What's up ya'll? Finally got my Convector delivered two days ago after it's lengthy journey across NA. The Convector was donated for an honest review on my YouTube channel (full disclosure: although, I see Camouflet has already affirmed this). I've put probably 30-40 bowls through it since I've gotten it, in all kinds of pack varieties and heating styles, and have even been punished a few times via combustion for getting cocky.
Initial impressions (similar to others):
Condenser O-Rings:
I had no trouble getting o-rings onto the condensers, but I have to whole heartedly agree with anyone who had trouble getting the o-rings into the stem while keeping the condenser centred. It was rage inducing for a guy with large hands, so my advice there is possibly to add some oring grooves along the condenser, and potentially switch to a round edge o-ring instead of these flat edge ones that tend to stick and drag along the inner stem.
Screen: I swapped the stock screen for regular mesh after 10 or so bowls. Haven't looked back.
Aesthetics and Build Quality:
The materials and machining are good, nothing feels cheap or of poor quality, however, I will echo the desire of others to see a titanium variant. Prior to receiving the Convector, I was a little concerned about the durability of the cap, but having thrown a ton of heat at it since then, that concern has completely subsided; this thing is built to last. I really like the balance in hand; its like a bottom heavy joint and the rear taper sits nicely between the fingers. I quite like the decision to use ceramic insert condensers (save the orings), as they do a great job of maintaining the terpene profile while cooling. The single bore obviously being the less restricted but hotter of the two. I see both having their benefits and if they were easier to swap out, I'd probably get a lot of use from both. I really appreciated the little wooden carry case. Its a simple but highly effective solution, and its very compact.
Heatup and Use:
As I said, I have combusted a few times while experimenting with heating styles. I intentionally didn't engage with any instruction as I wanted to see how user friendly it would be coming in completely blind, and what I've found is that there are a variety of ways one can choose to heat it, but it will punish you if you try and outsmart the process. I like Camouflet's method of heating at a 45 degree upward angle toward the tip and using the flame colour change as an indicator. With that method I tend to get very terpy mid-sized hits. Another method I've had a lot of fun with is hybrid IH/torch heating, where I'll plunge the entire load into my Apollo II for a say 7 seconds, remove it and blast the cap holes with a torch for a few seconds. That seems to get me some thicker hits and a more even roast. I haven't found a need to stir it, but I do find that if you don't engage heat on any part but the very tip, the top of the load cooks out harder than the lower half, but with consecutive heat cycles, I don't find I need to stir it as long as it's packed loosely. I also find that a half pack with a tiny tamp can really throw some flavour if you give it a decent heating. Hot swapping is a cinch with a MH Reload, but even if one didn't have magnets, the rapid pace of heating and cooling makes back-to-back bowls pretty easy to achieve. Not unlike a DV in that regard, I suppose. I tried slapping an FMJ on it, but it was too slippy for my mental comfort.
Flavour:
I figure this deserves it's own category. The flavour produced by the Convector is slightly dependent on the method of heating. When you are focusing the heat at the tip and the holes (using it how intended), and you get your timing just right, the flavour is sublime. But if you are doing a hybrid IH/Torch hit, it can be a bit roastier tasting, so it's subjective based on the method of use. I'm quite liking it for my wake and bake, eye-opener hits; lots of flavour and just enough THC to not ruin my entire afternoon.
Some Additional Thoughts:
My unit was donated for review, so I can't hardly complain, but for buyers it would be good to see it come with a basic maintenance kit (extra o-rings and screens), and perhaps even a de-capping magnet of some variety. Also, for those who don't like coming in blind, a formal set of PDF instructions would probably be appreciated across the board. Those instructions should include heating angles, times, load and torch size suggestions.
Overall:
Obviously, it is still very new to me, and I am bound to have more to say in a formal review, but thus far, it's been good fun to put the Convector through it's paces, and I look forward to now reading back and learning how everyone else likes to use it! Cheers, everybody.
