Discontinued The Splinter by RBT

[AJS]

https://instagram.com/p/BebQBsAnuG9/

Honestly guys this is just fucking ridiculous. This thing rips so hard. This isn't just a decent convection vape, it's so stupid strong to where it's not even fair to call it a portable. The abv after this hit is perfect and light yellow. I couldn't have hit any longer as my lungs were going to explode but the Splinter definitely would've put out another 10-20 seconds of vapor before the bowl woulda been getting dark.

I think anyone who gets this vape whether they're looking for flavor, low temps, long rips, fat rips, session vape, whatever you want, this thing won't disappoint. For me, the most important thing is that if I want the fattest hit I can possibly get, it will put out much more than I can handle. That's #1 for me when I'm choosing a hard hitting vape, and this vape easily surpasses that. I still have vapes like the Vapman that I'm in love with, but when specifically going for a hard hitting daily driver, I need something that will convert the heaviest dab hittin blunt smokers to the vape world and never leave me wanting a bigger rip. The only vapes I've ever had that did that for me was the LSV, with the Milaana right behind that, and the Zion above or next to the LSV. The Splinter passes the Milaana, comes extremely close to the Zion, BUT has the ability to dial in temperatures exactly how you want and get the exact same results every single time, which puts it above the Zion in that category. Zion still has the larger heater so naturally will be a little stronger, but the Splinter has that extra edge on it too with being tunable. I also never really talk about the high with my vapes, but the Splinter high is full bodied (RBT signature) and pretty intoxicating. It's gotten the room spinning on me a few times. This vape will definitely get you to where you want to be.

If you don't rotate the stem you can get hot spotting on higher temps but other people have been getting more even results than me. I don't mind rotating the stem, and rotating the Splinter over water is fun and abv comes out perfect

Super excited you guys will be getting Splinters too as I don't want to seem like the only crazy one here. Anyone who gets theirs who disagrees please put me in my place lol, but I think most people will love this thing!

________

@cybrguy seeing how the Milaana never needs to swap out heaters I assume the Splinter is the same. Doesn't use a regular coil system like ECigs.

 

[Fat Freddy]

I get the impression that in the ecig world (not a player) the coils are actually a consumable. With the mesh heater in effect acting as the coil, does the battery become the only consumable with Splinter? Or am I misunderstanding something? (Forgive my noobishness)

Yep...fairly certain that's correct! Not completely sure, but I THINK that the SS mesh is directly wired to the batts through the 510 connection. And as @KeroZen has said, protect the mesh at all costs as it's not a replaceable part, unlike the coils in a conventional ecig mod. Therefore, IMHO, whether RBT has truly created a game changer, or not, with The Splinter is going to be largely due to its durability vis a vis the users' sense of acceptable ROI. A $129.00 "part" is not, to my budget, a consumable!



.

 

[oddjobold]

Not heard of anyone having to replace a milaana heater. Thats gets the full unregulated power of a 18650.

 

[Alegre]

https://instagram.com/p/BebQBsAnuG9/

Honestly guys this is just fucking ridiculous. This thing rips so hard. This isn't just a decent convection vape, it's so stupid strong to where it's not even fair to call it a portable. The abv after this hit is perfect and light yellow. I couldn't have hit any longer as my lungs were going to explode but the Splinter definitely would've put out another 10-20 seconds of vapor before the bowl woulda been getting dark.

I think anyone who gets this vape whether they're looking for flavor, low temps, long rips, fat rips, session vape, whatever you want, this thing won't disappoint. For me, the most important thing is that if I want the fattest hit I can possibly get, it will put out much more than I can handle. That's #1 for me when I'm choosing a hard hitting vape, and this vape easily surpasses that. I still have vapes like the Vapman that I'm in love with, but when specifically going for a hard hitting daily driver, I need something that will convert the heaviest dab hittin blunt smokers to the vape world and never leave me wanting a bigger rip. The only vapes I've ever had that did that for me was the LSV, with the Milaana right behind that, and the Zion above or next to the LSV. The Splinter passes the Milaana, comes extremely close to the Zion, BUT has the ability to dial in temperatures exactly how you want and get the exact same results every single time, which puts it above the Zion in that category. Zion still has the larger heater so naturally will be a little stronger, but the Splinter has that extra edge on it too with being tunable. I also never really talk about the high with my vapes, but the Splinter high is full bodied (RBT signature) and pretty intoxicating. It's gotten the room spinning on me a few times. This vape will definitely get you to where you want to be.

If you don't rotate the stem you can get hot spotting on higher temps but other people have been getting more even results than me. I don't mind rotating the stem, and rotating the Splinter over water is fun and abv comes out perfect

Super excited you guys will be getting Splinters too as I don't want to seem like the only crazy one here. Anyone who gets theirs who disagrees please put me in my place lol, but I think most people will love this thing!

________

@cybrguy seeing how the Milaana never needs to swap out heaters I assume the Splinter is the same. Doesn't use a regular coil system like ECigs.

That's exactly what I need in my life! I love big lung ripping hits.....can't wait!! A regulated milaana is my dream, this I think it's s close as we can get as of now (aside from the Zion).

My waiting list number is 247....if anyone has a lower number and need more time (to save money or whatever) please let me know and let's switch.....I know, long shot but worth the try. Lol

 

[cybrguy]

@cybrguy seeing how the Milaana never needs to swap out heaters I assume the Splinter is the same. Doesn't use a regular coil system like ECigs.

Therefore, IMHO, whether RBT has truly created a game changer, or not, with The Splinter is going to be largely due to its durability vis a vis the users' sense of acceptable ROI. A $129.00 "part" is not, to my budget, a consumable!

Not heard of anyone having to replace a milaana heater. Thats gets the full unregulated power of a 18650.

Just to be clear, I used my Zion beta virtually every day from June 10 2015 till the day Circe arrived (and her every day since) with NO heater issues.
I wasn't suggesting that there might be a problem with the heater, I was suggesting instead that the Splinter has fewer consumables than an ecig using the same mod. I am not personally aware of ANY heater failures with RBT products of which I now have 3.
(And am now lusting for a 4th, damnit)

 

[slatihe]

Ecig coils burn them selves out... to much power for the size wire used in the coil... the coils can last a really long time if your careful with them, but they are very delicate and you wanna change the wicks with you're flavor any way...

Also, the splinters ss mesh is only as difficult to replace as rbt designed it to be... should be easy to get to if you're willing too replace the glass sleeve.

 

[KeroZen]

I think there are several things at play with e-cig coils. Indeed high currents slowly eat them away (and the particles end up in the liquid) Getting too high in temperature is not good either, you shouldn't make them glow (but with TC this is less of an issue)

But overall, the fact that they are in direct contact with the liquid creates a thin layer of carbonized material on them. You can brush or dry burn them but this is not recommended for the reason above. I think ultimately it alters taste. Especially if you swap e-liquid flavors often. But I don't do e-liquids so I'm just parroting what I gathered on their forums when reading about mods and RDAs.

What I know is that our mesh heaters are only in contact with air. If we are careful and don't make them glow, they should last for a very long while. And higher wire gauges are better than thin ones, that's pretty clear.

 

[Andreaerdna]

What I know is that our mesh heaters are only in contact with air.

even if not in the sense of ecig liquids, by design splinter mesh is in contact with a strong insulator (mica) and another heat insulator glass. where hot metal cannot dissipate heat by radiation or convection it is easyer to get it glowing red (where metal touch mica or glass)

And higher wire gauges are better than thin ones, that's pretty clear.

I would say the opposite as thinner wires have more surface area on the same surface. while weaker to chemical corrosion or overheat it would be certainly more efficient in heat transfer (the point that really matter to us) allowing us to have lower temperature on the surface of the heater to deliver the same heat compared to bigger wires (lower gauge), fighting by this way overheat by design

 

[KeroZen]

Not sure where you're getting at. My point was about not being submerged in organic matter, but you are right that there is some contact with glass and mica.

As for the wire gauge I disagree, just have a look at the BULLI and Project threads. Thin wires have a higher resistance, so you end up with a tiny coil that has very little surface area and struggles to heat the passing air. You need to make them glow to produce any vapor (ex: Elevape, Firefly etc)

If your heater resistance is say 0.5ohm, by using a smaller gauge (larger diameter wire) you need much more length to achieve the same resistance. And high surface area is what we want, so it's beneficial. That's the whole interest of these mesh heaters: way more mass, lots of parallel circuits to achieve much more surface area for the same overall resistance.

In the Project we now have a moderately thick wire for the coil. Some of the best custom builds I did used even thicker ones, I think I went down to 20ga and even 18ga from memory. With these gauges, the coil doesn't glow the slightest during use. It doesn't even change color and stays shiny like new. With higher gauges, the coils always oxidized and took all colors from the rainbow and going even higher they needed to glow pretty bright red to produce any vapor, and to me this was a no go.

 

[RastaBuddhaTao]

The heater is not in contact with the glass. The Mica is of low mass and low thermal conductivity so its heat absorption is minimal. The Mica is suspended in the air steam and only contacts the heater with 2-5% of the surface area. Therefore, any heat absorbed by the Mica is isolated from any direct contact that would wick heat into the body and create inefficiencies.

The glass only contacts the wood body at the rim which is the farthest away from the heater and therefore is the coolest part. This minimizes any waste heat.

Mesh gage, material, length, width all have an impact on the heater resistances. These effects were studied in detail on 2015 and will be covered in the RBT Open Source thread in the DIY section. Might be off topic here?

 

[slatihe]

Or to ONtopic here? (Hehe)
------
Was giving it a think; is tc putting the temp of the mesh coil at 420 or w.e temp? Cause that would explain it feeling a little below temp right there.

Your actual desired temp, that you really care about, is the temp of the moving air which is going to be slightly lower then the temp of the mesh coils, no?

 

[Andreaerdna]

As for the wire gauge I disagree, just have a look at the BULLI and Project threads. Thin wires have a higher resistance, so you end up with a tiny coil that has very little surface area and struggles to heat the passing air. You need to make them glow to produce any vapor (ex: Elevape, Firefly etc)

If I may, bulli is different, it uses a single wire not a mesh
a finer mesh (made of smaller wires) has much more surface area than a mesh made of bigger wires (for the same area)

 

[slatihe]

If I may, bulli is different, it uses a single wire not a mesh
a finer mesh (made of smaller wires) has much more surface area than a mesh made of bigger wires (for the same area)

Wait... you're trying to say? The thinner gage mesh is going to be more durable because it has more surface area? Or? Just that X by x thinker mesh has less surface area then X by x thinner mesh and that's it? Where you trying to go? I'm confused sorry

 

[Andreaerdna]

Wait... you're trying to say? The thinner gage mesh is going to be more durable because it has more surface area? Or? Just that X by x thinker mesh has less surface area then X by x thinner mesh and that's it? Where you trying to go? I'm confused sorry

That is exactly my thinking
a mesh made of denser and finer threads would offer larger surface area than a thick wider mesh (same mesh dimensions), and because of this you could use a lower temperaure on the mesh (for same results) and because of this be less prone to overheat

That being said it would be less resistent to misuse (if you make it glowing red it would deforme, melt faster)

 

[slatihe]

Ok... its the same metal... there isn't getting denser metal..

If you use a thinner gage mesh of the same dimensions all other things being =... just the diameter of the mesh stands being thinner is the only thing that changed from sample A (thinner) to sample B (thicker)

Sample A will be MORE delicate and fragile.
B is stronger and more resilient

A has more surface area, but
B has more metal and mass

A has a higher resistance (higher surface area, less metal) and
B can handle more energy and stress being passed through it... (more metal, lower resistance, and more metal)

It's all relative...

 

[Andreaerdna]

Pattern is denser (more thinner wires vs fewer bigger ones) not the metal

Just saw manufacturer warning, maybe better stop this discussion

 

[slatihe]

We are talking about basic physics right now, not spliter. Good call, getting pretty off topic, yes...

Feel free to pm. I'll explain what i know, as best i can, and point you in the right direction for you to start learning more stuff if you're interested.

 

[Andreaerdna]

We are talking about basic physics right now, not spliter. Good call, getting pretty off topic, yes...

Feel free to pm. I'll explain what i know, as best i can, and point you in the right direction for you to start learning more stuff if you're interested.

Just tryied to pm you but you seems not to allow incoming PM (at least from me)

 

[RastaBuddhaTao]

@Andreaerdna @slatihe check the recent post on the RBT Open Source in the DIY thread about heater mesh.

 

[AJS]

Or to ONtopic here? (Hehe)
------
Was giving it a think; is tc putting the temp of the mesh coil at 420 or w.e temp? Cause that would explain it feeling a little below temp right there.

Your actual desired temp, that you really care about, is the temp of the moving air which is going to be slightly lower then the temp of the mesh coils, no?

Hey man. Technically yeah it should be the temp of the heater not the vape temp itself but either way right out of the box 420 won't be exactly 420. Still gotta set the resistance. Right outta the box 400 glowed red within seconds. No bueno. Now it won't even glow whatsoever at 460.

 

[sickmanfraud]

A $129.00 "part" is not, to my budget, a consumable!

agreed

 

[TheRobbo]

agreed

Just going on how long I have had my Milaana it is not a consumable part and should provide many years of fathfull service!

 

[RastaBuddhaTao]

Yep, units have run for over a year with 20-30 loads a day with no measurable degradation of the heater. That is one of the benefits of the HSA technology is its reliability. If the heater physically eroded it would increase in resistance and therefore decrease the current at voltage. Returned units have been tested against the recorded wattage when built and no measurable segregation is seen.

The ecig power requirements are far different than a convection vaporizer and therefore it is a very apples and oranges comparison.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Returned units have been tested against the recorded wattage when built and no measurable segregation is seen.

Have units been returned due to heater malfunctions? If so, what has been the rate of return over, say, the past 12 months?

,.

 

[RastaBuddhaTao]

@Fat Freddy Milaana malfunctions have been nearly non-existent as there's nearly nothing to go wrong other than breaking the glass. Two or three early OGs had cool heaters. Until the recent shortened unit returns are nearly non-existent other than broken glass.

Back on topic... I am sitting here enjoying my first production intent Splinter. All up until now where only in my hands for a skinny minute before they where sent off to @Other Side and the rest of the Beta team.

I am happy to report that all pre-orders are complete and awaiting the mouthpiece screens to ship. This batch will be field tested for several weeks and provided all goes well another batch will be built. These initial units will provide feedback and any issues found will be addressed along with the current list. Things on the current list include recessing the 510, adding some shape to the wood, 510 fitting improvements etc. These changes are "nice to have's" so only changes with minimal risk and added cost will be implemented.

In addition, RBT labs will be moving to our new location so a few weeks of shutdown will cause some delay. Another immediate focus will be a fair amount of Milaana production so please be patient with the pace of Splinter to allow us to do a slow, controlled launch to ensure our customers receive a safe and reliable product.