Noobie needing guidance - be gentle!

[1DMF]

Hi guys and gals,

Well I've been giving up smoking for months, I gave up weed for nearly a year, but when trying to quit the tobacco, I was going mad with cravings.

I tried e-cigs, but can't stand the chemical taste of the solvents used in the liquid - I used to smoke GV hand rolling tobacco with menthol filters, and none of the menthol e-liquids come anywhere close.

I was then introduced to the Snoop Dogg G-Pen, sold to me as a vaporiser, which I thought gave me the best of both worlds, enabling me to still have a crafty puff on the 'ritual de habitual', without 'smoking'.

Though after use, I found that in fact, the G-Pen is not a vaporiser and combusts the material, bummer!

So I then started to investigate real vaporising and to my dismay was seriously shocked by how expensive they were.

I spent weeks investigating, watching you-tube videos, reading reviews, and of course found FC and read a lot here.

Not knowing how vapes really worked, what to expect from a true vape and not wanting to spend a lot of money, I decided to try the Titan range, bought from that well known Chinese e-tailor.

Yes, having read the good and bad about plastic smell, tatse etc.. and many who claimed a few burn-offs resolved the issue. To get all 3 Titans for less than the cost of either KandyPen K Vape / G Pen Pro (Basically a Titan 1)

Well they finally arrived yesterday and I was excited to get them home and try, but after 5+ burn-offs the Titan 2 and Titan 3 (VS2), still smell like a super-bike doing a burn-out doughnut in my front garden, with the Titan 3 (VS2) being seriously worse - really do some people not smell that?

The Titan 4 (VS3) - Firefly copy, is the best of all three but still feel the vapor doesn't taste great.

Doing some research, I found that this could be related to temperature and the flavoids which affect taste. So perhaps I just need to experiment more with the temperature settings?

However, this morning, my throat is quite rough and sore, which should not be the case for a hardened smoker of 35+ years and stoner for 25+

So I have come here for some advice...

Do I simply need to do a few more burn-offs and waste some weed before the 'manufacturing' smell goes away or will it never go away, and I should simply bin these dangerous cheap vapes?

Perhaps, vaping just tastes different and I will have to get used to it?

Maybe my weed is not good for vaping, it smells a little chemical in the bag, but smokes fine in a normal pipe.

OR do I need to bite the bullet and pay top dollar for a decent vape, and if so which one?

Out of the 3 Titan's I like the VS3 the best, giving good vape at the lowest setting (380F) and certainly getting me where I want to get, so I was turned on to the FireFly, but I am concerned it only has one heat setting 400F?

My research has told me that 355F-385F is the best temps for vaping weed, so is the FireFly set a little high?

Though I also read the FireFly has the best air-path of all vapes, has a glass bowl and air-path and so makes it the safest and best tasting vape available.

However, I read the best reviews for the Crafty (well the Mighty, but that's really expensive) and the Crafty is more or less the same price as the FireFly, but concerns me as it looks really plastic.

Hopefully there are seasoned experts here who can be bothered to read my rambling and give me some good advice.

Thanks for your time,
Craig.

 

[Pyr0]

Hi IDMF,

Welcome to FC and don't quit quitting the combustion

Not sure if I can really offer much in the way of advice, but my experience started similarly with a Titan II from Fasttech and while it was cheap and it did the job, I'm kinda glad it broke after a week lol

I started looking at fixing it and came across a post on here showing the internals and the heating element and after seeing the way it was made and the materials, I decided not to bother.
Personally I decided not to go for any more cheap Chinese vapes or vape copies.

I picked up an Arizer air next from Vapefiend and the difference was almost night and day with the flavour as I could really taste the plant without any silicone/electronics/adhesive taste, but I was still having some throat irritation and wanted a more open draw.

So I picked up a Mighty (again from Vapefiend) and haven't looked back...
It's my daily driver now though a bubbler and the Air has been relegated to being a backup and occasionally chilling in bed.

I wouldn't worry too much about the plastic casing on the Mighty/Crafty. They updated the casing a short while ago to add some reinforcement on the top fins.

Be wary of VAS/GAS (Vape/Gear acquisition syndrome) though (also known as shinyitus in some places)
There's always something else on the horizon lol
I'm really happy with my Mighty, but I'd still like to get a nice desktop vape too.

 

[1DMF]

Thanks for the reply.

Don't worry I have an incentive to quit (wife's pregnant) - hence trying to stop smoking in the first place!

I also won't have much spending money once born, so want to make the right purchase that will last, so not likely to turn into a magpie!

Though this vaping milarky seems to be a bit of a mine field with conflicting reviews all over the place, a far cry from arguing with your mates over which is the best rizla!

 

[hackslasher]

Personally i found i enjoy butane vapes most as they give a smoking like ritual feel to them. So if were fearing them due to feeling theyre to tricky, please reconsider as only a slight learning curve for great experinces and usually cheaper then there electronic counter parts. Would recommend lily, but she can get a bit rough on the throat. There's the daisy which everyone says is a smooth beast, there's the lotus which hear with j-hook is smooth and easily able to attach to water pipes, there's the zion coming out which from what read is a beast, the vapcap which once George gets the PayPal issue dealt with should be a great little vape. Not sure if limiting self to portable but if not your choices open up more from the e-Nano and underdog to herbie. The mighty is a great vape. No draw restriction, solid build, and great temp crontrol. It has its down sides too such as batteries aren't replacable and cooks the whole time (which more person to person issue, only bothers me when took to big a hit and start chocking). It really comes down to doing research and not give up due to unsatisfing vapes. I believe there's a vape for everyone, just gotta find it. Best of luck to you finding the one and hope I atleast helped a little

 

[1DMF]

Those butane look a little fiddly and dangerous, I'm too clumsy and know I'll be grabbing that glass pipe by my hands straight after use! I see you have a Grasshoper on order, they look interesting, but with an expected delivery of December at the earliest, I'm wondering what they did with all that crowd sourcing $$$

 

[vapebuddy13]

the closest feeling to smoking I feel would be torch vapes, which you seem to not be for (me neither lol)
GH would be great but like you said, very far away for a order placed now, its mainly them taking forever to make sure they have everything right and even now they're working out kinks so probably not the best "purchase that will last" The airizer air/solo have plenty of followers that have great things to say and they seem to hold up pretty well. The Haze is great (and the only one I have actually used/have) vapes everything pretty darn well and has a 10 year warranty and probably one of the best customer service I have ever seen so that will definitely last (they also have an upgrade program that is a 1 time cost and you get lifetime upgrades)

 

[hackslasher]

Burned myself quite a bit the first day with lily.... but only on rare occasion after that. Personally I find butane more sturdy, less parts and what not, and a lot made from wood which find to be amazing. Think the GH just having lot of draw backs and finally getting to the point were there all ironed out. Can't be easy getting such a powerful heater working in such a small body with out issues arising. If set on an electric vape recommend looking into the zion. Has that on-demand heat like the GH, shorter wait time for order to be shipped (october) and assuming smooth vapor due to using the stem. Main difference I see is the size so if fine with a bit bulkier zion may be the way to go.

 

[1DMF]

The only thing with the haze is dual bowl, perhaps for hardcore caners, that's a good thing, but I have very little funds to waste on the precious green, and so bowl size is a factor for me.

I generally smoke alone (how sad am I), so something that is good for a single person occasional hitter is certainly part of my consideration.

The size of the bowl on the Titan 2, is too big for a single person, small session in my opinion. So have concerns with the dual bowl haze also it seems there is a pre-order gap as the V3 has just launched, and can't find it available in UK yet?

 

[Pyr0]

just because the bowl is that size, doesn't mean you have to fill it.
I reduced the chamber size of the stems for my Arizer air by using an extra domed screen.
and if I only want to use half a bowl in my Mighty, I just put a screen on top of the flowers

 

[vapebuddy13]

The only thing with the haze is dual bowl, perhaps for hardcore caners, that's a good thing, but I have very little funds to waste on the precious green, and so bowl size is a factor for me.

I generally smoke alone (how sad am I), so something that is good for a single person occasional hitter is certainly part of my consideration.

The size of the bowl on the Titan 2, is too big for a single person, small session in my opinion. So have concerns with the dual bowl haze also it seems there is a pre-order gap as the V3 has just launched, and can't find it available in UK yet?

there are dual bowls, but they heat separately and not not the biggest bowls along with the fact that they work well with just about any size load. I dont use a whole lot myself, I get a decent bowl and vape away, if its on the fuller side I'll do like half a session, get good and go back to finish it a little later. The dual bowls are mainly for convenience that you can just go from one to the next if desired rather than emptying and refilling

 

[1DMF]

I see, knew I come to the right place for some good advice from those in the know :-)

Having looked further at vapes in my price range < £200, and reading some more reviews, I have put the Da Vinci Ascent on my radar list, it is certainly not the most expensive and appears to have all glass air-path - any thoughts on this vape?

I can't see on the haze website them mention the air-path but the choice of both methods of heating interests me and of course a 10 year warranty sounds great.

If we didn't have such draconian laws in the UK, I could pop down to my local head shop and try them out!

Edit: Looks like the Zion is US only!

 

[vapebuddy13]

I see, knew I come to the right place for some good advice from those in the know :-)

Having looked further at vapes in my price range < £200, and reading some more reviews, I have put the Da Vinci Ascent on my radar list, it is certainly not the most expensive and appears to have all glass air-path - any thoughts on this vape?

I can't see on the haze website them mention the air-path but the choice of both methods of heating interests me and of course a 10 year warranty sounds great.

If we didn't have such draconian laws in the UK, I could pop down to my local head shop and try them out!

Edit: Looks like the Zion is US only!

dont know much about the Ascent, but the Haze heating (conduction/convection) is all through the use of the different screens or cans.

and that's right, the Zion is still a beta thing so they started sending a handful internationally and then stopped taking int orders while they look at everything and decide if the certifications and whatnot are worth it I believe

 

[1DMF]

I was going through the vape critic reviews again and found this : http://www.vapecritic.com/vaporizers/air/

WTH :- That's the VS2 isn't it? $199 and a good review for the worst smelling plastic I have come across, is the VS2 a clone / copy of this or has Vape Critic lost the plot?

 

[Pyr0]

Yeah, unfortunately there's a few companies taking cheap chinese vapes, rebranding them and marking up the prices.

I try to stick to user opinions and experiences rather than vape reviews.

 

[CarolKing]

It sounds like you are leaning towards a portable unit.

I have the Ascent and it's an excellent vaporizer. It has a fairly large oven so many folks decide to use a spacer inside. Davinci has come out with glass spacers for the Ascent. It has a bit of a learning curve but it would be a good vaporizer. You can touch the buttons to the exact temp that you want for your unique vaporizing experience. If you want to use wax I would suggest using cotton or hemp fiber to wrap it in. Or you can make what we call an "herb sandwich" you put your wax or shatter in the middle of the herb and vaporize it that way. The glass cans really don't work for wax. The Ascent can be used and plugged in at the same time. Check out the Ascent thread.

Have you thought about Arizer's portables? Their products are made well with excellent materials. The Arizer Air is the latest portable. It's very sleek and stealth and has pretty good flavor. Its very easy to get to know and is made well. The Solo is larger than the Air and it's very similar. The Air has user replaceable batteries so that makes it very portable. You can buy as many batteries as you think you will need. Often I suggest the Solo as a first vaporizer, you might think it's a bit large for a portable. It's about the size of a can of Red Bull. I refer to it as the workshorse of portables. Both the Air and the Solo have the all glass air path and can be used while plugged in. The Solo and the Air have a 2 year warranty. The Solo's battery has a year warranty, but the user can replace it fairly easily - there's a video somewhere on the Solo thread.

The vaporizers that you are really interested in, read through about 20 pages of the thread. It's a tough decision buying a vaporizer. You don't know if you are going to like it or not? I would suggest going with a good online store such as Puff It Up or another store on FC. I go with Puff It Up a lot if they sell the particular vaporizer that I'm looking for - stellar customer service.

Some portables in the marketplace are almost like a throw away unit. Once the battery is toast there's nothing you can do. Maybe the unit is only 5 or 6 months old and you are out the money that you spent.

I have several portable vaporizers and a couple of log vapes. Eventually you may decide on a plug in model. The plug in desk style vaporizers and log vapes are more powerful and they hold up longer than a portable. The Enano has a lifetime warranty for FCers.

• VapoShop (Europe)
  
• PlanetVape.ca (GTA)
  
• Puff It Up! Vaporizers

 

[ragnorak71]

i would recommend vapefiend for uk, used a fair bit and always well dealt with

arizer portable is definitely a good job whether air or solo depending on what you can get hold of

whereabouts in blighty do you hail from? mayhaps a member is near with gear you can test

 

[Mr. Whitewall]

Hello @1DMF,

Regarding the Zion yes, It does say 'Please Note: USA Shipping only.' but it also states: 'Please complete the FEEDBACK form for special international request'...AFAIK from what has been recently said on its thread, RBT is prioritising FC customers for the first run of Zions/TODs/UrS18's, so you still can make it.
Don't take my word for it if you head over to their thread I'm sure he, TKW or any of the beta testers will confirm.

Then again this is one of many options, IMO the best vape for YOU is the one that better suits YOUR needs!

Welcome to the vapor trail!

 

[Tommy10]

Sounds like you need an airizer solo to set you up for x amount of months/years till you need/want/physically must buy a new vape. I tried the Titans, was lucky enough tk get a couple Titan ones that worked alright still going too id imagine but wouldn't use them nowadays. Got a Titan 3 it was horrid, I'd say don't waste any more money on crap ones (snoop pen + the others could easily add up to arizer solo territory) get a good one, you will save weed enjoy it more and have something robust and fool proof to keep you glued to the computer screen researching your next purchase on

Also if you smoked pipe baccy check out the vg, pretty easy to get the hang of, half the price again of the solo which is already reasonable priced, will taste better than the yukky Titans and last a life time in theory.

 

[little maggie]

If you don't want a butane vaporizer, I second or third one of the Arizer portables. Both work well with water which increases the mildness. I generally use a very small amount in any vaporizer- probably less than I'm supposed to- and both work well with that. I also think the Haze is great. You can fill only 1 side and use it or both sides and use them at different times. What sets the Haze apart, to me, is the incredible customer service. At any point you can also get the upgrade which is good for life. You can upgrade at any time so can wait for months until you have a little more money.

 

[1DMF]

Thanks, really appreciate all the input and advice.

Very interesting that you are all turning me on to the Arizer... I did a web chat with namastevapes.co.uk last night to get their opinion, as they seem to be a good supplier in the UK at competitive prices and seem to have great customer feedback.

Though as I have found with Vape Critic, all reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt (they are probably trying to sell you something), as that Titan 3 / VS2 / AirVape is disgusting! - looks awesome, smells abysmal, I refuse to even use it.

Though I must admit , the Titan 2 smell after 2 days of nothing but burn offs is disappearing, but so far I've stuck with the Titan 4 / VS3 (firefly copy) - still not right, but I think that is probably air path, not burning plastic, I'm too scared to open it to find out, being the only working vape I currently have!

Anyways, the web chat with namastevapes recommended Arizer Air to me , after discussing with them all the glass air-path vaporizer options they stocked. They said they would go Arizer, FireFly, Ascent in that order.

Would you all agree with that recommendation?

Yes I am looking at portable, and dry herb only, we can't get any concentrates / waxes etc in the UK, well that I know of, finding a reliable herb provider is getting harder the older I get, as I don't go raving anymore and am no longer 'down with the cool kids'.

I hope and pray that the legislation in the USA works out and is adopted over here, so we can finally get some decent shit at a fair price and a proper weight under the weights and measures act with proper quality control, no glass or sugar water spray etc. and some proper Moroccan soap , yum, yum ;-)

Incidentally, which of the portables can do hashish (solid) soapbar? - I crumbled some in my G-Pen and now the heating element is kaput!

 

[phattpiggie]

My Titan 2 didn't smell or taste bad after a few burn in's and a bit of usage.
I would also recommend @VapeFiend.com they are great to deal with. My mate has a Storm which works well.
The Zion and it's siblings are my point of interest I don't think many will argue that convection is best for flavor. You may have to wait a while but it should be well worth it.
I would have to say steer clear of cheap units you get what you pay for. If its cheap and plastic then there is a good chance it will taste that way. I also wouldn't recommend Soapbar to anyone it's been shown to contain sand and fecal matter. I know it's hard in the UK to avoid sometimes and if you have to use it try part filling with weed then soapbar then weed at least it can't move around and cause any more damage.
All the best and keep an eye on the Zion train.
PP

 

[1DMF]

I also wouldn't recommend Soapbar to anyone it's been shown to contain sand and fecal matter.

Hence wanting proper quality control, because if you go to Morocco and get the real stuff, it's gorgeous and my favorite... and don't forget Afghan black (also know as red seal)... What about Nepalese temple ball - if you ever come across it, grab it with both hands!!!! All hash is as good as the manufacturing process and ingredients, just like these vapes!

A lot of hash has plastic in it to weigh it down and weed is sprayed with god knows what for the same reason... legalise it, regulate it, quality control it, and everyone is a winner :-)

 

[phattpiggie]

I agree totally with the regulation and proper control but I just can't see it happening here.
Hash was the only thing we had at one point and some was very nice.
I hope you find the unit for you.
I am waiting on the adjustable single battery Zion it may be a while before I see one but I can wait.
I may get a lot more jittery if my Inhalater 05 packs in. If you look at my posts on the 05 thread you will understand why I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[1DMF]

Yup, weed has taken over, especially the skunk, mainly domestically grown with who knows what pesticides and baby bio and then sprayed with glass!

I miss the old days of real choice and variation in the hash to the weed from Durban poison, Thai stick, African bush and purple haze days to Passport slate, Gold / Yellow / Red seal, Afghani black, Lebanese, Moroccan... the list is endless, now it's just punk skunk!

Looked at the 05 thread, but it's 90 pages long, care to assist with where you want me to look exactly.

 

[phattpiggie]

No need to bother yourself with reading all the 05 thread mate just look for posts made by myself or Ruta.
Good product when it works but very dubious behavior by the company itself.
All the best in your search.