Any suggestions for a first time vape buyer, looking for (100%) glass

[WibblyGlorph]

I have done a lot of reading on this forum and it's very helpful but I'm still a little confused. I was hoping someone could offer me some personalised advice.

I was put off by the speculation over health risks with aluminum or aluminum-ceramic heating elements (I presume these are resistors which get hot and make actual contact with the herb), but those posts were also quite old so I don't know if there's been any development.

That said, my attention turned to all glass (borosilicate) as many describe it as the most durable and clean tasting.

1. Can anyone recommend me something that meets these criteria? I've seen something called a Herborizer, but I can't for the life of me work out what it does. It kind of looks like an attachment for a bong?

2. The Vapolution looks pretty good and in my price range. Can anyone comment on this?

3. What are the risks / benefits of the smaller ones that work with handheld lighters instead? I've seen a couple of all glass ones, and they seem to be cheaper.

4. What is a whip?

Thanks people, hope to cut out the combustion ASAP.

5. Also, I enjoy hash sometimes. Is this a problem?

 

[max]

health risks with aluminum or aluminum-ceramic heating elements

I don't know of any aluminum elements, just heat exchangers. Aluminum is safe at vaping temps. The Herborizer uses (last I heard) a ceramic element enclosed in stainless steel. The Vapolution uses nichome wire for heating, but it's outside the vapor path. This is the cheapest all glass path AC model you'll find.

If you use a glass vape that allows heating of the bowl from the outside, with a torch (like the Vapolution Pocket Vape), you'll be fine. If you use a regular lighter with a pipe/bowl type vape, like the VaporGenie, you'll be risking flint dust, if the lighter uses a flint, and partially burned carbon (soot). A torch lighter burns clean, but doesn't work as well with a Genie type vape.

Also, I enjoy hash sometimes. Is this a problem?

It's harder to heat a chunk of hash to vaping temps, so using shaved pieces is often a better idea, and the residue it leaves can be more difficult to deal with. Not every vape model is the best for hash.

 

[WibblyGlorph]

I don't know of any aluminum elements, just heat exchangers.

Like an engine block coolant system or a fridge? How do these things work? I thought you just put herbs on a hot plate of some sort. Probably that was a resistor of some sort that gives out heat in a circuit. Is it more complicated than that in these machines like Vapolutions and stuff?

 

[CentiZen]

Yes it is, it's a wonderful little bit of science and thermodynamics that make these vaporizers different from the common hot plate models of years past.

Most of the heat elements in these vaporizers come from a winding or length of nichrome resistance wire. An intermediary like aluminum or ceramic is often present as a heat exchanger, which stores and transfers the heat in a more effective manner than just a wrap of wire. It's also keeps the nichrome from coming in direct contact with the air or herb, as it certainly has a taste to it.

There's two ways to vaporizer really, convection and conduction. Convection comes from a stream of heated air being forced through your herb. Conduction is when your herb is in contact with a hot object or affected by it's radial heat. Most vaporizers use both of these concepts to achieve a good vaporization. Not all, but most of them have elements of both of these present. The vapolution for example, heats the glass tube which your herb is in, and when you draw in air it forces it through another heating element to superheat the air to the right temperature. This flows through the herb, which is already warm from the heated glass tube. That causes the actives to vaporize into that stream of air and you get a nice tasty hit of them.

These hot plate vaporizers are the crudest implementation of a conduction vaporizer. Thats not to say the conduction effect is a bad way of doing things - the Pax would be an example of the conduction effect being used almost exclusively, but still achieving good results. The Cloud on the other hand, is an example of the convection effect being used almost exclusively.

So there's a bit of a dichotomy between the vapes that focus on one heating style over the others. Some like conduction vapes for their couchlocking and deep body high effects, while I personally like the light, productive highs one can get from convection. Most people are still in the process of trying to figure what is best for them and new models are coming out that change the landscape all the time.

I'd recommend the vapolution to you since it in inexpensive, awesome, and fits your requirements to a T. The ascent or the cloud are two other options that would work too, albeit with higher price tags.

 

[Stu]

Excellent reply, CZ. I do believe I see a typo that you might want to fix for the record...

The Cloud on the other hand, is an example of the conduction effect being used almost exclusively.

 

[CentiZen]

Typo? What typo? There's no typo. You doctored that quote!! LIES! SLANDER!!!

Thanks for catching that one though. Fixed it up.

 

[Stu]

If I don't keep you on your toes who will? I don't trust those other fuckers around here, no way.

To the OP: It sounds like the Vapo2 and yourself might make a happy couple. I'd give it a go.

 

[WibblyGlorph]

Thank you all for the advice and patient explanations.

I think i'll save up for the Vapolution, but in the mean time get something like a Vapo2 or Vaponic to use with a turbo lighter.

Edit: The Vapo2 seems to have a plastic piece between the bubble and the stem. Will this have any undesirable effect at all?

 

[Stu]

To be clear, when I wrote "vapo2" I was referring to the Vapolution 2.0.

 

[max]

The Vapo2 seems to have a plastic piece between the bubble and the stem. Will this have any undesirable effect at all?

The only plastic with the Vapolution is the whip tubing (perfectly safe at vaping temps), and you don't have to use that if you get the AIW bowl (highly recommended).

 

[vaporonly]

check out the gnome too

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

The only plastic with the Vapolution is the whip tubing (perfectly safe at vaping temps), and you don't have to use that if you get the AIW bowl (highly recommended).

I think he is talking bout VAPO 2 not vapolution 2.0 ... Which a bulb type vape sold in EU headshops.
http://www.vapo2.com/

 

[max]

I think he is talking bout VAPO 2 not vapolution 2.0 ... Which a bulb type vape sold in EU headshops.
http://www.vapo2.com/

You're right there is a vapo 2. Can't keep up with vape models and abbreviations anymore.

 

[VapeNStone]

how does that Vapo2 work? Just looks like you could break a lightbulb and do the same thing? No?

 

[clouded vision]

how does that Vapo2 work? Just looks like you could break a lightbulb and do the same thing? No?

yes kind of like this one posted by @lwien in another thread

 

[VapeNStone]

lol this is what I tell kids to do on the internet when they ask me how they could make a vape with nothing. I never thought to make it all fancy like that. Just break the light bulb and pull the filament out without getting glass everywhere. Then just put your herb in the bulb and light the outside with a lighter. It kind of works to I guess, not my preferred method lol

 

[grokit]

I'm seriously regretting not picking one of these up instead of my stupid tvape:

This one works with a bic. No batteries or turbo lighter to fail.

 

[WibblyGlorph]

Thanks for the replies. I bought a vaponic and I'm getting to grips with it.

I sort of feel like I'm using up more weed than I used to when smoking but maybe I'm just not used to the effects of weed without carbon monoxide and all that.

In any case the vaponic is a good little device, would recommend it, although it takes some learning to get right.

Also works best with a turbo lighter or gas stove.

I'm seriously regretting not picking one of these up instead of my stupid tvape:

This one works with a bic. No batteries or turbo lighter to fail.

This looks nice, what's it called? Also with this type (and similar vapor genie style devices) I heard you're not supposed to use ordinary lighters with flints. Better to use a piezoelectric one.

 

[grokit]

The flint dust thing is easily solved imo by just letting the flame go for a full second so it burns off before inhaling. Another option for avoiding it besides lighters with electric ignition is hempwick, which I will be experimenting with soon.

 

[z9]

Thanks for the replies. I bought a vaponic and I'm getting to grips with it.

I sort of feel like I'm using up more weed than I used to when smoking but maybe I'm just not used to the effects of weed without carbon monoxide and all that.

In any case the vaponic is a good little device, would recommend it, although it takes some learning to get right.

The vaponic is a good, versatile device. As far as the high goes, it reminds me of combusting out of my old chillim during my smoking days; it will only get you so medicated. It can take a while for some people to get used to the effects of vaporizing vs smoking, but it could have something to do with the vape. Definitely get a desktop or strong portable for the full vaporizing experience.

 

[WibblyGlorph]

The vaponic is a good, versatile device. As far as the high goes, it reminds me of combusting out of my old chillim during my smoking days; it will only get you so medicated... Definitely get a desktop or strong portable for the full vaporizing experience.

What exactly do you mean by this?

Since it's my first vaporizer, I have no reference point. As I'm getting better with the Vaponic though, I'm learning to get more out of it.

What is special about the larger desktop vaporizers that guarantees getting higher?

 

[max]

The difference between small hitters (small bowls and narrow vapor paths) and big hitters (bigger and wider), as far as 'getting higher', is a matter of how much vapor you can get in a short period of time. Getting a lot, all at once, can make a big difference in effect. It also applies to alcohol as well as other substances. It even applies to sound. Turn up the volume on your stereo to high dB levels all at once and it's a shock to your ears. Turn the volume up gradually and when you finally arrive at the same level, you don't even realize how loud it is.

I've used both extremes of vape designs. The Purple Days log vape had probably the smallest bowl ever, along with a narrow air path. It was a great dosing vape that allowed you to get medicated slowly and avoid using a lot of herb. At the same time I used the PD I also used the SSV (one of the biggest hitters) for times when I wanted to get really high, really quick. I could certainly use the same amount of herb in both vapes, but the time it takes to drain a small bowl, at a fixed temp, then reload and fully vape another bowl, won't get you that sudden rush of effect that you get with a lung busting hit or two.

Using a small, miserly vape like the PD can really stretch your supply and keep your tolerance level down, but it can also be frustrating when you want to get really wrecked. OTOH using a big hitter all the time means you're likely to use a lot more herb all the time. So a lot of people end up with both types of vape designs, as they're complementary.

 

[WibblyGlorph]

I used to (and still sometimes do) smoke weak spliffs. My joints are thinner than most people like to smoke, about the thickness of roll up cigarettes, not fat and conical (incidentally, I also don't like smoking potent sativa 'skunk' strains very often, I prefer the higher ratios of cannibinoids:THC present in indica strains.)

So the 'small hitter' style you describe suits my style well. I can get myself pretty high with the vaponic, certainly as high as I'd like to be if I were smoking. At least high by my standards.

At some point I will try some smelly skunk in my vaponic and see what that feels like. I wanted to try some hash in it but I'm wary of getting it filthy. I have some isopropyl alcohol somewhere but I can't find it.

But as I say, I'm rarely one for huge bong hits of stinky strong weed, so I'm very happy with this vape.