Got my Ascent today and would like to share some first impressions, and of course got some questions as well
(weird language may be excused; no native English here)
Smoking vaping background: similar to what has just been discussed: cigarette smoker and daily medication on a low level for many years; regarding medication a mix of joints and glass bong, and what comes in is always a mixture including tobacco.
In the end I'd like to get off the tobacco but still medicate, so here I am.
Had a Storz&Bickel Plenty for a couple of months. After getting used to it I really enjoyed this kind of consumption, but were still using other forms including tobacco as well, as I am addicted and as the cable of the Plenty wouldn't make it able to entirely replace it, and I want to medicate everywhere anyway, so I sold it and since then looked for a good portable replacement.
Decided for the Ascent..mostly due to this website here. Waited for it for quite a while and finally there it is.
Came in in perfect circumstances: rainy and hungover Saturday with no plans.
And ok, the delivery guy rang me out of bed, and when I realized it's the Ascent I got so excited that I didn't mind closing the door behind me with no keys. Standing there in nothing but my undershorts, in the cold and the rain, running around the whole house to enter my apartment through the thankfully open window, and to the amusement of my neighbors. But well back to the Ascent:
packaging saying here comes a quality product and holding the product in hand you don't get disappointed: bit bulkier and heavier than I expected, but that I like, and by looks and feels the materials and build quality is quite good, considering the small company behind - and wouldn't say I got low standards.
The whole construction looks good and is kept simple, so easy to use and clean as well.
Only thing that left me a bit confused are the little parts that came with it: the metal screens are not really mentioned in the manual, which I as a responsible customer read, and don't really fit anywhere. You could put one in the bowl though to avoid small pieces falling out of the base unit.. and there are these things that fit on the mouth piece, making it even stealthier. Apropos: got the black one, pretty stealthy!
Guess it doesn't get the standard cop in a standard road control suspicious. I could simply call it a kind of electric device. Haven't decided which one so far but looking for an answer..better to have one on hand I guess.
Electrics are all fine and easy adjustable. The heating time is impressive and much faster than the Plenty.
So to the first real usage after playing with it. The chamber is a bit smaller than I expected, which is good as I want to use small loads most of the time, and got a bit confused by the ongoing spacer discussion as well.
I loaded it with 0,16 stashed herb, putting the oil jar with its lid on top. First cycle 180°C. Much air resistance, too much, but still going on like this. Good taste, no visible clouds. Next step 195°, tiny amounts of visible, and to take out the rest of it 221°C max. in the end, small amounts of visible. All in all much less than with the Plenty. But still: medication level better than with the same amount using a joint! Herbs all equally brown and crusty.
Next try using only 0,1g, no oil jar. Ofc it can fly around a bit this way in the heating chamber, but does that really matter?! It's not like its big.. and if you keep it in the right position nothing at all should happen imo.. vaping it the same cycle as before felt good. No annoying air resistance. A bit bigger clouds at high temps, good medication effect. So is a spacer for small amounts really a must?!
Oh and this already looks like too much to read, so enough for this time..
Except for one last question: I got some hash of hard consistence as well.. can I get that into tiny crumbs/powder and simply put it in the oil jar - y not right?!