Pen Focus Vaporizer

[mulciber]

Speaking of Focus accessories, I know this must be a dumb question, but can someone tell me how this piece works? http://www.puffitup.com/Focus-Dry-Material-Pod-p/fcv.114-dry_cart.htm

 

[Crow]

Aren't they just 18650s like the air??

Amazon has tons due to all the ecig mods, i got a buncha MXJO 18650s that are 2500mAh, 13 to 14 bucks for a 2 pack. Whatever batteries u get go for high amps 35A

I dont know, this is my first vape lol.... but a 2 pack for 13-14 dollars sounds way better then PIU one battery for 14.95

Speaking of Focus accessories, I know this must be a dumb question, but can someone tell me how this piece works? http://www.puffitup.com/Focus-Dry-Material-Pod-p/fcv.114-dry_cart.htm

Was wondering the same thing. I was thinking it was something you could pack and drop in the oven if you were on the go

Mod note: posts merged

 

[His_Highness]

Any suggestions on replacement batteries? I bought the vape from PIU and they didnt have spares in stock.

Samsung 18650 25Rs - (2 Pk for $11.20 on Amazon). These have been the standard to beat and compare against for awhile. For safety sake you want to stay with name brands like LG and Samsung and buy from reputable companies. These batteries can be dangerous and there are counterfeits out there. You could also Google 'Best 18650 Battery for Vaporizer' for recommendations.

I don't have the external charger that came with the Focus. If you find that the external charger that comes with the Focus causes the batteries to get really warm or hot during the charge you may want to consider getting something like the NiteCore-i2-V2014 Universal Intelligent Charger ($10 on Amazon)

Dry Material Pod for the FocusVape - These are new to me. I read where some folks where wondering if they could use pods from other vapes for on the go and to keep the oven cleaner. This may be the answer. I'll have to pick them up on my next PIU order. Thx for pointing them out!

 

[Eatrocks]

Most vapes today fit only flat top 18650s, i got some of the old school 18650s that won't fit in anything new

 

[priestsmiler]

The flower mate pods do NOT fit in the focus. I ordered some to try from piu, bit gutted but not so much an issue for me as they fit my pinnacle pro perfectly

 

[Crow]

Anyway to use use the oil or resin buildup on the white filter in the mouth piece? Was thinking of putting it in the oven and vaping it? Dont want to waste that build up the MFLB glass stem had this build up and i would take a small bud and poke it through the stem then either smoke or vape that little piece of bud and get blazed.

 

[His_Highness]

Anyway to use use the oil or resin buildup on the white filter in the mouth piece? Was thinking of putting it in the oven and vaping it? Dont want to waste that build up the MFLB glass stem had this build up and i would take a small bud and poke it through the stem then either smoke or vape that little piece of bud and get blazed.

Not sure that little white filter would contain enough to bother. You'd probably be better off cleaning it and the glass mouthpiece in ISO to accumulate and once the ISO is dirty enough - allow the ISO to dry out in a shallow plate...what's left over will be the reclaim. Could take a long while to accumulate enough though. There are plenty of threads devoted to gathering reclaim this way. Be careful though - glass and ceramics are good to go....I steer clear of acrylics.

 

[priestsmiler]

@His_Highness Good to know ceramic is ok in iso. I never was 100% on that. I was a little concerned (enough to remove this from my airpath) with the fact that it seemed to reduce in size over time (like bits could be possibly being chipped off and possibly being inhaled.) I always noticed the ceramic reducing in size after a soak in iso, never before.
I have had good success with a twin pack of green batteries from fastech which were obviously cheap but display a good battrrylife. I'll checkup what model/price any other details I can find and post back later with details.

 

[His_Highness]

@His_Highness Good to know ceramic is ok in iso. I never was 100% on that. I was a little concerned (enough to remove this from my airpath) with the fact that it seemed to reduce in size over time (like bits could be possibly being chipped off and possibly being inhaled.) I always noticed the ceramic reducing in size after a soak in iso, never before.

I never noticed ISO wearing away ceramics like that but I guess its possible depending on the quality, how long the soak and whether your are using salt as an abrasive. I've used ISO to clean 2 different ceramic ovens over the last few months and did some Googling to see if there was any potential issues beforehand. I don't use an additional abrasive and I don't allow the soak to go on for more than a 15 minutes before I run it through warm/hot water to push cleaning and check the progress.

How big was the ceramic piece that got worn out? How long did you allow the soak and did you use salt?

 

[priestsmiler]

The ceramic in question is the ceramic air diffuser/screen (puck shaped thing) that comes as standard in the focus. A similar thing in a flowermate vapormax did the same as well.

No salt wasn't used as an abrasive (I would personally only use salt as an abrasive in cleaning my glass pieces) and the soaks were comparatively longer times than your 15mins (probably overnight if I remember rightly).

Only soaking in iso seems to cause an issue for me. I have cleaned ceramic ovens in the past by iso swabbing without a problem although the flowermate vapormax had a light in there which has seemed to dim since cleaning a few times, but it is quite an old unit now and maybe unrelated.

 

[Eatrocks]

Most of the reclaim should be where the vapor thru like the mouthpiece and upper bowl. My cfx had some spots under the stock 'ceramic' screen. The focus chamber screen doesn't look fine enough to keep reclaim from leaking thru.

Anyone have an arizer air and focus vape to give comparisons/which one is better??

The air is still really good for just being an updated solo, got me good yesterday but wish it had one more heat setting around 430. You can't quite get full extraction from dry material in the air I feel.

The dry herb pod for the focus looks like it adds more convection properties as well as keep all the contents from clogging the device. As well as being able to prefill a load and pop it in.

 

[hi_there]

Anyone have an arizer air and focus vape to give comparisons/which one is better??

I have both and the focus just seems better because it heats faster. Air probably tastes a bit better but I have had my Air for a while and know it is a quality vape. Time will tell if the focus lasts. For value I would say the focus is one of the best vapes out there. Fast heat up, good temp choices, quality build, tasty vapor and cooks fairly evenly. I saw them for sale in Canada for under $100 CDN

 

[His_Highness]

The ceramic in question is the ceramic air diffuser/screen (puck shaped thing) that comes as standard in the focus. A similar thing in a flowermate vapormax did the same as well.

Now you got me thinking .... Is it possible that the white puck shaped thing isn't ceramic? I highly doubt its not but.....I didn't verify it...I just ass-u-me'd. I'm gonna ask them to confirm the material.

Edit: Email sent to manufacturer to confirm composition of white filter puck and a recommendation for cleaning it.

 

[PPN]

The flower mate pods do NOT fit in the focus. I ordered some to try from piu, bit gutted but not so much an issue for me as they fit my pinnacle pro perfectly

It fits on my Focus but only with the watertool adaptater, not with the glass mp. It fit really tight but well enough but don't forget to take it out while still hot cause when cold the pod stays glued...

Are you sure you didn't get the XL pods made for the Ihit?

 

[priestsmiler]

@PPN The pods are same diameter ss pinnacle pro bullets - around 9mm. There is a ring (just below the thread) in the focus that seems to be stopping the pod from being fully inserted (oo-errr ) so the pod does not go far enough into the chamber to fit either the adaptor or mp.

@His_Highness i feel pretty certain it is ceramic although please post back with any findings cheers buddy

 

[daddygreenjeans]

Does your guys Focus get too hot to handle? Once heated up to pink or red the top portion of the vape is too hot to touch. This normal? It would be the part where the oven is, anything above the power button gets insane hot.

 

[His_Highness]

Mine gets hot on the top when I use the max temp but I would call it 'uncomfortably hot' not 'untouchably hot'. The tiny gold metal ring around the top does get 'untouchably hot' at max temp so I avoid it but the rest of the top is touchable.

I typically don't hold the unit by the top.

 

[Eatrocks]

The air gets too hot to the touch on the bottom part of the glass stem....400+ degrees yea it'll get hot

 

[Crow]

@His_Highness i followed your suggestion on letting the herb soak for 30 seconds. Right when the Focus vibrates vapor starts to seep from the airflow holes and the top. Am i wasting goodies? Ive been keeping the holes covered while it heats since i noticed.

 

[Andrew26]

Focus Review and Focus to Xmax Comparisons

Background: The Focus and Xmax are similar types of cigar-pens. Another Xmax user and I have been beating up the Focus for 2 weeks as our daily driver for this review. We average 3 sessions each per day. We’ve been using the Xmax for months before the Focus and at times as our daily driver. You may get different results than I did due to the type of herb you use (dry, moist, cure, etc.) as well as personal differences like lung capacity.

Summary: Ever seen one of those car advertisements where the base model is $14,999 and the luxury package is $25,999? The Xmax is the base model and the Focus is the luxury model. Both units will take you where you want to go but only the Focus will do it in heated leather seats.

Detail Testing:
- Battery life: I used the same battery for the Xmax and Focus, (Samsung 18650 25R). The 25R is/was the recognized standard for 18650 batteries. The battery test was done the same way for each unit. Charge the battery using an Intellicharge I2 external charger, set temp to high, (428F), allow the unit to run for 5 minutes, wait for it to cool off for 10 minutes before the next session test. Run the test till the unit won’t turn on because the battery is too low.
Focus: 12 sessions and even had enough to start a 13th session! Normal Daily Use: 8 sessions.
Xmax: 6 sessions. Normal Daily Use: 4.5 sessions.
Conclusion: Focus beats Xmax by a large margin. I could probably get an entire day’s use from one full battery on the Focus. Wouldn’t come close with the Xmax.

- Heat Settings:
Focus: 6 settings, 320F, 338F, 356F, 374F, 392F, 428F
Xmax: 5 settings, 356F, 374F, 392F, 410F, 428F
Conclusion: My favorite settings are 374F, 392F so either unit will work for me. I can push the Focus to 428F and since removing the mouthpiece screens the Focus is harsher than before but still smoother than the Xmax with a similar mod. The Focus wins by having 2 lower settings and more smoothness. Note: I don’t do concentrates.

Combustion: In each case I completely wasted the herb so it was dry and more burnable and then gave it a beat down at 428F.
Focus: Did not combust and had the most blackened ABV.
Xmax: Did not combust.
Conclusion: Neither combusted and I suspect neither will. Focus wins by taking the herb to a more completely spent state.

- Initial Time to Reach Temp/Peak Vaporization: Recorded using a stopwatch against a freshly charged battery and again when the battery reached lowest usable level.
Focus: 30 seconds to reach high heat level in each case. Another 15 seconds is needed to heat soak the herb and reach peak vaporization. Total time till first optimal draw is 45 seconds.
Xmax: 100 seconds to reach high heat level in each case. At 100 seconds the heat soaking of the herb has reached peak vaporization. Total time till first optimal draw is 100 seconds.
Conclusion: Focus wins easily by time recorded AND the focus oven air holes can be blocked to enhance the heat soak as well moderate the air intake.

- Taste: Both units were tested at 392F for the number of draws where the taste was favorable. If you vape at lower levels you could extend the tastiness.
Focus: 2 tasty hits. Bit smoother.
Xmax: 2 tasty hits.
Conclusion: I’d give a slight advantage to the Focus for smoothness. There are many hits remaining in both units after the taste dissipates.

- Ability to Overload Oven Temp: Both are purely conduction vapes requiring draw moderation to keep the vapor coming strong. You can overrun the oven with either of these units. In each case the initial draw will produce nice clouds. A continuous mid to high level draw and the vapor ceases to be visible at the end of the draw. The Xmax seems to be able to handle the harder draw a little better but it is sacrificing smoothness. The Focus can be used ‘dry’ at the highest temp unlike the Xmax to mitigate some of the oven cooling.
Conclusion: There is no clear winner.

- Session Time: How long a session will last and how convenient it is to extend the session.
Focus: After 5 minutes the Focus turns off the oven and ‘sleeps’ for 3 minutes before turning off. Holding the button for 2 seconds wakes the oven and you’re back in business for another 5 minutes. Brilliant!
Xmax: After 5 minutes the unit turns off.
Conclusion: Focus wins this one easily. This area makes the Focus a much better group vape than the Xmax.

- Learning Curve: I’m color blind so discerning what the one light on the Focus was trying to tell me about battery strength/temp selection was frustrating for the first two days. The Xmax has a separate light for each temp level so it was initially easier to use. The Xmax button press can be erratic though and I have had to turn it off/on to reset or figure out where I was in the sequence. The Focus adds vibration to the mix which lowered the learning curve. The Xmax button is more tactile than the Focus button but the Focus’ vibration makes it more apparent where you are in the use sequence.
Conclusion: The Focus is easier to learn than the Xmax.

- Quality/Engineering: The Focus performs consistently each session. The Xmax button has been erratic at times. It should be noted that the Xmax has never let me down. The Xmax mouthpiece can come off in transit. The Focus mouthpiece screws in and eliminates this issue. The Xmax turns off after 5 minutes and the starting sequence has to be followed again to extend the session. The Focus goes into sleep mode (turns off the oven) for 3 minutes after the initial 5 minutes and can be woke by holding the button for 2 seconds. The Xmax 5 minute timer includes the time to reach the selected oven temp as does the Focus. The Focus reaches temp so much faster that the Focus allows the user to use more of the initial 5 minutes than the Xmax. The battery that came with the Focus is a good 2500mAH 18650 while the Xmax is a decent but lower rated 18650 at 2200mAH. The Focus loads easier as the top of the chamber slopes downward at a higher degree and the slope material is less ‘clingy’ to herb. Replacing the battery is easier with the Focus. With the Xmax you unscrew the middle of the unit and it’s a little awkward to screw back in. With the Focus you unscrew the bottom piece, the battery fits within its cup holder and you more easily screw the bottom in.
Conclusion: Focus is the better thought out unit. Did the Focus engineers deliberately set out to improve on every aspect of the Xmax (Except price)? Focus feels more dependable but it will be months or more before a final dependability conclusion can be made.

- Flower Conservation: Both the Xmax and Focus do an ‘ok’ job in this area with neither having the upper hand.

- Initial Prep / Burn Off – The Xmax should have a burn off done of at least 6 high temp sessions. The old silicone mouthpiece will need to be soaked in ISO and rinsed a few times during the ISO soak to get rid of the taste and smell. The Focus will require no more than 2 high temp sessions to get rid of the ‘new smell’.
Conclusion: Focus has way less smell and taste issues out of the box.

- Maintenance: Like most cigar pen vapes the Xmax and the Focus are both weak when it comes to oven cleaning. The herb comes in direct contact with the oven. Reclaim can build up on the oven bottom and the oven cannot be removed for cleaning. I prefer vapes like the Solo where the herb is placed in a device that in turn is heated by the oven. The bottom of the Xmax and Focus oven will become caked with reclaim over time if not kept clean. If you allow the reclaim to build up on the bottom and restrict the draw it’s going to be hard to clean. The screens/filters in the mouthpiece are very small and will require timely cleaning but they are removable and easily cleaned.
Conclusion: Neither the Focus or the Xmax have an advantage here.

- Draw Restriction/Use: Neither unit is draw-restrictive.
Conclusion: The Focus wins by having an adjustable intake.

- Extraction: The ABV is consistent and dark in both the Xmax and Focus. No need to stir. The Focus can be used ‘dry’ at the highest temp where the Xmax is too harsh for me to use at the highest temp. Conclusion: The Focus wins by allowing for more extraction by using the highest temp and producing blacker/darker spent ABV.

Miscellaneous Observations:
- I like to fill half the oven and tamp down lightly and then fill the other half and do another light tamp down. Not packing enough to restrict the draw but enough to increase vapor production by having more herb in the oven.
- Remember to allow 10-15 seconds or so between draws to allow the oven temp to heat soak the herb again for optimal results.
- Bubbler – With just the standard unit mouthpiece both units can be used with my D020-D bubbler and/or my 14mm Gong. Remember to allow for a heat soak, moderate your air intake and/or close off all but one air hole and set the temp to high.
- Security: The Focus wins easily. It feels heavier, is more substantial and has a covering that is easier to grip than the Xmax. If you’re attacked you could hold the Focus like a roll of quarters, start swinging and do some real damage. If it was just a little longer it’d make a nice Billy-club (Please excuse my feeble attempt at humor)

Final Conclusions: The Focus is hands down a better unit than the Xmax. The look and feel of the Focus is impressive, it performs well and battery life is amazing for a cigar-pen. Still…the Focus is not going to replace the Solo as my daily driver or as my bubbler companion. I would recommend the Focus to anyone looking to add a cigar-pen to their collection, a starter vape, a night-on-the-town vape or as a top-o-the-line backup.

Hey dude I really like your review man very informative, I was going to get the xmax but after reading I'm going to get the focus or the boundless cfx! But where can I buy the Focus vape,I live in canada man??

 

[Eatrocks]

I'm really close to pulling the trigger tonight on a focus, anyone know if puff it up ships the focus with the water pipe attachment?

 

[Andrew26]

I'm really close to pulling the trigger tonight on a focus, anyone know if puff it up ships the focus with the water pipe attachment?

It's all us dollars tho unless your American! Toronto vape as wicked prices I can't decide between the xmax v2 pro or the focus vape !!

 

[Chance2Vape]

It ships without the WPA from PIU (and most other places that carry it from what I've found so-far). PIU did finally get the WPA (and other accessories) in this week though and I couldn't wait to pull the trigger on that WPA, a ceramic concentrate cart (similar to the FM metal flower/concentrate carts) and some spare MPs.

 

[priestsmiler]

Mine stopped working yesterday. I loaded her up as normal, switched her on, waited for the vibration to say its up to temp and.... nothing :/ flicked through temps, tried switching batteries, and still nothing. :'( Emptied chamber & the herbs were untouched so think its going to be time to test the customer service from vapowelt and shoot them an email. This was (and still is imo) a strong candidate for a cheap, solid construction (or so I thought) vape that performs exceptionally well at the price point.

 

[His_Highness]

@His_Highness i followed your suggestion on letting the herb soak for 30 seconds. Right when the Focus vibrates vapor starts to seep from the airflow holes and the top. Am i wasting goodies? Ive been keeping the holes covered while it heats since i noticed.

Both the Focus and Xmax will leak a little vapor while heating. The Xmax will leak a little before reaching the selected temp because it takes so much longer than the Focus to reach that temp so with the Xmax I don't wait 30 seconds past reaching temp.

With the Focus the initial temp selected is reached so much quicker I wait 15-30 seconds past reaching temp/vibration to allow the heat to work its way further into the herb. I'm not sure what temp you've selected but the leak is minimal and would be a sign to me that the 30 second wait could be shortened to 15 seconds. For what it's worth I don't get any leakage until 15 seconds after the temp is reached and never seen it at the vibration point. Maybe your unit is running hotter than mine.

Mine stopped working yesterday.

Sorry to hear that. I can't speak to 'vapowelt' but that email I sent to the manufacturer about the white puck/filter composition and suggested cleaning method was responded to within 48 hours. I was asked to provide a picture because the description 'White puck filter in mouthpiece' wasn't clear enough.

Hey dude I really like your review man very informative, I was going to get the xmax but after reading I'm going to get the focus or the boundless cfx! But where can I buy the Focus vape,I live in canada man??

I've posted your question in the PIU retailer thread. You could also try contacting katherine@focus-vape.com for retailers.