Build-A-Vape

[Yuukyuzan]

Hello,

The company where I am employed is playing with the idea of creating our own handheld electric vaporizer. They asked if I could do some research on what the community wants out of their vaporizers. I would like to hear everyone's input on what we should aim for and what is needed to achieve it. Sorry this is a pretty general request due to my lack of knowledge on the topic. Any input is appreciated. Also possible names would be great too.

P.S. Possibly get some gifts for those who provide helpful information.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

All glass air path (glass heating element)! Long Battery life or Low butane consumption .! Small size !Can load both small and big (party mode) ! Heat control /read ! Easy to operate with ! Can do concentrates both solids and oils ! Has adaptability to water pipes and bubblers ! Not overpriced and with nice warranty

 

[Yuukyuzan]

All glass air path ! Long Battery life ! Small size !Can load both small and big (party mode) ! Heat control ! Easy to operate with ! Can do concentrates both solids and oils ! Has adaptability to water pipes and bubblers ! Not overpriced and with nice warranty

Should we possibly look into two types? I.E. Party Size & Personal (Discrete)
Not sure if we could achieve a group capability while maintaining a slim size.

Heat control with a digital display and what range of temperatures serve the user the best?

Appreciate the contribution.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

I think that slim size and party mode can be achieved together even if the party mode requires an extra attachment.. like bigger herb chamber or 1 extra battery for more heat .. Well from my experience i can say that digital display is as good to me as simple dimmer.. Vaporizing seems to give you some kind of jedi feeling to what is the right temp even not seeing the numbers ,so a sweet spot can be easily achieved . Anyway an indicator to show if temp is responding to the dial would help.. like a green led telling you :U r good to go !
Good luck in your research.. it would be of great help if you look at threads of other portable models.. much info there

 

[Yuukyuzan]

I think that slim size and party mode can be achieved together even if the party mode requires an extra attachment.. like bigger herb chamber or 1 extra battery for more heat .. Well from my experience i can say that digital display is as good to me as simple dimmer.. Vaporizing seems to give you some kind of jedi feeling to what is the right temp even not seeing the numbers ,so a sweet spot can be easily achieved . Anyway an indicator to show if temp is responding to the dial would help.. like a green led telling you :U r good to go !
Good luck in your research.. it would be of great help if you look at threads of other portable models.. much info there

Yeah, I just stumbled across http://www.vaporpedia.com which has a very good list of helpful information. Is odorless a future worth aiming for?

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Yeah, I just stumbled across http://www.vaporpedia.com which has a very good list of helpful information. Is odorless a future worth aiming for?

Nice hit on the Vaporpedia . Odorless is something i do not understand... For me Taste and odor are stricktly bound.. and i would not like to put some crap on my bud to make it odorless.. smoke buddy seems to be a nice odor control system .. i would not sacrifice heavenly odor of fresh bud.. for stealth reasons.. i would rather not use smelly bud .

 

[paytonpenn]

Is odorless a future worth aiming for?

What do you mean by odorless? What odor are you trying to remove and when is said odor being formed.

 

[Yuukyuzan]

So vaping in public places is less of an issue. So the odor entering the surrounding area. Abysmal Vapor I think was pretty spot on with it pulling from the experience and not being worth aiming for. Also I can only send the gifts in the U.S. ran into an issue trying to send Abysmal some goodies.

 

[OhTheAgony]

I don't think I have much to add to Abysmals list, although it does sound like he's talking about the 'perfect portable' to me rather then a desktop/home unit.

If you're serious about this thus becoming a manufacturer I would look in to FC rules & contact Vtac for a manufacturers registration first though. You seem to be in a gray area right now since you're not yet producing anything, but you may risk getting banned if you keep posting like a regular member with the intentions you display here.

 

[pakalolo]

If you want a real winner (but also a real challenge) design a portable device that can handle both flowers and concentrates without fiddly bits, like swapping out parts. Keep it under the $250 price point.

I'm guessing you work for an e-cig manufacturer, so that's the form factor you'll be using, am I right?

 

[Yuukyuzan]

I don't think I have much to add to Abysmals list, although it does sound like he's talking about the 'perfect portable' to me rather then a desktop/home unit.

If you're serious about this thus becoming a manufacturer I would look in to FC rules & contact Vtac for a manufacturers registration first though. You seem to be in a gray area right now since you're not yet producing anything, but you may risk getting banned if you keep posting like a regular member with the intentions you display here.

Thank you for the heads up. I contacted Vtac and he is working on it.

If you want a real winner (but also a real challenge) design a portable device that can handle both flowers and concentrates without fiddly bits, like swapping out parts. Keep it under the $250 price point.

I'm guessing you work for an e-cig manufacturer, so that's the form factor you'll be using, am I right?

That is correct I do work for an e-cigarette company. (On a side note we are releasing a new line of flavors that should be popular with people who like shisha(hookah) smoke PM if you want more details on it.) I would love to get it to that point. That is our goal but creating it and keeping cost down is a slippery slope in both directions. It seems most manufacturers rely on the "cartridges" for the constant income after the initial sell.

 

[X24]

If you work for an ecig company, it seems a portable would be best.

When I look for a new portable Vape, I'm looking for something that will:

A) pull a nice amount vapor without burning
B) be discrete and pocketable
C) have enough battery life to make it through 3-4 sessions *at least*
D) 100% healthy. Don't cheap out on components that will add odd smells and flavors to the vapor. Not healthy, and not enjoyable
E) warranty. Why did I spend $100 on Magic Flight Launch Box? The warranty.

Perhaps play around with a few vaporizers that are on the market already. There are a few good ones out there, but none are perfect and there is definitely room for improvements.

 

[Yuukyuzan]

If you work for an ecig company, it seems a portable would be best.

When I look for a new portable Vape, I'm looking for something that will:

A) pull a nice amount vapor without burning
B) be discrete and pocketable
C) have enough battery life to make it through 3-4 sessions *at least*
D) 100% healthy. Don't cheap out on components that will add odd smells and flavors to the vapor. Not healthy, and not enjoyable
E) warranty. Why did I spend $100 on Magic Flight Launch Box? The warranty.

Perhaps play around with a few vaporizers that are on the market already. There are a few good ones out there, but none are perfect and there is definitely room for improvements.

Appreciate the input. We are gonna try our best to get everything to the standards that you want from a vaporizer.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

1 all glass air path
2 computer temperature control
3 digital temperature display
4 stays cool to the touch after a session or three
5 power on LED
6 at temp LED
7 battery powered
8 auto power off after 7.5 minutes

 

[Stu]

1 all glass air path
2 computer temperature control
3 digital temperature display
4 stays cool to the touch after a session or three
5 power on LED
6 at temp LED
7 battery powered
8 auto power off after 7.5 minutes

9 hand crafted and cube shaped
10 let me buy one already

 

[Hippie Dickie]

Also,
red LED to show heater activity, and
select any temperature between 350°F and 450°F (using buttons rather than dial)

@Stu, not yet.

 

[Yuukyuzan]

Appreciate all the input. Taking notes.

 

[Yuukyuzan]

On the bowl which material seems to perform the best maintaining a constant temperature for flower and which performs the best for oil/wax? Thanks in advance.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

best? depends on the geometry of the heater and the bowl. i prefer borosilicate glass -- it seems to work just fine. and i know, without a doubt, that it is pure and clean -- no mysterious vapors from plastic, silicon or manufacturing fluids.

 

[Yuukyuzan]

best? depends on the geometry of the heater and the bowl. i prefer borosilicate glass -- it seems to work just fine. and i know, without a doubt, that it is pure and clean -- no mysterious vapors from plastic, silicon or manufacturing fluids.

Appreciate the input. Is it possible to still use battery to to heat the bowl on glass? Possibly wrap the bowl with the coil for a nice even heat distribution?

 

[Hippie Dickie]

that's basically what my vape does. and it is battery powered using two A123Systems 26650 cells in series for 6.6v. pulling 12 amps through 24" of 16ga Nichrome 80 wire wrapped around a borosilicate "oven" tube.

<<< looks like my avatar.

 

[Yuukyuzan]

Very nice. Okay I will see what I can do. Thanks again for the input. Will this work for both wax and flower?

 

[NewVape]

Thought I'd drop my 2 cents. This is more of general thoughts on portable vaporizers rather on specifics of the design. This is just based on observations of different vapes and how I understand how they work, and is open to correction.

When thinking of a portable vape the first thing I think of is what is it going to vape? I know everyone wants a portable that will do both herb and concentrates, but that seems more difficult then suspected.

As I understand, vaping herb is best done with convection type heat, where the only heat applied to the herb is hot air. The heating element should not come in contact with the herb. The challenge there is not losing any heat in the air path. The heat of the air required is somewhere between 375-425F. The reason people are asking for adjustable temp is different temps cause differing canibiods to vaporize producing differing effects.

When considering vaporizing concentrates a conduction type heat is more often used (see Ti nails, or skillets) I don't know the temp at which most concetrates vaporize maybe someone can chime in on that, but as I understand it a temp adjustiblity range is far less important with concentrates

So the real enemy to any vaporizer is heat. How do you get the right kind of heat and the right amount, and can you do this in a portable way. Most portables rely on batteries or butane, and neither seems ideal, as they both have heat restrictions and with the butane you need to keep it out of the air path. Hence all the requests you're seeing regarding battery life air paths and temps etc.

I think if you're going to tackle this project you might try for one or the other or maybe 2 versions,herb and concentrate. Then when you get an idea of how these types of vapes work and find a solid design you can move on to more. I'd hate to see another cheap poorly made vape pen out there as that just brings down this newly forming market.

Of course these are just some general thoughts. And what do I know

 

[Yuukyuzan]

Appreciate the love. I have been running into that exact problem as I am going on with this project.

 

[NewVape]

I had another thought about something you said;

It seems most manufacturers rely on the "cartridges" for the constant income after the initial sell.

I was thinking that the nature of vaping concentrates lends itself to having carts that can be changed if the concentrates being vaped are oils, waxes etc. Which due to their often viscous and sticky nature it makes it almost impossible to "unload" it once it's been loaded.

Which brings me to 2 further thoughts.

1) If you're going to make a vaporizer for concentrates make sure you're familiar with the different types available, and the types of residue they leave behind. (If I'm preaching the the choir and you know this stuff already let me know)

2) Cleaning! It will need to be cleaned somehow. Even herb only vaporizers get sticky and gummy after a while.