Well, it's been many, many months since I've dropped in on FC. Nice to see some familiar faces here. I'm not surprised that it was Marc and the Firewood that brought me back.
Before I ramble too much, thank you to all the early adopters of the FW6 for your excellent reviews and primers. They went a long ways to convince me to ask Marc today to put me on the waiting list for a 6.
Please pardon a brief digression for some history, but it does relate, I promise. For quite a while my portable arsenal consisted of my FW4 and 2 Grasshoppers. After my SS Hopper spent 18 months at the lab for warranty repair and came back with the news that in order for it to work I would need to buy new batteries (which weren't available), I decided I'd had enough. Originally, I was totally happy to work through the Hopper's idiosyncrasies because vaping was very much a hobby and a source of fun and I enjoyed the experimenting and the process of vaping itself. Now, though, my health situation is quite different and my relationship with the herb has changed. It is now very much medicine and vaping is a tool for bringing relief with the herb. I need a device that just does the job reliably and without adding any stress or uncertainty to my day.
Through all of this, my FW4 was a trusted friend. It just plain worked, day in and day out. Once I got the fairly shallow learning curve under my belt, I could use the FW4 without thinking. Adding to the attractiveness, is Marc's fantastic customer service. His responsiveness, participation in this forum, and his willingness to listen to feedback is such a gigantic plus.
For those who are concerned after reading about the FW6's growing pains, I have absolutely NO doubt that Marc will make good for each and every customer. Some of you may remember that soon after FW4 released, Marc discovered a small flaw that could
MAYBE compromise the safety of the vape. Without hesitation, Marc issued a recall for all of them. He paid shipping both ways and also ate the cost of making the required modification to every one. And he's a one-man shop!!! That kind of integrity and commitment deserves to be supported. I have ordered a 6 with complete faith that any bugs, flaws, etc. will be addressed and fixed as quickly as Marc is able to get to them.
I do have one question. I know a couple of folks have mentioned this, but the more data points I can get the better. One of the issues I'm dealing with is pain and stiffness in both my hands. I realize these sorts of things are pretty subjective, but I'd love to hear peoples' impressions of how much finger/hand strength it takes to activate the 6 and keep it squoze (yeah, that's a technical term I just invented. Feel free to use it
) for the length of a typical FW draw of 15-20 seconds.
Thanks for your help,
~moondog