Yes this sucker will go through some flowers! It's a luxury vape for sure, like the volcano or any dedicated bag blower I would think. But with the new whip system its more versatile than that right out of the box.
I'm happy to report that mine arrived today! The packaging was all brand new, as was everything inside. The box was in great shape, and I'm guessing that the whip is standard equipment but not sure because I made a request for it as I knew of the coupons. There was an "inspected" sticker sealing the box that was popped but intact. First impression is it's more substantial than I expected, in both size and weight.
Operating it couldn't be simpler, and right off the bat I can tell that it extracts very well. The instructions mention a fine grind and that's what I recommend as well after some experimentation. So I believe it's time to invest in a finishing grinder. I can see how people get multiple bags at the lower temps, but I started at 420f, went to 433 and 440, settled back at 433. There was some what I am assuming is new air pump smell/taste at first, I let it run with the cap off at 440 for a while and it diminished for the most part.
I like it. It comes up to temperature quickly, and the lid/valve/attachment system is well-made. The bags that are pre-made are a bit on the noisy side, but the included replacement bags seem different in this respect, they are also missing the graphics so looking forward to trying those as they do seem quieter. The first time I blew up a bag I didn't push down enough when I attached it to make a seal with the o-rings, and there was a bit of leakage. That was the only stumble, it's extremely simple to use.
Fill the bowl, drop it in and shut the lid. Turn on the pump, count to 5 and jam the bag on top. Turn off the pump when the bag is full. Fill is fast, from what I have read it's close to volcano speed. It definitely fills bags much faster than herbie, which reportedly takes three times as long as a volcano at 90 seconds.
The instructions advise that you open the lid to prevent heat buildup in between bags, I would also advise removing the bowl to prevent unwanted conduction if you're going slow with low temps. I foresee going for
maximum milkage, so I will be experimenting with fine grinds at high temps. The ion shuts itself off after an hour or so, and since it comes up to temp quickly (inside 5 minutes) it's not that inconvenient.
The whip is a nice option, especially for the lung-challenged to use a bubbler. The adapter easily attaches securely to the ion's nozzle, and the included whip is a dust magnet but is of high quality. The mouthpiece is a bit cheesy but quite effective in channeling/concentrating the vapor. The whip is sized just to fit inside an ssv whip, so that gives it an od of 3/8". It also fits perfectly inside a 10/14 adapter:
I put that adapter inside a 14/18 adapter, and the mouthpiece is pictured attached to the inside of a small bit of ssv tubing for easy on/off the smaller stock hose. Beside the whip and the extra balloons, the ion was completely accessorized with an extra bowl/screens/gaskets, aroma pads, alcohol wipes, tie-wraps etc. and to top it all off a very nice instruction booklet. It also comes with a usb mini cable for some windows auto-start software that seems unnecessary to me, but I'll still check it out if it works on vista lol.
I used the adapter setup with my double-matrix (gb-186) bubbler, it was very satisfying. With the whip there is much more versatility, and it's so simple and obvious that I'm surprised it's such a new addition. All in all I'm quite satisfied, and it's a great deal at this price. As long as that pump taste stays away anyways, that's my only concern going forward. It tasted very good out of the bubbler at 333f. I'm not much for videos, but may get a wild hair and whip something up after I get that finishing grinder.
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