Splinter vs Iheat vs Lil Bud Elite

Mynameismud

Mynameismud

Accessory Maker
Accessory Maker
Hey again, so i finally got the hang of the splinter, and am loving it. Ive actually been using more flower than concentrates recently and im pretty surprised by that.

However I read that it uses glue(epoxy?) to hold some pieces together?. I assumed they were pressure fit Even if it is outside of the vapor path im not really a fan of having glue in my vaporizer or even close to the vapor path.

Which leads me to the Iheat and the Lil bud Elite. It seems the Iheat is very similar to the Splinter but uses silicone around the 510 deck to avoid using glue. does it have any glue holding the glass in place?

And how does the Lil bud elite compare? I read that its all wood so no glue is needed. But ive read some people complaining that leaves a woody after taste to their vapor?
 
Mynameismud,
KeroZen

KeroZen

Chronic vapaholic
iHeat also has no glass and a slightly woody taste too. And if you want to nitpick it also has solder in the two electrodes holding the heater mesh.

I think the Lil Bud also has some glued wooden pieces, but I don't know how isolated those seams are from the vapor path.

EDIT: newer iHeat versions have a SS foil isolating the wood from the heat and should have less parasitic taste. Don't know if this was back-ported to the Lil Bud tho.
 
bossman

bossman

Gentleman Of Leisure
KeroZen said:
EDIT: newer iHeat versions have a SS foil isolating the wood from the heat and should have less parasitic taste. Don't know if this was back-ported to the Lil Bud tho.
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Yes, Mike starting doing the foil surround on the LB and LB Elite heaters too.

I don't own a LB Elite so I can't compare them directly. I've purchased two Lil Buds and three Splinters and personally the Elite doesn't interest me.

I see the angle for Vapwood developing a regulated Lil Bud and the combo of the LB heater and a dna75c chip should be a winner. I just don't see the value in a $300 regulated LB.

To wit: I recently got a DNA75C mod for $60 to drive my Splinters. If I'm recommending an on demand convection vape to a friend I'll chose the $170 combo of a V1 and a mod over the $300 for an LB Elite.
 
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YaMon

YaMon

Vaping since 2010
bossman said:
I don't own a LB Elite so I can't compare them directly. I've purchased two Lil Buds and three Splinters and personally the Elite doesn't interest me.
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I seem to be feeling the same way, what do you attribute that to.. that it’s unregulated? Heater is really strong and fast. Lil Bud is definitely not good to hand to a friend, even with instructions. I handed it to a friend who has used a several of my vapes and he combusted immediately. What a pain to clean and the flavor lingers. Splinter rocks, have not used iHeat
 
P.A.M.

P.A.M.

Vapo Rising
I think the main difference is the Elite is a one piece vaporizer . The other 510 cartridges are attachments that can go on any compatible mod boxes.

The Elite eliminates the need for a 510 connection giving the heater a more direct path to the circuit board . The software is upgradable, all Elite users can start on the same page sorta speak if they wish too or venture on their if they wish .

I think the price isn't far off considering it is a cartridge/modbox all in one specifically designed for dry herb , and handcrafted .

The Nomad as a steep price too and doesn't have a $75+ circuit board in it . It is fully handcrafted though and finely done so too. But Nomad is too pricey for what it is to me like the Elite is for some
others ... they are neat looking pieces of vapable art no doubt !!! Mike does pretty exceptional clean work too

I just find people are forgetting the handcrafted aspect abit when looking at the Elite price for example. Considering the parts value, resources & time put into each vape, we are getting these at hobby prices really.. and let's not kid ourselves . It's hard to argue this isn't a top shelve vaporizer in both quality and performance .
 
bossman

bossman

Gentleman Of Leisure
YaMon said:
I seem to be feeling the same way, what do you attribute that to.. that it’s unregulated? Heater is really strong and fast. Lil Bud is definitely not good to hand to a friend, even with instructions. I handed it to a friend who has used a several of my vapes and he combusted immediately. What a pain to clean and the flavor lingers. Splinter rocks, have not used iHeat
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Yeah, my classic LB is hard to share and even with all my experience the hits vary more than I'd like.

It makes sense to have a regulated LB. It's just an odd marriage to pair the wooden LB body with the DNA75C board from the box mod world. I'd be down to try one but I'd need a half off sale to own one considering how crazy impressive the Splinter V1 performance is on even a $25 TC mod.
 
YaMon

YaMon

Vaping since 2010
bossman said:
Yeah, my classic LB is hard to share and even with all my experience the hits vary more than I'd like.
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Same issue and blame myself as it is not something I use daily, but realistically you should not need to be that proficient, it should not require that much effort, memory, sensory perception to use a good vape that you may have not picked up in a while. Like you I would be interested in trying an Elite as Alan’s heater is wicked quick and strong.

+1 on the Splinter, it rocks @RastaBuddhaTao
 
HerbieVonVapster

HerbieVonVapster

Well-Known Member
Biggest difference comes down to the draw restrictions between these devices.

Splinter draw is more restricted the fine mesh used in intake screen restrict the the draw speed. This does a great job controlling scorching and produces quality vapors with no addition breath control needed by user. This method does takes longer to get the same volume of vapor. It can feel like sucking thru a clogged screen or sucking on a straw for some.

Lil bud and iheat have a much more open draw. If you are use to a restricted draw it's easier with this guys to pull to much hot air across load. This leads too scorching and I can see where it could leave some people feeling disappointed.
Try inhale at normal breath rate and you get a much better experience with them. I can get a rich quality hit in a quicker time with mine. Once you master this aspect you may also see the beauty in the differences they offer.

The elite is currently about in the middle. Less restricted than the splinters but not as open as the iheat and lil bud. Mike's working on getting just the right balance and there a lot to like in a handmade all in one unit.

Think where kinda comparing apples and oranges. If they all offered the same exact experience there be no reason to buy or even use others. Some folks love the unrestricted draw some prefer it more restricted. I prefer having the choices.
 
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YaMon

YaMon

Vaping since 2010
HerbieVonVapster said:
Try inhale at normal breath rate and you get a much better experience with them. I can get a rich quality hit in a quicker time with mine. Once you master this aspect you may also see the beauty in the differences they offer.
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I did pick up on this shortly after getting my Lil Bud and perhaps I am not being as consistent about it. I also find the heat in the hot air bites the back of my throat more other vapes I own, I've not entirely given up on it and as my wife purchased it for me it's not going anywhere.
 
S

sickmanfraud

Well-Known Member
I was in touch with @Alan with a few questions. Basically, In my opinion, the only advantage of the Lil Bud Elite is the form factor.

If you take an iheat at about $125-$150 add a DNA 250C Mod (can get Think vape Finder for under $100) for a combined price about $225 which represents $50-$75 savings over the elite. Newest board (250C) should have more longevity.

In the scenario where one of the two pieces were to break you could replace either the mod or atomizer without the whole vape being useless.

Another advantage for the "two-piece" vape vs LB E that you have the option of using the mod with various 510 devices, and you can try alternate atomizers at no cost for an "extra" mod.

As I mentioned in the Lil Bud thread a while back I think the biggest "single" advantage of the Lil Bud is no glass to break and only minimal electronics.
 
bossman

bossman

Gentleman Of Leisure
YaMon said:
I did pick up on this shortly after getting my Lil Bud and perhaps I am not being as consistent about it. I also find the heat in the hot air bites the back of my throat more other vapes I own, I've not entirely given up on it and as my wife purchased it for me it's not going anywhere.
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sickmanfraud said:
As I mentioned in the Lil Bud thread a while back I think the biggest "single" advantage of the Lil Bud is no glass to break and only minimal electronics.
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Oddly when I really started to love using my LB was when I got a glass-lined four inch stem from Alan. It offers more cooling and I made such a fuss about it on the LB thread that Vapwood offers the glass-lined stems now as their cooling stems.

I'm quoting you guys because it makes my LB not wood only anymore and it fixes the sucking on a hair dryer potential. If I had it to do again I'd maybe just go 3 or 3.5".

And I'd still recommend a Splinter or better yet a Z over any vape I've used. Paired with a dna-c mod the performance is unreal. You can use a plain stem for lower temp flavor or a full-length XL8R and bumped up resistance for eye-popping clouds and near Flowerpot level extraction that'll kill a bowl in two or three legendary hits if you're up to it.

It's an ancillary benefit but I also quite enjoy how my Splinters have a different personality on different mods. After swooning over the Z on a DNA I'll try the V1 on my rxg3d and have a great old time in wattage mode. I've even grown to enjoy stirring because I can proofread the heater's work and refine as needed with a small temp, power, or resistance change.
 
YaMon

YaMon

Vaping since 2010
sickmanfraud said:
As I mentioned in the Lil Bud thread a while back I think the biggest "single" advantage of the Lil Bud is no glass to break and only minimal electronics.
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Of course if you have one of @Alan ‘s cooling stems, that’s not true, but if the glass breaks you’re also not dead in the water.

I’m just getting over a forced t-break due to a chest cold and was enjoying the Lil Bud last night.. great vapor to sip on and does not require the inhale that the Splinter Z inspires.
 
HerbieVonVapster

HerbieVonVapster

Well-Known Member
sickmanfraud said:
I was in touch with @Alan with a few questions. Basically, In my opinion, the only advantage of the Lil Bud Elite is the form factor.

If you take an iheat at about $125-$150 add a DNA 250C Mod (can get Think vape Finder for under $100) for a combined price about $225 which represents $50-$75 savings over the elite. Newest board (250C) should have more longevity.

In the scenario where one of the two pieces were to break you could replace either the mod or atomizer without the whole vape being useless.

Another advantage for the "two-piece" vape vs LB E that you have the option of using the mod with various 510 devices, and you can try alternate atomizers at no cost for an "extra" mod.

As I mentioned in the Lil Bud thread a while back I think the biggest "single" advantage of the Lil Bud is no glass to break and only minimal electronics.
Click to expand...

It all comes down to choices and what works best for you. For me the elite was well worth the cost. It being handcrafted and made in USA is something I support. I always loved wood vaporizers and the elite a worthy addition to my collection. The form factor fits the hand nicely and it's a pleasant change from the light saber aspects of my other 510 devices.

The 510 connection is a plus and minus. Sure you can't use other 510 device like with a separate mod. But you also have the advantages of a direct connection and no thread that could strip or other 510 related issue.

There also the software setup to consider. The DNA is a excellent chip for our needs...but it also requires some effort to set up correctly.

Most DNA mods come with the default elvov software installed. The FCSHARE files does work well if your mods is the same brand as them. Other DNA mods do require some extra work. You need to find mod resistance, run case thermal use escribe to adjust settings for best performance. This all requires additional time effort to get them working.

The elite ships with software that is already set up to work as soon as you get it. It will allows for a easy upgrades if theres a new service pack from elvov or if better setting are found.

Mike is taking the time to run the thermal case analyzer and setup pretest each Elite setting before shipping. He is also fully supporting TC mode and working to make sure it runs correctly with the elites.

So I feel theres some extra value that elite offers and needs to be taken into account other than just the cost difference.
 
proceeds_the_weedian

proceeds_the_weedian

Well-Known Member
My mighty chipped the other day...it's only a year old,but it got me thinking about the next logical step. The LB elite looks like it to me. Wooden mighty? Regulated milanaa? Slicker tubo? Kinda checks all those boxes,right? I suspect going from cooling unit to a more direct vaporpath might be weird at first,but other then that I see no drawbacks!
 
Shit Snacks

Shit Snacks

Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
FWIW I have a recent iHeat along with Splinter V2 and a US custom Z, though they are all very nice top of the line vapes, I much prefer the performance and vapor quality of the Splinters personally. IMO the glue is of no concern how it is used here, out of airpath and away from heat, the proof is in the pudding--- ie how fucking amazing it tastes :2c::peace:
 
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