Update: My DOA Couch Log power supply was replaced today, and the accessories that were left out of the first order on accident were included, along with a glass 18mm bowl adapter as a nice gesture for the issues. Side note - the glass adapter does not come with a screen btw - it's just a straight shot tube, so order up some screens with it if you pick one up.
I plugged it in and.... it's working! While longevity will need to be determined with the test of time, I can attest that Chris took care of me when I ran into issues. He was responsive and easy to work with, really seemed to care (and no hyperbole - was horrified I had an issue), his shipping speed on replacement parts was reasonable and his resolution with the freebie accessory included was a nice touch. Am I happy I had to deal with a dead unit? Of course not, but his stellar handling of the issue made it at worst, a neutral experience overall. I can't guarantee every issue that every Couch Log customer will experience will be dealt with so satisfactorily, but let this stand as one documented positive customer support experience.
So - I warmed it up, and played with it a bit today. Below are some misc High's and Sigh's from my initial experiences, so take them with a grain of salt, and they're subject to change.
High's
1. At setting 4, and 4.5, with both cooling pads installed at the same time, the hits to me were very cool for the size of the monster rips (4.5), and even reminded me of the Tafee Bowle in terms of approachability on setting 4.
2. With the aforementioned settings I could clear a full, packed bowl in ~2-3 (big) hits and it smacks much harder than my three other log vapes. It reminds me of TinyMight hits most (but with 25% more vapor) - however with both cooling pads in the Couch Log - the hits are cooler on the Couch Log. Again - very approachable for how hard it hits, with the aforementioned settings - you can comfortably blow some monster room filling clouds on 4.5 that hit like a freight train without a water piece. That's unique - and kind of a big deal.
3. The flavor is a lot better than I expected it to be. At least in the wood I selected - the wood flavor is there - but it wasn't distracting or diminishing the core flavors. It's not as flavorful as the Tafee Bowle, or the TinyMight with a J-hook - but it's good enough and clears a (larger?) bowl faster than both and generates bigger clouds.
Sigh's
1. With two cooling pads installed airflow is restricted and you do feel like you're drinking a milkshake through a straw,
2. It very much feels like someone made this in their garage... much more so than the Vapbong. I don't mean this in a pejorative manner - but with the weird array of mismatched parts and cords/cables, the different colored/type of wood on the temp controller vs log (It gets worse the more you look at it, not better), the poor fitting cooling "pads" you have to jam in with the tamp tool, the tamp tool basically being a golf tee, the funnel being an ugly looking, unfinished 3d printed piece of white plastic, the ill fitting plugs which don't fit flush and often magically unplug themselves, the list goes on. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and many will find it charming, but having this whole setup out, with two sets of cords, two mismatched separate wood pieces, the golf tee, the funnel and the matching wood stem is an awful lot of kit, including quite a few small, easy to lose/break pieces that are all mismatched and loose - isn't going to give you the impression this is "productized."
3. The hot unit emits a light "varnish" like scent - but this might go away in time.
Suggestions:
1. For the love of god, make matching temp controllers! Even if you only make a few dozen of these things - I don't think you want your vision shared with the world looking mismatched and amateurish. You have a solid product, and you're so close to it being a great product. Don't let good enough be the enemy of great.
2. Consider higher quality cords - especially from the controller to the log, as that will be interfaced with the user - the user will see it often, and touch it with every use. Make this cord a quality braided cord, that fits completely and snugly into both the unit and the controller - and combined with suggestion 1 above - it'll instantly look and feel like a device worthy of its price tag.
3. Sell a very small, matching wood accessory holder. A vertical drilled hole to put one of the stems, another smaller hole to put the "tamping tool" in and a third to put the funnel. Want extra points? Add a small closeable space to store extra springs, o-rings, etc.
Overall - I think this has lived up to be absolutely everything Chris has positioned it to be. It doesn't hit as hard or effortlessly as a Vapbong, but I'd put it in the general ballpark as a Herborizer, and it's doing it just as easily on the throat, but dry - not through water like the other two. It is also a much smaller and safer format. If I had to rank all my desktops right now, I'd put my Vapbong as #1, the Couch Log #2, the Volcano Hybrid #3 and the Herborizer Ti #4. If you want monster, wide open thunder and lightning rips - the Vapbong is a no brainer. If you want a much smaller, lighter and more discreet setup, that's less likely to break/spill and you'd prefer not to deal with water or much cleaning, this tiny little log sure works wonders.
With a few tweaks - this Couch Log stands to be an incredibly compelling offering. Perhaps even.... the best.
Glad to hear you are digging it! Which wood did you go with? I definitely agree with your suggestions for improvements, though those particular complaints haven't bugged me quite as much.
