After having tried my new V3 18mm adapter and the new "concentration chamber" glass filter piece, and consulting with David, I am sad to report that these new pieces did not meet my expectations and actually have been a big step backwards for my EQ experience.
I think my usage habits and priorities with the EQ / DDave mod may be quite different from others, and therefore have pre-determined much of this failure. Here are some of them:
- always use a hydratube (my allergies / sinus disease makes it difficult for me to enjoy dry hit sessions on the EQ)
- I demand a high-airflow, low-restriction 18mm glass elbow to go with the big 1/2" silicon tube
- I grind my herbs medium/fine with an electric coffee / herb grinder, because fine is better than coarse for extraction
- Therefore i require fine, snug fitting screens to keep herbs from falling through the bottom and/or upwards into the elbow
One thing I already noticed was that the glass filter doesn't filter too well with my usual grind, a lot of particles came through. Guess I'll have to grind it more coarse now.
Same problem here.
Big time. A whole bunch of specks and particles flying through the glass concentration chamber screen into my glass 18/14mm elbow adapter, immediately.
This is how I hooked it up (before starting the session with the flying specs)
I always use one of my rigs on my EQ, with the big silicon tube. This is one way to DDave.
I tried to remedy this problem by cutting a small disc of flat mesh screen to put inside the chamber and block the flowery bits from passing through the glass filter. This worked, in fact it worked too well.
The little holes in the glass screen quickly became clogged and stuck with flower bits, and it heavily restricted the airflow. So much so, that it prevented the recycler action on my favorite hydratube from cycling, no matter how hard i pulled and chugged.
A recycling HT that you can't get to cycle is no fun, I had to revert to the old 18/18mm male elbow with the old basket screen to finish off the session.
This elbow gits'r dun for me.
(has been for a while)
I can not get the screen to lay flat inside the bowls and it doesn't completely seal on the sides. Is that a problem? Won't that cause herb to fall through when stirring or through the turbulence when inhaling?
YES! Same problem again!
Of the many screens included in my V3 upgrade kit, only two of them were large enough in diameter to go to the edge of the middle part of the adapter, and completely prevent bits from going around the screen and falling to the bottom. I installed this bigger screen into my adapter, and it is quite difficult, it helps to have something like a small angled pick or dab tool to straighten out the screen around the edges.
Problem? The larger screens are super coarse! I'm getting a bunch of flowery bits falling
through the screen down into the bottom now too!
I tried double-screening it, with the fine mesh screen underneath the coarse one, to catch the bits, but since these fine screens leave so much space around the edges, I was still getting alot of herbs falling into the heater.
phail.
These smaller diameter, fine mesh screens fit fine and tight around the edges on my old V2 adapter, that's what I have in them. Gotta revert to the old V2 for now.
At least that kit still works great for people who vape within my parameters.
I am still using the old screens which are larger and sit tight in the adapter...
But i have used the new smaller screens, (I think ddave made the screens smaller to aid in the fitment, as alot of people had trouble fitting them), and they seem to work just as well..
I got no spillage....
Hope this helps...
If you're not getting any spillage with the smaller screens, I imagine you must be grinding your herb quite coarsely, and perhaps micro-dosing small amounts like
@DDave, so that the few nugs and chunks are firmly caught up in the convection vortex from the heater and then staying in the right place next to the glass screen, and not swirling around the edges where they can fall. I guess I'm a "mega-doser" by comparison, usually dumping around 200-300mg or so into the adapter so I can sip on vapor for several minutes, a few dozen hits, minimizing reloading chores and maximizing my enjoyment.
So I suppose that people who vape with the EQ / DDave kit along paramters closer to
@kellya86's, the new glass pieces can be a solid upgrade. But for people who vape more along my lines, there doesn't seem to be much to benefit you.
The concentration chamber was a big flop for me.
The thicker V3 adapter can hold promise of better vaping over the V2, but I need to get fine-mesh screens large enough to cover the whole opening tightly, and David hasn't been able to provide such screens to me.
Does anyone know a source where I can buy vaping-grade fine-mesh screens in big sheets so I can just cut it to the needed shape myself? That seems like my best bet right now to be able to use my V3.