18MM version is certainly possible, there's actually a render of it on my Instagram as one of the first posts; but there’s already so many devices in that size to compete with. I’m really trying to stay in my own lane here. Plus the first 7 versions I made were already 18mm which I’ve been testing heavily since 2019. I didn't really downsize to 14MM in an attempt to stand out from other ball vapes, that change was inspired by using my 14MM SCVW and seeing how powerful it is with such small amounts of herb. Even older heavies like the Sublimator were sort of designed to vape about .1g
I think the harshness ramps up pretty progressively with larger convection bowls. I feel like I can get a lower temp one hitter out of the Z8 than my larger versions which ultimately equals better flavor.
There’s still enough space in the 14MM bowl to load up to .25g which IMHO is plenty, any more than that and I’m frankly just going to take a dab instead. Sometimes even .05g of good herb can be challenging enough to finish in one hit if you are a more low temp user. I imagine most Z8 owners are going to want to finish a bowl in 1-3 draws.
As for alternate materials, again that is a possibility; if that’s something people are really interested in this is the right place to say that and let me know! As one who has most fun developing new stuff, I don’t really care to start selling SUV’s just because there’s a bigger market than sports cars; but I do see the posts online and that the bulk of the community is usually going for the easier priced gear most of the time.
I get it because I wanted a Cloud Evo for many years when I was younger and couldn’t afford it. I still remember 5-6 years ago excitedly saving money all year long just for the annual NV Black Friday sale.
If it did happen, there would probably only be one other version.
Probably stainless steel over titanium.
As I've hinted at before, I was more-so thinking of doing a stainless steel torch vape next.
Stainless steel has a high density (thus "mass") which makes it a good candidate for butane power in a "stored heat" type of design.
I am concerned that if I don't offer a more accessible Z8 variation that others will come along quickly and vacuum up all of my hard work. If that happens I might just jump out of the plane cause I'm not really going to participate in the race to the bottom.
But I am open to the possibility of introducing a more affordable variation of my own design and leaving the Z8 as my "GT3".
That would pretty much fill the void I was looking to fill with my butane vape idea.
Either way I do have to add something to my portfolio I can get quicker as the Z8 lead time is going to stay pretty consistent.
Also, want to pass along a few things we've learned,
Until further notice please do
NOT torch your Z8. The material has not been sufficiently tested for torch use and I cannot recommend trying it at all until it's been explored further. There might be a thermal shock issue with it similar to how sapphire responds in regards to very sudden high temperature changes.
Also,
@Slickwilly passed along a great tip to me for seating the bowl screens. He suggested using something with a 14MM male joint as a seating tool to put the screen in place. I tried it last night and it really worked excellent, if anyone is having screen issues please give that a try and see what you think.
Also, if I installed your coil and it has loosened up, please send me a message.
I definitely got more confident with setting them the more that I did, but it's possible the first couple might not have been quite as good. If that happened to anybody please don't hesitate to reach out. Hopefully this will be eliminated entirely on future batches with a slight adjustment to the parts tolerance.
Cheers to everyone following along!