Mr H
New Member
Send them a couple more messages via the Massdrop help section and they will eventually get back to you.
They have agreed to a refund so I have sent the unit back.
Discontinued FlowerMate V8.0 by Smiss
- Thread starter KeroZen
- Start date
Send them a couple more messages via the Massdrop help section and they will eventually get back to you.
They have agreed to a refund so I have sent the unit back.
Mr H
New Member
Hi
i'd like to know if the first V.8 users are satisfied after dry runs or burn offs and few days with this vape?
No I did 50 plus dry runs and did over a week with herb in and it still tasted like crap and was a struggle to get a decent hit.
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
Can other massdrop buyers please chime in? My second sample had this strong tobacco smell so it kinda masks any other smell in there. When I opened it, the stainless steel tube below the bowl was gunked up with oil that had the same tobacco smell. Now that I swapped it with the glass straw it's better but it's still there. I think the silicone piece below the bowl might have absorbed part of it.
The few times I used it before the switch, I had the impression to get a light dizziness. I assumed it was due to the nicotine but maybe some part of the device is still out-gassing?
Now that I have disassembled the device several times I have a clear view of what's going on inside. If you open the hole on the bottom lid, or say if you leave the lid opened while using the device, it will bypass the air intake path coming from the device internals (meaning you avoid electronics, metal, some plastic and possibly paint/dye and also the first silicone ring + metal if you open the lid and bypass the lid screen)
That should already be an improvement. Now if you still get a funky taste at this point, it means it's coming from the rest of the vapor path. Here we have many suspects: first there's a silicone ring on top of the bowl (cleanable), then the ceramic bowl itself might have a smell when new (as well as the nichrome wire), then it's surrounded by a layer of cotton + polymide insulation (the yellow tape) and this one stinks a lot already in the FM5 (takes many many burn-ins to dissipate, they should find something else or source it from somewhere else), then you have the large silicone piece which smells like rubber and can out-gass some while curing (unfortunately you can't remove this one to clean it because the bowl wires pass inside it) then you have the stainless steel tube (can give a slight metallic taste) then the silicone elbow, then the plastic tunnel (I think it's mostly inert but could still have some detectable smell), then the mouthpiece holder silicone (this one can be cleaned/soaked if needed) and the glass mouthpiece (inert)
Overall we have a way more complex path than in the FM5, but there's nothing really unsafe here, provided they really use food-grade silicone and that the yellow tape is really polymide. My advice is to open the lid hole, then if you feel confident you can also open the top of the device to clean thoroughly the air tunnel and take the opportunity to clean the top silicone piece. The two silicone pieces next to the bowl are more delicate to clean, but you could at least use ISO to clean them in place.
KZ's ghetto FM8 log-style DIY mod
Seing my first sample was technically FUBAR due to the glue, and after the initial test I did using the device in "reversed flow" mode, I had an idea and engaged in a small DIY mod project... Please kids don't try this at home!
- First I opened the device and disassembled the bowl holder + lid part. I used scissors to cut the silicone piece below the bowl and threw it away (it was full of glue) Be careful not to damage the bowl wires in the process.
- Then I trimmed some of the insulation at the bottom of the bowl, removing bits of cotton and some of the polymide. Production devices are built a bit differently and it's not shown on the following picture, but in the end I removed the entire external layer of cotton+polymide (there are two layers sandwiched) But you want at least to remove the part protruding below the bowl. The ceramic must be flush with the border. Try to leave some cotton around the wires as I'm unsure of what will happen if they touch the hot ceramic!
- Now using a metal saw (or a sharp kitchen knife like I did!) cut a part of the plastic bowl housing as pictured. The cut must be above or at the location where the bottom of the now exposed bowl is. Note: I disassembled the hinge and lid with the two screws and rotating the part 180° to make working on the plastic easier.
- Then I used some cotton to seal the hole leading to the electronics section (where the wires pass) as well as plug the old air tunnel (not shown in picture but you get the idea) The goal of all these operations is to ensure that fresh air will be drawn directly from the exterior via the holes on the aluminimum body. This way with the cotton we make sure no air will be sucked from the internals and the path of least resistance will be coming from the side holes.
- Now let's put back the bowl housing assembly in place. As you can see we created a nice gap for fresh air to enter by the bottom of the bowl. Note that as I said I later trimmed the polymide better such that nothing is protruding anymore, unlike in the picture:
- Now you can close the device and put the shell back, it's ready to operate in reverse flow mode! This way it's between the classic FM5 and a log vape! I use the stainless steel metal tube that was below the bowl to make a screen/cover in which I plug the glass straw when I want to take a hit:
Note that it's far from perfect as the stainless tube while of correct diameter is only a loose fit and will fall if you tilt the device too much. Another solution would be to wrap a screen on the bottom of the glass straw, but without a cover vapor will be able to escape when you are not drawing.
I haven't tested and it will surely not work very well, but using some kind of log vape stem could be another idea. But log vapes are convection and this one is conduction... I have no such stem at hand but I'll try to experiment later.
But at least with this fix, the air and vapor paths are now minimal and devoid of most of the suspects. Air is sucked by the side holes, go through the bowl (with minimal polymide exposure) and it's out! Note that even the small silicone ring on top of the bowl is no longer exposed to the vapor path.
The few times I used it before the switch, I had the impression to get a light dizziness. I assumed it was due to the nicotine but maybe some part of the device is still out-gassing?
Now that I have disassembled the device several times I have a clear view of what's going on inside. If you open the hole on the bottom lid, or say if you leave the lid opened while using the device, it will bypass the air intake path coming from the device internals (meaning you avoid electronics, metal, some plastic and possibly paint/dye and also the first silicone ring + metal if you open the lid and bypass the lid screen)
That should already be an improvement. Now if you still get a funky taste at this point, it means it's coming from the rest of the vapor path. Here we have many suspects: first there's a silicone ring on top of the bowl (cleanable), then the ceramic bowl itself might have a smell when new (as well as the nichrome wire), then it's surrounded by a layer of cotton + polymide insulation (the yellow tape) and this one stinks a lot already in the FM5 (takes many many burn-ins to dissipate, they should find something else or source it from somewhere else), then you have the large silicone piece which smells like rubber and can out-gass some while curing (unfortunately you can't remove this one to clean it because the bowl wires pass inside it) then you have the stainless steel tube (can give a slight metallic taste) then the silicone elbow, then the plastic tunnel (I think it's mostly inert but could still have some detectable smell), then the mouthpiece holder silicone (this one can be cleaned/soaked if needed) and the glass mouthpiece (inert)
Overall we have a way more complex path than in the FM5, but there's nothing really unsafe here, provided they really use food-grade silicone and that the yellow tape is really polymide. My advice is to open the lid hole, then if you feel confident you can also open the top of the device to clean thoroughly the air tunnel and take the opportunity to clean the top silicone piece. The two silicone pieces next to the bowl are more delicate to clean, but you could at least use ISO to clean them in place.
KZ's ghetto FM8 log-style DIY mod
Seing my first sample was technically FUBAR due to the glue, and after the initial test I did using the device in "reversed flow" mode, I had an idea and engaged in a small DIY mod project... Please kids don't try this at home!
- First I opened the device and disassembled the bowl holder + lid part. I used scissors to cut the silicone piece below the bowl and threw it away (it was full of glue) Be careful not to damage the bowl wires in the process.
- Then I trimmed some of the insulation at the bottom of the bowl, removing bits of cotton and some of the polymide. Production devices are built a bit differently and it's not shown on the following picture, but in the end I removed the entire external layer of cotton+polymide (there are two layers sandwiched) But you want at least to remove the part protruding below the bowl. The ceramic must be flush with the border. Try to leave some cotton around the wires as I'm unsure of what will happen if they touch the hot ceramic!
- Now using a metal saw (or a sharp kitchen knife like I did!) cut a part of the plastic bowl housing as pictured. The cut must be above or at the location where the bottom of the now exposed bowl is. Note: I disassembled the hinge and lid with the two screws and rotating the part 180° to make working on the plastic easier.
- Then I used some cotton to seal the hole leading to the electronics section (where the wires pass) as well as plug the old air tunnel (not shown in picture but you get the idea) The goal of all these operations is to ensure that fresh air will be drawn directly from the exterior via the holes on the aluminimum body. This way with the cotton we make sure no air will be sucked from the internals and the path of least resistance will be coming from the side holes.
- Now let's put back the bowl housing assembly in place. As you can see we created a nice gap for fresh air to enter by the bottom of the bowl. Note that as I said I later trimmed the polymide better such that nothing is protruding anymore, unlike in the picture:
- Now you can close the device and put the shell back, it's ready to operate in reverse flow mode! This way it's between the classic FM5 and a log vape! I use the stainless steel metal tube that was below the bowl to make a screen/cover in which I plug the glass straw when I want to take a hit:
Note that it's far from perfect as the stainless tube while of correct diameter is only a loose fit and will fall if you tilt the device too much. Another solution would be to wrap a screen on the bottom of the glass straw, but without a cover vapor will be able to escape when you are not drawing.
I haven't tested and it will surely not work very well, but using some kind of log vape stem could be another idea. But log vapes are convection and this one is conduction... I have no such stem at hand but I'll try to experiment later.
But at least with this fix, the air and vapor paths are now minimal and devoid of most of the suspects. Air is sucked by the side holes, go through the bowl (with minimal polymide exposure) and it's out! Note that even the small silicone ring on top of the bowl is no longer exposed to the vapor path.
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startrec
Active Member
Thank you for your remarks. photos and those of other members who are engaged in dismantling their V8.0 has been very helpful to me in understanding the operation and how the air flows into this unit.
I would like to clarify a few points that I noticed.
blowing smoke (weed) in the mouthpiece, it exits through three locations::
- The heating tank (normal),
- For the same amount through the ventilation holes on the body (?)
- And by the articulation of the movable part (2 on your peak)
This confirms that the air from outside through the lateral holes.
If I mouth these holes, the combustion chamber, the air escapes through these side holes. If I close the holes and the combustion chamber, smoke blown into the mouthpiece, escapes through the hole at the articulation of the lid. (2 on your schematic)
There is indeed a problem of tightness between the stem glass and the combustion chamber but especially at their junction. There maybe a gasket because I noticed that pushing up the glass tube, blow the smoke out primarily by the combustion chamber (good) and virtually nothing by the side holes.
The solution I see and not to have to take everything apart would make a hole directly into the lid for a direct air inlet to the combustion chamber, close the passage at the axis (2 on your schematic) , leave the holes for internal cooling
and An extension may serve as mouthpiece, so the bottom is pushed to the glass tube, it should not exceed more than enough to vape. or find a longer tube.
but this remains crafts,
I still wanted to test the device. and how to say ... I was expecting worse! may be that the grass I smoke blown inside covers just the smell of new plastic!
It's still a beautiful device, the rise in temperature is ultra fast ... hopefully Smiss reads the forum and he quickly released on V8.1 still correcting some flaws.
I would like to clarify a few points that I noticed.
blowing smoke (weed) in the mouthpiece, it exits through three locations::
- The heating tank (normal),
- For the same amount through the ventilation holes on the body (?)
- And by the articulation of the movable part (2 on your peak)
This confirms that the air from outside through the lateral holes.
If I mouth these holes, the combustion chamber, the air escapes through these side holes. If I close the holes and the combustion chamber, smoke blown into the mouthpiece, escapes through the hole at the articulation of the lid. (2 on your schematic)
There is indeed a problem of tightness between the stem glass and the combustion chamber but especially at their junction. There maybe a gasket because I noticed that pushing up the glass tube, blow the smoke out primarily by the combustion chamber (good) and virtually nothing by the side holes.
The solution I see and not to have to take everything apart would make a hole directly into the lid for a direct air inlet to the combustion chamber, close the passage at the axis (2 on your schematic) , leave the holes for internal cooling
and An extension may serve as mouthpiece, so the bottom is pushed to the glass tube, it should not exceed more than enough to vape. or find a longer tube.
but this remains crafts,
I still wanted to test the device. and how to say ... I was expecting worse! may be that the grass I smoke blown inside covers just the smell of new plastic!
It's still a beautiful device, the rise in temperature is ultra fast ... hopefully Smiss reads the forum and he quickly released on V8.1 still correcting some flaws.
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
@startrec : did you try opening the hole facing the bowl in the bottom lid? It's a very easy fix and I think it's safe and has no unwanted side effects. Just use a lighter to burn the tip of a screwdriver and when it's hot apply a slow twisting motion. It could even work with a cold screwdriver.
startrec
Active Member
i have not done yet . I think it' a way to enhance the air flow but first, i want to test a longer glass tube,
I think we need a better seal between the glass tube and the bowl first. it seems there is less smoke leakage through the side holes when i blow inside with the glass tube pushed completely to the bottom
I think we need a better seal between the glass tube and the bowl first. it seems there is less smoke leakage through the side holes when i blow inside with the glass tube pushed completely to the bottom
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ominosity
Well-Known Member
I sent my first one back as the draw was impossibly restrictive. I got a replacement which was only slightly better so I ended up using it upside down (like a V5) as others have mentioned. I didn't have any problems with bad smells so I didnt do any mods I just use the provided glass tube with a scrunched up gauze/screen in the bottom and stick it straight in the chamber to vape. It fits fine and if I pull it slightly to the side as I'm vaping it seals the chamber and pulls air from below. It works really well this way, my bud is always well vaped and I get big clouds. The air and the tube itself get quite hot, it would be nice to try it with a longer tube but as of yet I can't find one, which is a problem as this morning I managed to drop and smash my second tube on the kitchen floor and now I have nothing to vape withHi
i'd like to know if the first V.8 users are satisfied after dry runs or burn offs and few days with this vape?
... I just ordered a replacement Pyrex mouthpiece for the V5 which I'm hoping will somehow fit. If anyone knows any other options for glass I'd love to hear about it.
virtualpurple
Well-Known Member
I sent my first one back as the draw was impossibly restrictive. I got a replacement which was only slightly better so I ended up using it upside down (like a V5) as others have mentioned. I didn't have any problems with bad smells so I didnt do any mods I just use the provided glass tube with a scrunched up gauze/screen in the bottom and stick it straight in the chamber to vape. It fits fine and if I pull it slightly to the side as I'm vaping it seals the chamber and pulls air from below. It works really well this way, my bud is always well vaped and I get big clouds. The air and the tube itself get quite hot, it would be nice to try it with a longer tube but as of yet I can't find one, which is a problem as this morning I managed to drop and smash my second tube on the kitchen floor and now I have nothing to vape with
I just ordered a replacement Pyrex mouthpiece for the V5 which I'm hoping will somehow fit. If anyone knows any other options for glass I'd love to hear about it.
@ominosity the Davinci ascent stems are a perfect match for the FM8
ominosity
Well-Known Member
Thanks you! I'll order one of those also.
I think the biggest problem with this vape is that the oven is upside down (duh) which creates problems similar to the early Paxes. The flowers are not seated on top of the oven and since heat rises it will not reach the flowers efficiently. The reason the Pax works fairly well is that the oven lid actually heats up too and reflects a lot of the heat. All the best vapes have an oven that surronds the flowers and allows heat to radiate up from the sides and bottom. That is why the FM5 worked so well. Hope Smiss gets back to the drawing board and starts testing these with actual weed while keeping the industry leleaders side by side for comparison.
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
@NickDlow , @TheDudeNextDoor , @stark1 : we don't hear much from you guys anymore! Are you still using your device? What about the other massdropers?
@sz1a : yes to some extent, and it's the same in the Goboof Alfa and the Herbstick Deluxe (there might be others too?) but if you tamp the load pretty hard (aka puck technic) it stays in place more or less, provided you don't shake the device too much. But there's a stainless steel screen closing the bowl on the lid, it will retain and reflect some heat. Also keep in mind that only the bowl walls are providing heat, not the top screen part... so it doesn't matter if the material is touching the top or the bottom screen, as long as it makes contact with the walls.
I haven't used my FM8 much since my last post, mostly because I've been testing other vapes in the mean time, but also because the new vape smell took a while to dissipate. I wanted to give it another try tonight but the battery is flat, it's charging next to me now.
@sz1a : yes to some extent, and it's the same in the Goboof Alfa and the Herbstick Deluxe (there might be others too?) but if you tamp the load pretty hard (aka puck technic) it stays in place more or less, provided you don't shake the device too much. But there's a stainless steel screen closing the bowl on the lid, it will retain and reflect some heat. Also keep in mind that only the bowl walls are providing heat, not the top screen part... so it doesn't matter if the material is touching the top or the bottom screen, as long as it makes contact with the walls.
I haven't used my FM8 much since my last post, mostly because I've been testing other vapes in the mean time, but also because the new vape smell took a while to dissipate. I wanted to give it another try tonight but the battery is flat, it's charging next to me now.
TheDudeNextDoor
Abiding
I sold mine. Just wasn't for me.
virtualpurple
Well-Known Member
I still have two FM8s, but I'm too underwhelmed. I will probably donate them, as I much prefer my other units.
haxsormel8ter
New Member
How do you mean upside down mode? you mean you tilt your head all the way back and vape it upside down that way?
ominosity
Well-Known Member
Haha... No I turn the unit upside down, place a small screen (from a flowermate 5) on the herb and use the glass stem straight in the bowl. Works great!
haxsormel8ter
New Member
I think i get the picture. i only have a 5S but have an 8 on the way as a B/U. so i dont know how the 8's stem comes out, but i can picture what you say. thanks.
VaporsVaporizer
On the Stoop
I grabbed one on Massdrop for an upcoming trip to A'dam. Last time i took my Crafty and back and forth and just don't want to take the chance again. For $50 i don't care about leaving it there 
I'll do a lot of clean burn-offs before the trip . It looks bigger than i'd like and i'd prefer my Crafty, but i like temp control and my own vape 24/7.
I'll do a lot of clean burn-offs before the trip . It looks bigger than i'd like and i'd prefer my Crafty, but i like temp control and my own vape 24/7.I have been trying to figure out a niche use for my V8. It is too big for portable use and the Solo is better for home use, so for me it would not be worth $50. I think I would love a V7 (Atmos Transporter) for pocket use though, but the V5 is good enough.
I pull out the V8 the other day and it still works well, especially for only $50. It just that the competition has me spoiled with nicer/more expensive vapes.
I pull out the V8 the other day and it still works well, especially for only $50. It just that the competition has me spoiled with nicer/more expensive vapes.