Firewood Vaporizer

[vapviking]

From the way I understand it, it’s mostly not meant to be removed until the cell is getting old and needs to be replaced. It doesn’t really seem like hot-swapping batteries is going to be all that easy or quick but I won’t knock it until I try it.

My understanding is that it will be a battery in a wooden casing, having a charge port built-in. To put a fresh battery on, you would swap that whole 'battery pack'. So, along with onboard charging, sounds like independent charging of battery packs is possible, with usb-c. Still this would get pricey if you want to carry a bunch of 'em...(maybe a battery pack could replace them?)

And Marc will be offering a program whereby he can swap out worn-out batteries.
As a guy who has had a Li-ion battery (much smaller, a 750 mah) vent in my dresser drawer, I definitely see a leap here in safety practices, even though it is less convenient for a power user-type.

 

[Arawfish]

My understanding is that it will be a battery in a wooden casing, having a charge port built-in. To put a fresh battery on, you would swap that whole 'battery pack'. So, along with onboard charging, sounds like independent charging of battery packs is possible, with usb-c. Still this would get pricey if you want to carry a bunch of 'em...(maybe a battery pack could replace them?)

And Marc will be offering a program whereby he can swap out worn-out batteries.
As a guy who has had a Li-ion battery (much smaller, a 750 mah) vent in my dresser drawer, I definitely see a leap here in safety practices, even though it is less convenient for a power user-type.

I like your understanding much better than mine. A rechargeable pack that you can take out of the device may actually be pretty sweet.

This is probably a question for Marc, but does he still ship outside of the states?? This whole mailing of the cheque thing doesnt sound too good for us international folks.

 

[PossumMD]

I like your understanding much better than mine. A rechargeable pack that you can take out of the device may actually be pretty sweet.

This is probably a question for Marc, but does he still ship outside of the states?? This whole mailing of the cheque thing doesnt sound too good for us international folks.

I've been reasonably reliably informed that those of us outside of the us are shit out of luck now. Someone on here bought a WPA from outside the states, still waiting to here how that finished up

 

[moondog]

Thinking more about the idea of having a couple of the chambers and swapping them out "on the go" - If it's going to work the way I hope, it would be cool if there was some sort of case for the chambers so that they could be preloaded and swapped while out and about. Just a thought...

The 7 is (in my opinion) one of the best portables to ever hit the market.

It’s been my daily for over a year and a half now.

I concur on both points. The 7 is a marvel and all my other vapes have sat unused since I got it. But it sounds like the 8 addresses a couple of points that IMO would benefit from the changes we've heard about. I know they might not fit everybody's usage model. That's certainly what happened to me with the 6.

Anyway, I trust that Mark is going to amaze us with another class-leading device. Then it will be up to each of us to decide if it fits our bill.

It's always exciting to be a Firewood aficionado just before a new release, right?

 

[Shit Snacks]

This is probably a question for Marc, but does he still ship outside of the states?? This whole mailing of the cheque thing doesnt sound too good for us international folks.

He hasn't been shipping outside of the states for like a year or so? The FW7 was not available to purchase or ship outside of the USA much if at all, I don't see why the FW8 would be any different, with new payment issues especially it is only less likely...?

 

[Arawfish]

He hasn't been shipping outside of the states for like a year or so? The FW7 was not available to purchase or ship outside of the USA much if at all, I don't see why the FW8 would be any different, with new payment issues especially it is only less likely...?

I bought my 7 from Marc as a Canadian in November 2020 and had to get Marc to repair it in April of 2021 and never had an issue any of those times. I’ve been watching the thread this whole time though and I knew he wasn’t shipping out of the states for a while there, but for some reason I thought that had changed.

 

[bossman]

The battery pack gets a thumbs down from me without even seeing or using it. I want a single cell 18650 vape to be swappable so I can just use it and recharge the tired cell when I get to it.

I wonder if the FW7 issue of damaging battery wrappers factored in to this change. In any case one 18650 isn't enough juice and having the option to send a wooden battery pack in for repair or replacement is irrelevant.

I'm trying to imagine using my FW7 or TM with just the battery that's in it right now fml

No shade at Firewood or Marc, as a FW7 fan I just think these changes sound lame.

I wonder if the device is getting worse for the user so it can be less headache for the maker. Like if I'd bothered to fuss about the consistent battery wrapper damage by contacting Marc but then there were ten or twenty others cranking about the same issue. Maybe Marc was like "fuck it, these users can't even push the battery back all the way so I need to give them something they won't break." And pushing the battery back carefully doesn't fix the problem with my FW7 btw

 

[smith.street.band]

Hey All, On Vaporents (Reddit) someone posted some details on the FW8. I am surprised this hasn't appeared here. Check it out.

https://www.reddit.com/r/vaporents/comments/un8bi9

I’m very disappointed about the battery situation. The capsules system sounds interesting though

 

[Sir Wibble]

As I'm in the UK and with Entexchange being shut down ,think my idea of being an early user of the FW8 is down in flames.
The changes sound interesting and think Marc will surprise us,just need to see a finished unit pic,the suspense is too much to bear

 

[Not Invented Here]

Throwing in my two cents, I dislike the proprietary battery because of the proprietary nature, but I really appreciate the usb-c charging capability and the safety conscious design decisions. I want to see the capsule system, I wanna see how all the things fit together, I'm super excited for more info. The 7 garnered enough favor with me to trust this artisan completely. I got my stamp and checkbook standing by.

 

[JaaCeeDee]

I'm all in for safety, my only question is why not go with a 21700 vs the 18650.

Wouldn't that be a better battery choice?

 

[Vaporware]

I don’t think proprietary battery is the best description…the battery itself will just be an 18650, and I doubt that there will be anything to prevent someone from making their own housings if they want to.

I get what you probably meant, that practically you just have to buy as many as you want from Marc, I just wanted to point out the likely distinction between this and a Grasshopper battery or one from a company that would sue you if you tried to make battery enclosures that fit their products. Maybe Marc would, but I doubt it.

 

[Not Invented Here]

I don’t think proprietary battery is the best description…the battery itself will just be an 18650, and I doubt that there will be anything to prevent someone from making their own housings if they want to.

I get what you probably meant, that practically you just have to buy as many as you want from Marc, I just wanted to point out the likely distinction between this and a Grasshopper battery or one from a company that would sue you if you tried to make battery enclosures that fit their products. Maybe Marc would, but I doubt it.

Yeah I didn't look at the real definition of that word before and it isn't the best, but if there's a better one it's escaping me. I guess I say "battery" when I refer to the whole cell+enclosure system and even then I think you're right. I would like to see cool 3rd party shits on the firewood. I want to see how it all fits together, if the batteries are attached kinda exterior, maybe we could see chonky higher capacity battery cartridges. I don't expect it though. But it could be rad.

I'm all in for safety, my only question is why not go with a 21700 vs the 18650.

Wouldn't that be a better battery choice?

Just wanna say I don't know much about batteries but I thought something similar. If we gotta buy our batteries from the aromatech dealership and not from wherever batteries come from then I wonder what the reasons are for sticking with that battery size. Probably good reasons though I would assume idk. I have faith in the man, I feel he designs with genuine passion for the devices.

 

[games-loaves0t]

Marc engaged in some Q&A on the FW8 Reddit post. For those who don't use Reddit, I figured you'd be interested in some additional details he provided.

Q:
The main problem I see is, what happens when you move onto the Firewood 9?

A:

“I will make every effort possible to keep the same battery pack design going forward. Also, I do sell parts for older vapes for a couple years at least.”

Q:
are these changes prompted by anything you've encountered?

A:

“Not an single thing but a series of troubles over the years. I had a safety recall several years ago due to an 18650 catching fire. The fw6 contact spring had an issue where it would lose springiness and get compressed due to heat. The fw7 has a hack to make the negative terminal work (the braided copper you can see solder to the negative terminal spring. If that is soldered improperly it can cause a premature failure, so it is a general pain in the ass to deal with. The fact that the battery companies and CPSC are telling me not to use the cell alone is also a factor. Finally, I think a replaceable battery pack like I am proposing would be easier to use in many ways that a single cell.”

Q:
Since it needs to be a semi-permanent battery, why stick with 18650 and not go up to a 20700 or 21700 cell? Will it effect the size of the compartment so much that it is too difficult to redesign everything else?

A:

“Larger cells could be a possibility although it would bulge a little more in the battery area.”

Q:
Can you have a version powered by usb-c? So we can use battery packs like my 30,000mah pack that can deliver 100 watts over a usb-c cable? Anything to keep the battery packs from being single use?

A:

“The problem is that usb c cables can't carry enough current to power the device. I think they can do 5A max and the fw uses more than double that at max. Charging is ok because the current is much lower than during use.”

Q:
charge ports are normally what i break on vapes, and why i prefer external chargers. If a custom external charger is offered for your custom battery sled i wouldn't mind so much.

A:

“There won't be a custom external charger because that circuitry will be built into the battery pack. In the event that the usb plug on the battery pack were to fail, it would be possible to replace that.”

 

[GnarlyVandal]

Really like the changes coming to the 8, especially the extra bowls! I was hoping Marc was going to try and introduce that feature with this iteration.

Issue I have is I could probably go through 2, MAYBE 3 bowls stock set up before I need to swap the battery on my 7. I can get 3 easily, maybe 4 bowls through my bong, I think because it’s less hits and bigger draws.

Not being able to swap the battery is definitely gonna be a downer on using and sharing the vape in general, not just whilst out and about.

My 7 is genuinely my daily driver, so convenient and heavy hitting, I’ve nothing else close to it. I want to get the 8 but am worried the lack of convenience will send it the way of my pax; sitting in the drawer to be used only on occasion. Guess only time will tell.

For now, anyone got a very similar alternative vape I could pick up in case my 7 dies?

 

[Vaporware]

I’d ask in Ask FC about alternatives, but I don’t know any that are battery powered and have on demand hybrid heaters like the FW7. For on demand pure convection or session conduction though, there are some options.

Also, don’t forget that you should still be able to buy multiple batteries and swap them; it’s a battery pack, not a battery built into the body.

I agree though, there are some downsides to that and I don’t particularly want to buy multiple battery enclosures either.

Maybe someone will make a compatible battery enclosure that’s designed for battery swapping though. Depending on how it’s attached, that might not be too hard.

 

[moondog]

I thought of two questions:

1. Will the 8 have the same battery life indicator as the 7 or something more detailed? I would say that having a good handle on battery strength is more important when you can't just swap out a battery. (I understand that my point is moot if you can indeed swap battery packs as easily as we now swap batteries.)
2. Will the 8 have pass-through charging so that it can be used while being charged?

 

[florduh]

Marc engaged in some Q&A on the FW8 Reddit post. For those who don't use Reddit, I figured you'd be interested in some additional details he provided.

Q:
The main problem I see is, what happens when you move onto the Firewood 9?

A:


Q:
are these changes prompted by anything you've encountered?

A:


Q:
Since it needs to be a semi-permanent battery, why stick with 18650 and not go up to a 20700 or 21700 cell? Will it effect the size of the compartment so much that it is too difficult to redesign everything else?

A:


Q:
Can you have a version powered by usb-c? So we can use battery packs like my 30,000mah pack that can deliver 100 watts over a usb-c cable? Anything to keep the battery packs from being single use?

A:


Q:
charge ports are normally what i break on vapes, and why i prefer external chargers. If a custom external charger is offered for your custom battery sled i wouldn't mind so much.

A:

Gotta say, while I don't like the inability to hot swap batteries, he's clearly thought through a lot of this. I'm pretty sure the FW4 had a recall due to battery issues too. Sucked to be without it for a couple weeks, but Marc took care of everyone.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Will the 8 have pass-through charging so that it can be used while being charged?

No, this was answered above, in the various questions Marc answered from Reddit, pass through charging is impossible, USB-C does not have enough amps to power the FW, you can use it while charging, but as usual you need to have enough charge to power up the device and it will strain the battery further...

 

[moondog]

No, this was answered above, in the various questions Marc answered from Reddit, pass through charging is impossible, USB-C does not have enough amps to power the FW, you can use it while charging, but as usual you need to have enough charge to power up the device and it will strain the battery further...

Ah, of course. I saw the reply about the current-related issues with using using battery packs and didn't extrapolate to pass-through charging use. Damn this tired old brain of mine.

Well, here's hoping the battery packs are indeed user-swappable (or did I get that wrong too?)

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Well, here's hoping the battery packs are indeed user-swappable (or did I get that wrong too?)

Thanks for the clarification.

No problem bud, yeah the battery packs can be swappable, if you buy a spare battery pack, and yeah he said anyone technically savvy could open up the pack to swap in a new cell (requires soldering)

 

[moondog]

No problem bud, yeah the battery packs can be swappable, if you buy a spare battery pack, and yeah he said anyone technically savvy could open up the pack to swap in a new cell (requires soldering)

Well, I will definitely be buying an extra battery pack but my soldering days are long behind me so if I ever need a cell replaced I'll be taking advantage of Marc's superb customer service.

 

[GnarlyVandal]

No problem bud, yeah the battery packs can be swappable, if you buy a spare battery pack, and yeah he said anyone technically savvy could open up the pack to swap in a new cell (requires soldering)

Ah, I must’ve missed that! As long as the spare packs don’t cost a bomb then that’s fine!

 

[CleanHippie]

Where's the best place to get the most up to date info on the release of the FW8?

Is an announcement usually made here or on some social media platform?

Or do I just sit and click refresh on the shop page?

 

[NYC_Frank]

Be well @Vapor-catzG ... praying for good news for you from the docs ... keep on keeping on