Discontinued A Hot Pod

[vorrange]

tonight's session:

12.4 was low temp vaping
12.7 was not much better
12.9 seemed just right

I will start on 12.9 next time

Sticks, how do you fare the POD vs LSV in a match of taste and keeping temp in long draws? They share similar air paths (glass and ceramic) and they both have little mouths that dissipate heat quicker i assume.

 

[NewVape]

tonight's session:

12.4 was low temp vaping
12.7 was not much better
12.9 seemed just right

I will start on 12.9 next time

That's interesting. I'm finding myself turning the VV down. Right now I just finished a session at 13.5 and am looking at 13.25, and I like my ABV really dark too. And like you totally vaked right now.

Sticks, how do you fare the POD vs LSV

I also have an LSV sounds like I need a side by side taste test. But won't get a chance til the weekend

 

[stickstones]

Without putting them side by side, I would give the taste to the LSV. The LSV also has better airflow. As for keeping the temp, the LSV definitely can get overwhelmed and has a sweet spot. I haven't landed there yet with the POD, but I think it can handle a little stronger draw.

Keep in mind, when I compare the airflow, taste and hit thickness of these three vapes (HI, POD, LSV) that the differences are minimal and all these vapes are in the same class, imo. All of them perform very well and a decision of which one to buy may very well come down to aesthetics. I could get by with a big fucking smile on my face with any of these vapes as my only one.

 

[vorrange]

Without putting them side by side, I would give the taste to the LSV. The LSV also has better airflow. As for keeping the temp, the LSV definitely can get overwhelmed and has a sweet spot. I haven't landed there yet with the POD, but I think it can handle a little stronger draw.

Keep in mind, when I compare the airflow, taste and hit thickness of these three vapes (HI, POD, LSV) that the differences are minimal and all these vapes are in the same class, imo. All of them perform very well and a decision of which one to buy may very well come down to aesthetics. I could get by with a big fucking smile on my face with any of these vapes as my only one.

Thanks man, i appreciate it. Just to check if i'm understanding, what you mean that the LSV can get overwhelmed and has a sweet stop is that, there is a point regarding knob position and/or draw speed, where the temperature is more easily maintained?

 

[stickstones]

yup. I like it at about one o'clock and I use a medium draw like with my old SSV. If I draw quicker it cools down and loses thickness, unless I turn up the temp to compensate. This is a design issue I have seen with every vape I own exept the Cloud.

 

[vorrange]

yup. I like it at about one o'clock and I use a medium draw like with my old SSV. If I draw quicker it cools down and loses thickness, unless I turn up the temp to compensate. This is a design issue I have seen with every vape I own exept the Cloud.

that is what i thought. pretty much the standard with all my vapes as well, since i don't own the Cloud. haha.

To increase thickness fast i do "tsc tsc tsc" with my tongue, it is really efective to bring out the vapour from the herbs.

 

[OhTheAgony]

Do you really feel a need for more airflow Sticks?

I think we might loose some heat-retention capability if Hazy would widen the airpath. Plus, for me at least, stems and loads/packing methods always seem to dictate the restrictiveness of the draw. Either with my HI or Pod or whatever I'm using.

Also, these look an awful lot like our Pods:

More pics: click me

 

[stickstones]

What a great find! No, I don't need more airflow, just comparing it to the obvious competitors. it's better than the solo and not as good as teh LSV. I am more than happy with my solo, so I am fine here as well.

 

[Alan]

Cool photos OTA. I have seen those for sale at the local hardwood store. Looks like a fairly easy material to turn. If I used one to make a HI would it be called a HIPod?

 

[gvape]

I hate reading this thread while I wait for my POD to arrive, it has to be here any day since it was shipped Dec 3.

On a side note, I read on the previous page that some of you have had problems with taking the bowl out while it is hot. Why not just take some silicone tubing and place it around the stem, dont need that much, just a little at the base so you could grip it. I would do it myself, but I dont have the pod yet to show my idea. Hope it makes sense.

 

[stickstones]

Last night I had no problem with the gong stem getting too hot...just gave it a few seconds and it cooled right down.

 

[Frederick McGuire]

I have yet to find either of my stems to be so hot that they are "burny"
I've had quite a few close calls with my solo stems, staying hot for 30 seconds or so, but a pod stem must cool off within seconds, even when grabbing the stem while the pod is still attached and drawing on it I haven't found it uncomfortable.

 

[kingofnull]

More pics: click me

A Turquoise adorned Hot Pod would look so nice paired with a gold plated Steele Concept, don'tcha think?

 

[Frederick McGuire]

If you're gonna be goin straight baller with a gold plated Steele, ya gotta have diamonds in the pod.

 

[hazy]

As far as the Pod itself, first impressions are very impressive. It runs as good as it looks. It's been plugged in 24/7 and I've settled on 13.6 as a good vaping voltage. It produces a good amount of heat and the holes on the top half let out enough for me to feel little "hot spots" where the holes are. I haven't looked much at the internals, nor the cord as they are working fine. My wife says I need to get rid of the see-through 1970's power cord.

...

Using the direct draw stem and I found it's short length and dry draw a little too harsh for me. This is no different then any of my other vapes, I just don't care for direct draw. If I were to change anything about the direct draw it would be a longer stem.

...

One of the things I had to adjust for with the WPA was the screen. I found the weave a little too open. I also had trouble keeping it at one depth, so I ended up replacing it with another larger screen with a tighter weave. I found a drill bit that fit inside the WPA with a little wiggle room and crimped the screen around it with some pliers, and pushed it in. The larger size of the screen gave it a little more grip.

I tried different bowl "sizes" by moving the screen up and down, with a deeper bowl it seemed that the top would get nicely toasted but the bottom would stay a little green. So I ended up setting it fairly close to the top for a smaller bowl. I found this way it gets nicely toasted in the first hit.

Thanks for the informative post. The pods do look nicer in real life than in the photos, don't they? I can understand your wife's opinion about the cord. There is certainly a danger it could be considered kitsch but I just happen to really like copper as an element, and I think the colour goes well with the pod.

I agree that a longer stem can help cool the vapour. I've tried a direct draw stem that's 50% longer than my current ones, and while the vapour was noticeably cooler, I don't think it makes a lot of difference in the overall direct draw experience. I also didn't like putting the pod down with the stem sticking out of it, as it feels unstable. So I think I will leave the length of the stems the same for mainly practical reasons. Anyone who wants smoother vapour can use water filtration.

I'll look into the finer screens, however I do like the current ones because they don't seem to clog too easily. I'll be interested to hear other opinions about this. As for the fit of the screen, this is an area that needs improvement. At the moment I'm getting inconsistent results with some screens gripping the inside of the glass better than others. It's great that you were able to make a new screen using a tool you had around. I've tried to keep the stems and screens as simple as possible so that pod owners can easily replace or repair them. I've tried some different screen shapes but maybe I need to do more research in this area.

I've always felt that a more-or-less "square" load is optimal, although if I pack tightly then a shallow load can work well too. I don't know what difference it makes but I chop my herb a lot more finely than you.

I still think more refined stems/screens would be a good thing.

Hazy...I think you could go one of two ways with this vape. You could go the minimalist, MFLB route which emphasized simplicity and nature. The POD lends itself to this easily given its natural form (btw, I found myself wondering what they look like before you get your hands on them, like in the wild...there's probably a pic of them in the front of this thread), and in this case I think your simple stem screens would fit the niche. Or, you could go the fully refined work of art route, which I think would call for stems like Alan's along with an elegant VVPS solution (you've already got the POD itself down as far as art is concerned). The POD also lends itself to this as well. It is exquisitely finished. I love how the heat port is flush with the top and how the plug inlet is well hidden underneath. This seed pod just seems to have been made for this application...you really have found the perfect housing for this type of vape...well done!

As for testing, this design (log vape) has been through the ringer for years and works fine. It works as well or better than any other log vape I have had. The only things I think are worth testing at this point are taste and durability. Taste because you are using glass. Durability because you are new to the game. But I already think this thing is a winner and anyone would be lucky to get one.

Thanks for your thoughtful observations. It's true I could go two ways, but I have opted for the simpler, more affordable route. I know this may disappoint some, however, the entire motivation for this vape was to create a simpler, cost effective design. The fact that it looks great is just a bonus. The original design didn't even use a Banksia pod, but was made from wood and had holes drilled into the side. The market is already well served with the more refined approach, and the other logs out there are high quality and good value for money. I'm aiming to keep costs low so that more people have access to a quality vaping experience. I'd like to streamline production and hopefully lower prices over time.

I've got a question for you all. What do you think about the size of the heat port and the way the stems fit into it? Do you find it too loose/too tight, too shallow/too deep? I was thinking of a slight modification to the design, making the hole in the top of the pod 1mm larger diameter. This means that the stems would flop around a bit more (or that the pod would flop around on the stem if you're using a bong). Do you see this as a problem? The reason I am thinking about this is to enable some other stems to fit. I have also noticed that some glass manufacturers only offer 13mm tubing rather than the 12mm tubing that I use. The pod would be more versatile but the 12mm stems are going to have a lot of wiggle room.

 

[Frederick McGuire]

I really like the current fit of my stems, it's juuuuuust right depth wise and wiggle wise for me.

So long as its relatively stable I wouldn't really mind if there was more wiggle room, but it seems pretty good to me now...

1mm diameter change doesn't sound like that much (it's what, like a 8% increase?).

Depth wise, I wouldn't want it any deeper without my GonG stem being longer.
I find that with the current combo of port depth and stem length, I can just fit my index finger and thumb between the pod and my piece to pull the stem. (Unless I'm using a 18-14 reducer, then I've got a nice thick ring to grab on to )

 

[SD_haze]

Doesn't it seem like EpicVape's new all-glass stem would work with the pod?

Dunno if he's actually cranking them out to sell just yet though.

 

[placetime]

I've got a question for you all. What do you think about the size of the heat port and the way the stems fit into it? Do you find it too loose/too tight, too shallow/too deep? I was thinking of a slight modification to the design, making the hole in the top of the pod 1mm larger diameter. This means that the stems would flop around a bit more (or that the pod would flop around on the stem if you're using a bong). Do you see this as a problem? The reason I am thinking about this is to enable some other stems to fit. I have also noticed that some glass manufacturers only offer 13mm tubing rather than the 12mm tubing that I use. The pod would be more versatile but the 12mm stems are going to have a lot of wiggle room.

I agree with what Frederick said. I like how the stem fits in the hole. () But I also like the idea of a DD stem that's a bit bigger OD (13mm) while keeping the same ID as the DDS--would that possible? A bit more play/wiggle might not be a big deal, as long as the Pod could still rest upside-down on top of the GG, imho. And, if the hole were a bit bigger, UD tubing/stems/WonGs would fit, so the different stems UD-Dave makes would work with it too.

 

[OhTheAgony]

I definitely would not want a wider hole for the stems, imo it is prefect as it is.

I would be cool with a wider airpath if you could upgrade to a heavier heating element perhaps, but now I'm just being silly really.

Just make more of them pls

A Turquoise adorned Hot Pod would look so nice paired with a gold plated Steele Concept, don'tcha think?

Idk, I've never been much of a gold guy to be honest. Well, not the yellow kind anyway.

But I bet that turquoise would look pretty good with this guy as well

 

[ACE OF VAPE]

Doesn't it seem like EpicVape's new all-glass stem would work with the pod?

Dunno if he's actually cranking them out to sell just yet though.

I will be shortly.

 

[Alan]

Those honeycomb glass screens would be just the perfect size for the 12mm glass tubing and 14mm GonG connectors for the HP. I'm sure we will see it soon. That would make the HP even more unique.

 

[stickstones]

Obviously I'm not against widening the hole, but I would want to keep the same fit. I like how your stems fit in the pod and against the silicone outer sleeve.

 

[NewVape]

So tonight I'm pairing the Pod with my Bent showerhead. They work really well together, the Pod is able milk the heck out of that bubbler.

On the testing side, I am zeroing in on the VV for my Pod. I'm finding somewhere between 13.20 - 13.25
to be the butter zone. Definitely the lowest V of all 3 of my logs, my Maple Zap gets the same results at around 13.75, and my Cherry Zap at a beefy 14.25.

I think the fit of the stems is just fine, I'd really have to try any new stem sizes before I can weight in. My fist thoughts are that more wiggle room sounds less desirable. Although if it would allow for a wider range of custom made and after market stems I'm all for it.

I also like to look of that glass screened stem.

Wow barely got that typed. SO vaked right now. Good testing, good testing.

 

[Frederick McGuire]

NewVape, what VVPS are you using?

I don't think I've seen any with 0.01v resolution

 

[NewVape]

It's the Stealth, I got it from Zapville.