Iolite vaporiser
- Thread starter i-olite
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I received my repaired iolite back from Ireland yesterday. Although they never replied to my email asking what they had repaired, the unit does now work. I'm getting vapor! Besides actually getting vapor out of it now, the other thing I noticed is that the outside of the unit does not get as warm as it was prior to being sent back to the factory. Now I need to go back through this thread and see what mods seem to be the most effective in improving airflow and vapor thickness, and keep my fingers crossed that I don't encounter any of the melted mouthpiece problems others are experiencing.
willieR
Been here since 2009
The only mods I have found worthwhile are the removal of the bottom screen (in my i-inhale) and the bowl-to-hose mod (no plastic mouthpiece). I haven't done the second one yet. I guess I'm hoping for a manufacturers solution.
Glad your unit is working now, So it was a bona fide problem and you're seeing the benefits now. That's great. Watch the melting mouthpiece...
The metal bowls have an insulation of sorts around them. I wonder if that was missing. I would have assumed that a thermostat was simply replaced but that temp difference on the outside of the unit is really interesting.
DO you notice the unit cycling on less frequently, by chance?
Thanks so much for reporting back to the group. This is all very interesting.
Glad your unit is working now, So it was a bona fide problem and you're seeing the benefits now. That's great. Watch the melting mouthpiece...
The metal bowls have an insulation of sorts around them. I wonder if that was missing. I would have assumed that a thermostat was simply replaced but that temp difference on the outside of the unit is really interesting.
DO you notice the unit cycling on less frequently, by chance?
Thanks so much for reporting back to the group. This is all very interesting.
Thanks for the reply WillieR. Do you know what page the mouthpiece-to-hose mod is on? Is that just to avoid/repair the melting issue? did you go back to the factory default for the configuration/order of the 3-holed screen/retaining ring in the mouthpiece?
I haven't noticed any more frequency in the unit cycling, but have only run 4 bowls thru it since getting it back. It did do a bit of sputtering for a bit this morning (which it hadn't done before), but after about 30-45 seconds it resumed normal operation.
I haven't noticed any more frequency in the unit cycling, but have only run 4 bowls thru it since getting it back. It did do a bit of sputtering for a bit this morning (which it hadn't done before), but after about 30-45 seconds it resumed normal operation.
Actually post 1208. page 49
There is a white-ish spacer in the plastic stem chamber into which the aluminum bowl/stem stub is placed. [I think this white/grey part is more for stability for the area where the plastic stem and the metal stub screw together.] The spacer itself is bisected: midway up there is a channel into which the black plastic of the body protrudes, ostensibly for strength and tie everything together. Think of it as a marshmallow with a narrow channel about midway the depth of it.
I reamed the white spacer out at low speed with a Dremmel, but did not take away any black material. You could do the same with a variable speed drill: I did mine slowly to minimize the Bozo Factor.
When the white spacer is removed, I placed a heat-resistant silicone tube (OD 3/8") on the metal stem of the chamber, and pushed the attached tube through the bottom of the plastic mouthpiece, and the metal chamber 'clicks' into place.
There is a white-ish spacer in the plastic stem chamber into which the aluminum bowl/stem stub is placed. [I think this white/grey part is more for stability for the area where the plastic stem and the metal stub screw together.] The spacer itself is bisected: midway up there is a channel into which the black plastic of the body protrudes, ostensibly for strength and tie everything together. Think of it as a marshmallow with a narrow channel about midway the depth of it.
I reamed the white spacer out at low speed with a Dremmel, but did not take away any black material. You could do the same with a variable speed drill: I did mine slowly to minimize the Bozo Factor.
When the white spacer is removed, I placed a heat-resistant silicone tube (OD 3/8") on the metal stem of the chamber, and pushed the attached tube through the bottom of the plastic mouthpiece, and the metal chamber 'clicks' into place.
Polarisman
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
First post here. I purchased the Iolite unit after reading the reviews here. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't.
While I have not had any Issues with the mouth piece, I do think the mouthpiece (and the entire unit for that matter) is poorly designed. My screen with the holes in it fell out of mine, couldn't get the retaining clip back in and in the end just put a plain ol' small screen in it. It worked fine. For a while.
After a couple of weeks the unit became increasingly difficult to get started. While I started using Ronson in the unit, after just several uses, I switched to Blazer and Vector butane.
Despite changing butane brand, eventually the unit would not start anymore. So less than a month after purchasing it, I had no choice but to mail it to Ireland at a cost of a bit over $30 (with insurance).
I mailed the unit on the 15th and Iolite notified me that they received the unit on the 22nd. As of yesterday they informed me that their engineer has not yet looked at it because "we are extremely busy at the moment and would like to thank you for your patience and understanding."
WTF? Obviously they have so many returns that they cannot look at a unit they've had for over a week! Well, when you sell what is IMO a poorly designed product guess what happens? You get a lot of call to your service department.
While a cool idea and neat when it worked, my experience with the Iolite has been a poor one. I would not recommend it at this point. I would however recommend the Launch Box I purchased while waiting for my Iolite to come back. Nice to have a portable that actually works.
First post here. I purchased the Iolite unit after reading the reviews here. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't.
While I have not had any Issues with the mouth piece, I do think the mouthpiece (and the entire unit for that matter) is poorly designed. My screen with the holes in it fell out of mine, couldn't get the retaining clip back in and in the end just put a plain ol' small screen in it. It worked fine. For a while.
After a couple of weeks the unit became increasingly difficult to get started. While I started using Ronson in the unit, after just several uses, I switched to Blazer and Vector butane.
Despite changing butane brand, eventually the unit would not start anymore. So less than a month after purchasing it, I had no choice but to mail it to Ireland at a cost of a bit over $30 (with insurance).
I mailed the unit on the 15th and Iolite notified me that they received the unit on the 22nd. As of yesterday they informed me that their engineer has not yet looked at it because "we are extremely busy at the moment and would like to thank you for your patience and understanding."
WTF? Obviously they have so many returns that they cannot look at a unit they've had for over a week! Well, when you sell what is IMO a poorly designed product guess what happens? You get a lot of call to your service department.
While a cool idea and neat when it worked, my experience with the Iolite has been a poor one. I would not recommend it at this point. I would however recommend the Launch Box I purchased while waiting for my Iolite to come back. Nice to have a portable that actually works.
shotgunwilly
Well-Known Member
mdbudz, sorry to hear of your problems.... try getting some mouth pieces from ebay...i mean it sucks that you would have to, but, thats where i got mine... but you may want to make sure they dont have the + tips on the shoulder of the threads.... those are the ones that dont melt... as far as mods... the one i found that i liked best that produced good vapor and made it easy to clean... first make sure the top bowl (stem part) is very clean, then 2 of the retaining clips pushed down to the little lip in there, then a screen.... thats it... i use a slightly larger screen so it forms like a bowl inside and its pushed down to the retaining rings... the nice part is to clean, just dump it out and when the screen starts getting gummed up from the thc, i just take it out, (again, i found by keeping the head space at the bottom of the bowl, where the stem attached makes a HUGE difference...)and i soak the screen with a little alcohol and it cleans up great.... i also removed the screen from the bottom (where the pin is) and lately, ive been putting my smoke in the bottom unit, (again, where the pin is) and i use needle or long pin to stir the bowl about half way thru... works great even for small loads....
willieR
Been here since 2009
Obviously this voids the warranty. And there's very delicate wax inside that will tear, clear evidence that you've been in there.
But under one of the plastic colored sections, there are two extremely small phillips screws. A #1 phillips screwdriver is too large. I had to fabricate a tool to fit.
But under one of the plastic colored sections, there are two extremely small phillips screws. A #1 phillips screwdriver is too large. I had to fabricate a tool to fit.
Polarisman
Well-Known Member
Well, as mine lasted less than a month after only using Ronson a handful of times and then switching to high quality butane, I would not bet on its reliability.sundaddy said:
Honestly, as Ronson probably sells more butane in the US than all the other brands combined, it might have been a good idea to engineer the product so that it wasn't so damn sensitive and could work properly with any kind of national brand of butane. Just saying...
Can I use Zippo Premium Butane Fuel for it ? Or is Zippo Butane not high enough quality ?
shown here: http://www.amazon.com/Zippo-Premium-Butane-Fuel-1-9/dp/B00112DW88
shown here: http://www.amazon.com/Zippo-Premium-Butane-Fuel-1-9/dp/B00112DW88