedisdead]

I'd say if you're on the list, then you're on the list. I sent an email December 2014, and received a reply from Alan that I was on the list. Then no other contact until a year and a half later when my name came up this past June. It would seem whatever Alan's system, it works well.

And believe me, your HI will be well worth the wait!

I have a PM from Snappo from June 2014 when he was showing me some incredible burl I was considering for my HI, so it was awhile ago! I got totally distracted with the Volcano. I can't access the email I signed up with anymore though so I'll contact Allen and see if he can track me down!

 

[Snappo]

I'd say if you're on the list, then you're on the list. I sent an email December 2014, and received a reply from Alan that I was on the list. Then no other contact until a year and a half later when my name came up this past June. It would seem whatever Alan's system, it works well.

And believe me, your HI will be well worth the wait!

Imagine the diamond-studded golden cap at the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza... It certainly wasn't built in a day, but it is a Wonder of the World... that's the HI!

 

[PB88123]

4 1/2 years with my HI. I put it away for a year and took it back out recently. Works as good as day 1. This will be awesome if it lasts for my lifetime.

Glad to see Alan still around and even more glad I haven't needed to contact him with any problems.

Just wanted to pop in and say hello. I'll never forget this website. Spent what felt like hours on this site every week a few years ago.

 

[dimildarko]

Alas it is finally time and boy did I get carried away once the time finally came.

Just had these blanks sent to @Alan from @Snappo . From the large block of Satinwood fiddleback I'm hoping to get a SS core HI, roasting tube and VVPS. Then the amboyna burl will be another long roasting tube.

Also might end up ordering a bamboo HI if possible for a x-mas gift.

 

[Copacetic]

Alas it is finally time and boy did I get carried away once the time finally came.

Just had these blanks sent to @Alan from @Snappo . From the large block of Satinwood fiddleback I'm hoping to get a SS core HI, roasting tube and VVPS. Then the amboyna burl will be another long roasting tube.

Also might end up ordering a bamboo HI if possible for a x-mas gift.

Lovely wood there man, they're gonna be gorgeous for sure.

 

[virtualpurple]

@Alan or any others:

Last light I found one of my beautiful wongs stuck in my bubbler. My friend let me know that he thought he combusted in it last night and tried to blow the smoke out the other way so he wouldn't have to inhale the smoke. Looks like some water erupted out and overnight my Wong has become super stuck.

Any tips on how to get this loose without ruining my Wong or my bubbler? I've tried tapping on it with a wooden handle and lightly heating my glass with a little torch, no luck so far.

 

[panasonic]

maybe try putting it in the freezer? I don't actually know what those items are, so maybe its a bad idea. Or just a series of cold packs around the part that is stuck

I'm going to take the plunge and buy an HI finally, but i have some questions:

-which tip design (sans silicone), is the best for smaller bowls? I thought the PD bowl was pretty much the perfect size for solo or duo vaping

-Can it catch things on fire? If I leave it plugged in over night by accident

-does anyone know where I can find a picture of the heater core design? I've been searching through the thread but it is crazy long

-how does the taste compare to the PD? I assume pretty similar based on the design. I have hear that silicone is noticeable to some but not others

-how does the loading process work with the two screen method? Is it just doubling up on screens or do you sandwich the material inside?

-If you sandwich the material inside, how much longer does it take to load a bowl compared to the suck and tamp method for the PD?

Thank you all for entertaining these questions and let me know if I'm expectedt o go back and reread things. I can I just got to page 80 and burned out a bit

 

[grokit]

^ The freezer might be a good idea, if glass contracts with cold like it expands with heat.
But I don't think that it does...

Also alan has two bowl sizes now, one is similar to a milaana bowl and one is more like a @DDave micro mod, which I think is pretty awesome; you can go for efficiency or get a nice big hit. The smaller bowl goes inside the HI's heater, and the larger one goes around the outside of it, very simple and easy.

I found that detail out when I started using the dream HI setup I received recently. My review is not quite ready for prime-time as I am waiting for a couple of power adapters from china, but it's safe to say that I'm thrilled with my latest vape purchase! Alan has really upped his game with attachments and electrical components since my other HI purchase a couple of years ago. Anyways here's a sneak preview:

This is the larger bowl

 

[panasonic]

Can you reference the bowl size in grams or compare it to the PD or MFLB's bowl size? I am looking for something that holds about 0.02-0.04g per bowl and loads exactly like the PD stems used to

@virtualpurple have you tried lubing it with oil?

 

[grokit]

Can you reference the bowl size in grams or compare it to the PD or MFLB's bowl size? I am looking for something that holds about 0.02-0.04g per bowl and loads exactly like the PD stems used to

@virtualpurple have you tried lubing it with oil?

Sorry but I don't have a scale that goes tiny, nor do I have any experience with the pd or mflb. The other bowl is ss and is quite a bit smaller; I load them both by sucking the ground herb in through the stem.

 

[panasonic]

How bout depth and diameter of the bowl?

 

[grokit]

How bout depth and diameter of the bowl?

3/8" id x 7/8" length

As you can see the ss bowl is much smaller; the screen is also inserted much shallower.

 

[NickDlow]

@grokit what species is that?

It's freaking gorgeous!

 

[grokit]

Thanks so much @NickDlow I've liked lots of pics of your beautiful logs!

It's from a chunk I lopped off the "tail" of my basement "desk", which is a slab of redwood burl mounted on a table base. I'm having a hard time getting back in there, but this does provide added incentive

 

[Alan]

This is incredibly beautiful. I signed up for the list a lifetime ago, am I still "in" or do I have to start over? My Volcano doesn't work great lately, it's loud and feels large and clunky as I declutter and downsize. It's still great, of course, but it lacks vibe; utilitarian it is.

The HI is so discreet and interesting, seeing your post makes me want to go island hopping so bad!

No need to start over on the list. Send me an email and I will turn you a HI.

@Alan or any others:

Last light I found one of my beautiful wongs stuck in my bubbler. My friend let me know that he thought he combusted in it last night and tried to blow the smoke out the other way so he wouldn't have to inhale the smoke. Looks like some water erupted out and overnight my Wong has become super stuck.

Any tips on how to get this loose without ruining my Wong or my bubbler? I've tried tapping on it with a wooden handle and lightly heating my glass with a little torch, no luck so far.

Sorry to hear about the stuck WonG tube. Sounds like the wood got wet and expanded into the glass. If you let it all dry out for a few days, the wood should shrink enough to loosen. If you have some desiccant packets, you can place them in a sealed container with the bubbler to remove all the moisture from the wood. Heating the wooden tube with a hair dryer will also drive off some moisture so it can shrink. Be patient and you will get it loose.

maybe try putting it in the freezer? I don't actually know what those items are, so maybe its a bad idea. Or just a series of cold packs around the part that is stuck

I'm going to take the plunge and buy an HI finally, but i have some questions:

-which tip design (sans silicone), is the best for smaller bowls? I thought the PD bowl was pretty much the perfect size for solo or duo vaping

-Can it catch things on fire? If I leave it plugged in over night by accident

-does anyone know where I can find a picture of the heater core design? I've been searching through the thread but it is crazy long

-how does the taste compare to the PD? I assume pretty similar based on the design. I have hear that silicone is noticeable to some but not others

-how does the loading process work with the two screen method? Is it just doubling up on screens or do you sandwich the material inside?

-If you sandwich the material inside, how much longer does it take to load a bowl compared to the suck and tamp method for the PD?

Thank you all for entertaining these questions and let me know if I'm expectedt o go back and reread things. I can I just got to page 80 and burned out a bit

The 5/16" stainless steel tips / tubes provide the smallest bowl size. They are about the same size as the PD tubes.

There is no worries about it catching on fire. It is safe for 24/7 operation.

Here is the latest stainless steel heater cover design. It is held in place with two ss screws.

The taste is very comparable to the PD. The air flow is much better since it has a shorter and more open air path. The roasting tubes that go over the heater cover have better air flow than inside style tubes like the PD stems. There are many grades of silicone tubing. I only use high temperature - medical grade - Silcon brand which is fairly neutral in taste. Many of my roasting tubes only uses silicone as a seal and are not subject to roasting temperatures.

I sandwich the material in the basket screens. The material is still sucked up into the first screen, but then I place a second screen on top and push both screens into the tube. They will need to be pushed back out so the outer screen can be removed to allow disposal of the spent material. The method isn't that much benefit with the 5/16" ss tips since the material packs into the relatively small tube and doesn't fall out that easily. I use the two screen method mostly with glass and wooden roasting tubes 10mm and larger. It doesn't take that much longer to add the second basket screen. One of the benefits is that the screens stay clean for a long time if you periodically swap positions so that the oil that collected on the bottom screen gets vaporized when it becomes the top screen.

@grokit - Thanks for posting the photos. Always looking to make things better. Hope your adapters arrive soon.

Just discovered that the all wooden roasting tubes I am making for the Milaana and LSV also work really well with the HI. The end of the heater cover fits right into the outer stacked screen and allows you to direct the hot air to different parts of the bowl by swiveling it around.

 

[panasonic]

Awesome, thanks for the detailed reply Alan! So inside the heater cover sits a resistor ala every log vape? I've been out of the loop for a few years. I wonder if I could even use my existing PD tips, although probably not.

Your explanation about the bowls makes a lot of sense. I'll be in touch by email.

 

[panasonic]

Hey all HI users, what kind of tip(s) and tube(s) do you use?

What do you like about yours?
What do you not like about it?
Do you use it solo or with friends?
Is it easy to load and empty?
Is it easy to clean?
How does it taste?
If you were a former PD or myrtlezap user, how does the user experience compare?

Thanks!

 

[ZC]

@panasonic

The HI is fantastic. The taste is excellent, cleaning is easy, easy to use, beautiful to look at.

I use it solo mostly but it does great in group situations. You can get multiple stems ready and then keep passing the HI. No heating up between hits means no one is waiting.

You really can't go wrong with Alan's work. The craftsmanship is superb. He puts a lot of thought and care into his designs and is always improving both the HI itself and his roasting tubes.

 

[panasonic]

@ZC, I may have phrased the questions poorly.

I typically use a one hitter when smoking, so I'm looking for an experience where it loads much like a one hitter, and clears like one too. Would you say that the HI tips/tubes fit this bill, and if so which ones do you prefer?

Also, for group sessions, do you prefer having many small tipped tubes or fewer large tipped tubes?

 

[ZC]

For groups I use the bigger tubes.

As a one hitter, yeah, it's amazing. Ideally you wanna use the SS smaller roasting tubes for this. You can do one hitter loads with the bigger tube but IMO its a better experience with the smaller ones.

 

[Diggy Smalls]

Yeah the ss tips work great as a one hitter, but it's taken a lot of practice and tweaks on my part not to combust even using them. It's actually my preferred method now.

I don't use it with friends, but I imagine they might find the ss tips tricky. The glass ones I've never combusted in no matter how slow I draw. Even without a dimmer/vvps to lower the temperature.

For that reason, I would recommend the glass tips for groups. Plus you can load more in each stem for the group.

I have one last thought and it's too check to see if anyone inserts the ss tip all the way into the heater port? I've found success putting the tip barely in, and even unplugging the log before I even connect the stem. If I do that I can put the stem flush and rip it through a water tool like no one's business and no risk of combustion. That's my preferred way to use it lately.

 

[panasonic]

Yeah the ss tips work great as a one hitter, but it's taken a lot of practice and tweaks on my part not to combust even using them. It's actually my preferred method now.

I don't use it with friends, but I imagine they might find the ss tips tricky. The glass ones I've never combusted in no matter how slow I draw. Even without a dimmer/vvps to lower the temperature.

For that reason, I would recommend the glass tips for groups. Plus you can load more in each stem for the group.

I have one last thought and it's too check to see if anyone inserts the ss tip all the way into the heater port? I've found success putting the tip barely in, and even unplugging the log before I even connect the stem. If I do that I can put the stem flush and rip it through a water tool like no one's business and no risk of combustion. That's my preferred way to use it lately.

Interesting. With the other log vape I have, you pretty much leave the tip in there while inhaling. It's pretty much idiot proof, the only way you could combust maybe is on a really hot day.

The way you mention using it when unplugged is pretty much how it used to go for me with the other log vape, only left plugged in. I guess one can always use an underpowered powe rsupply

 

[Diggy Smalls]

Or a dimmer. Actually today I tried adding an extra screen in the front of the load to sandwiche the herb, and it seems to have diffused the heat enough to not combust.

The heat island runs hot man.

 

[CurryLeafTreehugger]

So how big does the blank need to be if you wanted to have a custom Heat Island turned?

 

[killick]

So a few things are on their way NorthWest-ish... Photos to follow...