Any Downsides to the Vapcap? Anything you would change?

[biohacker]

From brother @Alexis via PM due to the mods making this thread David Copperfield:

Anyway, I just typed a post for the vapcap thread you spun up.
And when I tried to post it, the thread has disappeared! Shame cos it was interesting. Not so boringly predictable like many threads, and not too serious either.

So here is my post, I typed it, somebody may as well see it right?

"I do think you are right Biohacker that the vapcaps are not for you. I never actually thought they would be in truth. This thread has been a great watch! The vapcap crowd are pretty awsome and a real mixed bunch, generally very open and broad minded.

It does require technique dialing to keep to lower temp vapor, and further away from vapor/smoke hybrid. The results are vary variable, not easy to replicate hit size each time, or know exactly what you are going to get, and how to get it with your eyes closed.

As you say, the Supreme excells here. Fool proof replication, or "vapor cloning!" The vapcaps do require some manual effort. I often like to do 2 back to back bowls.

One bowl does give a really decent effect, but max load is 0.7 ish at most. I think I like to vape a little more. So 2 bowls to me is 6 heating cycles.

The biggest issue for me with the vapcaps is actually heating it, due to hand and wrist issues.

I have an induction heater coming on slow boat from Pipes, 5 weeks plus now in transit!

This induction heater will take away the worst part of using my Omnivap at home- the actual heating it. And I expect it will yield more reliable and consistent results, temp and hit wise, rate and eveness of extraction.

Which should enable me to keep the vapor healthier, and draw my ideal line between getting toasted, and verging on unhealthiness.

With the Herborizer Ti coming soon though, the Vapcaps may be pushed aside! I woulda got the portable induction heater from Pipes, just way more pricey.

I can manage the torch if it only away from home. And I expect to hit my Herborizer Ti before going places, and only need a lttle Omnivap. But who knows?!

However the thing about the Omnivap, regardless of its downsides and un-replicability, I find myself craving it! I miss the buzz when I am using the Herborizer XL, and within 2 days at tops I just cant wait to have an Omnivap.

It is a very rewarding process and effect. But I dont think it would be my primary vape. It adds to the richness of things, but I will also tire of it if used daily on its own.

I dont regret getting the Omnivap at all. However much I do or dont use it in time. We'll see when Mr H Ti comes to live here!"

Oh I forgot, the efficency of the vapcaps is a big winner for them. I can get so much more out of less herb. I do take the abv pretty dark admittedly in 3 cycles, but it does not effect me nearly as badly as how other vapes would have to be used to extract that fully in such quick time.

Which is surpising for the small vapcap. It is surprisingly smooth and cool, even if it is unhealthy higher heat vapor at times.

The draw restriction, this is probably the biggest issue that most people have, that makes it a no go for some. I am not keen on draw restriction. I have the Omnivap though which can have a varied intake, and different property to the vapor depending on the condenser depth in the tip.

I have had great hits and full extraction in 3 cycles, through a water tool, with smooth good tasting vapor- with the carb and airflow 80% open. Much easier experience that way. I didnt get smaller, or even less visible hits, just faster flowing air.

Thanks Alexis! (Likes post!) PM response enroute!

 

[CuckFumbustion]

O.K. been a lot of discussion about what is smoke and what can be achieved with the VC. I've had mine for over a week trying this and that technique getting further up the curve and posted my mods. Placed screens in to have the materials closer to the cap and that leans things toward conduction heat type ABV. If pyrolysis or other is possible to create, I'm sure there is a spot/mark where the VC can hit with enough effort. I agree it is harder to reproduce the same results consistently for some without going through the learning curve. I cheated with mods and read as much as I can beforehand about how others were getting along. If some users are having trouble with restriction, rings or getting the proper mouth pull, I can plan ahead instead of re-inventing the wheel. Negative but descriptive feedback is how the VC went through all those changes. So glad that this much needed thread was created. The perfect answer to the wall of posts during the height and headiness of 4/20 sale. It is such a fast moving thread and so many new users and buyers have something to add which is ok. Just when you are a new user who wants the path of least resistance and wants to save on butane and dumb mistakes, it's hard to sift through all that. Fortunately others have posted very descriptive threads and @Stu already saw this coming and made room.

Ok, I went ahead and created a "best of" thread for the VapCap. Feel free to nominate more posts that you deem worthy.

In that short time I have experienced So many finer degrees of near combustion and have grabbed for the magnet to cool my cap when I'm close enough to detect things going south. I've had all the color types and profiles of ABV to examine. If there is a danger zone, I've danced on that fine line several times. So it is very much a worthy discussion here. Even if it only is being skeptical of the science of vaping and combustion.

There is no free lunch or vape that 'does it all' for that matter. There is a downsize to any vape other than cost or perceived value. Which is precisely why I measure the pros and cons of every vape and THEN decide what is overthinking or not.


@biohacker like the quote in your sig about Fanboyism. BTW. Stay skeptical, but remain optimistic. This thread has helped me get a broader picture of how users are getting along and a deeper discussion about the safety and materials used.

 

[pakalolo]

Everyone and his brother is pissing and moaning about draw restriction on the vc. What is it, you want the good stuff to jump out of the herb and jump in your lungs? If you don't like the draw get a straw, buy a bong, roll a joint.
If you don't have "draw restriction", (dr) you don't have vacuum. You introduce vacuum you lower the boiling point of the load in the bowl. Yes boiling point.
If you heat something it releases the vapors which sits on the surface of the load. Lower the pressure and the boiling point is lowered. The hot vapor gets excited starts jumping around and heads to your lungs.
Stop and think about this you expect two little metal tubes, to automatically remove the vapor from the herb and place it, (without any effort on your part), in your lungs.
THERE AIN'T NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH. Quit looking for one.
Quit over thinking so much. Go back to shaking, and stirring, and scraping, and charging batteries, and plugging into the wall, and what ever else you do.
Please, quit trying to piss on my parade. I really don't give a s__t whether you like the VapCap or not. I like it. It works for me. And you don't. Doc

This is not in the spirit of our prime rule: Be Nice. You could have made your point without showing contempt for those who are simply discussing what they feel are shortcomings of the VapCap.

This thread is a bit of an experiment. Normally we would move such a discussion into the VapCap thread, since we do don't want more than one thread per vapourizer model. Multiple threads make it harder for people to find information. In particular, this sort of topic has the potential to inspire bashing and flames. In this case, by the time we were alerted about this thread there were several good civil responses, so we allowed it to remain in Ask FC. We've reached five pages before someone (you) finally posted some flamebait.

In the future, to avoid warning points please express your opinion in a respectful manner.

Umm, you're in the wrong thread here Doc Fish out of water in this thread, and I think I wouldn't be alone here in thinking that you're trolling. Please don't piss on my parade of this thread, you know what the title is.

Thanks to everyone else for their contributions.

You know what I'm about to say.

Please leave moderating to the moderators. If a post breaks the rules, report it and do not respond. If you feel a response is needed, please use a PM. Accusing someone of being a troll is against our rules and could result in a warning point, even if true.

 

[C No Ego]

thinking about trying the vap cap again today... stash is a little low and just want to get a feel again of how it handles.. a little herb, a little degummed hemp fiber = vapped

 

[guyonthecouch]

I dig the VC for what it is..
weak points:
-restriction is toight jes - Sucking one's face off when carbed and still haven't had a good experience when leaving the carb completely open as others have described.
-parts are mini and can easily get lost - lost a CCD screen while cleaning and was keeping an eye on everything the whole time..magically disappeared.
-I shredded my index, thumb and other thumb on a Ti tip trying to re-insert it into the body.. ouch.. quite sharp indeed. Was from the body of the tip and not the end of the tip which I'm aware and cautious of.
-Hard to manage heat towards end of sessions without risking combustion. It's no prob getting it nice and golden but anything after is trickier for most people.

 

[CarolKing]

I really love the different units that are available. It's great folks can stop combusting for a little bit of money.

They are very beautiful units and I will probably buy me another one to use with my Woodscents. It's just too much work if you want to use it as a session vaporizer. Most of my vaping needs I go for a session 80% of the time. I don't want to keep reloading and heating up and listen for the click in a noisy room. I love the enthusiasm that everyone has for this little portable.

It will be great when the power goes out.

 

[Baron23]

If it seems like you've been heating too long, and it should have already clicked, stop heating and you probably will never combust.

THIS ^^. I always count in addition to listening for the click (and on the first heat cycle the click is sometimes very difficult to detect if at all). I get to three one-thousand I stop, click or not. I can always heat but once you combusted its like a pickle....you can never make it back into a cucumber. LOL

If you don't like the draw get a straw, buy a bong, roll a joint.

Or get a vape that works wonderfully but doesn't make you suck you eyeballs into your head to get a hit (Mighty occurs to me off the top of my head). I own a number of VCs, I have a Ti Woody that it took 2.5 generations of tips to be able to get anything out of it. Someone said that their OG has terrible draw restriction. My OGs work very well, high restriction but usable. My Ti Woody is now 'usable' but it wasn't until we cycled through a number of tip types and it still ain't great. Having some level restriction to lower pressure between the oven and the MP in order to create draw is not the same (IMO) as really bad restriction and the VC's have definitely shown bad restriction in my direct experience. I don't think people are being unreasonable to want a vape that doesn't require the lungs of a pearl free diver to get a draw. Just my view.

 

[C No Ego]

I really love the different units that are available. It's great folks can stop combusting for a little bit of money.

They are very beautiful units and I will probably buy me another one to use with my Woodscents. It's just too much work if you want to use it as a session vaporizer. Most of my vaping needs I go for a session 80% of the time. I don't want to keep reloading and heating up and listen for the click in a noisy room. I love the enthusiasm that everyone has for this little portable.

It will be great when the power goes out.

I/m the same way... sitting back and sipping a session vape is like fine Wine to be savored slowly... the vap cap is like a stick shift that needs to be manually operated... for folks who just want to manually work it,they love it but others just want to pack it and forget it til it stops producing vapor

 

[snackmaster]

This has been mentioned before, but I experienced it firsthand yesterday: the vapcap is very difficult to use in sunny, windy conditions. I suppose that's true of any vape that requires a torch lighter.

 

[invertedisdead]

Most responses here are pretty fair and civil but something about reading all these criticisms in a row makes this vaporizer sound pretty bad. I gotta say, if I had read this thread before I bought my Vapcap I absolutely would have been turned off and probably would have skipped it. I can't relate to many of the criticisms so I'm glad I didn't as it's absolutely replaced a $500 vaporizer. It just goes to show how subjective everything really is.

 

[Baron23]

It just goes to show how subjective everything really is.

VERY true and something we should all remember when we find ourselves in disagreement about a vape. Just cause I don't like it doesn't mean that it doesn't fit your use case and desires perfectly.

if I had read this thread before I bought my Vapcap I absolutely would have been turned off and probably would have skipped it.

I do understand that, but if you read the main VC thread, you might be temped to view this it as the second coming and that ain't fair view either. So, now we have a bit of both and, so far, there's been a bit of good and...well, not so good...with every vape I have.

Cheers

 

[CuckFumbustion]

I/m the same way... sitting back and sipping a session vape is like fine Wine to be savored slowly... the vap cap is like a stick shift that needs to be manually operated... for folks who just want to manually work it,they love it but others just want to pack it and forget it til it stops producing vapor

.That got me laughing.

I do think many have you change their perception of what is acceptable vapor. It does dry things differently unmodded than other vapes. Not bad just a different encounter.

This thing can hit those low level temps with very little skill. IMHO The low level vapor is worth the $40.00, if I was stuck not getting visible but effective vapor, like with my Day 1 experience. But If you can get with it more, there is rewards for your diligence.

I have no problem with heat up time indoors and got a duo torch to slow things down. If I obey the click or miss hearing the click but enough time passed. Then improve on my heating method. But also my cap kinds has a double click in most heat ups to be honest. Use that extra cue to my advantage. to be honest.
VAPEHACK!!!

I don't think people are being unreasonable to want a vape that doesn't require the lungs of a pearl free diver to get a draw. Just my view.

However, It might get you that much closer to that goal. Deep sea diving for pearls can buy you a lot of VCs.

 

[CarolKing]

This thread just shows how individual we all are and how different some of our vaporizing needs are. Folks always looking for that perfect vaporizer to fit their needs. We all have different needs. What one person loves doesn't mean you're going to love it. It takes a lot of research to buy a vaporizer. At least this one doesn't cost a lot.

 

[Andreaerdna]

Most responses here are pretty fair and civil but something about reading all these criticisms in a row makes this vaporizer sound pretty bad. I gotta say, if I had read this thread before I bought my Vapcap I absolutely would have been turned off and probably would have skipped it. I can't relate to many of the criticisms so I'm glad I didn't as it's absolutely replaced a $500 vaporizer. It just goes to show how subjective everything really is.

I think this was the reason a specific "negative thread" (what you don't like about a vape or a manufacturer) wasn't allowed until this one that has @vtac approuval , I guess times are changing..

I agree with all your points but luckily for George, Vapcap is selling so well that this not very sales friendly thread maybe will not not impact sales ?

 

[invertedisdead]

I do understand that, but if you read the main VC thread, you might be temped to view this it as the second coming and that ain't fair view either. So, now we have a bit of both and, so far, there's been a bit of good and...well, not so good...with every vape I have.

Cheers

I agree, though to be 100% fair, MOST threads on here pretty much have their own group of diehard loyal supporters. I don't think the Vapcap thread is much different from the Grasshopper thread, or the E-Nano thread, or any of the other popular vaporizers which have a big following. Actually it really does not matter how big the company is whatsoever. The RBT supporters are definitely as expressive and vocal about their baby as Storz & Bickel owners or Arizer owners.

This thread just shows how individual we all are and how different some of our vaporizing needs are. Folks always looking for that perfect vaporizer to fit their needs. We all have different needs. What one person loves doesn't mean you're going to love it. It takes a lot of research to buy a vaporizer. At least this one doesn't cost a lot.

Great post Carol, I hope in the future with more legalization (and hopefully interest in vaporization) we will be able to TRY before we buy. Right now most of us are "buying shoes online" and "hoping they fit"

 

[vtac]

I think @pakalolo summed it up well:

This thread is a bit of an experiment. Normally we would move such a discussion into the VapCap thread, since we do don't want more than one thread per vapourizer model. Multiple threads make it harder for people to find information. In particular, this sort of topic has the potential to inspire bashing and flames. In this case, by the time we were alerted about this thread there were several good civil responses, so we allowed it to remain in Ask FC. We've reached five pages before someone (you) finally posted some flamebait.

Reading through the posts I don't think it's accurate to call this a "negative thread". Could the discussion have taken place in the main VapCap thread? Sure, however if you look at the threads in Ask FC I don't think this one is so out of place. Members chose to respond in this thread and have been respectful, providing insightful feedback. No new precedent being set here IMO.

If you want to continue to discuss the merits and implications of this thread please feel free to private message @Stu. Edit: Just kidding. Leave Stu alone.

 

[grokit]

It's really hard to keep up with the main thread sometimes!

If you do keep up, vas will grab you by the throat

The vapcap itself?
It's really hard to hear the click with headphones on

!

Lighters can get frustrating, but @Pipes' induction heater works great.

That's about it for me, need to catch up here.

 

[weedemon]

Hey man this thread is supposed to be informative as possible, it isn't particularly helpful as an information resource if you don't provide reasoning and explanations.

I don't mean to come across as a dick I just want to maintain a level of discourse.

totally agree with you, and I would like to offer an insight from yesterday I can share on the subject. (i haven't finished the thread yet but this one inspired me to comment)

I had 2 friends who vape when with me, but smoke when the choice is theirs. the daisy (sticky brick) is my go to home vape. they usually don't get very big rips from it and they say that is why they prefer the smoke. well both of em got hotter rips yesterday. they passed it back to me apologized and told me they lit it up by accident. this happened 3 times each time i checked the bowl, no actual combustion really happened.

they got huge rips that left them coughing and took them a couple min to get settled down from. Yet, the bowl was not burnt. I wonder if this is similar to what OP that steama was replying to.

as for why this happened. when you use the daisy and the screen begins to get clogged up on the underside, the airflow becomes restricted and I think we all know that means more heat so they get a higher temperature hit.


this thread has been awesome letting me know what i'm in for when my vapcap gets here.

*edit:
oh, here it is:

Smoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases[1] emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass.

As you can see, you don't NEED combustion to produce smoke. The changing of solid into gas is enough to create "smoke".

very interesting. I have been away from the forum for a while and missed the discussion about where vapor ends and where combustion begins.

when the boys had their coughing fit hits, the room did not smell like smoke on any of those occasions nor did hte vape, so we must have been below that threshold for smoke to be produced. (I think it was still vapor)

 

[Krazy]

I like this thread. The potential downsides mentioned are all things I did figure out beforehand and are not downsides for me. I like having a manageable thread like this to check for potential downsides.

If you have bad hearing, impaired manual dexterity, want a session vape, or need to be able to pull it out of your pocket and discreetly hit it on a buss? Probably not the vape for you.

 

[weedemon]

i agree. the main thread is overwhelming and pretty much impossible to keep up on because it grows so fast with all the activity! (too much filler posts that don't drop knowledge) how cool would it be to be able to filter posts on a thread based on the topics they discuss?

 

[needalift]

I'm reading a lot about draw resistance , but I don't find it an issue . If you take a light long hit with the carb completely open , the type of hit you would take on any other vape with very little draw resistance then one can still blow clouds . Me personally , I use the carb the full closed and hit it similar to how I used to hit a cigarette ,and don't find the resistance bothersome at all . But back to the question at hand . The one thing that bothers me is the hundreds of dollars I have wasted . Since I found the vapcap , I've put hundreds of dollar worth of vapes into retirement or just passed them along to friends. But I guess I made up for that in the money I've saved in material , since I now only have to use a very tiny portion of what I was before with other vapes . At one point , I felt awkward about using my vapcap in public . But now that's gone . I think just like with anything else , the way you are carrying yourself determines how people are gonna see you . If you are ducked in a corner looking suspicious then people are gonna be suspicious . If you act like you are supposed to be doing what you are doing , people don't even pay any mind . There are so many trendy new ways to stop smoking or vape in general that most people won't pay any attention at all . Is this a good session vape , NO , which doesn't bother me as all of my friends have vapcaps now . It looks like a vapcap convention when we hang out . Believe me , I know this vape isn't for everyone . I've bought a few vapes off the strength of what people have said on this forum and they fell short for me . It's all part of the game I guess . I'm sorry I can't really find a fault in my vapcap to add to this thread . I honestly tried . But , I don't take offense to this thread as I hope to learn a few things along the way that I may be missing in the other thread ....

 

[C No Ego]

OK, so I sat with this little glass vape yesterday and had a few manual sessions.. It was awesome with a mixture of no vapor to thick as shit vapor... I basically dialed in the time needed for the torch and did not really rely on the click after dialing that timed heat in... it took a few times to get it right but when it was

afterwards I realized how darn medicated I had become on just a tiny bit of herb that would just have (half packed ) my normal session vapes..

If I needed air adjustment I hold my finger lightly over the little carb hole and that helps either to increase heat in there or open up air flow for less heat...

still the metal cap pops off after it cools down if I do not contain it with a piece of napkin.. I guess it's the mechanism in there that swells when heated and releases afterwards once cool making it pop... not a biggie just something to look out for on glass models???

 

[needalift]

OK, so I sat with this little glass vape yesterday and had a few manual sessions.. It was awesome with a mixture of no vapor to thick as shit vapor... I basically dialed in the time needed for the torch and did not really rely on the click after dialing that timed heat in... it took a few times to get it right but when it was

afterwards I realized how darn medicated I had become on just a tiny bit of herb that would just have (half packed ) my normal session vapes..

If I needed air adjustment I hold my finger lightly over the little carb hole and that helps either to increase heat in there or open up air flow for less heat...

still the metal cap pops off after it cools down if I do not contain it with a piece of napkin.. I guess it's the mechanism in there that swells when heated and releases afterwards once cool making it pop... not a biggie just something to look out for on glass models???

Have you tried bending the digger on the tip very slightly ?? This should keep it from popping off.

 

[C No Ego]

Have you tried bending the digger on the tip very slightly ?? This should keep it from popping off.

Ahhh, will try and see if that could work... Thank you! Genius!

 

[invertedisdead]

i agree. the main thread is overwhelming and pretty much impossible to keep up on because it grows so fast with all the activity! (too much filler posts that don't drop knowledge) how cool would it be to be able to filter posts on a thread based on the topics they discuss?

You can search for specific queries in a thread using the search tool.

But respectfully... There has been more "knowledge dropped" in the Vapcap thread than any I've ever seen regarding tips, tricks, and techniques. Nobody reads the earlier pages so it's the same questions everyday, but everything is there.