Discontinued Zion vaporizer

[Choughed]

I agree with @Vapenvy, and I really like that mindset. I read my husband the posts in this and the Mi thread, and he's on the other side of the fence, with worries that @RastaBuddhaTao won't come through.. but I have a good feeling about this still, and I really think the Zion will be worth the wait. I ask him, what is a comparable vape available, and at this price?? He can never answer that question.

I had pre-ordered a GH, but jumped ship to join the Zion train, (mostly because I don't need stealth, would rather the portable desktop style with the 18650's etc). Being a noob to EVERYTHING vape related, I'm glad I didn't wait to start vaping though. What would be great is a sticky at the top of the Upcoming and Unreleased section with the title something like "So... You're thinking about pre-ordering a vape" to explain the usual processes and what to expect. I admit, I thought Zion would be out around October, give a few months. I bet RBT did too.. But you guys have seen this sorta thing plenty of times before.. Maybe the sticky would be of benefit to manufacturers too. lol

Anyway, that's just my two cents worth. I've been watching and waiting without much to add. Loving my little Vapman in the meantime.

 

[AJS]

What would be great is a sticky at the top of the Upcoming and Unreleased section with the title something like "So... You're thinking about pre-ordering a vape" to explain the usual processes and what to expect. I admit, I thought Zion would be out around October, give a few months. I bet RBT did too.. But you guys have seen this sorta thing plenty of times before.. Maybe the sticky would be of benefit to manufacturers too. lol

Genius! Would be very helpful!

 

[Shit Snacks]

I agree with @Vapenvy, and I really like that mindset. I read my husband the posts in this and the Mi thread, and he's on the other side of the fence, with worries that @RastaBuddhaTao won't come through.. but I have a good feeling about this still, and I really think the Zion will be worth the wait. I ask him, what is a comparable vape available, and at this price?? He can never answer that question.

I had pre-ordered a GH, but jumped ship to join the Zion train, (mostly because I don't need stealth, would rather the portable desktop style with the 18650's etc). Being a noob to EVERYTHING vape related, I'm glad I didn't wait to start vaping though. What would be great is a sticky at the top of the Upcoming and Unreleased section with the title something like "So... You're thinking about pre-ordering a vape" to explain the usual processes and what to expect. I admit, I thought Zion would be out around October, give a few months. I bet RBT did too.. But you guys have seen this sorta thing plenty of times before.. Maybe the sticky would be of benefit to manufacturers too. lol

Anyway, that's just my two cents worth. I've been watching and waiting without much to add. Loving my little Vapman in the meantime.

Fantastic idea! I feel like I just did this in the Milaana thread earlier, but...

Glad you and your husband get to play out the online controversy in real life, no wonder you have no need to post here, you're living it! I am sure you will be able to hold it over his head for many future arguments once you two finally get to try our ideal vape

 

[AJS]

Glad you and your husband get to play out the online controversy in real life, no wonder you have no need to post here, you're living it

I've got two roommates on board and a close friend, one ordered a Milaana, one ordered a Zion, and one ordered both. Still doesn't keep me away from these threads hahaha.

 

[Tommy10]

I've got two roommates on board and a close friend, one ordered a Milaana, one ordered a Zion, and one ordered both. Still doesn't keep me away from these threads hahaha.

I don't think I could allow my mates to preorder on my recommendation, fair warning to all... Or friendships could be lost! Haha.

 

[Mulehead]

At work with my pal Lucky.
Our day starts with two stems in the morning, one at home, and one on the way.
The stems are very easy to load while doing other things. I'm loading another now (#3) for a mid morning tasty treat while typing this post on morning break.
Usually with my other portables I'd be searching for a power source and charger, not with Lucky.
At lunch I'll usually have two more (#4&5).
Afternoon break and on my way home are 6&7, and still don't sweat finding a charger.

I thought dealing with swappable batteries and the external charger was going to be a huge learning curve with some extra research, but my d4 has made it a breeze.

I don't think I could allow my mates to preorder on my recommendation, fair warning to all... Or friendships could be lost! Haha.

After you use it, I bet you'll be telling all your buddies to preorder RBTs entire lineup!
If they're looking for a big hitting instant pure convection device with excellent battery life, that is.
Recommending the Zion and this technology IMO will make lifelong friends!

I'm confident that y'all are going to dig yours as much as I am mine.
I guess I can honestly say since receiving this device, I've been feeling Lucky!

 

[speedyg]

Zion #17 is still going strong, in fact I was using it while catching up on this thread. Only problems I had were with the female glass receptacle/heater coming loose from the wood body, a few magnets that came undone and the power knob set screw went missing. Just noticed the missing screw while reading the RBT Zion failure analysis!

I glued the heater back in after consulting with RBT. The potentiometer shaft still turns with the knob so it was just a matter of replacing the set screw. I reglued the battery door magnets.

#17 sees daily use, from morning till night. Battery life is good for at least 4 bowls, depending on how you lean on the button and power level.

This is a really flexible vape, you can use it as a 1 hitter or sip while temp stepping up.

Very pleased with my Zion and I'm looking forward to Milaana.

 

[Likes2vape]

Zion #17 is still going strong, in fact I was using it while catching up on this thread. Only problems I had were with the female glass receptacle/heater coming loose from the wood body, a few magnets that came undone and the power knob set screw went missing. Just noticed the missing screw while reading the RBT Zion failure analysis!

I glued the heater back in after consulting with RBT. The potentiometer shaft still turns with the knob so it was just a matter of replacing the set screw. I reglued the battery door magnets.

#17 sees daily use, from morning till night. Battery life is good for at least 4 bowls, depending on how you lean on the button and power level.

This is a really flexible vape, you can use it as a 1 hitter or sip while temp stepping up.

Very pleased with my Zion and I'm looking forward to Milaana.

That doesn't sound awesome at all! Sounds like you rebuilt your Zion yourself, so much for the lifetime warranty. I was expecting way better quality control after spending months after the projected release date to perfect this vape. Pretty disappointing really since it was made out to be the be all end all vape. Hopefully someday in the distant future this vape will be perfected and those that spent their hard earned money on it will get one!

 

[hippogriff]

That doesn't sound awesome at all! Sounds like you rebuilt your Zion yourself, so much for the lifetime warranty. I was expecting way better quality control after spending months after the projected release date to perfect this vape. Pretty disappointing really since it was made out to be the be all end all vape. Hopefully someday in the distant future this vape will be perfected and those that spent their hard earned money on it will get one!

Sounds like production started w the wrong epoxy, and the slow rollout (to minimize problems) minimized the number of customers experiencing the problem. Maybe I'm too forgiving cause I work w epoxy and know how finicky it can be, but this all sounds like normal development stuff.

 

[Madcap79]

Properly gluing magnets to wood isn't that technical of a task. Also, making springs that actually spring back shouldn't be either. Especially after the long 'beta' period. I wasn't impressed at all with the build quality to be honest. Maybe I'm just too picky though. I also thought the original Cloud build quality was suspect as well.

 

[hippogriff]

Properly gluing magnets to wood isn't that technical of a task. Also, making springs that actually spring back shouldn't be either. Especially after the long 'beta' period. I wasn't impressed at all with the build quality to be honest. Maybe I'm just too picky though. I also thought the original Cloud build quality was suspect as well.

Magnets and glass are only easy when you get it right, easy to see how one experienced maker taking a hobby pro could get it wrong and not know for awhile. Yeah, the spring issue concerned me more, cause I don't know how to choose metal to make a spring, I'd assumed that was an off-the-shelf part.

Here's where I geek out, I'd read all the details of those mundane little choices, it keeps me moving w my own work.

 

[Madcap79]

If it's off the shelf or self made, it should function properly. The fact that everyone just accepts it is odd as well. One day I'll get a functioning unit and I'm sure it'll be great, I guess the heater technology outweighs all the other not so great things.

 

[killick]

One of my magnets came loose a few weeks ago. One of these days I'll get around to gluing it back into the right place. That, plus the pesky knob falling out (love the alternate pic earlier!). I haven't dialed it from Max in weeks, instead modulating in practice for Milly. No spring issues, no glass issues, other than being really, really dirty, which is kind of a badge of honour. They'll get cleaned next week. Except maybe one. I should save the worst one and mount it on the wall of shame, with the medals and certificates and attaboy thingies from over the years. But that would mean unpacking them, and I'm not quite there yet...

Anyways, the only really thing I have to add is that when Zion is ready for prime time there won't be much left to complain about.

Hmmm, I do have a little complaint... We are traveling, and staying with friends in a lovely old part of a lovely old coastal city. Their house is cute, enough in real estate terms means cute. 2 adults, 2 HS & uni aged daughters and their dog live here. Plus us and our mutt. My complaint is little 50s houses and they're decided lack of power outlets. Maybe my real complaint is that Zion lacks power over air recharge capabilities. If it could recharge while I walk around and vape that would be ideal. Please get on that. Tks.

 

[DocGonzo]

I'm certainly not happy to hear about build issues, but they're not deal breakers, either. The magnets coming unglued seems like it should have been easily prevented, but I admit that I know nothing about epoxy. At least that's an easy fix that does not affect performance, although it seems to have been addressed by RBT for future units. Stuff about the set screw for the knob concern me the least at the moment, since it sounds like the knob design is being reworked somewhat anyway.

The part about the glass female bit by the heater coming undone is what actually concerns me most. Hopefully the change in epoxy fully fixes that potential issue. Has RBT said anything about the battery spring? Any chance he's addressing that? I can make concessions on aesthetics pretty easily, but I hate to hear about any problem that impedes performance.

 

[speedyg]

The issues I had were minor in my opinion because they were easily corrected and because the Zion performs so well.

Now if it was a shitty performing vape and had these same issues, I would feel different.

 

[hippogriff]

If it's off the shelf or self made, it should function properly. The fact that everyone just accepts it is odd as well. One day I'll get a functioning unit and I'm sure it'll be great, I guess the heater technology outweighs all the other not so great things.

Who's said they're ok if it doesn't function properly? Public product development is a new thing, it needs its own term because this is artisan manufacturing, and it should come with a different set of expectations. "Manufactured" is an aesthetic, and the small number of people making vaporizers are more like artists doing that aesthetic. Few try, getting to the stage where more folks than just you have a working vape is a big deal.

Many people have tried and loved this vape, heater tech and 18650s and interesting design, it's in development, that's enough for me to follow the story, I haven't seen anything dramatic, just interesting.

Also posting too much, thanks for the words everybody!

 

[srama21]

I'm hoping the first offered solution for warranty claims or performance issues doesn't start with "well, did ya try..."

 

[Madcap79]

Who's said they're ok if it doesn't function properly? Public product development is a new thing, it needs its own term because this is artisan manufacturing, and it should come with a different set of expectations. "Manufactured" is an aesthetic, and the small number of people making vaporizers are more like artists doing that aesthetic. Few try, getting to the stage where more folks than just you have a working vape is a big deal.

Many people have tried and loved this vape, heater tech and 18650s and interesting design, it's in development, that's enough for me to follow the story, I haven't seen anything dramatic, just interesting.

Also posting too much, thanks for the words everybody!

I already own an 'artisan' vape. It is MUCH more impressively made than the Zion. So I understand the difference between a manufactured vape and artisan.

I know this vape is well loved and I'm sure it performs great. I'm just adding my onbervations.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Fact is most users have not had these issues, of course there aren't many users, but the fact it has been an issue for the more recently shipped units, is exactly why we are experiencing this pause, as parts and QC are reworked to ensure everything is fine again going forward. The old epoxy is great, I've never had a single issue with built quality, maybe I am a careful handler, but I think there's nothing to worry about based on the long-term testing...

To me the Zion is manufactured artisan, its function over form but still designed by hand, off the shelf parts limits as it helps, there are many aspects of more common mass produced popular vapes that can break when handled, individual useage means a lot, so it seems he is doing everything be can to prevent such failures for the future as much as possible

 

[DocGonzo]

I thought the issue was that RBT changed epoxy for the planned initial production run, but that it didn't work as well as what he'd used on the beta units. I don't think yours has the same glue on it, Shit Snacks. I could be remembering wrong, though.

 

[Shit Snacks]

I thought the issue was that RBT changed epoxy for the planned initial production run, but that it didn't work as well as what he'd used on the beta units. I don't think yours has the same glue on it, Shit Snacks. I could be remembering wrong, though.

Yes you are correct, though there were a couple testers with loose magnets with the old epoxy, imo it was through rough ish handling, and RBT slapped together those betas so always room for error. So even with the old epoxy, there must be proper QC in place, along with the new knob, these are the benefits of a slow roll out and pilot production run. So end result still the same, the fact these reports are coming in and we have this delay is good news to me. When the next Zions do ship, they should be more durable, fit and finish is what it is for a device like this though. As it was said before, the performance makes me overlook the design shortcomings, but it is a very functional design imo (and quite durable already in my own personal experience), so I am warmed up to it for that reason, plus the use of wood and glass

 

[DieHard]

So many products are released and then improved later. Version 1,then version 1.01, 1.02 etc. In most cases, you don't expect to get the updated version for free after your purchase. Rather than have a bunch of griping users complaining that they didn't get the newest model EVERYONE will get the latest and greatest. I for one, do not mind fixing a small issue myself to avoid having the delay and expense of returning it.

Yin and Yang!

 

[IAmKrazy2]

What is the white stem DieHard?

 

[Copacetic]

So many products are released and then improved later. Version 1,then version 1.01, 1.02 etc. In most cases, you don't expect to get the updated version for free after your purchase. Rather than have a bunch of griping users complaining that they didn't get the newest model EVERYONE will get the latest and greatest. I for one, do not mind fixing a small issue myself to avoid having the delay and expense of returning it.

Yin and Yang!

Niiiiice.
Those stems are pretty cool.

What's that lying between your units? (that sounded better in my head).
A letter opener?

BTW, have you tried the TOD through a water tool?
If you have, what's it like?

 

[DieHard]

@Copacetic I have worked together a Water tool adaptor and will try TOD thru water tonite. That is indeed a letter opener made by an old friend's father who has since passed. He made different knives and letter openers as a hobby. More stem porn, and the other side of the letter opener.