Salutations, the name is Egzoset...
As a freshly initiated (new) vaporist i must first mention that my conversion from smoke to vapor was "seamless" for all practical purposes, but lets keep in mind that i dropped smoking hashish years ago, meaning i probably reacted with old
acquired smoker reflexes while having zero tolerance, essentially.
Anyway, i'm
genuinely satisfied that i got such an opportunity although it certainly wasn't the vaporist initiation i was visualizing last fall.
The adaptation period which i was expecting never really took place, it was an instantaneous love afair between me and my HerbalAire! Well, maybe i had to demystify some things at the very begining but then i quicly came to feel just like i had never quit hashish, except now its green buds with a similar smell.
Taste is a dimension i failed to explore miserably. If i'm correct it seems that between Valentine day and February 25 i went through 14g of weed (February 25 being a not so glorious day because of what was left): that's a rough average of about 1.3g per day... I wouldn't pretend all of my senses were acute, chances are i wasted some good tasting weed due to such an obvious lack of control to be honnest. But...
That's all fine with me, i simply needed to live through every step of that spooky episode for way too long... It WAS time!
I cannot compare the HerbalAire's vapor with that of any other but i got an opportunity to compare my HA ABV with the Zephyr ABV left behind by Optex420 (after he visited me with a friend of his) and now i find evident the HerbalAire was a sound purchase for me to make after all.
Talking of my visitors, that evening i didn't vaporize myself because i intended to keep this unique moment to myself (and i didn't want to risk cauphing non-stop). As a result, i had wide open eyes when observing their reactions and
i must admit the Zephyr gave them happy smiles compared to the rest, my "Party-Beast In-Line Pump-Assisted Bladder-Conditioner" experiment included - especially it, actually!
So, to answer your specific question, my opinion about the HA vapor is that
it may seem thin but it's all there if you don't need it to be like smoke.
Now, about my "Party-Beast In-Line Pump-Assisted Bladder-Conditioner" fiasco, the intent was to clear the air and vapor paths from any
excess components. It allowed me to remove an aquarium pump from the vital circuit and it also let me cut the remaining PVC tube by half. Right now i'm considering the possibility to add a middle section between those bottles to increase bag capacity. It may be necessary to shop around looking for longer bags, actually. The working version will produce the "cleanest" bag i can get under the circumstances, this may come handy later if i manage to better educate my senses.
One thing i like with my negative pressure bag system is the fact that i don't touch it at all so the vapor really stays inside until needed. My next favourite feature is the fact that i'm ready for the day when my bag will rupture: in case of an accident the remaining vapor disperses in the cavity around that defective bag so it can be inhaled conveniently through the pump tube in seconds.
I've used the normal bag setup a lot and started inhalating directly from the main teflon mouthpiece near the end. I find the thought of invisible vapor escaping through thin air quite a bit stressful so i'll probably be a bag guy - provided i'm not too lazy to make one! Speaking of the main mouthpiece, there ain't too many tiny holes left opened in its screen once it starts to get clogged, i doubt another 14g can be vaporized without cleaning it. I'll have to wait and see what maintenance is all about exactly.
For people who are new to cannabis i'd say that drawing directly from this mouthpiece is one option to seriously consider because that's less space-invasive; otherwise, one is likely to feel that the HerbalAire requires an intimidating shrine, its owner having to reserve some exclusive space for it, in a corner, because of the pump contraption, the wiring and tray(s), whatever. Somebody might argue it's not too bulky but the parts aren't working independently: it's their inter-connections which turn the contraption into an effective vaporizer. I think some people's minds will close like clams under the sun at some messy sights, maybe the HA used in
self-contained mode is easier to accept so if i were to show the HerbalAire to my dear old smoking aunt then i'd certainly try to start with direct draw.
Having used no other vaporizer i won't make direct comparisons but i know that not having to "grind"/"stirr" is a blessing for many individuals and the dark brown colour of my ABV tells me i can also forget "reclaiming" altogether, unless condensation is allowed to occur in a bag and/or similar accessories that is. Too bad the oven's teflon opening and mating teflon mouthpiece don't appear to be suitably built for parties (not that i personnally care though); i sense permanent damage could result from handling those when still hot so i'd try not to forget to fully load the crucible if there's a party going on - not to mention the bag extender which fits on top of the main mouthpiece restricts air flow somewhat... I'd avoid parties of three persons or more (i like living in the comfort zone) but it's better ask other HA owners around what they think, of course...
Finally, an oily film will form on the oven surface and top opening after a while which may emit not so great odors once the following session started. Those oily deposits are like frying oil in a pan: it can burn if one isn't careful where he puts his fingers.
-=-
I hope those comments may help with your future buying decision Purple Haze, thank you for your kind words.
