Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci

[OF]

At the beginning of the Ascent Manual it states 2-3 hours of continuous use.
I'm confused. I get about an hour and about 15 min of use and I have it around 400 degrees give or take a few.

The missing factor is the draw. Stop pulling cold air in to be heated and the power goes down (and battery life up)......just like in your house, closing the windows saves on the Gas and Electric bills.

When I was testing Nigels, I decided it was very easy to meet the time spec that way (not useful, but easy) so I can't call them liars. I agree, the battery life is at least reasonable.

OF

 

[CarolKing]

I've looked down through my Ascent with a flashlight and it is one continuous piece of silicone and I don't see any of the operating parts such as wires and any circuit board. My main complaint is the vapor loss through the bottom of the unit. But I've stated that before. I am happy with my unit at this point, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The spokesperson for DV came on this forum and stated that all faulty units were sent back and weren't going to be used.

 

[StraightChill]

I've looked down through my Ascent with a flashlight and it is one continuous piece of silicone and I don't see any of the operating parts such as wires and any circuit board. My main complaint is the vapor loss through the bottom of the unit. But I've stated that before. I am happy with my unit at this point, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The spokesperson for DV came on this forum and stated that all faulty units were sent back and weren't going to be used.

You may have misunderstood what I meant though, it is a continuous path but it is not a continuous piece of silicone from the bottom, it's multiple pieces that are conjoined, and that's a problem because the seals can break and if they do, they allow a very easy draw through the circuitry. Mine came unglued at the top after pulling the stem up the second time and you can see a little gap now into the circuity, no wires but circuit boards. If you push down and very tightly reseal this with your hand, you can still suck or blow easily from the other side showing that even if one of the seals is mostly sealed or seems tight, it may not actually be sealed, or it may not stay sealed. Are you sure there are no seams at all between the very bottom of the unit and the circumference of the silicone on the buddyrim? Because it does LOOK like it's one piece of the same material, but it's not (I'm not talking about clear wide open gaps, that doesn't make a difference, it just makes it more obvious, I'm just talking about seams period)

Try the finger test: Swivel the bowl out and tightly close off the bottom of the vapor path under the glass stem with your finger (you should be able to seal it off quite well) and pull up the top mouth piece a little and see if you can inhale at all. If it feels like you're sucking on a wet Popsicle stick and no air is coming up, then yes, your unit must be AT least well glued. If not and you can inhale, then you are inhaling through the circuitry which is then drawing air over the left battery and through hinge that attaches the bowl and ultimately, through the cracks between that little circuit board that connects to the charging port that they decided to leave fully exposed less than 1 cm away from the heater at the bottom of the unit. That is NOT okay. I would almost rather smoke out of a plastic bottle then risk inhaling air that's passing through all that... That should not be PHYSICALLY possible is my point; it needs to be one seamless and continuous, SOLID piece from the bottom through to the top, because you don't want the chance of the seams not being perfectly air right and slowly starting air gaps that you can't see unless you were to look inside while you were sucking on it, inhaling half vapor and half air coming from heated circuity and batteries...

You guys should test that out though and see, I'm really curious. I bet unfortunately a lot of you might find that you can, though I really hope not.

 

[CarolKing]

You may have misunderstood what I meant though, it is a continuous path but it is not a continuous piece of silicone from the bottom, it's multiple pieces that are conjoined, and that's a problem because the seals can break and if they do, they allow a very easy draw through the circuitry. Mine came unglued at the top after pulling the stem up the second time and you can see a little gap now into the circuity, no wires but circuit boards. If you push down and very tightly reseal this with your hand, you can still suck or blow easily from the other side showing that even if one of the seals is mostly sealed or seems tight, it may not actually be sealed, or it may not stay sealed. Are you sure there are no seams at all between the very bottom of the unit and the circumference of the silicone on the buddyrim? Because it does LOOK like it's one piece of the same material, but it's not (I'm not talking about clear wide open gaps, that doesn't make a difference, it just makes it more obvious, I'm just talking about seams period)

Try the finger test: Swivel the bowl out and tightly close off the bottom of the vapor path under the glass stem with your finger (you should be able to seal it off quite well) and pull up the top mouth piece a little and see if you can inhale at all. If it feels like you're sucking on a wet Popsicle stick and no air is coming up, then yes, your unit must be AT least well glued. If not and you can inhale, then you are inhaling through the circuitry which is then drawing air over the left battery and through hinge that attaches the bowl and ultimately, through the cracks between that little circuit board that connects to the charging port that they decided to leave fully exposed less than 1 cm away from the heater at the bottom of the unit. That is NOT okay. I would almost rather smoke out of a plastic bottle then risk inhaling air that's passing through all that... That should not be PHYSICALLY possible is my point; it needs to be one seamless and continuous, SOLID piece from the bottom through to the top, because you don't want the chance of the seams not being perfectly air right and slowly starting air gaps that you can't see unless you were to look inside while you were sucking on it, inhaling half vapor and half air coming from heated circuity and batteries...

You guys should test that out though and see, I'm really curious. I bet unfortunately a lot of you might find that you can, though I really hope not.

I tried doing that with my Ascent and I have air when holding my thumb on the bottom hole above the bowl. But I tried this on my Pinnacle Pro and my Solo and I have air coming through on all of them.
The Pnp has air holes and I plugged those. Also there are air holes at the base of the Solo, I plugged those. I still have air that can blow through the unit.

The problem could be something else. Maybe you can talk to DV by email or phone.
I am not having any problems with my Ascent even though I can blow air through while I put my thumb on the hole above the oven (air path area).

 

[Norcalsun]

This is very interesting. I would like to know if there is a reason for the air leaks. I believe most if not all units have this. Isn't there a Davinci Rep. On this forum? Also I've always thought that the glass mouthpiece should fit into the glass stem, instead of the stem fitting into the mouthpiece. That way you would be drawing directly from inside the stem. Seems a little backwards.

 

[bassman]

I tried doing that with my Ascent and I have air when holding my thumb on the bottom hole above the bowl. But I tried this on my Pinnacle Pro and my Solo and I have air coming through on all of them.
The Pnp has air holes and I plugged those. Also there are air holes at the base of the Solo, I plugged those. I still have air the can blow through the unit.

The problem could be something else. Maybe you can talk to DV by email or phone.
I am not having any problems with my Ascent even though I can blow air through while I put my thumb on the hole above the oven (air path area).

I tried that on mine and it is hard to draw through. This is my third one and it is a carbon fiber model . I have had it a little over a week and it did not have any gas issues and the smell went away after a couple burnouts. So far it is working flawlessly. Sent the first 2 back for heat issues. The first one did not work out of the box and the 2nd one lasted 5 weeks.

 

[VaPeD&CoNfUsEd]

You guys seen the new limited edition ascent??

From the davinci Facebook page:

It looks sick! I wish they'd have let me know this was coming when I sent mine in for replacement VERY recently!!!

 

[mmenzie]

i wish they had that as an option when i bought mine. no way i am buying two just for that

 

[Norcalsun]

I noticed when the glass tubes are inserted there is extremely little air leaking. Drawing through it without the glass tubes does have air leaks, not big, but noticeable. Not sure where exactly the leaks are. I'm assuming they might be at the top end.

 

[CarolKing]

I tried testing both ways. With the glass pieces in I have only a slight air leak when I blow. I have the same situation as Norcalsun when the glass mouthpiece is out I have more air leak when I blow.

 

[Norcalsun]

I just sent Davinci an email asking why the plastic pathway isn't airtight. Wel'll see how long it takes to get a response/answer. I can not figure out why this pathway is not airtight, any ideas?

 

[SirDarkened]

I am hoping that before summer they release version 1.2 I feel by then all of the kinks will be worked out and I can finally grab one of these without fears of it breaking after a month.

 

[StraightChill]

I tried doing that with my Ascent and I have air when holding my thumb on the bottom hole above the bowl. But I tried this on my Pinnacle Pro and my Solo and I have air coming through on all of them.
The Pnp has air holes and I plugged those. Also there are air holes at the base of the Solo, I plugged those. I still have air that can blow through the unit.

The problem could be something else. Maybe you can talk to DV by email or phone.
I am not having any problems with my Ascent even though I can blow air through while I put my thumb on the hole above the oven (air path area).

I'm confused what you mean lol. The bottom of the Arizer Solo is for the speaker and probably to vent if the battery gets hot while charging, I've taken apart and examined the Solo many times (I've fixed a few Solos for people and changed out batteries for a few others) and the way the air path is designed is that it comes from the hole on the bottom of the heater and draws in air from all the holes around the top cap of the unit, not the bottom. And I've never taken apart a Pinnacle Pro so I would not know which holes and spots were designated for what, these portables are very non-intuitive when it comes to how the vapor paths are designed, it varies greatly and it's not usually very predictable, so I can't speak on the Pinnacle.

This is very interesting. I would like to know if there is a reason for the air leaks. I believe most if not all units have this. Isn't there a Davinci Rep. On this forum? Also I've always thought that the glass mouthpiece should fit into the glass stem, instead of the stem fitting into the mouthpiece. That way you would be drawing directly from inside the stem. Seems a little backwards.

Yes, the glass pieces go inside each other but they are not sealed inside one another, they just sit there. The major flaw in DaVinci's design is that the tube section that the glass stems go into is made up from multiple pieces and different materials that are sandwiched/ glued together, when they NEED to be ONE piece that goes from the absolute bottom through and around covering the absolute top which is what it seems like it would be obviously. But it's not. And because of this it allows you to inhale some vapor and some air from the batteries and heated circuitry and etc. Which I don't know about you guys, but it concerns me. I mean some people or maybe even a lot of people don't really care lol but its just that this is something that's primarily going to be used by people in the MMJ community. The point of vaporizing to is eliminate potential harms not introduce new ones.

And I did contact DaVinci directly. They seemed very UNconcerned as to what I had to say and told me " Sorry the DaVinci Ascent is not for you. Please provide the following information so we can get you an RMA number." ......

 

[Norcalsun]

Here's my reply from Davinci-

I am sorry about that. This should not cause a defect to the unit and should supply you with enough vapor through the glass on glass vapor pathway.

Not an answer at all. I emailed them again, politely asking them to please answer my question, whether this pathway is supposed to be airtight or not and if not why?

It seems like I might be getting the run around.

 

[CarolKing]

StraighChill, can you just get your money back? You seemed pretty bummed about the Ascent. I don't know if your going to find one that is airtight.

 

[Norcalsun]

Well, just got off the phone with Davinci. They could not answer my questions about why the pathway leaks and why it isn't one piece. They said they would get back to me. Also I was told that any and all air that might flow through the circuitry is 100% safe, his words. The Rep. said that nobody else has made that complaint that im the only one who has contacted them about this problem. Maybe more people on this forum need to try contacting Davinci so this problem gets more attention. I must admit they replied to my inquiry very fast and were as helpful as possible. The Rep. listened to what I had to say and was very understanding. He's going to try to get answers to this design problem/condition. He understood exactly what I was talking about even when I told him that the glass mouthpiece would work better if it was inserted into the glass stem instead of the other way around. He said Davinci takes customers suggestions seriuosly so the more people inquire about this issue the better the chances are that they will take a serious look at it and maybe re-design it. I still like this unit alot but can't help thinking that the multiple piece, not airtight pathway, could be improved by simply making one airtight piece. If there is a reason for its current design (I told the Rep.) I'd like to know what that is. He told me he would get some answers and get back to me soon. Ill keep posting. Thank God Davinci is easy to contact and their customer service seems to be very good.

 

[StraightChill]

StraighChill, can you just get your money back? You seemed pretty bummed about the Ascent. I don't know if your going to find one that is airtight.

Yeah... I'm waiting for them to reply again so I can get my RMA number. And yeah, it just sucks because I've had so much faith in this vape, but now I don't know anymore because I get the feeling that @Davinci_vaporizer really is not too concerned about this as long as they can successfully produce the vapor that the vape is designed to create, even though this could be a very big potential health issue, and until they change the path into one simple piece of silicone to fix this whole thing, or show me a study thoroughly documenting the chronic direct exposure to inhaling air passed through batteries and circuit boards I'm out lol, sorry guys.

What really annoys me though, is even though the products was defective, AND came with chipped and broken stems, they still are making me pay to ship it back to them and insure it and track it... I just feel like this should be on them since it was their bad, not mine. They didn't seem to be concerned about that either... At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if they get the unit, repackage it and ship it back out to the next high paying customer!

 

[kuhli]

I just sent Davinci an email asking why the plastic pathway isn't airtight. Wel'll see how long it takes to get a response/answer. I can not figure out why this pathway is not airtight, any ideas?

Isn't the glass mouthpiece telescoping? Seems like you'd expect a bit of leakage there. Also, the swingaway bowl design means you can get a bit of leakage there. I mean, at the least it obviously means it can't be one piece.

In practice it doesn't seem like it should matter much just how completely airtight the path is.

edit:

.... this could be a very big potential health issue, and until they change the path into one simple piece of silicone to fix this whole thing, or show me a study thoroughly documenting the chronic direct exposure to inhaling air passed through batteries and circuit boards I'm out lol, sorry guys.

First, the path is glass, not silicone, right? Second, umm, you're breathing air that passes over batteries and circuit boards all the time. Batteries and circuit boards are everywhere. It's fine.

 

[OF]

Here's my reply from Davinci-

I am sorry about that. This should not cause a defect to the unit and should supply you with enough vapor through the glass on glass vapor pathway.

Not an answer at all. I emailed them again, politely asking them to please answer my question, whether this pathway is supposed to be airtight or not and if not why?

I disagree. I think they just told you it's not guaranteed to be air tight because it's not important to the function of the unit. It works just fine (as designed?) that way.

Guys here seem to have decided this is a defect. I didn't when I was testing Nigel's unit (I frankly don't see how it could seal perfectly without o-rings) and found the unit worked just fine that way. Guys want perfect, but I think in this case ideal probably has enough clearance for mechanical reasons to leak a bit of air if you put it in unrealistic configurations (like blocking the normal path).

I don't think it's broke.

OF

 

[StraightChill]

Isn't the glass mouthpiece telescoping? Seems like you'd expect a bit of leakage there. Also, the swingaway bowl design means you can get a bit of leakage there. I mean, at the least it obviously means it can't be one piece.

In practice it doesn't seem like it should matter much just how completely airtight the path is.

edit:



First, the path is glass, not silicone, right? Second, umm, you're breathing air that passes over batteries and circuit boards all the time. Batteries and circuit boards are everywhere. It's fine.

No, not correct. The two glass piece are just resting inside one another, they don't need an O-ring or something, they just need to ACTUALLY seal the path that's AROUND the glass pieces. It's not currently, it's simply one material that's sandwiched onto another material and that's connected to the silicone at the top where the mouth piece is. They could make it air tight by just making the top silicone piece be the same piece that the bottom silicone piece is, I'm not sure how else to explain that lol. But I really get the feeling they do not care as long as most people don't care to think about it and they get money and more promotion from more people owning their products, so it's probably not worth my time sadly... But I tried...

 

[OF]

Isn't the glass mouthpiece telescoping? Seems like you'd expect a bit of leakage there.

No, not correct.

No, they actually do telescope, right? That means a sliding seal is called for.......

It definitely leaked there (at the sliding junction) on the one I tested. And if would have to at some level if you wanted it to move?

OF

 

[sektr]

Is it a safe bet to purchase an Ascent at this point?

My doctor told me today that I need to seriously cut back on my combustion frequency, it takes a toll on my lungs as I'm an asthmatic and he said in the long run could theoretically cause lasting damage.

I medicate outside the house regularly, so at least for starters I need something easily portable. Been wanting to get an Ascent since it was announced, but reading this thread I'm starting to wonder if that's the best decision.

Been looking at the PAX and Ascent.

Could you guys help out with recommendations? I want something portable but POTENT, I've been a daily user for several years and my past experience with the MFLB was that after I adjusted to the vape high it just did not satisfy the level of baked I wanted to get at times.

Also something I can use to vapebong with my glass is a necessity (I have a pretty hefty collection of nice glass), bigger clouds = bonus points.

 

[kuhli]

No, not correct. The two glass piece are just resting inside one another, they don't need an O-ring or something, they just need to ACTUALLY seal the path that's AROUND the glass pieces. It's not currently, it's simply one material that's sandwiched onto another material and that's connected to the silicone at the top where the mouth piece is. They could make it air tight by just making the top silicone piece be the same piece that the bottom silicone piece is

I see what you're saying. You're just saying you need an O-ring (or similar seal) at the top between the glass mouthpiece and the case, and have that be airtight down to the bowl. That makes sense, though it could still leak at the bowl it seems. Anyway, the general consensus among the users here seems to be that it doesn't matter much.

 

[CarolKing]

Sektr, The Solo is a good unit if you are just starting to vape. The Ascent has a learning curve for some. Also the Pinnacle Pro is a very good. There's no learning curve with the Solo or the Pinnacle Pro.

Read through some of the portable vape threads, or maybe you've already done that. They all have their pros and cons. I have all three of those units and like them all.

The Ascent is a good unit, but some have gotten faulty units. Sometimes it's a risk when buying the newest vape on the block. It took me a while to learn how to use the Ascent and get medicated. I'm very happy with it and recommend it for others, but know it takes practice.

 

[sektr]

The Solo is a good unit if you are just starting to vape. The Ascent has a learning curve for some. Also the Pinnacle Pro is a very good. There's no learning curve with the Solo or the Pinnacle Pro.

Read through some of the portable vape threads, or maybe you've already done that. They all have their pros and cons. I have all three of those units and like them all.

The Ascent is a good unit, but some have gotten faulty units. Sometimes it's a risk when buying the newest vape on the block.

I've previously had an MFLB and (shortly) the original DV. I wasn't a fan of the LB but the DV definitely got me where I needed to be.

Solo is too big for what I'm looking for and the glass stem is a huge turn off, and with the Pinnacle Pro almost all my tubes are 18mm so the water tool it comes with isn't suitable, and the milk videos I've seen have not impressed me all too much (although it is getting good reviews).

I'm going to stop by my LHS and check em all out in person tomorrow. I may just grab something that works well for individual dosing on the go then get a desktop vape later for my glass collection.

My one annoyance with all the leading vapes now is bowl size. From what I'm hearing the PAX and Ascent both have massive bowls.