Firewood Vaporizer

[moondog]

FW8 - Some VERY early impressions:

I haven't been able to use it yet; battery pack is charging up. But here's what I can tell you so far (in no particular order):

Note: There were no instructions included in my box and there aren't any on the website yet. I'm assuming the 8 uses the same control scheme as the 7 and I'm waiting for confirmation from Marc. But this means some of the impressions I list below could be mistaken

• The 8 is clearly related to the 7. It is the same length and depth and the battery pack and the oven chamber plug make it maybe an 1/8" taller. I haven't put them on a scale, but the weight of the 8 doesn't seem to be noticeably more than the 7. I was pleasantly surprised by how small and compact it all is.
• I don't mind the new lines or the differing wood for the oven chamber. It all adds to the handmade vibe. I haven't gone over it with a magnifying glass, but the fit and finish appear to be great for a handmade item.
• The oven chamber plug actually unscrews rather than being a force fit. It's pretty cool.
• It's going to take a little practice to come up with a method for getting the capsule in and out of the chamber. It's pretty deep in there.
• Likewise, the extra capsule holder will require some practice to use smoothly. It's beautifully made and nice and small. But at first glance, it is not all that intuitive to use. The capsules store "upside down" in the carrier. Seems like the way to do it would be to fill the capsules, then lower the holder on to them. You would then turn the holder over (somehow keeping the capsules from falling out) and slide the cover one.
• The battery packs are nice and small but you need to pay attention when inserting and attaching them. There is a sliding mechanism that holds it in place and you have to co-ordinate engaging that slider while sliding the pack into position. It's very easy after you do it the first time and see what's what.
• There is no indication as to whether the battery packs have overcharge protection or use a slow charging mode to prolong battery life. Likewise, I don't know how I'll know when the battery pack is fully charged. There is a small green LED that illuminates while charging. Perhaps that will change color or go out when it's fully charged.
• The charging cable is very high quality. It's very long and braided. Interestingly, it is USB-C at both ends and the transformer plug has the USB-C jack to match.
• The unit comes with 2 extra O-rings (one large and one small), and extra small glass tube with silicone sleeve (I imagine for using your own cooling mouthpiece like on the 7), and two small adhesive-backed pads (for fitting other cooling mouthpieces?)
• The mouthpiece that comes with it out of the box is very nice. All one piece as promised and looking pretty sturdy.

Overall - and again, without having actually used it - I would say the FW8 is clearly an enthusiast's vape. I don't see beginners or casual users wanting to deal with this device. But I'm willing to predict that they will be missing out on a great vaping experience. There are clearly some techniques to develop around care and feeding, but isn't that true of all enthusiast vapes?

I can see the need for a couple of specialized tools for filling/storing/loading/removing capsules, maybe from Ratchet at Delta3D? But I will always take any excuse to get more vape-related gadgets. And this is all conjecture until I actually use the thing, which will happen once the battery pack is charged.

Hope that doesn't take too long.

 

[Jah75]

Well, my used FW7 came in……

It looks ok on the outside but:
-Reeks of combustion
-was set to 440 so I understand why it reeks
-will not even pull when the oven cover is in place (almost 0 airflow)


Yay 8(

Any ideas for remediation on the unit?

 

[moondog]

Well, my used FW7 came in……

It looks ok on the outside but:
-Reeks of combustion
-was set to 440 so I understand why it reeks
-will not even pull when the oven cover is in place (almost 0 airflow)


Yay 8(

Any ideas for remediation on the unit?

Bummer. Sounds like the poor thing suffered some abuse.

Assuming you checked the air path from the bowl through to the mouthpiece it seems like the only possible culprit is that the air intakes to the chamber are clogged and I have no idea how you would clean those.

Does the interior of the oven chamber look clean or is it all gunked up?

Maybe insert a sewing needle from the outside and see if it comes out dirty? But I have no idea if there's a risk of that damaging anything.

Hopefully someone else has some more helpful input. Good luck.

 

[hippogriff]

FW8 - Some VERY early impressions:

I haven't been able to use it yet; battery pack is charging up. But here's what I can tell you so far (in no particular order):

Note: There were no instructions included in my box and there aren't any on the website yet. I'm assuming the 8 uses the same control scheme as the 7 and I'm waiting for confirmation from Marc. But this means some of the impressions I list below could be mistaken

• The 8 is clearly related to the 7. It is the same length and depth and the battery pack and the oven chamber plug make it maybe an 1/8" taller. I haven't put them on a scale, but the weight of the 8 doesn't seem to be noticeably more than the 7. I was pleasantly surprised by how small and compact it all is.
• I don't mind the new lines or the differing wood for the oven chamber. It all adds to the handmade vibe. I haven't gone over it with a magnifying glass, but the fit and finish appear to be great for a handmade item.
• The oven chamber plug actually unscrews rather than being a force fit. It's pretty cool.
• It's going to take a little practice to come up with a method for getting the capsule in and out of the chamber. It's pretty deep in there.
• Likewise, the extra capsule holder will require some practice to use smoothly. It's beautifully made and nice and small. But at first glance, it is not all that intuitive to use. The capsules store "upside down" in the carrier. Seems like the way to do it would be to fill the capsules, then lower the holder on to them. You would then turn the holder over (somehow keeping the capsules from falling out) and slide the cover one.
• The battery packs are nice and small but you need to pay attention when inserting and attaching them. There is a sliding mechanism that holds it in place and you have to co-ordinate engaging that slider while sliding the pack into position. It's very easy after you do it the first time and see what's what.
• There is no indication as to whether the battery packs have overcharge protection or use a slow charging mode to prolong battery life. Likewise, I don't know how I'll know when the battery pack is fully charged. There is a small green LED that illuminates while charging. Perhaps that will change color or go out when it's fully charged.
• The charging cable is very high quality. It's very long and braided. Interestingly, it is USB-C at both ends and the transformer plug has the USB-C jack to match.
• The unit comes with 2 extra O-rings (one large and one small), and extra small glass tube with silicone sleeve (I imagine for using your own cooling mouthpiece like on the 7), and two small adhesive-backed pads (for fitting other cooling mouthpieces?)
• The mouthpiece that comes with it out of the box is very nice. All one piece as promised and looking pretty sturdy.

Overall - and again, without having actually used it - I would say the FW8 is clearly an enthusiast's vape. I don't see beginners or casual users wanting to deal with this device. But I'm willing to predict that they will be missing out on a great vaping experience. There are clearly some techniques to develop around care and feeding, but isn't that true of all enthusiast vapes?

I can see the need for a couple of specialized tools for filling/storing/loading/removing capsules, maybe from Ratchet at Delta3D? But I will always take any excuse to get more vape-related gadgets. And this is all conjecture until I actually use the thing, which will happen once the battery pack is charged.

Hope that doesn't take too long.

Side-by-side pics pleeeeeaaaassee!!!!

 

[moondog]

Side-by-side pics pleeeeeaaaassee!!!!

I'll try to get some posted tomorrow.

OK, I've got one question answered: The green LED on the battery pack goes out when the battery is fully charged. Still don't know if there's overcharging protection in play, but I would hope that's one of the benefits of having the battery pack rather than a bare cell.

 

[Jah75]

Bummer. Sounds like the poor thing suffered some abuse.

Assuming you checked the air path from the bowl through to the mouthpiece it seems like the only possible culprit is that the air intakes to the chamber are clogged and I have no idea how you would clean those.

Does the interior of the oven chamber look clean or is it all gunked up?

Maybe insert a sewing needle from the outside and see if it comes out dirty? But I have no idea if there's a risk of that damaging anything.

Hopefully someone else has some more helpful input. Good luck.

Thanks!
I set about trying to clean it up….after 10 iso qtips I was still bringing out black from the oven…it must have been used as a pure smoking device. I also cleared up some of the intake holes in the bowl, not all of them, but the taste is still so horrible and it’s maybe 1/3 the openness that it should be. I’m going to leave it outside in the sun a bit and get an insulin needle to try and clean it out more of the intake but I am not very hopeful for now

 

[jasp3r]

Thanks!
I set about trying to clean it up….after 10 iso qtips I was still bringing out black from the oven…it must have been used as a pure smoking device. I also cleared up some of the intake holes in the bowl, not all of them, but the taste is still so horrible and it’s maybe 1/3 the openness that it should be. I’m going to leave it outside in the sun a bit and get an insulin needle to try and clean it out more of the intake but I am not very hopeful for now

I would be careful about leaving it outside / in the sun because of fear of condesnation and morning dew getting into the device. Honestly what I would try to do is using some bees wax (warm or room temperature to clean out / oil the device and that will definitely directly combat the smell!

 

[Steel28]

Just got home to find my FW8 in the mailibox!



All I've had time to do is open it and fondle. I think it looks and feels great. I'll give more a in-depth preview/review when I've had some time with it.

Don't know if this will be the case for everyone, but then tracking number resulted in the USPS website declaring my package un-trackable. But it got here in 3 days. So if the same thing happens for you, don't panic. "Everything gonna be alright."

Oh damn!!! Snap some pics asap and can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

 

[fangorn]

@Jah75

sorry for you... not cool!

did you remove the screen? If not, that should help! and it's easy to put one back on.
that way you can soak it in the iso and get some airflow back...and clean the worst spot thoroughly!

If you have already done this, sorry for the useless suggestion!
I bought a second-hand one which was very well maintained and I still cleaned it very well with the iso when it arrived...
I had not removed the screen, until I had to travel by plane with my Fw7...

Well, I'm glad I cleaned up this place!
and I will force myself to change the screen and clean it several times a year!

otherwise I will surely not leave my unit in direct sunlight!
time and iso will help!

 

[hippogriff]

Well, my used FW7 came in……

It looks ok on the outside but:
-Reeks of combustion
-was set to 440 so I understand why it reeks
-will not even pull when the oven cover is in place (almost 0 airflow)


Yay 8(

Any ideas for remediation on the unit?

Hope your 7 comes back! (Probably will, lots of iso for the ceramic/glass, iso plus time and use for the wood) This seems like the vape equivalent of undisclosed flood damage in a used car. If this came through fc classifieds, let the community know, s’not cool.

 

[cx714]

-will not even pull when the oven cover is in place (almost 0 airflow)

Does yours have the Hula stem mod or the original thin stem? The FW7 didn’t take off until after the Hula stem mod for a reason.

Last I checked, the conversion kit was still in stock. You might also consider picking up the WPA— if nothing else, it’ll help you pull enough volume through to maybe re-flavor the ceramic.

 

[Jah75]

Hope your 7 comes back! (Probably will, lots of iso for the ceramic/glass, iso plus time and use for the wood) This seems like the vape equivalent of undisclosed flood damage in a used car. If this came through fc classifieds, let the community know, s’not cool.

No, it was through Reddit. I feel the same way about the undisclosed damage. I will probably end up asking for a return. I’ll pay the amount he used to ship it to me, I’m just not sure if I’m interested in suffering through the taste…and that’s even if I can get the airflow free again

Does yours have the Hula stem mod or the original thin stem? The FW7 didn’t take off until after the Hula stem mod for a reason.

Last I checked, the conversion kit was still in stock. You might also consider picking up the WPA— if nothing else, it’ll help you pull enough volume through to maybe re-flavor the ceramic.

It does have the hula stem; the airflow is fine until I put the battery cover on and force the air to come through the oven. Using a needle last night I pulled ton of carbon out of the air holes…I think this thing is done, it also seems to heat up much more than my previous ones (by touch near the oven)

I have to say overall, I have still had really good luck the last 5 years and transactions online with people I didn’t know….but I may restrict that to here from now on 8(

 

[moondog]

Alright, I've got some pics of the 7 & 8 side-by-side but I cannot figure out how to get them posted. I've done the search, I've read the how-to's, I've gotten sucked down tangential rabbit holes (geolocation tags on pics? yeesh), I've changed my settings to remove geo tags, but still no joy.

Can I post photos here from Drop Box?

 

[Hopkins3030]

Alright, I've got some pics of the 7 & 8 side-by-side but I cannot figure out how to get them posted. I've done the search, I've read the how-to's, I've gotten sucked down tangential rabbit holes (geolocation tags on pics? yeesh), I've changed my settings to remove geo tags, but still no joy.

Can I post photos here from Drop Box?

I think you'd have to host them someplace like Imgur, Dropbox should work if other people can access the link... Then just post the link to each pic in the field provided when you click the pic icon to the left of the emoji button.

 

[moondog]

I think you'd have to host them someplace like Imgur, Dropbox should work if other people can access the link... Then just post the link to each pic in the field provided when you click the pic icon to the left of the emoji button.

Thanks for the reply, but when I insert the link in the field I get a message saying "Image cannot be loaded from the passed link".

 

[Hopkins3030]

Thanks for the reply, but when I insert the link in the field I get a message saying "Image cannot be loaded from the passed link".

Yeah, I'm not familiar with DropBox anymore... This is the process I use, only hosting the pics on Imgur... I wonder if you can do it from something like Google Drive...

Huh... I'm getting the same message when I try to post from both Google Drive AND Imgur...

 

[moondog]

Yeah, I'm not familiar with DropBox anymore... This is the process I use, only hosting the pics on Imgur... I wonder if you can do it from something like Google Drive...

Huh... I'm getting the same message when I try to post from both Google Drive AND Imgur...

Huh, maybe it's not me. I'm trying to get dust off my Photobucket account. I'll give that a try.

Also, I just heard from Marc that he had hoped to have the manual ready before Group A received their units but that hasn't happened. He will get it out to us "soon".

He DID confirm that the FW8 uses the same button control scheme as the FW7, so that makes things easier.

Further info from Marc:

Re: battery charging:
"The integrated charger only charges up to 4.2V so it should never get overcharged. If it malfunctioned for some reason, there is also the voltage check when you plug the battery into the unit. If the voltage is too high it will prevent you from using it.

Re: Getting capsules in and out of chamber:
I highly recommend packing the bowl tight. You get better vapor results and it makes it much easier to get the capsules in and out. The knob on the holder is meant for packing. I just drop the capsule in and if it is at a slight angle I tap it with my finger to straighten it out. To get the capsule out you might have to use a finger to tilt the capsule a bit because it might stick to the resin, but then you should be able to dump it out.

I think once you get used to the capsules it is easier to load and unload than the fw7. Don't worry if you get a tiny bit of herb outside of the capsule, it won't make a difference."

 

[checkyourlibido]

Nice review. I hope someone figures out if the battery can be self serviced

 

[daddy]

I just got a confirmation email for group g. Several months to wait. Anyways just following up that after no reply I finally got one. Everyone was correct in saying you wouldn’t be forgotten.

 

[Momor]

@moondog, @Hopkins3030, with Imgur, on your smartphone, you click on the "share" logo at the bottom right of your picture then you select the first option/logo that your phone propose you. Then you comme here and paste the last link you copied. It will be the one from imgur with the full "address" and when you post your reply the photo will appear (not the address link anymore)
Hope that makes sense for you ?

 

[moondog]

@moondog, @Hopkins3030, with Imgur, on your smartphone, you click on the "share" logo at the bottom right of your picture then you select the first option/logo that your phone propose you. Then you comme here and paste the last link you copied. It will be the one from imgur with the full "address" and when you post your reply the photo will appear (not the address link anymore)
Hope that makes sense for you ?

Thanks for the reply but what if I don't use Imgur?

 

[DAWGAMUS]

I just got a confirmation email for group g. Several months to wait. Anyways just following up that after no reply I finally got one. Everyone was correct in saying you wouldn’t be forgotten.

I just got the same email. Good to hear from him as I know he's busy.

 

[Hopkins3030]

Yeah, that's the process that I used... And I'm pretty sure I've posted pics to this forum before so I think either permissions were revoked, probably accidentally, or the backend process is just broken rn...

 

[dieezus]

Whoo
check = cashed
fw8 = shipped

 

[someTooL]

Same for me. Pleasantly surprised this morning to find an email from Marc. Just having a place in line is like an early Christmas present…well maybe even the present.