Has anyone else had issues with them?
I took advantage of the Memorial Day weekend and tried a G Pro. It arrived in the early part of last week. I opened it up and cleaned it in and out with cotton swabs and alcohol. Let the device operate dry (unloaded) and did a couple of trial runs before I loaded any herbs into the newly acquired device.
First burn at the highest setting (of course) and I noticed a strange vapor emitting from the device but it was empty. I wafted the smell towards my nose and it was a foul odor. Not burning plastic but burning rubber is a better way to describe it. I let the unit cool and looked at it some more and ran it a few more times empty before loading the vape. I ran this vape, completely clean and empty for five times total. Each time the vapor trail was present and the amount did not diminish nor did the smell and this was after I cleaned the unit with alcohol and cotton swabs.
I wanted to try the unit so I loaded some grounded herbal materials in and went to town. The device is rather picky about how dry and wet the herbs are. Sometimes the light to indicate the correct temperature has reached will not turn green in the first four minutes. (oh yeah, this device turns off every 4 minutes which is god awful annoying)
Whenever the device is warming up, I can hear oil or something cooking inside as it approaches the temperature desired. (think snap, crackle, pop like the cereal) First draws are almost too warm and plentiful of vapor/smoke. I have been using vapes since 2011 and I think I know what I should be expecting and looking for and I certainly know my tastes and distastes for vapes now.
I have to turn the device back on another two times and typically, the material has been extracted as much as I can get half way through the third cycle.
After the device has been used, here is more fun stuff. The mouthpiece is hot as hell and it is silly to let the material in the chamber is not in use. That will make it dirtier faster so I had to use some cotton shirts as a "heat barrier" between my hand and the now super-heated plastic mouthpiece. That is kinda annoying also.
Pros:
-It works (within reason, I think the temperature is wrong and some foul odor and vapor emitting is bad)
-It is compact
-It looks pretty
-It looks easy to clean (But the holes at the bottom of the chamber, what happens to the material that may fall down into those holes?)
Cons:
-It smells and tastes like burnt rubber ever so slightly. (Already RMA'd this week old device as of this post since I am told this is abnormal)
-No battery level indicator. In one week, I had this thing turn off three times in the beginning or middle of a session and without any indication as to what level the battery is, huge turn-off. To make it worse, it lasts about three to five "sessions" which consist of me turning the device on and off after about ten minutes of use.
-Too much of a throat irritation for my personal preference. I typically vape at 390 to 400* F. I have no issues with other devices. This device, if I use 380* (or middle) setting, does not work to extract much and at 420* (highest setting), it feels too warm for my personal preference.
-Turning off every four minutes under the guise of not harming people and/or saving battery. I really dislike it when companies want to "think" for me. I value having the option to think for myself. Fortunately for me, I pay attention to the task at hand and I am capable of turning the device off when I am done.
Overall, I am kinda 50-50 and I am still open to this device working, but for the time being I went back to my Iolite WISPR 2 that have been flawless since my last butane change in 2013.
Any questions or concerns, please ask and I will try to address them. I do not visit here often but I should get an email reply if anyone cares. I hope this can help someone by informing them for future purchases.
