Discontinued Old City Diffusers

[Old City Diffusers]

Iwien,

I am sorry if I have offended you ........., I guess I sometimes get frustrated toward the mentality of "forum" conversation.

No need to apologize and no offense taken.

It is totally understandable why one would want to defend something that they have given birth to and has a passion with that which they have created.

I, on the other hand, has pretty much ingrained in my DNA, a desire to play devils advocate, and to challenge new ideas and new products. I do it all the time and am not targeting the OCD by any means. I sincerely hope that you don't take my comments personally, for they are not meant to personally offend, but rather to possibly bring a different perspective and viewpoint in contrast to popular opinions.

again, I admire aim of a conversation with the idea of a better understanding of a "Truth", but again some of your comments seem to border more along the lines of speculation, I hope I don't have to speak of this again and if you want to talk to me on those lines please email me or call me (weston@oldcitydiffusers.com and I'll give you my phone number) but something like a forum where your entire conversation is well documented, it seems like this is the occasion where we should deeply focus on what is at hand rather then just playing a role...


on a semi related note: I just dropped my laptop off the table and will have to re-solder the wires again to get it to charge - it may be tonight or if I get to another computer till I can respond... but if all those reading can respond please let me know how you feel about the upcoming changes

 

[elmomuzz]

Today will be day 3 of me letting it run all day. Yesterday it did seem less smelly then day one. I'll see how today goes.

When you hit it the taste is great so the smell doesn't effect the flavor much.

I understand your maxim for rigorous testing, however I am in the process of changing the heater. So maybe you might want to save the rigorous testing for the next unit? but its your OCD and you can do what you wish to it. I tried to advise against leaving the unit on for days on end but I guess there is a predisposition to want to do that to wooden vaporizers because of the design of other log vapes on the market, but I could be wrong. I hope your enjoying your OCD and I am working to iron out the kinks so you can have a product that will meet your needs, let me know if there is anything I can do for you.

I turn it off at night but during the day I medicate pretty often so taking into account the warmup time leaving it on all day is my best option. 14 watts is the position I am happy with.

I will test it again now to make sure it still works.

 

[Gunky]

Hey Old City Diffusers! Kudos for all the efforts you are making on this new vape. I look forward to hearing about the new version. I like to support this sort of thing and will probably pick one up when the design stabilizes.

 

[lwien]

I hope I don't have to speak of this again and if you want to talk to me on those lines please email me or call me (weston@oldcitydiffusers.com and I'll give you my phone number) but something like a forum where your entire conversation is well documented, it seems like this is the occasion where we should deeply focus on what is at hand rather then just playing a role...

Wes, I am keenly aware of my contribution here, and while it may ruffle a few feathers from time to time, I think it comes with the territory and while I appreciate your offer for a private conversation, I believe that these discussions are more beneficial for everyone involved if expressed publicly.

But as I've said before, I wish you nothing but the best. Your customer support as well as your continuing open dialog here is much appreciated.

There is a niche for a vaporizer such as this and I do hope that some of these improvements will provide a viable product to fill that niche.

 

[charliedontsurf]

Golf clap to OCD for being so kind and responsive to the community, and for standing behind his product.

 

[Guest]

i'm so sick-and-tired of lwien. this message board has too many rules...so noone can quote lwien and tell him to FUCK OFF.

we have all these rules and it creates a character like lwien who comments when he can to "stir the pot" and most of his comments are very passive agressive. he knows exactly how far he can go without getting banned. it's bullshit.

message board censorship just allows people to agrue more and the place gets more and more shitty because they HAVE to be so coy when arguing.

that said, lwein please fuck off and go make out with your pruple days, faggot.


Mod Note: I dont give a fuck about being banned. i have thousands of proxies at my disposal. you might want to manually activate accounts for awhile.

 

[lwien]

.......he knows exactly how far he can go without getting banned. it's bullshit.

Huh? I've been banned before.

 

[wthanna]

...so you created a new user account because you couldn't tell him using your "real" name?

I would like to say, I appreciate Lwein's contribution to this forum. We need many points of view here, and "rules" keep it civilized.

 

[collegerower]

..

I would like to say, I appreciate Lwein's contribution to this forum. We need many points of view here, and "rules" keep it civilized.

I agree. I may not always agree with him, but I think he does ask some questions that I think deserve to be answered. You are definitely appreciated by myself, and I am sure many others.

Back to the OCD. I am following this thread very closely. I love the idea of this vape, and great job founding it yourself!

 

[Ennui Cookout]

Eep. Day two of ownership and I've somehow managed to break one of the glass tubes along the tip/bowl side trying to slip it back out of the unit. It fits almost too snug and I'm not even attempting to fit it all the way into the heating chamber. Working it out has required a bit of a twist. I don't think I used any real pressure in any direction other than out, but it just suddenly crumbled and I just had to pick up an assortment of tiny glass shards.

Hopefully it's just a fluke and I'm not criminally retarded.

EDIT: Upon a lot more time with this unit, it's because I was criminally retarded. You don't need to really push the tube in at all for a true fit, you just need to feel for the seal while inhaling and hold it right there. If you use too much force here and it gets in there deep you might do exactly what I did trying to pull it out which will usually be when you end your hit. You also might want to ask Wes about buying some glass picks he's made for mixing the bowl between hits. I don't really have a proper tool on hand that does the job well and I bet they'd work nice. Just thought I'd share.

 

[the ob]

..

I would like to say, I appreciate Lwein's contribution to this forum. We need many points of view here, and "rules" keep it civilized.

I agree. I may not always agree with him, but I think he does ask some questions that I think deserve to be answered. You are definitely appreciated by myself, and I am sure many others.

Back to the OCD. I am following this thread very closely. I love the idea of this vape, and great job founding it yourself!

I agree with all of this. I have started my own business and know how difficult it can be. I wish you the best wes and look forward to the improvements you are making. I look forward to adding one of these to my arsenal in the future.

 

[lwien]

Thanks guys. Much appreciated. I know I can be a pain in the ass sometimes but I hope that I contribute more than I disrupt.

Anyways, back to OCD.

 

[Progress]

I stopped in to see what the design changes of the OCD entail, but instead found a discussion about Lwein that has nothing to do with the OCD. Shit happens...

Anyhow, I was wondering if someone could describe what the changes are, and why they were made (and hopefully get this thread back on track).

 

[the ob]

I stopped in to see what the design changes of the OCD entail, but instead found a discussion about Lwein that has nothing to do with the OCD. Shit happens...

Anyhow, I was wondering if someone could describe what the changes are, and why they were made (and hopefully get this thread back on track).

progress,
if you read above you will see wes explains what all the changes are about.......

number #321

 

[Old City Diffusers]

I covered a lot of information and why but it was pushed to the backburner...please check a few pages back..

 

[420Tom]

First, I want to say what a pleasure it is dealing with Wes. He really goes out of his way to answer any question.

Secondly, I am using my OCD daily. The size of the glass tubes is ideal for getting a loosely packed amount of herb by sucking it like a straw. The quantity is just right for getting me to where I want to be. (With the PD, it takes me 3-4 stems) And the taste...well, once you have the temperature dialed in (I used a kill-a-watt and set it somewhere between 13.7-14 watts), the taste is magnificent. (The wood smell doesn't enter into it when you are hitting it.) Taste is definitily of supreme importance to me (second only to the effect of my meds--or is that affect, I can never get that fight.

I know that Wes has already stated a lot of the information that I am posting below, but because of the nature of the boards, I figured that I would post his email to me to answer any questions or concerns that others might be having: (My questions in italics)

A wood smell that seems to permeate the room. It doesn't affect the hit or the taste of the hit.

The wood smell is common and it is due to the fact that the OCD uses a much larger (in size) heating element then other log vaporizers. There is a ceramic lining between the heating element and the wood but when you are heating a material to temperatures beyond 200C with a large heating element it becomes difficult to stop the heat dissipation from the element to the outer wood housing, which is causing the "woodsy" smell that you may come in contact with. Solution - I'll be using a much smaller heating element that is probably encased in glass that will not create so much heat dissipation and isolate the heat to where it is needed.

The wattage to the heater fluctuates. I assume that this means that the heat temperature is fluctuating as well. Nothing too extreme, but it would go from 13.9 watts to 14.3...(from my limited experience, looking at the ABV, maybe 385-420)

Wattage fluctuation - This is normal, not only does the voltage vary from house to house (110-120) but it will generally vary from outlet to outlet. Even sophisticated temperature controllers very in wattage and this one uses a simple rheostat for you to control heat temperatures. Not only that but while the heater is being heated or cooled the nichrome wire will fluctuate in wattage due to resistance in the heating element ( that is how the heater works) so a .4 difference and fluctuation in wattage is something we may not have control over. Solution: I am in the process of working with an engineer to develop an actual temperature controller and I believe in combination with a new smaller heating element that this might solve the smell and heat dissipation problems and correct the premature cracking problems.

Is there an easy way to clean the tubes...(actually cleaning the tubes is easy...is there an easy way to get the screen and the o-ring seated back in place? )

3. I do not like to use harsh chemicals, so it gets a little tricky when you go green. I assemble the vaportubes using simple stainless steel dentist tools and could be disassembled using probably even the most primitive tools. I will admit its not that fun to seat the stainless steel filter on the lip, but you don't have to do it often. I have been experimenting using different ways to clean the vaportubes but the safest bet may be to boil it in water in the microwave but I will test this tonight and get back to you to ensure that it does not have any detrimental effects on the vapor tubes, the only thing I can think of is thermal shock, but the vapor tubes are made of genuine borosilicate glass which is used in lab-ware and is known for its ability to accept a decent amount of thermal shock.

4. the wood at the top is cracked slightly. It doesn't create any problem, just wanted to let you know.

Wood cracking - this is unfortunate and has happened quicker than I had anticipated with the first 2 batches that were sent out. The strange thing is I had used the same setup as you guys for months without cracking and it seems as though the units you guys have received are prematurely cracking. I admit I am the perfect example of Murphys law, so I should have assumed this would happen. Solution: What is most likely going to happen, I'll be working my hardest this next few months to correct the problems (mainly to much heat dissipation) and possibly adding a temperature controller to the mix. This should entail a much smoother (less smelly, although I like the smell but again - a subjective point of view) less hot, safer, and more controllable heater. Most if not 100% of the people who purchased the first few units will get a completely new unit, it will just take some time for me to figure out the problems. The process of the temperature controller will take the longest to get developed and costs a massive amount of money for me, so to be 100% honest it will take some time. I am not able to design a temperature controller myself and produce it (should be fairly obvious I'm not engineer), but I am working on it as we speak. The most important part won't even be the temp. controller for the fix but a major revamp of the heater and heat exchanger setup.


I'm sorry for the problems you have been having and they WILL be fixed, I appreciate your email and the things you have said and I try to take all of this into consideration and the problems that you have been having will be dealt with within the next change. For the note on temperature controls, your idea is actually one that was paralleling mine, I don't believe I'll be using an exact temperature readout - the readout itself will be in the form of power or percentage used. Thanks again and let me know if you have any other questions/comments!

Best regards,
tom

 

[Ennui Cookout]

Alright, finally on some useful commentary from me so far as how this thing performs. I am only one stem in and this is one of the happiest experiences I've ever had vaporizing. It's very relaxing to use, it reminds me somewhat of a whip vape with the size and quality of hits yet there's far more of an element of control on how long material is on the heater and I'd say that's a good thing to have.

I let it run for 30 minutes on max and dropped it to 14v and just started hitting it with the shortest vapor tube. It's not dry like my Volcano and the taste is there where it simply isn't on my Launch Box. I'd never get rid of those other two vapes now since they still have their function, but I think this is going to be my daily driver for a while.

This has done nothing to end my vape collecting urges. If anything, I want to try the other logs more now and probably gift some away to friends like I have with several Launch Boxes. And I know a Cloud is going to happen day one, since i have the money set aside for one.

I'd love to give a more detailed review, but currently I am experiencing

 

[lwien]

........it reminds me somewhat of a whip vape with the size and quality of hits yet there's far more of an element of control on how long material is on the heater and I'd say that's a good thing to have.

That's why some people prefer the SSV over the DBV, eh? Non-hands free versus hands free.

 

[jeffp]

Good point. I like the non hands free aspect of my SSV in that you have a bit more control; it's a little easier to remove the wand and it's always out and ready for stirring.
A nice creative challenge would be an upright holder for the wand between hits.

 

[Old City Diffusers]

Good point. I like the non hands free aspect of my SSV in that you have a bit more control; it's a little easier to remove the wand and it's always out and ready for stirring.
A nice creative challenge would be an upright holder for the wand between hits.

Could you eloborate a little more for my sake? Are you referring to making a holder for the OCD wands? If there is a feature you want I could always try to make something that might suit your needs.. Not completely familiar with the ssv so if you could key me in that would be great...

 

[jeffp]

No Wes, sorry - I got off topic, we took a left turn and were talking about the non hands free SSV and what's good about it compared with hands free whip based vapes..

 

[Ennui Cookout]

Hey, just thought I'd drop in with some tips if you're one of the folks who bought this excellent vape. Specifically this is just on taking care of the glass vaportubes:

- As I mentioned above, I managed to crack one trying to stick it in too deep and pull it out. Don't do this, hell, don't even worry about it really being 'in' there. Just hold it close enough to form a seal and it'll slip in on its own a little with time. Plant matter will still vaporize and you'll still get good hits without it being jammed in.

- The tubes clog if you try to put too much plant matter in. Don't. If you're packing it hard with your finger or trying to fill it, you're not going to get good efficient results. It should fit in the tube loosely and after a good hit or two actually be taking up about half of the chamber as it compresses.

- Speaking of clogging -- that little rubber stopper and screen don't really have a groove they fit into on my tube or anything. As you pick and clean it, since it DOES get dirty/gummy fairly quick -- you run risk of pushing the screen/rubber donut about and opening the chance that you're sucking smaller bits of plant matter up the tube. You'll know what this looks like from some whip vapes, I'm sure. So be careful pushing around.

- Refitting the screen and stopper can be done really fast with a pair of rounded wooden chopsticks I had. Just a pair of Japanese disposable bamboo chopsticks. I know Wes mentioned using dental tools. Anyway, push the screen in from the bowl side until it's at that rim part of the glass with one stick --use another stick to push the rubber donut down the other end and kinda just use the pair of chopsticks to hammer it back into place. It'll stay pretty good and solid and you won't be losing bits of plant up the tube when aligned well enough. Looking down the bowl and the other end help, but you're going to see some optical distortion due to the glass. Don't worry too much -- this may seem like a long tedious process but I got it down to a minute or two after trying it a few times.

- To those with Kill-o-Watt meters, I've found it best to keep the unit plugged into one so you can monitor temp. 14 watts isn't ALWAYS the same place on the dial. It does drift somewhat and I've found that the heating unit runs around 19~ watts at max when it was up to 20.3 when I first started using it. So there's a bit of drift. Which leads me to...

- If you own this unit, just pick up a Kill-o-Watt. It's like $17 at Fry's and there's fancy-pants ones that can calculate your electric bill for running it all the time and such after programming it for $10 more. Amazon has them as well in stock. Very handy things to have around in general, but with the OCD it's the best way to find your preferred temp.

Anyway, hopefully this helps out someone! I'm still enjoying this vape a lot and I've packed my Volcano away for now, awaiting the next party where someone wants to play with it. My LaunchBox even sees less use now and I loved that thing.

 

[MacRadish]

A nice creative challenge would be an upright holder for the wand between hits.

Off Topic reply

I nailed two finishing nails to a wall and shrunk a bit of heat shrink over each to hang the SSV wand/hose vertical, keeps it neatly out of the way and real easy to "just hang" when done. First pair of nails were for the standard wand to just catch the flared edges and then another pair the spherical version.

 

[jeffp]

A nice creative challenge would be an upright holder for the wand between hits.

Off Topic reply

I nailed two finishing nails to a wall and shrunk a bit of heat shrink over each to hang the SSV wand/hose vertical, keeps it neatly out of the way and real easy to "just hang" when done. First pair of nails were for the standard wand to just catch the flared edges and then another pair the spherical version.

good simple idea. the plastic heat shrink would prevent scratching - is that right?

 

[Mithras]

Does anyone one know when this unit will be available internationally?

Im in Australia by the way.