The Bud Toaster - (currently: Model 14, version 3)

[ACE OF VAPE]

Personally I don't think the price is the issue, It is an amazing hand built product with no equal. To me the issue is the external battery pack. I would prefer that it be smaller and integrated into the box, even if it means less working time between charges.

 

[willieR]

I'm the kind of guy that will spend embarrassing money if there's a value in my mind. After using the MFLB for a few months, I find myself not wanting much more. The cube is very nice, but not $500 nice in my opinion.

There's also perceived value. The Volcano and the cube have different perceived values. I think it's a poor comparison.

I would pay $199 to $249 max. But that's not me.

I would submit that 1000 units at $500 will never sell. And "never" is a strong word

 

[Cleanfiend]

I think that we Vaporist consumers should wait to pass judgement on the Cube until we have actually used the device.

Debating over the pricing and its effects on supply/demand for a unit that you have not used is like driving in circles: it gets you no where. Yes, $500 is at the upper range of the product market. We consumers are aware of this and of course, so is Hippie Dickie. When FC members comment that the unit is worth 50% of the asking price, without any first-hand knowledge of the product, they are making a semi-permanent judgement in a public forum without any working knowledge.

Maybe it's just me, but I think we should applaud innovation, and wait to offer our suggestions for improvement only after we have gained proper product knowledge. Best of luck with the launch, Hippie Dickie!

 

[B.]

There's also perceived value. The Volcano and the cube have different perceived values.

Personally, I feel that the volcano is WAY overpriced. I also plan on shelling out hippie's ransom for the toaster. I started saving almost a year ago. $40 a month. Doesn't sound so outrageous in those terms. Another way I see it is I gladly paid $150 for my mz, and the toaster is considerably more complex than an mz.

Exciting times. Between VapeXhale, HiPi, OCD and Hippie Dickie 2011 is gonna be a great year for vapes.

 

[notmyrealUSERname]

I dont know I have no doubt that this vaporizer will be amazing but for 500 he is eliminating a majority of the market and he may sell 1000 units at 500 but Im sure he could sell 15,000 at 199.99 no problem this thing would dominate the portable market! especially in times like this the most successful marketing is selling more units at a lower price.. i feel thats why the LB is so successful they offer a quality product that is extremely affordable and even at double their price you wuold be just as successful i feel.

x2! i also think that the bud toaster lends itself to some sort of modularity. with different glass tubes it would be very easy (i think) to attach it to a water piece. that would open up a whole other market segment. have you seen the 77 page strong customized vape setup thread?

i agree that hippie will sell his 1000 units even at 500. but how long will that take? if he can last as long as it takes, then what's the argument? btw, an oz doesn't cost 500 EVERYWHERE, in fact it can be found significantly cheaper in some places!

anyways, i am truly interested in getting one of these toasters, (even at $500, ouch!)and i have been following your updates. i realize that its your bud toaster hippie, but if I am going to have a bud toaster it needs to be compatible with my glass! vapebong ftw!

 

[willieR]

I think that we Vaporist consumers should wait to pass judgement on the Cube until we have actually used the device.

Debating over the pricing and its effects on supply/demand for a unit that you have not used is like driving in circles: it gets you no where. Yes, $500 is at the upper range of the product market. We consumers are aware of this and of course, so is Hippie Dickie. When FC members comment that the unit is worth 50% of the asking price, without any first-hand knowledge of the product, they are making a semi-permanent judgement in a public forum without any working knowledge.

Maybe it's just me, but I think we should applaud innovation, and wait to offer our suggestions for improvement only after we have gained proper product knowledge. Best of luck with the launch, Hippie Dickie!

Or maybe a potential manufacturer might want some market feedback from his exact target audience.

I sure hear what you're saying, though. I think the device is top shelf, which is why I had it on my Christmas list. I admire the work and the craft.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

Thank-you all for your comments ... it is very helpful to have your feedback.

But i do have a few points to make:

could sell 15,000

i would kill myself. i am going to have to heavily sedated as it is just to be able to do 1000 units. If i was going to do more than 1000, they would be priced for a lot more than $500 each.

And, B., you basically get where i'm coming from, except

first 1000

There will only be 1000 units made, period -- maybe no more than 20 if the reviews don't pan out.

@ace -- the battery technology isn't there yet for what i want in a self-contained unit. i was reading about gold particles that follow a laser beam to align carbon nanoparticles -- looks like that might be the technology to do it right. Probably 5 years out.

@notmy -- i agree on the modularity of the Bud Toaster concept, but i personally am not interested in trying to connect it to a glass piece.

In summary, the Bud Toaster is a 1000 unit project. Then on to the next project -- i have a few in mind.

 

[reece]

I don't know, but, after reading this thread $500 doesn't seem so bad. Yeah, it's a lot of money no matter how you look at it but I believe the value is there. I have more of a problem justifying another vaporizer.

 

[Alan]

Another compact power supply than may be getting closer to reality is the Butane Fuel Cell.

Butane Fuel Cell

 

[Hippie Dickie]

the Butane Fuel Cell

my motto is: just say NO to butane

 

[Vapemania-original]

The last photo of the Bud Toaster is a distinctive cube design which sets it apart from other vaporisers. It doesn't quite seem TechnoArt though like the SSV, DBV, LSV, or Volcano. This may be because it is made of wood and so has the rustic charm of something like the MFLB or the log vapes (MZ, PD, WZ).
I would love to try the Bud Toaster but $500 is a little bit expensive. But since only 1000 will be produced making a turnover of half a million dollars, then the limited supply probably explains the above average cost.
I was thinking that I'd buy the device when the price went down in the future. However, that is not possible as the device will no longer be produced by the inventor after the initial 1000. This is unlike the log vapes because after the 3 guys made their versions, they decided to continue working on it as a long term business.
I think I'll wait for the reviews from the people who buy the first 1000 of the new Bud Toaster for $500, and then see if it's worth buying it off them second-hand in the future.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

making a turnover of half a million dollars

cash flow, perhaps, but parts aren't free, and there's a dealer discount, and tooling, and labor. Quality control, spare parts for a long-term warranty. Arrangements for customer support.

In the IT world, retail price has always been 5x parts cost.

 

[biojuggernaut]

^ I feel it would be completely worth the half a grand price tag if you could insure as manufacture that you could deliver all those things to this exclusive group of purchasers. Even if your horizons expanded else where (dont know what plans you have for the future) i wouldn't want to get left in the dark somewhere down the road with a broken/old unit with no place to turn to. I'm in this very predicament with owning an ion. But obviously you aren't gonna be large scale like zephyr was but you never know i guess. . .

 

[Hippie Dickie]

i totally get that ... and i feel the same way. But it's still a bit premature to work out the details at this point.

i have just one business viewpoint -- i treat my customers the way i want to be treated. i depend on my vaporizer, and i know my customers will depend on it too. There will be no sales until there is a warranty system in place. That's just the way i roll.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

Here, as promised, is the pix of the new method for mounting the k-type thermocouple to the coil.

Basically, a 1/2" piece of 12ga polyimide tube is slipped onto the coil and moved to the middle loop. Then the k-type thermocouple is slipped into a 1" piece of 20ga polyimide tube, and this tube is slid into the gap between the 12ga tube and the coil. The k-type probe will NEVER move out of position, and can be positioned at any desired position across the coil. This is one knotty problem finally laid to rest.

The thermometer probe is just "tucked" under the long end of the coil. Still a hack looking for a permanent solution.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

Forgot to post this photo ... the next 5 production units ... circuit boards are populated with components:

 

[wthanna]

Do you have any recent video of the current model?

 

[Hippie Dickie]

no videos yet ... i'm still working to see how production (fabrication) will resolve itself. i keep seeing fabrication "difficulties" (too much hand work, too much precision required, in short, things that slow down building the units) that can be easily resolved with a slight physical change here or there -- not the pcb, that's locked for the near term. For example, the coil clips have been continually refining themselves -- i'm about to try a new shape that should speed up construction immensely. Stuff like this is occupying my time -- i figure after the next 5 units, and the 5 units after that, i'll be running in machine mode ("he's a machine", said Tank). i can hardly wait - should be fun.

so, no videos yet.

 

[Vapemania-original]

Apparently, a lot of the high end vaporisers don't actually have a thermometer on the gas (vapour) produced by the vaporiser. They seem to have it near the ceramic or conductor where the heat is created.

Why? Is a thermometer so complex or fragile?

Also, THC and other cannabinoids vaporise at known temperatures. Is it more complicated than a Mars Rover to create variable temp on a device to release the cannabinoids?

My kettle consistently reaches 100C every time I switch it on. This has happened for years. I'm not kidding.
Sorry for my ignorance.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

don't actually have a thermometer on the gas (vapour) produced

true ... i haven't figured out how to position the thermometer probe to measure the vapor temperature and keep it out of the air flow -- and a pure vapor path is the more important design goal for me.

Is it more complicated than a Mars Rover to create variable temp on a device to release the cannabinoids?

no, as the Bud Toaster demonstrates, accurate digital temperature control is actually pretty trivial.

i would suggest your kettle hits greater than or equal to 100C, which is good enough to boil water, but not to hit a precise cannabinoid vapor temperature.

 

[Scripto23]

My kettle consistently reaches 100C every time I switch it on. This has happened for years. I'm not kidding.
Sorry for my ignorance.

You cannot compare the ease of keeping air at a very narrow and precise temperature to keeping water at 100C. These are two very different processes. Once water gets to 100C the temperature plateaus and will remain constant despite more energy being added into the system. This is a result of a phase change, I'm not going to go into depth, but check out this diagram here.

Why? Is a thermometer so complex or fragile?

No, the thermocouples used in hippie's vape as well as several other are "K-type", rated at over 800C.

Also, THC and other cannabinoids vaporise at known temperatures. Is it more complicated than a Mars Rover to create variable temp on a device to release the cannabinoids?

Variable temperature is incredibly simple; light dimmer switch + heater = variable heater. However, accurate and consistent temperature is more difficult.

Apparently, a lot of the high end vaporisers don't actually have a thermometer on the gas (vapour) produced by the vaporiser. They seem to have it near the ceramic or conductor where the heat is created.

Put simply, air is a (relatively) excellent thermal insulator. Try Putting your finger right above a hot stove, now try touching the stove directly. You'll quickly learn what I mean.

But these are all good questions and I think they create a good discussion.

 

[VWFringe]

i'm just glad it isn't $1,600, what it's worth, or $650, which it "could've" been

wish I could have bought one months ago - would have saved myself much time and money tinkering.

Question: Will you number them?

a rough stamped number would add a certain steampunk element
this is definitely all steampunk, just on the inside
kind a too bad you can't have a glass cube or something that let's you see inside - for a grand, lol, and i think you'd find a niche here for that

...but I don't think I'll be able to hold it in my hand without remembering all these pictures, and it's function over form philosophy...staying true to the science and having let that lead you to where you are now with the design...can't wait...really, hurry up
HAHAHAHA

EDIT: Since you're going into production it wouldnt be unheard of to delete the code from the public now - this is kind of more a software product, right?

 

[budballer]

Post the new code when It's finished please? im trying to learn how to write.. wanna see if I can figure it out.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

The posted code was okay, but here is the latest version ... it won't change much from this:

Latest code

 

[budballer]

Thank you sir