elixsor

Well-Known Member
greystr0ke said:
Has anyone else bit the bullet and tried the de-optimizer yet? I know when it was first posted on here, a few people mentioned they had ordered it with their unit. Just wondering if anyone had any better results then I did.

I think any enthusiasm about it died off quickly after some bad reviews. Guess that is why its being called the DE-optimizer now.

What were the main issues you found with yours?
 
elixsor,

elixsor

Well-Known Member
When yall are filling your device do you fill the the top of the bowl where the screen is or do you fill into the chamber with the heat pin?

I have always filled right in where the pin in but I was watching some Youtube videos of the Iolite and multiple people were doing the opposite.
 
elixsor,

Albert Hofmann

Convicted vapist
I loosely fill up the removeable part with the screen while the pin is heating up. Then I stab it into the herb and get excelent results. But the other way works too, just not quite as well in my experience.
 
Albert Hofmann,

elixsor

Well-Known Member
Bahahahaha cant believe I've never realized this! Had this thing for 2+ years and have always filled it the other way but this is so much easier!
 
elixsor,

Albert Hofmann

Convicted vapist
Definitely easier, I only tried loading it in the heating pin side once, much messier. Try using the mouthpiece like a straw to vacuum fill your bowl, does it just right if your herb is groud properly.
 
Albert Hofmann,

Progress

'Socratic Existentialist, MD'
IMO, suction into the side with the screen and twist when mating to keep any herbs from getting squashed against the screen).

Also, I have seen units poop out (some extraordinarily early on), but most seem to last and even handle abuse well AFAIK.

It is a shame to have a failure rate anywhere above zero, but is great that they work so well in general and have a warranty.

IMO, it is usually either the filter in the unit that gets clogged or piezo-electric-clicker failure, but these are just guesses.
 
Progress,

greystr0ke

Well-Known Member
elixsor said:
When yall are filling your device do you fill the the top of the bowl where the screen is or do you fill into the chamber with the heat pin?

I have always filled right in where the pin in but I was watching some Youtube videos of the Iolite and multiple people were doing the opposite.

Lately, I have been filling the herb chamber (removable piece) while the unit is warming up and then I sort of tap it directly over the heating pin and the herb falls into the heating chamber. Most of the time some herb will fall on the black area around where the heating chamber is but if you just tap the iolite a few times it will all fall in.

Someone on here pointed out that when you pack the herb chamber and then directly stick it into the heating chamber, the pin can sometimes push your herb all the way. Thus it won't get as much contact from the heat as it would if it was dropped directly into it.
 
greystr0ke,

2Supra4U

Well-Known Member
I have always filled the herb chamber (stem) and held the iolite upsidedown and slide it on.

This is the proper way to fill and put on, without worry of spilling.



Just to comment on the pin comment above.....that is jibberish IMO. the heatpin does push up the herb a bit (if you have packed it loose) but does not push it up to prevent heat from flowing through. the pin there is to penetrate the herb pile in the middle so that the heat is transferred evenly and from all around. So, its supposed to do that. Just by way of the design of the mouthpiece, the bowl in the iolite is round and the herb chamber is Nonagon (sp?) i believe....the air is pulled through those gaps and flows right through the bowl. There is no way some parts are not hit by the hot air...or are cooked by the heat itself.

The only time it could happen that I would see is if you were putting chunks of weed in there....which is not how you do it.

just my :2c:
 
2Supra4U,

Phyto-PDX

Phyto-inhalationist
I'll chime in. Long time lurker, first time poster.

First I work for an established headshop and have extensive personal experience with many brands of vaporizers. I've had my iolite for about a year now. Been a great device.

I just got the iolite optimizer and I personally think it makes a positive difference. I came to see what people thought, and was shocked to hear it called the "deoptimizer". It truly "optimizes" the heat distribution. I've used it on and off for 2 weeks now and I feel that I get much richer vapor production, but bowls are finished sooner than without it. Normally i'll sit on a loaded bowl for approx 15-20 mins, but with the optimizer i notice the burnt popcorn flavor sooner, and am changing the bowl at around 10 mins.

The optimizer is placed either around the heat pin, or into a loaded herb chamber pins plunged into the herbs (which then slides around the heat pin when placing the chamber onto the iolite).

The herb chamber is the metal bowl with the screen in it. I'd like to mention that you load the herb chamber, not the area around the heat pin.. I grind into a small dish, and then suck the herbs up into the herb chamber. Even with dry herbs, loading the chamber like that will be tight enough for it to stay in the bowl. you do not want to pack the herbs because that will further restrict air flow. I load it approx halfway full (either with the optimizer or not).

With vaping, less turns out to be more. we're working with hot air, not a permeating flame, so we need as much open available surface area as possible for the hot air to pass over. When people come into the store I work at, and say they dont like the iolite, 8 times out of 10, they're over loading the herb chamber, and / or packing it down.

I've been meaning to get more involved in the forums here. Lemme know if you wanna discuss my methods or have any questions.

Cheers!
Phyto-PDX


----------------------------
A vape before bed brings peace to the head

edit: cleaning up the post, editing a few things, clarifying some others. ^_^
 
Phyto-PDX,

Albert Hofmann

Convicted vapist
Greetings phyto, good to see yet another oregonian on here! I also really luv my iolite, and couldn't agree with you more about a loosy loaded bowl being essential to optimal performance. I picked up one of those optimizers at my local shop last week and I have to say that it seemed to me like I was getting slightly thicker clouds once it had been going for a few minutes. And like you, I noticed the load was depleated a little sooner than usual.
 
Albert Hofmann,

2Supra4U

Well-Known Member
I think I said it in one of my earlier posts in this thread back a few that the "optimaizer" is a bit of a tricky gimmick.

I'm not saying that it dosent increase heat distribution, because it will.

But what I said is that is forces people to put less herb in the filling chamber due to the optimizer taking up more space. So, if your someone who packs half bowls already or at least very loosely packed bowls, you proabaly see the same type of performance already.

I learned not to pack it full and/or tight shorly after I got my iolite, just to do flow restriction when taking a draw.

I fill 1/2 to 3/4 bowls with a fine grind and I can get some pretty nice clouds with it (as with my wdz now, I take 10-15 sec long draws)...i'll pack a full bowl if its loose and i dont compress/press any down before i shove it in the iolite.

I do not use the optimizer or plan to buy one, as I just feel as explained above, that I think you just have to know what your doing with it (which comes from experience of coarse using a particular item) and you'll be fine without it.

However, i still cash out bowls anywhere from 10-15 min, thats even with a full bowl.

But that could be because I take long draws everytime, as opposed to someone who take small (and many) draws.

anyways, either way....if it happens to be a gimmick....all the power to them because it is actually a good gimmick idea.........come out with a product that "gives better performance" while making people think they could get something that they couldn't without it.

I'm gonna say..... im going to have to try one to actually see if there is a differenced and to see if my theory is correct to a degree. But I still think its not worth purchasing (i'll only try it if I can find someone whos got it, aint gonna buy it lol)
 
2Supra4U,

dubs

Well-Known Member
Hey I have been having an issue which I cannot find anywhere although I'm sure its been covered before. Anyways when I've filled up my iolite (new can of colibri) when I put on the gas it seems I have to wait before the ignition works. I've noticed I can hear a change in the butane stream, like I'll hear a burst of butane or w/e. after leaving it going for a while (sometimes only a couple seconds, sometimes it can be probably a couple minutes) and this is the only time it will ignite. While I guess this has always been a problem of sorts, it seems to have gotten worse recently. Might this be due to it getting colder?

I've also found that the device often takes longer to heat up than it seemed to a couple months ago. I think this is due to the butane being released at a lower pressure (as in less butane is being spitted out at any given moment). This is really only an issue in the initial heatup I suppose as once it's heated it just releases butane sporadically to maintain the 170 temp.

It still works, its just sometimes I gotta wait a while before the igniting will work (I don't click the button constantly, I just wait till I hear the change in pressure) and it takes longer to heatup it seems. I just had to wait about 2 minutes till the stream changed pressure such that it would ignite and I had just refilled the iolite with a pretty much brand new can of colibiri (and yes I waited well over 5 minutes after filling before using the device). Any ideas? Anyone else face similar issues with the device? Any reason why this change might have occurred?
 
dubs,

nr-cole

Well-Known Member
If mine won't start on the first couple clicks and I've already bled the tank out, I try to warm it up in my hands for a few minutes before clicking again, and then it works right away. Whether this is due to me holding it tight so it's warmer or just because it has more time for the butane to run through, I'm not sure. Maybe try warming it in your hands for a few minutes before even turning the gas on? Might tell you whether it's the cold or not.
 
nr-cole,

Ms.Trichomes

Well-Known Member
I just bought my iolite yesterday and think i might have a lemon :(

When i first got it I turned it on, ignited it and it worked like a charm, but now i get one ignition out of it then it cools down and i turn it on to use it it doesnt make the hissing sound, and if i try to ignite it doesnt work.. I thought it might be because it was still at the right temp but i took the top off and the inside metal was cool to touch. I've tried to troubleshoot it a few times and still nothing. Sometimes i have to wait hours for it to ignite again, then it stays warm for a few mintues and cools down again. and my product is still green. Am i not using it correctly or is it a lemon?

Please help:uhoh:
 
Ms.Trichomes,

Lo

Combustion free since '09
I'd love to try and help you Ms. but I'm a bit confused on your problem.

After you fill with butane it needs to sit for a few minutes before igniting. After ignition it will cycle on and off by itself during the session usually. After you're done and turn it off it hisses a few more times as well.

So, you fill with butane, wait, press button - Does it ignite?? Do you see the orange light? If so then you should wait a few minutes and try to use it, you should also feel it heating up at that point.

Let us know what exactly is happening to see if we can narrow it down. Many times there is a bit of learning curve to get best results. There are also some troubleshooting tips in this thread from manufacturer, I usually post them every few pages so you shouldn't have to dig back far to read them.
 
Lo,

Homes

Well-Known Member
I know some people mention packing the bowl halfway, but when I'm using the iolite with someone else I pack it about 3 quarters of the way or more, and it lasts 45+ minutes drawing nice clouds of vapor. A 15-20 minute bowl will last me if I pack it less than half way. Even at halfway I'm expecting a 20-30 minute bowl. Then again I've noticed these results depend alot on the quality of herb you are using. If you use some regular priced herb, your going to get bad results, use the medical (or something of that grade) and let it dry out a little and your in for a treat with the iolite.
 
Homes,

Ms.Trichomes

Well-Known Member
Lo said:
I'd love to try and help you Ms. but I'm a bit confused on your problem.

After you fill with butane it needs to sit for a few minutes before igniting. After ignition it will cycle on and off by itself during the session usually. After you're done and turn it off it hisses a few more times as well.

So, you fill with butane, wait, press button - Does it ignite?? Do you see the orange light? If so then you should wait a few minutes and try to use it, you should also feel it heating up at that point.

Let us know what exactly is happening to see if we can narrow it down. Many times there is a bit of learning curve to get best results. There are also some troubleshooting tips in this thread from manufacturer, I usually post them every few pages so you shouldn't have to dig back far to read them.




Yes, I've filled it with vector. Also ive read almost every page on this thread to make sure i wasnt missing anything. But the issue is that its not igniting. In order to get it to ignite once every few hours i have to troubleshoot it (which i did find on this site), wait at least an hour sometimes more (not the 5 mins it should sit for) then it will make the hissing sound once, get hot once, then cool down. never making the hissing sound again untill i troubleshoot it again. Do i leave it in the on postion during my whole use or turn it off when its done hissing the first time? Ive tried both methods and neither seem to make a difference.
Sometimes i see an orange light but only after i troubleshoot.

but normally i will turn it to the on postion and nothing will happen. it doesnt start hissing then ill attempt to light it a few times and i see the blue spark but no orange light. Ill give wait a few seconds in between trying to light it again. but still nothing. the only time i see it is when i use it for the first time in a few hours. I dont know what to do and i am getting really frustrated with this $200 peice of plastic that i had such high hopes for.
 
Ms.Trichomes,

greystr0ke

Well-Known Member
Once you flick the switch from "0" to "1", leave it at "1" until your done with your session. After you flick the switch to "1", let it run for a few seconds and it should continuously hiss. When you press the piezo button to ignite it, you should see an orange light/flame which indicates that the unit is heating up. You may need to press it a few times. It should make a slightly different sounding hiss while the unit is warming up. It runs in cycles so it won't hiss continuously after you press the piezo. It should run a cycle every 45 seconds or so and at that time the unit will begin hissing again. After the first cycle it runs, all other cycles will be a lot shorter. Maybe around 5 seconds where as the initial cycle is a lot longer.

Are you sure that you have filled it correctly with butane? I've used several cans of Vector so far and and 1 of those cans didn't want to work correctly. It almost didn't mate with the tip of the iolite correctly so no matter what I did, it would spill everywhere and minimally fill the unit up. It required me to spend a little more time fiddling around with mating the butane and iolite by gently shaking the can once it was already "locked" in position.
 
greystr0ke,

willieR

Been here since 2009
greystr0ke said:
Are you sure that you have filled it correctly with butane? I've used several cans of Vector so far and and 1 of those cans didn't want to work correctly. It almost didn't mate with the tip of the iolite correctly so no matter what I did, it would spill everywhere and minimally fill the unit up. It required me to spend a little more time fiddling around with mating the butane and iolite by gently shaking the can once it was already "locked" in position.

I've gone through a couple dozen cans of Vector and just had my first dud. Exactly as grey describes. So it's not unheard of I guess. I wish there was a better way to load these things in general. I get butane on my hands every time I load.
 
willieR,

nr-cole

Well-Known Member
willieR said:
greystr0ke said:
Are you sure that you have filled it correctly with butane? I've used several cans of Vector so far and and 1 of those cans didn't want to work correctly. It almost didn't mate with the tip of the iolite correctly so no matter what I did, it would spill everywhere and minimally fill the unit up. It required me to spend a little more time fiddling around with mating the butane and iolite by gently shaking the can once it was already "locked" in position.

I've gone through a couple dozen cans of Vector and just had my first dud. Exactly as grey describes. So it's not unheard of I guess. I wish there was a better way to load these things in general. I get butane on my hands every time I load.

I find that just before the butane goes shooting out all over the place the sound it's making changes, and that's when I pull the can away. Maybe I'm not getting it all the way full, but I'm not getting butane all over me either.

Sorry to hear about your troubles Ms. Tri. If it's not making any noise when you flip it from 0 to 1 after you fill it I'd say that's a good sign of a problem, although as was stated, dud cans of Vector have happened. Try a different can, and if it's still not working, time to hit up that warranty. I promise you there are functioning Iolites out there, and they're fantastic :D
 
nr-cole,

Homes

Well-Known Member
Can anyone shed some light on the iolites you find on ebay? I know that buying them for ebay is basically voiding the warranty, but whats the deal? Why are they selling for $140ish?
 
Homes,

Cairo1

Well-Known Member
Homes said:
Can anyone shed some light on the iolites you find on ebay? I know that buying them for ebay is basically voiding the warranty, but whats the deal? Why are they selling for $140ish?

Grey market products are generally less. If they make $15 and have no service, no liability, no warranty, it's just a quick $15 for them. I biught on ebay and would NEVER do it again. Never. You're hosed if anything goes wrong. The iolite is a unit known for hit or miss performance. I'm on my third, and I love it, but the previous 2 had issues, certainly.
 
Cairo1,

NineDelta

Vaporize is health
This thread is huge!!! It seems a lot of people use Inhale/iolite.:D

I use this vaporizer for more than 2 years ago, when it called I-inhale, and then I bought the new Iolite, I have the two of them.

I have a question about temperature, thermostat is in 190C, but I want to know the temperature accuracy. Which is the margin of error of temperature ( C)? because if I use it during about 15 minutes, the herb is dark brown. How much time do you recomend to use it? no more than 8-10 minutes? Are there difference in the margin of error of temperature between Inhale and iolite?

Thanks.

PS: Sorry for my English
 
NineDelta,
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