StemPod by MPL

supershredderdan

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
@supershredderdan

Out of interest where is your company based?

Where is manufacter being done?

We are based out of NC

We are prototyping locally but considering our options for manufacturing. I would love to be able to manufacture in the USA but it doesn't look like that will be feasible if we want to get into retail stores with a decent margin (could still sell attachment and bundles direct from website but only sell full bundles retail to compete with stand alone units). I am open to offshore MFG, but would like to be able to provide detailed info on the materials used and ensure quality machining.

Thoughts?
 
supershredderdan,

oddjobold

Vape swap shop
We are based out of NC

We are prototyping locally but considering our options for manufacturing. I would love to be able to manufacture in the USA but it doesn't look like that will be feasible if we want to get into retail stores with a decent margin (could still sell attachment and bundles direct from website but only sell full bundles retail to compete with stand alone units). I am open to offshore MFG, but would like to be able to provide detailed info on the materials used and ensure quality machining.

Thoughts?

I am no expert in these things and no experiance - but my thoughts for what there worth.

Everyone would prefer America as a place of manufacter. However I think using someone like China can work if the QC is tight. Maybe an expat doing the QC?

Using china there is always the issue of the design being leaked and fakes appearing. Not sure what you would do about that.
 
oddjobold,
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supershredderdan

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
You’ll have to stay stateside. Look at both matt and Vic’s products. Both the dtv3 dcgen2 and Sai are being ripped off by Shenzhen. There’s literally nothing you can do to stop this from happening.

As I understand it schenzhen does the cad work and prototyping at the request of Vick and matt (sai and DT) and part of that agreement is that the product can be supplied to other vendors who then can put their logo on it and rebrand the product. The dc2 and dtv3 haven't been ripped off that I know of but the sai has been ripped off and most other versions of matts donut attys
 

vapeverythingnyc

Well-Known Member
As I understand it schenzhen does the cad work and prototyping at the request of Vick and matt (sai and DT) and part of that agreement is that the product can be supplied to other vendors who then can put their logo on it and rebrand the product. The dc2 and dtv3 haven't been ripped off that I know of but the sai has been ripped off and most other versions of matts donut attys
It all depends on the agreement they have with the manufacturer in China but the truth is, nothing is really safe there.
 
vapeverythingnyc,

PPN

Volute of Vapor
Personally I couldn't care less if it's manufactured in China. As European as long as the quality testing is done properly, China means cheaper prices that overpriced made in US.
Yes but it would be nice, us, American and European, would be still able to build something by ourself and not only to check the job of others people. I try myself to buy most things locally but in another hand I know the reality of my consumption is far of this dream...
 

supershredderdan

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
We have decided to manufacture in the USA exclusively for year 1. Also we have finalized the designs (with new cooling chamber and completely redesigned herb pod) and sent out a request for quotes from a local mill. We expect to have a working prototype in 7-10 days!

I would like to know, what price would you pay for just the attachment, the attachment plus extras (like extra herb pods or stem adapter), and bundles of different tiers (single batt tc mod, dual mod, over the top mod, built in battery, etc)?

also, how do you guys feel about high quality aluminum for certain parts of the assembly like the cooling chamber (will dissipate heat quicker and work better than SS)? I have heard some people complain about the use of aluminum in their vaporizers but mostly concerning aluminum heating elements. For the prototype we are going with Stainless Steel for all the exterior parts and build deck, and ceramic for the herb pod, coil cup, and parts of the build deck to segregate + and - paths. Would love any input on material preference, we can go titanium for 10-15% higher cost as well.
 

Other Side

Retailer
Retailer
If you can keep it in the $50 range for the atty and up to $75-80 for the package I think you're in good shape. Maybe a bit more up front with US manufacturing but those are good China prices.

Personally I'm ok with the aluminum for your purposes but like you said it's a not going to make some happy.

I say YES to Titanium especially for only 10-15% more. The reduced weight alone makes it worth that imo.
 

supershredderdan

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
If you can keep it in the $50 range for the atty and up to $75-80 for the package I think you're in good shape. Maybe a bit more up front with US manufacturing but those are good China prices.

Personally I'm ok with the aluminum for your purposes but like you said it's a not going to make some happy.

I say YES to Titanium especially for only 10-15% more. The reduced weight alone makes it worth that imo.

I really doubt we will be able to hit $50 for just the attachment, at least in year 1
 
supershredderdan,
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YungLeaner

Well-Known Member
I really doubt we will be able to hit $50 for just the attachment, at least in year 1
100$ for the attachment would be fair if it came water pipe adaptable and had high performance levels.

I think people with the correct mods already would find that fair for a high quality and durable convection vape attachment.

I don't think you should spend a lot of time or money working on wax options because there's companies that already have that market covered. I wouldn't even be interested in using the same housing for wax and herb because of how sticky and impossible to handle wax makes everything.

For packages with mods I think it's very important (for dumb people like me) to include detailed instructions on temp settings on the mod, how to get it set up and working well.
 

oddjobold

Vape swap shop
I am a little wary of Aluminium due to the possible connection to alzheimer's. I avoid aluminium cookware for the same reason.

In regard to stainless steel or titanium - having the choice would be good. Two offerings - a stainless steel budget version and a titanium deluxe version with bundled stem adapter would be cool.
 
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supershredderdan

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
Here are some shots of the 3D prints of the finalized designs showing size comparisons of the herb pod (with improved heat distribution and integration to the cooling chamber) vs a Dynavap M and DC gen 2, as well as the coil cup atop the no-tools-required build deck vs a DTV3 cup. let me know what you think, I would say the herb pod could hold .35-.4

zBTef80.jpg


n2sjGVT.jpg


NAnwg0G.jpg


c5GgHgx.jpg


Vk7dnTT.jpg
 

nosmoking

Just so Dab HAppy!
Here are some shots of the 3D prints of the finalized designs showing size comparisons of the herb pod (with improved heat distribution and integration to the cooling chamber) vs a Dynavap M and DC gen 2, as well as the coil cup atop the no-tools-required build deck vs a DTV3 cup. let me know what you think, I would say the herb pod could hold .35-.4

zBTef80.jpg


n2sjGVT.jpg


NAnwg0G.jpg


c5GgHgx.jpg


Vk7dnTT.jpg
Is that a Source Terra 2 atty in the last picture with a bunch of holes put into it so you could test it for dry herbs? Pretty clever way to pre-test your concept.
 
nosmoking,

oddjobold

Vape swap shop
My concerns with the herb pob.

1) Its very large. Holds a lot of herb - bit big for me - but should be bigger than the M chamber.

2) Why the large central hole in the bottom? Wont that just make a hot spot? Air will take path of least resistance. This could lead to additional stiring.

3) Why the air holes in the side? Again if the chamber is only partially full the path of least resistance could be in the side rather than through the bottom and through the herb.
 

KeroZen

Chronic vapaholic
It accepts up to 25mm tanks which is perfect for this application, has a removable 18650, 7-75W, has TC (although no reports on how good it works) and looks pretty ergonomic.

Design is slightly awkward but would have to see it for real. Seems it wouldn't sit upright very well. I'm also concerned about the TC implementation as it's crap in most mods excepted DNA-based ones.

Another downside: no custom TCR in this one apparently.

But nice find otherwise!

For reference, I did a short summary of the various single (swappable) cell SBS mods available in this post a short while ago >> http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/the-project-diy-herbal-vaporizer.21055/page-43#post-1129674
 

stickstones

Vapor concierge
Bowl size in the current market goes from about 0.15 grams to 0.35 grams in most cheap Chinese portables. That's a loose fill lightly tamped down. My guess is your most common customer is going to be on the heavy hitting side, so something closer to 0.3 grams is better than the smaller end of the spectrum.
 

supershredderdan

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
My concerns with the herb pob.

1) Its very large. Holds a lot of herb - bit big for me - but should be bigger than the M chamber.

2) Why the large central hole in the bottom? Wont that just make a hot spot? Air will take path of least resistance. This could lead to additional stiring.

3) Why the air holes in the side? Again if the chamber is only partially full the path of least resistance could be in the side rather than through the bottom and through the herb.

I like the numbering system :tup:

1) We really worked hard on making the herb chamber large because convection works better with a loose pack and also works better with a half pack or even microdoses (at least in my experience as compared to full conduction units). This way you still have the option to only use say .1 but also have the freedom to pack .3 or .4 if you want. A small bowl would limit the potential of the device for many.

2) Mark that up to the 3D printer equivalent of running low on ink, the small geometry gets brittle, breaks off, or falls into itself before the structure solidifies. There is supposed to be a solid floor there extending to the first row of holes.

3) This design is what we think will work best for ModPod's current air/vapor path. Having intake holes on the sides along with the doming of the base will stirr up air multiple times through the lower body and through the coil and help heat distribution that way. If it doesn't work as expected it is easy enough to order a revision of that single piece.


Design is slightly awkward but would have to see it for real. Seems it wouldn't sit upright very well. I'm also concerned about the TC implementation as it's crap in most mods excepted DNA-based ones.

Another downside: no custom TCR in this one apparently.

But nice find otherwise!

For reference, I did a short summary of the various single (swappable) cell SBS mods available in this post a short while ago >> http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/the-project-diy-herbal-vaporizer.21055/page-43#post-1129674


We did a bit of an overhaul on the exterior profile/design, it is still 24mm (no way to have a cooling chamber in a 22mm OD without significant compromises like herb pod size and build deck) but we slimmed up the taper up top and made the swappable pod assemblies (drip tip, midpiece, herb pod) flush with the end of the taper on the airflow adjustment cap. with a standard glass 810 drip tip it will look slick:cool:

I am definitely interested in the witcher mod as one of the bundle tiers if we can get a TC coil that works well in standard SS or Ti

Bowl size in the current market goes from about 0.15 grams to 0.35 grams in most cheap Chinese portables. That's a loose fill lightly tamped down. My guess is your most common customer is going to be on the heavy hitting side, so something closer to 0.3 grams is better than the smaller end of the spectrum.

This new pod has more volume than our may model which was nearly the exact height and diameter of an APX oven rated at .3, so i'm saying this is probably 3.5-.4 maybe a bit more but the domed bottom removes a bit of volume too. I definitely want to be able to appeal to the heavy hitters, so a large bowl size plus the easily swapped herb assemblies are there for people who want to kill .5-.7 over two pods in one session, then maybe take out the herb pod and soak in some concentrate to top it off :lol:
 
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