weedemon
enthusiast
So I sat down with my buddy and we had a mission. to compare and decide which vaporizer was better. we then had to give our reasons for coming to that answer.
The units used were the volcano classic with a solid valve system(completely cleaned new bag and everything), and the Silver Surfer Vaporizer (same old tubing I have been using for a while not new by any means, with a clean screen in the whip.) with classic heater cover.
During use there were a few things that came up in conversation that were noticeable differences. Taste, time taken to get medicated and ease of use specifically.
Strain used: Lemon haze
I ground up a nice sized bud and used only one bud to ensure both vapes had the same source material.
My friends background on vaping.
He has been baby sitting my volcano for about 8 months for me. using it whenever he pleases. I also gave him a mflb which he used to use a lot in the summer. but he has gone back to smoking instead.
he's used my ssv and pd before also but wasn't a fan of the pd at all (airflow restriction again)
i'd say all in all he's been vaping on and off about a year.
Setup:
I had the Volcano set at 5.5 for the first 2 bags (This produced perfect clouds of vapour in the bag), and 6.5 for the 3rd (this bag was weaker than the 2 from before). As for the ssv, I had it set at a low setting to start and then dialed it up about 45 min to an hour further on the dial after the 2nd bag filling on the volcano. We used these vapes at the same time, just trading between hits. this was a good way because it gave you a fresh impression of that the other hit was just like.
Taste:
The first 4 hits on the SSV were really nice tasting. The first one particularly!
With the volcano, the hits tasted good. They were noticeably weaker, or more airy than the ssv though, but they were still tasty. We both agreed that the volcano vapour tasted dryer and required me to drink more tea to clear my throat. over the duration of the session the taste in the ssv diminished pretty quickly after the first few hits.
this was partly due to the strain chosen. lemon varieties tend to lose their smell and taste more quickly due to the nature of how their terpenes and flavanoids evaporate off at lower temperatures than it will wake on a different strain.
with the volcano even though the flavour was weaker, it was a big bag that tasted just as good as the first hit from the same bag. the 2nd and 3rd bags were dryer than the first and less tasty we thought as a result of the dryness.
Time to get medicated:
both vaporizers have the same start up time more or less. You have to turn them on to let them reach the right temperature before you can begin to make vapour. This takes about 5 minutes each. Now the volcano takes you about 1.5-2 min to fill the bag. (this last bag was particularly long as it was the end of the roll and I didn't want to waste the last 10 inches of bag as that's too short to use as a 2nd bag imo. So instead I have a bag that is about a foot longer than my arms reach! I use my foot(or my friends help) to hold the end of the bag lol!)
the ssv on the other hand required stirring after each hit and this was time consuming by comparison. whoever had the volcano bag usually took 2 hits because there was so much of a time difference!
we also mentioned how it's nice that when you brew a bag you can set it down and get back to it whenever you want. this was particularly handy in gaming situations where you don't have time to stop and stir, hit, breathe hard with both hands tied up. Now I know that's one circumstance.
but what i'm trying to say is you spend 1-2 min filling the bag, but then you are golden. the time to take a hit is small. all the stirring, setting down, picking up the hose and such is a little time consuming when you add it all up.
that said I am very fond of the ritual that comes from owning a ssv. I like the stirring and intimacy that comes from the ssv session. but if you don't have time for it. that's when it could be come cumbersome.
Ease of use:
One thing my friend pointed out was that as the ssv got used and stirred more. the particle size of the herb is getting smaller and smaller. and as a result it gets harder to pull though the whip. Another factor that i know happens is the screen in the ship becomes covered in resin and asa a result needs a good cleaning my hitting it empty on max temp slowly to vape off any oil that is on the screen. get some very nice hits from doing this at the end of each bowl. during the 3rd bag of the volcano it actually got to the point my friend said he was done with the ssv and only wanted the volcano now because it hurt his lungs to put such a strain on them.
I think this is a valid point. taking a hit from the volcano is as easy and breathing normally. There is not pressure difference created.
Conclusion:
My friend picked the volcano. he picked it because he preferred the easy draw nature of the bag system. the whip and air restriction once the screen became a little more clogged made it not worth it to him because he knew there was such an easier way to get medicated next turn. During the 3rd bag he came to this conclusion.
I picked the SSV. I love the first 4-10 hits(depends on the strain imo) from the ssv. that thick, tasty vapour is so delicious. I don't mind that the rest are less tasty than the volcano as a result i still get high from them and those first ones make it worth it. My friend makes valid points about time required, but i like the ritual, and usually have time. (if i'm in a rush and need to get high fast and get going somewhere, i just do a dab and then i'm ready to go!)
Final conclusion: To each their own.
it comes down to you personal preferences, time constrains, and physical limitations should you have any. Basically I asked a subjective question What is "best" to you? For me it was thick flavour in a rich hit. To my friend it was more consistent vapour (albeit lesser tasting than the initial ssv hits) in an easier to administer format that took his vote.
I hope you found some of this informative
The units used were the volcano classic with a solid valve system(completely cleaned new bag and everything), and the Silver Surfer Vaporizer (same old tubing I have been using for a while not new by any means, with a clean screen in the whip.) with classic heater cover.
During use there were a few things that came up in conversation that were noticeable differences. Taste, time taken to get medicated and ease of use specifically.
Strain used: Lemon haze
I ground up a nice sized bud and used only one bud to ensure both vapes had the same source material.
My friends background on vaping.
He has been baby sitting my volcano for about 8 months for me. using it whenever he pleases. I also gave him a mflb which he used to use a lot in the summer. but he has gone back to smoking instead.
he's used my ssv and pd before also but wasn't a fan of the pd at all (airflow restriction again)
i'd say all in all he's been vaping on and off about a year.
Setup:
I had the Volcano set at 5.5 for the first 2 bags (This produced perfect clouds of vapour in the bag), and 6.5 for the 3rd (this bag was weaker than the 2 from before). As for the ssv, I had it set at a low setting to start and then dialed it up about 45 min to an hour further on the dial after the 2nd bag filling on the volcano. We used these vapes at the same time, just trading between hits. this was a good way because it gave you a fresh impression of that the other hit was just like.
Taste:
The first 4 hits on the SSV were really nice tasting. The first one particularly!
With the volcano, the hits tasted good. They were noticeably weaker, or more airy than the ssv though, but they were still tasty. We both agreed that the volcano vapour tasted dryer and required me to drink more tea to clear my throat. over the duration of the session the taste in the ssv diminished pretty quickly after the first few hits.
this was partly due to the strain chosen. lemon varieties tend to lose their smell and taste more quickly due to the nature of how their terpenes and flavanoids evaporate off at lower temperatures than it will wake on a different strain.
with the volcano even though the flavour was weaker, it was a big bag that tasted just as good as the first hit from the same bag. the 2nd and 3rd bags were dryer than the first and less tasty we thought as a result of the dryness.
Time to get medicated:
both vaporizers have the same start up time more or less. You have to turn them on to let them reach the right temperature before you can begin to make vapour. This takes about 5 minutes each. Now the volcano takes you about 1.5-2 min to fill the bag. (this last bag was particularly long as it was the end of the roll and I didn't want to waste the last 10 inches of bag as that's too short to use as a 2nd bag imo. So instead I have a bag that is about a foot longer than my arms reach! I use my foot(or my friends help) to hold the end of the bag lol!)
the ssv on the other hand required stirring after each hit and this was time consuming by comparison. whoever had the volcano bag usually took 2 hits because there was so much of a time difference!
we also mentioned how it's nice that when you brew a bag you can set it down and get back to it whenever you want. this was particularly handy in gaming situations where you don't have time to stop and stir, hit, breathe hard with both hands tied up. Now I know that's one circumstance.
but what i'm trying to say is you spend 1-2 min filling the bag, but then you are golden. the time to take a hit is small. all the stirring, setting down, picking up the hose and such is a little time consuming when you add it all up.
that said I am very fond of the ritual that comes from owning a ssv. I like the stirring and intimacy that comes from the ssv session. but if you don't have time for it. that's when it could be come cumbersome.
Ease of use:
One thing my friend pointed out was that as the ssv got used and stirred more. the particle size of the herb is getting smaller and smaller. and as a result it gets harder to pull though the whip. Another factor that i know happens is the screen in the ship becomes covered in resin and asa a result needs a good cleaning my hitting it empty on max temp slowly to vape off any oil that is on the screen. get some very nice hits from doing this at the end of each bowl. during the 3rd bag of the volcano it actually got to the point my friend said he was done with the ssv and only wanted the volcano now because it hurt his lungs to put such a strain on them.
I think this is a valid point. taking a hit from the volcano is as easy and breathing normally. There is not pressure difference created.
Conclusion:
My friend picked the volcano. he picked it because he preferred the easy draw nature of the bag system. the whip and air restriction once the screen became a little more clogged made it not worth it to him because he knew there was such an easier way to get medicated next turn. During the 3rd bag he came to this conclusion.
I picked the SSV. I love the first 4-10 hits(depends on the strain imo) from the ssv. that thick, tasty vapour is so delicious. I don't mind that the rest are less tasty than the volcano as a result i still get high from them and those first ones make it worth it. My friend makes valid points about time required, but i like the ritual, and usually have time. (if i'm in a rush and need to get high fast and get going somewhere, i just do a dab and then i'm ready to go!)
Final conclusion: To each their own.
it comes down to you personal preferences, time constrains, and physical limitations should you have any. Basically I asked a subjective question What is "best" to you? For me it was thick flavour in a rich hit. To my friend it was more consistent vapour (albeit lesser tasting than the initial ssv hits) in an easier to administer format that took his vote.I hope you found some of this informative
