I've been using the HipVap as my main pocket vape for a few weeks now. I have to say it's the best I've used in the stealth category, as far as a unit that's comfortably a good fit in any pocket that I have (especially the front pants pocket, with the 'flask curve') and one that disappears in my hand. It's just over 3" high and the mouthpiece adds another half an inch. In my average size hand only the top half of the mp is visible, and I've carried it in public quite a bit without anyone giving it a glance. It's easy to palm. I don't do concentrates, so I'll leave that aspect for others to review.
It's very user friendly control wise, with a .25" x .5" blue temp display and a large LED lit power button that tells you what state it's in via color. A 3 sec. press powers it on and color goes quickly from blue to red (heating up), and then green when the chosen temp is reached. When the heater times out (toggle button on the upper right changes 'heater on' time from one min. to 10, in one min. increments- a really nice feature), the LED goes back to blue, and one press of the button turns the heater back on. During a draw the LED will go from green to red, reflecting the temp drop during the hit, and it very quickly returns to green. From a cold start the vape reaches 350F in about 50 sec., with the power button pulsing in red as it heats up. The left toggle switch, above the on/off button, changes the temp, with each press moving it up or down by 2 degrees.
The bowl is .5" across. Half inch screens are cheap on eBay, but one screen should last a long time. I would use a fine mesh (or maybe 2 coarser ones), since it's a one screen vape. Bowl depth is 5/8" so it's very easy to see how much you've got loaded. With a .5" diameter, I thought a well packed bowl might need a stir to get it all vaped, but I haven't found that necessary. As long as I take the temp up to around 400 before unloading, it all gets evenly cooked. It doesn't seem to matter much how fine you grind, but as with most models, a finer grind means you can load more and you'll likely get more vapor per hit. The screen goes in easily and sits flat. I can get it almost all the way seated with my pinkie. For removal I've found it's best to poke it out from the top. My old 7th Floor picks do that very well. The mouthpiece is keyed to fit and stays put very well. Haven't had it come off yet, but you do get 2 extras, just in case. Cleaning is very easy. Just push a pipe cleaner through the vapor path, and use a cotton swab w/ISO to clean the mp and bowl. The short, wide bowl makes it easy to see whether you've got it clean or not. I much prefer this short, wide bowl over the longer, more narrow ones on most pocket vapes. Loading the wider bowl is also easier.
In use the unit doesn't get too hot on either the housing or the mp. Although I haven't taken the temp much above 400, I have gone to 420 a couple of times on a long session with no problems. You can get some really nice hits if you load large, but it's designed for small size and stealth, so complaints about 'no eye watering hits with big clouds' aren't applicable, in all fairness. That said, I think it does about as well, hit wise, as other pocket vapes I've been using lately- Flowermate and Storm. I normally start a bowl at about 340, and moving the temp up in steps to around 400, a well loaded bowl provides lots of hits. The battery has not died on me. I don't do marathon portable sessions, so I'm not a good tester for that. I did a burn in first thing, but saw nothing burning off, and taste has been fine. Portables in particular, take a turn for the worse on taste near the end of the bowl, due to ABV. This one's no different, but the vape doesn't add to the ABV problem.
For me, the biggest downside of this model is that it doesn't have user replaceable batteries. HipVap says they're going to offer a good deal on bat replacement. I guess we'll find out exactly what the cost is. I did ask, but they hadn't decided on a cost yet. I'd prefer to know before I bought, since at $200 I don't consider it to be a disposable vape. You do get a 2 year warranty.
I was a little skeptical about this model initially, but after getting it and using it a while, I admit I'm pleasantly surprised. It's very easy to use and clean. I love the option to change the 'heater on time' up to 10 min., and when it does time out, that blue light is easy to see and after the one button units I've used, with all the multiple presses necessary to get 'em going again, one single press for the HipVap is a nice change. I'd rate the vape very high as a pocket model. IMO it really has no weakness, considering the design, other than eventual battery death, and it should be 2-3 years, depending on how you use, before you'll have to deal with that. It's a great addition to the pocket vape market and hard to beat for ease of use and cleaning.
