I posted this review over on Reddit. Figured some people might not use it and would benefit from it being posted here. Just a short review of my experience with The Simrell so far.
The Simrell
Pros -different heat up zones for different styles of vapor -excellent flavor -excellent vapor production
Cons -threading heat exchanger/thermal capacitor -aligning the t-stat discs
I had high expectations for this device. I only preordered the engine at first. I was running it on my hyperdyn stem with my woodwynd mouth piece(I would alternate between the hyper mp). About a week ago I received the thuya burl shorty stem and flat mouth piece. No matter what set up I’ve run it on (have also used a cooling stem from TRWW), this device has delivered every time.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some poor extractions from it, but I am chalking this up to user error. It’s been windy where I live (I only vape outside) and I’ve tried to use different torch’s and flame lengths. Using The Simrell with the wand has been very consistent.
Convection- Running convection with a torch I’ve been the most inconsistent. At first I would heat until click and then go a few seconds past. The flavor was incredible. Absolutely incredible. What I found cool, maybe from not having used many convection style vapes, was that after heating you can tell that the hot air is being pulled from the thermal capacitor over your material. While having great flavor, I felt that the amount of vapor produced was not what I was expecting. Since, I have heated until the second click. I feel like this is where I was going wrong. You still get the incredible flavor, and the vapor produced is what I expected from the device. If you wanted to roast your material darker, going a few seconds past the second click would be the move. However I like my material to stay on the light brown side so I strictly stick to cutting the flame right before or right as I hear that second click.
Hybrid- This was the heating style I looked forward to. I feel like it’s the perfect way to use the device and it gives you the perfect balance of flavor and vapor production. For flavor it’s maybe a small tick down from what you get from convection. For vapor production, it’s gives you the same amount and maybe even more than conduction does. Using this style really feels like you’re hitting a joint or a bowl. Sometimes I feel like the vapor doesn’t stop coming. My initial draw I try to always pull until the cool down click or at least a little bit past if my lungs can handle it. There is definitely vapor still being produced after the cool down click. Wispy. But still there. This is my go to if I’m using a torch. It’s the best hit I’ve ever taken off of a DHV.
Conduction- This style I’ve used the least and should probably do more testing. Heating this way will definitely get your material darker. The hit is definitely hotter on the throat but in no way uncomfortable. If I’m not pulling the flame away as the first click engages, it’s slightly before. Using conduction, I feel the effects of the hit are felt immediately. It’s more like taking a bong rip and getting that instant stoned feeling. Favor is not as good as convection or hybrid, but not bad in anyway. You don’t get the burnt popcorn taste, but you don’t get those pure terpy tastes either. The vapor production is on par with hybrid heating. It still amazes me how much I get off of the .12 bowl.
Using the wand- Consistent every time. I mean every single time. If I saved my avb from the first time I used the wand and compared it to a heat up today, it would look exactly the same. Great flavor and tons of vapor. I’ve pretty much followed the user guide/how Austyn recommends using it. I keep the first fin even with the glass of the wand. I use the Dynavap insert. The only thing I do different is that I leave the device in 2-3 seconds past that first click.
When I switched from my hyper stem to the shorty with the flat mouth piece, I have to admit I was a little nervous. Sometimes running on the hyper, the vapor was hot on the throat. The shorty being ….well… short… made me think that the vapor would get even hotter. It actually did the opposite. The flat mouth piece is very comfortable to use and the inter cooler does an impressive job at cooling the vapor.
The cooling stand is very impressive. It cools the device down quickly. It also works with the armored cap from Dynavap and any smaller cap. While it can be knocked over, it is very sturdy and imo worth the money to have one.
As for the cons of the device, threading is something that anyone that hasn’t used a device like it before, will have to get used to. I would say this is very minor and if you’re having trouble, do not force any piece through the threading. Take your time and have some patience and everything will workout. Aligning the stat discs may have been more frustrating for me. But again, just take your time with it.
The Simrell is a device that you can buy once and never need to buy another device again. It easily outperforms every device I own, and that’s saying a lot because I love and will still use all of them. But if someone made me choose one device to keep and I had to throw away all of the others, it would be The Simrell.
For reference these are the devices that I currently own and use -hyperdyn -helix tip/armored cap (usually run it on the hyper stem/mp) -vapman click -camouflet ti convector -solo 2
Just to add. The Simrell is not cheap. Nor are any of the products from The Simrell Collection. But they are all made with quality material and craftsmanship. You’re getting a top of the line device that can last generations.
lower. I found your 1600J and 90% settings in Cascade mode at the lower insert position quite likable even with two reheats.
