Is this still the most discreet vaporizer or are there any comparable devices on the market?
I am looking for a discreet on-demand vapor.
I think that it is.
There are other small options, but not many that fit the bill quite as well;
-immediately pocketable
-fast and ninja
-100% convection for stash and toke ease
Nothing else is springing to mind. Plenty of other vapes just fall short of what I want when I'm on the go, I am never disappointed with the hopper for the above features. I typically do use something to cool down the draw from the hopper (14mm glass dome, oil rig, etc.) but in certain situations I don't mind using it just as it is. It's perfect for any trail of any description, MTB, hiking. Bloody ripper on the drives there and back too. I love having the power of a desktop unit and being untethered to a wall. I can get a week out of a small kit of batteries, Xtar MC2, power bank and the hopper.
I have been using the Sublimator pretty heavily for a few weeks now, so my tolerance is a bit beyond the hopper at this point, but it still surprises me how much of a punch it can pack. It has a really nice signature, with great retention of active chemicals in its extraction. Top quality for sure.
If you already have other vapes, it's time to upgrade. If you don't have vapes the jury is still out whether this is a top choice for an only vape. If it wasn't for the shaky history of device durability, then it would just about be the best vape for a one and only.
Interesting suggestion. We don't have any info on this approach and don't know too much about WD40 contact cleaner. Concerns might be making sure it fully dries out inside before operating the device/effects on the PCB. Maybe it works great. I will add a note to do a test here when there is some time.
For drying it out that is true with any liquid solvent. We can't recommend soaking the whole backend right now. Among other things, we don't know how long various solvents will take to dry safely in different environments.
ISO will not hurt the PCB, that part we can be sure of.
Soaking with contact cleaner is definitely something I'd be hesitant over. The
accounts of it I saw (one from u/Slozukimc for eg.)
Figured what the hell, might as well try to fix it before dealing with RMA so I got my can of WD 40 Specialist contact cleaner and doused the shit out of the back end. I sprayed and turned and turned and sprayed and then let it sit to dry. I was skeptical but guess what? I put it together and it works like brand new again. The switch isn’t fussy like it was and it’s heating up like it should with steady lights.
Guess I will contact HL and cancel that RMA after all! Yes!!!!
So, doused / soaked -> a little different interpretation from my phrasing, I suspect. But, that action of contact cleaner being applied with the dial being turned could definitely be worth a shot, for cleaning the spring contacts and lessening that internal resistance.
However, do you guys know what kind of effect on extraction this resistance poses? It could improve battery life, but I saw no difference in my units extraction performance after cleaning the external contacts with intensive contact cleaning. Previously I have been using 600 grit glasspaper on the brass contacts, or just scraping off the obvious gunk that builds up there. It seems to take quite a lot of build up to have a noticeable performance drop in terms of extraction though.
I was testing out my HT unit (with the hot back end symptom) tonight and it does appear that the hot back end has been reduced substantially after cleaning the threads and battery contacts, but the actual performance remains the same. It doesn't run as hot as my other unit.