I’m concidering buying a FV but am concerned about the copper that’s supposed to sit right by the heater mesh. I do not want a vaporizer with copper in the air path, touching the heater or anywhere else where it might get heated. I’m already ill and not interested in vapes with toxic materials in them which is in part why the FV caught my eye but after finding out that it has copper bits it seems as I may have to look elsewhere. So my question is if the FV lives up to my requirements or if I should pass on it.
Also, my plan is to use it with traditional hash/resin and am wondering if the stock batteries will be powerful enough for hash and how many puffs I should expect to get out of a charged battery in the summer vs in cold winter temperatures? How many bits of hash should I expect to be able to vaporize with a charged battery? I’ve read that one can expect to vape 2-3 bowls of herb and hash needs higher temperatures and more heating cycles so I am hesitant. I am also ona budget and not too keen on spending more money on more powerful batteries but guess that I would concider it if I find a vaporizer that’s worth it.
How long does one need to charge the batteries with the stock charger?
How often does one need to replace the screens with small amounts (ca 0.1) of hash stirred/smudged around? What about the heater screen?
I’m guessing that the aluminum, glass, and ceramic construction gets really cold during winter time so should I expect a lot of condensed vapor/resin in it during winter time use?
What’s the second hand value of a lightly used FV should I decide that it isn’t for me?
You are correct, the heater screen does rest on two copper rods. I would point out that the MFLB also uses copper in a similar fashion, so if you are okay with that then you should be okay with the FV.
Traditional pressed hash like Afghani Black or Nepalese Temple does not vaporize well because it is so concentrated. You can do it but it requires a lot more battery power in the case of the FV. Bubble hash, on the other hand, is quite pure and leaves no residue. The FV can do a decent job with it using not much more power than it needs for herbs. The same applies to resins.
The FV normally uses a two screen system, so any material rests on the removeable screen. This means cleaning is simple. You can use it in conduction mode (the removeable screen sits directly on the heater screen) or convection mode (the removeable screen sits on a ceramic spacer). In either case, if you use herb then it will not need much cleaning. Hash of either type will also not require much cleaning.
The FV also does concentrates such as hash oil or resin, which is what I've been using mine for because I like the job it does. You can clean the screen by soaking it in ISO for a few minutes, or simply burn it clean with a torch lighter; however, I haven't needed to do this much. FV also sells a glass bead system that delivers a slow prolonged concentrated smooth delightfully tasty hit, but because you have to bring the beads up to heat it uses a lot more battery power. You can also put your concentrate or hash directly on the heater screen. Suprisingly, this doesn't clog up the screen nearly as much as you'd expect. I've done this a lot and the heater screen is still relatively unclogged.
Because the FV is so powerful, it requires a delicate touch on the button and takes a bit of experience to avoid overheating and combustion, particularly with herb. It's been a long time since I did an analysis of the battery life but in general I'd say that it is better than you've described.
Having said all that, I don't think the FV is the solution for you. It's quite heavy and definitely not a pocket vape. I'm not aware of any portable that does traditional hash well, although I don't claim to be well informed about the latest devices. If I wanted something like you want then I'd look into the Dynavap. You can ignore the click and heat as long as you like. In fact, I think I'll experiment with that right now. BRB.
<time passes>
Okay, I used two tiny chunks of Afghani Black. As you would expect, heating it just to the click is ineffective, you have to keep going. The trick is judging when the cap is heated enough to produce vapour without reaching combustion. I waited until I saw wisps of vapour appear, which is simple for me since I have an original glass Dynavap. This took another 20-30 seconds after hearing the click. I thought (based on the flavour) that I'd reached combustion on one attempt, but examination of the hash convinced me otherwise. Overall, this worked at least as well as any other vapourizer I've tried for hash and better than most.
Hope this helps.
.Vapolution will also be a decent choice if you can find any left in stock.