I have a few announcements. First, shipping for Batch #1 is scheduled for Monday February 26. All domestic and European orders will ship USPS priority mail. All units are buffed to a fine shine, and will be packed up today. This is a really super big day for me, the
official launch of Lil' Bud!
I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread during this process. I will continue to be an open book, keeping quality high, listening to all the feed back. This is truly an honest, innovative effort, inspired by many things, but mostly
@Alan, vape designing / building guru. It has been honed into a finely hand crafted, highly functional, dry herb vaporizer with zero shortcuts taken. I felt a void in the market for my perfect vape. I set out to fill that void, for myself, and now you the costumer. There are no gimmicks, hype, or fanfare associated with Lil' Bud, it's just built well. If there are any issues, I'll stand behind every one and fix or replace whatever is needed.
Thanks Again FC and FSA,
Mike
Secondly, to report on testing and what issues I found. The glass stem compromised some sessions and will be removed as an option on future sales. Lil' Bud is now only sold with a wood mouthpiece ($179). It bumps up pricing, but necessary. If someone is really interested in buying without the wood stem, I kept the Bare Bones option, but no mouthpiece. I just can't compromise the effect of all wood, with an ill fitting glass tube. The wood stems seat so perfectly, consistently.
Next, I will give away a free stir / pick / pack tool to all FC members. Just use your handle as the promo code.
More on testing. I have done lots of battery testing recently. I had six batteries in my rotation, using them for about six months, heavily I guess. I didn't rotate properly, and some are weakening, even if they register 375 on my cool new gauge, performance lags. I thought my batteries were good, had a consultation with Alan, and lo and behold, he was right once again. Just be aware of quality of battery. I'm going to try some different brands to see how they hold up in a comparison.
Just a word on the next batch. I've worked hard this past week, finishing up the ten while designing the battery block back plate and stir tool. Next batch will be a repeat, no design changes, should be very smooth sailing. Batch 2 will be my first batch where every single design element is finalized beforehand, as well as every process. I can't say how long it will take to build ten, but I'll be logging my time, answering that exact question. I start today.
And finally, the video will make it out before you get your Lil' Buds.