this thread is 400 pages deep and I'm sure there are some great tips and tricks in here, but could someone provide me with the main ones?
Most or all of my observations have been mentioned here at one time or another or perhaps even many times.
Anyway, IMO here are 7 top tips for Vapcap success and a content and delightful life ...
Tip #1 - Respect the click.
BOTH WAYS. The cap really does know what it's doing. Sure, you can heat it past the click a second or so, but I have found that stopping at the click gets me three good hits per session with no worry over possible combustion. Leave that for later when you are more experienced.
The first cycle is a flavour hit and the next two are pure vapour. I am a microdoser and I only use a tiny amount of herb per bowl. I get three cycles per load and then bliss. Some may prefer to slightly overheat the first round for full vapour on hit one, but that will get you very dark ABV while I myself prefer more of a toast colour.
The cooling click is even more important because if you don't wait for it before reheating, you will combust. It's guaranteed, write it down, take it to the bank, count on it. It's easy to get lost; heat the cap, toke away, gaze with loving admiration at your Woody's yet undiscovered beauty and then, without thinking, you put the torch to it again. NO...STOP, don't do that. Wait for that cooling click. For me, this was the toughest part of the learning curve - learning to wait for the cooling click. Now, it's just habit. This alone should give you an indication of how incredibly easy it is to operate. I've never combusted, but I have come close a once or twice. Each time was without question, user malfunction.
When done correctly, the herb always comes out an even toasty brown. Perfection. Yes, you guessed it, it's true. The cap it IS magic.
Tip #2 - Choose your fire.
The flame or heat source that you choose DOES effect your outcome. A four jet torch brings immediate, or in just a few seconds, perfect vaping temps. Dial down the fire and you add more seconds getting to the click. With a quad, triple or double jet, the time to temp is very short. A candle may take up to 20 seconds but it is heating that oven nice and slow. Easy does it..Yum...
A single flame with its pinpoint precision is more challenging to a new Vapcapper than multiple flames which cover a greater general area of the cap. A quad will quickly bring you to the click without overheating. Stick to multiple flames if you are a novice.
Tip #3 - Find your sweet spot.
Where you apply heat to your cap makes all the difference. Heat low on the cap and your bowl temps are higher than heating the tip of the cap. This adjustment fine tunes the temperature of your bowl and it contents. Infinite variability is possible through your heat source by how/where on the cap you apply it. Experiment to find your sweet spot.
I begin by heating the lower half of the cap, near the digger putter. This creates an initial burst of heat. The second cycle has the heat concentrated in the middle section of the cap and the final cycle is heated near the top. This gives me toasty coloured ABV every time.
Practice often to find your sweet spot.
Tip #4 - Attract a magnet (or Dynastash/ER).
When I ordered my Dynastash and DynastashER, I really sort of expected them to be novelty items. Boy! Was I wrong. These tiny stashes are sooo cool and better yet, super convenient. They tuck away your vapcap and store your herb. They are small, dugout sized, fit easily in your palm and your pocket, are super attractive and just sooo handy. The ER has the added benefit of an extra silicone stash. It's meant for concentrate but I have been stuffing flower in it or you could use it for your ABV. Again, super handy. I haven't even mentioned the main attraction, the magnet. It keeps your cap stuck close by so it won't roll away. And it looks great doing it. It holds the cap for you when you're filling the bowl. Place your vapcap on it after a toke and it will cool the cap to the cooling click sooner. The Dynastash/ER just ties the room together so to speak and I don't feel like I have a bunch of random separate pieces cluttering the place up. Also, you can stash your stash by using the magnet to hold it to any ferris metal such as a table leg or your fridge. I hide a stash with its Vapcap on the back of a cast iron lantern that sits on my porch.
Tip #5 - Bigger is not better.
The bowl size is perfect; Small but not too small. Perfect and adjustable. I like to take a tiny nug and pop it in the bowl. No need to grind your herb or fiddle or fuss around when emptying the bowl.
The Vapcap taught me to microdose. You will save money on your herb. It will surprise you with its efficiency. Try gaping smaller and smaller amounts and you will find that less actually delivers the same effect.
Tip #6 - Lose the Loose Particulates.
I was so thrilled when I found the Vapcap and the surprisingly smooth vapor It delivers. But, I still experienced lung irritation from the tiny bits of plant material that would get past the screen and into the condenser. Some would stick to the inside of the condenser but some would make it into my lungs. A short bit of degummed hemp fiber can be fashioned into a flat disk shaped filter and sandwiched between two screens. This stops all particulate bits from making its way to your lungs. It creates an even smoother pontificating vapor and as a special bonus, it keeps your condenser unbelievably clean for a very very long time.
Tip #7 - Read the Thread
If you are ever depressed or disappointed by some act from a fellow human being, read the Dynavap thread. Not only will you learn about the Vapcap and its rapid evolution from a tiny efficient vape to the stunningly beautiful and masterfully engineered device and collectors item it is today, but you will appreciate the good will that shines through in the stories told here. It's not just that Sativa that's uplifting, the Vapcap has a positive vibe all its own.
