Tafée Bowle

[Shit Snacks]

Is the base puck the same for the long and short version? Theoretically could you buy one and later get a replacement stem of the other length?

It seems like a bit of a big price jump for an inch of material.

Yes the puck is universal, it is only an inch difference in length/height between the stems, however there is actually no price difference... There is a $69 price difference only if you get either without the drinkware. The default display of the site, is to show you the taller version with the glass, and the shorter version without it, but both are available both ways when you click through!

Part of the reason I decided to order, was that I realized how modular the puck could be with different stems... Hoping for some 14/18 mm male tipped stems someday, and envisioning a stem that takes another right angle bend across the puck, making even cooler vapor, being quite stealth in fact...

Anyway six Bowle bowls in now, going quite well! First two lemon cello, then triple scoop... First five I actually used the stem bare metal as mouthpiece and handheld it more like a regular portable. sure it could be more ergonomic a little narrower diameter, but as is it is surprisingly comfortable! The button is super easy to press and hold (you have the option of doing that, or just one press), while it works at a variety of angles. My sixth bowl I used the long silicone mouthpiece, and kept it more upright in the jayhook position... So using it more fully as intended was actually a very nice experience I must say! Super quick with plenty of power, simple smart design, nicely done Tafée!

^first bowl of lemon cello before and after

now above is fresh bowl #7 of triple scoop from my new Flower Mill that came earlier this week, here with recently received tools by Delta3Dstudios and RogueWaxWorks...

 

[SquirrelMaster]

It feels very much like plastic to me. It's a harder plastic, but definitely not glass-like.

And quite possibly how good/bad their customer service and repairs are!

I thought I remember the glass being listed as actual glass before but maybe I dreamt that. I have a hard time wanting to buy one without the cup because I don't think it looks very appealing but $100~ CAD for a cup send a little crazy. I did spend more on my MV1 and accessories and it sits in a drawer for the most part. Damn you VAS quit trying to justify a purchase! I'll keep watching, it seems very interesting.

Merry Christmas!

 

[Vonv]

I thought I remember the glass being listed as actual glass before but maybe I dreamt that. I have a hard time wanting to buy one without the cup because I don't think it looks very appealing but $100~ CAD for a cup send a little crazy. I did spend more on my MV1 and accessories and it sits in a drawer for the most part. Damn you VAS quit trying to justify a purchase! I'll keep watching, it seems very interesting.

Merry Christmas!

There is an actual glass version I am 100% sure I saw @stickstones using one. But it's in prototype stage and they are guaging demand.

The plastic drinkware is acrylic and a high quality one that looks like glass. It does not feel like plasticky plastic to me, more like a cost effective alternative to a much expensive glass. I'm enjoying it using it every other session.
If you look at the design of the drinkware you'll notice it'll take some ingenuity to mass produce such a non symmetrical glass blow... Yes it can be done but if folks think prices are steep now (I don't) then wait until a glass mod is priced for a surprise.

Take a moment to look at their pricing properly..it is not crazy.
$69 USD or $100 CAD (not their fault Canadian Petro dollars have been blowing in the wind) is for both the acrylic potter and the acrylic drinkware.

That is not expensive at all in the least.
Think about it.... Most vaporizers come with just one permanent heating chamber housing a stuck on single ceramic or steel oven/bowl.

In the Potter you receive 4 ceramic zirconium pots. One is already included inside the puck and attached stem which technically means your receive 5 pots.
No way each of those pots cost less than $2 USD. I know because I work with ceramic suppliers in Europe and Asia. Ceramic zirconium is very pricy at the moment.
So you get $8 USD worth of just ceramic pots.
The stainless steel stir tool included in the kit looks machined and should cost between $3-$4 USD in production.
They acrylic potter grinder should be between $5 - $9 USD in production. That totals between $16 to $20 in just parts alone for the Potter.
The drinkware I would estimate at $4 USD per unit.
But taking its size I would factor in Shipping, packaging and sales cost say another $10 USD per unit.
So let's say a total of $34 USD production and sales cost for the acrylic potter and acrylic drinkware which they currently retail for $69.

I've seen a lot of pricing thresholds go crazy but these guys are in my opinion underpriced.
Yes I would always love to play cheaper but then you end up with companies trying to cut corners and squeeze dollars which make for diminishing returns quick.

My bet is that they are playing the volume game cautiously. If things go fairly okay and they don't sell them by the boatload they'll be okay but not gouge their customers heartless.

If things go really really well and they sell by the boatload they can simply drop prices down further because cost margins will be probably better and they can tempt the dollar stingy shoppers.

These guys are priced well for a startup with probably low volumes out the gate. The guys behind this don't seem like delusional out of touch suits.

 

[FlyingLow]

I hear where you are coming from... your accounting also only takes into consideration raw material cost, not research and development, engineering and tooling, and all the manpower and labor involved in bringing this to market. As evidenced by my vapes, I'd really pay any cost for a knockout vape, I am just so glad to hear this is going to be a keeper- super stoked to get one!

 

[SixStringToker]

Yup! The cost of NRE can't just be shrugged off.

 

[PPN]

They also added the plain option(just the vape) for both tall and small stems, $299.

Great!

 

[Djsleepy]

Merry Christmas to all! Looks like I will join Saturday so long as the mail is on time

 

[stickstones]

Yup...that's a temp sensor in the screen above the bowl. One of the main reasons it's so consistent

 

[LabPong]

After seeing the inside of the stem and the stem in general.......I would like to try this vape with a glass mp/stem instead.

 

[SixStringToker]

Here's a pic of my ABV:



2 is really the sweet spot for me; the temperature is comfortable, I get satisfying clouds and the flavor holds up.

Please don't make me do level 4 again! It was brutal on the throat so I cut it a bit short. There was no combustion, but it sure seemed close.

Here's one way to do concentrates on the Bowle:

 

[johnnyCanuck]

Was about to pull the trigger on a FW7 yesterday but decided to go through the whole thread first before hitting the “buy” button in my cart. Sold out by the time I went back to my cart.

So stumbled upon this thread and being an on demand convection snob, ignored the high price tag and bit the bullet on the 250ml non cup version!!!

Hoping there’ll be no regrets being an early adopter.

 

[vapen00b]

@Vonv Thanks for all the good info. As I have understood, you‘ve tested this device for around 3 months. Are you further affiliated with them or what is your relation to them? Just asking for transparency‘s sake. Thanks!

 

[SixStringToker]

It's time to get serious...



Edit: I just did a bowl at level four through the glass. This thing is a beast! After a solid starter hit, I did full pull (there does indeed seem to be a 23-second timer) and milked up the Mobius to the point that I thought I'd combusted. Then I just had to laugh as I exhaled; it felt like an e-juice cloud.

We *really* need a proper water piece adaptor for the Bowle.

 

[Vonv]

@Vonv Thanks for all the good info. As I have understood, you‘ve tested this device for around 3 months. Are you further affiliated with them or what is your relation to them? Just asking for transparency‘s sake. Thanks!

Long story but tldr.

Of course. Between 2016 until last year
I managedd a vape lounge in Toronto and these guys would come in pick a dark corner and start testing some funky looking machines. I saw a lot of things...like devices that worked with dry ice to sublimate dry herb vapor, different variations of what the current product is, really really funky stuff.
Needless to say my curiosity increased the more I saw and I started to interact with them more and warm my way in. Then I got offered a unit to beta test for them because they were thinking of setting up a program within our lounge members.
They fell behind schedule, beta units were delayed and then COVID happened.
Even though the lounge closed and I left for a new job, they still kept in touch with me with updates and kept me in the program.

I've been using an older beta unit but they just sent me the latest retail unit last week to benchmark whatever they've done since.

I don't sell or have any retail or promotional relationship with them. And nothing is in the works as I'm no longer in the industry.

 

[MinnBobber]

@SixStringToker , what did you use as a connector/ adapter at the mouthpiece?

Thanks

 

[SixStringToker]

@MinnBobber, I pushed a short piece of silicone tubing into the end of the stem and then jammed a couple of small silcone pieces (from thick tubing) into the gaps on either side to create a seal. I did a bit of hacking on the flat mouthpiece to make room for the tubing and then pushed it down into place, leaving me with a short length of silicone tubing sticking up out of the stem. I then slid a larger piece of silicone tubing over that to use as my whip.

It's crude, but it works!

 

[The Chemist]

I spent a nice Christmas Eve with this vape, I think it's gonna surprise a lot of people. For a first impression it's a good one, vapor is tasty, not harsh at all and cooled just enough for me. Very easy to use and a great design, lots of thinking went into this one, it shows.

I haven't use the vape with water in the glass but I know I'm gonna use it a lot inside the house. When I vape I always have water near me but if I vape while doing something and I have only one free hand this vape take care of this problem or if I go outside and I don't want to carry a lot of stuff with me when vaping. In reality I'm gonna use this more in the evening with a nice herbal tea to help me relax before sleep. I think the glass is gonna be one of those things that you don't have to get, but if you have one you will use it a lot.

The battery life could be better but it's on par with the other convection vapes, the charge goes away quickly. Four or five bowls per charge is good enough for an evening, it recharge in over an hour. What I don't like is that you have to remove the glass to access the usb port and when you remove it you don't have a lot of place to hold the base on the front without accidently pressing the buttons. For people who have problems with their hands and fingers it could be more complicated than it should to remove the glass since it's hold in place pretty tight by the gasket on the base. Also I wonder if the positioning of the usb port right under the glass is a good idea. If you use the glass to drink a nice cold beverage with some ice in it you could end up with a lot of condensation, if this happens under the glass and water drips in the usb port it could be bad news. The way the glass fits on the base it sits close to it so the air gap seems very small and the gasket prevent the air from getting in there, but if the glass is not seated all the way it could leave an air gap and facilitate the formation of condensation, so be careful. Also the base get hot, not a lot but warm enough that I can feel it if I put my hand in the cup, so using the cup for a cold beverage is counter-productive, your ice will melt faster and you'll have a lot more condensation. I understand why they've put the usb port there but it's far from ideal, this vape was made for wireless charging, It's the logical evolution if they ever release a new model.

Also the idea that filling the glass with something cold will help cooling the stem will not work like you think it should. There's a gap between the glass and the stem of 1/8" and you can push the top of the stem to touch the top of the glass but the majority of the stem won't so not a lot of cooling. There's enough space in the stem to fill it with beads if you want, but the vapor is already cool enough as it is.

The placement of the lights could be a problem if you put something like coffee in the cup, but it's still a nice place to put them because if you put them anywhere else on the base you would not see them because your hand would be covering them up. When you inhale the only thing that you see is the bottom of the cup and the lights, all I see is a little smiley face with a dude that got four eyes.

I used the metal Potter and it works like it should, it's easy to open like the BCG with the magnets and it fill the four cups evenly with material. Of course you don't need it, you can use the cup to scoop your herb directly from any grinder. What I like about it is the fact that four cup will last you for the duration of the battery if you start with a full vape. The cups are easy to clean, the finish is a lot more smooth than other ceramic cups I've used before like the MV-1, so maybe it's gonna stay clean and white longer.

This vape is full of potential, it should be easy to come up with new ideas for cooling stems, WPA adapters, new glass or even a water pipe attachment.

I forgot to talk about something, this vape is amazing with hash! I used it with bubble hash and it was the easiest experience I ever had with vaping hash on a portable. Fast extraction and the clean up was easy, great taste.

So this is my first impression, let's see how to vape will stand after a couple of weeks with it.

 

[djelibebbi]

I forgot to talk about something, this vape is amazing with hash! I

powdered? in BTs? Big ole slab?

That's a game changer for me, I might have to pull the trigger

 

[johnnyCanuck]

Part of the reason I decided to order, was that I realized how modular the puck could be with different stems... Hoping for some 14/18 mm male tipped stems someday, and envisioning a stem that takes another right angle bend across the puck, making even cooler vapor, being quite stealth in fact...

THIS RIGHT HERE!!!

 

[Ripstar]

VAS don't take me now.... or, maybe it will....

 

[ChooChooCharlie]

Mostly been using the Bowle cupless. More ergo comfy to hold and vape than many others, actually. Something about the weight distribution and natural angle of that "built in j-hook"

Mentioned it before, but when removing cup, you will first fight yourself, holding base of cup while trying to pull, no good. Then you go for the front with the buttons, and yup, wind up pressing buttons

Instead, I remove stem. Then stick thumb, facing down, in the hole -- with other fingers pinch holding/pressing up from under against bottom. Other hand on cup, wiggle/pull/wiggle/pull, the pinch grip on base helps in this effort

Since I haven't been using the cup, the charging port on top is great for me, easy to plug in. Been getting into same routine as my hoppers. Plugin timer. After each session, attach cable, tap the 15 minute button on timer. Most of the charges will not be full this way, should preserve battery life, while also preserving my sanity, having a Bowle with a good charge at all times

Pointy digger is pretty much mandatory to empty pots, pointy tip for bottom where wall meets screen. When still warm, a firm twist with cotton swab around pot walls helps

 

[The Chemist]

powdered? in BTs? Big ole slab?

That's a game changer for me, I might have to pull the trigger

It's bubble hash like this:



I'm gonna have to experiment with some other hash I have to see what it can do with BTs or even a big ole slab, but this other stuff isn't great quality so I'm not sure it's gonna work as good as with the bubble hash.

Since I took the time to fill a bowl for the photo maybe I should vape it and show you what it looks before and after it's done, what do you think?





The photo makes the hash too dark in these, for me the AVB is a deep brown color with no black at all.

I killed it a level four but you'll have great results with all four heat settings. At level one if you have good hash this will taste like heaven, a warm terpy vapor that's unmistakably hashish in taste. Level two is the most enjoyable, it got more vapor and it still taste good. Level three is a good place to finish your session since the vapor is beginning to be hotter. Level four is hot and dry but still manageable if you take shorter puffs. I did temp stepping from one to four and stirred a couple of times, I would guess at least a dozen puff and probably over fifteen, I'm not sure because this kicked my ass so good, no complaint on the effects and the ability of this vape to extract all the goodies from your bowl.

One question that always comeback when talking about vaping hash is about the cleaning, is it a lot messy? You just have to look at the bowl and the answer is pretty obvious, it's easy. Well this hash cleans easily but I'm sure there's some stuff that shouldn't be put in that bowl, you'll need to keep that in mind. In my case the hash isn't sticky anymore when it's done, very easy to crumble into dust. There's a little bit of hash stuck on the screen and the side but a little scrub with a brush and a q-tip with iso and all that's left is a little bit in the screen near the corners, nothing a good dip overnight in iso won't be able to handle in a week or two when I'll need to deep clean the bowls.

I'm impressed as hell by this vape and I still haven't dropped a single drop of liquid in it! I can't wait to make myself a little herbal tea later before I go to bed and vape a little bit more hash. What? Do you think I'm just gonna let that hash on the paper go to waste?

 

[Djsleepy]

Boo hoo looks like Monday (I’m not surprised- holiday) in the meantime pls keep sharing those of you that have it willl help me make it! Lol

 

[His_Highness]

Things get a bit hectic around here during the holidays even with Covid and I "have to" do a detailed beat-down on a new vape like this. I'm the person who checks the front door 2 or 3 times before I can leave the driveway. I can use the vape but until I complete the review I can't really relax and enjoy the vape......it's like the folks you see using their cell phone to video an experience instead of being in the moment. Don't get me wrong...this doesn't occur for all my vapes....just the ones that are potentially "impressive" and worth obsessing over. I pretty much find out which vapes are in the obsessing category for me within a day or so. The Bowle definitely fits the category.

I apologize for the verbal dysentery.....

Here's what I've learned the first couple days (I'll be combining everything into one review with more details and pics over the next few days):
- After charging fully for the first time I did the usual burn-off/test at the highest temps. No flower had been used in the unit. Set the temp to 4 and continued to take long draws looking for any taste or smell issues. It took around 10 back to back draws to get the unit warm/hot enough to convince me that the taste/smell of nothing wasn't going to change. Just to be sure I asked the wife to draw a couple times after I was convinced it was all good and she didn't taste or smell anything either. Even the usual new device smell was subdued. Decided for the first time in a long while that I didn't need to ISO clean anything. I did rinse the cup and mouthpieces in warm water.
- Pushing the temp to 4 and trying to get it hot didn't feel uncomfortably hot in my mouth, lips, throat. Saw some reports of folks saying level 4 is too much but it was fine for me even without any flower to buffer against. I was surprised that it didn't get too hot to use for me...at best it was at the higher end of warm for me without crossing into hot.
- By the time I completed the burn-in testing I was confident I knew how to use the device. HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED SUCH A SHORT LEARNING CURVE ON A FLOWER VAPE IN LIKE FOREVER. Disclaimer....prior to using the device I read the full user manual https://tafee.com/download/Tafee - Full Operating Manual.pdf twice, read through the thread here and watched Sticks' video.
- The unboxing was my first clue that the Bowle would be a quality device. The packaging was really well done, different in design and a "I can see and feel the quality" aspect. The user guide was missing the usual poor wording although I was able to find one where the word "help" should have been "held". The unit and the accessories are solidly built/engineered. Heavy feeling where it should be. The stem solidly clicks into place, the plastic cup attached so solidly that I was picking the device up by the lip of the cup at times. I will have to teach myself to stop picking it up by the lip. The metal potter grinder is no joke...you can feel how serious that grinder is the second you pick it up and pull it apart. The charging wire thickness and mesh covering is top-o-the-line. The puck is medium heavy and also feels rock solid. The plastic and metal topper....a lot going on here but I haven't used it or the metal topper yet.





Unexpected In the wild use:
I was faced with a vape dilemma later in the Christmas day...everyone was here, I wanted a buzz and I had nothing portable for quick draws in between setting up for dinner, eating dinner, desert, playing with the kids and didn't want to dig out the Herby or use a vape cart. Bowle to the rescue....Bowle was still charged from the burn-off test so I filled the pot by hand and started at level 2 and took 4 hits. Click 3 times to start, click one time to hit, green and go! Seconds at best. First hit was wispy, second through fourth was nicely cloudy, so tasty and cool. At different points I would head into my office and take two hits to keep my buzz topped off. Talk about git-er-done fast! I lost track of how many 2 hit sessions I was taking. When everyone left I finished off the pot at levels 3-4 and still had 2 lights shining on the battery life (50%).

I'm a firm believer that battery life and vapor production is a measurement best taken after 3 full charges since some batteries/vapes take 3 full charges to reach peak usability so I'll get more into this area after the third charge.

I know I'm in the honeymoon period so I gotta be careful about "feels" but damn, this could turn out to be my favorite around the house vape! I have an ok vape collection but for around the house portability nothing has come close to replacing my OG Solos .......until now.

Couple miscellaneous things:
- I recommend downloading the full user manual (https://tafee.com/download/Tafee - Full Operating Manual.pdf) - this is where I found the reference that using the Bowle with an alcoholic beverage is not recommended and could void the 2 year warranty. We will have to agree to disagree on this one. I'm hoping the reference is to "shots" and not mixed drinks because I will definitely be having my usual nightcap with the Bowle. Anything else would just be uncivilized and unnatural. Guess I'll be the guinea pig but I have a feeling the cup can handle it.
- The temp range is 360F to 464F - I'm guessing 360F is level 1 and 464F is level 4 but would like to know what level 2 and 3 is. The difference between 464 and 360 is 104 so if I divide 104 by 3 I get 35 rounded (3 levels from 360 to 464) maybe level 2 is 395 and level 3 is 430.
- The manual suggests doing a battery check (Hold both buttons down) before each use and after each session. I'm doing this now but I'll probably stop doing it at the end of the session and just do it when I start a new session.
- The naming conventions....Is it called a "bowl" or a "bowl-lee"? I don't like calling the container where the herb is placed a "pot". It'll be awhile before I start saying I'm filling a pot and not a bowl. I'll get used to it but after more than 40 years of saying I'm filling a bowl with pot it may take awhile

 

[The Chemist]

powdered? in BTs? Big ole slab?

That's a game changer for me, I might have to pull the trigger

A little update on my testing with hash with the Bowle. I did try it with a bigger piece of hash I had:



I just dumped the whole piece of hash in the bowl and started heating. As I expected not a lot of vapor is produced this way, the trick with vaping hash is to make sure a lot of surface is exposed to the heat. With in a big chunk like this the hash won't produce a lot of vapor right away and the big problem with this vape is the limited battery life. I could just it the button and eventually the hash will heat up enough to get vapor but it won't be a lot, and the vape will be out of power in no time. Even with the bubble hash I used before I realized that I could only get two or maybe three session when vaping hash. You will get a lot more vapor from a bowl of hash versus a bowl of flower, so you'll use more power to extract the bowl completely.

In the end I just put the chuck of hash in the bowl, hit the heat at the first level two times while inhaling to warm up the hash. Then I took it out of the bowl, now that it's warm it's really easy to crumble and I just put it back in the bowl, taking care to cover the screen as much as possible. Now the next puff is gonna be very different, with more vapor and taste. Repeat and temp step until you reach happiness.