Ascent Vaporizer by Da Vinci (pre-sale thread)

[bluemonkey]

Non-removable batteries? That is almost a deal-breaker :/
Come on, it's 2013!

On that note, here's a real update that I am going to pre-apologize for:

....about those batteries...It was every intention of ours to produce the Ascent Vaporizer with 2 Li-ion removable batteries, however we have been advised against it at this time due to insurance and product liability reasons. This is the first time in mentioning it, because I just found out that we will have to cap the area. This is unfortunate news, as I really was pushing for this feature. I really do apologize for the change, and yes I realize that other mfg have removable batteries, but the Ascent...as it comes in the box, will not.

ball ache i know

 

[Herbal Ant]

Looks like we shall have to wait till Monday to preregister. Yeah the non-removable battery is kind of a let down but still...

 

[Arfsdad]

Non-removable batteries? That is almost a deal-breaker :/
Come on, it's 2013!

Almost all mobile phones these days come with removable batteries and don't have a SIM-lock anymore. This is the reason why Samsung & Android ate up a huge portion of Apple's share in the market in very little time. (This is not an invitation for Apple / Samsung fanboys to start ruining this thread, I just used it as an example.)

I will gladly dish out $300 or more for an Ascent, if that means that I won't have to bother buying a new vaporizer any time soon. If the battery dies on me within a couple of weeks or simply dies after 1-2 years (this has happened too often to me with laptop/phone batteries), sending it all the way back to the US from the UK is NOT an option. Think about the ridiculous shipping & customs fees. Having it send back and forth will likely amount up to another $100+. Then there's also the question of whether or not Davinci will honour the warranty. This is the main reason why I haven't bought a Pax. With the Arizer Solo at least there are instructions in these forums on how to replace the battery.

Sorry if this comes across whining, but unfortunately this is something you have to think about living outside of the US.

Wouldn't it be an option to manufacture two different versions? One with non-removable batteries and full warranty for US customers and one with removable batteries and no warranty for everyone else.
Or at least manufacture them in such a way, that it isn't totally impossible to remove the batteries without destroying the device entirely.


Edit: How about we start a wiki article in the Vaporpedia for the Ascent? I'm sure by the time it's out, nobody will want to dig through the 100+ pages of this thread to get all the basic info.

The easily removeable battery feature is/was? a great benefit to me also, but not a deal breaker. I own an electronics servicing company, I troubleshoot and service consumer electronics all day long for a living. There is another option, if the batteries are not easily removeable, then we remove them ourselves and replace with batteries purchased from battery sources. As long as the Ascent is easily disassembled I see no reason why you, or someone local to you, cannot install new batterise, no reason to have to ship it with the ensuing outrageous shipping expenses and downtime to you. To further make my point I will disassembler my Da Vinci this weekend and research battery replacement on this device. I will report back on my findings. Not a deal breaker at all!

 

[JoeKickass]

Non-removable batteries?

When we asked about this, the maker said he wishes he could make them removable too.

I made sure to mention that if he makes the ascent easy enough to disassemble (phillips screws) then many people can take care of it themselves!

But since we've never used one, we don't know if it's easy to open or worst case, glued together...

 

[Jeff-K]

Thing is, I have 18650s charged at all time (use them for my e-cig mods) So it would be great to just swap them when they're empty and be on the road again in no time, without having to leave the unit on a charger.

Instead of selling the unit with the batteries sealed in (or hard to change) sell the batteries seperate from the unit. So you don't have to include the batteries in your units insurance. Just a little line saying "Only use this unit with type XXX batteries"

 

[harmudge]

Certainly do-able Jeff....Pro Vape do it with the Provari, you void the warranty if you use anything other than AW IMR battery's.
I don't know electronics, but would imagine the needs of LL portable vapes would be simillar to the Provari's.

 

[nigel]

Non-removable batteries? That is almost a deal-breaker :/
Come on, it's 2013!

Bluemonkey has already posted the manufacture's statement.

But I don't think they don't want us to replace the battery, it's just that for liability reasons they can't offer it as a feature. That means removing a bullet point from the box it comes in, not locking the device down like Fort Knox.

I suspect (and of course this is all speculation until they release it) that it won't be that hard to get into. I don't believe the previous model was difficult to get into.

Will it violate the warrantee? Probably. But, by the time it needs replacing, it won't be in warrantee anyway. And if it does die sooner, with the previous unit, they have been really good about getting REPLACEMENTS (not repairs) out. [EDIT: Upon further reflection, I'm not sure I recall anyone having issues with the batteries specifically on the old unit, but all the other issues like failing to charge, were dealt with once the issue was brought to the rep's attention.]

And *any* rechargeable batt has a fixed number of charge cycles it can sustain. Your "2 year" period sounds right in line (depending on usage patters, of course).

Then there's also the question of whether or not Davinci will honour the warranty.

Uh, no there's not. Please see the thread on their previous device.

 

[Samy]

Wow this unit looks promising. I was going to buy the Pax but as they still didn't release it in the EU I think I will maybe go for the Ascent.
Does anybody have an idea about the cleaning of this unit? Looks like it will be fairly easy if the only things to clean are the 2 glass pieces and the bowl.

 

[SteezyJ]

Wow this unit looks promising. I was going to buy the Pax but as they still didn't release it in the EU I think I will maybe go for the Ascent.
Does anybody have an idea about the cleaning of this unit? Looks like it will be fairly easy if the only things to clean are the 2 glass pieces and the bowl.

Cleaning should be pretty easy, the bottom load cartridge spins out and is easily accessible and the glass stem system can be completely removed, thus making that very easy to clean

Edit: and I would recommend getting the ascent over the PAX any day

 

[mattstermh]

I had 2 Pax's and sold them both. Definitely not worth the maintenance.

 

[JoeKickass]

Pax is a great backup and "special occasion" vape, yeah it's not practical for everyday use but it can hold a huge amount and is tiny as hell, I liken it to doing a nice blunt every now and then.

Flashvape is easiest to clean but takes control like the mflb, the cera looks nice too but is heavy

Inh and Pinnacle are probably the flower competition to beat, but if the ascent can do oils somewhere between omicarts and the oil cera then it will have a real advantage!

 

[NYC5IKH5jabi]

Word. For my first vape the pax was nice but a real rip off for such a basic comduction unit. Far better options are available but the design of that thing is still kick ass! One look and people are intrigued.

 

[mattstermh]

It's officially March 31.... if only today was the day.

 

[sam reynolds]

It's officially March 31.... if only today was the day.

I remember when today used to be the day...that was a happier time.

 

[mattstermh]

How do you guys think this is gonna compare to the vaporblunt Pinnacle?

 

[Dreamerr]

My guess is they won't be using cheap plastics but we will have to wait and see on operations.

 

[josephaltier]

hey davinci, are you going to post a new video anytime soon? you said a new vid would be up this past week. this thing looks great, but an in depth review and usage video would be nice. you are showing the unit off at tradeshows around the world, so why aren't you showing off to us on the internet?

 

[Arfsdad]

The easily removeable battery feature is/was? a great benefit to me also, but not a deal breaker. I own an electronics servicing company, I troubleshoot and service consumer electronics all day long for a living. There is another option, if the batteries are not easily removeable, then we remove them ourselves and replace with batteries purchased from battery sources. As long as the Ascent is easily disassembled I see no reason why you, or someone local to you, cannot install new batterise, no reason to have to ship it with the ensuing outrageous shipping expenses and downtime to you. To further make my point I will disassembler my Da Vinci this weekend and research battery replacement on this device. I will report back on my findings. Not a deal breaker at all!

Reporting back from the Da Vinci operating room......success! The back is held on by 4 phillips head screws which are located underneath 4 rubber plugs. I removed the rubber plugs by using a finely pointed item (I used an exacto knife with a fine blade), unscrewed the four screws using a jewelers screwdriver available at hardware stores, Radio Shack, etc., gently and slowly removed the rear, viewable and easily accessible are 3 rectangular batteries (or cells) soldered together. On each battery reads: GPC802840 800 mAh, below this reads: 20120806 3.7V

approximate dimensions are: 35mm X 25mm X 8mm

Because this is not like working on a 1967 Buick there is some physical dexterity involved and a fine soldering iron would be required. It would take me < 1 hour to replace the 3 batteries, I suspect most others the same amount of time. I did a Google search for GPC802840 with no success, same result for 20120806. The 800 mAh and 3.7V is standard battery nomenclature for a 3.7 volt battery which can supply 0.8 A for 1 hour. NOT A DEAL BREAKER AT ALL!!

So now it comes down to locating the batteries. Let's see what we can find.

 

[toros23]

Reporting back from the Da Vinci operating room......success! The back is held on by 4 phillips head screws which are located underneath 4 rubber plugs. I removed the rubber plugs by using a finely pointed item (I used an exacto knife with a fine blade), unscrewed the four screws using a jewelers screwdriver available at hardware stores, Radio Shack, etc., gently and slowly removed the rear, viewable and easily accessible are 3 rectangular batteries (or cells) soldered together. On each battery reads: GPC802840 800 mAh, below this reads: 20120806 3.7V

approximate dimensions are: 35mm X 25mm X 8mm

Because this is not like working on a 1967 Buick there is some physical dexterity involved and a fine soldering iron would be required. It would take me < 1 hour to replace the 3 batteries, I suspect most others the same amount of time. I did a Google search for GPC802840 with no success, same result for 20120806. The 800 mAh and 3.7V is standard battery nomenclature for a 3.7 volt battery which can supply 0.8 A for 1 hour.

So now it comes down to locating the batteries. Let's see what we can find.

Are you talking about Ascent or the DaVinci???

 

[Arfsdad]

Are you talking about Ascent or the DaVinci???

Da Vinci. The procedure is applicable to the Ascent or any other device as long as it can be disassembled without destroying the device.

 

[toros23]

Let me get this straight, you just took apart a DaVinci to explain to us that this would work on the Ascent? Maybe you should post your findings in the correct thread, this is the Ascent thread.

 

[Arfsdad]

Let me get this straight, you just took apart a DaVinci to explain to us that this would work on the Ascent? Maybe you should post your findings in the correct thread, this is the Ascent thread.

I'm aware this is the Ascent thread. I'm attempting to help people who are in Europe and other long distances avoid high return shipping fees and down time should their Ascent, Da Vinci, or whatever fail. This started in this thread in message 1356. Others in this thread have shown interest/disappointment in the manufacturer changing the Ascent feature which initially said that the batteries would be user replaceable, now manufacturer is saying batteries will not be user replaceable. Since I don't have an Ascent I offered to use my Da Vinci as a learning tool, I said I'd report back, and that's what I did.

More research reveals that the battery may be cell type UF752836F, which at this time meets the voltage, amperage, and physical dimensions of the original.

 

[stickstones]

we still need to keep it in the davinci thread. it is getting confusing in here when trying to determine who is talking about what. let's not get into hypothetical details about a vape that is not even out yet.

 

[sam reynolds]

we still need to keep it in the davinci thread. it is getting confusing in here when trying to determine who is talking about what. let's not get into hypothetical details about a vape that is not even out yet.

Agreed. Until someone gets their hands on one, we really have no idea what replacing the battery will be like.

 

[Matogdw]

My big question now is when it will be available, because today was supposed to be day but in some places of the USA the day its over and there is no way to buy it... so DaVinci, should be great if you could clarify!

Thanks,

M.