Reporting after about 2 months of using the vapcap M...a few nice things I've observed in this time:
[ATTENTION: LONG POST AHEAD]
1) Optimum flame-distance
by ear: I'd started out with a double flame lighter, but moved to a single flame. The great thing with this one is that I can now go through the heat-up process
mostly without looking at it. I've discovered another form of aural feedback in the heating process.
When I have the cap
just touching the tip of the inner bright blue flame (my sweet spot), the flame is relatively quiet. If I go any deeper into the inner flame, there's a distinct hissing sound of the flame hitting the cap. This is the 'hiss-zone' where it starts forming red hotspots on the cap and combusts relatively easily. So if I'm watching TV or reading, I just give it an initial 2-second glance as I initially position the flame and vapcap together. After that, I just spin the vapcap and every time I hear that sound (it's more of a 'hiss' compared to the 'hush' of the butane escaping the nozzle) I unconsciously move it away from the flame. No risk of overheating. And if I'm outdoors or there's a fan/AC running, I actually keep the cap in the 'hiss-zone' to make up for the extra heat being lost. It's just a bit of added convenience but I'm really using this a lot
Only works with the single flame, though.
2) VC as a herb-taster and tester: I still can't get over the flavours I'm getting through this. I just discovered a very subtle but nice ginger-like flavour in my hash which I'd never detect if I were smoking it. It's like listening to your favorite song on expensive headphones and discovering a hidden instrument track. I'm a connoisseur now
Another pro is that the average number of heat cycles I get out my herb tells me pretty accurately how good the herb is. It helped me make an informed decision between two equally untrustworthy dealers selling 2 different varieties. (We don't have strain names or dispensaries here)
3) Vaping the reclaim is so easy! Awesome efficiency-bonus every few days
I squeeze a tiny cotton-ball through the condenser, then pull it apart so its uniformly aerated, less messy to handle and a nice golden colour. I get
way more heat cycles AND more clouds per heat cycle out of this than with my regular herb, so I sometimes keep it as a pre-fill for outdoor use. The vapour is noticeably less aromatic than with the herb itself, another plus for outdoors. It might have a smoky flavour if you've combusted recently though.
4) Preheating works like magic! Taking
1-2 pre-draws before the click is like activating some kind of turbo mode. Flavour AND big clouds on the first hit! In those 1-2 pre-draws, you'll feel just warm/hot air on your tongue, so you know the bowl is only getting pre-heated without any real extraction.
5) Hash: With hand-rubbed hash (charas), I'm following pretty much the process described by
@drzen here. I flatten as much as possible between thumb and forefinger and break up the little pancake. Then, instead of putting it on top of the cotton/hemp, I mix it up
inside it by pulling the fibers apart. It's important to check that the flattened crumbs aren't on the outside of the cotton wad, where they'd end up touching the inside of the bowl. That'd result in hardened residue that you'll have to scrape away later. Surprisingly, I'm using the exact same heating technique as for the herb and getting great results.
Cheers to Team Dynavap!