Discontinued Lil' Bud by Vapwood

[Bravesst]

No matter how good something is, it can always get better. I've been discussing / brain storming plans with my vape building guru, @Alan, and the design for Lil' Bud has come to fruition. Timber will be finalized next.

Lil' Bud, what to expect...

• Glassless
• Side Load Battery
• Fast Coil Heat (and cool down)
• Battery Efficiency (due to coil)
• Potential for 20700
• Ergonomic Shape

 

[Bravesst]

The plan takes shape... Some minor tweaks, but here she is, albeit missing her battery door and switch. Obviously this unit still needs to be assembled, but this design is by far the best yet. There are many features that serves multiple purposes, IE: The switch compartment is built separately and attached last. It houses the switch and becomes a cover for the heater compartment, allowing the coil to be installed from below.

The battery loads from the side, still waiting on the terminals I'll use in the final product, so the cavity may change size a bit, also a larger battery compartment can easily be made for 20700 (I'm thinking adapter to allow use of both). This will be covered by a wooden door, maybe match the switch box, with recessed magnets to hold it in place. Door not built, still waiting on magnets.

The coil has been installed, the leads you see are coming from the installed coil. The hole is our infamous tapered joint, with the screen already in place. I'm amazed at how cool the body of Alan's iHeat stays. I'm expecting the same performance here. All the fast heat directly into the load.

 

[Bravesst]

Things are really coming together with the Lil' Bud. My design has been finalized, all parts sourced, building is in progress. I've recently established a Lil' Bud waiting list, and thank those loyal souls who are Lil' Bud Pioneers. I've also decided to drop the price 20 percent and take pre-orders for a week or so. I'm projecting 3 weeks until I ship. I must thank the FC community and staff for allowing me to offer this. I appreciate all of your feedback and continued support.

Link to waiting list or pre order: https://vapwood.com/

 

[sickmanfraud]

is there a waiting list and price reduction on the Timber?

 

[Bravesst]

is there a waiting list and price reduction on the Timber?

Hello Friend,

There is a waiting list, but as of now no price reduction pre-order. That will be coming once the Lil' Buds begin to ship.

 

[Bravesst]

Lil' Bud Update, Friday December 8

It's all about parts, and not everyone ships like Amazon. It will be worth the wait. At this point, the best possible battery retention system is being finalized. After much deliberation, planning, trial and error, we've worked out, what I believe, is an elegant solution.

The coil heating system and stem connection are set in stone (or should I say wood). There is no glass or adhesives to be found in the unit. The switch will be recessed into the body of the unit, sit in it's own compartment of contrasting wood. Look for some additional features that are in their final stages.

 

[stickstones]

Sounds like you could go to war with it! Will the vapor path be wood, or lined with something else like a ss tube?

 

[CaptVapor]

When I spoke to Ryan (rhastabuddhatao) he said the Milaana couldn't be all wood because the heater gets too hot, how did you overcome this? Is there a chance of charring the internal wooden routes?

Just curious, after dropping and breaking my female glass in the Milaana I kept wishing for a glass-less solution. Also, what are the core differences between the lil bud and the timber? I've skimmed this thread but it seems like the only difference is the Timber is more of a cylinder (with the heater and battery inline) - format difference but same otherwise?

 

[namasteIII]

Also, what are the core differences between the lil bud and the timber?

I second this question. Also great work man, awesome to see you do something like this! keep it up.

 

[Bravesst]

When I spoke to Ryan (rhastabuddhatao) he said the Milaana couldn't be all wood because the heater gets too hot, how did you overcome this? Is there a chance of charring the internal wooden routes?

Just curious, after dropping and breaking my female glass in the Milaana I kept wishing for a glass-less solution. Also, what are the core differences between the lil bud and the timber? I've skimmed this thread but it seems like the only difference is the Timber is more of a cylinder (with the heater and battery inline) - format difference but same otherwise?

No Glass
It's been proven by @Alan in the iHeat, that the coil heater will not char the wood when used correctly. I will be incorporating a similar design into the Lil' Bud and Timber. The vapor path for the coil heater will be all wood. If you've used the iHeat, you can attest to the cartridge itself staying cool. That's an all wood path. Same here.

Differences
The Timber is inline, the Lil' Bud is side by side. Both will be built with coil heaters, and all wood. Both will eventually accept 18650 and 20700 batteries.

Lots of goodies arrived today, early I might add. Might be a very productive weekend.

 

[KeroZen]

I'm using the iHeat and I have to pause at least once during the session as the shell is becoming uncomfortably hot and I don't want to take any risk of charring it inside. A 30 seconds to one minute pause is necessary to let it cool down.

I also notice the wood smell when it gets hot. Not a roasted smell but a hot wood smell, so all-wood is not taste neutral, but I hope you guys knew that and expected it.

I know a few FC members who also will not buy any vape with exposed wood in the vapor path as you can't clean it easily nor reclaim. In this case it's just a matter of using a glass stem instead of a wooden one, since the vapor path starts at the bowl which is in the stem.

I remember that I challenged you earlier in the other thread @Bravesst to make a full wood version, but I didn't think you would ditch the glass ones altogether. There are pros and cons for both. I think I still prefer glass lining for taste purity. But all-wood is nice for portability and shock resistance. Maybe you should consider producing both versions as @Alan planned to?

 

[Bravesst]

I'm using the iHeat and I have to pause at least once during the session as the shell is becoming uncomfortably hot and I don't want to take any risk of charring it inside. A 30 seconds to one minute pause is necessary to let it cool down.

I also notice the wood smell when it gets hot. Not a roasted smell but a hot wood smell, so all-wood is not taste neutral, but I hope you guys knew that and expected it.

I know a few FC members who also will not buy any vape with exposed wood in the vapor path as you can't clean it easily nor reclaim. In this case it's just a matter of using a glass stem instead of a wooden one, since the vapor path starts at the bowl which is in the stem.

I remember that I challenged you earlier in the other thread @Bravesst to make a full wood version, but I didn't think you would ditch the glass ones altogether. There are pros and cons for both. I think I still prefer glass lining for taste purity. But all-wood is nice for portability and shock resistance. Maybe you should consider producing both versions as @Alan planned to?

Not worrying at all about mass production gives me lots of freedom to design, modify, customize, and to stand behind my products with personal customer service. I can say from first hand experience, as an on-demand convection snob, taste is top notch with this all wood air path, even with an all wood stem.

There is a possibility that I will offer a few options on the Lil' Bud, as well as the Timber. But either way, this should be clearly understood by anyone considering the Lil' Bud or Timber.

No units with the potential to char during proper usage will be sold, with or without glass.

Thanks for bringing the issue to light,
Mike

 

[Herbonius]

These look great, as long as you can ship to Australia I'm on the waiting list. How big is the stem? 14mm or 18mm?

 

[PPN]

I'm using the iHeat and I have to pause at least once during the session as the shell is becoming uncomfortably hot and I don't want to take any risk of charring it inside. A 30 seconds to one minute pause is necessary to let it cool down.

I also notice the wood smell when it gets hot. Not a roasted smell but a hot wood smell, so all-wood is not taste neutral, but I hope you guys knew that and expected it.

Personally I didn't encountered this issues with my I-Heat, it might be slightly hot in hands but never enough to be uncomfortable to handle or to produce a hot wood smell.

Sorry to be off-topic...

 

[KeroZen]

Right buddy, but you also don't smell silicone when it's present in vapes we have in common! Also I don't think we got the same wood species in the end, mine is bamboo and I kind of dislike this plant smell it appears.

For the wood temperature, note that I didn't say it would char, I said I was afraid it could. So I stay on the safe side and when I feel the shell getting uncomfortable to touch, I just do a 30 seconds pause. But that's not a hassle really... it's just a proof that the iHeat delivers so much and so easily that you can "chain-smoke" it like you would do with a cig before a stressful event!

I don't smoke anymore but I recall that when you drew too hard and fast, back to back hits, the filter could get hot, joints would cherry etc... so there was already a limit back then to how fast you could consume. Feels like the iHeat pushes that limit ever further down, it's amongst my fastest extracting vapes, if that's even a term.

 

[PPN]

Right buddy, but you also don't smell silicone when it's present in vapes we have in common!

Sorry but you misunderstood me, I absolutely feel the difference between a I-Heat and a X-Max V2 pro (or something else in the same league). Maybe my nose is not as fine as your very delicate one, but good enough to work very well, please stop now to repeat and repeat this assumption (as well the fact I still smoke some tobacco&weed) cause people will think they can't trust my reviews.... (Is it your case? let me know...)

Sorry again to be off-topic!

Please continue the good job you are doing both @Bravesst and @KeroZen and all the rest of this awesome community!
I'm very interested to read the first users feedback, do you already have working prototypes Vapwood?


ps: I'm trying to quit tobacco...

 

[Bravesst]

These look great, as long as you can ship to Australia I'm on the waiting list. How big is the stem? 14mm or 18mm?

The unit will use an 18mm stem, and yes I will ship to Australia. You are on the waiting list!

Welcome aboard.

I just updated the website with a blog feed. I hope to post some illuminating articles on what's going on with Lil' Bud and Timber.

http://vapwood.com

@PPN
Yes, we have working Lil' Bud prototypes; coil heater, glass free, side load battery. The nuts and bolts of the unit are in settled, working out some of the final details, and testing with a small group (tough job, but somebody's gotta do it). Still pulling together resources as well, but in a couple of weeks that should be settled as well.

Just a heads up for future customers. I've been using the samsung 30Q battery with this latest prototype. I like the way the coil heater works with this battery, doesn't appear to need any extra oomph. I will most likely offer 'bare bones' units, no battery, no stem, as well as the ability to add battery and stem to your purchase.

 

[PPN]

tough job, but somebody's gotta do it

I would gladly help.... if i wasn't so far of your location (EU), but I bet you had already found some serious testers, I hope you have choose some of our members for this tough job!

Did you plan to do some videos for us? even if a vid doesn't let you feel the taste&smell, a shot of the abv shows a lot (if we have seen the clouds before)!

Do you think you will find you customer target between all this unregulated or regulated new devices (I-Heat, MVT, Splinter, Milaana, FW4)? I know some manufacturers got some difficulties to sell their vape outside of FC .... I hope the best for you adventure!

 

[Bravesst]

@PPN
Thanks for the support my friend. This project started small, and sort of took on a life of its own. It's just a much a passion as a business venture. That puts me in a win, win situation As long as I put out a quality product, even if I only serve the FC community, I'll be very happy. The other advantage I have is the ability to upgrade, change on a dime, even customize each build. That comes with not having an assembly line production process.

This is kinda like building tiny furniture, and as a woodworker, it's always quality over quantity.

 

[KeroZen]

Sorry but you misunderstood me, I absolutely feel the difference between a I-Heat and a X-Max V2 pro (or something else in the same league). Maybe my nose is not as fine as your very delicate one, but good enough to work very well, please stop now to repeat and repeat this assumption (as well the fact I still smoke some tobacco&weed) cause people will think they can't trust my reviews.... (Is it your case? let me know...)

Oh mate sorry, that wasn't the intent at all. I was just saying people have widely varying sensitivity levels when it comes to smell. I just happen to be over-sensitive to some, so I'm the abnormal person here, nothing wrong about you. And I think your iHeat wood is different, bamboo is quite special and doesn't smell very good, at least to me.

Plus you are such a valuable resource for our community as you are surely one of the very few having tested nearly everything that was ever released. You could well be completely unable to smell anything, your experience would still be of great importance to this forum.

Please re-read my post, I never said anything about nor implied you were smoking, I just said I wasn't personally anymore, just to introduce my comparison with joints.

ps: I'm trying to quit tobacco...

I hope you'll succeed, nicotine is such a bitch...

This project started small, and sort of took on a life of its own. It's just a much a passion as a business venture. That puts me in a win, win situation

If you have other revenue streams and profitability is not the number one priority, it's usually the best configuration to express fully one's passion.

 

[Bravesst]

Oh mate sorry, that wasn't the intent at all. I was just saying people have widely varying sensitivity levels when it comes to smell. I just happen to be over-sensitive to some, so I'm the abnormal person here, nothing wrong about you. And I think your iHeat wood is different, bamboo is quite special and doesn't smell very good, at least to me.

Plus you are such a valuable resource for our community as you are surely one of the very few having tested nearly everything that was ever released. You could well be completely unable to smell anything, your experience would still be of great importance to this forum.

Please re-read my post, I never said anything about nor implied you were smoking, I just said I wasn't personally anymore, just to introduce my comparison with joints.





I hope you'll succeed, nicotine is such a bitch...



If you have other revenue streams and profitability is not the number one priority, it's usually the best configuration to express fully one's passion.

I'm a retired FDNY fire captain, I still work for the FDNY as a fire safety educator. My wife works (whaddya know, for the FDNY as a admin assistant), she also has a couple of other side things going on. Hey, that's what you do when you live on Long Island, and even then it's barely affordable, I'm not dependent on vape sales to pay any bills, so my decisions are all based on producing a better vape, and express creativity... EXACTLY RIGHT. Hope it works out...

 

[PPN]

Oh mate sorry, that wasn't the intent at all. I was just saying people have widely varying sensitivity levels when it comes to smell. I just happen to be over-sensitive to some, so I'm the abnormal person here, nothing wrong about you. And I think your iHeat wood is different, bamboo is quite special and doesn't smell very good, at least to me.

Plus you are such a valuable resource for our community as you are surely one of the very few having tested nearly everything that was ever released. You could well be completely unable to smell anything, your experience would still be of great importance to this forum.

Please re-read my post, I never said anything about nor implied you were smoking, I just said I wasn't personally anymore, just to introduce my comparison with joints.

I over reacted, thanks for your support. But I'm far to have tested even half of the vaporizers released.

express creativity

I like that "point of vue", have an happy retirement Captain!

 

[Bravesst]

Thanks guys, but my "retirement" has been quite busy - from author, to gym owner, to teacher, to woodworker, and now Vapwood. As I type this it makes me realize that I'm a lucky guy, always getting to do the things that I love.

My new "obsession", designing and building the best vape I can, with all the features I look for (as well as many here on FC), wakes me up at 4 AM bursting with ideas. As one of my mentor firefighters used to say, "Thank you God a million times a million."

Lil' Bud Update
A WORK IN PROGRESS
The Lil' Bud will always be a work in progress, never mass produced. Minor design improvements will always be part of the LB, and at this point to say anything about a "final product" is misleading. Design tweaks might be as simple as a small adjustment in my process (tool set up, parts) versus a big investment wasted. No reason not to.

I have a full blown Vape Shop / Furniture Shop literally right in my back yard, so once this gets going, look for lots of accessories as well...

 

[beyond6strings]

Thanks guys, but my "retirement" has been quite busy - from author, to gym owner, to teacher, to woodworker, and now Vapwood. As I type this it makes me realize that I'm a lucky guy, always getting to do the things that I love.

My new "obsession", designing and building the best vape I can, with all the features I look for (as well as many here on FC), wakes me up at 4 AM bursting with ideas. As one of my mentor firefighters used to say, "Thank you God a million times a million."

Lil' Bud Update
A WORK IN PROGRESS
The Lil' Bud will always be a work in progress, never mass produced. Minor design improvements will always be part of the LB, and at this point to say anything about a "final product" is misleading. Design tweaks might be as simple as a small adjustment in my process (tool set up, parts) versus a big investment wasted. No reason not to.

I have a full blown Vape Shop / Furniture Shop literally right in my back yard, so once this gets going, look for lots of accessories as well...

@Bravesst I can't tell you how happy this makes me. Both as a future customer, but even more so knowing that someone is following their passion and doing what they love. I've been in the custom acoustic guitar world for over two decades now, as a player and designer of custom instruments. I don't have the chops to build guitars, but luckily I've found a friend in New Hampshire who is both a world class builder but someone who finds my ideas interesting. He too has never, in almost 5 decades of building, settled on specs for any of the instruments he builds. They are truly custom, one-of-a-kind instruments and each is in someway better than the one that preceded it.

That's where you are now, and I can see how it gets you out of bed at 4am. Good for you and good for us.

Cheers, kb

 

[TRDreviews]

Lookin good man. Definitely going to follow this. Let me know if you ever want some pictures done, Ryan can vouch that I take decent photos.