Linx Gaia - Dry herb vape

[Uncle Tippy]

I've received my replacement unit from Linx. Very happy with the customer support.

Unfortunately there a few things that annoy me about the new unit. The power button is extremely clicky and loud compared to the old one. And the draw resistance is greater, which is a drag since an easy draw is one of my most desired qualities in a vaporizer. Not sure why that would have changed from my old unit. Perhaps there is some variability in the air holes of the quartz chamber?

So great service, vape works well, but I wish it had an easier draw like my first one.

 

[cujaflow]

Hey guys. Ive had my unit for about 2 & 1/2 weeks, and have had a great experience. I have used it every night and its giving very consistent results. I should preface that my only other portable herb vaporizer is the MFLB, which Ive liked very much.

Cosmetically, its really nice looking and feels solid in the had. Nothing feels cheap at all.

Great sized chamber. I have tried filling with different amounts, tight vs loose and all results have been great. Obviously, with a full chamber packed tight the draw resistance increased, but very little, and it was still very easy to pull from.

Heat up time is just as advertised... fast! Not much more to say here.

Since this is my first time using a vaporizer with 1 degree increments, ive have been testing different temps, how many draws i can get from each temp etc. its been a lot more than i expected. Your tolerance is a factor here, but I have been able to pull 4-5 rips starting around 360f and move up 20 degree increments up to 428f with 4 pulls each. This is all in one chamber load and usually will get me 2-3 days depending how heavy im going. Flavor does start to decline around 380f but never tastes bad. This leaves my abv very even and the color of coffee grounds. I may be pushing the limits here, but nothing has combusted or left any burnt taste. I was surprised how even the abv is. I think i stirred the chamber once during my initial use, but have not bothered stirring it past that one time.

I have charged it twice so far. So the battery is great for my needs. I also have only cleaned it once. Cleaning was easy and straight foward. My herb has not been overly sticking, so my unit hasnt been gunked up at all.

The high is obviously dependent on the temp im using, but all of my sessions have been great! Its nice to be able to choose what kind of affects i want.

There is a slight smell of weed when heating a bowl that has been heated previously, but not any stronger than the odor of a MFLB. A cleaned unit with a fresh bowl does not present any noticable odor so far.

I was really waiting for a full convection unit, but this was intriguing and the price wasnt too bad. But the flavor from this is amazing to me! That was the biggest surprise for me about the Gaia. My wife who does not get excited about anything weed related repeatedly told me how amazing the flavor was. At 360F the flavor is just great. At this temp the high is not as intense, but it is a very happy one.

Very happy with this purchase.

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

How much does the chamber hold when its packed full?
Its hard to believe this vape hasnt gained more traction and attention. Its pretty clear by the feedback thus far that this is one to have for the discerning vaper who knows that theres more to a good vape than simply being convection. Excellent bang for the buck ratio. Cheaper and produces better vapor than the Pax 2/3 according to the last review video I watched, delivery as pure as it gets with no offgassing, one guy said he likes it more than the FF. Its weird how certain vapes have so much hype despite being unreliable junk or overpriced for what you get, and quality pieces like this get glossed over almost like they dont exist. This is at the top of the list for me as far as electronic portables. Mighty/Crafty should be very afraid..

 

[OF]

How much does the chamber hold when its packed full?

Its hard to believe this vape hasnt gained more traction and attention.

Last I checked I was loading 200mg or so (.2 grams). Five loads to the gram. Well cured, ground medium/fine, packed 'snug' (remember, it's conduction which means physical contact). Same as most others in this class.

While I too think it's an excellent vape, and have said as much, it's up against some serious competition in the market. FlowerMate, Arizer, and a bunch of others in this class are already well established. Without effective advertising it's very tough to overcome the 'threshold of entry' and become a major player I'm thinking. Tough nut for sure.

LG has a lot going for it, once the customer considers it. Some of these, like the 'all glass' vapor path, are things most if not all would champion. Others, like the heft, overall style, display and exposed stem will only appeal to some folks. Take that last point, the exposed stem. If you're going to carry it in your pocket (and I assume purse......no personal experience there....) being able to unscrew (the still hot) stem and stash it inside and close the bowl is a huge plus with FM Mini.

As usual it comes down to the compromises I think, but first LG has to get the exposure to 'play the big time'. We can enjoy it here, but as long as it remains our little secret the maker is going to go broke waiting for those important big bulk orders.......without which we don't get there.

OF

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

Well, @thevapecritic is dissapointed with the LG's vapor but plenty of other reviewers love it. I don't know what to believe when there are reviewers saying the vapor quality and flavor is absolutely amazing but Vapecritic thinks the exact opposite. Who the hell are you supposed to trust? Lol

 

[OF]

Who the hell are you supposed to trust? Lol

An eternal question for sure.......

Given a 'blind choice' I prefer independent views over 'experts' who may be getting pay or free vapes for what they say. Like our fellow Members here. More so if they have a history here?

It's also important, I think, to remember this is a subjective area to at least some extent. Opinions are going to vary naturally, individuals as well. We get many reports of changed opinions over time, the same guy would give two different reviews?

In the end, the only sure way to determine of this or any other vape 'fits your pistol' is to try it out? Assuming it passes minimum muster, of course. Fine points are personal and subjective. Not as dicey as having someone pick out eyeglasses for you, but letting random strangers make such decisions for you I think needs to be at least considered?

I get new vapes sent to me from time to time to evaluate. Some don't suit me, I don't post negative things about them generally. But when I like a vape, or even a key feature of it, I'm happy to share that experience and my reasoning behind it. My opinion and what I see as the facts behind it. Still my opinion, use it for guidance at your own risk. I try to be honest, but that too can be a bit subjective in the end I think.

So if enough folks seem to like it for the features you'd like (remembering honest owners won't always agree) and you can spare the bucks, go for it. Give it a good shakedown and see how it fits your needs/wants? Try several strains, and experiment with cure, grind and packing since all can give vast changes in performance. I can easily load mine the way I like it, but can even more easily load it the way(s) I don't. That needs to be explored I think. In that area are more variables than between similar vapes I think.

And if you don't like it, pass it on. Give it to someone who does/will? Sell it and recover half or a bit more of the cost and try another? Put it in the drawer to try again later.....you never know........

IMO it's very hard to go very far wrong with the LG. But what do I know?

OF

 

[TheDudeNextDoor]

OF, I know you're not an ego guy, so I say this only because it needs to be said: I appreciate you. You're incredibly thoughtful and insightful, at least in the sense of how those terms were defined when I was in school, and your level of understanding of the complexities of every aspect of this industry is staggering. Yet you have a way of expressing complicated concepts in a way that makes it clear, and you do so with wit! Hats off, sir. I always appreciate your posts.

Pardon the interruption. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

 

[OF]

OF, I know you're not an ego guy, so I say this only because it needs to be said: I appreciate you. You're incredibly thoughtful and insightful, at least in the sense of how those terms were defined when I was in school, and your level of understanding of the complexities of every aspect of this industry is staggering. Yet you have a way of expressing complicated concepts in a way that makes it clear, and you do so with wit! Hats off, sir. I always appreciate your posts.

Pardon the interruption. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

Thanks very much.

The usual payment in the usual way?

Glad to help when I can, as are many others as you know.......being caught guilty yourself a time or two?

OF

 

[Shit Snacks]

OF, I know you're not an ego guy, so I say this only because it needs to be said: I appreciate you. You're incredibly thoughtful and insightful, at least in the sense of how those terms were defined when I was in school, and your level of understanding of the complexities of every aspect of this industry is staggering. Yet you have a way of expressing complicated concepts in a way that makes it clear, and you do so with wit! Hats off, sir. I always appreciate your posts.

Pardon the interruption. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

And don't forget the sense of humor!
Something y'all share actually, two of my favorite old school members back when I was only lurking for T1 then Solo tips!

Just adding to tbe love fest lol

And yeah I've been curious about the Gaia too, still need a group share vape that doesn't make me feel like I'm wasting my herb in unnatural who knows what... And definitely don't put any stock into the well known or lesser known vape reviewers, pretty much only trust Buzz and folks here now that I myself know what to look for

 

[blackstone]

OF, I know you're not an ego guy, so I say this only because it needs to be said: I appreciate you. You're incredibly thoughtful and insightful, at least in the sense of how those terms were defined when I was in school, and your level of understanding of the complexities of every aspect of this industry is staggering. Yet you have a way of expressing complicated concepts in a way that makes it clear, and you do so with wit! Hats off, sir. I always appreciate your posts.

Pardon the interruption. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

The forum is very lucky to benefit from OF's wisdom, knowledge and patience.
Something tells me OF was sticking probes into vaporizers long before a lot of us even knew they were a thing!
It must be both strange and fun to see us noobs coming into the hobby when a lot of refinement has reached the market now, and lower prices in general.
Jah bless your patience OF, and willingness to help others who have stumbled or fallen near the gates of Shenzhen!

when there are reviewers saying the vapor quality and flavor is absolutely amazing but Vapecritic thinks the exact opposite. Who the hell are you supposed to trust? Lol

We get many reports of changed opinions over time, the same guy would give two different reviews?

I do wonder what the best way to "test" vapes is, or what to take from these reviews. And I'd bet a lot of them would change their tune if it was the only vape they had while stranded on a desert island!

In the end, the only sure way to determine of this or any other vape 'fits your pistol' is to try it out? Assuming it passes minimum muster, of course. Fine points are personal and subjective.

And even then, there could be slight differences in two of the same model? or varying degrees of faulty? So you'd have to keep an open mind even if you had a bad experience (maybe this is why you don't like giving negative remarks about units?)
see this post from the top of page three here:

I've received my replacement unit from Linx. Very happy with the customer support.

Unfortunately there a few things that annoy me about the new unit. The power button is extremely clicky and loud compared to the old one. And the draw resistance is greater, which is a drag since an easy draw is one of my most desired qualities in a vaporizer. Not sure why that would have changed from my old unit. Perhaps there is some variability in the air holes of the quartz chamber?

So great service, vape works well, but I wish it had an easier draw like my first one.

So somebody liked the first unit, and get another of the same model it's different!
I know it happens in automotive, particularly with engines where there are many combined parts and an easy way to measure one aspect of their combined performance afterwards.
But I've seen big differences across units in things like Cymbals for percussion too where the same make, model and size might have varying sounds in different units.
It could be worth bearing in mind when you see someone not liking a vape you like?

The holy grail for automotive racing was to have the chief engine builder select and balance parts to work well together to make a beast engine! Maybe called blueprinting or balancing an engine.
It would be real exciting to see the best vape makers do that!

As for the popularity of the Linx Gaia, I haven't seen it at any of the sellers I browse in EU, or on PIU. Is it only sold on their website or US sites?

 

[OF]

And even then, there could be slight differences in two of the same model? or varying degrees of faulty? So you'd have to keep an open mind even if you had a bad experience (maybe this is why you don't like giving negative remarks about units?)
see this post from the top of page three here:

So somebody liked the first unit, and get another of the same model it's different!

Excellent point! The oft referred to trap of 'the statistics of small groups'. A single copy says not much of use past, 'it's possible to work well' or 'this one doesn't work for me'?

There are 'Monday or Friday cars' for sure. And while the goal is zero flaws, on average it's less?

I think in a mass produced thing like LG the system favors a bad one (out of spec.) showing up randomly. More hand built vapes, like ThermoVapes, Vapman, and so on probably favor exceptional specimens from time to time. Duds are less likely?

Anyway, excellent point. The guy passing judgement could well have a lame version in hand.....or perhaps in some cases a hand selected one even. Neither really like the 'run of the mill' one you're likely to get.

"You pays your money and takes your choice" as Mae West would say.

OF

 

[blackstone]

Excellent point! The oft referred to trap of 'the statistics of small groups'. A single copy says not much of use past, 'it's possible to work well' or 'this one doesn't work for me'?

There are 'Monday or Friday cars' for sure. And while the goal is zero flaws, on average it's less?

I think in a mass produced thing like LG the system favors a bad one (out of spec.) showing up randomly. More hand built vapes, like ThermoVapes, Vapman, and so on probably favor exceptional specimens from time to time. Duds are less likely?

Anyway, excellent point. The guy passing judgement could well have a lame version in hand.....or perhaps in some cases a hand selected one even. Neither really like the 'run of the mill' one you're likely to get.

"You pays your money and takes your choice" as Mae West would say.

OF

I think the engineer from Pax was trying to say something about designing with those manufacturing limits of getting repeatable results in mind.
So mass produced is going to be what works good when you turn the machines on and assemble everything randomly. It must be a perfectionists hell!
And maybe the vapes that are well liked by many have done well at a simple easily repeatable results design?
The saddest part is that there must be some absolute monster units sitting on shelves in these guys offices somewhere, or in their heads, that could not be easily repeated thousands of times!
Maybe there will be custom performance vape houses in the future, doing tuned specials!

I like the smart look of Gaia and it looks like it tastes pure, I'll have to look for (honest!) reviews to see if there is much heat at the mouth end

 

[stickstones]

I don't ever take anyone's taste comments heavily, because taste is very subjective. It's just not something that is objective enough for me to want to be a stickler about. That being said, I think it was @PPN who didn't like the taste of his Gaia, and I didn't like the taste of mine either.

 

[PPN]

I don't ever take anyone's taste comments heavily, because taste is very subjective. It's just not something that is objective enough for me to want to be a stickler about. That being said, I think it was @PPN who didn't like the taste of his Gaia, and I didn't like the taste of mine either.

Sorry but it wasn't me since I never tried/tested the Gaia....

 

[OF]

Sorry but it wasn't me since I never tried/tested the Gaia....

That's not how we handle such issues in a Democracy, we vote on it.

I say he's guilty. Sticks wouldn't lie........

In a rare serious note, I fully agree with the usefulness of other folks taste opinions. Not to be counted on. As Dick Martin said on Laugh In about computers selecting a mate, "I'd rather mix the martinis and screen 'em myself". Words to live by.

OF

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

Just tried it out and this thing ripppps. Owner of pax 2 and ff2 and this beats both hands down.

Hi, can you elaborate more on how it beats the Pax 2 and FF2 hands down? That's a very lofty statement and I really hope it's true. Are you speaking in regards to vapor quality? Because that would be awesome, considering this vape is only $160. And if so, then @VapeCritic must have received a faulty Gaia that he used in his review, as he strongly disliked the vapor produced by his unit and he would never in a thousand years recommend the Gaia over the P2 or FF2, which he has alot of experience with. Its just very strange to see such drastically varying opinions of a vaporizer. I'm wondering if there's a major quality control issue w/ the Gaia or a bad batch of a component that made its way into production resulting in widely varying performance between the good and bad units?

 

[Shit Snacks]

Hi, can you elaborate more on how it beats the Pax 2 and FF2 hands down? That's a very lofty statement and I really hope it's true. Are you speaking in regards to vapor quality? Because that would be awesome, considering this vape is only $160. And if so, then @VapeCritic must have received a faulty Gaia that he used in his review, as he strongly disliked the vapor produced by his unit and he would never in a thousand years recommend the Gaia over the P2 or FF2, which he has alot of experience with. Its just very strange to see such drastically varying opinions of a vaporizer. I'm wondering if there's a major quality control issue w/ the Gaia or a bad batch of a component that made its way into production resulting in widely varying performance between the good and bad units?

Every mass produced vape (and even smaller batches) have defective duds that go unnoticed and just leave unsatisfied customers who assume it's the product itself. Nothing new, personal opinion and manufacturing variation. Personally I don't put much stock at all into Vape Critics opinion, ofcourse he pushes Pax and FF, not that they're bad, but yeah I don't find either to be all that impressive frankly... Just different strokes for different folks, always

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

While it's true HEATED air never goes in the port, air to be heated and used in the hit sure seems to....... Easy test, tape up those slots, it still draws just fine? Air is obviously getting in somewhere else......blowing gently in the USB port blows vapor out the MP.......seems at least likely?

Not that I think there's anything wrong with this except folks fear it without rational reason (what do they call that?).

I'm not sure you're on point with this -- I just received mine and one of the first things I did was blow into the USB port. NOTHING comes out of the mouthpiece when blowing into the port. Perhaps you were feeling the air from your breath flowing along the outside of the unit? The port is very close to the edge, so blowing in that general direction can result in the whoosh of air traveling along the outside of the unit, which can be mistaken for air coming out of the MP if you're just putting your hand on the other side to detect the air. I took note of this and blew into the port only, and nothing comes out of the MP when doing so.
EA Ridgill is right, all electronics including the USB port are completely isolated.
Also, blocking all 3 slots with my hand resulted in basically 100% draw resistance for me. It was clear that blocking them is not an option at all when using the vape because that would plug it completely. I'm not sure why your assessment and mine are so night-and-day different?

 

[OF]

I'm not sure you're on point with this -- I just received mine and one of the first things I did was blow into the USB port. NOTHING comes out of the mouthpiece when blowing into the port.

Also, blocking all 3 slots with my hand resulted in basically 100% draw resistance for me. It was clear that blocking them is not an option at all when using the vape because that would plug it completely. I'm not sure why your assessment and mine are so night-and-day different?

While our units could of course be different, I just retested mine again with the same results. Do I understand you correctly that you can tape up the vents, blow into the port and nothing comes out the MP? Where is it then? If I plug the MP with my finger doing this I can hear and sense a difference in flow, I think all that's left then is leaks around the buttons and the like? I know had it been hot and working vapor would be coming out the MP from past experience, didn't try that this time.

There could be a difference in yours but I'm quite confident the evil electronic vapors, such as they are, are not isolated in my unit. Not that it really matters, IMO, any more than 'the toxic Butane' aspects some fear in some vapes powered by lighters like VG, VM, and several other popular vapes.

IMO this 'issue' is there to some extent with LG, but it doesn't matter anyway? Although at least some 'true believers' will demand zero tolerance no doubt, as is their style and right. Part of the fun in a way.

Regards to all,

OF

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

Nothing comes out of my MP whether or not the ports are blocked.
I'm thinking there are definitely differences between units. One guy on reddit has a Gaia with 3 holes at the bottom of his chamber. Mine has 4 holes. The website photo shows 5 holes. I'm speculating here, but I think there are constructional variations from unit to unit that probably result in varying draw resistance. Some people have reported that theirs are pretty free-flowing, others have said that their units are very restrictive. Mine is more on the restrictive side. I hope that the variability in draw resistance isn't because some units are sealed from the electronics, like mine, and some aren't, like yours... how's the draw resistance on yours?

 

[OF]

Nothing comes out of my MP whether or not the ports are blocked.
I'm thinking there are definitely differences between units. One guy on reddit has a Gaia with 3 holes at the bottom of his chamber. Mine has 4 holes. The website photo shows 5 holes. I'm speculating here, but I think there are constructional variations from unit to unit that probably result in varying draw resistance. Some people have reported that theirs are pretty free-flowing, others have said that their units are very restrictive. Mine is more on the restrictive side. I hope that the variability in draw resistance isn't because some units are sealed from the electronics, like mine, and some aren't, like yours... how's the draw resistance on yours?

Mine has 3 holes as well, and the draw is on par with similar vapes (FMs and such) IMO. I can't answer for opinions of random guys on lesser forums of course. But if hole number is a key, you should have less than me?

Let me be clear, the electronics in mine is NOT isolated. Here's another test that takes the restriction out of the experiment, blow in through the vents around the oven. Hear the air RUSH out the USB port? Rush. No question there's a huge connection between that port and the area the little holes will draw their air from? The electronics area is simply open to those vents i maintain.

OF

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

Mine has 3 holes as well, and the draw is on par with similar vapes (FMs and such) IMO. I can't answer for opinions of random guys on lesser forums of course. But if hole number is a key, you should have less than me?

Let me be clear, the electronics in mine is NOT isolated. Here's another test that takes the restriction out of the experiment, blow in through the vents around the oven. Hear the air RUSH out the USB port? Rush. No question there's a huge connection between that port and the area the little holes will draw their air from? The electronics area is simply open to those vents i maintain.

OF

I believe you when you say yours isn't isolated -- but mine must be alot more isolated than yours. Blowing into my slots results in NO air exiting my USB port. I also tried blowing into the USB port again just to triple check that no air exits my MP -- and no air exits my MP, regardless of whether or not I block the slots. When I block my slots, I still get a small amount of draw, so that's the only thing I was wrong about. That leads me to believe, just like you said, that a small amount of air gets in around the buttons. And I think there are factors other than the # of holes in the chamber floor that cause these differences between our units. They probably made some adjustments/tweaks in production after they started production, and are selling all of them instead withholding the units made before the tweaks. Or maybe it's hard to work with quartz and get it 100% identical across every single oven made. Or maybe there's a situation where the freeflowing units are the ones with a less isolated airpath and the restricted ones are the ones with a more sealed path and the production tweaks resulted in differing levels of isolation. Who knows.

 

[rvp5032]

Mine worked great when I had it but broke in two weeks which was tragic. I just went for refund and bought a mighty. Best decision ever. What I meant was vapor quality was great due to quartz oven. Smooth vapor and big clouds. It was very easy to use too compare to Pax and ff2. Just think they need to work the kinks out. Sound like oven has been failing a lot

Hi, can you elaborate more on how it beats the Pax 2 and FF2 hands down? That's a very lofty statement and I really hope it's true. Are you speaking in regards to vapor quality? Because that would be awesome, considering this vape is only $160. And if so, then @VapeCritic must have received a faulty Gaia that he used in his review, as he strongly disliked the vapor produced by his unit and he would never in a thousand years recommend the Gaia over the P2 or FF2, which he has alot of experience with. Its just very strange to see such drastically varying opinions of a vaporizer. I'm wondering if there's a major quality control issue w/ the Gaia or a bad batch of a component that made its way into production resulting in widely varying performance between the good and bad units?

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

Mine worked great when I had it but broke in two weeks which was tragic. I just went for refund and bought a mighty. Best decision ever. What I meant was vapor quality was great due to quartz oven. Smooth vapor and big clouds. It was very easy to use too compare to Pax and ff2. Just think they need to work the kinks out. Sound like oven has been failing a lot

How would you compare it to your Mighty vapor quality wise? One guy said the Gaia beats the Arizer Air, another reviewer said she likes it more than the Pax 2. I cant review my Gaia until I get it back, Im exchanging it for one with more free flowing draw resistance like many reviewers have talked about. The one I got seemed very tight so I sent it back right away. I dont actually know if that means mine was defective, maybe nothings wrong with it and Im being too picky about draw restriction. But I figured I may as well try.

 

[rvp5032]

How would you compare it to your Mighty vapor quality wise? One guy said the Gaia beats the Arizer Air, another reviewer said she likes it more than the Pax 2. I cant review my Gaia until I get it back, Im exchanging it for one with more free flowing draw resistance like many reviewers have talked about. The one I got seemed very tight so I sent it back right away. I dont actually know if that means mine was defective, maybe nothings wrong with it and Im being too picky about draw restriction. But I figured I may as well try.

No contest. The Mighty is a beast and work every time no matter what. Tight pack, loose pack, herb, concentrates, both, literally whatever. Battery is great 6-7 loooong sessions. Gaia won in one category which is discreetness. It could be a good vape but didn't want to invest again after the oven broke after two weeks