Yup, great point. At home, it's easy enough to use all types of glass and adapters with the TM to avoid the cooling unit. I'm still searching for an improved solution on the go though. I may order a GRAV upline taster, as I keep seeing that come up in discussions online.
TM taste can also be affected pretty strongly based on the stem you're using. The shorter stem needs the stainless steel cooling unit or it's too hot (at least for me), but the cooling unit seems to steal some of the flavor. Using stems w/o the stainless steel cooling unit, and just going...
Tough to answer. When I'm out and about, and don't want to have to use a session portable like my Mighty, the TM is great, as you can just take single hits whenever you'd like. At home, I default to the Evo, since it's plugged in and ready to go all the time w/o having to worry about...
I also have a TM and agree that it can replace a desktop. The quick heat, no heat soak needed, small bowls, and stirring necessary for bigger bowls are all things I agree with as well. With all of that said, I think it can be a decent replacement for an Evo, and the portability is a great plus...
As an owner of both, I would say that the volcano hybrid is not a good replacement. It has a chamber reducer that maxes out at about 0.25, but even with the much, I find the results aren't as good as loading a full bowl.
Tinymight is actually a decent replacement, even though it's a portable...
Yup, this exact thing happened to me last Fall. As soon as I did it, the TM put out a burnt electronics smell and that was it. TM customer service was great. I emailed them explaining the problem, he emailed me back a prepaid shipping label, and the turnaround time on the RMA was very fast...