Multi-brand Novae by TopBond

[Flower of empathy]

So, i've officially applied to send it back, no matter how slow the draw is, it feels like there is a 'bypass' airflow leak that kills the convection heating, after 3-5 min the conduction kicks in and at least some visible vapor appears... - let's see if @VapoShop can sort it out and give us a heads up if it really was defective, or maybe even a teardown ?

But i've got at least some pics for size comparison:
From left: Mighty, Flowermate V5, Novae, Fenix Mini(Fury)

The bowl seems almost exact the dimensions of the Flowermate V5 - the capsules fit perfect in size
(on the right side edge of the inner oval ring the plastic appears 'wet', that did not go away with warm water and soap...)

And here the bottom, Battery door on the right and (supposed) isolated air intake on the left

 

[KeroZen]

And what if it was just a classic conduction vape? Tried tamping the load to make a puck and drawing very slowly?

 

[Flower of empathy]

Yes, i've tried everything i could think of - if it was really only meant to be conduction, it would be way behind my antique flowermate with only one temp...
Actually u can 'peek' through the bottom intake or bowl holes and look through the heating tube/airpath to the other side - seems like a coil inside but hard to tell 4 sure.
Guess kind of similar to the Odin heater (from their page):

 

[The Symbiosis]

Hey guys,
Was searching for some reviews on the Novae and found this discussion.
Getting a new vaporizer in a few days, and wondering between the TopBond Novae, the XMAX Starry V2, or the Weecke Fenix; any opinions and advises are welcome!
Cheers

 

[PPN]

Novae is supposed to be convection although first feedbacks doesn't seems very good...

X-Mas Starry is full conduction but works very well, a large t° range, replacable battery and pretty stealth, not bad.

Weecke Fenix is an hybrid vape (convection+conduction) which produce tasty small clouds. Battery life, quality of the components and design didn't pleased to me and I sold it.

I would avoid the Novae since the not very good feedbacks but you might be brave and order one for the community's knowledge. The Starry is a solid design and the Fenix would be the best bet if you are short in money (you can find some for very cheap if you don't mind to wait for shipping delays).

Welcome in FC!

 

[Pimpslapper]

The xvape fog is also nice

 

[Flower of empathy]

Well, i tried to avoid saying too much about performance bc it would be unfair if the unit turns out defective - i just cant believe TopBond introduces a vape that is worse than the 1year old odin... maybe it is just as simple as the silicone seal between MP and chamber is not tight.
Besides that the built quality is decent, heavy metal shell, taste was quite good the first draws.
Still undecided if i should go for a replacement or switch to the xmax fog, well i am still one week on vacation to make up my mind...
As PPN stated, the fenix mini is a tiny decent little vape, but battery sucks with about 30min running time. Maybe also look into the fog, the more convection brother of the starry.

 

[Mr. Me2]

Hey guys,
Was searching for some reviews on the Novae and found this discussion.
Getting a new vaporizer in a few days, and wondering between the TopBond Novae, the XMAX Starry V2, or the Weecke Fenix; any opinions and advises are welcome!
Cheers

I suggest you add the Fury2 to your short list....

 

[The Symbiosis]

Thanks guys, unfortunately I cannot go over this choices, as they gave me quite limited options for the exchange of the constantly defective Dabstorm 2.0.

The options given were the following, from which I've selected those 3 (they don't accept me to pay the difference for a higher range vap)

https://www.vaposhop.com/vaporizers/?filter=price-7-99

 

[MrPatrickMr]

Vaposhop send me a new package, lets see whats inside, hoping for WPA and oil capsule.

 

[Flower of empathy]

The predecessor of the novae, the odin is still a decent vape imo, that s why i jumped into the cold water... Not too much talk here about it, but its pocket friendly with the mouthpiece stored in the body and therefore more stealth to transport than the novae

 

[PPN]

Happy to say a Novae will be sent to me!

So, stay tuned for my review...

the odin is still a decent vape imo

I agree, and it's main quality was the smooth vapor comparable to the Fury, and the Torch is very, very, very small and powerfull vape I still use.... and like.

 

[PPN]

Yes I agree the Odin is a very good vape for the price and I like a lot the Torch too, very stealth and powerfull. A Novae is on my way and I will post my review here as soon as the testing will be done!

 

[Flower of empathy]

Can't wait - hope u have more luck than me, as i stated taste was nice and clean, no visible offgasing but after the tera start production faults, i'm just sceptic if there is some small fault somewhere, at least with my unit. My consequence is to stay away from the unproven stuff (at least for now ) - in theory the heater design looked nice

 

[PPN]

i'm just sceptic if there is some small fault somewhere

Why? I just remenber you reported a thin vapor production... at worst it might be a underpowered heater or air leaks but nothing about health concerns similar to the Tera off-gassing, isn't it? I'll let you know when I get it but I'm glad the taste is clean in your opinion!

 

[Flower of empathy]

Yes, nothing concerning health wise (i hope i didn't look inside) - but a leaky seal results in bad performance and still is one important fault too much for me it produces vapor, but only after 5min when conduction takes over, it seemed that it is not as much air is drawn in through the bottom inlet as it should imo

 

[PPN]

Yes, nothing concerning health wise (i hope i didn't look inside) - but a leaky seal results in bad performance and still is one important fault too much for me it produces vapor, but only after 5min when conduction takes over, it seemed that it is not as much air is drawn in through the bottom inlet as it should imo

Ok I understand... I will let you know my personnal feedback very soon since a unit is on my way.

Did you tried it with a bubbler with a very long steady draw? different load packing and grind size?

 

[PPN]

My Novae might be delivered today... but I had the bad surprise to have to pay taxes, with most retailers/manufacturers I haven't to pay any tax if they don't mention any price on the package, 25€ of taxes is not a lot but try to avoid that for your future customers (I'm not one cause I'll get this unit for free, that's why i don't complain a lot about to have to pay this unexpected fees).

Can I say I'm pretty curious to test it even if the first feedbacks aren't the best...

 

[PPN]

The Novae I received seems to get the same issue the others guys mentionned, vapor production is not impressive at all but the vapor is pretty tasty and potent, I understand this is Strange but even if there is a very whispy vapor in my bubbler, I'm still blowing decent clouds (not large for sure) with this terpènes rush which make me cough... and medicated.

For me the conduction effect kick in only when most of the goodie and taste is already depleted (after 1 cycle you are still in the convection /hybrid world, if you power it again for a 2nd cycle you are in the conduction territory after a few hits), so most of the session is convection oriented.

Building quality is awesome for the price, a lot better than the previous vaporizers this manufacturer made and a lot better than the concurrence. It feel very great in hands and looks better in person than in the pictures.

The great new is the manufacturer will try to improve it in order to get a better clouds production. I hope they will be able to keep the awesome taste too. For now it's a device for flavor chasers, very stealth and effective with your meds (abv comes out fully browned if you last the session with a few hits at max temp).

Stay tuned for the new version or go for it if you are a connoisseur and like to enjoy the best taste on the go!

More to come (+ pics)!

 

[Flower of empathy]

Is it the same that when u cover the bottom air intake holes it doesn't change the airflow resistance ?
Any chance for some inside pics of the unit? i'd love to see where the extra air enters...

 

[PPN]

Is it the same that when u cover the bottom air intake holes it doesn't change the airflow resistance ?
Any chance for some inside pics of the unit? i'd love to see where the extra air enters...

You are right, cover the air intake with your finger doesn't change the airflow at all, they have to improve this to be sure the airpath is sealed. Airflow is pretty restrictive with my unit, I like a bit of restriction but here this is too much!

Just want to quote myself when I told this unit get the best taste for connoisseurs.... I exagerated a bit (Critical+ is the culprit) but the taste is very good and pure for a such small priced unit. I hope the manufacturer will solve the issue and make this vape a true contender.

 

[PPN]

Hi, I come back here to show some love for this vape. After initial testing I put it back in a box cause I thought it was not nice enough . But I test it again since yesterday and want to say I was slightly influenced by others posters experiences.

So I like how fast it heat up, I like the taste for the first few minutes (one of the best tasty vape under 100$), it produces clouds, maybe not the bigger but big enough to satisfy me and I like a lot the solid building quality (as well the quality Samsung 25R battery provided). The battery lid is one of the better I seen and it seems very durable (better than the Fog, Starry or FM lids), it feel great in hands and I like the ceramic mp.

The main cons I can see are the power button sequence and button placement which lead to power on the unit while in the pocket. The imperfect isolated airpath is another cons. The slightly restricted airflow doesn't bother me a lot but I know it will be an issue with others guys.

Finally I can say the Novae come back in my portable routine and I even vaped a kief bowl wrapped in coton with success, a very enjoyable smooth session!

edit: I don't want to deny others posters experience with the Novae but just want to point that I'm pretty satisfied with it... finally!

 

[Bigkid]

Hi guys,
I got a new novae a few days ago and then found this thread. Can anyone give comparision between novae and odin?
I find the vapor is a little hot (me only? maybe cuz i'm new) and putting in the pocket is not convenient because of the mouth piece. Is the odin's vapor cooler?

 

[PPN]

Hi welcome in FC @Bigkid !

My Odin was gone away a long time ago but I remenber it was pretty smooth for the throat ( something I appreciate in most conduction vaporizers). Here the Novae is supposed to be hybrid since the heating element might not be wrapped around the bowl but placed under it... although with time the heat transfer to the load via conduction explaining why this vape is cloudier in the 2nd half session.... but in iot's first part it works a bit like a convection vape and you have to pull lot of hot air to get vapor... and all this hot air is a bit agressive on your throat.

This is my explanation, to avoid that give it some time between hits like in a classic conduction vape to let the vapor to build in the chamber... you'll get cloudier hits with a short inhalation... not the best for the taste!

 

[Bigkid]

Hi @PPN , thank you for your reply. I've had a good time with the novae since then. I think I've understand it better after a few times using. However maybe the herb I used was stored for too long, that I didnt get the expected effect as I did (same herbs, with joint).
I will try it with new herb in the next few days and see if it can bring me high. It looks like this vapor is so new that this is the only topic I can find on the internet.