So I received my DDave super premium kit in the post yesterday
. The package was smaller than I thought it would be but it had all I needed to get me going. After unpacking & checking the contents I was impressed with DDave's tetris abilities to fit so much well packed product inside such a tiny box. I was disappointed to find the tip of the 14/18mm short adapter had a small crack in it
(should not affect performance however) but then realized my math was wrong & I had two 18mm F/F shorties & lets be frank the 18mm shorty is what it is all about with this kit
.
After washing the parts & setting it all up I can safely say the following on the initial set up
- The center screens are a bitch to get in the adapters & seem almost a mm to big. Good thing they rarely will need replacing & better to be a fraction bigger than smaller.
- In particular the 14mm was a challenge but I found a good solution is to insert the 14mm W/T adapter reversed & that will guide the screen to slip into the channel that will hold it.
- Be careful when fitting the 18mm baskets as they are very tight. I creased one of mine but found using the EQ stir stick (that I use for tamping baskets anyway) helps keep their shape when initially inserting the basket.
- It is a one time deal as once the basket is fitted it will slip in & this is simply down to micron tolerances in glass thickness & basket size.
- The parts appear well made & of good quality A+
Of course I proceeded to get down to business with the 18mm F/F shorty. Bear in mind I had a pretty good setup before this kit arrived but after a solid heat sinking at 230c we were ready to roll. I loaded a basket with .2 & ripped it through my bubbler in two good rips leaving it completely spent.
Now it was time to break out the biggest bong I own & the weather forecast was fucking cloudy but bring your sunnies cause no one wants to see those red eyes
. I did a couple of .1 single hit extractions & was starting to feel pretty damm good
. It is pretty cool watching the vapour stream up the tube, fill your bong & then taper off into nothing so you clear it.
I did a .14 single hit COMPLETE EXTRACTION & that is the first genuine vape cough I have had in quite some time. I will often cough to clear my throat after vaping but this was a classic "too much of a good thing" cough. One thing is for sure
old FakeDave 18mm F/F as it will take a series of cataclysmic events to resurrect you buddy.
After way too many 18mm baskets through the shorty I decided to try the 14mm tall on 210c on the whip. I was pretty wrecked by this stage but I think this will be a flavour monster at low temps 180-195c to sip at (could this replace the Air at home?). Well the first 1.7g had been put through the new improved EQ & it was all pretty positive.
I decided on a low temp session this morning with the 18mm tall on 190c with the .3 I had ground from yesterday. It was nice & I am feeling pretty "airy" as I type this long winded review. However it was wasted thorough water due to the flavour being largely stripped. What was thee tells me very very good things about the 18mm tall.
In summary on each piece of the DDave Deluxe kit bearing in mind I use between 1-2g a day so would consider myself a heavy user.
- 18mm short: A fucking beast & will be my go to weapon of hi temp mass destruction. Seriously this thing is a conversion tool pure & simple.
- 18mm long: Will be my whip warrior & may be just what I need to go back to using my EQ without water. Light & airy just like the high .
- 14mm short: Have not tried yet & is simply too small for my needs right now. However with a low tolerance I can see this will do what the 18mm cannon does just make a slightly smaller hole in your head but it is all relative.
- 14mm long: Very nice but I definitely prefer the 18mm for capacity sake as it only holds around .1-.15. Again perfect for a low tolerance single party vaper.
One area that is annoying is the fact that there is only one roasting tube per size supplied. I only realized this when I vaped that .3 & recognized the need to be able to change whips out easily as I prefer a shorter whip for water & a longer one for direct draw.
There are several beer/brewery suppliers in my city so I will investigate getting the correct sizes of silicone tubing to experiment. Right now I am thinking about using the EQ whip mouthpiece as a joiner & cutting the top of the reinforcing silicone & inner piece flush, having the mouthpiece acting as a male joint. Then I can slip on either my bong whip or my direct draw whip very easily. I am a little annoyed I gave away a spare EQ mouthpiece when I made a mini whip for my friend to use with the FM.
Of course not everyone wants two but it may be an idea for the future DDave to offer the SSV/DBV as an optional extra?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-DDave-D...022187?hash=item1c5e68f96b:g:k38AAOSwIwhWSl9i Then again I did not know I wanted a spare until I found out I wanted a spare. In short if you are getting a kit & want to easily switch between whip & water then you need spare tubes or a quick change coupling
.
The reason my kit was delayed was because DDave kindly sourced me a carbed 18mm adapter. For the EQ task it does not have the ability to allow enough airflow to clear a piece as you are still pulling 50/50 with the vape. However it works very well with my Air & bubbler so all is not lost (if you plan on getting any more made up DDave I suggest a hole the size of the 14mm adapter diameter). For this task I will get an 18mm claisen & whilst the vendor does not sell plugs I have a bunch of spare 18mm bowls that are unused & could easily be plugged up for service
.
Overall I can only recommend the DDave kit & any criticisms I have of it are my opinion. Will it make me keep my EQ forever? Probably not but it makes a great vape legendary & I am not in a hurry to "upgrade" as I only used my Air yesterday to check out the carbed adapter. This review has taken me 90 minutes to type & for shits & giggles I bumped the temp on my .3 bowl from 190-198c after not touching the vape for at least 45 minutes. I still got a wispy hit through water with a spent bowl!