dirtyreyes
Well-Known Member
Hi all! This forum seems like the place to be for vaporizer info online, so here I am!
I just got my new Volcano Classic w/ Easy Valve set yesterday and would appreciate any tips for a beginner.
First, about me: I've been smoking for about 6 years. Mostly water bongs but a pretty good variety of combustion options. I use one of the (overpriced) delivery services available in NYC and I consider this to be high-grade stuff. I've smoked club stuff that a college friend used to bring back from CA with him and it was definitely better, but not by a whole lot. After visiting another friend and trying his Volcano, I was sold. Went out and bought one the next morning.
My primary concerns when considering vaporizing versus combustion were smell and efficiency. My wife is cool with the consumption but wasn't fond of the way the living room (or I) would smell after a bong rip or two. The Volcano has definitely helped with the smell. As for efficiency, I am not sure...
I started by taking the same amount I would normally smoke in a bowl (just one bowl from my standard water bong) to get me where I wanted to be. I normally do a good job of breaking it up by hand, but I had heard that fine grinding was key to a good vaporizer experience so I used the included plastic grinder to grind it up. I spread it as thin as I could over the screen in the Volcano chamber and it was just short of enough to get a full layer over the screen. I popped the chamber onto the base and turned on the heat with the knob at 5.
After the middle light went off, I followed the included instructions and turned the fan on for about 3-5 seconds before putting the bag on the chamber. The bag filled up nicely and it was mostly clear with some vapors. I turned off the fan just as the bag got taught and removed the bag from the chamber. I was able to get 2-3 "hits" from the bag. I would slowly inhale approximately 80% of my lung capacity then follow up with some air, hold it in for about 5-10 seconds, then slowly blow it out (as if shotgunning to someone else).
I repeated this for about 3 or 4 bags before I noticed I was starting to get high. At this point, I finished off the last bag and turned off the unit. Once the chamber cooled, I opened it and saw that the ground up goodness was mostly brown with some dark green areas. It's been years since I was a poor college student, but back in those days there were times I smoked some beasters that was a similar color. This makes me think that I may not have gotten enough out of the herbs, but I know that people use the leftovers for cooking so maybe this is the way it's supposed to be.
All in all, I was not floored by the experience and felt a little underwhelmed. I suspect that part of this is because I am so used to the sensation of filling my lungs with smoke that I've associated that sensation with being high, and as there was none of that I didn't feel too high. I was high for about half the time I am normally high with the same amount in my standard bong, but I did notice that the high was a lot less lazy and more alert, which is a definite plus.
After looking around the internet today, I stumbled upon this site which seems like a great resource for these kinds of questions. A couple of issues:
* Many people seem to recommend regrinding or stirring the herb between bags. I don't think regrinding would do much as mine was already very well ground. Do you just wait for the chamber to cool down between bags? It was hot to the touch when I used it.
* How clear should the bags be when I am "doing it right"? My bags were quite clear...
* Some posters seem to indicate that the Volcano is more of a party device, best for multiple users. Is this true? Am I better off with a different vape for a solo experience?
* Is there a minimum amount of herb I should use in the chamber? I figured I should spread it evenly over the mesh but I was not able to cover it completely with the usual amount I would smoke in a bowl.
* I have read that using something like mint to grind up with the herb can make it smell and taste even better. Should I dry the mint leaves out before I mix it in?
* I see that some people recommend putting the bag into the stem of a water bong. Why do this? The vapor feels like nothing after coming off of combustion for years... is it just to reduce the abrasiveness even further?
Any other tips or tricks for a new Volcano user would be most appreciated. I'm especially interested in ways to increase the efficiency (to achieve an equivalent/better high per the same herbs I would put in my bong) and making it smell better (to appease the wife)!
Thanks! And may your vapes be clean, yet potent!
I just got my new Volcano Classic w/ Easy Valve set yesterday and would appreciate any tips for a beginner.
First, about me: I've been smoking for about 6 years. Mostly water bongs but a pretty good variety of combustion options. I use one of the (overpriced) delivery services available in NYC and I consider this to be high-grade stuff. I've smoked club stuff that a college friend used to bring back from CA with him and it was definitely better, but not by a whole lot. After visiting another friend and trying his Volcano, I was sold. Went out and bought one the next morning.
My primary concerns when considering vaporizing versus combustion were smell and efficiency. My wife is cool with the consumption but wasn't fond of the way the living room (or I) would smell after a bong rip or two. The Volcano has definitely helped with the smell. As for efficiency, I am not sure...
I started by taking the same amount I would normally smoke in a bowl (just one bowl from my standard water bong) to get me where I wanted to be. I normally do a good job of breaking it up by hand, but I had heard that fine grinding was key to a good vaporizer experience so I used the included plastic grinder to grind it up. I spread it as thin as I could over the screen in the Volcano chamber and it was just short of enough to get a full layer over the screen. I popped the chamber onto the base and turned on the heat with the knob at 5.
After the middle light went off, I followed the included instructions and turned the fan on for about 3-5 seconds before putting the bag on the chamber. The bag filled up nicely and it was mostly clear with some vapors. I turned off the fan just as the bag got taught and removed the bag from the chamber. I was able to get 2-3 "hits" from the bag. I would slowly inhale approximately 80% of my lung capacity then follow up with some air, hold it in for about 5-10 seconds, then slowly blow it out (as if shotgunning to someone else).
I repeated this for about 3 or 4 bags before I noticed I was starting to get high. At this point, I finished off the last bag and turned off the unit. Once the chamber cooled, I opened it and saw that the ground up goodness was mostly brown with some dark green areas. It's been years since I was a poor college student, but back in those days there were times I smoked some beasters that was a similar color. This makes me think that I may not have gotten enough out of the herbs, but I know that people use the leftovers for cooking so maybe this is the way it's supposed to be.
All in all, I was not floored by the experience and felt a little underwhelmed. I suspect that part of this is because I am so used to the sensation of filling my lungs with smoke that I've associated that sensation with being high, and as there was none of that I didn't feel too high. I was high for about half the time I am normally high with the same amount in my standard bong, but I did notice that the high was a lot less lazy and more alert, which is a definite plus.
After looking around the internet today, I stumbled upon this site which seems like a great resource for these kinds of questions. A couple of issues:
* Many people seem to recommend regrinding or stirring the herb between bags. I don't think regrinding would do much as mine was already very well ground. Do you just wait for the chamber to cool down between bags? It was hot to the touch when I used it.
* How clear should the bags be when I am "doing it right"? My bags were quite clear...
* Some posters seem to indicate that the Volcano is more of a party device, best for multiple users. Is this true? Am I better off with a different vape for a solo experience?
* Is there a minimum amount of herb I should use in the chamber? I figured I should spread it evenly over the mesh but I was not able to cover it completely with the usual amount I would smoke in a bowl.
* I have read that using something like mint to grind up with the herb can make it smell and taste even better. Should I dry the mint leaves out before I mix it in?
* I see that some people recommend putting the bag into the stem of a water bong. Why do this? The vapor feels like nothing after coming off of combustion for years... is it just to reduce the abrasiveness even further?
Any other tips or tricks for a new Volcano user would be most appreciated. I'm especially interested in ways to increase the efficiency (to achieve an equivalent/better high per the same herbs I would put in my bong) and making it smell better (to appease the wife)!
Thanks! And may your vapes be clean, yet potent!