So I did get my replacement cups/mouthpiece last week. I was going to gather more experiential data before posting any sort of review, and I'm not ready to do that yet. But I do have some information that might be of use to folks, so I thought I'd throw that up quickly.
I've had a couple of long conversations with Dan in the course of which he told me the mouthpiece is made of food-grade, high-heat-resistant polycarbonate. That may or may not make you more comfortable. Myself, I'd rather have ALL glass (frankly, that is what I thought I was getting -as in the vapor path through the plastic would be glass lined like the second gen pong on the Pinnacle Pro), but at least we know for sure what it is.
The first time I charged the unit, my charging indicator did not show above 80% no matter how long I charged it but then showed full when I unplugged it and turned it on. Dan said this seems to be a function of the USB cord not being fully plugged in. The next time I charged it, I made sure the plug was in securely and the indicator did get to 100%
Dan suggested starting at 330F and after a couple of hits turning DOWN to 320 or 325. I found this worked well for me in terms of not charring. I got impressive clouds and the herb was pretty well browned, not charred. Maybe one or two small fragments were still greenish. I think the small screen/spacer idea could really help here. Just waiting for another confirmation that the atmos glass screen (or something like it) will fit in those tiny glass bowls. Could somebody post a photo of that, maybe?
My battery slides out of the compartment fairly easily with just one or two taps. If you're having trouble, try holding the unit by the narrow edges rather than the wide black sides. Maybe applying pressure on the wide sides squeezes the battery compartment somehow. Just a thought.
I don't find that this device gets any hotter than my Pinnacle Pro. My sessions are pretty short, but so far I'm not concerned on that count.
Regarding cleaning the plastic mouthpiece. I've said before I would never use iso on any plastic. I looked at that 420 stuff and other cleaning solutions as well. Not trying to get down on anyone here, but if the product description (or people's testimonials) talks about the product removing gunked up resin from glass in minutes, I would absolutely expect it to be too harsh for plastic. Also, as someone who has worked in natural foods retail for nearly 10 years, my philosophy is: if someone tells you their product is "green" "all-natural", or "earth-friendly", call bullshit and walk away. Those words mean nothing unless backed up with an ingredients list. The fact that I can't find the ingredients for these cleaning solutions guarantees that I will stick with my tried and true cleaning regimen: clean out with brush and/or pick tool soon after every use, deep clean every few weeks using iso on glass and metal and water/scrubbing on plastic.
I am concerned that the only way to clean the interior paths of the plastic part is by soaking, but we'll see how it goes. I mentioned to Dan that I thought it would be an improvement if the glass stem was removable to allow it to be soaked. He agreed and we may see that someday.
Yes, the miVape is still going through growing pains and I understand if some folks are going to find other options. I'm going to stick it out a while longer solely because of Dan's (and by extension, Vaporfection's) commitment to getting this right and taking care of those of us who are willing to invest in them.
Doesn't mean I'm not also lusting after a Grasshopper, though.
Hope this helps...
Looking closely it looks like the chamber is lined with cotton. So it could be glue or wet then dried cotton stuck to the bottom???
