Cleanest Vaporizer Experience

[PotentQuotables]

Another newbie shopping for his first vape

I'll try and make it quick. I didn't quite find an existing topic like this.
I'm looking for the "cleanest" vaporizer experience as possible. My wife is a nurse and hates my smoking habits. With such diverse vape technology out there, I am done combusting and ready to invest in the cleaner vaping lifestyle (which she is on-board with).
I've lurked this and other forums for a while and have a few vapes I'm interested in.
I'm probably unlikely to find scientists or doctors on here, but how clean/safe are those vapes that use the rechargeable NiMH batteries vs. those that use Li-Ion, or even other stuff I've seen (ceramic heating element, "wire", etc.)?

Are there not byproduct or other harmful fumes that could be present when breathing in the vape from these batteries at such high temperatures?

Ultimately, my criteria comes down to:

• "Cleanest/healthiest" experience, as close to zero chance of combustion possible (no butane)
• Use with dry flowers, (no oil or goo or wax)
• Portability would be ideal
• Solid, reliable construction and/or warranty (glass path, no plastic)- I will NOT buy a vape "Made in China"
• Thats really it.

I don't smoke a ton, so I don't mind if it meticulous to clean. Learning curve is fine. I'm just ready to not have to spark up a lighter and kill my lungs any more. I'm not concerned about clogging. I don't need it to be the most amazing flavor or dense clouds or the ability to knock me on my ass. Budget isn't an issue either.

I've come minutes from buying the Firewood 2.1, but just dont know about the NiMH battery "cleanliness", and have read instances of combustion with how hot it gets.
I, like everyone have looked at the Pax. Of course everyone here loves the Solo. I considered the Firefly but read that combustion happens from time to time. Then there's the Ascent or Pinnacle Pro.

Any "health-nut" vape-ers out there help a guy out?
Very much appreciated!

 

[darkrom]

My go to "purity" vaping is now with the firefly.

You just missed out on the glory of thermovape products. They just closed shop. I guess too many people would rather have garbage quality vapes with "features".

I think like you. The firewood 2.1 is safe to me. The firefly is my favorite portable.

 

[paytonpenn]

Zero chance of combustion is hard, I feel all vaporizers should be able to reach that point but it should be user choice to go there.

The Vapolution is what I'd suggest on the desktop end, though it can be portable.

From what you've stated above I don't recommend the Firewood, I don't find the taste to ALWAYS be clean, it is tasty and great at times but its woody and can give an electric heat flavor. Though that could be avoided by not inhaling while heating at high temps. I don't think the FW is bad, just not the cleanest tasting electric portable I've had, but it is safe.

 

[MinnBobber]

Hi, welcome to the forum.
I'm a huge fan of the miniVAP which was designed in Spain by a medical supply company to be the cleanest/best vape for use in medical MJ studies. It's not the most popular, due to it's price of $850+
MSRP but VaporNation has it for $519 and often has 10% or more off.
It's a medical grade piece with convection heat. It happens to offer superb taste, which is not a criteria
for you and 3 hour battery life on low temp (less on higher temps) which is probably way more than any other vape.
You can buy an AC unit to run it like a desktop. It's the size of a hockey puck and snaps on in place of the battery which is much bigger.
It is portable but not stealth/ won't fit in your pocket. Maybe the size of a 16 oz can but narrower.
It has low/med/high temp while some prefer infinite temp adjustment. I often start on low with the mouthpiece for great flavor. Then maybe turn to med and flip upside down into small water bubbler.

See the miniVAP thread here for more info.
Search onlone for Vapefeind Youtube for detailed video review. Note that he vapes for huge clouds/ huge load----that load would last me about 20 sessions.
It is very efficient, you can do small amounts (or big).
It has a small wire basket that snaps into the cover---allows you to use mouthpiece and then pull basket and switch to bubbler in 5 seconds. The basket setup also keeps it very clean--had mine 3 months and no need
to clean it yet. You can also just pack flower into the "chamber" but I find the basket/hanging in the
chamber is much better.
There are a lot of nice vapes---I love the miniVAP. Clean, versatile, efficient, tastey, portable but not stealth.
Expensive but I felt it would be a longterm investment.
I'm a lightweight/use very little MJ and this works great for tiny (or big loads).

Arizer Solo is nice entry vape if you want to try without big expense

 

[KidFated.]

Wasn't the lotus made by a medical equipment engineer or something like that?..

 

[meduser#420]

It is not very portable but Vriptech is for clean pure tasting blue vapor. I loved it but having someone help you(I'm paralyzed)with it takes away from the pleasure...

 

[max]

The Vapolution Purity package can't be beat for a clean vapor path- nothing but glass. It CAN be portable, as in car/boat use, as well as an optional battery pack, but it's obviously no pocket portable.

As for pocket portables, batteries aren't going to be in the vapor path, so if you're still worried about that, I'd probably forget about portables altogether. You're going to have metal and/or high temp plastics somewhere in all of 'em. Are those a concern? Not to me. But don't expect to find any official stamp of approval on vape vapor paths.

ceramic heating element, "wire", etc.

Ceramic is the most popular material for heaters because it's affordable and reliable, long term. Yes you can find models where the heating element is outside the vapor path. Nichrome wire is used in that manner. In the Vapolution the wire is applied outside the glass heating chamber.

I will NOT buy a vape "Made in China"

Where a product is made doesn't matter. What matters is who makes it. Many of the highest quality electronic products you can buy are made in China, and most of the rest of the good stuff is made in countries where the labor is even cheaper. We don't tolerate 'made in China = crap' statements here. That says everything made there is garbage and/or dangerous, and it's simply not true.

 

[natural farmer]

I 'll give my vote for the Firefly as well… What you read about combustion is quite rare and has to do with a faulty unit or trying to get every last bit out of your herb. Don't worry about combustion with the FF. It gives amazing taste and is a joy to use!

An even better choice is the Lotus which is using a butane torch for heating but the air path is completely out of the way of the fumes and you get one of the best and cleanest vapor in my experience. And it's less than half the price of the FF and will probably be enjoyed by your grandchildren as well since it's very very durable…

 

[PotentQuotables]

Really appreciate the advice everyone.

So Vapolution or Firefly over the Arizer Solo, eh? I swore I've read 2 or 3x as many Solo recommendations here than all others combined..

 

[paytonpenn]

I would say its Vapolution or a clean butane based vape like the Hammer or Lotus. I personally recommend the Hammer over the Lotus but you'll want a gasket.

I don't recommend spending that much on a vaporizer like the Firefly, its clean and works great but its not worth the money if your usage isn't meeting it and there are other vapes that meet your criteria.

I haven't found the Solo to taste bad but I find cleaner tastes from other vaporizers. If the Solo is what you want I don't think you'll be dissatisfied.

 

[natural farmer]

The Solo won't disappoint you but there are better options nowadays!

The way I enjoyed the Solo most was when I used it in full convection mode! And by that I mean paired with a vapor lung! I removed the Solo from it's stem after every hit and the taste could be kept until the very end. No conduction whatsoever! And no milkshake draw either! The Vapor Lung CAN do what your lungs can't and it does it hit after hit after hit. You can destroy a whole party of people with the little Solo if you keep filling VLs! After I tried the Lotus though and it's simple routine, I found that I spent too much herb with the Solo and gave it up… Oh, and the cleanliness of the taste of a VL is out of this world, especially with the Solo! Take a look:

And you get more recommendations for the Solo cause simply more people have the Solo… But have they gone through the rest of the vaporizers we recommend? Few of them, I am sure…

EDIT: Did I mention monster hits from the VL and the Lotus???

 

[PotentQuotables]

Thanks for the advice payton.

max, I meant no offense with the Made in China comment. I guess, I'm just of the hippy, "buy-local" mentality. Ironically enough, having just found out the Firefly is made in China, goes to show me how such an acclaimed, well-made device can come out of China.

 

[natural farmer]

All Apple products are made in China and so many "hippies" use them, myself included…

 

[llamaman001]

Thanks for the advice payton.

max, I meant no offense with the Made in China comment. I guess, I'm just of the hippy, "buy-local" mentality. Ironically enough, having just found out the Firefly is made in China, goes to show me how such an acclaimed, well-made device can come out of China.

ONLY vaporizer that was ever fully made in america was the thermovape. Every other company outsources parts from china and puts them together in canada or america.

 

[grokit]

The cloud evo and the herbalizer both offer an exceptionally "clean" vaporization experience as well.

 

[biohacker]

I would add e-nano as well. I love having nothing but a tiny SS screen between my herbs and my lungs! It's like a mini herborizer and much cheaper and more durable.

I'm a purist as well, and my VXL Cloud, e-nano, and solo keep me very happy.

Pretty sure we've had this thread already in the past?

 

[420time]

there wont be much good vapes coming out of china soon. e cig companys in china are mostly relocating to usa for better quality and better health standards so i guess herbal vaporizers wont be that far behind.

 

[ean]

i heard that the atmos raw is a great vaporizer. so is the snoop dog gpen.

no but for real enano looks pretty good.

 

[max]

Really appreciate the advice everyone.

So Vapolution or Firefly over the Arizer Solo, eh? I swore I've read 2 or 3x as many Solo recommendations here than all others combined..

The Solo is a hybrid between home and portable vape. It's so popular as a portable because it has the pluses of a home AC unit. It's not a good choice to carry around and use in a stealthy manner due to size, shape, and removable stem.

You stressed a clean vapor path (not that we agree that materials other than glass are necessarily 'dirty') so you got pointed to the Vapolution- one of the few models with an all glass vapor path, and certainly the most affordable, other than a simple glass tube that's barely a step up from a homemade lightbulb vape.

There are a lot of good vapes to choose from. What you get for a recommendation depends on what you ask for. If you'd asked for the portable that's closest to a home AC vape, the Solo surely would have been the #1 suggestion.

 

[t-dub]

Wasn't the lotus made by a medical equipment engineer or something like that?..

MIT graduate and medical device designer actually . . .

 

[PotentQuotables]

The Solo is a hybrid between home and portable vape. It's so popular as a portable because it has the pluses of a home AC unit. It's not a good choice to carry around and use in a stealthy manner due to size, shape, and removable stem.

You stressed a clean vapor path (not that we agree that materials other than glass are necessarily 'dirty') so you got pointed to the Vapolution- one of the few models with an all glass vapor path, and certainly the most affordable, other than a simple glass tube that's barely a step up from a homemade lightbulb vape.

There are a lot of good vapes to choose from. What you get for a recommendation depends on what you ask for. If you'd asked for the portable that's closest to a home AC vape, the Solo surely would have been the #1 suggestion.

I respect the fact that you're Staff here, but a response without the condescending tone would be nice. Sorry for wasting your time with the stupid questions.

I didnt claim to be some sort of expert in all "clean" vs. "dirty" materials. I don't own a vape. I have no frame of reference when it comes to vaping. I just asked.

I did say budget wasn't really a concern, and "Portability would be ideal", and correct me if I'm wrong (although I'm sure that goes without saying) the Solo is at least somewhat more portable than the Vapolution.

I'm not necessarily opposed to anything.

Yes, I did stress a "clean" vapor path. I simply found it interesting that an inexpensive, desktop vape was recommended multiple times while noone brought up the Solo, leading me to either the conclusion that there must be something that folks don't consider "clean" about the Solo,
OR
the desktop-glass-on-glass Vapolution is just that much "cleaner" experience. But shit, what do I know. These are just the things I'm curious about.

Thanks again everyone. Looks like I just have more research to do. Maybe wait to see what the Vapolution 3 is all about. We'll see.