Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci

[linux3214]

Thanks for the response. Do you find there to be any difference in quality or function when using glass beads and filler material instead of a packed bowl? I'm familiar with half packing the Pax oven and it was to me almost indistinguishable from a full oven other than fewer hits a pack.

I've seen pictures of Ed's Ascent pieces, very precise. How much did you get them for, if permissible? Do they leak air like some glass tubes people have been reporting? I've got a solo granadillo stem which is absolutely beautiful. I like seeing and feeling the wood grain as opposed to printed on wood decals.

 

[CarolKing]

Check out the Vapor Related Equipment forum. Look under Eds TnT to find his sub forum, you can also PM him. He will get right back to you. I think I paid $38 for the Ascent wood stem. That included shipping.

 

[sektr]

Question for everyone here. I was pretty slack about cleaning my Ascent at first. I seem to be having a lot of trouble fully cleaning out the bottom section of the glass stem (where the filter is, it's just such a skinny tube there's no way to get anything in there to cause the necessary abrasion), and am also noticing a lot of staining in the bowl.

What are some techniques to get the part of the stem with the screen properly cleaned? And is the gradual changing of the bowl from white to dark brown normal? Any way to get it back or is that just something permanent from extended use?

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Question for everyone here. I was pretty slack about cleaning my Ascent at first. I seem to be having a lot of trouble fully cleaning out the bottom section of the glass stem (where the filter is, it's just such a skinny tube there's no way to get anything in there to cause the necessary abrasion), and am also noticing a lot of staining in the bowl.

What are some techniques to get the part of the stem with the screen properly cleaned? And is the gradual changing of the bowl from white to dark brown normal? Any way to get it back or is that just something permanent from extended use?

I have a few hundred 50mL plastic vials with screw on tops that I use. I use 1 vial with Grain alcohol to extract the golden resin for reclaim, and then I use a second vial full of iso and salt to soak the glass. Every day I shake the *crap* out of the iso vial.

I haven't had any problems yet, aside from one glass stem which the glass around the 4 holes disintegrated after a 2 week soak in ISO when I touched it (never had glass 'crumble' like that.... amazing).

As far as the oven goes, I use a q-tip soaked in ISO to give mine a cleaning every few sessions. I have heard someone mention that a magic-eraser (for walls) works wonders, but I don't know how non-toxic this method is - I'm still too afraid to try this method until I hear some feedback on toxicity (@nigel care to comment?)

Another thing I've done is apply a bit of ISO to round cotton pads and shove that into the oven (make sure you don't use too much ISO - you don't want any dripping out the bottom!). After a few minutes soak, the resin will scrub off a bit easier.

Also a bit of heat can do wonders, set your temperature low (150F - 200F) and let it cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Then shut off the unit, and use some iso soaked q-tips to scrub the oven walls. Gently use a wooden toothpick for any hard to reach corners (be careful not to chip the glass glaze with the q-tip!)

 

[bassman]

Question for everyone here. I was pretty slack about cleaning my Ascent at first. I seem to be having a lot of trouble fully cleaning out the bottom section of the glass stem (where the filter is, it's just such a skinny tube there's no way to get anything in there to cause the necessary abrasion), and am also noticing a lot of staining in the bowl.

What are some techniques to get the part of the stem with the screen properly cleaned? And is the gradual changing of the bowl from white to dark brown normal? Any way to get it back or is that just something permanent from extended use?

I clean mine once a week.I use lots of q tips and iso. takes awhile to get most of the stains out.I use a toothpick and scrape the corners and bottom and also some of the tough stains. Like I said it can take awhile to get it back to white and even then there are a few stains. I can get close but can't get it back to completely white. If you use yours daily like I do through all the temp ranges,it is going to stain. Best thing to do is keep your glass flowers or beads clean so they don't add more stain to the top of the bowl and keep your glass clean to cut down on the odor. Then just cop a good buzz and take time and clean your bowl once a week. Be sure everything is cool before you start. To get the glass stems clean, just soak in iso in a plastic baggie and aggitate it every once in awhile and then after most is loose just rinse with hot water and everything will come out. Sometimes you might have to let your glass soak overnight in order to et everything loose.

 

[CarolKing]

When cleaning the Ascent turn it up side down so no ISO drips inside the wiring underneath. Also a little salt with the ISO helps get the glass stems clean.

The oven area is stained and I can't get it clean, that just adds character to my unit.

 

[Pepus]

I get the bottom stem fully clean by soaking it in ISO for a time and then passing through pressured water. I have attached a latex hose to a tap, with it I'm able not only to clean the steams but also to get a stream of water at a adjustable pressure and lead it where I want easily, very useful in the kitchen! more than other expensive and sophisticate devices.

The other day I went to the beach and took some small pebbles of about a quarter of an inch to give them a try as a spacers and surprisingly they work the same if not better than glass flowers or beads. I really think that stone keeps heat better than glass, I have heard about hot stones massages but not hot glasses ones. In addition the pebbles are easy to get, cheaper and you can choose color, size, shape...

 

[pakalolo]

The other day I went to the beach and took some small pebbles of about a quarter of an inch to give them a try as a spacers and surprisingly they work the same if not better than glass flowers or beads. I really think that stone keeps heat better than glass, I have heard about hot stones massages but not hot glasses ones. In addition the pebbles are easy to get, cheaper and you can choose color, size, shape...

If you do this you must be careful to choose dense pebbles like granite and avoid porous rocks like sandstone. Beach stones often contain trapped water, which can turn into steam and make the pebble explode.

 

[turk]

....I use the glass flowers....I also use the "oil can" that came with the ascent, as a spacer with the top off...that oil can works the best...but I continue to do more experiments with the flowers,they work, just not as well....in my experience...

 

[Yahmuffin]

....I use the glass flowers....I also use the "oil can" that came with the ascent, as a spacer with the top off...that oil can works the best...but I continue to do more experiments with the flowers,they work, just not as well....in my experience...

How do you mean with the top off?
Could you make a picture?

 

[S1N3]

How do you mean with the top off?
Could you make a picture?

He means using the oil can without the black cap("cover") on.

I spoke with DV this weekend at the cup and they claim to use the oil can in similar fashion to @turk as a spacer. We talked about the glass flowers etc too, but nothing official yet in terms of an accessory from DV. They had some great presence at both the BIG show and the Cannabis Cup.


Here they are @ the BIG Show

 

[turk]

.....yep that's correct...I've found for me this works better than the fowers...although the flowers work...but I get more visible deeper hits with the can...I believe because the can really keeps your material down...where with the flowers when you inhale....shit moves around...
...oh...and nice picture man..

 

[JCat]

I have heard someone mention that a magic-eraser (for walls) works wonders, but I don't know how non-toxic this method is - I'm still too afraid to try this method until I hear some feedback on toxicity (@nigel care to comment?)

I can't imagine this being non-toxic ... however, that being said, it will do a good job and as long as one is confident to have fully cleaned out any residue after the fact, I can't see the harm (disclaimer: I'm no chemist though!)

 

[nigel]

Question for everyone here. I was pretty slack about cleaning my Ascent at first. I seem to be having a lot of trouble fully cleaning out the bottom section of the glass stem

Before reclaim, I was using a cup full of epson salt and ISO. Shove the stems in the ISO soaked salt, and it will "scrub" the insides of the stem pretty well. Get some of the ISO-salt into the base of the screen-stem and swirl it around. You'll get most everything that way.

Alternatively, I switched to full reclaim. Have a jar with REAL Everclear in it. Stems go in and soak until I need a clean piece. (The point here is that I leave it soaking for a long time -- or at least longer than I probably need -- but doesn't hurt it, and I know I'm pulling a "fresh" stem when I need it.) Pull it out of the alcohol, and if any little bits are still stuck in the screen-stem, running some hot water though will usually dislodge anything left. If something is still stubborn, get some ISO-salt in there and that should do the rest.

Ok I was overwhelmed by work lately ...So I apologize in advance, it will be long once again.

Another very well researched comprehensive post. There's never a need to apologize for that.

@nigel to the rescue!

Just to be perfectly clear, I speak only for myself, and while I try to ensure the accuracy of everything I say, I make mistakes or forget things. I will however try to clarify situations where I am less than certain and may contain some (informed or uninformed) speculation on my part.

[ISSUE-001] Packaging smells
[ISSUE-002] Silicone curing

- Noticed by all new users, with no exception.

"Noticed by all users"? Is this true? It's been a while since I have had a new unit in my hand. Is packing smell really an issue for everyone? I can't recall a lot of posts citing this as an issue. I know the previous DaVinci unit had a "packaging smell" that was pretty bad, but I wasn't aware the Ascent had the same problem... any more so than any other vape with a "new vape smell."

I see your suggestion for a desiccant as a possible solution. Not sure if that would entirely eliminate a packaging smell, as I don't think it is a moisture issue, but it would keep it from becoming worse.

Regardless, I'm not sure qualifies as a "problem" as it is only related to shipping and is temporary at best.



The silicon curing, on the other hand, would be more of an issue.

Before DV bought their own curing hardware, this was much more of an issue. Now, not so much.

It's my understanding that there is quite a bit of variability in a batch of silicone in terms of the cure, environmental factors influence the day's cure, and there is no one fixed unilateral cure time. As such, a few modern units might be in need of more curing. DV works to continue to refine their process here.

I think most people here go through a burn-in, just because that is one of the initial steps that people here have recommended prior to use, just like a full-charge cycle before use. (Yeah, yeah, yeah: I understand the manufacture suggests full charge first too.) I'm not sure that either the burn-in (or full-charge, for that matter, but that's another issue) is really needed, but people do it just in case.

I would NOT take that as an indicator that a burn-in is required, nor that the particular unit is in need of more curing.

[ISSUE-005] Wires desoldering or breaking with old hinges

- This is a very serious issue affecting all old units.

"affecting all old units" -- I don't think this to be true. In fact, I *KNOW* this to not be true. Perhaps you intended to say "affecting POTENTIALLY ANY old unit"? But stating it in the fashion you did invokes some degree of hyperbole.

Not all old-batch units have the weak solder point. All new units should have a strong point. I'd wager by now (excluding old units that might still be stuck in a distribution channel/store shelf/whatever) that the majority of the old-batch units that were going to fail in this manner have, and that we will continue to see decreasing reports of this issue. (I am NOT saying we will NEVER see more reports for older units, just the rate would diminish.) As indicated, the newer units have a stronger point.

[ISSUE-006] Flowers, sombrero, the rising puck (aka poor vapor production)
But in short: my device doesn't need any flowers to work properly, but there's definitely a steep learning curve and all vapor production problems reported are, I'm now confident, entirely due to "user error".

(FWIW: I've never had the "rising puck" issue. But this could be a "caliber of product" or otherwise individualized issue?)

I think this is better restated as [ISSUE-006] Overly "generous" bowl size than "poor vapor production". (You yourself, close this point by citing "user error" so I'm not sure this is really a problem.) There are plenty of people that have posted liking the bowl full, and are quite happy with the vapor production. Those people look at us glass-flower people and oil can people as a bit strange and unnecessary.

But this is more a matter of individual taste. For those like me, the bowl is just too big (unless I'm loading to share with friends, and then the size is perfect). In that case, I think we all have found personal solutions for bowl reducers.

In my situation, I've found a way to use very little product at a time and milk it for crazy long, slow and lazy sessions.

I am entirely 100% on the page with you that there is a learning curve here, and that "user error" explains lack of vapor in just about every case (excluding, of course, units that might not have been heating properly, etc).

[ISSUE-007] Batteries catching fire

- I'm shocked that nobody seemed to care! Are you guys just a bunch of stoners or what?!

I take umbrage here at your gross over-genrealization and essentially putting, if not words in our mouths, at least projecting thoughts in our heads. This is disingenuous and reeks of hyperbole.

Of course we care. I was very personally concerned when I first read about that.

But, I think @CarolKing made a great post that covered most of my feelings on this.

[ISSUE-008] Glass-on-Gap-on-Glass, too much air

I have enough to say here for another post. But some of it involves drawing up diagrams, and I do believe you are missing some some points here. Which is not to say valid points are made.

But for the time being, I'll leave this with @JCat 's response.

I have heard someone mention that a magic-eraser (for walls) works wonders, but I don't know how non-toxic this method is - I'm still too afraid to try this method until I hear some feedback on toxicity (@nigel care to comment?)

The melamine foam is cited as being non-toxic. It's a microporous abrasive that should not harm the glass coating. A simple ISO wash-down (q-tip clean out) should remove any residue left behind.

where with the flowers when you inhale....shit moves around...

Doesn't happen to me.

 

[Norcalsun]

The rising puck issue: I've filled the bowl about half full then packed it down and had the whole puck lift without drawing very hard, but to me that's not really an issue, it has only happened once or twice to me. For small loads just pack with glass can and then use can as a spacer or load a bowl pack it and use 2 flowers stem down like thumb tacks. The flowers keep the bowl tightly packed and filter sediments from being sucked through. If I'm in no rush, and I'm usually not, I'll put 2 flowers in the bottom stem up, load some bud, drop 1 or 2 flowers in and pack with glass can, then fill with more bud and pack with glass can then put 2 flowers stem down. I can usually hit that 1 bowl all day. I'll take a couple hits, turn it off immediately, and hit it a couple more times while it cools (sometimes I open the bowl to let it cool faster). I find that it doesn't really bake your bud that much and it will just waste a tiny amount if that. I really don't find much use to pack anything much less than a full bowl. That's just me though. Also I would like to see Davinci come out with some type heat conductor to add to the bowl other than the typical glass flowers. Something custom fit would be a great accessory and I'm sure it would sell like "hot cakes".

 

[miscbrah]

I finally received my replacement after pretty much 4 weeks without a vape(I even gave another $250 deposit) and have decided now if the soldering comes out again i want to fix it myself. Has anyone fixed their own unit? I would feel much better if someone had pictures of their unit taken apart before I open myn up. And my unit number is 1AA1

 

[Yahmuffin]

Yes it w

The rising puck issue: I've filled the bowl about half full then packed it down and had the whole puck lift without drawing very hard, but to me that's not really an issue, it has only happened once or twice to me. For small loads just pack with glass can and then use can as a spacer or load a bowl pack it and use 2 flowers stem down like thumb tacks. The flowers keep the bowl tightly packed and filter sediments from being sucked through. If I'm in no rush, and I'm usually not, I'll put 2 flowers in the bottom stem up, load some bud, drop 1 or 2 flowers in and pack with glass can, then fill with more bud and pack with glass can then put 2 flowers stem down. I can usually hit that 1 bowl all day. I'll take a couple hits, turn it off immediately, and hit it a couple more times while it cools (sometimes I open the bowl to let it cool faster). I find that it doesn't really bake your bud that much and it will just waste a tiny amount if that. I really don't find much use to pack anything much less than a full bowl. That's just me though. Also I would like to see Davinci come out with some type heat conductor to add to the bowl other than the typical glass flowers. Something custom fit would be a great accessory and I'm sure it would sell like "hot cakes".

It certainly would... I want two, take my money!

 

[Pepus]

....I use the glass flowers....I also use the "oil can" that came with the ascent, as a spacer with the top off...that oil can works the best...but I continue to do more experiments with the flowers,they work, just not as well....in my experience...

You are right, it works nicely, and it seems to me the more convenient way

 

[KeroZen]

[ISSUE-008] Glass-on-Gap-on-Glass, too much air

The issue here is the top silicone seal. It does not extend into the tube but is basically flat

Woa! Excellent @JCat you nailed it completely! I wonder how I missed that in the beginning because I recall having carefully inspected the tunnel (poking here and there) But now that my device is several months old this is freaking obvious! There is a big gap between the top seal (aka buddy rim) and the air tunnel and by using the stir tool I can raise the top seal and see the batteries and circuit!

This explains a lot of things, including why some times vapor production can be pretty poor (= too much air >> bad vapor/air ratio) because the size of the gap varies everytime you push/pull the upper glass straw! And some days there was a lot of friction between the top silicone seal and the glass, so when I exended the straw it poped the entire piece up!

What the fuck @Davinci_vaporizer ?!! Seriously? There is no mitigation possible here: I don't give a crap if you tell me that air coming from this location is too cold to be harmful, there should be no air coming from this location, period! It's fucking made in China and they don't care about safety unless you tell them to. What is there to find? Lead? Worse? Do you even know for sure?

@nigel I urge you to ask them to make a revised top silicone seal, one that is not merely flat but has a small protruding silicone tube that would fit around (or inside?) the air tunnel to make a proper seal. I'm even willing to pay for the upgraded part if ever they want to, but this is really not acceptable, they must find a solution (at least for the newly produced devices, and if possible to retrofit all old devices)

Also I'm not 100% sure the "ring" inside the tunnel is safe too. In the early batch where electric wires could be seen through this gap, the pictures I saw gave me the impression that there was no cylinder around the silicone air-tunnel. So we might really have two possible leak sources (and a third if the bottom silicone seal is also flat somehow!)

I'm gutted really, this is so disappointing... Maybe if we group and are a lot to complain they will be forced to react?

Meanwhile I would recommend all Ascent users to use their fingers to push the top silicone seal down everytime they extend their top glass straw, before using the device. Push all the silicone all around the straw until it makes contact with the top part of the air tunnel, and pray for it to stay in place!

And no we aren't just a bunch of stoners that don't care (...) I would not have joined if I thought people were a bunch of uncaring stoners.

Listen, I'm sorry this was really uncalled for. My only goal was to elicit a reaction as I was under the impression nobody really cared. I didn't want to offend anyone. But this is a serious issue really.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a very large scale washing machine recall campaign: one full page inside most magazines to recall Bosh, Siemens (and a third brand) dish-washing machines of a particular kind/batch, because they had a component known to overheat and that could possibly start a fire. Do you know why they spend millions for this campaign? Because they know that in Europa there is no way a company could win a case in court after one of their product caused a fire at one of their clients house during normal operation! They would lose, and lose big money even!

"Noticed by all users"? Is this true? It's been a while since I have had a new unit in my hand. Is packing smell really an issue for everyone? I can't recall a lot of posts citing this as an issue. I know the previous DaVinci unit had a "packaging smell" that was pretty bad, but I wasn't aware the Ascent had the same problem... any more so than any other vape with a "new vape smell." I see your suggestion for a desiccant as a possible solution. Not sure if that would entirely eliminate a packaging smell, as I don't think it is a moisture issue, but it would keep it from becoming worse..

I didn't know those silica packs could be used to remove odors, I thought it was just a dessicant. But I'm just forwarding what I read in the Vapir thread. If it works, it wouldn't add much to their production costs and it would improve customer satisfaction (as we all know the first impression is of prime importance)

In my box the item having the worst smell was the faux-velvet carry pouch. It stinked horribly. But as you said, all these smells do not last very long, so it is overall a minor issue.

"affecting all old units" -- I don't think this to be true. In fact, I *KNOW* this to not be true. Perhaps you intended to say "affecting POTENTIALLY ANY old unit"? But stating it in the fashion you did invokes some degree of hyperbole.

No if you read carefully I said all old units are *potentially* affected but my wording is perhaps misleading. I also think this issue has been solved in the 2Axx series. So this is just a warning for 1Axx owners: don't open your Ascent fully if you want to minimize the odds of getting this problem.

(FWIW: I've never had the "rising puck" issue. But this could be a "caliber of product" or otherwise individualized issue?) I think this is better restated as [ISSUE-006] Overly "generous" bowl size than "poor vapor production". (...) In my situation, I've found a way to use very little product at a time and milk it for crazy long, slow and lazy sessions.

Yes sorry I wasn't clear, I will do that other post I evoked when I get back to the office later this week. But yes, learning curve, user error, refining your technic, it will be around these topics and I think we agree overall.

I have enough to say here for another post. But some of it involves drawing up diagrams, and I do believe you are missing some some points here. Which is not to say valid points are made. But for the time being, I'll leave this with @JCat 's response.

Yes obviously I missed what @JCat said, but please go ahead and draw those diagrams!

I finally received my replacement after pretty much 4 weeks without a vape(I even gave another $250 deposit) and have decided now if the soldering comes out again i want to fix it myself. Has anyone fixed their own unit? I would feel much better if someone had pictures of their unit taken apart before I open myn up. And my unit number is 1AA1

No I'm affraid you are in Terra Incognita and will be a pioneer here! We would definitely be interested in any picture you might post, shall you chose to follow the self-repair route. Re-soldering the wire(s) is clearly do-able, opening/separating the hinge on the other hand... I don't know. There must be a way though... Good luck!

 

[CarolKing]

If you or anybody else has a major air leak I suggest returning your unit. I did have an air leak with my first unit. The unit that I have now seems to works wonderful, it's a stealth for those of you keeping track. Using the gong gives you a better draw. I think I'm going to order the cocobolo wood 14mm stem for the Ascent by Ed.

The cost of a vaporizer is too spendy to keep a unit with a major air leak. If anybody is unhappy because you have a faulty unit DV has a great return policy.

 

[KeroZen]

You mean that I should return my device to get another one with the same defect back? This is a design default I'm affraid and I'm not the only one having noticed. All devices are built the same and I already have a 2AE1 device, it's quite recent.

If you don't believe me try with your own device. Take your stir tool, remove the upper straw, then with the tool gently pull on the silicone ring (where the straw was, the buddy rim) and tell me if you can't see any gap? You can use a torch or your phone to see better if needed.

I must say that I happen to be using my Ascent *way more often* than anybody reported in this thread so far. You @CarolKing admitted using it very sparingly in comparison. I also read people recharging "every other day"... whereas if I have to recharge only once per day then it means something prohibited me to use it (parents visiting, public spaces, travel etc) I mean, I recharge it several times per day most of the time! It's my daily driver for now.

So I'm kinda putting it under heavy stress and some problems are already showing (like the destroyed silicone bowl seal for instance) and now, the gap at the top that is clearly visible... It's not sitting properly on the air-tunnel anymore.

 

[CarolKing]

Maybe you can exchange your unit for another Davinci vaporizer and some products to make up the difference in the pricing. I use my Ascent some days more than others. I also lent it out to a friend for a month, he loved it. He said he used it twice a day, most days.

I have had mine since October, in the beginning I had trouble getting the hang of it, the learning curve had me stumped. With some homework and help from FCrs on this thread I was able to get this unit to preform like a champ.

At one point I thought about selling my Ascent, I was very frustrated. If you are unhappy you could sell your unit in the Classified section thread of FC.

Also the Solo is a very good vaporizer, maybe it could hold up better as a daily driver.

 

[OF]

The cost of a vaporizer is too spendy to keep a unit with a major air leak. If anybody is unhappy because you have a faulty unit DV has a great return policy.

While I'm not sure I agree that cost is a factor, I fully agree you should not be using a vape you think is faulty. Or even one you're simply not happy with. Cost should not change that, you should be satisfied with your gear. Pride of ownership, the tool is not the goal, making vapor when you need to is.

It's great that DV has a good return policy, but even if the unit is within specs if you're not happy, you're not happy. Time to change plans and move on if needed.

What is good for one guy is not necessarily what is good for the next. Some are very demanding in cosmetic details, for instance, while others see them as secondary at best. Some are not happy without 'huge clouds', 'all glass vapor path', 'no toxic Butane' and so on. As Mae West said, "ya pays yer money and takes yer choice". I bet you didn't know she sold vapes.......

OF

 

[JCat]

I want to mention that the issue with the top seal does not exist with the bottom seal ... the bottom seal goes into the "tunnel" and makes a seal (which is possible because the bottom glass straw is smaller). The top seal issue can be mitigated by using the GonG or really well mated glass straws (that are virtually "leakless" ... I have multiple pairs that when on their own I cannot draw air with the bottom glass screen covered ...)

 

[KeroZen]

Hey Mister @OF now that I got your attention, there was something I also wanted to address with you. You might have over 10k posts, meaning you are very talkative, but at the same time you admitted (post #5251) that you don't even own an Ascent and borrowed @nigel's device

So with all due respect (and please, please, don't take this as a personal attack) I need to challenge your temperature-drop test results, as it is clearly not what I'm experiencing with my 2AE1 device. It might be down to a difference with @nigel's device (1AA1 iirc) or maybe with the kind of draw you used for your test, but I'm nowhere seeing the 100°F drop figure you keep reporting.

If you read the "Bud Toaster" thread (http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/the-bud-toaster-currently-model-14-version-3.826/) you will see that @Hippie Dickie managed to get around 1°F set-temperature locking with a "simple" PID controller (I use quotes here as I don't want to diminish the excellent work he did, but the man admitted it himself: a PID controller is no rocket science) Ok he's using way stronger LiFe batteries and can draw more amps than we have at disposal with the Ascent, but still.

In the LSV thread, they reported a maximum of 50°F drop on the device. Again it's hard to compare because they got a very large ceramic heating element in comparison, but this figure was reported when doing huge bong rips, and the LSV has strictly no PID temp control.

So your 100°F figure gives the impression the Ascent has no active temperature control at all! But that's not what I'm seeing here: do I have to wait between draws? Yes for sure, but 5 seconds is enough here, nowhere like the 30 seconds *minimum* you said in your previous post. In fact, it's easy to test: set the Ascent to any temperature, wait 5 minutes for radiation heating to start taking place (when the bottom of the device becomes hot to the touch, it's really pumping more) then power off the bowl (option+minus buttons) and note the temperature reported by the sensor. Then draw as you would and note the reported temperature at the end. Here with my drawing technic, I only see max 4°C drop on average, and that is *without* active temperature control. Meaning when the bowl is on, the drop is even lower because the chip is trying to compensate.

But I know that you will answer that the sensor temperature is not the same as the herb material temperature inside the bowl, yet there must be a strong correlation though don't you think? When you did your test, were the 4 bowl holes completely obstructed by plant material? How much did you pack the material? (or maybe you did an empty bowl test? I don't recall the exact details sorry) Also you glass flowers folk don't seem to be packing really hard, whereas when I say I make a "puck" I really mean it, a flat hard disc! So there really must be a difference, maybe the 2Axx series were improved and had their PID tuned better?