Tafée Bowle

[cptofnthng]

I would say its a technical rather than a user Problem. My tafee bowle works with any amount right away.

 

[His_Highness]

Thanks, Gnome! I typically start on temp setting 2 and step up from there with bowls almost full (after a light tamp there's a little bit of a gap - maybe 2mm - between the herb and the top of the pot). I sent a message to Tafee this morning and am awaiting their reply.

I have never used the "hold the button" method and my unit produces decent hits on each level. I temp step up as each level/light stops producing "visible" vapor.

If I start at level 1 its because I'm looking for taste and a leisurely session. At level 1 the first hit is wispy, tasty but still easily visible. After the first wispy, tasty hit the vapor is more visible but not thick/milky.

If I start at level 2 its because I'm looking for thicker, denser vapor and a stronger, quicker buzz. The first hit isn't whispy but it also isn't milky thick either. The hits that come after are thicker and managed via breath control. I've learned that once I feel a tickle its time to stop drawing or I'm going to cough up the hit. If I don't feel the tickle in my throat its usually because I've had a few hits already and good vapor production requires I draw until the auto shutoff time kicks in.

Thanks for the reply! I do get heavy hits once I get to about the third or fourth draw (always waiting for the lights to turn green). I've tried on various temperature settings and don't get anything in those first couple of hits. Once things are "warmed up" with those first couple of draws the hits are as big or small as I want. I experimented with putting an empty pot in the puck and doing a couple of "air" draws. This seems to "warm it up" sufficiently and then I can get good hits. POTV customer support is telling me that it's normal not to get anything on the first couple of hits in a session but that doesn't sound right to me at all - wondering what your and others' experience is

This^^^^^ sounds similar to what I've described but in your case you "don't get anything in the first couple hits".

I don't pack a bowl - I fill it with a medium grind and a very light tamp to get the herb below the top lip of the pot.

Another way I've used it is to fill the pot 1/2 to 3/4 full without any tamping and hit it at level 4. I use this method when I just want a couple quick strong hits .....the first hit is like I've described above for level 2 and the next hits are milky. What happens when you try level 4 this way?

A bunch of how I manage a hit is based on draw length. Early on in a session .... the longer I hit the more thick the vapor and, as described above, I can/will draw until the oven auto-shutoff occurs unless I feel a tickle during the draw.

 

[buzzy funny]

This is kind of what I was getting at with;

I'm guessing that support will also make suggestions about draw before acknowledging that something might be wrong, and I'm curious to hear what they say.

Thanks again. I'm waiting to hear from Tafee but POTV thinks no vapor on the first 2 draws is normal. I appreciate the tips!

I would say its a technical rather than a user Problem. My tafee bowle works with any amount right away.

Thanks; this is what I was expecting from everything I've seen and read.

I have never used the "hold the button" method and my unit produces decent hits on each level. I temp step up as each level/light stops producing "visible" vapor.

If I start at level 1 its because I'm looking for taste and a leisurely session. At level 1 the first hit is wispy, tasty but still easily visible. After the first wispy, tasty hit the vapor is more visible but not thick/milky.

If I start at level 2 its because I'm looking for thicker, denser vapor and a stronger, quicker buzz. The first hit isn't whispy but it also isn't milky thick either. The hits that come after are thicker and managed via breath control. I've learned that once I feel a tickle its time to stop drawing or I'm going to cough up the hit. If I don't feel the tickle in my throat its usually because I've had a few hits already and good vapor production requires I draw until the auto shutoff time kicks in.


This^^^^^ sounds similar to what I've described but in your case you "don't get anything in the first couple hits".

I don't pack a bowl - I fill it with a medium grind and a very light tamp to get the herb below the top lip of the pot.

Another way I've used it is to fill the pot 1/2 to 3/4 full without any tamping and hit it at level 4. I use this method when I just want a couple quick strong hits .....the first hit is like I've described above for level 2 and the next hits are milky. What happens when you try level 4 this way?

A bunch of how I manage a hit is based on draw length. Early on in a session .... the longer I hit the more thick the vapor and, as described above, I can/will draw until the oven auto-shutoff occurs unless I feel a tickle during the draw.

Thanks for the detailed reply. I fill bowls very similar to you: medium grind, light tamp with my pinky, usually leaving a couple of mm between the herb and the top of the pot. I've tried a strong, long draw on temps 3 and 4 to start a session and still don't get any visible vapor. Even starting on temp 1 you can see some vapor on your exhales which makes me think something's off with the breath sensor. No matter how high the temp or long the draw, or if I'm already getting good hits, I've never been able to get any vapor when I click the fire button once and start to draw when the lights turn green.

 

[His_Highness]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I fill bowls very similar to you: medium grind, light tamp with my pinky, usually leaving a couple of mm between the herb and the top of the pot. I've tried a strong, long draw on temps 3 and 4 to start a session and still don't get any visible vapor. Even starting on temp 1 you can see some vapor on your exhales which makes me think something's off with the breath sensor. No matter how high the temp or long the draw, or if I'm already getting good hits, I've never been able to get any vapor when I click the fire button once and start to draw when the lights turn green.

I see your point.....if I was on temp 3 or 4 with a newly filled pot and didn't get visible vapor on the first hit (Not milky but definitely a bit above wispy) and the green lights were on the entire draw .... I'd think something wasn't right as well.

What about that second draw on 3 or 4 - can you do a hit that is so strong you can't hold it?

 

[vapviking]

I'm not sure if my puck has an issue, I've never looked closely at the heater screen until today.
It is domed slightly up (down in the photo), crowned away from the pod location, and I can see a line towards the rear that may indicate the screen is dislodged. I am certain I've never poked at it with anything.
Does anyone's screen look so? Or is it supposed to lay just flat across and tight?

@Jonesin', I recall you recently had some issue with the screen, how does mine look in comparison?

https://imgur.com/HEfTMzy

 

[letter never sent]

@vapviking the corner looks dislodged to me. I’d reach out to Tafee.

 

[Jonesin']

I'm not sure if my puck has an issue, I've never looked closely at the heater screen until today.
It is domed slightly up (down in the photo), crowned away from the pod location, and I can see a line towards the rear that may indicate the screen is dislodged. I am certain I've never poked at it with anything.
Does anyone's screen look so? Or is it supposed to lay just flat across and tight?

@Jonesin', I recall you recently had some issue with the screen, how does mine look in comparison?

https://imgur.com/HEfTMzy

Same!!!

Same!!!

Is yours still working? I was told the heat sensor is now shot due to screen position.

 

[vapviking]

Thanks you guys.

Is yours still working? I was told the heat sensor is now shot due to screen position.

It has been working, though performance may have dropped off a bit, not really sure.
I've taking it out of service until resolution.
I'll write to support today.

 

[His_Highness]

Definitely peaked my curiosity regarding the heater screen.....I'll take a look at my heater screen around 4pm. Sorry for the delay. Forgot to take the Bowle out of the master bedroom this morning and my granddaughter just started her nap in that room.

 

[buzzy funny]

I see your point.....if I was on temp 3 or 4 with a newly filled pot and didn't get visible vapor on the first hit (Not milky but definitely a bit above wispy) and the green lights were on the entire draw .... I'd think something wasn't right as well.

What about that second draw on 3 or 4 - can you do a hit that is so strong you can't hold it?

When starting up, on temp 4 with a long/hard draw, I get at best a little wisp. It takes at least one more vaporless draw to get something.

 

[His_Highness]

When starting up, on temp 4 with a long/hard draw, I get at best a little wisp. It takes at least one more vaporless draw to get something.

Temp 4 requiring 2 priming vaporless draws before the goodness starts....something isn't right at least when compared to my unit.

 

[buzzy funny]

I just heard from Tafee. They wanted me to send them pictures of the "oven bay" (where the internal screen is located). I'll report back when I get a reply.

 

[vapviking]

I just heard from Tafee. They wanted me to send them pictures of the "oven bay" (where the internal screen is located). I'll report back when I get a reply.

Same shot as the picture I posted, I guess.

I have also heard back from support about the screen and I am to send the puck in for repair - or at least their assessment, that is.

 

[His_Highness]

I'm not sure if my puck has an issue, I've never looked closely at the heater screen until today.
It is domed slightly up (down in the photo), crowned away from the pod location, and I can see a line towards the rear that may indicate the screen is dislodged. I am certain I've never poked at it with anything.
Does anyone's screen look so? Or is it supposed to lay just flat across and tight?

@Jonesin', I recall you recently had some issue with the screen, how does mine look in comparison?

https://imgur.com/HEfTMzy

My Bowle heater screen has no gaps like the pic. It sits flush.

 

[Jonesin']

Same shot as the picture I posted, I guess.

I have also heard back from support about the screen and I am to send the puck in for repair - or at least their assessment, that is.

Good luck, because it looks like mine does. I am starting to question if mine ever worked right from the get-go now that I've used another device. I never really got actual vapor from mine at any temp level- not the way I am now. The effects were way less too....

 

[buzzy funny]

Same shot as the picture I posted, I guess.

I have also heard back from support about the screen and I am to send the puck in for repair - or at least their assessment, that is.

Yes, same location (though my screen seems fine). Hope you get yours fixed soon.

 

[buzzy funny]

Got nowhere with POTV but Tafee was very responsive and I just sent the puck back for a replacement. Now I just have to wait....

 

[ondemander]

Good luck, because it looks like mine does. I am starting to question if mine ever worked right from the get-go now that I've used another device. I never really got actual vapor from mine at any temp level- not the way I am now. The effects were way less too....

Yeah, that's not good because that's not how it's supposed to look. I would say you never had a working unit if you didn't get good vape on the 2nd hit. On levels 3 and 4 it should definitely produce vapor after drawing hard for more than 10 seconds. Obviously your ambient temperature in a cold environment could increase the need to inhale longer.

 

[Jonesin']

Yeah, that's not good because that's not how it's supposed to look. I would say you never had a working unit if you didn't get good vape on the 2nd hit. On levels 3 and 4 it should definitely produce vapor after drawing hard for more than 10 seconds. Obviously your ambient temperature in a cold environment could increase the need to inhale longer.

Yeah, I feel pretty stupid. Spent over a year with about half "effect" of some pretty sweet strains, expensive strains. (I do not live in a cold environment btw) I thought my lungs couldn't handle the clouds you guys talked about here but once I got a new and working device last week, I realized that visible vapor is definitely possible for me, even at low temps and shorter draws. I was the Bowles biggest fan, until I wasn't. I don't discount all the love it's getting at all, I just got burned right out of the gate and my inexperience with devices definitely played a part in that but it all left a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Yeah, I feel pretty stupid. Spent over a year with about half "effect" of some pretty sweet strains, expensive strains. (I do not live in a cold environment btw) I thought my lungs couldn't handle the clouds you guys talked about here but once I got a new and working device last week, I realized that visible vapor is definitely possible for me, even at low temps and shorter draws. I was the Bowles biggest fan, until I wasn't. I don't discount all the love it's getting at all, I just got burned right out of the gate and my inexperience with devices definitely played a part in that but it all left a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak.

Yeah, unfortunately, you never forget your first, whether for better or for worst!

 

[vapviking]

While my Bowle is en route for service I'm left to play with the remaining parts...

The Bowle's stem, as we've noted, does a super job at being the cooling unit; a week or two ago I posted a pic of a Hopper io plugged into the Bowle stem.

I've also found I can vape Mighty through the stem, though a little less gracefully. Mighty with Delta3d silicone wpa thence though a Hopper silicone condom that has it's tip cut off (ouch!) so it doesn't bottom out inside the stem opening. Long sessions that taste (almost) like Bowle hits!

With those same two adapters I've put the Xmax V3 pro with glass wpa in there, though even a little less graceful still, but if held correctly I get great hits...

Lastly, maybe best (of my trials) as ersatz Bowle, is the Vleaf Go + Bowle Stem. The Go, simply held onto the hole of the stem, no adapters, is very impressive, and a compact little setup. Also pocket-able.

The vapor from all of these setups has some of the nice cool qualities that vaping Bowle has, it's crazy!

I happen to have the medium length stem. In practice, the longest stem might have the best 'feel', and get a little more distance between the vape and one's face.

I think there are a lot of possibilities here, especially if somebody like Mike @Delta3DStudios can come up with an adapter for the stem that has a 14mm female joint, maybe at a little more open angle than the stem hole sits. Or could be vape-specific (like Mighty wpa attaches to Mighty, for example), allowing the vape to also seal on the stem....
(for Mighty, I could simply alter the wpa by cutting some of its tip off (ouch!), but atm I don't want to spoil the one that I have , might have to just get another...)

As I vaped Mighty through the Bowle stem I thought of @ChooChooCharlie who's set his Bowle and other convections aside, resorting to Mighty for easy draw...

 

[JCat]

Yeah @vapviking , the cooling stem on the Tafee is a great piece of engineering (like the Crafty/Mighty mouthpiece but better )

Aluminum is just one of the best materials for this type of function (ie. a heatsink) and the way they've implemented it is wonderful. (and for those of you concerned about material safety, this is a non-issue in this case, you are not scraping the aluminum or cooking stuff on it, so the inside of your stem oxidizes almost immediately, and there is no chance of any issues as far as I know ...)

 

[buzzy funny]

While my Bowle is en route for service I'm left to play with the remaining parts...

The Bowle's stem, as we've noted, does a super job at being the cooling unit; a week or two ago I posted a pic of a Hopper io plugged into the Bowle stem.

I've also found I can vape Mighty through the stem, though a little less gracefully. Mighty with Delta3d silicone wpa thence though a Hopper silicone condom that has it's tip cut off (ouch!) so it doesn't bottom out inside the stem opening. Long sessions that taste (almost) like Bowle hits!

With those same two adapters I've put the Xmax V3 pro with glass wpa in there, though even a little less graceful still, but if held correctly I get great hits...

Lastly, maybe best (of my trials) as ersatz Bowle, is the Vleaf Go + Bowle Stem. The Go, simply held onto the hole of the stem, no adapters, is very impressive, and a compact little setup. Also pocket-able.

The vapor from all of these setups has some of the nice cool qualities that vaping Bowle has, it's crazy!

I happen to have the medium length stem. In practice, the longest stem might have the best 'feel', and get a little more distance between the vape and one's face.

I think there are a lot of possibilities here, especially if somebody like Mike @Delta3DStudios can come up with an adapter for the stem that has a 14mm female joint, maybe at a little more open angle than the stem hole sits. Or could be vape-specific (like Mighty wpa attaches to Mighty, for example), allowing the vape to also seal on the stem....
(for Mighty, I could simply alter the wpa by cutting some of its tip off (ouch!), but atm I don't want to spoil the one that I have , might have to just get another...)

As I vaped Mighty through the Bowle stem I thought of @ChooChooCharlie who's set his Bowle and other convections aside, resorting to Mighty for easy draw...

How do you like the Xmax V3, especially as is concerns flavor? I too am awaiting my puck replacement and will be using the Mighty but looking for an on-demand as a backup. I could pull the trigger on a TM but wondering how much I will use it compared to the TB, plus there's the expense of the TM.

 

[cptofnthng]

How do you like the Xmax V3, especially as is concerns flavor? I too am awaiting my puck replacement and will be using the Mighty but looking for an on-demand as a backup. I could pull the trigger on a TM but wondering how much I will use it compared to the TB, plus there's the expense of the TM.

I also feel the same dilemma. But i think i tend to wait for a bit now. There have been rumours about minivap releasing a new device for a while. But i also want a TM at some point.. If youre in Europe, you can get the v3pro for 67 Euro.

 

[3xFantasyChamp]

How do you like the Xmax V3, especially as is concerns flavor? I too am awaiting my puck replacement and will be using the Mighty but looking for an on-demand as a backup. I could pull the trigger on a TM but wondering how much I will use it compared to the TB, plus there's the expense of the TM.

Me personally, I don't know if I would have gotten a TM if I had bought the Bowle before it. I like the TM and it was the first device that really opened my eyes up to vaping. You can get huge hits on it, removeable batteries is nice and it's easy to use. The Bowle is so easy to pick up at home though and just run through some pots lol. It's weird too, because I definitely like those RTL hits out of a water piece. But with the Bowle, the vapor cooling, taste and huge rips you can take makes me a happy camper. This isn't to turn anyone off to the TM (it is a beast of a portable), this is just my opinion.