OK. After USPS tickled my balls and said my IQ would arrive last Thursday, it finally ended up on my doorstep Monday.
PACKAGING: As many have mentioned, the packaging was stellar. Every detail felt premium and gives a wonderful first impression for the IQ.
DAVINCI IQ BUILD: You know that feeling you get when you upgrade your phone? Like everything looks and feels perfect. That is how it is to be introduced to the Davinci IQ. It's smaller than I expected, which is great because it feels perfect in my hand. One of my minor beefs with The Mighty is that it looks like I bought it from the hardware section of Sears. The IQ is totally opposite. There is a surprising amount of weight to it, but, again, it feels great in the hand. I did go with blue, which (as others have stated) is more of a silver. I was hoping this piece would match my Firefly 2 a bit more (meaning more blue than silver), but that is a minor gripe.
ACCESSORIES: I love that not only do we get the essentials with the IQ, but a few extras as well. It basically comes with an accessory kit, a USB charging cable that is longer than expected, a keychain tool and a carry can. Davinci not only provides premium packaging, they throw all of the goodies in as well.
FIRST/SECOND IMPRESSIONS: I had to go with my first couple of impressions because the experiences were so different. There is a slight learning curve to the IQ. From loading to how to use the buttons, you definitely need to read the small instruction booklet and keep in on hand the first few sessions. Hearing about the amazing flavor, I decided to put a nug of my current favorite strain in to give this vape its first test drive. I thought I read somewhere that putting a whole nug in the oven is best. This was tough to do because the IQ is a lawnmower. That oven is deceptively deep. That didn't seem to be the case for me. First, I thought my IQ was defective. It turned off on me a couple of times (even though I made sure to charge for a couple of hours before using). I look back and believe it was just me not understanding the vape yet. The first session was OK. Flavor was on point, but I didn't feel like I was getting the most out of the vape. I look down and the smart path was low. I usually vape at a higher temp. I set it aside and regroup for a second session, this time breaking down the dug and stirring the oven to get more out of what I put in. Second session, at a higher temperature and with the herb broken up a bit more yielded more clouds and still maintained a great flavor. I could tell I was on the right track. The buzz was good, but very subtle. It was like it snuck up on me and I was more affected by the herb than I felt I would be based on the clouds and flavor. The device does heat up, but never got to the point where it was too hot to hold. My only minor heat related gripe is when using the IQ with the 10mm adapter. The stem does heat up and you will notice it on your lips if you are vaping for a while. Again, it was never uncomfortable, just something I noticed.
THIRD IMPRESSION: 'Cleaning' my first couple of sessions was EASY. This thing just kind of stays clean in the over area (at least for now). Learning from my mistakes, I switched up the stash, grinded it up well and filled that deep ass bowl once again. Now I am on point. I am learning the details of the IQ (how to boost/use precision temperatures/etc) and getting great results. The clouds are larger and the wonderful flavor never seems to die. These hits ALWAYS taste good. Even when I could tell I had burned all the fun out of the over, it still TASTED great. The Mighty tends to give the burned popcorn type flavor that tells you when to quit. I don't really get that with the IQ.
FOURTH IMPRESSION aka I'M IN LOVE: For whatever reason, I thought of glass and wanted to see if there was a way for me to try it out. I pull out this adapter (
http://delta3dstudios.com/nearly-universal-vape-to-waterpipe-adapter-medium/) and it's like it was MADE for the IQ. Fill the bowl, heat it up, flip it over and fill the glass with vapor. O M G!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was the smoothest hit I've ever taken. The flavor wasn't as intense, but still amazing. The flavor was more like smelling a great candle that is burning from another room rather than sticking your nose in said candle in a store. Still wonderful, just a little less intense. Trying the vape through glass was easy and convenient. It just worked all around and didn't feel like I was Macgyvering it as it does when I connect other vapes to glass. I've only done this once or twice now and loved it. It may be my go to session for a while.
OTHER THOUGHTS: I received my Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mAh 10A Flat Tops from imrbatteries on the same day. I haven't yet charged these, but comparing them to the battery that came with my IQ, everything appears to be exactly the same. I put one of the Sanyo's in the IQ and it fit perfectly. I will let you all know how it works when I charge one up and use it. As for right now, I'd say the IQ has The Mighty beat. Granted, these are early impressions. It's easy to love a vape in week number one. We will see how it holds up in the long haul. I haven't played much with the app, and look forward to customizing the IQ to fit my needs. I've not made use of the flavor chamber, but can't wait to give it a go. My only real complaint is the size of the bowl. It is nice to be able to circle back to the same bowl later (which I recommend stirring first if you do so), but I'd rather just hit what I load, when I load it. I have unscrewed the pearl a bit and know there is talk about reducing the size of the oven with some sort of device/additional pearl. I think this is a great idea for the solo vaporist. As is, the IQ could hold it's own in a small group and make everybody happy.
