Ball Vape Purchase Decision?

[Chronicele]

Hey all, long time vaper here looking to finally make the leap to ball vapes. I go through periods of combustion, but for the most part have been using a combination of traditional portable and desktop vapes to get my fix. Currently TM2 and HR Rogue are meeting my reach test, but have enjoyed Plenty, Herbalizer (throwback), and Tafee Bowle to great effect too.

I am hitting analysis paralysis here with the wide variety of options, wired/wireless, diffuser/injector, materials, etc and would love to get some thoughts.

- Safety, I am not coordinated when baked and burning myself/nearby objects is one of my concerns of a ball vape
- Ease of use, the less adjustments/stirring needed, the better
- Prefer clouds and vapor strength over flavor
- Prefer more sleepy/stoney effects (not sure if this would be convection or hybrid, leaning towards hybrid)
- Planning to use with almost exclusively flower
- Personal use, not expecting to share with friends (have enough portables)
- Willing to pay up to ~$600 or so

As a result of the first two, I have been looking at wireless options like CH ZenLeaf Moab + Mercury & Terp Hammer/Dab Ready, along with cheaper options like Zeal/Omega. Also, have not ruled out wired options like Taroma 360 and Screwball, but think wireless may fit my use case better.

Sidenote: I have looked through the ball vape megathread but still cannot decide Appreciate the help!

 

[Grass Yes]

I have a lot of ball vapes and I have my preferences. I will say that I don't touch the wired ones anymore. I have some that I like a lot, none that make it worth giving up cordless.

I have 3 wireless ball vapes right now and one on the way!

 

[Varden]

- Prefer more sleepy/stoney effects (not sure if this would be convection or hybrid, leaning towards hybrid)

Yes, you want to add some conduction to get more of those effects. So you are looking for a hybrid. With ball vapes you can get a metal bowl (SS or Ti ideally). Put the head on the bowl and let it soak the metal for a couple of minutes so the metal bowl heats up and adds a conduction effect.

Also, some people say that lower bowls also add conduction effect but I have no experience with this one myself.

I use glass bowls precisely to avoid the conduction effect that you seek.

 

[Grass Yes]

Also, some people say that lower bowls also add conduction effect but I have no experience with this one myself.

Do you mean that bowls that are deeper would do this? I haven't heard this one before.

I've never seen any meaningful conduction from heat soaking a metal bowl, but I definitely have seen it running a coil on one. Although that requires a second pid controller.

 

[Varden]

Do you mean that bowls that are deeper would do this? I haven't heard this one before.

I've never seen any meaningful conduction from heat soaking a metal bowl, but I definitely have seen it running a coil on one. Although that requires a second pid controller.

@invertedisdead mention it in the announcement of the new zirconia cordless ball vape, but as I said I've not tried it.

 

[Grass Yes]

@invertedisdead mention it in the announcement of the new zirconia cordless ball vape, but as I said I've not tried it.

Interesting. I could see moving the load closer to the vape could increase radiant heat, although I am curious to hear more about adding conduction.

 

[FlyingJustice]

- Safety, I am not coordinated when baked and burning myself/nearby objects is one of my concerns of a ball vape

From my experience, the stand is the best at preventing this. Something like a Cannabis Hardware Hangar stand is what I'd recommend. I've had a ceramic cup before that would cause the heater to fall and burn me. This one has more heft and weight to it and prevents that.

- Ease of use, the less adjustments/stirring needed, the better

A shovel head bowl / diffuser head will help with this. In an injector bowl, you'll want to stir to clear the bowl. With a shovel head bowl or similar, it can clear the bowl without stirring and allows for 1 hit bowl clears. I prefer 3-5 hits so lower my temperature with it.

- Personal use, not expecting to share with friends (have enough portables)
- Prefer clouds and vapor strength over flavor

As a result of the first two, I have been looking at wireless options like CH ZenLeaf Moab + Mercury & Terp Hammer/Dab Ready, along with cheaper options like Zeal/Omega. Also, have not ruled out wired options like Taroma 360 and Screwball, but think wireless may fit my use case better.

In this case, I think a wired ball vape will better suit you. Wireless is great if you will see yourself constantly moving away from where the heating element is. The drawback is that it will cool down when you take hits. With a wired ball vape, it will stay at that temperature and allow you to get consistently large clouds whereas with a wireless, you'll want to reheat it.

The ball vapes I'd recommend are the Taroma 360, Screwball, Flowerpot B1/B2, or CC Zeal with the Taroma 360 being what I would get if I were to buy one today.

 

[Grass Yes]

In this case, I think a wired ball vape will better suit you. Wireless is great if you will see yourself constantly moving away from where the heating element is. The drawback is that it will cool down when you take hits. With a wired ball vape, it will stay at that temperature and allow you to get consistently large clouds whereas with a wireless, you'll want to reheat it.

In my experience this is not a practical concern with a good wireless vapes. The amount of time to reheat is less than the time it takes to load a bowl. In my experience you can get a bowl and a half off each heating.

I typically sit in the same spot when I vape but the convenience of the wireless vape is well worth it.

 

[FlyingJustice]

In my experience this is not a practical concern with a good wireless vapes. The amount of time to reheat is less than the time it takes to load a bowl. In my experience you can get a bowl and a half off each heating.

I typically sit in the same spot when I vape but the convenience of the wireless vape is well worth it.

Just having to re-heat in general though if you're gonna be sitting at the same area does not make wireless sound worth it to me. If I'm next to it always, wired is not only cheaper but will maintain temperature at all times.

 

[Grass Yes]

Just having to re-heat in general though if you're gonna be sitting at the same area does not make wireless sound worth it to me. If I'm next to it always, wired is not only cheaper but will maintain temperature at all times.

This is a thing people often say before using a wireless ball vape. I also thought it would be a novelty. For me it shelved all the wired ones.

 

[PeteyS]

Im in the market for my first and hopefully last ball vape. Ive watched all the videos, and narrowed it down to the freight train pro, or the Vapvana screwball, both which are readily available in my area(Canada).
Now that I caught wind of the wireless ball vapes, im still new to the concept, im totally confused now as what I want. Haha.

I know wireless is always life changing, but im a little concerned with doing multiple bowls back to back . lets say I want to vape 4 bowls, one right after another. Would I need to heat up the coil after each bowl? and how long would it take to get back to my selected temp? 30 seconds? 1 minutes?


Also, if I do go the wireless ball vape route, what else should I look for, and which manufactures have the best wireless setup at the moment?

Thanks,

Pete

 

[cvs8floz]

I use the Zeal most of the time, the B1 is my back-up. I don't feel the need to invest in other systems that basically do the same thing, Both systems can deliver hits 10x greater than I can handle, I tend to focus more on how well the head, bowl and bong fit together without air leaks and I am always searching for the perfect bowl. I also found that diffuser heads fit my style of vaping much better than injectors, I like to get 3-5 hits from each bowl and leave the head on the entire time. I tried wireless and realized that works well for 1 - 2 hits only or if you are in a group on a couch sharing. I vape at my desk most of the time and don't feel inconvenienced by the wire at all.

 

[Grass Yes]

I know wireless is always life changing, but im a little concerned with doing multiple bowls back to back . lets say I want to vape 4 bowls, one right after another. Would I need to heat up the coil after each bowl? and how long would it take to get back to my selected temp? 30 seconds? 1 minutes?

For my ball vapes, they go back in the coil while I load the next bowl. It takes about that much time to bring it back to temperature. I don't rush but I would guess it is between 30 seconds to a minute.

So if your typical session is multiple pre-loaded bowls taken back-to-back over a few seconds, I think you should stick to wired and probably something with a bit more of a thermal battery. If you don't mind loading bowls one at a time, you should be fine with a wireless head.

 

[PeteyS]

Im totally fine loading one bowl at a time. I usually vape the 4 bowls over the course of 15 minutes? so 5 minutes per bowl.
How robust do you think the wireless ball vapes are ? and do you think they will last as long as wired versions, and do you think they can easily be fixed if something goes out. For example, with the wired version, its pretty easy to purchase a new coil, or PID if needed, but with the wireless, it seems like your buying the heater unit, that doesn't look like it is easily repaired if it goes bad. Correct me if im wrong, im still learning here.
Thanks.

 

[Grass Yes]

Im totally fine loading one bowl at a time. I usually vape the 4 bowls over the course of 15 minutes? so 5 minutes per bowl.

You will be fine. I think some of the early Tiodw and CH wireless heads had issues retaining heat but if you get and Omega, Epitome, wireless TKO, etc you should be fine. I've even heard the new CH heads have improved but I haven't tried them personally.

How robust do you think the wireless ball vapes are ? and do you think they will last as long as wired versions, and do you think they can easily be fixed if something goes out. For example, with the wired version, its pretty easy to purchase a new coil, or PID if needed, but with the wireless, it seems like your buying the heater unit, that doesn't look like it is easily repaired if it goes bad. Correct me if im wrong, im still learning here.

Wireless ball vapes are typically exactly like a wired ball vapes but they tend to have a larger thermal battery, thicker housing, and slip easily out of standard size coils. Other than that they are identical.

For the most part they are a metal tube filled with rubies. Durable, repairable and replaceable. The coils and PID controller are just normal enail stuff, just like wired ones.

 

[howie105]

Safety, I am not coordinated when baked and burning myself/nearby objects is one of my concerns of a ball vape ... There is indeed a risk of getting burned with ball vapes, but once you get past the familiarization phase, that risk drops dramatically. It also helps to have a dedicated space or station so cords, components, etc don't get tangled.

Ease of use, the less adjustments/stirring needed, the better. ... Cloud Connoisseur Omega is not bad when rigged with a glass bowl and a diffuser head, especially when running around ~450 f. Can also vouch for the Phase3, ZX (smallish zircon injector) at similar temperatures.

Prefer clouds and vapor strength over flavor. ... The expanded Omega kit is not a bad cloud producer. It wasn't my cup of tea, so I didn't invest much time or bud, so I am fairly sure it wasn't fully optimized.

I'm not trying to shill for Cloud Connoisseur, it's not even my favorite baller, but considering your post it seems like it would be worth your consideration. Good Luck.

 

[PeteyS]

IM also in the market. Ive narrowed it down to the Old head freight train pro. It comes out of the box with a heat guard over the coil, and also has a heat sheld post built into the PID. so it actually has two heat guards.
Im pretty sure it locks in the hot balls securely rather then with just a screen, so there's no chance the hot balls can get loose.

 

[hirmando]

Hi all, first post. Am in similar position (ball vape decision) and wondering Chronicele if you made your decision, are happy, and why or why not?

I'm considering the Ruby Twist (with Ti hybrid bow) despite initially thinking I would prefer to go wireless. Price seems close to what you'd pay for a Tiodw setup. I like the idea of the vapvana ace bundle but not sure about doubling the price for wireless.

Grass Yes.. ..what do you prefer about wireless and do you prefer diffuser over injector, titanium over glass bowl?

​

 

[Grass Yes]

Grass Yes.. ..what do you prefer about wireless

Wireless is a simple quality of life upgrade. It's just less to manage with no degradation in performance for me. I have wired ball vapes, and they are fine, but they just are more awkward to use after going cordless. Sort of like when you have a garage door opener in your car. It's not critical, you can go manually open the garage, but it is just easier and makes everything convenient.

It also makes my setup more compact and self-contained.

and do you prefer diffuser over injector,

I like all my wireless ball vapes but I tend to use the diffuser bowls most often. The nice thing about my favorite, the Omega, is that you can swap on different modules if you want a 14mm injector or a diffuser, etc.

titanium over glass bowl?

I tend to use glass bowls the most often, but I also enjoy the shovelhead (titanium) and the Vulcan (stainless steel). The Vulcan has the nice feature that I can use it heated for some conduction.

 

[jbm]

This is a thing people often say before using a wireless ball vape. I also thought it would be a novelty. For me it shelved all the wired ones.

I own and have used both. I’ve shelved the wireless ones. I still find it to be a solution in search of a problem.

 

[Grass Yes]

I own and have used both. I’ve shelved the wireless ones. I still find it to be a solution in search of a problem.

Which wireless vapes did you try, just out of curiosity?

It absolutely makes sense that it is a personal preference. I won't be going back through.

 

[jbm]

Which wireless vapes did you try, just out of curiosity?

It absolutely makes sense that it is a personal preference. I won't be going back

It felt like I had tried more than one, but it was just the Omega. I also have a B0, Screwball, ZX and a Zeal. The only one I regularly use is the ZX.

 

[Grass Yes]

It felt like I had tried more than one, but it was just the Omega. I also have a B0, Screwball, ZX and a Zeal. The only one I regularly use is the ZX.

I think Omega gives a a great sense of the advantages of wireless, so I think you gave it a fair shake with that one.

 

[hirmando]

FWIW, I grabbed the ruby twist yesterday. Has everything I need to get started, appears to offer 'relatively' healthy materials, and at 200 US for the Vgoodiez bundle- doesn't break the bank.

Omega looks great but is 2x the cost and currently unavailable. Will be watching the phase3 stuff closely. Appreciate the recs.

I hope to learn how to organize my space and what i like and don't like about the workflow. Seems like existing users may be enjoying the micro dose bowl more than the trad. May go back for it once I can confirm it is this one. [Edit: Confirmed].

Cheers

 

[Grass Yes]

Omega looks great but is 2x the cost and currently unavailable.

What Omega kit is 2X the cost? One of them is $191 and the other is $237. The coiled kit $170. All of them are currently available.