I have only ever used two vaporizers; the ones I own (Aromed and Air). In fact, I still have never even seen another vaporizer in person. The Aromed was my first, which I decided to buy after considering mainly the Volcano and the EQ.
It might be kind of hard for me to give a good assessment of the Aromed right now because in the last week I finally figured out how to make this thing work; really work. (I have owned it and used it daily for about five months. Making it work so well took some creative modifications. I'll explain later.)
Negatives
- This machine is marketed as a medical device, but it has a lot of characteristics that make it physically difficult for many medical users to use; particularly those who are weak, shaky, and/or uncoordinated.
- Requires regular cleaning of the glassware, which is not good if you drop things and/or can't really carry things (like many medical users).
- I don't even bother using it with the glassware attached to the back of the machine, as it's designed to function. It's too much trouble attaching and detaching the heat source that way; particularly for anyone with bad hands, which includes me. I'm clumsy enough already, but using it that way makes me even clumsier.
- If I use it with the glassware on the back of the machine, the two things I need to see at the same time (herb holder and control panel) are nowhere near each other. Plus I feel like the whip is too short to use comfortably when the glassware is secured to the back.
- Alternatively, I use it with the glassware to the side, which makes the glass vulnerable to tippage and breakage. Consequently, my herb holder is cracked, simply from being tipped over. (It did not fall; just tipped over.)
- If you use it with the glass beside the machine (like I do), you have to be extremely careful not to tip it over, which is even more difficult with the whip always being in the way.
- Replacement glassware is expensive.
- Some people report their glassware becoming "fused" together. Although it can be very annoying to have to deal with the glass not coming apart easily, I'm beginning to think the people who report fusion simply do not understand the concept of friction. (They think you have to heat the glass or add chemicals to lubricate the connection, when most likely all you need is one piece of rubber--not cloth or anything else--to create friction between your hand and the piece of glass you want to remove from the other piece of glass.)
- I don't really consider this a negative, but I think you mentioned wanting something portable. The Aromed is not even kinda portable.
- Only comes with one screen. (How about just include five screens and charge an extra dollar?)
Positives
- Pick your temperature; any temperature. (Having said that, mine stays at 456°F.)
- Heat source is located above herbs, which keeps the herbs from being baked while the machine is on but not being used.
- It's fun to watch this thing while operating it. It's a show.
- Never seems to produce harsh vapor.
As you see, I'm having trouble coming up with a list of positives. That might not really mean anything, but it might mean everything. Here's why:
For a long time I've wanted/needed to create some kind of riser for the screen, to raise my herbs closer to the heat source. In the last week, I finally figured out how, using just flour and water. Consequently, all of a sudden, my Air doesn't get used very much. So add the following bullet points to the previous list of bullet points. But realize that these bullet points may be conditional.
- I can now set my Aromed a hair from combustion.
- I can now vape one tiny little ground if I want to. (I don't want to, but I can.) I used to have to use giant loads, just so I could get some herbs in my preferred temperature range; loads as large as 1 g.
- Each session lasts me only a couple minutes now, instead of, say, half an hour.
- Big clouds on the first hit.
- I can now use clouds to help me judge whether my herbs are spent. It used to be just about impossible for me to know when my herbs were spent, but now that's easy.
If you're in the United States, VaporNation might be a good place to buy an Aromed. I believe they have a 21% FC discount. (I bought mine for 20% off, with a different code, before I knew there was an FC code.) So you should easily be able to get one of these for $350.
The Aromed could probably be essentially perfect for someone like me, with some minor functionality changes or options. For some reason, though, it seems there's no such thing as a late model. If you buy one today, it's going to be essentially identical to one you could've bought 10 years ago. (Unless I'm wrong.)
I've been thinking about buying an Underdog for quite a while, I suppose largely because I didn't feel like the Aromed worked for me. Well, now it clearly does. I'm still leaning toward buying an Underdog holiday vape, but I no longer think it's because I need one.
I think most of the posts over the last five or 10 pages of the Aromed thread are from me. Surely lots of those posts reveal that I was (or am) a beginner. Regardless, I've had a lot to say. Which I suspect may probably be very useful to you if you read it.
I have probably omitted some things I meant to say, but that's OK for now. This post is long enough. If you have any questions, I'll gladly share whatever useful information I can.
