"...hits feel cooler with it than without."
That's what's important. I'm not sure I feel that as well, but I usually use it as intended cuz it's a convenient way to keep track of the part. I appreciate the cooling created by the air gap/dilution to a degree, but I got steamroller-style, condenser-less glass stems that can do that better. And I'm no advocate for closing the gap altogether--I usually hit with the airport open because I like some cooling/dilution. I'm just not sure that creating more dilution via the gap does something a steamroller does not. And given the amount of cooling the dilution can presumably accomplish, I simply wonder if whatever magic the strip brings in any way compares to that. It seems unlikely to me, but I'll happily defer to the math.
In any case, I have, use, and enjoy a blackwood/Stinger and a Vortex. They are really beautiful, well-made stems and they do bring more cooling. I'm just confused because it seems evident to me that they cool using methods different than those assumed, but I've never really seen it discussed.
I wonder. I think the Intercooler is primarily a wedge, opening the gap for more air. I suspect that its primary effect on the vapor--beside dilution--is to filter out some of the goods, as evidenced by the abundance of goo it collects, most of which would otherwise shoot thru to your noggin.
