Why does this not surprise me?
As soon as I reported this issue, Marc drove directly to me to pick up the battery pack. Marc is intelligent and cares about his product and end users. He is doing the total battery recall be safe, inspect the batteries, and ensure there are no further issues. I prefer this type of maker than one who sweeps issues like this under the rug and hopes for the best.
Yes; hard to imagine Mr. Pax doing something like that. (Not ragging on the Pax specifically. It's just the first big vape manufacturer I thought of.)
I think the capsules are an improvement over the firewood7 oven (way easier to clean is huge) The knob you turn to access the oven is a great design.
Agreed on both counts. Last evening I loaded 2 capsules; one with White Widow for some TV viewing and a second with my bedtime CBD flower cocktail. Come bedtime I could just dump the former and drop in the latter in a couple of seconds. A welcome convenience when my bed is calling so loudly. And the capsules are indeed SO much easier to clean than the 7's chamber (which was pretty easy to clean itself).
...the Firewood 8 fucks hard thus far from my experiences.
Can confirm!! Using basically the same temp presets as with my FW7, I have found that if I make my draws a little bit longer with the FW8, I get very satisfying clouds and VERY satisfying effects. Will continue to dial things in and expect only more happiness.
Marc coulda sold FW7s for many more years, BUT the more he made, the more likely the loose 18650 problem would tank his small business, it only takes one litigious user. The new battery pack is replaceable, which is a step up from other popular vapes in the same $ range. The same two LGs were all I needed for two years of DDing my FW7, I expect starting with two battery packs will easily last me till FW9. And the modular design means there may be bigger batteries in the future to suit max-users. USB-C and on-board charging are nice upgrades, too - that’s the new standard across many devices, I just replaced my 18650 flashlight and don’t think I’ll miss the Nitecore rituals.
Agreed on all counts.
Hey, Group A folks! What about just leaving a capsule in the chamber and loading FW7-style?
I think it's certainly doable if you've got steadier hands than me. But I'd be nervous about dropping flower between the outer side of the capsule and the inner side of the chamber.
Initial Thoughts:
- I love that Marc included the FW7-Esque mouthpiece adapter.
- I have come around to the pod system, you can keep a single pod in the FW8 to kind of imitate the FW7 experience but I honestly think that's a waste of the pod system. The little pod holders are sleek and small, you can also just dump the capsule you have within the fw8 into the holder and dump a full pre-packed capsule into the oven.
- However, sometimes the caps can be hard to take out of the oven to the point where you have to tweezer them out. I believe it is due to the resin cooling down and hardening which sits between the mouthpiece inlet and the bottom of the capsules.
- I love the look of the 8, I did at the announcement image too. It matches the bespoke handmade nature that I think the FW brand encapsulates.
- The new oven screw is wayyyyyy easier to use than the FW7 slides. It's also as smooth as silk if you grease the part of the oven above the threads. I like to think I am in the 99th percentile when it comes to FW7 maintenance, but Jesus is my FW7 hard to disassemble since the slides are so tight. Also makes checking the toastiness of the flower easier.
- The battery issue, I obviously would have preferred to just be able to hot-swap 18650s. But the FW8 batteries are fine in my opinion. I ran two Molicel p26as the entire lifespan of my FW7. I currently have two batteries with a third on the way as a bonus for the whole battery recall.
- The airflow is better in my opinion. Looking at the pictures you can tell that the inlets are bigger. The new oven airflow design also adds to it.
- Vapor wise it's what you'd expect when coming from the FW7.
I think the 8 is a nice iteration of the Firewood line. Natively I'm definitely grabbing the 8 over the 7. Through glass, I still run the 7 since it has a WPA and I don't like the universal adapters.
An excellent summary!
So far, I haven't had any issues with capsules being hard to remove from the oven. Will keep an eye on it.
I hadn't thought of it before you mentioned it, but yes, the oven lid is way easier for my hands than the sliding cover of the FW7.
I also agree about the airflow. It does seem to be an easier draw.
cx714 said:
"Yeah, I don’t really get why Marc didn’t just leave an extra millimeter or two of wood on the battery box to keep the end flush with the main unit. A tiny thing that visually would feel so much nicer."
It occurred to me last night why he might have done this: If the battery compartment extended that extra little bit to be flush, the tip of my big nose would be banging into it when I use the FW8 natively.
... Bee careful to use an extremely small amount at first or you may find that they slide TOO well! 
