Alpine 2020/2021 - Induction Heater
- Thread starter fatbiker
- Start date
Bologna
(zombie) Woof.
I finally received my '21 Alpine IH replacement yesterday but not the free stem. Even though all info everywhere (source acct, shipping tracking?, etc) says I did, save for a little slip of paper that was tossed in the box explaining the stems still haven't arrived yet and they will be sent separately.... a totally unexpected pleasant surprise... important info being provided without having to be on reddit or call/chat with them asking for it... baby steps!!
It arrived well packed this time and once again charged with 3 of 4 lights lit, so I topped it off (took less than an hour?).... I have to say, the unit itself, cosmetically, is almost perfect and well within the range of acceptability. I've done 3-4 caps so far and it's down to 2 lights, and overall it works very well, tho I do think it needs to be a good bit more (or less?) aggressive... I'm finding I need to go far enough past the clicks to get thick heavy vapor/polish off a cap, that it comes close to the auto-shutoff (could be technique etc, more testing needed to confirm)...? so far, I've only used an '18 Ti tip with a fairly new captive cap and brand new 'Ole Stubby' from O'Connell Woodworks thru his awesome j-hook and an AquaLabs 14mm mini-wax rig. I'm reasonably happy... and have a bunch of other caps and tips to test here and more on the way...
Happy Cinco De Mayo!
It arrived well packed this time and once again charged with 3 of 4 lights lit, so I topped it off (took less than an hour?).... I have to say, the unit itself, cosmetically, is almost perfect and well within the range of acceptability. I've done 3-4 caps so far and it's down to 2 lights, and overall it works very well, tho I do think it needs to be a good bit more (or less?) aggressive... I'm finding I need to go far enough past the clicks to get thick heavy vapor/polish off a cap, that it comes close to the auto-shutoff (could be technique etc, more testing needed to confirm)...? so far, I've only used an '18 Ti tip with a fairly new captive cap and brand new 'Ole Stubby' from O'Connell Woodworks thru his awesome j-hook and an AquaLabs 14mm mini-wax rig. I'm reasonably happy... and have a bunch of other caps and tips to test here and more on the way...
Happy Cinco De Mayo!
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shatter-reality
Well-Known Member
I haven’t put much use through it. When I got my 2020 the Dynavap was how I consumed 95% of the time so I used it all the time. Now I have a FW7 and a POTV One that I grab way more than a Dyna.
Anyways the 5-6 bowls I’ve done(3 click sessions) leave me with the same impression as the original. Badly tuned, but at least I can take the lid off this one. Would not suggest to anyone even if they had amazing customer service.
Anyways the 5-6 bowls I’ve done(3 click sessions) leave me with the same impression as the original. Badly tuned, but at least I can take the lid off this one. Would not suggest to anyone even if they had amazing customer service.
Bologna
(zombie) Woof.
Absolutely positively totally 100% agree! (sad, ain't it?)...
but I'm crazy lit now after (too) many caps of a variety of flavors putting this electronic block of metal doo-dad thru it's paces...
As long as it WORKS, I have no doubt I'll figure out how to make it provide predictably/reliably... but it HAS to WORK, that's it.
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shatter-reality
Well-Known Member
Yeah I mean this way I don’t have to load up dosing capsules for my POTV One or grab a few extra 18650’s with my FW7 so it’ll definitely find use but not nearly as much as it had, had it originally worked properly. At least the magnet is the proper one this time?
VapeEscapist
Medicine Buddha
Hi.
Longtime reader of this board, first time posting...
Just wanted to warn people away from this product and company.
Alpine 2021 initially estimated as shipping in January. With a coupon discount it was just $91 shipped and I thought it looked nice. My experiences with their Orb products were positive so I decided to support their latest line of products by pre-ordering the Alpine in December 2020.
After many delays I received the heater in the first week of March. After 2 charges, it died.
Was given a return label. Sent unit back. Took almost 2 months to receive it back.
When I received it back the 4 LED's that show battery level were not seated properly in the outer shell. Customer service explained the fix and I carefully corrected it. Worked fine for about a week and now the red internal heater LED no longer stays on for the duration of the heating cycle.
The heater still warms but I have to guess when the cycle has ended. At this point I figure the heater is a "lemon" and requires replacement or refund.
Was initially told I had to send the heater back or just accept a heater without a time indicator light by customer service.
I explained that after 6 months I did not want to be without a heater and I would like to swap out this obvious lemon for a fully functioning unit or I would like a refund. Was told it was not possible to send me a replacement before they inspected the current model and that a refund was not possible because the heater was used.
Emailing SourceV was like banging my head against a brick wall so I found the Toggen Gear reddit and read how other people had encountered similar problems with these heaters (apparently 250 of their first shipment were defective) and posted my experience. One of the moderators immediately decided they should argue with me and made a point to try to dissect my interactions with customer service to deflect blame on to me for not getting a resolution to my problem. Another reddit member had posted that they got a charge back from their bank after reporting the company to consumer affairs in Nevada. I let Source and the mod on reddit know that I intended to do same if I did not get satisfactory service. The moderator finally reversed his stance on sending a replacement or offering a refund and said both were an option. Then one post later, they rescind that offer and say I can only have the refund now trying to blame my confrontational interactions as the cause. I then messaged another moderator on reddit about the situation and they promptly erased the first mods comments and banned me from the subreddit.
Finally, after one last "threatening" email to Source they responded with an offer of a refund or to send me one to use while they inspect/repair my original heater. (Why they don't just let me keep the second heater and not pay for all the back and forth shipping is beyond me but I'll take it.)
Now my confidence in their hardware is thoroughly shaken. I don't trust that any heater they send me will be reliable. So I went searching on the web and found this one:
www.french-touch-vaporizer.com
Charges via USB C, has a compartment to hold DynaVap, uses no touch activation (senses DynaVap in chamber, no pressing down to heat), one thing I'm not sure of is the battery size. 2x in the oddly translated description it states it has 1000mAh, but when it mentions charging it says "2 hours to charge the 3000mAh battery". I emailed them to clarify but have not received an answer yet. Shipping was $25 from France to NYC, total cost was $160. Once I receive the heater and put it through it's paces, I'll likely write a review on the board as I have not seen much about it anywhere other than translating a few French reviews.
TL/DR - Do not buy a Toggen Gear Alpine induction heater.
Longtime reader of this board, first time posting...
Just wanted to warn people away from this product and company.
Alpine 2021 initially estimated as shipping in January. With a coupon discount it was just $91 shipped and I thought it looked nice. My experiences with their Orb products were positive so I decided to support their latest line of products by pre-ordering the Alpine in December 2020.
After many delays I received the heater in the first week of March. After 2 charges, it died.
Was given a return label. Sent unit back. Took almost 2 months to receive it back.
When I received it back the 4 LED's that show battery level were not seated properly in the outer shell. Customer service explained the fix and I carefully corrected it. Worked fine for about a week and now the red internal heater LED no longer stays on for the duration of the heating cycle.
The heater still warms but I have to guess when the cycle has ended. At this point I figure the heater is a "lemon" and requires replacement or refund.
Was initially told I had to send the heater back or just accept a heater without a time indicator light by customer service.
I explained that after 6 months I did not want to be without a heater and I would like to swap out this obvious lemon for a fully functioning unit or I would like a refund. Was told it was not possible to send me a replacement before they inspected the current model and that a refund was not possible because the heater was used.
Emailing SourceV was like banging my head against a brick wall so I found the Toggen Gear reddit and read how other people had encountered similar problems with these heaters (apparently 250 of their first shipment were defective) and posted my experience. One of the moderators immediately decided they should argue with me and made a point to try to dissect my interactions with customer service to deflect blame on to me for not getting a resolution to my problem. Another reddit member had posted that they got a charge back from their bank after reporting the company to consumer affairs in Nevada. I let Source and the mod on reddit know that I intended to do same if I did not get satisfactory service. The moderator finally reversed his stance on sending a replacement or offering a refund and said both were an option. Then one post later, they rescind that offer and say I can only have the refund now trying to blame my confrontational interactions as the cause. I then messaged another moderator on reddit about the situation and they promptly erased the first mods comments and banned me from the subreddit.
Finally, after one last "threatening" email to Source they responded with an offer of a refund or to send me one to use while they inspect/repair my original heater. (Why they don't just let me keep the second heater and not pay for all the back and forth shipping is beyond me but I'll take it.)
Now my confidence in their hardware is thoroughly shaken. I don't trust that any heater they send me will be reliable. So I went searching on the web and found this one:
IH GO FTV Auto/Portable Induction Heater Dynavap - FTV
buy cheap ih go FTV, the best induction heater dynavap portable and automatic. purchase IH GO FTV French Touch Vaporizer induction heater cheap
Charges via USB C, has a compartment to hold DynaVap, uses no touch activation (senses DynaVap in chamber, no pressing down to heat), one thing I'm not sure of is the battery size. 2x in the oddly translated description it states it has 1000mAh, but when it mentions charging it says "2 hours to charge the 3000mAh battery". I emailed them to clarify but have not received an answer yet. Shipping was $25 from France to NYC, total cost was $160. Once I receive the heater and put it through it's paces, I'll likely write a review on the board as I have not seen much about it anywhere other than translating a few French reviews.
TL/DR - Do not buy a Toggen Gear Alpine induction heater.
Mowjo
Well-Known Member
Join the club! lol. TBH nothing of value lost. They said my post was deleted because of it including DMs.
VapeEscapist
Medicine Buddha
Yeah, I thought it was odd that my comments were left intact and theirs were removed. Probably because he said something out of line with company policy.
Now that I ordered the IH GO I'm regretting not getting a refund actually.
I was thinking I could sell the Alpine at a loss or gift it to someone but how could I in good conscience when I can't trust it won't die or malfunction at any time?
Baboose1948
Well-Known Member
Sell with full disclosure. Some people like to tinker.
Bologna
(zombie) Woof.
The Alpine '21 has been performing ok... better than expected but not great. I get about 35 full heat cycles, from insertion to auto shutoff/overheat protection, on a full charge and it takes less than an hour to charge it. It's not the most even extractor, as it seems the majority of heat is focused a little too close to the top of the tip for my liking and it also runs cool as I usually run it well past the clicks when using a SS tip (Ti fares little better) but yet it also manages to rarely combust... I've been using it kind of like what it is, a cheap whore, just to heat soak the tip the first hit or two, and then use the HotShot for much better tasting/more even extraction.... ha
Best things about it are the fast charging and stability (knock over/off-proof)
It's not terrible for a cheap (40% off remember...) cordless desktop, I suppose...
However, I would never recommend doing business with this company.
Best things about it are the fast charging and stability (knock over/off-proof)
It's not terrible for a cheap (40% off remember...
) cordless desktop, I suppose...However, I would never recommend doing business with this company.
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Cthulhu
Member
Just got my Alpine Heater too. Totally agree with Bologna, I got pretty much the same impressions about the IH. I was actually surprised with the short charging time, and battery life is totally satisfying me.
Overall it's performing better than I expected and it is a nice entry level IH.
about the evenness, I mainly microdose with my vapcaps and i think that pushing the CCD to the smallest setting could be an easy fix for the Alpine. I didn't try reaching one hit extraction yet ... Just enjoying a lighter-free session for now
Overall it's performing better than I expected and it is a nice entry level IH.
shatter-reality
Well-Known Member
Anyone ever get their “free glass stem?” Fuckin’ Randall is giving Elon Musk and Donald Trump a run for their money for the title of the ultimate grifter.
VapeEscapist
Medicine Buddha
When they offered the free stem they also sent out 50% off coupons for the same stems. I chose the straight stem for my freebie and ordered another straight stem and viper stem with the 50% coupon. When I received my Alpine the second time (after "repairs") I got my viper stem (which I actually kinda like).
My Alpine has a defective inner heater light (3rd defect) so they are supposed to be sending me a replacement from batch 3 "soon".
This past Thursday I wrote to them asking about the status of my replacement heater and the 2 straight stems I ordered and got this reply:
"Thanks for reaching out!
The Alpine Batch 3 began shipping this week! You should see tracking come to your email soon!
As for the glass stems, those are on preorder right now and we will update you as soon as we can!
Thanks so much and let me know if you have any other questions"
shatter-reality
Well-Known Member
They should just rename “Source Vapes” to “Preorder Vapes”.
VapeEscapist
Medicine Buddha
"Poorly Sourced Vapes"
Baboose1948
Well-Known Member
Alpine is on sale for $50 
Bologna
(zombie) Woof.
Where...? All I see is $119.99:Alpine is on sale for $50
Alpine 2021
For Alpine warranty support, please contact Customer Support via the Live Chat or Warranty Form. Alpine 2021 Are Sold Out for the year. 2022 Model will be available in July. Thank you for your support!
www.thesourcev.com
Crooksy_NoSmoke
New Member
Add code "7YEARS" at checkout for 70% off discount. Tempted to grab one myself despite so many users disappointed in theirs.
Bologna
(zombie) Woof.
edit: upon further review, it seems to be a one-shot $70 off total purchase dealio...? it takes $70 off either device (alpine or versa) or splits it if you buy both...
(I'm NOT buying a Versa, the IH may be worth $50 but yeah, FUCK Source...)
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Crooksy_NoSmoke
New Member
Totally my bad. Meant to say $70 off in my initial reply.
Bologna
(zombie) Woof.
No problem, but this doesn't look like it a sale cuz of poor Alpine sales... it looks more like a special/private anniversary sale of sorts (7 years in business...?) perhaps for the Reddit cronies...?
VapeEscapist
Medicine Buddha
Shows as sold out on their website when I checked about an hour ago. I'm relieved tho, I might have ordered another one
I got shipping confirmation on my 2 straight glass cooling stems I ordered.
Still no shipment for my replacement Alpine (mine has defective heater light).
I got shipping confirmation on my 2 straight glass cooling stems I ordered.
Still no shipment for my replacement Alpine (mine has defective heater light).
shatter-reality
Well-Known Member
— The stem they warned you about vs the stem you actually are.
VapeEscapist
Medicine Buddha
Fits about 2/5ths into the Roor. Not a polished fit but seemed to work well.
It's just a completely different product than what they advertise it as. Unbelievable.
Toggen Cooling Stem
I use a rig so having the fitted end is a plus and where's the "cooling beads"?
It's just a completely different product than what they advertise it as. Unbelievable.
Toggen Cooling Stem
I use a rig so having the fitted end is a plus and where's the "cooling beads"?
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