Discontinued Vapir NO2

Vitolo

Vaporist
I don't have money to burn.
The Charger was worth every penny of the 29.95
I use it almost every time I am in the car.
You could offer me a free substitute for that car charger right now, and I would not regret the purchase.
I have a radar unit, and I would not experiment with it's cord.
The chord on the NO2 Charger is thicker, and springier, and goes back to shape more readily.
It is obviously a much higher quality, and the plug that goes into the unit is made to fit at the 45 angle.
Not saying you can not find things that work.. I am saying that I felt it money well spent (29.95)
 
Vitolo,
Sorry it has taken so long to write this report but things have been hectic. To recap:

I had received the Vapir NO2 from a friend who had purchased it online for approximately $130. I originally thought the item was a refurbished model but looking at the link my friend sent didnt say anything suggesting this. The vape came in a new looking original Vapir NO2 box which contained a manual, quick start card, clear tube, 2 scrapers, 4 screens, a little clear plastic scooper, a pipe cleaner and a mouth piece. The box was seal with a sticker that says air 2.

Upon first opening the box I immediately removed and smelled the product to determine if it was out-gassing as stated by many online users. To my dismay, it was. Turning the unit on increased the out-gassing several fold. For the next week I had left the NO2 on at full temperature (400 degrees F) for an hour or two a day to try to burn off any external contaminants or accelerants left in the plastic. The smelled had reduced somewhat but was still noticeable by me and several other people.

I was concerned the materials may be out-gassing something toxic so I did some research about the product materials. Vapir customer service stated the following:

Our units are NOT made of plastic. It is a High Grade Medical Nylon-Fiberglass compound. The X-Tip Mouth Piece (attaches to the top of the tube) is made of PC/IR2200, Recycle code 7. Tubes are made of Medical PVC, recycle code 3.

I have researched the mouth piece material mentioned but only obtained several vague references to food grade plastics. I decided to take apart the unit and heat the mouth piece and heater housing to burn off contaminants.

CIMG0758.jpg


From left to right the components are the mouth piece, rubber heater housing cap, heater housing with brackets and screws, exposed innards showing the heater, thermistor and circuit board. The heater sits in the housing with the wires running through a gap between the cap and a groove in the top of the housing.

CIMG0761.jpg

CIMG0760.jpg


The only path for airflow seems to be this gap. This may suggest these wires are out-gassing being nested in this manner along the air intake.

On as side note, the thermistor is free floating just outside the heater housing. This means the thermal readings are of the outside of the housing and that the temperature readings will probably be lower than the inside where your herb sits.

CIMG0759.jpg


The mouth piece and heater housing were placed in an oven for approximately 45 minutes to bake at 425 degree (25 degrees above the maximum Vapir temperature). When removed they were still rigid and retained heat for quite a while (I believe they were warm to the touch after 15 minutes) but still retained the plastic smell but just slightly. This leads me to believe these components are made of the glass-nylon composite mentioned earlier.

Conclusions:

Since the plastic smell is not noticed in all products and was reduced after heating leads me to believe there are differences in manufacturing producing this effect. The inspection and thermal tests suggest the out-gassing phenomenon is due either to contaminant in the plastic mouth piece/housing or the components (wires/tape) in the air channel. Rigid plastics/composites with low thermal expansion are usually made in molds coated with a releasing agent for ease of removal. This may be, and most likely in my opinion, the cause of the out-gassing. Some manufactures may not use it and hence the problem may not be present in every product.

The product was finally used with herb. After this point, the plastic smell could not be detected. The product functioned well plugged in and when using the battery. The product does run hot but this is expected since the thermometer reads high due to the external placement of the thermistor previously mentioned.

The battery indicator drops when turned on. This may be due to the large current requirement of the product and its need to provide a lot of initial power to heat the brass bowl and steel housing. Since the resistance (the brass bowl) is somewhat constant and current demands are pushed to the maximum value at startup, it would be expected to see a significant voltage drop. The product worked for an extended period of time (~ 30 minutes I think ;) ) while using the battery (it did not go below 2 of the 4 bars).

- Agaliarept

*** UPDATE 08/10/2011***

After reading some posts (up to page 41) I remembered I forgot to add some important notes.

During the initial testing phase (first week) when I heated the unit empty, vapors were observed while taking "ghost hits". These could be seen under a lamp when releasing a mouth full of air or just holding the unit nipple under the light. A light blowing through the vent under the lamp works to show this coming out of the nipple. I assume this was contaminant burn off. I can't remember if they were there after oven heating the unit (I think yes?). The components I put into the oven were the cap/nipple and the bell housing with the vent holes. The main body looked to be made of a different plastic which makes sense since it only houses the electronics. Its proximity to the heating element may cause out-gassing though.

I do not grind my herb. While this may seem to help it allows the herb to become compacted and bound with resin. It also allows fine particles to blow around, stick to screens, stick to other components which can be difficult to clean and to pass through the screens to be inhaled. I suggest breaking off a bud of herb that just fits into the crucible. You will probably notice the herb will heat more thoroughly since the air can channel through the porous bud. If the bud is packed too hard there may be slight burning where the bud edges touch the brass surface (but only on higher temp settings. I don't have a problem with this since I learned the best temp settings). When done, the bud can be easily removed with a toothpick or something similar a looks as clean as the day I purchased it. I can't imagine what grinding would do to this unit. Never tried it with this unit and never will since it clogged my herbal aire. I will make a removable crucible for the NO2 when I have a chance. Not grinding also makes a water pipe useless since virtually no particulates enter the airway. In fact, the water removes some of the resin (vapor) and so you get less active ingredients. If I started burning my herb then I would reconsider.

I never used the clear plastic tube that came with the unit. If I have to soak the plastic beforehand to remove contaminants then I don't want to use it. How do I verify the contaminants have been removed? I went to a hardware store and purchased some food grade, non-toxic plastic tubing (polyethylene I believe). Its a milky white color but still see through. The air leaving the nipple is not hot enough to damage the tube. Actually, I have inhaled directly from the nipple without burning myself. The tube looks like a straw so I grabbed a large subway cup, put a hole through a white salsa lid, slid the tube through the hole and attached to the NO2. Nothing like cruising in the passenger side during traffic "drinking" my favorite magical elixir ;).

I don't like to continually charge the battery when it is topped off and the unit is plugged in. Luckily the battery is symmetric so that you can flip the terminals to the bottom and slide it back into the unit along the same grooves. Plug the unit back in and it works as usual without charging plus I don't have to worry about accidentally turning the unit on during travel.

If you want to plug in the unit while in the car you can use an inverter. The inverter plugs into the cigarette lighter and has one or more outlets you can plug the NO2 into. The only reason to have a special charger is if you are going to charge the battery directly (this refers to the mini USB plug on the NO2 battery). In this case the charger needs some kind of circuitry to control the charging process. This circuit is built into the NO2. This means if you lose your NO2 charging plug, or it breaks, you can replace it with a similar plug. Specifically you will need a plug of the same diameter, same polarity (positive inside, negative outside), about 13 volts and a minimum of 2 amps. It may be a bit difficult to find a 2 amp brick. Just look for something that is 12 volts and around 2 amps. I'm sure you will find something :). Your minimum inverter power should be equal or greater than the maximum NO2 power draw. Watts = Volts x Amps so your inverter should be 13 volts x 2 amps = 26 watts minimum. The smallest inverter should easily accomplish this. If you want to charge the battery directly then I believe a mini USB charger should do the trick. I have not done this myself but others have posted that it works. USB power typically runs at 5 volts at 500 millamps (0.5 amps) max.

- Agaliarept
 

Vitolo

Vaporist
Pretty thorough stuff!
Your conclusion concerning different manufacturing process was addressed in communications with Vapir. I have been satisfied that any issues have been addressed, by the responses in my local MMJ community, among the many NO2 users.
The battery drops due to the load of heating to running temp. Once there you will see it "cycle" while using the unit.. this is keeping the NO2 at desired temp.
You wrote this in a very well organized manner! :)
 
Vitolo,

lwien

Well-Known Member
It's contributions like what Agaliarept just posted up that helps make this site what it is.

Thank you. You're a brand new member here, but your contribution has started out with a bang. :tup: :clap:

Welcome...........
 
lwien,

mvapes

Scratchin' Glass!
Accessory Maker
Wow, I have to read that again before a session...lol. But thanks for such an amazing detailed report, I really enjoy the No2 and haven't had any issues with taste or odor. :peace:
 
mvapes,

Boognish

Member
Bought my NO2 2 days ago. No noticeable plastic smell/taste. I'll keep my nose/tastebuds peeled for it tonight before playing some Black Ops. First time poster, all day reader. Hi.
 
Boognish,

Pinion13

Well-Known Member
First off, thanks to agaliarept for the very informative post.

So anyway, I got mine today. Initally I scrutinized the smell the no2 gives off cool and heated. I definitely noticed something but it's hard to say what the smell was. Out-gassing like postulated earlier most likely. Someone mentioned heating up a new oven, it was similar to that. I ran it at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, blowing through the mouth piece fairly hard occasionally. Taking a few ghost hits, it did have a fairly odd though very mild taste. Then again I'm heating new metal and whatever for the first time so it was expected.

After trying it out several times with finely ground herb, I really don't notice any untoward odors or tastes. Smelling it right after dumping out a spent load, warm oven and herb. I haven't tried the battery yet but ac mode is really nice. Very even vaporization, the spent material reminds me of freeze dried coffee. Surprising amounts of vapor from such a small scoop of herb. Almost more than I want solo in one go...almost.

Did you take your maintenance video down Vitolo? I was thinking this would be a pain to maintain since it comes with bamboo prods and what not but it really doesn't seem to collect much gunk. Stickier herb might be messier, I'm not using super premium at the moment. Blow off the top piece a little, dump out the spent herb and blow out the oven and then what? It looks pretty clean to me. :cool: Am I missing something or is it that easy to maintain?


Edit -
Ok, I'm still smelling/tasting a vague "hot electronics" thing going on.

Edit 2 - Burning it at 400 degress with the top off. I have a desk lamp right on top of the unit and it's putting out an easily visible trickle of white smoke. I've removed the screen and any resin should be gone by now. Anyone else experience this? I'm saying no material in the no2 and it's smoking and smelling of hot plastic.
 
Pinion13,

mvapes

Scratchin' Glass!
Accessory Maker
Pinion13 said:
First off, thanks to agaliarept for the very informative post.

So anyway, I got mine today. Initally I scrutinized the smell the no2 gives off cool and heated. I definitely noticed something but it's hard to say what the smell was. Out-gassing like postulated earlier most likely. Someone mentioned heating up a new oven, it was similar to that. I ran it at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, blowing through the mouth piece fairly hard occasionally. Taking a few ghost hits, it did have a fairly odd though very mild taste. Then again I'm heating new metal and whatever for the first time so it was expected.

After trying it out several times with finely ground herb, I really don't notice any untoward odors or tastes. Smelling it right after dumping out a spent load, warm oven and herb. I haven't tried the battery yet but ac mode is really nice. Very even vaporization, the spent material reminds me of freeze dried coffee. Surprising amounts of vapor from such a small scoop of herb. Almost more than I want solo in one go...almost.

Did you take your maintenance video down Vitolo? I was thinking this would be a pain to maintain since it comes with bamboo prods and what not but it really doesn't seem to collect much gunk. Stickier herb might be messier, I'm not using super premium at the moment. Blow off the top piece a little, dump out the spent herb and blow out the oven and then what? It looks pretty clean to me. :cool: Am I missing something or is it that easy to maintain?

I've had mine for a few weeks now and it really has been great. You hit it right on the head with the freeze dried coffee. The only time its gets sticky is if your herb isn't totally spent. But simply, take off the mouthpiece dump your abv and I use the brush to clean out the bowl and brush any stuck goodies from the screen on the mouthpiece and finally I usually soak the tube in a cup of warm water over night. Glad too see your enjoying the No2 like we do, its actually a pretty hard hitter.


Edit -
Ok, I'm still smelling/tasting a vague "hot electronics" thing going on.
 
mvapes,

Vitolo

Vaporist
I will get the maintenance video up on here in a minute!
I will say this.
The smells are not outgassing IMO... they are the smells from the presses that make the synthetic "grill" that allows air through. This "plastic" has been pressed and has large surface area as it is a grill.
Room temp air will "air the unit out"... what manufacturers call "packing odors". This comes from units going to packing too soon after coming off the line. This was one of the issues addressed in discussions with Vapir.
Gimme 5 minutes.. I will have that vide right up!
 
Vitolo,

Vitolo

Vaporist
Photoon2011-07-03at1029.jpg

When you open your NO2 unit, you will soak the enclosed tube in hot water (not boiling) before using it, and you will also let your unit charge for the appropriate time prior to using it for the first time.
Both of these steps are necessary to clear any residue from tube, and to give the unit a chance to air out from any packing scents.
If you give it alot of use, there is a THC oil cleanup that must be occasionally seen to at the very top orifice, where the tube connects to the unit.
oilrun.jpg

Golden clear THC oil can trickle down the tube when you set unit down between uses. I know many like that to let that oil build up, but in this unit, you can't, or the oil eventually will enter the orifice, and after time it can touch the top micro screen. When I see the buildup occurring, I just stick a toothpick in the tube and do a once around. If you can't stand to let the drip of oil go to waste, spread it on a rolling paper. (or on tin foil-use lighter under then sniff the vapors!)
clean-2.jpg

Although I still am using my original tubing and mouthpiece (mainly to monitor original part's longevity), I could not agree more. I am a big Borasilicate fan!
For exactly this reason, here in my local Medical MJ Community, I recommend to those who own the NO2 to aquire this borasilicate mouthpiece (available at Half Baked Goods) and Tygon tubing (available almost anywhere).
original tubing and mouthpiece on the right
Photoon2011-05-15at0806.jpg

I have these replacement parts myself here to use, when the time comes, but for now I am monitoring the products original pieces, as with all of my vapes.
no2.jpg

The screen almost NEVER requires replacing. (The top screen can be kept clean and needs replacing very rarely)
When done with your vaping session, you let the unit cool.
Then, open the top and tap unit lightly to get the ABV out, and run the provided brush in and twist it lightly. I follow this with suction from my mouth to get any dust out.
Next gently brush of the top screen, it will clean easily.
If you need to remove the top screen guard to replace or clean the screen (very rare),do it by hand. Firm grip ... don't use fingertips use side of finger.
yesno.jpg

It either gets easier, or you get stronger.. first time was hard for me .. now it's easy.
tip: to re shape a new screen if it gets misshapen is easy with any small cylindrical object.
 
Vitolo,

Pinion13

Well-Known Member
Thanks a lot Vitolo, I'm not sure I'll be able to get past the odor/taste of my particular unit but your videos are always worth watching. It's not a huge hardship, $150ish dollars. I do like everything else about the unit aside from what has been beaten to death already. Lesson learned maybe, probably not. ;)



mvapes said:
Pinion13 said:
big quote of my rambling.


Um yeah.
 
Pinion13,

mvapes

Scratchin' Glass!
Accessory Maker
Yeah Pinion, that what happens when I tried a quote from my Android phone....man I wish they'd make a smartphone/vaporizer....i'd like that.
 
mvapes,

mvapes

Scratchin' Glass!
Accessory Maker
Pinion13 said:
Thanks a lot Vitolo, I'm not sure I'll be able to get past the odor/taste of my particular unit but your videos are always worth watching. It's not a huge hardship, $150ish dollars. I do like everything else about the unit aside from what has been beaten to death already. Lesson learned maybe, probably not. ;)



mvapes said:
Pinion13 said:
big quote of my rambling.


Um yeah.


I've had mine for a few weeks now and it really has been great. You hit it right on the head with the freeze dried coffee. The only time its gets sticky is if your herb isn't totally spent. But simply, take off the mouthpiece dump your abv and I use the brush to clean out the bowl and brush any stuck goodies from the screen on the mouthpiece and finally I usually soak the tube in a cup of warm water over night. Glad too see your enjoying the No2 like we do, its actually a pretty hard hitter.


Thats what I was trying to get across.
 
mvapes,

nr-cole

Well-Known Member
Haven't been around for awhile, but I had to come by and share this. Against all my recommendations, my brother bought himself an NO2. He wanted a portable and they swayed him by tossing a Vortex in with it for $130. Wish he'd gone with a Launch Box or an Iolite but what can you do?

Anyways I just thought that after all the crap I've given the thing I owed it to the forum and Vapir to come in here and say I actually really enjoyed using the NO2. It heated up quickly, got clouds just as big as I've ever gotten from my Iolite, and I didn't notice a plastic taste. I've heard enough bad stories that I wouldn't buy one myself or use one regularly if it was around, but I will acknowledge that I have in the past been a little meaner to the thing than it deserved.

Happy vaping :)

EDIT: One last thing. It's a lot smaller than it looks in the pictures. Granted this makes all the "it looks just like a water bottle!" comments sound even more ridiculous now, but I always assumed that the thing wouldn't be pocketable. It is.
 
nr-cole,

Tim

Active Member
I had 4 friends try out the NO2 today, and they all loved it. I'm lending it to them for a trip to Vegas, since I have class and can't make it :(
 
Tim,

Pinion13

Well-Known Member
I had my dad try it out today without mentioning the taste or odor issues and he liked it. I specifically asked him if he tasted anything odd and he said no. Maybe his taste buds are shot, he's 60+. He's a light user so I shouldn't have to worry about giving my dad cancer letting him use this should I? It's kind of unfortunate that I would even have to consider that issue.
 
Pinion13,

Vitolo

Vaporist
Hey.. I' 60.
This is something that will help your dad's health, and vaping is not linked to cancer, when using the safe methods used throughout this forum.
Patients that have visited me here to learn about vaping range from 45-72, with the majority being over 55.
Bless you for "hooking your Dad up"
 
Vitolo,

SF Giant

Reluctant vape collector
Just picked up a NO2 A little over a week ago and I have to say so far this thing has been excellent, it was pretty stinky when I first opened the box but after an hour of running on max heat there was barely any smell or taste of plastic left after a session and another half hour run on full heat there was no detectable odor at all, the vapor is thick and flavorful and its probly my most efficient Vape, so far it looks like Vapir finally got one right :)
 
SF Giant,

Kuzmich

Active Member
Thanks Vitolo and agaliarept! I want to ask you should I already order mesh-screens? Are these and what about water attachement - how does it works? Your reviews are the most full and important to understand this product's TRUE possibilities. I ordered NO2 in one of the well known European's headshops and wait delivery now. need to say that I already regretted about my choice after reading of forum :lol: I'll write my experience with it here as soon as I'll have it on hands and test-drive it :)
Interesting about Vapir Co's politics especially with not far past results... it's a shame if smell is a problem (take a place to be).
atm I have glass bubble been made from round-bottom heat resistant glass flask, wood cap from old wine and metal tubes for airflow. Very effective and easy but need time and isn't suitable for large companies.
at 1st I thought about vapir ONE but its corded and then I found that NO2

- Is the newest product which must be redisigned after fiasko and bugs of old models
- portable
- pretty stealth
- easy diy baloon system

Something like this plastic bottle + packet sticked together by adhesive tape. use packet as forcer by pulling it from inside of bottle

CN_parashoot04.jpg


CN_parashoot05.jpg


inhale from baloons

CN_parashoot08.jpg
 
Kuzmich,

xxal55

Member
I have a NO2 which I purchased last December on ebay from a private seller. The unit seemed fine at first but the plastic smell-taste issue began after a few weeks use. I bought the MFLB and packed the NO2 away.
After reading the many positive NO2 posts of late I decided to disassemble unit and try do find source of problem.
I noticed that even with a empty heated bowl a faint wisp of smoke can be seen under bright light, not good.
I cranked up heater assembly separate from unit to maximum temp and could detect no smell or smoke.
Next I held the rubber housing cap over bowl as pictured in Agaliarept's excellent post and sure enough a faint smoke was visible under bright light although their was no smell that I could detect. Upon inspection of rubber housing cap I could see a little brown discoloration at the inner ring where cap contacts top of brass bowl. I am presently searching for some other material to replace this cap.
My unit was smelling and tasting pretty bad so I knew there was more to this than the issue with the rubber cap. I decided to try to heat parts in oven as stated in Agaliarept's post. He did not mention heating the exterior cover with the ventilation holes but I heated that also. I am very pleased with the outcome after heating, the smell is almost gone and I can actually taste my herb again!
 
xxal55,

JahSeh

Well-Known Member
Update:

The battery that came with the unit I bought 9 months ago died after only 11 full charges. A replacement one works fine.

I'd also like to mention how easily hairs can get between the display and the plastic protecting it, obstructing a small portion of the display.

Everything else is still dandy.
 
JahSeh,

Pinion13

Well-Known Member
xxal55 said:
I have a NO2 which I purchased last December on ebay from a private seller. The unit seemed fine at first but the plastic smell-taste issue began after a few weeks use. I bought the MFLB and packed the NO2 away.
After reading the many positive NO2 posts of late I decided to disassemble unit and try do find source of problem.
I noticed that even with a empty heated bowl a faint wisp of smoke can be seen under bright light, not good.
I cranked up heater assembly separate from unit to maximum temp and could detect no smell or smoke.
Next I held the rubber housing cap over bowl as pictured in Agaliarept's excellent post and sure enough a faint smoke was visible under bright light although their was no smell that I could detect. Upon inspection of rubber housing cap I could see a little brown discoloration at the inner ring where cap contacts top of brass bowl. I am presently searching for some other material to replace this cap.
My unit was smelling and tasting pretty bad so I knew there was more to this than the issue with the rubber cap. I decided to try to heat parts in oven as stated in Agaliarept's post. He did not mention heating the exterior cover with the ventilation holes but I heated that also. I am very pleased with the outcome after heating, the smell is almost gone and I can actually taste my herb again!

Empty, I was seeing smoke with the lid removed from my no2. That was full heat, under a bright light, 20 minutes. There is a constant wisp of white-ish smoke that shouldn't be there and an unpleasant odor of heated plastic. I don't really even want to plug it in again, no offense intended to any fans of the no2. Just my personal experience. I'd kind of feel bad selling it to someone. One of many reasons I'll never be rich. ;)
 
Pinion13,
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