New to it all- LOTS of pipe/conversion questions!!

[Lovecrafty]

Okay so...

I'm 24 and I don't smoke/vape. at all. YET! I grew up a D.A.R.E. kid, didn't have much of a social scene in HS(under thumb kid), and moved in with my similarly straight and narrow boyfriend right after school. It took my coercion to even get him to like parties/drinking. We were the type to not associate with those who smoked.

HowEVER, after 3 years of slow, tactful coercion and finesse (and the help of a good friend that smokes), I've finally gotten my strung out BF to totally agree to and even -want- to smoke. But we're really both against combusting- I myself am a closet pipe wannabe hobbyist and cigar lover, but I am so against the whole inhaling-noxious-smoke thing.

________________________________________________
Anyway, on to the IMPORTANT PART! (sorry for all the backstory). I want a vape. I really, really, really don't want a non-handheld deal. It's just very mechanical and disconnected and like.. I dunno, I don't like it. Hell, my ideals might change once I start actually getting high, who knows, but I just don't like them.

I want something attractive, discreet, and rather -normal-. What I want is a smoking pipe..vape. Thing is, the vape tobacco pipes that I come across are for oil and cartiges. Now not to be a snoot, but that whole oil making deal seems like a hassle to me, a person that's not currently into the lifestyle. Maybe I'm wrong? I infuse herbs into oils already for other reasons, and there is always some oil/herb loss in the transition.

Is there any way possible (I am willing to do physical labor, xD) to convert a smoking pipe or e-pipe/cigar or something into a vape? It seems like what is needed is a ceramic filter or superfine mesh to keep the flame from the herb, and then another to filter what comes off of the herb. Ideally I'd like there to be chamber space or neck space for cooling, but that's obviously not a necessity.

I also wouldn't mind working with some of the smooth metal cylinder shaped vapes out there.

If my head is really up my ass, and none of this is feasible, these are the pipes I'd consider, in from coolest to... I'll settle with it.

Lotus ***
Model 419
Vapman
Vapor Genie (see below)
Ubie
Sneakavape (I'd scrub all those ugly letters off, though)

-one last question- if I were to build up a more pipe-y bowl around the bowl of the wood vapor genie (still allowing it to screw apart and open and whatnot), would that have a considerable affect on the temperature of the vaping?


This is not to say that I can't and won't combust. I'm not gonna be bourgeois about it if I'm with some friends smoking out. And I totally want this damn pipe:

All in all, I'm looking forward to making friends with herb. It's totally meant to be:

I'm an alt med student.
(possible future master herbalist)
My favorite color is purple.
I've been toying with herbs since I was nine.
I am all about all things mellow.
Stereotypically speaking (i.e. jokingly), I'm in a college full of new-agers, mid-twenties black female with a fro. come on. It's like I'm late to the show.

Anyway, nice to meet you all, and thanks in advance!

 

[stinkmeaner]

Hi Lovecrafty, Welcome to the Forum. Your post caught my attention because I lived in Maitland and surrounding areas when I was at school in Orlando, I was across the street from the Sportsplex in the Arbors if you know where that is.

I will start by saying Do Not try to make or convert a pipe to vaporizer for your first vape, it will be a turn off. And for the ones you listed I will write my comments next to them.

Lotus *** Is a new model that no regualar FC member has tried (to my knowledge) But looks promising because it heats without direct flame like my Supreme Vape
Model 419 Not A Vaporizer just a cool looking but overpriced pipe
Vapman I tried this one and it is well constructed but it really could be better, Learning curve
Vapor Genie I have also tried this one and a mate of mine uses it but I don't like the concept of the flame filter, first you inhale butane and secondly you have to have the flame just right.
Ubie Never tried never will, not even a real vape in my eyes
Sneakavape This is a smoking pipe, not a real vape

My personal choice for a portable is the Supreme Vaporizer. This vape is foolproof and hits are much thicker than any other portable I have tried, it even stands up to any home vaporizer I have tried. I know it doesn't look as coola as some of the other vaporizers out there but I assure you it works better than most, the heating block heats the herbs more evenly and consistent.

Check out these videos of the Supreme Vape, most of them are with a bong but you can use it just the same if you put right up to your lips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2U6SRBmN1U&feature=related

This one he made a homemade water bong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdevCrvCEwQ

Here he used a whip/tube attachment for cooler vapor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRK4ViU9XVs

Another plus with Supreme Vaporizer is that you can do more things with it, it is a portable, you can use a whip, and my personal favorite....you can use it with a Bong, it is like you can grow into it.
That is my recommendation if you don't mind using a torch lighter to heat it (which I actually find fun), but there are others out there that many on here like but I have not tried, like the Magic Flight Launch Box or the Iolite.

 

[Beezleb]

Check out wand vapes as those will work best with existing glass.

Vaporgenie would be more what your asking for and they also come in an all glass version. Their are several glass pipe style lighter based vapes.

Their is also the vapor star but I do not know if that easy to get anymore. The vaporstar works by fitting into a bong or you attach a tube to the end of it.

Their are learning curves to these but many people have some of these vapes in their collection.

 

[Lovecrafty]

Sweeeeeet. Thanks for the reply and the corrections. I know where you're talking about- I'm over by winter park, though.

I looked into the iolite before, and the shape really turns me off. As with the iolite, though, I'm sure these vapes (the iolite/supreme) are actually really really good. I'll keep them in mind for the future, but I really want a pipe shaped vape, so maybe I'll stick with the VG or Lotus- since I def. won't be making my own vape. xD

The VG wood is nice overall, I could get one in purple or black, which I like. The glass one is...well it's all crackpipe lookin' but it's probably good regardless, from what I've seen reviewed on this forum. I have tile floors though, so if I drop it.... yeah.

I'll check out the vaporstar and wand vapes; I don't have any existing glass atm so ones that are attachment based aren't really functional for me atm.

 

[max]

The Genie is the most pipe like vape IMO. It's definitely the most popular of the flame powered vapes. The Vaporstar has the same basic design, but it's meant to be used with a bong/waterpipe for the most part. This type of vape takes a little more practice than an electric model with temp control, since you have to control temp with flame time (and distance), as well as draw speed. It's a little larger than the typical tobacco pipe, but the hand carved models have a lower top, improving the looks IMO, and making it a little easier to use.
https://www.vaporgenie.com/Handcarved-VGs/View-all-products.html

 

[Lovecrafty]

Yeah the vaporgenie seemed like the one for me, back when I started looking into this all 2 months ago. Decent design, pipe-looking, simple, etc. I like the glass one in theory, but I don't think I'd get it. As it stands, I'm between a VG or a Lotus. I really really like that design, but I don't see many reviews online for it. Guess I'll keep looking.

thanks for all your help so far, guys.

 

[Beezleb]

Please write a review once you make a choice and get a chance. Especially for the lotus since its new it would be good to have a review of it.

I dont notice the MFLB mentioned. Magic Flight Launch Box. I would look into that too. It is my vape of choice for travel.

 

[aesthyrian]

For a first timer, especially vaping, I would think the learning curve on a vapor genie could be an annoyance. When you start to get high you'll just want to get high with as little hassle as possible, and due to your lack of experience I would think the whole flame and understanding of what vapor is and how to tell if your getting a good vapor hit could make it a very bad first experience.

For portability the Magic Flight Launch Box is what I would recommend. Now, it doesn't look like a pipe, but it is very easy to use and works very well. But then again I'm not a fan of butane based vapes, I do own a wood VG and never even use it because the taste is just nasty, the lighter gets too hot, and it's just not a very good vape IMO. All reasons I would not recommend it to a first timer.

That's just my good luck!

 

[danalee48]

I started out vaporizing with a Vapor Genie and even though learning my way around it was a bit of a hassle, that hassle only lasted about 3 minutes (at the most) until I got the hang of it! I own both a glass, and a purple classic and I adore them both I think the flavour has the potential to be quite lovely, but not quite as delicious as the non-butane varieties of vape.

The VG wood is nice overall, I could get one in purple or black, which I like. The glass one is...well it's all crackpipe lookin' but it's probably good regardless, from what I've seen reviewed on this forum. I have tile floors though, so if I drop it.... yeah.

This is the main reason I wouldn't suggest the glass genie is because of the breakability of it! The glass is pretty solid, but I have broken one in the past so there is risk of that. I have also dropped my wooden Genie a billion times, and so far it has just a tiny dent. Pretty durable, eh? (excuse my native language)

Anyway, it's 4:20 in Alberta so I'm gonna go take a rip off of my Glass, Crackpipe-esque friend

 

[george]

The MFLB sort of looks like a pipe. To me, it looks like a little wooden bowl...with a cover. You dont have to use a lighter, but you do have to keep track of rechargeable batteries. Obviously i don't need to give you my own review of it, since you can just look at the hundreds of good reviews it has gotten in the MFLB thread.

I think you would like it a lot.

 

[Lovecrafty]

Thanks for all the input, again, guys.

I keep hearing that the VG has a 'taste' to it. Meeehh, that kinda puts me off, even though I really liked the purple or black models, and the exotic hand carved models. xD Two questions about the VG, though:

1: Can you take the mouthpiece off and replace it with another, as with most smoking pipes, or is it permanent?

2: There are aluminum VGs and what looks like a bat-style one. Thing is, people shouldn't technically eat foods from aluminum cans, use aluminum-based antiperspirants, drink many canned sodas, or cook in aluminum pots because the aluminum forms plaques on the neural bundles of the brain, which researchers are pretty sure is the cause of most Alzheimer's. Now obviously, in all of these cases, the aluminum is seeping through a liquid or once-liquid medium into the consumable. Do you think vaping through aluminum does the same thing?

I think I really want a lotus, my BF is fine with a glassVG, even though he's totally gonna drop it and be all pissed one day. He, unlike me, doesn't mind a non-portable vape. So is Da Budda a good one?

Also, a friend of mine says HER friend just has a regular glass bowl with a ceramic filter that he just puts on top. ...Dude. What do you think about that? Opinions, plz, because this solves my problem. xD
ALSO! The ceramic in VGs is 'made of sand and water', but the ones I see online have aluminum in them? Is this standard?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but ....I'm new!

 

[Lovecrafty]

Ok so I'm at work and I can't get this out of my head. The top is a blunt/bat type tube, the bottom is a pipe probably made out of meerschaum, because hell, it's not wood, and it gives a cool smoke. I could drill a carb, I guess, especially since I'm fond of churchwardens.


Tell me what you guys think. ._.

 

[stinkmeaner]

It is not that simple, you would have to find the right kind of ceramic for the filter and it would take much trial and error to find the right distance to keep it from the bowl, keep in mind that the meerschaum pipe bowls are huge in comparison with almost all vaporizer bowls, plus how are you even going to mount the ceramic filter.

With so many vaporizers that everyone recommended, and your admitted lack of real world vaporizer usage, why risk trying to make your own?
Especially since meerschaum pipes can be expensive to possibly ruin.

 

[Lovecrafty]

Oh that's just the basic idea, obv. not including mounting/sealants, etc. Meerschaum does not, in fact, have a larger bowl, and is made in all sizes. I mention it because hell, wood burns to some extent, maybe it's harder to clean inside, too? I wouldn't know, and gives a cool draw. You can buy Meerschaums online for like 40-60 bucks. Not to bad, to me.

I actually will be getting a lotus, my BF wants a glass VG, and I'll see if I can get him to get a DB in the future. But my nick here isn't Love -crafty- for nothing. I'm cursed with constant ideas. I just wanted to know what people thought about it, in general.

Between the mechanics of the VG and some people I know of/have come across vaping from bowls somewhat similarly, it -seems- feasible to me, even with a whack learning curve.

btw sorry for the double subject? I figured it was sorta separate.

 

[stinkmeaner]

Thanks for all the input, again, guys.

I keep hearing that the VG has a 'taste' to it. Meeehh, that kinda puts me off, even though I really liked the purple or black models, and the exotic hand carved models. xD Two questions about the VG, though:

1: Can you take the mouthpiece off and replace it with another, as with most smoking pipes, or is it permanent?

2: There are aluminum VGs and what looks like a bat-style one. Thing is, people shouldn't technically eat foods from aluminum cans, use aluminum-based antiperspirants, drink many canned sodas, or cook in aluminum pots because the aluminum forms plaques on the neural bundles of the brain, which researchers are pretty sure is the cause of most Alzheimer's. Now obviously, in all of these cases, the aluminum is seeping through a liquid or once-liquid medium into the consumable. Do you think vaping through aluminum does the same thing?

I have tried the Vapor Genie and I can tell you I CAN taste butane and to me it is off putting, the whole design is a cheap & sloppy way of making a vaporizer, all they did is take a cheap wood pipe and put a ceramic filter to block the flame from burning the herb. The ceramic filters for the Vapor Genies are actually made for water filtration, they are not something they invented or anything.

Aluminum at Vaporizing temperatures does not release anything into the air, Storz & Bickel did a lab study on the heating element in the Volcano Vaporizer and found it to be harmless. The study you are referring to was done in the 1960's and has caused nothing but hysteria and paranoia ever since, there many studies since then that have proven this wrong if you do a search.

Keep in mind that air is just traveling by the aluminum if it is in a vaporizer, the aluminum is in metal form and is a SOLID substance, it is not flaking off into the air.
If you are worried about Aluminum I would start here:
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~joannefstruve/_wsn/page2.html

I think I really want a lotus, my BF is fine with a glassVG, even though he's totally gonna drop it and be all pissed one day. He, unlike me, doesn't mind a non-portable vape. So is Da Budda a good one?

I say if the Lotus Vaporizer is what you want then go for it, the design looks solid and works from heat transfer like a vaporizer should unlike the butane inhaling Vapor Genie. They are also a new company so they might even have a satisfaction guarantee.
As for the Da Buddha, it is good but why get the Da Buddha when you can get its big brother the Silver Surfer on Ebay for almost the same price, and the Surfer comes in many cool colors & has a custom glass knob. Da Buddhas go for about $160-180 and a Silver Surfer can be as low as $190 if you check all of the 'Buy It Now'
Keep in mind the Silver Surfer was their original model and made in Colorado, while the Da Buddha is made in China as a cheaper alternative to the Silver Surfer.
http://silversurfervap.com/index.php

Also, a friend of mine says HER friend just has a regular glass bowl with a ceramic filter that he just puts on top. ...Dude. What do you think about that? Opinions, plz, because this solves my problem. xD
ALSO! The ceramic in VGs is 'made of sand and water', but the ones I see online have aluminum in them? Is this standard?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but ....I'm new!

First of all a Ceramic can be almost anything so not all are healthy, unfortunately on the internet in the vaporizing communities, ceramic seems to by synomonis with health but they really don't have any idea what a ceramic really is. Check the definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic
Most probably have this idea of Ceramic as the stuff their plates and coffee mugs are made out, but this is a porcelain ceramic and is made of various forms of clay.

The aluminum in a Vaporgenie is not sand and water but instead a ceramic made from Aluminum Oxide or Alumina , which is the base of the metal Aluminum. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alumina
You know how when people talk about Aluminum they say the word Alloy? That is because aluminum by itself is rather weak so they mix it with other metals to form different grades of Aluminum.

 

[Lovecrafty]

Woah, awesome post. Many thanks.I wasn't referring to that study at all, but rather a recent class/textbook citing that scientists found aluminum plaques in the brains of alzheimers patients and studied the efficacy of preventing that bonding with omega 3 fatty acids. But that's neither here nor there, lol.

Also, thanks for the word on Da Buddha. Not a fan of the made in China knockoff thing. Silver surfer it likely will be, then.
Here's hoping I get my lotus in the next few weeks- I'd really like to try it and review it. I'm halla curious.

 

[hemp;)goofy8cheerio]

Lovecrafty did omega 3s help prevent alzheimers & alloy/aluminum plaque build up?

 

[Lovecrafty]

Yes it did, actually. So eat your fish!

 

[danalee48]

Here's hoping I get my lotus in the next few weeks- I'd really like to try it and review it. I'm halla curious.

Please do update on how you like it because, just like you, I love the way it looks and the idea of it but I'd like to hear a review from someone brand new to vaping! I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours

 

[aesthyrian]

Yes it did, actually. So eat your fish!

or better yet, hemp!

 

[stinkmeaner]

Your welcome, I knew all of the girls would like the way that vaporizer looks, I think a red, green, or dark blue would be nice a nice addition to their line up.

Please make a formal review and you would be especially cool if you made a video that shows the vapor.

I will add another vape that your BF might like, http://vapexhale.com/ This is the vaporizer that most of the vapor veterans around here are chomping at the bit for. It is not available yet but they say it should be out by the holidays.

Here is a video of the prototype:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH4jQ-MBZ5Q&playnext=1&videos=M4yxrG9J1tg&feature=mfu_in_order

Here is the thread for more info, just look at all of the interest... 44 pages of posts and counting.
http://fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?id=2234

 

[Lovecrafty]

Yes it did, actually. So eat your fish!

or better yet, hemp!

Haha, you right.

___________

Yeah, that lotus is pretty to me. A dark red ring would be nice, but I'm getting the black one.

That vape you posted looks nice, I'll definitely have my BF watch it when I get home. It -clearly- has a good track record!

 

[2clicker]

I'm cursed with constant ideas. I just wanted to know what people thought about it, in general.

read through this thread

http://www.fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?id=121&p=1

there is a bunch of good info in there

good luck

 

[David and Michael]

... but I really want a pipe shaped vape, so maybe I'll stick with the VG or Lotus- since I def. won't be making my own vape. xD

I have sent some Lotus samples to members of FC and they should be testing and writing reviews within 2-3 weeks. I'd recommend you not buy anything until you see the reviews (unless of course it's the Lotus (note shameless self-promotion)). The reviews will probably be on the Lotus thread.

 

[Lovecrafty]

> Ohhhh snap that is good to hear! Now I'm super excited and have to sit and wait. Damn! Thanks for the word up, Max.