Anvil by Vestratto

[Vehmic]

Thank you @Vehmic
but in France, Sezzle is not available...

Honestly it might be worth shooting them an email, I saw they are doing something special for Canadians to run the transaction. I think some honeyed words might get you far.

@My_50p_worth Great in depth review! I like having more realistic expectations going in.

 

[fangorn]

yeah, I already informed them of the situation...they responded within 10 minutes...and stay tuned!

 

[My_50p_worth]

For those that have mastered their RTL technique, what’s the best way?

I’ve been doing the dynavap “low and slow” heat style but I notice it has the opposite result on anvil - I’m guessing the bowl is losing temp faster than the thermal block can give it back, so when it does eventually click the block isn’t holding much heat.

I’m guessing you need to hit the thermal block with a lot of power so that it rushes to the bowl and doesn’t “steal” too much heat from the thermal battery to get to click temp?

 

[Chicken No Name]

. Vapour quality is unparalleled for a portable.


All in all though, this is the best vape I’ve used and it’s not particularly close. Once the IH comes I’ll never have a need for another device, it’s just that good.

Hi.
What portable vapes are you comparing with to form this opinion?

And what other vapes have you used to say you will never need another device.

Genuinely interested as I can't ever see me replacing a desktop, say my fp, for a such a portable device.
Cheers

 

[Falconflys]

Any word on some new parts that John was working on to make the Founders unit function better? I know he said he would be releasing some new parts for it this week but haven't seen anything as of yet on his page. Would be really nice to have the same air as the users if possible.

 

[My_50p_worth]

Hi.
What portable vapes are you comparing with to form this opinion?

And what other vapes have you used to say you will never need another device.

Genuinely interested as I can't ever see me replacing a desktop, say my fp, for a such a portable device.
Cheers

Hi there!

Well firstly it’s important to remember that isn’t an objective statement, and is my opinion based on my own subjective use cases. As such some with different use cases will likely disagree.

Anyway, before the anvil I was using a few different DV setups (I’m very well versed in semi obscure things like hot caps so I can promise you I was hitting the DV at full extraction potential) and a tinymight. So basically the previous P4P portable champs. The anvil has a noticeably more punchy initial hit, but as I’m sure you know that’s separate from how high you get once all doses have set in.

I can’t answer as to whether it would hit harder (or as hard) than your ball vapes that are the current desktop champs. Some on Reddit seem to say it can, others not so much. But it is important to bare in mind that Redditors often get carried away by hype and aren’t particularly objective

Hope that helps anyway man, it really is a great device

 

[fangorn]

Honestly it might be worth shooting them an email, I saw they are doing something special for Canadians to run the transaction. I think some honeyed words might get you far.

it's good, it's settled!

my bank mentioned a problem of suspicion of bank fraud, which they could unblock from Monday.

I still tried again once - or 5 times obsessively... obviously - with one less accessory in my basket and it was over!!!

One less hassle for this weekend! I can just be quiet...

 

[BKR2311]

Hi.
What portable vapes are you comparing with to form this opinion?

And what other vapes have you used to say you will never need another device.

Genuinely interested as I can't ever see me replacing a desktop, say my fp, for a such a portable device.
Cheers

It doesn't hold up to your FP or other ball vapes. Get it for the purpose it has, not to blow your desktops out of the water. I know some people ran around shilling saying it does, but it's not true. I'm a very neutral person and have used many, many vapes, and while the Anvil definitely has that great first hit, it doesn't compete with the actual heavies. It's a better dynavap for sure, but that's where it stops. Maybe when they add the .2 bowls it will help, but not sure. Hope that helps

 

[Chicken No Name]

It doesn't hold up to your FP or other ball vapes. Get it for the purpose it has, not to blow your desktops out of the water. I know some people ran around shilling saying it does, but it's not true. I'm a very neutral person and have used many, many vapes, and while the Anvil definitely has that great first hit, it doesn't compete with the actual heavies. It's a better dynavap for sure, but that's where it stops. Maybe when they add the .2 bowls it will help, but not sure. Hope that helps

Thanks for confirming.
Never thought for a moment it might but I was interested in what the poster was comparing to.
The anvil is on the list for sure but as you said, it has a purpose or place in one's arsenal, to compliment but not necessarily replace.

 

[seki]

It doesn't hold up to your FP or other ball vapes. Get it for the purpose it has, not to blow your desktops out of the water. I know some people ran around shilling saying it does, but it's not true. I'm a very neutral person and have used many, many vapes, and while the Anvil definitely has that great first hit, it doesn't compete with the actual heavies. It's a better dynavap for sure, but that's where it stops. Maybe when they add the .2 bowls it will help, but not sure. Hope that helps

I don't necessarily think people are comparing them directly, more so in the sense that if you limit a ball vape to a roughly 0.1g bowl, extraction efficiency between the two is comparable. The physical constraints of the herb chamber in the Anvil are definitely going to create an unfair comparison, especially when you can load upwards of 0.5g with some devices. Having said that, I also don't see the Anvil as a replacement per se, but definitely something that complements my desktops nicely.

I feel like this could have all been collated into a small manual that ships with every unit and maybe even recommends this thread for support and further info. The “legacy device” comes with some short concise instructions and has a full range of tutorial videos available on YouTube.

To be clear, I agree that instructions are required and at the very least an online instruction manual of sorts is definitely something that should be provided for the benefit of new customers going forward.

I do think the comparison to Dynavap here is a little unfair, though. Dynavap has been in operation for 7+ years now and while they had some videos early on, they were pretty similar to what @Whiff has been providing to my best recollection. If you take at the Dynavap page now, most of their instructional videos come post 2018. I'm fairly certain during the launch in 2015 the instruction situation was pretty similar.

 

[BKR2311]

I don't necessarily think people are comparing them directly, more so in the sense that if you limit a ball vape to a roughly 0.1g bowl, extraction efficiency between the two is comparable. The physical constraints of the herb chamber in the Anvil are definitely going to create an unfair comparison, especially when you can load upwards of 0.5g with some devices. Having said that, I also don't see the Anvil as a replacement per se, but definitely something that complements my desktops nicely.


To be clear, I agree that instructions are required and at the very least an online instruction manual of sorts is definitely something that should be provided for the benefit of new customers going forward.

Having said that, I think the comparison to Dynavap here is a little unfair. Dynavap has been in operation for 7+ years now and while they had some videos early on, they were pretty similar to what @Whiff has been providing to my best recollection. If you take at the Dynavap page now, most of their instructional videos come post 2018. I'm fairly certain during the launch in 2015 the instruction situation was pretty similar.

Nah man, we can't backtrack now. It's been said on several pages here and on Reddit by certain people that it "blows their FP out of the water", and they "haven't touched anything since". I wouldn't compare the Anvil to these vapes if they weren't already compared. It's not doing the Anvil any favors by overhyping it. It's a great vape, but there's a reason there are desktops and portables.

The dynavap was also 60$. For 60$, I really never cared that I didn't get instructions on how to turn my vapcap. It was relatively easy to follow. The Anvil is much more complex, and MUCH more expensive. Having to look up videos and ask questions for countless things is pretty tedious at a 230$ price tag. It's not a deal breaker since the people here are relatively smart and experienced, but to a new person it would be overwhelming.

 

[alex91]

For those that have mastered their RTL technique, what’s the best way?

I’ve been doing the dynavap “low and slow” heat style but I notice it has the opposite result on anvil - I’m guessing the bowl is losing temp faster than the thermal block can give it back, so when it does eventually click the block isn’t holding much heat.

I’m guessing you need to hit the thermal block with a lot of power so that it rushes to the bowl and doesn’t “steal” too much heat from the thermal battery to get to click temp?

Yeah. I’ve found that, contrary to the Dynavap, If you want to get a bigger hit or one-hit extraction, you don’t heat low and slow. You hit to get to the click as fast as possible, so a good option would be a bigger torch, as regular torches won’t gonna cut it for that purpose. Not something as big as a Big Buddy, but more like a Blazer Firefox. Here are the heat times to RTL:

If you have a smaller lower powered pocket torch that CANT get the thermal battery to click in 30-35 sec (ie. Honest single flame, Jabon single flame ) i recommend these heating times (note: you will not be able to RTL)
Dark roast/Thermal battery = 45-50 sec (great vapour production with great flav) My Fav
Med roast/Center oven = 35-40 sec (good vapour production with great flav)
light roast/Top ring = 25-30 sec (less vapor production with amazing flav)

If you CAN get the thermal battery to click in 30-35 sec (ie. Blazer firefox ) i would recommend these heating times
Ride the line (RTL)/Thermal battery = 30-35 sec (great vapor production with minimal flav)
Medium roast/Center oven = 20-25 sec (Great vapor production with great flav) My Fav
light roast/Top ring = 10-20 sec (Good vapour production with amazing flav)

 

[seki]

Nah man, we can't backtrack now. It's been said on several pages here and on Reddit by certain people that it "blows their FP out of the water", and they "haven't touched anything since". I wouldn't compare the Anvil to these vapes if they weren't already compared. It's not doing the Anvil any favors by overhyping it. It's a great vape, but there's a reason there are desktops and portables.

I'm not backtracking on anything, I stated:

Having said that, I also don't see the Anvil as a replacement per se, but definitely something that complements my desktops nicely.

By your own admission you're latching on to the opinions of a handful of people who seem to be overly enthusastic for their new toy. I was presenting a possible basis for comparison that plenty of reasonable people are considering when looking at these devices side by side. I guess I incorrectly assumed based on your disdain for the hyperbole put forth by some, you'd be more receptive to less "enthusiastic" discussions on the matter.

The dynavap was also 60$. For 60$, I really never cared that I didn't get instructions on how to turn my vapcap. It was relatively easy to follow. The Anvil is much more complex, and MUCH more expensive. Having to look up videos and ask questions for countless things is pretty tedious at a 230$ price tag. It's not a deal breaker since the people here are relatively smart and experienced, but to a new person it would be overwhelming.

Again, not sure why you're pointing this out to me, I was responding to a statement that Dynavap had a wealth of videos for new users to refer to by stating that they've had 7 years to create this content. I agreed with your sentiment that instructions are required.

To be clear, I agree that instructions are required and at the very least an online instruction manual of sorts is definitely something that should be provided for the benefit of new customers going forward.

For the record, the only other vape I seriously compare the Anvil to is the Supreme, and that's based on the heat retention properties more so than anything else.

 

[BKR2311]

I'm not backtracking on anything, I stated:



By your own admission you're latching on to the opinions of a handful of people who seem to be overly enthusastic for their new toy. I was presenting a possible basis for comparison that plenty of reasonable people are considering when looking at these devices side by side. I guess I incorrectly assumed based on your disdain for the hyperbole put forth by some, you'd be more receptive to less "enthusiastic" discussions on the matter.



Again, not sure why you're pointing this out to me, I was responding to a statement that Dynavap had a wealth of videos for new users to refer to by stating that they've had 7 years to create this content. I agreed with your sentiment that instructions are required.



For the record, the only other vape I seriously compare the Anvil to is the Supreme, and that's based on the heat retention properties more so than anything else.

For what it's worth, most of what I said was just in general and not exactly directed at you. I was a bit mislead buying this, but I've come to find a niche place for it in my routine. Don't want others to be disappointed if they don't know what they are buying. People get a bit too excited for their new toys like you said.

 

[My_50p_worth]

Oh wow.. that 35 second thermal block heat up is the exact repeatable hit I’ve been after. Compost colour AVB.

35 for the deep dive

 

[kilo]

I sold my FP and bought an Anvil with the proceeds. But I wouldn't say it "blows the FP out of the water" – and I still use my TM. For me the decision was purely based on my evolving preferences with regard to method of use. The FP hit hard and was very versatile but over the years I've come to prefer a toke or two at a time rather than being fixed in place at my vape station surrounded by paraphernalia. I like being on the move. Where the Anvil and the FP can be meaningfully compared is vapor production and the ability to fully extract a load with one inhalation, pointing out, of course, that the loads have to be comparable in volume. That said, I think I can see why some people would prefer the Anvil over the FP – the simplicity with no loss of potency. If I'm sitting down vaping with my partner I'm more likely to use my TM. (She likes her Fury2.) But when I'm active and working in the yard or just want a quick change of perspective the Anvil really hits the spot.

 

[RedZep]

I sold my FP and bought an Anvil with the proceeds. But I wouldn't say it "blows the FP out of the water" – and I still use my TM. For me the decision was purely based on my evolving preferences with regard to method of use. The FP hit hard and was very versatile but over the years I've come to prefer a toke or two at a time rather than being fixed in place at my vape station surrounded by paraphernalia. I like being on the move. Where the Anvil and the FP can be meaningfully compared is vapor production and the ability to fully extract a load with one inhalation, pointing out, of course, that the loads have to be comparable in volume. That said, I think I can see why some people would prefer the Anvil over the FP – the simplicity with no loss of potency. If I'm sitting down vaping with my partner I'm more likely to use my TM. (She likes her Fury2.) But when I'm active and working in the yard or just want a quick change of perspective the Anvil really hits the spot.

It doesn't blow the FP out the water. But the fact it can hit the same spot, being a portable butane vape is commendable.

I kept my FP, yet I am the same as you. My typically daily usage is an Anvil herb chamber here and there throughout the working day. I know some people have their FP on all day every day, but I never liked doing that.

My FP gets switched on Sunday mornings and stays on most the day. It's lovely for a prolonged session where you are really unwinding. But daily ease of use I'm finding the Anvil to be winning the reach test for me.

I think once the larger herb chambers come out, this thing is going to be looking like an absolute beast.

 

[Sour Dream]

So after a few days of use here are my impressions, I think it mostly lives up to the general hype, ball desktop vape comparisons not included. I think if it had the bigger chamber then I would agree it could start to compete, but it hits very hard for the herb load size.

Lack of directions means you don’t know what’s intended behavior or not, or how to do anything, you have to hit 5 different social media platforms to get a clue.

I think the creator should specify approve torches to use with this because It makes a massive difference in how well this device works and that should be noted somewhere official. Some people don’t wanna pay for a better torch but step up if you want the proper experience lol

I think the device is more finicky than I thought it would be but I really like it so far

https://imgur.com/a/9hKbj0w

 

[BKR2311]

I sold my FP and bought an Anvil with the proceeds. But I wouldn't say it "blows the FP out of the water" – and I still use my TM. For me the decision was purely based on my evolving preferences with regard to method of use. The FP hit hard and was very versatile but over the years I've come to prefer a toke or two at a time rather than being fixed in place at my vape station surrounded by paraphernalia. I like being on the move. Where the Anvil and the FP can be meaningfully compared is vapor production and the ability to fully extract a load with one inhalation, pointing out, of course, that the loads have to be comparable in volume. That said, I think I can see why some people would prefer the Anvil over the FP – the simplicity with no loss of potency. If I'm sitting down vaping with my partner I'm more likely to use my TM. (She likes her Fury2.) But when I'm active and working in the yard or just want a quick change of perspective the Anvil really hits the spot.

Yeah like I said I can see that. It's a suped up Vapcap imo. Once I changed my mindset of it, I started to like it more.

It doesn't blow the FP out the water. But the fact it can hit the same spot, being a portable butane vape is commendable.

I kept my FP, yet I am the same as you. My typically daily usage is an Anvil herb chamber here and there throughout the working day. I know some people have their FP on all day every day, but I never liked doing that.

My FP gets switched on Sunday mornings and stays on most the day. It's lovely for a prolonged session where you are really unwinding. But daily ease of use I'm finding the Anvil to be winning the reach test for me.

I think once the larger herb chambers come out, this thing is going to be looking like an absolute beast.

Agreed and like I replied above, once I changed my mindset I started to like it more. Tbh was going to sell it, and I haven't sold a single one of my vapes over the years. I've been using my Taroma at night and just blasting a bowl in the Anvil during the day at times. Not bad. Still not thrilled on some things.

So after a few days of use here are my impressions, I think it mostly lives up to the general hype, ball desktop vape comparisons not included. I think if it had the bigger chamber then I would agree it could start to compete, but it hits very hard for the herb load size.

Lack of directions means you don’t know what’s intended behavior or not, or how to do anything, you have to hit 5 different social media platforms to get a clue.

I think the creator should specify approve torches to use with this because It makes a massive difference in how well this device works and that should be noted somewhere official. Some people don’t wanna pay for a better torch but step up if you want the proper experience lol

I think the device is more finicky than I thought it would be but I really like it so far

https://imgur.com/a/9hKbj0w

Yeah I'm surprised at the lack of directions and not much on the site itself, so you have to go searching for it. I'm also surprised that this hasn't even been addressed. As for the torch, you may be right, but people might be like me - I won't buy a bigger torch if I'm not already thrilled about the experience. 300$ for this is enough for me to test it, not looking to get into it any deeper unless it has a place for me.

 

[TeaCup]

specify approve torches to use with this because It makes a massive difference in how well this device works

Yup. I've read the thread as it goes along, haven't gone back through it though, so now I'm confused about what torch should be used. In the beginning Whiff said that a single or double flame works best and that Blazer size torches don't work well. Now everyone is buying large torches???? So which is it? I realize different strokes for different folks, but I thought what Whiff says pretty much goes as far as hitting it, atleast so far until this thing is in more hands.

 

[Grass Yes]

Yeah like I said I can see that. It's a suped up Vapcap imo. Once I changed my mindset of it, I started to like it more.

This is my experience exactly. The Anvil absolutely exceeded my expectations. It rips at the high end and is sublime at lower temps. I actually really enjoy the technique of managing the heat by aiming at the copper targets. I think it works best through water in my experiments. I don't think it lives up to the hype of the founders club, but it is unique and I'm keeping it. It's also a lot prettier in person than I expected.

That being said, it is not replacing any of my devices, except maybe the vapcaps. Those were already relegated to a drawer to be sold anyway. The Anvil fill a unique niche but it's not my favorite. It is a fantastic riff on the vapcap form factor. It is what I had hoped a top-of-the-line vapcap would be. I hope the price can come down, it's a bit overpriced for the performance in my opinion now. I'm a big fan of trying new devices so I can take the hit but I would not recommend it to most people at this price.

 

[Datoneguy]

I wanted to say specifically why I'm liking the Anvil in my lineup atm and how it fits in. I have an Enano and Vapcap that I use about .05 loads in and sometimes will up that to .1 but like keeping it around .05. My third vape in my lineup a couple months ago was the Tetra P80 and I ended up selling the P80 and replacing it with the Anvil. I personally prefer the Anvil over the P80 and am glad to have made that switch but it's for very specific reasons related to myself. The P80 I would usually load the basket screen pretty well and tried to load it halfway but often I couldn't help but load the whole thing (.1-.15 i think). I found that whenever I used the p80 for a few days, my vapcap and enano would become notably weaker vapes because my tolerance had risen lol and I found this undesirable personally. The Anvil half bowl has been great in the sense that I can use it for a few days and go back to my vapcap/Enano and still get a pretty solid high from them. It's maybe a weird thing, but I'd like for my collection to be pretty interchangeable in a way without raising my tolerance to levels that leave only 1 out of my 4 vapes useful until I take a Tbreak.

I found the P80 signature itself to be pretty heavy for convection and maybe a little more stoney generally compared to my Enano for example. For me, this was undesirable for a convection signature and I thought it was just me but I heard the signature of the FP and Volcano Hybrid compared on this thread and I feel like the P80 high was closer to how they described the FP high. With the Anvil, I find the signature of the high closer to what I'm looking for. I also hated changing batteries with the P80 everyday basically and the fragility of the vape itself gave me anxiety because I was always afraid to drop it while vaping (used it outdoor mainly). So the vape was a hassle in a way because I don't like dealing with 18650 batteries and the idea of dropping a few hundred dollar vape onto the ground by accident was a constant anxiety that I had running in the background while trying to get high lol. The Anvil doesn't give me that anxiety while using it which is great for me. I also have been using the same little torch for 5 days or so now and haven't had to refill it yet.

The Anvil is just a way better fit for me than the P80 and I am super glad I made the switch. However, a lot of my opinion is based on personal preference and quirks of my personality more than anything. I won't sit here and say the Anvil is stronger than the P80, but I will say it is a vape I enjoy using more than the P80 by a wide margin and the high itself also is more satisfactory for the type of high I look for. Just wanted to give a comparison to another top dog portable here for anyone curious. Haven't tried the ball vapes, but I'm afraid of getting one and my tolerance rising to where the rest of my collection become paper weights basically lol. But maybe someday I'll take that plunge.

 

[BKR2311]

This is my experience exactly. The Anvil absolutely exceeded my expectations. It rips at the high end and is sublime at lower temps. I actually really enjoy the technique of managing the heat by aiming at the copper targets. I think it works best through water in my experiments. I don't think it lives up to the hype of the founders club, but it is unique and I'm keeping it. It's also a lot prettier in person than I expected.

That being said, it is not replacing any of my devices, except maybe the vapcaps. Those were already relegated to a drawer to be sold anyway. The Anvil fill a unique niche but it's not my favorite. It is a fantastic riff on the vapcap form factor. It is what I had hoped a top-of-the-line vapcap would be. I hope the price can come down, it's a bit overpriced for the performance in my opinion now. I'm a big fan of trying new devices so I can take the hit but I would not recommend it to most people at this price.

Very well said. Basically hit all the points, and I agree

 

[Sour Dream]

Yup. I've read the thread as it goes along, haven't gone back through it though, so now I'm confused about what torch should be used. In the beginning Whiff said that a single or double flame works best and that Blazer size torches don't work well. Now everyone is buying large torches???? So which is it? I realize different strokes for different folks, but I thought what Whiff says pretty much goes as far as hitting it, atleast so far until this thing is in more hands.

The Blazer Pt4000 has been working great for me, I think there may be some inconsistency even with the same torch. Gonna try the pb207 next since that will form factor work better on the go imo

 

[Datoneguy]

So I use these torches and I know a couple other people mentioned they do as well. https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Lighter-Windproof-Refillable-Assorted/dp/B0776NN1CD

I have been able to almost get my technique down using them but I did not know that heating things up faster is the way to go compared to a slower heating of a vapcap for bigger hits. I am going to try to speed up the heat time to see if I can get these torches to work consistently with RTL. I was wondering, is it okay to have the tip of the inner flame hitting the thermal battery when heating?

I've been using the torches on the highest setting possible and keeping the inner blue flame maybe 1/3-1/4 inch away from the device when heating and I get pretty good extraction most of the time except for a little greenish on the top layer. I'm going to try putting the inner flame in contact with the device if that is an okay thing to do and will see if I get better RTL consistency. I'd like to use the torches I have just because I have like 8 of them already lol.

The other option I'm considering instead of moving the torch closer so that the inner flame touches the device is to instead heat the Anvil until I hear a second click rather than stopping at the first click. Is this an okay thing to do or is that likely gonna lead to combustionville? lol

Going to try doing one of these changes tonight or both changes together to see what results I get. Just wanted to see if these were advisable changes or not.