Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci

[Nunavut Tripper]

Mine does same thing. Only on third day of use.

Hey everyone,
I just turned on my ascent and I hear a faint high pitched sound and a crackle when I put the ascent up to my ear. Is this normal? I haven't heard it before but haven't put it up to my ear before, either.. I don't seem to be getting the battery life everyone else is. It almost sounds like an old speaker when no music is playing. Would this be means for an exchange? I get around 4 12 minute sessions off a battery.

Interesting...mine is silent.
After the four 12 minute sessions what does your battery meter show? Empty or half full ?

Mine would show 20 or 25 % of discharge to top up.

 

[Baked55]

Hey guys. Glad to hear from @Davinci_vaporizer about a solution to the unit dying after a month as that was my main concern. Also wish I had known about the carbon fibre option when I ordered a couple days ago, but still like the look of the stealth so it's all good.
Also noticed couple of you guys on here also own the EQ and was wondering how efficient the ascent was compared to it.I realize comparing a portable to a desktop isn't really fair. Just wanting to Judge if I will be going through much more the I currently am or not. Tia
Edit: I usually use the elbow pack when using the EQ

 

[swiss]

I have been using my Ascent for a few weeks now. I don't have a scale but I always pack the chamber very tight.. that's how I get best results (visible cloud). As a temperature I start at 185 and work it way up to 200 C... I always get pretty damn high but I have the feeling that I tend to waste a lot of herb because I pack it very tight... and after a 10min session everything is gone and I have to repack.
I also tried hash with the glass thingy but it was not able to melt even at the highest temp..
I might consider getting glass flowers or something like this... as everyone is getting better results with them. Any feedback is welcome...

 

[DanAndroid]

See they added a carbon fiber version to the choices:

Thanks for the pic!!!

That is VERY sweet looking!

I'm still glad I got what I did though.

They do have some very tempting combinations so far.

It could be interesting to see if they come out with more skins.

Now as I've posted, I used the oil jar as a spacer.

I've read your comments on the spacer concept and I've been very interested in trying it once I get my Ascent but I'm still not picturing how it works in my mind.

If I have it right, a pinch goes in followed by an oil jar which compresses the pinch against the glass wall of the heating chamber, right?

Do you also have some sort of screen at the bottom of the chamber to keep anything chopped finely from dropping out the chamber air intake holes or don't you find that a problem?

If you don't have a screen at the bottom have you considered it or rejected the idea?

I'm going to see how it works as a "one-hitter" for my short commute to/from work so the least amount I can use at one time will fit me best.

On a totally different note, for people having trouble getting the stem out, I wonder if some sort of "sling" could be rigged up that made out of a soft, thin, pliant material that the stem would pass through and the material's opening was sized such that the expanded exit of the stem would not pass through the opening in the "sling". A piece of the material could then extend up so that one could grip them and pull the stem up using the "sling". When not in use, the material one grips could fold up inside the "native" stem area.

That's not a very good explanation of the image I have of it but from my explanation, does anyone get what I'm trying to describe? If not, I'll have to putter around with mine after I get it.

 

[pakalolo]

I've read your comments on the spacer concept and I've been very interested in trying it once I get my Ascent but I'm still not picturing how it works in my mind.

If I have it right, a pinch goes in followed by an oil jar which compresses the pinch against the glass wall of the heating chamber, right?

Do you also have some sort of screen at the bottom of the chamber to keep anything chopped finely from dropping out the chamber air intake holes or don't you find that a problem?

If you don't have a screen at the bottom have you considered it or rejected the idea?

I'm going to see how it works as a "one-hitter" for my short commute to/from work so the least amount I can use at one time will fit me best.

I simply drop the oil jar in on top of the .07 g that I use, then I press it down to compact the load. It compresses against the bottom, not the wall. As an experiment, I tried a .2 g load and it still worked, i.e. I could still close the Ascent.

The Ascent comes with two small screens that aren't mentioned in the User Manual. There have been a few posts in here from people who weren't sure how to use them, but to me it was obvious that they fit perfectly over the four holes in the bottom of the heating chamber. Since I usually grind pretty fine, I put one in. If you use a coarse grind I guess you could get away without one.

The problem with using the Ascent like a one-hitter is that it takes time to warm up, so you can't just whip it out, hit it, and put it back in your pocket. If you can live with that then you're fine. It does come up to temperature quickly, but I haven't timed it. If you search this thread I'm sure someone has posted the warmup times (or will shortly).

 

[Lukevh]

Interesting...mine is silent.
After the four 12 minute sessions what does your battery meter show? Empty or half full ?

Mine would show 20 or 25 % of discharge to top up.

After 4 or 5 sessions mine is Dead.
It will go up to temperature and then after a few seconds the temperature readout will start to continually drop

 

[DanAndroid]

... Since I usually grind pretty fine ...

You and I both.

I plan to use the Ascent in primarily a conductive, as opposed to convective mode and for even heat distribution throughout the herbal mass, the finer the better. I like to freeze before grinding so that it grinds finer but also, generates a fair amount of kief at the same time.

I'll definitely be screening and double bowling my loads from what I've read of your experience.

One question, I didn't get a good impression as to how much vapor a load of this type generates? I know that is a subjective question but how would you consider this type of loading's vapor production, whispy, room filling, somewhere in between?

After 4 or 5 sessions mine is Dead.

What is the usual time it takes to charge up from that point?

 

[Lukevh]

Hard to say because I am very busy so I usually let it charge when I'm sleeping but I have seen it charged in about three hours I've only let it die completely once

 

[DanAndroid]

Hard to say because I am very busy so I usually let it charge when I'm sleeping but I have seen it charged in about three hours I've only let it die completely once

Thanks for the info.

 

[pakalolo]

One question, I didn't get a good impression as to how much vapor a load of this type generates? I know that is a subjective question but how would you consider this type of loading's vapor production, whispy, room filling, somewhere in between?

I prefer low temperature tasty vapour, so I'm not a good judge of how thick the Ascent's vapour is. It produces well enough for me. I think I could get fairly thick vapour out of it if I used the right technique. It responds well to micro-hits for me.

 

[DanAndroid]

It produces well enough for me.

That is, after all, all that really matters.

I'm not a cloud chaser but at the same time, I like to have some vapor so as to know approximately how much I have medicated.

For what it's worth, with a screen positioned just far enough away from the heater element to prevent combustion, I was able to get what I considered to be decent hits from an Atmos Raw I have with a taste that equals the smell of whatever I put in. It just takes the entire battery to do so. LOL

I'm sure I'll work out some routine that gets me "there" but it will sure have taken less time to do so with your help.

It's greatly appreciated!

 

[dontsmokevape]

Ok first off, I have been in the market for a portable recently and did a ton of research. I've owned some vaporizers in the past, including my extreme q which has always performed beautifully. It came down to the solo or the davinci for me. New kid on the block or the tried and true arizer name? Even with the hiccups davinci has had, I noticed in the forums they are actively fixing issues and speedily honoring warranties. Figured it was worth the pricy gamble and just received my unit. Also bummed I didn't know carbon fiber skin was coming....but stealth is beautiful. From order to arrival took 4 days. After an alcohol rub and 2 15 minute burnoffs and offgassing inspection, i tested the unit. First session makes me want to sell the EQ, the vapor is that good. Programmable cycle is brilliant too. 375-3 mins 390-4min 415-3min left the herb nicely brown. Clouds? It's digital.....find your sweet spot, you won't have a problem with vapor quality OR production. Before bed I will have to try the oil jar on top to see if I notice even better results! So far very pleased and impressed with the whole davinci experience. Now lets hope the battery holds. Ill keep ya'll updated. Also thanks for the wonderfully informative site!

 

[cawshook]

I've been watching this for a while now, i think im ready to get the carbon fiber. I actually complained further back in the thread about the Stealth being a bit too plain. The carbon fiber looks perfect.

 

[DanAndroid]

First session makes me want to sell the EQ, the vapor is that good. Programmable cycle is brilliant too. 375-3 mins 390-4min 415-3min left the herb nicely brown. Clouds? It's digital.....find your sweet spot, you won't have a problem with vapor quality OR production.

I'm sorry to hear you're disappointed, with your EQ.

I should be receiving my extra stealthy Ascent in a couple of days. Extra stealthy because the center trim on the one I ordered matches the wood trim on the interior of my car so I'm hoping that if I set it down on the center console, it will disappear.

I'm also getting a Pax, for its particular form of stealthiness but I have a feeling the Ascent will end up being my go-to once I get it dialed in.

Out of curiosity, how big of a load do you fill your oven with, either relative to the size of the oven or actual grammage if you measure it out each time?

Now lets hope the battery holds.

It seems that it will hold up rather well from what I've been reading, much longer than the original Da Vinci in any event.

Just be careful how far you drain it down prior to charging because most LiPo powered devices don't cut off power until the lowest safe-to-deplete-to charge level has already been surpassed shortening long term battery life.

I hope to be able to do some testing after I get mine to figure out what the lowest point is the Ascent should be discharged to but I won't be able to do that until I've gotten mine and I've fully conditioned its battery(ies?).

Anyhoo, I'm very happy that you are enjoying your Ascent because yours is just one more "vote" that I'll be very much enjoying mine as soon as I receive it. Thanks!

 

[Noob452]

Mine was same but in 2 days of use its much easier to pull out now. I've run it empty on 430 for a couple hours and its quit off-gassing. However it still tastes funny when empty. Has anyone else noticed it makes a noise when the heater element is on? I can tell it's during the heat cycle because when I turn it down it quits.

Do you think just leaving it on high heat for a while would fix the issue? I don't really want to apply any sort of lubricants to it that might make GotVape refuse to take it back.

What do you mean by off-gassing? My Ascent has a silicone odor/taste to it, is that what you mean?

I'm thinking if I can't get this fixed today I'll probably just return it and get a Pax.

 

[DanAndroid]

Do you think just leaving it on high heat for a while would fix the issue?

From what I've gleaned from the experience of others here, running the Ascent, or pretty much any vaporizer, through a "burn in" process before loading up and inhaling whatever was in there prior to your loading it.

It's just a good idea in general. If no out-gassing, little wisps of vapor visible under various lighting conditions, all the much better, load it and go.

On the other hand, if little wisps of vapor are visible or in your case, an odor/smell begins to exist, run it through a few cycles and see if they diminish, which they almost always do.

I don't really want to apply any sort of lubricants to it that might make GotVape refuse to take it back.

Although it is only my opinion, I would guess that as long as you used a food grade lubricant, you would have no problems. I would though however avoid lubricants if at all possible.

What do you mean by off-gassing? My Ascent has a silicone odor/taste to it, is that what you mean?

An odor or a taste could be a sign of out-gassing but if it is, it would most likely fluctuate in intensity during a burn in period.

I'm thinking if I can't get this fixed today I'll probably just return it and get a Pax.

For what it's worth, or not, I am also getting a Pax, in addition to the Ascent. It's only my opinion but I think it would be good to trouble-shoot your problem as thoroughly as possible before deciding one way or another.

Of course, it could be that you got a lemon. It happens. But, from what I've read the failure rate on both the Da-Vinci and the Ascent are running around 1%. 1% is seriously small for the electronics market, especially electronic devices that involve heat.

First of all, do you notice a change in the odor/smell at different temperatures differently than you do at others?

If you wanted to try a full burn in, I think even now you could attempt to do the following and will be able to be fairly sure if it is defective or, just in need of "breaking in".

1). Thoroughly clean all surfaces, preferable with a "green" cleaning agent although the stand-by ISO works as well.
2). On a full charge, run it for a few minutes at whatever temp is just below where the odor/smell begins.
3). In 5 to 10 degree F increments, work up to maximum over 10 minutes, assuming affect diminishes at each step.

You can accelerate that a bit if, assuming the affect wears off with time, as soon as one notices a change for the better, a reduction in the smell/odor just jack the temp up a bit as if trying to hang ten on the front edge of a wave.

NOTE TO MODS : I've sometimes seen mention of having two many quotes in a given comment but I just wanted to break Noob452's questions up and respond to each. It seemed to flow better.

 

[EveryDayAmnesiac]

Ascent Travel Lab (aka: Because My Girlfriend Won't Let Me Keep A Desktop Vape At Her Place...)

I spend 3 or 4 days/nights a week at my special lady friend's place, which is about 2 hours away, so I like (need) to be fully covered - although only when it comes to vaporizing


This is the 15" Dime Bag. A little overpriced, but I do like the look of it and it fits pretty much everything I need, and it's... sort of stealthy. Maybe a little? Could be a gym bag or overnight bag?. I taped over the rather ridiculous logo, as you can imagine. You really gotta admire my craftsmanship on that tape job.

Here's what it looks like when opened (obviously). Yeah, a pipe... but only for emergencies and only until I get my VG Coil! I think I can make room for it...

This is all the "loose" stuff. 7" Dime Bag. And I would imagine that one Jyar is for herbs, one Jyar is for ABV to use later in the evening, and one little Space Case storage container and spoon is maybe for... kif? I'm just spitballin' here...

This is a nosy cat who kept getting in the way:

This is the Ascent 14mm straight adapter and PNWT. They fit in the sleeve behind the logo there. The PNWT does a pretty decent job of keeping the late-night 430 F sessions comfortable.

This is what all is in the compartments on the other side of the sleeve. Altoid case of screens, top covers, extra glass jar, tweezers to remove glass jar, Epik, Ascent pick, Smoke Buddy Jr., small Space Case grinder, extra Ascent inner glass, lighter. I include the pipe only for accuracy's sake.

Here's the stuff that fits in the 2 outside pouches: 2 stink bags, alcohol wipes, tube of cotton swabs, tube of pipe cleaners, tube with dental pik, and tube with MFLB brush, UD screen tool kit, and extra tweezers, apparently.

Bringing me to a grand total of (minus the cat):

Tell me what I'm missing! I want this thing complete!

...Still loving my Ascent. It's not quite everything I hoped, but it's a pretty damn slick device. It won't be my last portable, but it's the star for now, and I imagine it's going to have its place for a good long while... such a nice taste to it.

2 months of pretty solid usage and the battery is looking good. Warm-up time is still impressive. When it's plugged in, it's ready in practically a heartbeat. I really like using it as a pseudo-desktop with water, even if I'm at home with my desktops available.

Easy hookup to glass is just lovely. Above 400F and it'll make some milk. Got the oil jar to space for smaller loads working well, especially when you have to point the Ascent down into your piece. And it also seems to keep the inner glass cleaner.

Maintenance doesn't involve much more than ISO-soaking the inner glass and a little Q-Tip action for the bowl area. I use ISO wipes on the outside of the unit and it hasn't had any effect on the finish.

It's turning me into more of a "session" guy than a "hit and quit" guy when I'm on the go. I also find the micro-hit method to be quite effective.

Although this baby really likes to spread the smell around...

 

[cawshook]

guys i keep reading that the Ascent is great, but not perfect. Can you please mention the imperfections so that i know if this vaporizer is right for me. I really want to pull the trigger, but then i see the bill and I think if im paying this much it should be damn near perfect.

 

[Belgianvapor]

guys i keep reading that the Ascent is great, but not perfect. Can you please mention the imperfections so that i know if this vaporizer is right for me. I really want to pull the trigger, but then i see the bill and I think if im paying this much it should be damn near perfect.

I think that no vaporizer is perfect, there might be a few that are near perfect to some, but none of them are perfect on every level, wich is why most of fc members have more than one vaporizer.
If you can afford to buy the ascent and one (or a few) other, you could have the perfect vaporizer combination.
The ascent is an awesome device, worth it's money I think (pax is in the same price range but no whistles and bells and far from perfect) but it's up to you to see what it can do for you.

it's hard to point to it's imperfections because the cons for one can be the pro's for another, like bowl size, some like it small, others like it large etc...

 

[Maine420]

I am just sitting back, watching this thread, and just waiting for more improvements before I get my third vape. I'm sure Davinci is working diligently to perfect this unit!

 

[woof]

hey guys! i got mine a couple days ago... no problems so far... its a stealth model.. this thing is awesome... i had an iolite before, which is ok....

im reading about people wanting a spacer and using the jar... what i did was cut my own new screen in an oval shape that fits in the oven and it keeps from crap flying into my mouth and surprisingly also keeps my loads packed down.... no spacer needed... the screens that came with the unit didnt do that good of a job with stopping debree from coming through which is how i came to cutting my own...

anyways... cool forum...

 

[DanAndroid]

... the cons for one can be the pro's for another ...

That is also compounded by the fact that a 'con' in one situation can be a 'pro' in another situation of the same user so beyond the basics of battery life, bowl size, temperature control and ease of maintenance, everything else is very situational.

I am just sitting back, watching this thread, and just waiting for more improvements before I get my third vape. I'm sure Davinci is working diligently to perfect this unit!

Don't worry, there seem to be plenty of Guinea pigs, I mean early adopters willing to help work the bugs out.

This will be one of my first portable plant vaporizers so I'm a bit eager to get one and it seems any issues with the Ascent are ones that either experience or customer service can take care of so I'm not all that worried.

what i did was cut my own new screen in an oval shape that fits in the oven and it keeps from crap flying into my mouth and surprisingly also keeps my loads packed down.... no spacer needed... the screens that came with the unit didnt do that good of a job with stopping debree from coming through which is how i came to cutting my own...

I've been wondering about using a top screen as well.

How is it for when it comes time to clean out the ABV?

The disadvantage of the double bowl method is that one needs to wait for the inner bowl to cool down to be able to do much of anything with it so it seems either way has is positives and negatives.

Using a screen, I'd just make up a number of screens and when it comes time to dump, dump it all, ABV and screens into an ABV retainer and reload.

At a buck for a pack of ten screens, one's needn't be stingy in their use.

I guess the best way to know for sure is to just try it, which is what I hope to be able to do in just a few days from now.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[Nunavut Tripper]

Had a problem with my Ascent this afternoon. I fired it up on the road and turned on the personal vape cycle . It froze with that screen displayed...the one with the three temps and times.
I could not change the screen or shut it off to reboot. The bowl quit heating and slowly cooled off
so just the screen was locked. It wouldn't shut off with the motion sensor either.
I figured I had a dud..feeling kinda pissed off as I like this vape and now have to return it.
Later upon close inspection in the light I noticed the little rubber settings button was kind of wedged under the digital display screen ..it was kind of cockeyed.
So I took the pick and pulled it back into place and the Ascent works fine now..whew.

It must have been my fault for brutalizing the button....must be more gentle in the future.

 

[DanAndroid]

... I noticed the little rubber settings button was kind of wedged under the digital display screen ..it was kind of cockeyed. ...

I don't suppose you could man-handle it again to get the section of rubber wedge where it isn't suppose to be and then get a picture of it and post it here, could you?

I would think it would be very useful both to refer people with problems to as well as Da Vinci for future planning.

 

[Nunavut Tripper]

I don't suppose you could man-handle it again to get the section of rubber wedge where it isn't suppose to be and then get a picture of it and post it here, could you?

I would think it would be very useful both to refer people with problems to as well as Da Vinci for future planning.

Not in a position to post a pic but it was pretty obvious if you looked carefully.
I don't really want to abuse the button a second time ...it might screw something up for good.