Discontinued Lil' Bud by Vapwood

[Bravesst]

@P.A.M. this one is a bit easier... Too much light

So the simplification of the website has me really happy. So does the final 5 fillers for batch 8. This is the culmination of almost a year of constant tweaking. The new numbers all jive. I'm really not worried about the coil installation, as the coil cavity and taper above will adhere to the magic 10 mm distance from coil to stem. The switch box is short, as is the unit at 92 mm. The switch box went from 42 to 37 mm's, an almost 1/4 inch shrink. This allows me plenty of room up top for clearance, and a nice deep stem insertion. The switch will go dead center in the switch box. I should have plenty of room to wire the exact way I do now. It was actually easier to mortise out the switch boxes at the new shorter distance. I literally cannot wait to do a full assembly on one of these. There are 3 Blends and 2 Cherries I needed to finalize batch 8. These will ship in the second shipping (8B), as they won't get assembled for a few days.

It's not just the high quality that is making me smile, it's also how matter-of-fact it was to get those results, with no surprises or rescue efforts. I am going to need this quality to even think about building an Elite. It would have been a mistake to attempt it sooner.

Just as you're ready to buy it, I'm ready to build it.

 

[Bravesst]

When I got up this morning, I knew I had a busy day. I was going to the post office today, hell or high water. Ten little puppies made it out the door. There's another 8 or so, almost ready to go. The amount of work it takes to get these out the door, at a certain point, is about when I want to let them go cosmetically. I had all units out in the wood shop once again for a final sanding, waxing, buffing. When customers get these units in their hands, they'll see and feel the difference. My skills with the disc / belt sander have grown, and I've got some fine grit belts that really help, especially when they're a bit worn. Cosmetics will only improve with each batch.

Next trip to the post office will be either Thursday of this week, or Monday of next. All international orders will go, as well as a few Blends, Classics, Replacements, Repairs that need finalizing.

Now, below you see part of the *inventory*. Some of these units are fully assembled, some partially. All are batch 9 October units, and will vary widely in price. This allows me to devote the time necessary to develop the Elite. I will post some of them on the Uniq's page, in the *special deals gallery*, and some in the Vapwood store. They just came off the belt sander, and need some TLC in the form hand sanding before some wax / re-wax and final buff. It'll be a couple of days before these get posted properly. I may continue to assemble the entire batch as I work on the Elite, but I'll post in the pre-assembly stage. If you see anything that catches your eye from this bird's eye view, you can PM me before I post for sale. Price vary widely. In the batch there are Classics of all kinds, Blends, Beaded edges...

 

[Bravesst]

Batch 8A tracking sent. 8B is not far behind. I'm going to work the rest of the week getting this to happen, and be wide open to start on the Elite. As I develop the Elite, I'll work on bringing my inventory levels up. I really hope to see some nice LB porn when these units arrive.

I happy to say, that hand sanding has been minimized with the belt / disc sander. I get such a smooth finish off the belt, even at 320 grit. If I hit with 400 grit hand sandpaper after the belt sanding, it will actually scuff it up. Hand sanding is now regulated to the edges, mostly, and a 600 grit final finish. I just ordered some 400 grit belts, and a belt cleaner (unclogs the belt and extends its life) that should produce a glass like finish that might even exceed 600 hand.

I'm also going to take individual glam shots of my inventory. They will be organized and offered on the website and in the web store. Pricing will reflect the current posted prices for Classics and Blends. Uniqs are where the special deals will be had. That box of 24 units has quite a few Uniq's.

What do you guys think, eLite vs Elite? e=Electric Lite=light

I like it...

 

[P.A.M.]

Elite . It's not a plug in vape . Well, might be able to charge and play but the 18650 classifies it as a Portables imho.

Also even though I pocket my Classic which is light enough , it can be bulky depending the pants i wear or how tight they are , lol , I don't see how the Elite will be light if half inch thicker then the Classic .

Saying Elite is cooler then saying E light is in my opinion too

 

[nonbeliever]

Elite is consistent with Classic, Blend, Unique as well in your branding.

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

I agree and like Elite. This is the highest price most advance vaporizer in vapwoods line up. It deserve an Elite title I feel.

 

[P.A.M.]

It's ok @Bravesst , we know you were stone the recent LB photos are impeccable! Keep up the great work and creative mind flowing!

 

[GreenHopper]

When I got up this morning, I knew I had a busy day. I was going to the post office today, hell or high water. Ten little puppies made it out the door. There's another 8 or so, almost ready to go. The amount of work it takes to get these out the door, at a certain point, is about when I want to let them go cosmetically. I had all units out in the wood shop once again for a final sanding, waxing, buffing. When customers get these units in their hands, they'll see and feel the difference. My skills with the disc / belt sander have grown, and I've got some fine grit belts that really help, especially when they're a bit worn. Cosmetics will only improve with each batch.

Next trip to the post office will be either Thursday of this week, or Monday of next. All international orders will go, as well as a few Blends, Classics, Replacements, Repairs that need finalizing.

Now, below you see part of the *inventory*. Some of these units are fully assembled, some partially. All are batch 9 October units, and will vary widely in price. This allows me to devote the time necessary to develop the Elite. I will post some of them on the Uniq's page, in the *special deals gallery*, and some in the Vapwood store. They just came off the belt sander, and need some TLC in the form hand sanding before some wax / re-wax and final buff. It'll be a couple of days before these get posted properly. I may continue to assemble the entire batch as I work on the Elite, but I'll post in the pre-assembly stage. If you see anything that catches your eye from this bird's eye view, you can PM me before I post for sale. Price vary widely. In the batch there are Classics of all kinds, Blends, Beaded edges...

Sexy box of wood you got there

I'm with @P.A.M., @nonbeliever and @HerbieVonVapster. I prefer the 'Elite' name. eLite seems a little gimmicky.

 

[money2]

Elite>eLite.
eLite contextually sounds like Chinese ecig branding which seems opposite the connotation you are shooting for on the highest end of your product line.

 

[Vapeur Rogue]

I second everything money said.

Elite>eLite.
eLite contextually sounds like Chinese ecig branding which seems opposite the connotation you are shooting for on the highest end of your product line.

 

[Bravesst]

@everybody Okay, eLite sucks. Got it. Getting creative does mean not getting it right sometimes.

@GreenHopper I usually don't get sexy compliments on my wood, but thanks.

So, great question just raised. Will the LB's in the Special Deals gallery be available as Elites? I sure hope so, but now that I think about it, probably not. The front of the Elite will need to be square to accept the chip and cover plate. The switch box will now become the wire box, no hole for switch, but where all the connections will be made. The chip will mount on the front, outside of the unit, and a removable cover plate over that. I'm thinking that the chip will be easily replaceable as well.

Yes, the new units are tight, tighter than I ever thought possible. It's awesome to work to these high level tolerances, but certain woodworking principles and techniques didn't transfer over immediately. Some very basic furniture making processes that lend themselves to LB, just took time to make connections. That's the level you're seeing, my furniture making catching up to my vape building . I really feel that this level of workmanship will be necessary to pull off the Elite.

I still have another 8 or ten units to get out. Friday is another postal target day, with Monday as the back up. I won't get them all fully finalized by Friday, but most. The clerk at the post office asked me to separate the international orders (they can take up to 10 minutes each, vs 1 minute), and that is why I'm thinking about making two more trips, I have about six internationals. That's at least an hour.

I'd like to have my workbench clear of orders in Limbo before I begin serious Elite work. I'm going to need to assemble another five or six units to make that happen. There was a bit of an overlap with Blends / Uniqs / Cherry units, forcing me to have to build a few *last minute* units.

But before all this, tomorrow morning something big will happen. I managed to to finalize sanding on the five 92 mm LB's with shorty switch box (LB 3.0). All five are already spoken for, and I managed to claim one for me. This unit will be the first unit with a short switch box to get assembled, the coil / battery compartment are the pretty much the same. I will do this first thing tomorrow, as a present to myself for busting my ass all weekend to get batch 8 out.

 

[el sargantano]

Hello FCbusters.
That's my first message on the forum after a few months lurking around.
Among others, I spent three weeks reading this thread and I'm finally on the way to order a Classic Lil' Bud.
@Bravesst, it is astonishing how you share with the vapers here your craftmanship skills, your improvements and your mistakes and it shows everyone your ethics and love for what you do.
I'll keep tuned and hooked on!!

 

[sickmanfraud]

Welcome to FC @el sargantano You are not the only one impressed by the craftsmanship of Mike @Bravesst

You will not regret your purchase.

 

[Bravesst]

Good Morning FC'ers,

It's time to start posting LB's for sale, but before I take individual pics, I want to post one group shot of 21 units, 10 fully assembled and ready to ship with next shipping, and 11 pre-assembled units that will ship in the next batch sometime at the end of the month.

Top Row Fully Assembled / projected shipping: within one week

Unit 1/2 are shorties with traditional s/b, bit hotter, hard to tame even. They are cosmetically awesome, one Black and Tan, one shimmering FW (because of the extra heat): $149

Units 3/9/10 are figured walnut: $179

Units 5/6 are PH with maple s/b's: $199

Unit 4 is cherry with blended s/b: $159

Units 7/8 are Blends: $189
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bottom Row Pre-Assembled / projected shipping: end of October

Unit 11 is another shorty with tall s/b, and may be hard to tame: $149

Units 12/13/14/16 are beaded edged walnut: $159

Unit 15 Blend: $179

Unit 17 Quilted Maple: $189

Unit 18 Walnut / Maple: $179

Unit 19 Cherry / Blend: $159

Unit 20 Cherry: $159

Unit 21 Cherry: $159

All prices are bare bones, add $25 mouth piece, $10 shipping domestic / $25 Canada / $35 international. You can refer to the units as 1, 2, 3... 20, 21, counting from left to right, top row first. I'm working on getting some of these posted on the website. Price may go up a bit when I pretty them all up and list them individually, but in the meantime, here they are, in all their glory.

 

[Bravesst]

Did anyone say LB porn? This one's mine, all mine (evil laugh)....

I made 3 of these beauties today, all spoken for. This will be popular Blend, available with Walnut, PH, or Maple back plate.

Say hello to my new little friend . Smooth, really honed in on dimensions with this build, and I can taste it. PBJ stands 92 mm's tall (that's just over 3 1/2 inches), with a 37 mm switch box.

LB Blend / Speed Racer Edition / PB & J: $219 bare bones
pale walnut, purple heart, maple

Up next...

 

[P.A.M.]

Helloooo Mike's new Lil' friend!! Dude , that's some serious wood and LB'ing! Congratulations!

Love the shorter look too man!
Vape On!

 

[P.A.M.]

Where's Lil' Bud?

 

[beyond6strings]

Where's Lil' Bud?

It's in your hand while taking the picture? This is cruel; I have astigmatism in both eyes.

 

[P.A.M.]

It's in your hand while taking the picture? This is cruel; I have astigmatism in both eyes.

PM'd you hint !

 

[beyond6strings]

Where's Lil' Bud?

Got it, but ONLY because of the hint. That's a good 'un.

And just to keep us on track. I had fun with my LB and stems last night doing a little maintenance; I have a nail buffer that's probably around 1000 grit or so, and it does a great job cleaning up the 'ridges' that develop over time through handling and humidity changes. And then I gave them all a nice rub down with Dynawax whilst 4 batteries charged back to full.

Listening to some mixes of the new album now, and thinking it might be a good time to give my LB some love.

EDIT: It was a great idea.

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

If wasn't for the intake hole don't think I woulda found it. The small circle drew me to it's hideout.

 

[el sargantano]

I joined da bud game ha ha ha
SARGAN IS IN!!

 

[SnowDome]

Where's Lil' Bud?

That one was a lot tougher. I'm liking the lil bud "where's Waldo".

 

[Bravesst]

Glad we're having fun playing where's Lil' Bud? I know where mine is pretty much all the time.

 

[Bravesst]

It was time to update the website. Uniq's are now any one-of-a-kind, for any reason, and listed in the *Sweet Deals Gallery*. Sometimes those deals will be very sweet. Classics, Beaded, Blended, and every other LB I've ever put together has found a home on the Uniq's Special Deals Gallery, and as such, once in the gallery, they are listed nowhere else.

Units listed in the gallery can be referenced with the Uniq Ref # via an order form on the site. You will be emailed a pay link within 24 hours. Be sure to include whether you want a mouth piece or not. Prices do not include mouthpiece or shipping. No members only complications, just listed directly on the Blend / Uniq page.

Prices are listed with the photos. Full assembled units will ship Monday. Pre-assembled units will find their way into batch 9.

>> SWEET DEALS GALLERY

Here's one of my favorites, PH / Walnut switch box and back plate, ref#102. Here's it's shown with a walnut moutpiece. I have it listed at $179 (PH lists at $219) because it's got an awesome walnut s/b that somebody changed their mind about. Great unit.

EDIT:
It's just about 4:20, and LB is making his first appearance. I've been using the pre loaded cartridges out and about and saving flower for evenings home. Tastes so freaking good after a day of oils. My throat / lungs can use a break sometimes, and the wispy cartridges are very light.

Here's an idea I discussed with Alan, just a little experiment. This stem also has the 1/2 inch hole reamed out of the last half inch of the 12 mm hole. I'm playing with it right now, trying to get more even heating, which means cooler. Got a couple of other ideas with this as well. Maybe reduce the outside diameter around the circumference of the holes so to provide more clearance for the air to enter.