Help me find the best portable vaporizer for me

[TheMadDabber]

Hello to all! I wanted to post this in the portable vaporizer section but It wont allow me to, so here I am!

Alittle background on me, I own a Mighty vaporizer, but I have never been a big fan of plastic parts, conduction vapes and a vape that does not have a clean airpath, dont get me wrong, I do love my Mighty! Though it seems that there could be another portable vape out there that better suits me.

I know the BEST, is a subjective term, but I am looking for the best portable vape that my money can but. So here is what I would describe as the best from highest to lowest:

1) portable
2) little draw restriction
3) smooth vapor
4)clean air path( its own airpath seperate from electronics and batteries) I love glass, a glass mouth piece is ideal.
5) convection
6) ceramic or steel chamber
7) easy to clean
8) replaceable battery
9) a solid reputation

I know its alot to ask, but everysince I became a cannabis connoisseur, the bar has been raised.

I have heard alot of good things about the milaana vaporizer.

All suggestions are welcomed, please enlightenment me.

Thanks in advance

 

[friedrich]

I have heard alot of good things about the milaana vaporizer.

Milaana is really good. The vapor is astounding! and flavor is pure
It uses glass stems, similar to a log vape or (I think?) the Solo/Air, but with an 18mm (US length!) glass joint.
It's extremely simple/minimalist in design. You just secure an 18650 battery in there and then press the button when you want to engage the heater; there's no electronics or regulation of any kind, so it's up to the user to keep it under control... but that isn't difficult.
On a fresh battery, you can get billowing clouds if you want starting in under five seconds. The heating power diminishes as the battery discharges, so you gradually have to hold the trigger longer.
You need an external charger for the batteries, and to be heedful of safety concerns.

I like my Firewood equally well. Vapor production is slower, but still fast (like ten seconds vs. five) and plentiful.
It uses a glass+silicone capsule system, easier to preload and carry extras. I also find it easier to thoroughly extract microdose amounts of herb with these capsules compared to Milaana's stems.
You select one of four heat levels after turning it on, and then it drops to an idle temperature until it senses a draw and heats back up; it's a more automated and consistent experience.
FW is almost half the thickness of M, so it fits much better in a pants pocket, and doesn't have the exposed trigger and stem to worry about.
You mostly charge the batteries in the unit by plugging into the wall adapter, but they are replaceable (four NiMH AAs) with the use of a small flat-head screwdriver... or a butter knife like I had to use once in a hotel room.

Firefly 2 would also be a good one to look at!
And I still hold out hope for the Grasshopper (preordered one year and three days ago).

 

[TheMadDabber]

Milaana is really good. The vapor is astounding! and flavor is pure
It uses glass stems, similar to a log vape or (I think?) the Solo/Air, but with an 18mm (US length!) glass joint.
It's extremely simple/minimalist in design. You just secure an 18650 battery in there and then press the button when you want to engage the heater; there's no electronics or regulation of any kind, so it's up to the user to keep it under control... but that isn't difficult.
On a fresh battery, you can get billowing clouds if you want starting in under five seconds. The heating power diminishes as the battery discharges, so you gradually have to hold the trigger longer.
You need an external charger for the batteries, and to be heedful of safety concerns.

I like my Firewood equally well. Vapor production is slower, but still fast (like ten seconds vs. five) and plentiful.
It uses a glass+silicone capsule system, easier to preload and carry extras. I also find it easier to thoroughly extract microdose amounts of herb with these capsules compared to Milaana's stems.
You select one of four heat levels after turning it on, and then it drops to an idle temperature until it senses a draw and heats back up; it's a more automated and consistent experience.
FW is almost half the thickness of M, so it fits much better in a pants pocket, and doesn't have the exposed trigger and stem to worry about.
You mostly charge the batteries in the unit by plugging into the wall adapter, but they are replaceable (four NiMH AAs) with the use of a small flat-head screwdriver... or a butter knife like I had to use once in a hotel room.

Firefly 2 would also be a good one to look at!
And I still hold out hope for the Grasshopper (preordered one year and three days ago).

I am looking for detailed responses like this, thank you for taking the time and effort to post. You mentioned heed to safety concerns for the milaana?

The grasshopper was also on my list, though I have been reading posts about the grasshopper being on the hotter vape side of things, sensitive lungs and throat is whats making me keep a watchful eye on vapor heat.

I will start researching on the firewood and firefly2.

 

[friedrich]

You mentioned heed to safety concerns for the milaana?

More for this type of battery in general (see those exploding ecig stories), but also yes:
One poster mentioned leaving M where somehow the trigger button got depressed for a long period of time and the heater began to burn the wood body. Vape Dr posted a simple guitar pick mod to prevent this issue by obstructing the battery connection.

I'm not sure how sensitive we're talking, but I'd say Milaana and Firewood are both on the warm/hot side; comparable to a log vape? about as much as you can expect based on the stem lengths. It's hard to say which one is hotter....

I think Firefly makes much cooler vapor than either of these.

 

[kimura]

Firefly and Firewood both have much more draw restriction than Milaana

Firefly battery is replaceable, but you have to use the Firefly battery which is expensive and unreliable

Firewood batteries are replaceable but you'll wear out the wooden threads over time (removing and reinstalling the screws repeatedly)

Milaana battery is easily replaceable, cheap, and available

Firefly has the smoothest/coolest vapor. all three have great flavor

Firefly and Firewood have comparably clean airpaths. it appears possible to draw fresh (unheated) air over the electronics but only seems likely to happen when the intake is blocked.

Milaana has no electronics?

Milaana is substantially more powerful

get a Milaana.

 

[little maggie]

Re Milaana safety. The exploding batteries seem to be specific to e vaporizers and not the kind that is used here. Otherwise simply don't let the button press against something when you're not using it. There are fixes on the Milaana thread that some are coming up with. It seems to be as safe as most others out there and I definitely find it easier and better than my firewood.

 

[Andreaerdna]

It seems to be as safe as most others out there

I do not know any vape that need, out of the box, to take off its battery and carry it separately for security. And is not a joke or overdoing a safety standard: 2 units of the fews out since it was launched 1 month ago autocombust themselves when stored battery in for few minutes

Which others vapes need the same safety treatment?

Also it seems milana require a little experience with unregulated vapes to get the technique down easy. Go read @pakalolo posts in milana thread of you are going with this choice.

 

[little maggie]

I do not know any vape that need, out of the box, to take off its battery and carry it separately for security. And is not a joke or overdoing a safety standard: 2 units of the fews out since it was launched 1 month ago autocombust themselves when stored battery in for few minutes

Which others vapes need the same safety treatment?

Also it seems milana require a little experience with unregulated vapes to get the technique down easy. Go read @pakalolo posts in milana thread of you are going with this choice.

Do you have a Milaana? Because it's the easiest vape I own. I am not looking for perfection and with my non-technique it still works great with lots of clouds. As for keeping the battery separately for security please point me to where that's in safety guidelines. I am far more likely to have damage from the vapman.

 

[TheMadDabber]

I do not know any vape that need, out of the box, to take off its battery and carry it separately for security. And is not a joke or overdoing a safety standard: 2 units of the fews out since it was launched 1 month ago autocombust themselves when stored battery in for few minutes

Which others vapes need the same safety treatment?

Also it seems milana require a little experience with unregulated vapes to get the technique down easy. Go read @pakalolo posts in milana thread of you are going with this choice.

If its worth anything, It will mostly be for home use. Im not afraid of a little learning curve...... thats the fun part, finding that sweet spot. Milaana sounds promising. Now evenmoreso after these great suggestions.

What I have noticed, In conjunction with what @little maggie (ThankYou), said about people working around some minor issues and with the research I have gathered, is that if I have really learned something in my vaping career is that most of the great stuff has flaws, it just depends if the positives outweigh the negative.

Thanks everyone,

 

[Andreaerdna]

As for keeping the battery separately for security please point me to where that's in safety guidelines

Really? WTF IS HAPPENING HERE?
Am I having a stroke?

There are not written instructions yet, nor official safety guidelines, you know this, but it is widely repeated in its thread and by manufacturer.

if you trouly believe your statement I kindly suggest you to ask manufacturer or zteam about this before your one follows the 2 already burned.

@TheMadDabber i agree with you, a little learning curve is usually gratifying when mastered. Good luck with your choice

 

[pakalolo]

Really? WTF IS HAPPENING HERE?
Am I having a stroke?

There are not written instructions yet, nor official safety guidelines, you know this, but it is widely repeated in its thread and by manufacturer.

if you trouly believe your statement I kindly suggest you to ask manufacturer or zteam about this before your one follows the 2 already burned.

@TheMadDabber i agree with you, a little learning curve is usually gratifying when mastered. Good luck with your choice

It is true that as a precaution RBT recommends removing the battery when not in use. This prevents overheating due to accidentally depressing the button for a prolonged period, which is a minor issue. The Milaana is not a fire risk, but if the button is pressed long enough this sort of accident will eventually char the interior of the unit. I don't find it a concern and I leave my battery in all the time, even when the Milaana is in my pocket.

I do not know any vape that need, out of the box, to take off its battery and carry it separately for security. And is not a joke or overdoing a safety standard: 2 units of the fews out since it was launched 1 month ago autocombust themselves when stored battery in for few minutes

This is not correct. The incidents did not involve combustion, just overheating to the point of charring the wood. With an accidental button press, the battery will be fully discharged before the Milaana ever reaches the point of actual combustion. As far as battery safety is concerned, there are much riskier designs out there. The Volta uses an 18650 with the insulating wrap removed. It requires that you cap the battery at all times when not in use to ensure that there is no accidental discharge. If the Volta battery isn't properly capped, there is a high risk of a discharge that could easily ignite.

 

[flotntoke]

Really? WTF IS HAPPENING HERE?
Am I having a stroke?

There are not written instructions yet, nor official safety guidelines, you know this, but it is widely repeated in its thread and by manufacturer.

if you trouly believe your statement I kindly suggest you to ask manufacturer or zteam about this before your one follows the 2 already burned.

@TheMadDabber i agree with you, a little learning curve is usually gratifying when mastered. Good luck with your choice

The battery thing is overblown by many IMO. It's the same as with any device that uses these type of batteries (18650's) whether vape or e-cig, you have to be careful not to fire/engage it for long periods. Not vaping periods, but having it firing for a while - more than a couple minutes if a healthy battery. You could just as easily secure the copper top away from the battery top, or use any method that will prevent the battery from being activated. Simplest of course is to not have the button pressed for long periods.

The issue that creates potential problems with the Milaana is that there is no "kill" switch that shuts it down, only the button itself that fires the vape. So, if you have a battery loaded and push the button - intentionally or not - it's going to activate the battery. Other things, like putting something between the battery and copper contact that will prevent contact, will work just as well. Some have added a shaved down guitar pick that is attached and can be easily swung out of the way in use. But, a small piece of cardboard that interrupts the circuit works just as well.

Taking the battery out (or blocking the contact) will prevent any issues if the button is accidentally pushed for a long period of time. I seldom take the battery out of mine and always err on the safe side. But, if your vape is just sitting there without the button being pushed you should be good.

The suggestion to remove the battery (which I believe is in soon to be released instructions) is an over the top safety recommendation. IMO mostly for idiots who don't realize the power and issues that can happen with these batteries. In the two instances of issues posted in the Milaana thread, both had buttons pressed and batteries activated for some time while not in use.

Sorry, pak. Missed your post before I hit the button.

 

[TheMadDabber]

Interesting twist in this thread, I do enjoy a healthy debate. I do understand where youre coming from @Andreaerdna, safety is as much concern as health and I do appretiate your input as it is broadening my understanding. Thanks everyone for pointing out concerns, I will take everything into consideration.

 

[kimura]

The amount of hand-wringing being done over the milaana's "safety issues" is pretty funny IMO. it as if people aren't in control and the thing could just spontaneously burn up at any time

 

[Andreaerdna]

The Milaana is not a fire risk

The incidents did not involve combustion, just overheating to the point of charring the wood. With an accidental button press, the battery will be fully discharged before the Milaana ever reaches the point of actual combustion.

yeah hermanos ... take care of your Mi, I would not recommend storing it with the battery in it... in any way...

I left it unattended (but "safe" in a pouch, that's what I foolly thought) for 4-6 minutes just to greet my Madresanta (I was visiting) by the time I got back it was scorching hot (lightly burned myself as I hurried to take the battery out), charred, and smoking ... the hemp pouch got burned and so did the other pouch... incredibly the Mi heater's still working but has a nasty smoke odor (that really ruins the whole thing) and those charred marks (maybe I'll post some sad pictures)

well just to emphasize on the taking care of the button (it can be half pressed), put the paper, guitar pick, or take the battery out when storing even for a while... does happens ( and who knows what might have happend if I didn't get back that quickly) and really wish that this does not happen to any other Mi's out there sorry for the long post, still feeling pretty sad about my Mi...

saludos!

Thank you @pakalolo I didn't know about volta, can we agree that both are not as safe as most vapes on the market (my starting point) at least?

Also your description of accidental overheating seems quite different from real life accident as described by Buskter.

Maybe milana left on the floor with button pressed will not burn itself with flames as you said (I believe it) but if it is in a bag or in a car during summer do you still think it is fire risk free?

 

[kimura]

"Fire risk free".... @Andreaerdna is it safe to assume you would never use a butane torch?

I feel like I'm missing something here. The "risk" is entirely known, and easily avoidable

 

[pakalolo]

Thank you @pakalolo I didn't know about volta, can we agree that both are not as safe as most vapes on the market (my starting point) at least?

Also your description of accidental overheating seems quite different from real life accident as described by Buskter.

Maybe milana left on the floor with button pressed will not burn itself with flames as you said (I believe it) but if it is in a bag or in a car during summer do you still think it is fire risk free?

I don't see how you are reading any contradiction between my account and his. He doesn't say there were flames. I know that part of the beta testing involved deliberately discharging a full battery to see if combustion would be reached, and it was not. I'll qualify that by saying that this was with 2500 mAH batteries. I understand that there are now 3000 mAH batteries available, and I don't know whether the additional capacity would cause eventual combustion. I don't think so but until a test is done, nobody can say for sure.

Now can we please get back to helping @TheMadDabber choose a device?

 

[Andreaerdna]

Sorry @TheMadDabber before derail I was going to suggest you to look the thread of minivap, battery is replacable/swappable but more expensive and the whole package too. Otherwise seems a match but I did not try it directly, mayb one day, if this disqualify my suggestion so be it. If you are in US there is always @stickstones who could answer your questions about it if you are interested

 

[kimura]

Sorry @TheMadDabber before derail I was going to suggest you to look the thread of minivap

Good idea. miniVAP gives the "best" extraction, effects, and flavor of anything I've tried. Technically it's portable, but i rarely take it out in the wild

 

[flotntoke]

Ahhhhh the miniVAP! I long for one. I swear, next time I have $520 (on sale at that!) to spend on a portable it will be mine!

No offense and no hard feelings. Any irksomeness you notice is certainly due to my jealousy that I still don't have one of these puppies even though it has been at the top of my want list for some time.

@TheMadDabber - you're so right in one of your posts above. There is no "perfect" vape, yet. If there were, I'm sure we'd all have one! Then again, one person's perfect is usually another person's "eh... whatever".

From what you've said you're looking for I think the Milaana would be a great fit. There is the concern with the 18650 batteries, but if going electric there will usually be that concern or an automatic shutoff after a specified time. Grasshopper a few seconds to shut off if you're not hitting it. Solo 12 minutes (I think), whether hitting it or not - pretty sure the miniVAP is all the way up at 20 minutes. This is how they stay "safe". The other option for heat while portable is butane - usually a torch. Different concerns there, but still plenty of them!

I truly am anxious to hear a good comparison of the Milaana to the miniVAP though, if @kimura or someone else who has both could sum it up for us. Details always help, but the real question is - is the miniVAP twice as good/worth twice the cost? I kind of fear it may be, and it will be time for me to start saving up!

 

[TheMadDabber]

The minivap does look enticing, but in what ways would it be better than the mighty? Also, Im willing to hear the comparison between the Milaana and minivap, a head to head match with a detailed comparison would be much appretiated.

Like @flotntoke mentioned, I also fear the minivap has the upper hand, considering quality and you get what you pay for, but if the Milaana comes close, matches or surpasses the minivap in general basic functions then the Milaana is a great contender.

 

[HomeFree]

I really like my solo and my air. They are affordable, have good flavor, deliver a decent amount of vapor, nice battery life, and are dependable with a high resale value. Make sure you have a genuine battery rated for your vape for sure, whatever you choose! For the Air I got an extra 2 OEM batteries. $18 or $19 each but when you factor in how long they last they are cheap as hell. It comes out to about $1 a month for me.

Mechanical box mod for herb sounds pretty neat.

 

[flotntoke]

I really like my solo and my air. They are affordable, have good flavor, deliver a decent amount of vapor, nice battery life, and are dependable with a high resale value. Make sure you have a genuine battery rated for your vape for sure, whatever you choose! For the Air I got an extra 2 OEM batteries. $18 or $19 each but when you factor in how long they last they are cheap as hell. It comes out to about $1 a month for me...

Nothing really too wrong with either of them, but they miss on a few points the OP is looking for - namely convection and little draw restriction.

..... Mechanical box mod for herb sounds pretty neat.

Oh.. it is! Very neat and then some!

 

[HomeFree]

There's not not much restriction when drawing slowly through the Air/solo. As received, it's not like a wide open convection vape as far as restriction but it is easy to get used to. The harder I fight, the more resistance I am met with. To me it is more difficult to take long draws through a wide open stem as through the original solo stem but I get used to it and adjust temp and load size.

There is also the turbo (I think) stem from Planet vape or ed's stem as well which has very little restriction naturally as it is wide open. My ed's stem has pretty much no restriction at all. I prefer the original stems but I have not practiced enough with my Ed's stem.

But if you want to take a quick 3 second full draw and get a load of vapor the Air is probably not for you. I draw for at least 20 seconds, but usually around 45 seconds. At least the OP rated their needs in order of importance, otherwise they would be left with little in the way of options. That was pretty smart.

The solo can have the batteries user replaced, but not so easily as in the Air - unscrew, take out old battery and insert the new one - takes about 15 seconds at best and I have done it mid session and is meant to be easily replaceable. The solo batteries would be another thing to consider. Air batteries are a lot cheaper than the solo batteries as well.

But again, if restriction is way up top, unless you use an open bore stem you are going to draw slowly.

 

[flotntoke]

There's not not much restriction when drawing slowly through the Air/solo. As received, it's not like a wide open convection vape as far as restriction but it is easy to get used to. The harder I fight, the more resistance I am met with. To me it is more difficult to take long draws through a wide open stem as through the original solo stem but I get used to it and adjust temp and load size.

There is also the turbo (I think) stem from Planet vape or ed's stem as well which has very little restriction naturally as it is wide open. My ed's stem has pretty much no restriction at all. I prefer the original stems but I have not practiced enough with my Ed's stem.

But if you want to take a quick 3 second full draw and get a load of vapor the Air is probably not for you. I draw for at least 20 seconds, but usually around 45 seconds. At least the OP rated their needs in order of importance, otherwise they would be left with little in the way of options. That was pretty smart.

The solo can have the batteries user replaced, but not so easily as in the Air - unscrew, take out old battery and insert the new one - takes about 15 seconds at best and I have done it mid session and is meant to be easily replaceable. The solo batteries would be another thing to consider. Air batteries are a lot cheaper than the solo batteries as well.

But again, if restriction is way up top, unless you use an open bore stem you are going to draw slowly.

Yep not too much restriction, but still much more than many. Keep in mind, while the turbos and Ed's stems are nice, all they are really doing is letting in more fresh air from around the base - not vapor. Both are nice in use, but only thinning your vapor. You could get the same results - though not as easily - by tilting or part way pulling out the stock stem.