So I should be able to finally throw up a video later tonight. As it does for most, life got hectic and setting aside a slice of time to shoot a video under good lighting and then edit it took a little longer than expected.
Since I never came in here with any review, I'll jot some thoughts down now about my usage with the MW over the past few weeks. I'm going to keep it short to avoid unnecessary redundancies.
Upon receiving the MW I was taken aback by the simplicity of both the build/aesthetic and packaging. Immediately (and others have mentioned this already) I thought that an instruction manual should be included. While the MW has an intuitive shape and usage routine, there are some early user errors and/or confusions that may be sidestepped with the help of some literature. Also, its just nice to know a little about the product you're holding in your hands for the first time.
The build and looks of the unit are extremely simple. The build quality, while not worrisome IMO, is also not the MW's strong-suit. I think this is where the low price-point of the MW really corresponds to the product. Everything fits together well but you can tell quite clearly in most cases that each individual part is off the shelf. The silicone sleeves, while a necessary heat shield it seems, don't give the unit the most polished look or feel. The same goes for the use of visible electric tape near the top of my unit.
The glass itself seems strong enough IMO but its abundantly clear that this is a very breakable unit.
I do wish there was an attached temperature controller but understand that would both raise the price and warrant a design change. While its not a big problem, I can imagine the knob being in an out of the way position from the vape site (I have to squeeze in between the wall and the couch). Overall I don't think that the build quality is subpar but I do think the low-price corresponds closely here.
Like other users I've found that my MW sessions benefit from a lengthy warm-up time. The heat of the unit is something that needs to be noted from the onset obviously as well. Personally, it seems to me that the excessive heat is another point of intersection between price-point and build/performance.
As for the vapor production the MW offers: the hit is more airy than I generally prefer in a vape hit. Rather than plug the top hole with my hand (or finger) I've come to prefer using a dedicated 'plug' to seal the air-flow more tightly and comfortably. I show the product I use in the video: its basically a rubber cork...this only stays in the unit for a hit or two at a time.
My biggest grievance with the unit is the amount of air in the hit and required to get a good hit. I find that the vapor production excels several seconds into the hit, for this reason I've come to the practice of a two breath hit. Noticeably, once the vapor really starts rolling in I've filled my lungs and need to exhale. The second part of the hit consists of clearing the remaining vapor and the vapor production usually picks up quickly enough to get another burst of vapor. To be sure, users can get large clouds with the MW if thats what you're after. I still haven't used the unit all that many times so am still figuring out how low I can keep the unit while still getting satisfactory hits.
The single screen that shipped with the unit let in quite a bit of particulate (had to shake quite a bit to get some green bits out of my inlines and trees
) so I quickly swapped that out for another. I know another user mentioned trying to restrict air-flow on the bowl-end of the unit and I think this may provide a good result FWIW. A shorter bowl with super fat walls may channel and diffuse the hot air more effectively over the bed of herbs IMO. Even a glass wall with a couple holes or slits in it separating the clear channel of hot air from the herb-bed may provide more turbulence and restriction. (Just a thought, not sure how doable or effective this would be. Just a suggestion worth only my
).
Ultimately, the MW has come out for use once every other week or so thus far here. At this price point I think the MW can carve out a solid niche for itself, that said, I don't think it can serve as an end-all tool for vaporbong use (at least with my preferences). All my
and subjective views.
I hope the Vaporpedia page has been getting a little traffic and can serve as a helpful resource for people? Anybody checked it out yet? (
http://www.vaporpedia.com/wiki/MagickWand_Vaporizer) Will be back with a vid soon!