So I said
previously I’d post my thoughts on the new beta Indica. It’s been really busy for me and I hadn’t taken the time to type up my thoughts until now, so sorry if this is a bit stale. And there’s probably a lot I’m going to say that has already been said before, but here are my collected thoughts:
Size
This little guy is quite nice for size. That’s one of the big points here, and that makes it much more portable than one would think for “just a bit smaller” than some of the competition. Over-all I think the form factor is really nice, although no one is going to confuse it with a normal Zippo (but that doesn’t mean its function is obvious either). I think overall it looks fairly innocuous, and that might help in “disguising” the unit by not drawing much attention. (There are a few portables that do attract some attention.) NOTE: It was the new black unit I was testing which further helps this.
Taste
Some people have compared this to the PAX.... Are you f*ing high? Oh… wait…. I forgot where I am….
This is *MUCH* better than the PAX. (IIRC, better than the MFLB also, which is smaller still.) I think this is more close to the Ascent or Solo. In the long run, I still prefer the flavor from the Ascent — I think it is much richer,
the terps have a better clarity, and the Indica seem to have a slight metal taste to it (due to… well… the metal). But then again, I’m more of a flavor snob, so I’d be more focused on this than most people. My preference is for long slow sipping sessions to really savor the flavor, and I didn’t get what I expected from the Indica.
Minor Annoyance #1
Okay, this is really minor, but it bugged the heck out of me: Flower getting in the area all around the door. There are a lot of nooks (at least in the beta unit I had) that flower loves to creep into. I keep picking it out with a tool, but some pieces are hard to get to as they are behind part of the opening’s structure. This is by no means a reason to not use the unit, but just a personal gripe of mine.
Vapor Path
This thing has a pretty short vapor path. Despite that, I never felt it was the vapor was harsh or too hot. I never used the MP cover, and never needed to. As mentioned above, the vapor path, in my taste, imparted a metal flavor, which I found distracting, but again that is my taste.
Draw
As mentioned the vapor isn’t harsh, despite the short path. But I was never able to get a really good session small-puffing, like I can on the Ascent. I couldn’t do “micro-draws” in the same manner as I do in my 40 min long puffing sessions, and felt I had to do harder draws. I will note that I did NOT drill out the mouthpiece, which I suspect might bring me back into my comfort zone.
Ease of use
The Indica is very straight forward. Little-to-no learning curve. I used it with one spacer, using the second one to pack the first one down a bit, but removing the second one. There was no messing with load or pack beyond that. Nice.
Temp Control
Let’s face it: The Herbalizer has spoiled me for temp control. Going to a “colored tier” stages really seems like a step back. Being a portable, there are limitations involved, but even the Ascent has got fine granularity of control. But again -- not a deal-breaker — the smaller size is worth the trade-off.
In terms of temp, I did NOT put a TC in to measure, like i normally would. I guess I should have, but I was more focused on usability.
Also, on the lower colored tiers, I got very little production in contrast to what I normally expect in those temps. I will note that it has been reported that the performance can be improved by drilling the MP. (
@Vape Dr. )
In addition, I usually don’t got in the higher temps, but on the few times I did I do NOT recall a burnt popcorn taste. Perhaps I didn’t push it enough, but no negative flavor.
Interface
Single button that cycles through the only setting. I don’t like the fact that the interface and user feedback are the same item. This means that to change the device, I have to essentially cover up the user feedback system. And the feedback system is…
Minor Annoyance #2
… a very bright light, inches away from my eyeball when the device is being used. I would always have to remember to either cover the light with my hand or flip the device around. Annoying.
And in a darkened room, when you take it away from your mouth between draws/puffs, it becomes a flashlight on walls/tables/environment.
Suggestion
One thing that would be very nice would be to have the unit auto shut off when you shut the lid. Another place I’ve been spoiled by the Herbalizer.
(Possible) Minor Annoyance #3
I’ve forgotten and can’t check now, but IIRC, after shut off, previous temp level not saved. That’s correct, right, or am I confusing that with another device I’ve been testing?
Reducers
Brilliant. I like the fact that one could use two if so desired. (Stacking allows more user control, especially if one has access to different sizes. But there are multiples included for redundancy, not for granularity.) Love the fact they come with the unit. Portables with large ovens need reducers, due to their limited scope of behavior. (Plug something into mains and one has unlimited power which increase options. Portable == working with restrictions; and better to have a large oven, but with the ability to reduce it without determent to function.) I understand that spacers just becomes one more thing to lose, but at least one gets several.
ABV
Very dark even not at the higher temps. The Herbalizer produces much lighter ABV, comparatively.
Does this matter? I don’t think so. What matters in the end is extraction, and other devices that do a better job at extraction have light ABV, but some people like to know about the ABV.
Efficiency
I feel I get better extraction with both the Herbalizer (duh… it has mains to work with and a lot more hardware) and the Ascent. But again, the smaller size of the Indica is something that one could lose some efficiency for.
Sessions
I do NOT like the auto-shut off, or more particularly, it is too short. As mentioned, I prefer slow long sessions, and I found I’d have to keep turning it back on if I tried that.
Maintenance
The one small hole does have a tendency to get either clogged or at least junk in it. (I didn’t use screens after reading a few comments here.) Also, resin must be cleaned out quite often. And I didn’t try it, but not sure if one can get reclaim from the included pipe cleaner, and even so, if it is being pipe cleaned every few sessions, hardly seem worth the trouble for so little. Kinda miss the nice reclaim I get from my other devices.
Summary
Looking back at my comments, it seems like I have a lot of “negative” things to say. But in reality, I really do like this little guy. Most everything I stated is a preference or against expected behavior. Certainly nothing to NOT recommend the Indica.
In fact, this is how I look at it: You know how some people have a desktop, a laptop, and a tablet? (If you add "smart phone" to that list I’m one of those idiots.) The desktop is the power machine. For that, I have the Herbalizer. The laptop; one sacrifices some power/functionality, but at the benefit of having a portable. For that I have the Ascent. But there are times when one just doesn’t want to lug around a laptop, doesn’t need all of the functionality, when a small tablet is more than sufficient. The Indica is perfect for this.
For most of my portable uses, I still prefer Ascent. But — in fact — for most of my
non-portable uses, I still like the Ascent better. (You try doing a 40 minute session on the Herbalizer. Let me know when you wake up the next week.
) For most uses, that’s my daily driver. But the small size of the Indica can out-weight a lot of the preferences I have for the Ascent when on the go. The Indica's small size, while still being a really respectable producer makes this a winner for a quite a few “out-and-about” use cases.
So keeping a desktop, a handheld [I changed the term from “portable” here due to my preference to use it both home and not home], and an ultra-portable [also changed the Indica to an "*ultra*-portable" -- just like a small tablet] around, means I have a good stock of arrows in my quiver, and a tool for about every situation.
A great addition to a collection.
--------
EDITs for punctuation.
). Needless to say, I will be stopping by tonight dropping off two packages, and not leaving until I get my Indica! 3 Hours 11 Minutes 23 seconds to go.....
