I had one of the old teflon-core MiniVAPs that failed, and I received a new glass-core model as a replacement. After spending some time with the new unit, my impressions are mixed. There are some positives but at least one big negative.
On the positive side, the unit now heats up more quickly than before. No more waiting ten minutes. When the light stops blinking (+/- five minutes) you're good to go. In fact, the new firmware seems designed to discourage you from waiting. At least mine does -- it shuts off automatically after ten minutes exactly.
Also on the plus side, the efficiency is remarkable. The clouds are even larger -- and the MiniVAP delivered big clouds to begin with. Green now produces vapor so thick you’d swear it was smoke (though it’s not). It also feels like you get more effect from less medicine than before -- and the original version was already pretty potent.
On the negative side... and you all know what's coming... the flavor just isn't there like before. I don't get the sour or spent taste others have reported. The flavor is nice, just not as robust and full as I remember. I’ve tried a bunch of different temperature settings and configurations. The best for taste is probably the large basket, packed loosely, vaped on blue. Even with that setup, however, the flavor still seems weaker.
Overall, the new unit seems to run hotter on every setting. On my old model, green produced thick clouds while leaving the ABV lighter than other vapes I’ve used. As I say, green now produces thicker clouds and the ABV gets noticeably darker, more like the color of ABV on other vapes (though still nowhere near combustion). I find myself using pink and blue, which produced little or no visible vapor on the old version.
I also noticed the herb chamber is now shallower. Previously, the large basket fit all the way into the chamber, so the lip of the basket was flush with the opening. Now the basket sticks out a millimeter or two from the chamber. Not a big deal since I always use the basket connected to the flexicone plus. But I do wonder if this closer proximity has some effect on temperature, conduction, and ultimately taste.
To summarize, the new version of the MiniVAP is still a great vape, one I would recommend for its efficiency and ease of use. In some ways it’s an improvement on the original teflon-core model, especially if you’re a cloud chaser. In at least one important way, however, it is a downgrade. Some of that magical taste is now gone.
Tough job indeed!!
