Underdog Vaporizer

@ EDA - awesome dude glad to hear you're really enjoying the Dog and it's always cool to hear about the different way everyone seems to use their piece. Good stuff thanks for the update.

@ Nbajunkie - thanks man happy to hear your Pup has found a nice new home, also thanks for the odor comment I never really thought about whether it was more or less odorifus than other vapes. I wouldn't worry about getting any buildup in the core unless you're doing something crazy I haven't seen before lol. Generally you can tap/blow it out and the heat will break down and turn to dust anything remaining which can then be blown out as well. I'll keep my eyes open for a B. Olive scrap and if I find one I'll make you a WonG with it.

thought i'd acknowledge the fact that I've had both my UD's now since about March, 9 months ago, and they are still kicking ass! i use my UD every day and both work just as well as they did when i first opened them up from the mail. it's not often that something that sees daily use is still performing just as well as day 1.

not only that, but since joining the Dog Pound Dave has been rolling out these awesome accessories and providing real quality customer service. can't wait to see what this new year holds for the UD family. just wanted to show my appreciation for such a great vape!

I received my UD on Thursday, a beautiful spalted ebony twig. It has been running non-stop since
I opened it, with absolutely no problems. The copper cup makes it easy for me to keep my place smelling wonderful in between sessions with some lavender oil, and deflects all questions.

To get to the main point - WOW, this is my third vape, but the first time I really get the full effect. I had no idea I could re-create the intense effects of smoking with a vaporizer. My first try was a year ago with a MFLB, which worked somewhat, but I could never get a good cloud. I got a Pax last month, which I have enjoyed, and will still use for travelling, but has been a little disappointing in how much material it uses up.

Now I have a hand-crafted masterpiece which does the job I needed, with minimal fuss to prepare. I am getting much more effectively medicated with much less material.

Thank you Dave for a wonderful product, and thanks to everyone on these forums for guiding me to such a great choice.

The Spalted Twig is a lovely piece. Congrats!

I had been looking at that one but it was just a little out of my price range so I went with the Ash (13729). I love the little dude!

Just a couple of quick questions that hopefully someone can help answer me with, I tried sifting through some of the pages on this thread, but there are many! So here goes:

What is the difference between the glass and silicone stem? Taste? Bowl size?
Do these units suffer the same type of failures that the PD encountered? Are they meant to be plugged in 24/7?
When used with a VVPS, can they be left in a higher temp with no resulting damage?
Are PD repairs still done? Do repaired PD's still work with their original stems? Are PD trade-ins still done? What would be the trade-in value?
I also have both a PD and an MZ, will either of those stems fit in a UD?

Thanks in advance for any responses

Glass/Silicone stems: My biggest difference is the feel in the mouth, most of us are just used to glass. Some members also noted a taste on the first few uses, but I didn't have any issues with it. Bowl size is more dependent on where you place your screen in the stem. I will say that the glass stems do build reclaim MUCH faster than the silicone, be that a positive or negative in your book. I collect the reclaim, so those are my 'usual' go to stems.

PD/24-7: I've never owned a PD, so can't chime in on that but these units are meant for 24/7. I have only unplugged mine twice since purchase LOL.

VVPS: No, turn it down to ~12V or lower when not in use. Higher voltages will wear out the heater faster.

As for trade ins, that's ultimately up to Dave and probably will vary on condition of the units, but I'm sure he will do his best to help you out . Same goes for the stem questions, no idea there.

PD and MZ stems do not "fit" the UD as they are designed to be inserted inside the heatport, while the UD uses a silicone sleeve/bowl that fits on the outside of the heatport. There is even a screen in the heatport of the UD as nothing is supposed to go inside of it.

Just went to browse the site for the first time in a little while, only 8 available, Dave's been busy lol.

I can't believe nobody's bought the teak twig yet.

For anyone who is interested to know, I did buy some 3/8" x 5/8" (thick UD) silicone tubing and I found that it fits into the Arizer Solo and forms a nice seal, but it is a tight squeeze and tedious to put on. The 3/8" x 1/2" (thin UD) tubing is too narrow to form a seal in the Solo.

In conclusion, I recommend 3/8" x 9/16" silicone hose for stems that are interchangeable between the Arizer Solo, and the (3/8" core) UD. This is nice because it gives you the option to use all your UD stuff on the go with Solo portability.

Underdog: Lots of coughing now. No coughing later! Thanks for saving my lungs.

@ HES - still gotta get you to send in your Pups one of these days for a retrofit since you're still running the uninsulated cores, we should do it before they develope any rattles so it's easier on me. Also I have a piece or two of matching bamboo to make you a couple WonGs when the Pups do come in for a visit.

@ Athena - thanks for the update, super happy to hear you're enjoying your Dog.

• Yes, UDs will be prone to suffer similar types of failure as the classic PDs. The design is more efficient and transfers less heat to the wood and is also insulated for added protection and while this will slow down and/or reduce the heat damage over time it will occur. On the bright side you should get much more performance out of an UD and lots of trouble-free use before that slow degradation becomes an issue.

• They are designed to be either plugged in 24/7 or not depending on what is more convenient for your needs. If you use it every day then I'd recommend leaving it on, if you're a twice a month user then unplug and save the wear-n-tear, whatever works best.

• No when used with a VVPS (or any other type of power supply) being left on in a higher temp state will accelerate the heat related degradation of the piece and needlessly as there is no benefit to leaving it in that state. To those using VVPS I suggest a 'standby' voltage/heat of less than the normal operating temp and then being turned up a few minutes before use. This gives the best performance and the longest life of the UD.

• I'm not doing any PD repairs right now, too backlogged and too many of them are too damaged. Also not taking any PD trade-ins currently, the last round we did most of them were charred to the point of being unusable even with an UD core retrofit. Might possibly consider taking a Zap trade-in if it is in very good condition but the trade-in value wouldn't be particularly high.. maybe $50.

Alright, another Monday.. back to catching up on emails and back to work in the shop (not that I ever stopped). Working on a 'little' refresh of 15-20 pieces that should be ready around the end of the week as I am putting them into testing today. Those will go up on the website as soon as they're finished in a few days.

For emails I'm not too backed up so I should get all those answered today if all goes as planned so hold tight just a bit longer.

no objections here. I'll shoot you an email Dave.

Sup guys... just bought a VVPS, this one specifically. I got the clip cable and soldered on the new plug, but I understand you need a dummy plug for the other socket? I tried a 1/8-1/4 audio adapter but that doesnt work, seems the socket has to be hooked up to a load. What do I use here?

By the way, if you have the means to solder on the new power plug, do yourself a favor and buy your own power wire and 1/4" mono plug too. The wire on the site I linked (seems like a lot of people use it) sucks, it's 16g and most of that is sheathing. It just seems way too thin for power wire. I feel like a higher gauge cable would actually make a difference in performance, I'll report back on that once I get it working.

Any chance we'll see any Wongs or wood stems on the website before the holidays Dave?

WonGs are live on the website here in Ash or Walnut. Other wood types and wooden stems are still on a custom, need-to-contact-us, basis. I'll be helping Dave to make these in the shop, so if you have a request for custom WonGs or wooden stems - please contact me directly.

Thanks!
Amanda

Hey Gonzo, yep the WonGs were just put up on the site a few minutes ago.. looks like Underdogette beat me to the details though (see above). We'll be making some 'standard' wood stems as well and stocking them on the site before long but for now stems are still a 'contact us' item.

Oh, hey, speaking of 'contact us' send me a message when you have a chance. I've still got that LV piece that I was holding for you and I don't mind holding it longer but if you're not going to want it then I can put it on the website and find it a home.

@ xenith - for the pedal plug on those vvps you need to short that circuit (that's what the dummy plug does) which you can do with a second plug that you connect to two leads to each other. I've seen people also just stick an appropriately sized conductive rod in there and accomplish the same but haven't done that myself.

Thanks Amanda. I think I'll place my order later tonight. Don't know how I missed them on the site.

*Edit*

Just saw your message Dave. I'll send you a PM in a few.

Thx underdog! can't wait to start vapin with the vvps

Hmmm, to be sure that I understand this correctly, do you mean that a dog used daily will wear slower if it's plugged 24/7 than if it's plugged just a few hours a day ? Like warming up and down everyday will hit the thing harder than staying at constant temperature all the time ? Or am I just twisting this up ?
How about a twice-a-week-for-an-hour-or-two use ?

I could be wrong here... please feel free to chime in... but I suspect that while its FINE to leave it on 24/7 and its designed for that, it *may* last a bit longer if its unplugged when it is not in use or on periods of 'vacation'. For me, I have had mine on for a few months now and it seems fine. Did pick up another power supply that allows me to switch voltages from 9,10.4,12 and 13v so I can dial it down when not it use and bump it up quick to bring it to temp right before I hit it. Works great and I'm hoping the lower temps during downtime will extend its life a bit.

My PD was on 24/7 for over four years. The first indication that the heater was a bit loose was around year 3. I would think that leaving it on 24/7 causes more charing than the temp variances caused by turning it off and then on again.

I'm sure Dave will chime in as well but I think the going from one extreme to the other every day how a negative affect on the wood I think this is why Dave recommends 24/7 operation if the pup gets walked every day.

This is basically how I see it too. Seems like the wood (and possibly even the heater) would be stressed more with frequent (multiple times a day) cool down and heat ups. The big dog will have an answer soon I'm sure lol.

I don't think that stress is the issue. What's more of an issue is accumulated charring and that is in direct correlation with the amount of hours the vape is on.

Lots of questions this morning.. looks like I poked an anthill.

All in all lwien gets the prize and has it summed up the best; there is a direct correlation between a Dogs 'age' and the amount of hours it has run (and at what voltage).

I did used to say that I thought cycling pieces up and down was harder on them but since moving to an all welded core and doing much less woodworking with complex glue-ups that isn't a concern of mine anymore. I'm sure it's still valid on some level but now I think the primary cause of aging is hours/voltage run.

Those using a VVPS who can lower the Dogs temp between uses will certainly increase their Dogs longevity as they're cutting back on that voltage aspect of the equation.