I hit my da Buddha like you are mentioning. I turn it all the way to max but when I hit it through the whip I just hit it really hard to justify turning it up so high. I get a lot of big hits doing it this way.
I have been doing the same thing, but I think it prematurely kills the bowl. I am going to experiment using a normal temperature range and see if I can get more hits. I can't lie, there's a certain allure to taking ginormous clouds. When I used to combust, I found that the highest I could get would be from taking a whole bowl down in one huge cloud.
The old saying still might apply though, a smaller hit that you can hold in is better than a larger hit you can't hold in. So basically I'm wondering if it's a better idea to take a series of smaller hits and hold them in vs taking one huge hit.
I'm mostly just trying to get really blazed, I should let you know that is my end-game. It is very satisfying to see huge clouds upon exhalation, I'm just wondering if it's the best for my bank balance.
To me the smaller rips approach is like drinking beer. You can still catch a buzz, and it's easier to control yourself and not get belligerent.
Shots however can smash you in the face if you're not careful. I kind of view the one large rip technique as similar to taking shots. You can definitely catch a buzz quicker but if you're not careful you'll be TOO impaired too quickly.
Here's my latest setup.