MiniVAP Vaporizer

[kimura]

Quick question on the air path.

Why does such an expensive unit not have a clean air path?
There must be electronics in the heater section and when I draw the air is also drawn in through the two buttons on the side.
It seems impossible to get a good seal with this Vape and only draw air through the bottom screen.
This does not seem right.
The lid does not seal well as well so I am also wondering how well the bowl seals to the heat chamber and if air is also being drawn in there.
Seems to be a lot of unacceptable ways for air to be drawn into the unit from my perspective.

Try blocking the lower air path with your finger and them inhale with your mouth over the top of the chamber, still easy to get air through and I can hear it whistling through the buttons.

what makes you think air passes through/over the electronics in the heater?

I've tried blocking the lower intake port with my finger... I'm not sure it's really possible with a finger due to the ridges around it the hole. I pushed as hard as I dared and the draw was almost totally blocked... I am not convinced that air is coming in through the buttons. I think there was still a small amount getting past my finger due to the ridges. might have to revisit this test using something better than a finger

the lid does not need to make an airtight seal. you only need the flexicone to make a seal with the teflon on the top of the heater. I know mine makes a good seal because I can see/feel the flexicone compress as I tighten the lid

Also finding it difficult to get my draw speed correct and actually get good sized clouds.
At the moment my Solo outperforms the MiniVap!

Does it work better with the baskets or direct loading into the chamber?
So far I have tried all the options and the best one seems to be the flexicone into a WT.

The last session last night lasted a very long time and I was thoroughly medicated but it justs seems to not be quite as good as I thought it would be.

Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated!!

I have settled on using the large basket all the time, regardless on the size of the load. using long steady draws. sorta like the Solo but a bit faster. current favorite setups are flexicone + combined with the plastic mouthpiece on pink heat setting, and flexicone combined with bubbler on green heat setting. I'm not even using the red heat setting yet.

the vapor I get out of this thing is different from what I got out of the Solo. much more of a pure blue, which is harder to see in certain light. noticeably stronger effects. I think it's due to the fact that the MV uses pure convection and doesn't overheat the load. Solo is a fine device but I got rid of mine when I got the MV due to the gap in performance

 

[Kommyknocker]

@kimura Use a clean flexicone to sit over the air intake and put a finger over the other end. Should seal up the intake good and proper.

 

[kimura]

@kimura Use a clean flexicone to sit over the air intake and put a finger over the other end. Should seal up the intake good and proper.

alas, I like the idea but can't get it to work. the flexicone is too big to sit in the circular groove around the intake port

 

[Kommyknocker]

Dammit! Lol. What about putting the narrow end of flexicone + over the ridges and kinda pressing down a bit. Cover basket end. Sook. Lol

 

[lazylathe]

No electronics taste just the fact that if I block the lower air intake with my small finger tip I can feel air being sucked in past the buttons.
Just figured the air path would be totally isolated.

Ha a few more sessions the MiniVap this morning with the WT and it is great!!
I just want to be able to use it with a mouthpiece and get good results.

Loving the light blue clouds from the WT!

 

[kimura]

I'm actually starting to think that my flexicone + doesn't seal as well as the regular flexicone... has anyone else experienced this? I might have to try a different whip setup using the flexicone.

 

[Kommyknocker]

I would have thought that tension/pressure from the lid above would've held it tightly enough.

@lazylathe.. I'll let you know how my glass straw works out.

 

[Smknbud]

what makes you think air passes through/over the electronics in the heater?

I've tried blocking the lower intake port with my finger... I'm not sure it's really possible with a finger due to the ridges around it the hole. I pushed as hard as I dared and the draw was almost totally blocked... I am not convinced that air is coming in through the buttons. I think there was still a small amount getting past my finger due to the ridges. might have to revisit this test using something better than a finger

I can seal it with my finger. I detect no leakage at all on mine. None. That bottom screened inlet is the only air path to the heater unit/chamber.....and it's sealed from the electronics. That's simply how it's designed.

 

[kimura]

I would have thought that tension/pressure from the lid above would've held it tightly enough.

you're right. I tried a different setup using the flexicone and an MFLB whip as a comparison. verdict was that both the flexicone + and the flexicone work fine for me. I think I was just overly medicated from doing all this science

 

[Smknbud]

I knew I had read this before in some reviews:

Guaranteed Purity
All this testing has allowed Hermes to make the MiniVAP the first vaporizer ever to adopt a Guaranteed Purity Policy, meaning it uses only pure materials and tested construction for a guaranteed clean air pathway and delivery of pure, unadulterated vapor.

 

[Kommyknocker]

Shit I remember now it got tested thoroughly so it could achieve some kind of certified rating or some such. Or even a number of different certs?

 

[lazylathe]

Finally found a system that seems to work well for me!
Unfortunately it does not involve the baskets...
For some reason i was battling with the baskets, it seemed if the temp was just a bit too low or a bit too high for my liking.

So i decided to pack directly into the chamber to test that out!
I used the hard cone with the bent mouth piece.
WOW!!! What a difference!!!
Instant vapour once fully heated, delicious hits after delicious hits!!!
Started on Pink then onto Green and after a very long, tasty session i gave up...
Emptied the herb and it was a medium brown and quite even.
I could have taken at least another 5+ hits to fully complete the load but i was way too medicated!
Cleaned it out with paper towel while it was still hot and it is super clean again!

And i can pop the ring out of mine with my finger so it will not get scratched up!
And it goes SCREEN, SMALL WHITE RING, SCREEN, LARGE WHITE RING if anyone gets confused!

I knew i would get it sorted out with a lot of

I also ran the unit through about 5 heat cycles during the day and the battery us still green!!
That was on top of the 5+ sessions i have had during the day!!
The battery is a monster!!
Me happy now!!!
Thanks for putting up with all my crap!

Now onto more stringent testing and experimentation!

 

[Kommyknocker]

Remember it only heats air as you pull on it so power consumption will be minimal unless you're hitting it.
Also remember your pull will lift the herb up onto the screen and gravity will plonk it back to the bottom of the basketless chamber. No basket equals one less barrier and as such more trichomes will invariably fall down and through to the unit.
For example take a spent basket still attached to the flexicone and hold it basket down and tap it. Some really small particulate can be seen falling out. Fair enough it'd take a good usage this way for enough to collect.. But collect they will. My two cents.. Makes sense having one less metallic barrier would allow heat more to hit the herb and thus give out more vapour but there's probably a price to be paid.

Edit: mines is mostly used inverted and always with baskets and my chamber is clean as hell. Also if there is collected debris if you ever need to ship it then.. Well you know Customs is kinda funny.

Edit: Then again.. A directly chamber packed inverted WT hit(no gravity)might just be the ticket huh. And I get to hit my MV today after four basketless days. Happy happy joy joy lol.

 

[lazylathe]

I decided to contact MiniVap and ask some questions!
Received a nice reply this morning and thought i would share the info!
And i am not crazy!!! Air does enter through the buttons...LOL!

Thanks for your email and questions. Please, read the answer in between your lines..

1- Why is the battery indicator light BLUE for a while before turning GREEN?
BLUE means maximum charge or MV connected to the power supply.

2- Why is air drawn in through the side buttons and not only through the designated air path through the middle of the unit?3- Why does the unit not seal 100% with the lid on? Air leaks from everywhere.
There is an small airflow from the side buttons without affecting the taste or aroma. The air is not heated until goes through the internal heat exchanger of the vaporizer so there is no risk of overheating any internal pieces rather to the main airflow path.
The top piece of the MV (just outside the loading chamber) is made from Platinum Silicone providing a good sealing with the solid cone or flexicone when the lid is closed.

4- Does the unit perform better with the baskets or loading directly into the chamber.
The unit performs faster when loading directly into the chamber with the inconvenience of cleaning. Loading the baskets is more practice for cleaning but initially (for 1-2 inhalations) it reduces the heat transfer to the plant cause the stainless steel mesh stops the heat a little bit. Using the small baskets will help to have a similar performance than loading directly into the loading chamber.
Please, load the baskets completely otherwise the heated air will flow through the empty spaces of the basket breathing heated air instead of tasted vapor.

5- Any chance of and ENGLISH manual and not just the quick start guide?
We are improving the actual manual, adding new tips and including the description/explanation for the new accessories (flexicones, small baskets, decarboxilation kit). We will publish the new manual at the beginning of 2015, it will be ready to download from the miniVAP online Store, section 'Support'.

I hope we helped you but let us know if you would need more explanations.

So i think they may have a good resource person looking after e mail questions through the MV site!
If you guys and gals want me to ask any other questions, since i have their attention, just post them here and i will keep asking!

 

[Smknbud]

I decided to contact MiniVap and ask some questions!
Received a nice reply this morning and thought i would share the info!
And i am not crazy!!! Air does enter through the buttons...LOL!

Thanks for your email and questions. Please, read the answer in between your lines..

1- Why is the battery indicator light BLUE for a while before turning GREEN?
BLUE means maximum charge or MV connected to the power supply.

2- Why is air drawn in through the side buttons and not only through the designated air path through the middle of the unit?3- Why does the unit not seal 100% with the lid on? Air leaks from everywhere.
There is an small airflow from the side buttons without affecting the taste or aroma. The air is not heated until goes through the internal heat exchanger of the vaporizer so there is no risk of overheating any internal pieces rather to the main airflow path.
The top piece of the MV (just outside the loading chamber) is made from Platinum Silicone providing a good sealing with the solid cone or flexicone when the lid is closed.

!

At least now I know mine actually works correctly since I get the blue light on full charge vs the green indicated in the quick start guide.

I'm surprised at their response quite honestly regarding airflow thru the power buttons. It has to be very minuscule at best because I tried multiple times on mine and it's undetectable. I'll still eat some crow though as I apparently stand corrected from earlier comment I made regarding this. But, it's still good to know the air path is uncontaminated regardless.

Oh, and thanks lazylathe for contacting Hermes for some answers.

 

[Kenn]

If you look at a disassembled minivap their is a silicon tube connecting the heater to the screen at the very bottom. If yours is loose then it will let air pass threw the buttons, but their is also a screen at the bottom of the heater so it's really not a big deal.

 

[Kommyknocker]

Awesome answers given. I'm sure some here have tried email before and not really got much of a response. Maybe they just hired the chick and she found the faq sheets the other dude couldn't :-D

Oh and the glass straw works amazingly. I kept about a inch and a half of the flexicone+ and married 3 arizer EQ Balloon bag glass mouthpieces, the ones that had the two small o rings. I just used some silicon tubing to hold firm and closely with one another. Quality tubing anyhow but wanted to gauge how hot it got at various point up the straw.
I can toke as hard as I want on red and it's the amount of vapor you get that stops you pulling as opposed to any heat or harshness.
In full it's about 9 inches or so and only gets hot at the bottom third.
Someone else maybe try it, though I'm unsure how viable it would be to buy the necessary items to construct.

 

[Smknbud]

Awesome answers given. I'm sure some here have tried email before and not really got much of a response. Maybe they just hired the chick and she found the faq sheets the other dude couldn't :-D

Oh and the glass straw works amazingly. I kept about a inch and a half of the flexicone+ and married 3 arizer EQ Balloon bag glass mouthpieces, the ones that had the two small o rings. I just used some silicon tubing to hold firm and closely with one another. Quality tubing anyhow but wanted to gauge how hot it got at various point up the straw.
I can toke as hard as I want on red and it's the amount of vapor you get that stops you pulling as opposed to any heat or harshness.
In full it's about 9 inches or so and only gets hot at the bottom third.
Someone else maybe try it, though I'm unsure how viable it would be to buy the necessary items to construct.

I think this would be perfect to use with the Minivap.... I'm this >< close purchasing to try.

Aqua Vape by Vaporfection.

Spill proof inline cooler.

 

[Kommyknocker]

That's sweet lookin. That thing could marry right into this straws modular design I guess. This straw is pretty cool looking too with it regular bulges.. Kinda like a hookah.

I'm really digging this thing. It's given me a whole new way of using my MV. No WT needed. Plus the way it kinda has a smooth articulation at the joints so as to be a stiff yet bendy mufu#kuh!

 

[Smknbud]

That's sweet lookin. That thing could marry right into this straws modular design I guess. This straw is pretty cool looking too with it regular bulges.. Kinda like a hookah.

The regular size one is only 4.5" long.....it seems the perfect size for an inline cooler.

Love to see a picture how you have yours rigged up.

 

[Kommyknocker]

How easy is it to do from my phone? I'll go check. There'll be a post about it. I should've been getting pics up ages ago. Lazy at the times.

 

[Smknbud]

How easy is it to do from my phone? I'll go check. There'll be a post about it. I should've been getting pics up ages ago. Lazy at the times.

You need a host site to upload pictures from if you took them.

 

[Kommyknocker]

I SWEAR I'll do it tomorrow. That straws got me stoned in a slightly different way, what with me being a solely WT user. Even with my solo.. Wow.

Edit: I can sit it bat mode rest back in a recliner now with the cosy warm companion MV in the crook of my arm and have the straw come up to my mouth with little movement. Bakedville. Hope someone else tries this.

Edit: @lazylathe ask them why they dont produce a smaller say puck sized battery that hold maybe one hours worth. Would do away with the gripe of it being overly bulky. I mean it's seemingly able give the same level of power toke after toke until it runs out so one hour of quality vapour I'd buy that.

 

[kimura]

I SWEAR I'll do it tomorrow. That straws got me stoned in a slightly different way, what with me being a solely WT user. Even with my solo.. Wow.

Edit: I can sit it bat mode rest back in a recliner now with the cosy warm companion MV in the crook of my arm and have the straw come up to my mouth with little movement. Bakedville. Hope someone else tries this.

agreed, the glass straw is wonderful. and direct draw does preserve a little something that is lost with WTs. this is maybe my new favorite way to use the MV. flavor is preserved but the glass absorbs a lot of the heat! also agreed on the ergonomic factor. I just sit the MV on my desk and lean forward to enjoy. too easy. definitely gets me profoundly baked.

sorry to steal your thunder, but you were just too slow to post pics haha. it sounds like your idea was slightly different anyway. I'm using the lower half of the hard plastic mouthpiece with a regular flexicone so I didn't have to sacrifice my one and only flexicone +

 

[Kommyknocker]

I've plenty thunder, you can have some lol. That's pretty much it my man. It really it kinda brilliant someone else had the materials to do it ot similar.
I also see you opted for the whip mouthpiece instead of the balloon one.
You have balloons?
It's got the bulges, looks cooler in my opinion. Also mines has a completely free wobble off the lid. I feel yours is a teeny bit more restricted. Although it will sit at a nice angle, just not quite as robust.
I hope more people try this.. Thank arizer lol