Do You Examine your ABV???

MinnBobber

Well-Known Member
Do you take a close look at your ABV before putting in your ABV jar?? What % of the time??

I take a close look at my ABV about 70% of the time. I have white heavy stock paper and a
magnifying glass to closely examine the ABV.

Is your ABV a consistent color OR multiple colors? I find my miniVAP and Herbalizer to
be the best at producing a uni-color, deep brown ABV.
 

Delta3DStudios

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
In my opinion, ABV color is a false representation of "extraction" levels. Many people show me their ABV and say "does this look done??" How the heck would I know, what vape did you use, what temperature, etc.

ABV color is determined by chlorophyll content, nothing else. Just like any other plant - cook it and you cook out the chlorophyll from the plant's cells. Some of my vapes turn my ABV dark black after the first rip, but there's still some good stuff on the inside left to extract. While other vapes leave my herb a nice golden brown color.

Do I look at my ABV? Sure I do as I'm emptying it into my Vape Spittoon, but only to compare the color against the other ABV from the same strain and the same vape used at the same temperature. Only when the conditions are identical (strain, vape model, temp setting, glass setup, draw rates), can you compare ABV against a previous batch.

I find my miniVAP and Herbalizer to
be the best at producing a uni-color, deep brown ABV.
I always found my butane vapes like the Vapcap and Lotus were best at producing the darkest ABV when desired
 
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CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
I agree with @Ratchett color alone doesn't signify if your ABV is spent. Often you can give your ABV a feel and you can tell if there is more oil left. If all your vapor is gone while drawing, that is a better way to tell.:2c:

When you said examine your ABV I was thing about UFOs in the ABV before using it for edibles.:lol: I would worry while using the Ascent when I used the daisy glass spacers. They would break and small pieces of glass would be intermingled in the ABV. I would throw my Ascent ABV in the garbage.
 
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unsorted

Well-Known Member
I have a 10x-45x microscope on my desk that I still occasionally use to check my abv. Similar to this one: http://www.amscope.com/student-micr...ocular-stereo-microscope-10x-15x-30x-45x.html
I say "occasionally" because, since I got my enano, I have found that there is never useful material remaining after I finish a load. But it is nice to have that confirmation, so I still look at the abv once in a while. I use 30x power normally. Thinking of getting a camera that adapts to it, but not yet.
 

Baron23

Well-Known Member
ABV color is determined by chlorophyll content, nothing else. Just like any other plant - cook it and you cook out the chlorophyll from the plant's cells.

THIS ^^. Yeah, I look at it but don't obsess over it. Different vapes result in different color AVB while still being pretty fully extracted. For example, conduction vapes....or the Mighty with a dosing capsule at the end of a session when conduction is fairly present...give dark brown AVB.

My convection vapes, not as much.

I can push any vape to give dark AVB, but I'm pretty sure I know when the load is cashed. Just like when we passed a bowl....and you get the last hit. Yeah, some smoke but you can tell there ain't nothing worthwhile left in it.

Just my never humble opinion. LOL
 

Diggy Smalls

Notorious
ABV color is determined by chlorophyll content, nothing else.
I don't believe this to be true....I have two log vapes and a vapcap and they all make my bud different colors...if I cook the same bud until I get the "I'm done flavor", they are all a different color though from the same bud. I very commonly get dark dark dark avb from my TT and almost as dark from my VC. Unless I crank my UD beyond where I should, it never gets near as dark as the others. I don't know, that's just my observation, and it's not any way important to me...though I HAVE taken the lighter avb that tastes done from the UD and pop it for a deep heating round in the vapcap, and walla. It tastes bad, but it's better than smoking resin. Remember those days? Yuck! Though, it gives me a headache if I do this too much.
It's my opinion that the avb is more about the level of heat applied to it. Not NECESSARILY how spent it is, but certainly how HOT the herb got. And there is certainly less likely to be anything left on herb that was heated up so close to combustion. So...I don't know. I'm just a stoner.
 

MinnBobber

Well-Known Member
Just sayin that I usually examine ABV and am very interested in the ABV as it tells a story :)

I aim for uniformly colored ABV from each load, that all the bud is the same color.
I find this to be the hallmark of a superior vape, in my book.

I'm not sure I agree with "ABV color is solely determined by chlorophyll content".
I have 10 different strains in my ABV jar and all the ABV is the same color....and all have diff Chlor content.
If there are 20 different shades of brown, all the ABV is the same exact shade...from 2 superior temp control vapes.
Now if you start mixing in other vapes with less accurate temp control, the ABV color is probably 15 of the 20
shades of brown :)

Obviously, a quality convection vape has a huge advantage in cranking out uniform colored ABV
 

invertedisdead

PHASE3
Manufacturer
I don't know if I've ever vaped a load until it stopped producing vapor entirely, at least at higher temps. The enjoyable part of the flower for me is in the first couple pulls.
 

Alexis

Well-Known Member
I save all my Herborizer XL abv for edibles. It is uniiform medium brown. Not dark, not light, at the temp setting I use.

I dont ever savev my vapcap abv. I can use the vast majority of actives without needing to go to temps that are high enough to bother my very sensitive lungs.
With the Herborizer, to achieve the same darkness, and level of extraction, I would have to really suffer with my chest and throat.

There are plenty of actives still left in the Herborizer abv, it is still quite fresh and pleasant.
The vapcap abv is very dark brown, not so pleasant and has very minimal actives left. I could leave it lighter and save it for cooking, but even then it is still more spent than the Heborizer abv and would not make such pleasant coconut oil. I feel I get better use from it to get an extra hit per vapcap bowl.

So I inspect the abv for several reasons. To see how much actives are left to decide when to stop vaping it or if to crumble down finer,
-to see how even the load is being cooked, and,
- to see if it is worth saving and cooking with.

While the abv colur is not a perfect representation of the exact level of actives remaining, it is without question a very accurate and valid guide of the completeness of extraction.
I also cannot subscribe the the idea that it is mostly due to chlorophyl levels.
I see the undoubted correlation with how done the load is, every time, same variables, different herb.
 
Alexis,

psychonaut

Company Rep
Company Rep
@unsorted got me thinking. I don't vape much flower but the next load I'll check with digital scope before and after in the crafty. That lil sucker is good about spending a load.
 
psychonaut,
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herbivore21

Well-Known Member
In my opinion, ABV color is a false representation of "extraction" levels. Many people show me their ABV and say "does this look done??" How the heck would I know, what vape did you use, what temperature, etc.
This.

I've done the microscope/extraction tests to inspect AVB many times too (shared pics on FC somewhere back when I did this last). The resin is spent long before the AVB turns dark. Dark AVB = overspent flower. You're just huffing a bunch of other decomposition byproducts off of your bud after the resin finishes cooking. IME, you can get yellow AVB which has negligible vapeable resin left in it in some vapes :peace:
 
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howie105

Well-Known Member
Do you take a close look at your ABV before putting in your ABV jar?? What % of the time??

I take a close look at my ABV about 70% of the time. I have white heavy stock paper and a
magnifying glass to closely examine the ABV.

Is your ABV a consistent color OR multiple colors? I find my miniVAP and Herbalizer to
be the best at producing a uni-color, deep brown ABV.

When a load rolls out of the vape I am fairly sure its done to death but I still take a quick peak (85%) as it goes into the ABV container. However its more habit then function.

Overall colour Its fairly uniform from load to load from the same vape. However depending on the grind, stir and draw there is usually some variations between individual constituents of the load.
 

organicali

Active Member
I always look at mine, though it rarely determines if its "finished".
From the volcano, it's usually lighter brown, even if the material has been used more.
From the PAX2 the bottom of the brick is usually pretty dark, the top has some green.

Lately I've been using my herb less, only until it starts to lack terpene flavor. I know I'll use it to make butter later anyways... gotta waste it to taste it :)
 
organicali,
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hinglemccringleberry

Well-Known Member
Depends on which vape- Vapcap is an automatic yes. The device is so damn small and simple that it doesn't really take any extra time or effort to examine it anyway, especially not with a Dynamagnet on your lighter. I'll remove the cap while holding the vape instead of setting it down on a table.
The e-portables not so much anymore as I already know what that ABV looks like. It gets saved - my e-portables only see medium temps. The VC ABV usually gets tossed when I'm OTG. The load is too small and spent to worry about saving. Plus it's fun blowing it out of the chamber ;]
 
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Alexis

Well-Known Member
Personally I examine my BM's more.

I take notice of the ABV. It's all so intuitive though, vaporization, it can be done blindfolded in a sense.

i used to inspect it more. When I was learning, it was more interesting to me etc.

It got old I guess.

Not knocking it. My poos are more of concern and interest to me though. ABV inspection would just be a hobby now.

No hobby in what I do lol.
 

justcametomind

Well-Known Member
I take a look at it just to see if there are black spots
If I'm curious about the degree of extraction of a vaporizer I own, I revape the ABV from it onto my Volcano digit at 230°C.
Most of the times the extraction is incomplete since I stop vaping before I smell burnt flavor (Vapbong Herbo and many others), one of the few exception is the Plenty which seems to be pretty close to the Volcano ime.
 
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Abysmal Vapor

Supersniffer 2000 - robot fart detection device
One way to judge the level of extraction is to check if resin has evaporated, by rubbing it between fingers or on a white paper, if it sticks there are still actives inside . I can even tell to some extent without doing that, when abv is done it just falls off the bowl,while if there actives left it sticks to the sides and the screen :). Abv should crumble to dust when it is done. Having black ABV is called complete extraction ,i call it unhealthy and people that do it , benzene huffers :D.
 

chlorophyll_man

AVB Inspector
I long for the day where I can look back and remember how vapourisers used to scorch, hotspot and extract unevenly, needed stirring etc..
Not that I want full automation and loss of control, but those current aspects of vaping above feel primitive to me.
 

Alexis

Well-Known Member
You see I can live with the ongoing real threat of a scorched load.

I long for the day when we don't even need loo roll.
 

RustyOldNail

SEARCH for the treasure...
One way to judge the level of extraction is to check if resin has evaporated, by rubbing it between fingers or on a white paper, if it sticks there are still actives inside . I can even tell to some extent without doing that, when abv is done it just falls off the bowl,while if there actives left it sticks to the sides and the screen :). Abv should crumble to dust when it is done. Having black ABV is called complete extraction ,i call it unhealthy and people that do it , benzene huffers :D.

“BENZENE HUFFERS”.... I love that! :)
 
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