@PPN
I would recommend a longer preheat time 3 min 30 sec minimum but to also insert the herb chamber in only after the pre-heat time is done. If you are not in a hurry, I would actually let it heat up for 4-5 minutes which will really heat soak the Apollo very well and help produce some very nice and tasty instant clouds - even on temps 3 & 4 since you are starting with a hot unit that will actually cool down and find it's equilibrium temperature at temperature 3 or 4 as you draw fresh air through the unit. Then you can start at the lower levels (2, 3, 4) and work your way up to whatever end point that you are looking for through a combination of increase power levels and/or boosting.
I think to get the best experience out of the Apollo that performing all of the recommended mods and using a water piece that cools well is essential. In my case, I use a double chambered water tool .....basically a stereo matrix with an attached large ash catcher that works well with everything that I've thrown at it.
Also, I re-read some of the earlier thread and hadn't realized it at the time since I didn't get a good look at it at the time but
@Joel W. has already used 18mm glass and got great results with it (pg 27, post 660) and has also used the e-nano stem as a gong.
In a prior post I had also misidentified the person who had also used an Air stem mod as
@Nssl, when in fact it was
@Vapodudule who had first used that mod after seeing my Solo stem mod.
@Vapodudule has a slightly different way of using it than I do, which is worth a look and which utilizes the top of the chamber as well as two Solo core o-rings (pg 37, post 615); this probably gives comparable results but I don't know as I haven't used that configuration.
I believe that
@Joel W. and
@Nssl both use the e-nano gong stems at the end of the Apollo tube to connect to a water piece and that
@Nssl also uses an Extreme elbow dome screen to reduce the load size within the existing stock chamber (e-nano mod - pg 26, post 649).
Also
@virtualpurple has reported great success with an Underdog gong and enjoys the use of MV flexicones as described in posts 784 and 791 on pg 32. I tried the MV flexicones myself but found that I got a silicone taste in the vapour since the flexicine silicone is very hot and also in the vapour path.
I am kind of lucky that only half of my flexicone order was shipped by accident, and that after I received it and tried it that the vendor had no issues with cancelling the remaining portion of my order without any issue once I explained my usage of the flexicones as a mod for the Apollo that I found wasn't working quite to my liking due to the smell/taste of hot silicone that I was getting when I used them this way.
Although, I am happy that I was able to grab some MV stainless steel woven extract bowls which I am sure will work awesomely with the Apollo once I have access to a good source of extracts.
My favourite post that I came across when re-reading through the thread was from
@vapognak in post 810 on pg 33 where he has used a Coke can and colorful yellow/green tape as quick mods
Also when re-reading the thread I came across posts by
@StormyPinkness and
@nosmoking who wanted a comparison between the Supreme V3 and the Apollo - which I will end with.
These are completely different vapes with respect to the heat source with the Apollo being electrically driven halogen bulbs and the Supreme having a massive aluminum heater block with many internal fins with a ton of surface area to use as a heat exchanger with the incoming air stream.
The vapour quality for both is extremely similar in nature......both VERY tasty when dialed in perfectly. The Apollo requires a bigger learning curve and more modding to perform at it's best but when you have it down it is very intuitive to use.
You can also get dense vapour with the Apollo but the Supreme will give you more vapour density and the flavour, although similar, is also more intense due to the quicker extraction. The Supreme V3 is also easier to achieve awesome results (pretty much idiot proof) and is also harder to accidentally combust with than the Apollo.
Since you can push the Apollo close to combustion without actually getting there, it is more tempting to push the envelope and that is where problems can occur in accidentally pushing it to the point of combustion.
The Supreme V3 with the proper torch can be heated to temp in between 50 to 60 seconds and you can finish a bowl before 4 minutes are up (including initial heating) even with one small reheat to maintain temperature.....and if you want to really rush things you can basically finish a bowl in about a minute if you can handle all that vapour at once.....probably only possible through water
The Apollo takes longer to heat up (which can be sped up with higher wattage bulbs) but once it is at temperature it is more conducive to session style vaping. You can kill a bowl in a few minutes or drag it out over 10-15 minutes if you keep the power low (at 1 to 3) and use a high boost (115%) to heat things up before you draw.
The Supreme can be used more like an extremely powerful bong rip ......hit it hard for a few draws and the bowl is spent. It is not conducive to sessioning because of the multiple heat up sessions required with the torch.
The Supreme will get you medicated more quickly than the Apollo if you are in a hurry..... but the Apollo will do just as good a job of medicating - it just takes a little longer, but will bring you to that same extremely medicated point - if that is where you are looking to go.
However, the one thing about the Apollo that is a big plus is the quietness of operation. With the Supreme, a propane or powerful butane torch is going to sound pretty loud as you are heating up the heat exchanger
The vapour quality of the Supreme is also the very best that I've tasted..... but the Apollo does come very close......just not as intense, especially off the first few draws, which is where the difference lays.
The Supreme is kind of like those Starburst gum pieces with the liquid centers with that extra gush of tasty vapour intensity. The taste might be just as flavourful with the Apollo as the Supreme .....but it just isn't quite as intense as the Supreme.......although it does blow everything else away that I've tried.
If I could only choose one, it would be the Apollo - but that being said, I would miss vaping with the Supreme. I would recommend that vapour connoisseurs get both of these vapes.
Although, I have pre-orders for the Milaana and Grasshopper yet to come in, from the reviews that I've read the Milaana is supposed to have better flavour/clouds through direct draw than the Grasshopper, although the Grasshopper is supposed to be very good with bong hits.
But the comparisons between the Milaana and the Apollo have been made both in this thread and the Milaana thread and it seems unanimous that the Apollo produces the more consistently flavourful vapour with also a lesser chance of combustion.
Also through water pieces, from the videos that I've seen of the Milaana vs my own experiences with my Apollo, I would have to say that the Apollo wins out hands down in producing very dense and flavourful clouds through a water piece over the Milaana - which is also more prone to combustion when used through water due to the delayed feedback. The one place that the Milaana/Grasshopper would win out with an advantage is in providing quick on-demand hits while in public ......as both of these vapes appear to have some great stealth advantages.
I hope that these comparisons and general discussion of past Apollo mods performed by various FC'ers have been helpful.
- also the Underdog stem has a slightly smaller diameter than the glass Solo/Air bowl stems so vaping a smaller dose thoroughly through without stirring or causing hot spots in the original herb chamber also becomes a lot easier 
)
.....was hoping to keep everything in one post, oh well 
