Thank you for the good words, you guys made my day!
@Bad Dog Thanks for the suggestion, I looked and Broken coast is available in Quebec but none of the strain you talked about are.
I'm gonna give the other strains a try for sure, it's a bit more expensive but if the quality is there, I'm interested.
After spending more time with the XQ2 I think the heater is better than the one in the EQ but not by much.
I don't know if it's because it's a new unit and I got my EQ in 2017 or maybe the new isolated airpath help to contain the heat and direct it to the bowl better.
I'm really curious if the heater is new or if it's the same thing but with little differences.
I feel I get a better extraction when I use the XQ2 regardless of the bowl I use.
I should maybe tell you that I leave the empty bowl on the heater with the elbow adapter on all the time and only take it off to fill it or empty it so if you don't get good results try heat soaking the bowl before.
Speaking of bowls I decided to dust off the Cyclone bowl and do a real comparison with the Connoisseur and the DDave bowls.
The Cyclone bowl doesn't work, it's the weak point of the EQ, and it's not working better on the XQ2.
The screen is too high and the glass lip that support the screen restrict the airflow while creating a zone where the herb doesn't get in contact with the hot air.
This means not a lot of vapor is created and I absolutely need to stir after each puff.
It's frustrating because I have to inhale for a long time and I don't get a lot of vapor in return.
The Connoisseur bowl works really well on both vapes.
The glass screen does restrict the airflow more than the Cyclone but the airflow is more even.
I decided to use a metal screen in the bowl because I had too much herb falling on the heater and the smell of burning weed was too noticeable.
When I use the bowl with the glass screen in Cloud mode (close to the heater) I get a lot of vapor quickly, I go from 180c to 220c and I can go fast, hit after hit and still get great clouds.
The vapor start slow and it don't stop until the herb is spent.
What I really like with this mode is playing with the herb, in this mode the herb have enough space to move around when I inhale so I don't have to stir at all and my herb comes out a nice even color completely extracted.
I have a nice view of the herb floating in the bowl, it's a fun experience.
This is also why I use the metal screen, all that shuffling of the herb in the bowl makes a mess of crumbs and that's what fall on the heater after.
If you flip the bowl and use it in Flavor mode (glass screen away from the heater) you have less space for your herb and you will need to stir a little bit.
The good news is that vapor production is still better than it was with the Cyclone.
The vapor production is slower but this is a mode to use when you want to take it easy and relax.
How flavorful is it really? It's pretty good but I vape thru water so I'm not the best guy to talk about this aspect of the vape.
All I can say is that I get some good hit at the start and the flavor get muted quick but it's always a vapor that's gentle on my lungs.
The DDave bowl is still the best, on both the EQ and the XQ2, anyone surprised?
The screen is close to the heater, wide open airflow, nothing to stop the production of vapor.
You need to stir but you will still get good results if you don't.
The big problem with the DDave bowl is to get one, it's not always in stock and can be expensive to order, also not everybody likes to order stuff online.
I also noticed that I have more weed falling from the screen when I stir because the screen move around in the adapter.
What this all means is that for the XQ2, Arizer finally have a bowl that works like it should, you don't need to have the DDave bowl to get a good vapor production. You can still get a DDave bowl if you want to have a fully open airflow but it's not a necessity like before with the EQ.
Remember when I said I might be happy with using the vape natively?
I realized that I wasn't using the elbow adapter that came with the XQ2 but another one I got from Sticky Bricks.
The difference in airflow is noticeable, the opening of the Arizer adapter is two times smaller than the Sticky Bricks one. This slow the airflow a lot and I'm wondering if it's by design.
I think because of the Cyclone bowl and it's mediocre vapor output you need to slow down the airflow to help the vapor production.
Also one common trait all the Arizer products have is the lack of airflow.
The Argo, the Solo and the Air are all portable vapes with a restricted airflow, I think it's possible that Arizer want the same thing for the desktops.
The DDave bowl proved that the EQ heater could keep up with a wide open airflow so there's no reason to not take advantage of this.
The good new is you only have to change one adapter, you are not restricted to buy it from one place in particular, as long as you can put a basket screen on one side and fit the hose on the other you will be good.
I know that for me as soon as my lungs need to work harder to pull I'm not comfortable but I can change that by changing the adapter, the water pipe or the water level.
If you don't change anything you will still get a lot of vapor, it's just slower.
It's not the same situation as before with the EQ if you didn't use the DDave bowl the whole vapor production would be cut in half.
I tried the bags and I'm glad I did.
I did 3 bags with the same load in the Connoisseur bowl in cloud mode at the max fan speed.
It produced a lot of vapor, the abv was a nice even dark brown color.
First bag at 180c the taste was good, nice vapor for the lowest temp.
Second bag at 200c a lot more vapor, no taste but the vapor is still enjoyable.
Last bag at 220c was spent, a bit less vapor and the taste was toasty but I was still able to inhale it without coughing a lung and destroying my throat.
I never thought I would use the bags on the XQ2, not when I have a Volcano or two around.
The thing is I was really satisfied with the vapor and the buzz I got and I can see myself waking up at 2 in the morning and sticking an arm out of the covers to prepare myself a bag.
The vapor of the XQ2 will never beat the vapor from a Volcano, but try to blow a bag in the middle of the night without doing too much noise with the Volcano, good luck!
The fan on the XQ2 is a lot less noisy, also the bags from Arizer don't make crackling noises for the next half hour like the ones for the Volcano.
You got to wait more for the vapor but it's worth it.
You have to wait two times longer but you pay three times less to get a bag of good quality vapor, that's a good deal.
The new glass connector works perfectly and makes a great mouth piece, also easy to use with a water pipe with a 10mm adapter.
What I like about this vape and Arizer is the fact that it's available almost everywhere.
Online or at your local smoke shop you can easily find one and it's accessories.
It's not that expensive, often on sale and it will give you good vapor and a good experience.
The form factor isn't as intimidating as some other vapes and it's a good build quality made to last.
It's a good introduction to different forms of vaporization.
Very easy to use with audio and visual cue to help you know what is happening with the vape.
It will get you high like the best of them.
Right now the XQ2 is the perfect vape for me to have in my bedroom, it's also the vape I will bring with me if I need a desktop for a party or a week-end somewhere.
I will keep the EQ as a spare in case something happens to the XQ2, I'll have something to use until my replacement arrives.
Unless we discover a very critical flaw in this vape, I will be recommending the XQ2 to anybody looking for a first desktop vape for sure.
Not a perfect vape but for the price it's a nice introduction and will give you an idea about what you want to have in a vape if you ever get bitten by the VAS bug.
