Discontinued Thermovape Cera

[OF]

Thanks Of, for all the time you put into multiple threads on this forum. The information I have gathered here has been tremendously valuable, has literally changed my life, and the way I ingest cannabis. I am a healthier, happier person since I've become an FC'er. Oh yeah, can't wait for Cera light.

Thank you very much for the kind words, you're very welcome of course, that's precisely why I do it of course.....provide information to help folks live longer and better? Not a bad way to spend your time and efforts if you asked me....which I guess you didn't but if you did.....

Living longer and healthier is not a bad goal, you know. And, by passing on solid advice and experience to others we can also bring the costs and frustrations down too I think?

Thanks again, it 'feels real good to hear' for sure.

OF

 

[Ricardooayee]

I recently bought a Cera EL. I have been reading that there have been some issues with the EL carts that's why they stopped making them. Would any of you know what the issues were ? Would it be okay to run concentrates that pass the foil test through the EL cart while I order the EO?

 

[Cheerful Dub]

This is pertinent to your interests:

Not sure on the tinctures but I have been using my SS EL core for wax and oil. Works great!

I think I will probably clean mine out and re-purpose it as a third EO cart... probably should have just planned on that and redirected a bill towards the new ecig mod and tank unit purchase, instead of buying that last spare.

It is distinctly inferior to the original AVA which as a drip system has a certain simplicity that makes it all work sufficiently. This matrix was engineered out of consistent repeated no-downtime functional e-cigarette tolerance with the scaling of all the components.

If you were to consider it against a contemporary attachment of similar dimensions, which would be a wicking tank system + atomizer, it fails miserably. I used it for a long time as a sort of dripper with no actual dripping benefits, because I didn't know better and really had no experience with other systems up to recently and was stuck in my mind on their platform.

So long story short, really the only good it serves is with concentrates anyways

 

[OF]

It is not cool to try to shift Cera issues on to customers that experience multiple failures, whatever the reason.

I'm not trying to shift anything anywhere.

I'm saying the facts as best I can find them out. Actual failures are rare, nobody had a strap fail more than once despite what some will say here. Nobody. I was told as much directly, and I believe the guys doing the work.

Facts are stubborn things.

I find no evidence of "Cera has been failure prone until TET could get a handle on their quality control". I find no quality control issues in the traditional sense, on what do you base this claim? That you, personally, have had trouble? Hardly compelling if most don't. If you want to talk about shifting blame.......

I've had two off line discussions with deeply upset Cera customers, each with tales of woe suggesting just this point (TV doesn't know their business). It turns out, it seems like 'first vape' issues with the first fellow (had no real idea of 3 steps, despite his claims), the second it seems was new enough to the game to be using 'fresh loads' each time.....meaning green and uncured? I've no doubt his results were poor, do you?

There's a whole lot of guys putting some very hard miles on their Ceras and getting good results. TV knows how to build them and repair them as needed to return them to 'factory spec'. I see no reason why all customers should not get the same results since the units should be interchangeable.

Real design issues, like the original domed push button switches, and crimped connections, were quickly and professionally identified and put straight....as you might expect. I don't believe they ship bad products and think they take great care to see that doesn't happen.

I'm of the opinion that there are no smoking guns design wise, no shoddy workmanship or sloppy inspection going on, no intentionally ignoring problem customers or their responsibilities to correct issues as agreed or most of the other alleged ills that had me concerned a week or so back.

I recently bought a Cera EL. I have been reading that there have been some issues with the EL carts that's why they stopped making them. Would any of you know what the issues were ? Would it be okay to run concentrates that pass the foil test through the EL cart while I order the EO?

As I understand it the issues have to do with 'juice' and the way the e-cig guys like it. I suggest you clean it out and use it for oils, it'll work great! It's basically what an EO core is.

OF

 

[Ricardooayee]

Does that mean that I don't have to buy an EO core and just use this one because they're basically the same ?

 

[OF]

Does that mean that I don't have to buy an EO core and just use this one because they're basically the same ?

Yup, that's what I'd intended to say. A very slight difference in power is all, use it in good health. Just be sure to wash the VG/PG out before the oil goes in.

OF

 

[Ricardooayee]

i just got it in the mail. the person i bought it off gave me an 18650 ultrafire 4000mah. Is it safe to use these in the cera or should i order different ones?

 

[Mynameismud]

i just got it in the mail. the person i bought it off gave me an 18650 ultrafire 4000mah. Is it safe to use these in the cera or should i order different ones?

Im sure someone can answer it better but ill take a stab for yah. As long as its 3.7V and protected you should be good to go. It probably wont work as well as the ones TV sells/suggests using though. Also i believe ultrafire is known for misrepresenting their Batteries. So while it says 4000mah its probably actually much lower

 

[OF]

Im sure someone can answer it better but ill take a stab for yah. As long as its 3.7V and protected you should be good to go. It probably wont work as well as the ones TV sells/suggests using though. Also i believe ultrafire is known for misrepresenting their Batteries. So while it says 4000mah its probably actually much lower

Once again MNIM has it nailed. It won't hurt anything but performance is sub par. IIRC they actually tested about 2600mAh, OK but 4000 sells better. The 'factory battery' is still the power delivery champ, in this case by a fair bit. I'd get a couple of 'em.....save the free one for emergencies, or a flashlight....

OF

 

[Ricardooayee]

Once again MNIM has it nailed. It won't hurt anything but performance is sub par. IIRC they actually tested about 2600mAh, OK but 4000 sells better. The 'factory battery' is still the power delivery champ, in this case by a fair bit. I'd get a couple of 'em.....save the free one for emergencies, or a flashlight....

OF

I just bought some 18650 2250mah Panasonics that someone posted a couple pages back with a XTAR charger.

 

[OF]

I just bought some 18650 2250mah Panasonics that someone posted a couple pages back with a XTAR charger.

Great, IMO you won't regret either purchase. Given the cost of the goods you'll be hoping to run through it, a great investment I think.

Enjoy it.

OF

 

[ludwig]

Is Cera Light or some form of mini Cera actually going tonsee the light of the day?

 

[nopartofme]

Is Cera Light or some form of mini Cera actually going tonsee the light of the day?

No reason to suspect it won't. It's not as if it was ever expected this soon. The last educated guess from OF pointed toward a potential beta in the fall and therefore a possible release by November or December.

Don't forget the educated guess part…


Here's the relevant post:

In other news, I just got back from a visit to TV. I got a chance to meet with Nate (he's busy these days with political and medical stuff around the e-cig industry as well as TV stuff directly). I got an update on several topics, including the 'mini Cera' (which is not all that much smaller probably since it will use the 18650.....although it probably will also have 18350 as an option). Nothing firm yet, of course, but lots of pretty drawings on the computer.

The drivers in the new design are to make it tough, smaller and tough. The focus will shift back toward the e-cig base (where their core customers are, remember they were in the 'smoking cessation' business, Nicotine, not THC). The design on the computer was the new EL core, which of course will fit Cera (they booth use the same cores). It's based on the successful AVA carts (same heater as Revolution/DART).....at least for now.

My best guess it still 'Fall' for Beta units, with luck (and few problems) delivery about Thanksgiving? Christmas? That's just my estimate, lots has changed in the design. While it seems pretty complete to me, more changes can easily happen.

Don't take it to mean it's going to happen, but a thumb operated switch on the side is still part of the design, a neat little unit of their own design (no vendor issues.....) but it will not be latching. No 'hands free' operation, momentary contact only. A 'deadman's switch'. If the designed end cap latching switch is included it will be as a safety, the side switch will still have to be pressed to make vapor. The new latching base switch will not be retrofitted into Cera since there's no side switch. This area seems taboo there.

I suggested an idea I had for a latching (rotary) switch for Cera, it was politely declined for the above reason. Too many problems with the latching switches in the Beta testing. Those holding their breaths hoping for a TV supplied latching switch (for 'hands free vaping') should exhale and resume breathing. IMO it's not happening.

OF

 

[jpdnkstr]

Is Cera Light or some form of mini Cera actually going tonsee the light of the day?

I'm counting on it........

 

[Ricardooayee]

Lol if a mini cera were to release my pockets will be empty. These thermovape products have become and addiction. So far this year I've bought a complete revolution , complete dart and complete cera. Lol the mini cera would be next.

 

[OF]

Lol if a mini cera were to release my pockets will be empty.

All part of the plan. Once they've relieved you of all that bulky money you'll have plenty of pocket space for your new vape......

And folks say TV isn't looking out for us?

OF

 

[Ricardooayee]

I have a E-Liquid Cera. When i got it in the mail it still had e liquid i fired it up and huge clouds. I boiled the core for 15 mins then i let it air dry to clean out the e liquid and use it for concentrates. I charged the battery the cera came with just to see if it worked. It does. Now the core gets red and hot fast, but not the middle of the ceramic just around it. Also it won't melt the concentrate. I left in on for 30+ seconds it just gets the concentrate hot and mushy. I can see that around the ceramic it gets red and the core gets hot. Could this issue be because of the battery ? It's a 18650 4000mah ultrafire , or is there something wrong with this core being an EL core? I dont think that its the concentrate because it melts in my dart in 5 seconds.

This picture is after i took the concentrate out because it was getting extremely hot and it wasnt melting after about 45 seconds

 

[OF]

Don't put too much stock in glow, the ceramic can get stained easily and effect that.

It is probably not a battery issue, although a better battery will provide more heat probably.

I'm a little concerned about the 'not melting' part. Most suitable concentrates you should not have been able to pluck out. What sort of concentrate are you using? Does it pass the foil test?

OF

 

[Ricardooayee]

Don't put too much stock in glow, the ceramic can get stained easily and effect that.

It is probably not a battery issue, although a better battery will provide more heat probably.

I'm a little concerned about the 'not melting' part. Most suitable concentrates you should not have been able to pluck out. What sort of concentrate are you using? Does it pass the foil test?

OF

It passes the foil test and like I said it melts perfectly in my dart.

 

[OF]

It passes the foil test and like I said it melts perfectly in my dart.

I guess I'd like to eliminate the battery issue if possible. It's a lot harder to make vapor from oil than PG. You have proper batteries on order, right? How long before they get here?

OF

 

[Ricardooayee]

I guess I'd like to eliminate the battery issue if possible. It's a lot harder to make vapor from oil than PG. You have proper batteries on order, right? How long before they get here?

OF

They should be here by Thursday or Friday.

 

[OF]

They should be here by Thursday or Friday.

If you can stand the suspense I'd suggest waiting, otherwise we can press on.....

Charge the battery as best you can and power up for a minute or so, the core should easily take it even with a premium battery. That should get the core hot enough to burn out most of the junk left inside on the surface (expect a little vapor coming off). By that point it should be too hot to touch, drop .1 grams or so onto the top plate and stir it around with a toothpick it should melt into the top surface leaving it looking a little wet. Now it should melt the goods in better, with the ceramic is clean and dry it doesn't transfer heat all that well by conduction since the surface is mostly holes. Once those holes fill with oil, it's a lot better contact (like putting oil in a fry pan).

My guess is you'll be fighting it with those 4000mAh batteries, I gave up on the ones I have in Cera and use them in Persei and flashlights.....

OF

 

[Ricardooayee]

If you can stand the suspense I'd suggest waiting, otherwise we can press on.....

Charge the battery as best you can and power up for a minute or so, the core should easily take it even with a premium battery. That should get the core hot enough to burn out most of the junk left inside on the surface (expect a little vapor coming off). By that point it should be too hot to touch, drop .1 grams or so onto the top plate and stir it around with a toothpick it should melt into the top surface leaving it looking a little wet. Now it should melt the goods in better, with the ceramic is clean and dry it doesn't transfer heat all that well by conduction since the surface is mostly holes. Once those holes fill with oil, it's a lot better contact (like putting oil in a fry pan).

My guess is you'll be fighting it with those 4000mAh batteries, I gave up on the ones I have in Cera and use them in Persei and flashlights.....

OF

As always thanks for the help OF. Ill just wait until I get the correct batteries. Hopefully it's just that.

 

[PhotoRider]

OF,
What happens with the 4000mA batteries? Is the SR to high? Not high draw, just high storage?
Not that I'm looking at them just wondering for future reference.

I have noticed depending on the material it is different to load. I have tried 3 types of wax, all passed the foil test. One is pretty thick at room temp and is harder to load, but still preforms the same after. Real slow to melt through the disk. I have learned patience is good here and not to over heat as OF correctly advised me.

 

[OF]

OF,
What happens with the 4000mA batteries? Is the SR to high? Not high draw, just high storage?
Not that I'm looking at them just wondering for future reference.

Yeah, all the above. The protection board always costs, and even after you get past chemistry as an issue, the internal construction to get the low internal resistance we crave means taking up space with fatter conductors at the expense of active materials. The trade offs here go the other way, looking for bigger mAh numbers (which sells). The two 'factory batteries' are chosen for 'our reasons', best possible performance at high power levels. Not only in terms of flat out power (for which they're tops) but also for 'flat as possible' output over the charge. Ironically, the electric car guys are looking for that as well.....only thousands at a time.

And the 4000 isn't real anyway.

They are cheap, though.....

OF