So I've had my Dr. Dabber Ghost pen in my
hands, rather possession, for the past
three hours,
make that six and a half hours... okay...7 hours! (busy evening at work! It's actually taken over 3 hours to type this post!) and it's been in my hand or pocket the entire time! In the hand, the first thing I noticed was the amazingly smooth feel that the body has to it...now, I was looking for this in the first place, after Mvapes and other members reviews; but the way this thing feels in the hand really is quite amazing, and it should be considered when looking at the value of this thing!
In the pocket, I'm loving the 5-Click On/Off switch, as well as from the noob-proofing aspect! I could totally see myself wasting away a bunch of nice oil with this in my pocket if it weren't for the 5-Click switch...and I could also see someone picking this up and messing with it, only to ruin my load of oil and/or accidentally medicate themselves in the process!
As far as the packaging goes, I can't add more than anyone else has said...it's definitely on par with the quality of the product, and is something that I'll be keeping around! The included accessories seem to be well made and functional...definitely becoming part of my portable arsenal! I don't have a dabber that is quite as compact as the tool included with this kit, so that's a plus! And I believe that the "shatter-proof" balls will be quite a step up from my folded parchment paper! The included paperwork was all very helpful, and nicely written/laid out.
Now, down to the business part of things...and boy does this thing mean business!
I grabbed some shatter from some Jack Herrer, (run last night in anticipation of my DD Ghost's arrival) and broke off a small chunk; I was trying for a chunk that matched the shape/length of the coil, and was fairly successful
After placing the piece of oil on top of the coil (Edit* hehe, that rhymed!
) I enabled the battery by pressing the switch 5 times rapidly, and then I gave it a couple of subsequent blips of power. This was enough to cause the oil to start to melt slightly, until the wick began to absorb it. Another couple presses of the switch produced tiny spits of vapor, which I quickly inhaled it to taste it and keep from it condensing back on the walls of the reservoir. Seeing that it was as absorbed as it was going to get without producing any more vapor, I put the mouthpiece on top and started to inhale slowly, while pressing and holding the switch for 3-4 second bursts. I took one long medium speed pull (pulsing the switch on for 3-4 secs then off, maybe 3 times during the hit) and then gave it a little quick pull to clear it with....I held in the hit, and was amazed by the flavor of the visibly dense cloud that I exhaled after holding the hit for a moderate amount of time. I went back for another couple hits, following the same technique, and what I found on hit 1 was reinforced with the subsequent hits!
I opened up the mouthpiece after my first few hits to check on the load situation, and found most of the remaining oil to be absorbed in the wick, with a bit built up just below the coil/wick, a bit on one side of the well, and some had made its way up into the mouthpiece ever-so-slightly. I've since determined that the mess was 100% due to my lack of technique to prevent it from happening, which is what I'll discuss now
The mess was caused by two things (at least one of which has been discussed in this thread, so I should have been more mindful of it lol): First, I didn't take care to hold the unit in a mostly upright/vertical orientation...in fact, I pretty much held it like one would hold a joint/cigarette: horizontally. Second, I inhaled faster than I've found that I need to. This second part affects two things - messiness, AND vapor density! Between holding the unit horizontally and inhaling faster than I needed to, I was inhaling more air and less vapor, and effectively was sucking the oil up as soon as it was warm enough to become liquid, and letting it make its way up the side wall to the mouthpiece
Luckily, with common sense I don't think anyone could inhale hard enough to actually drink hot oil from the pen lol, but you get the idea...inhale too fast, and you'll pull the oil out from where it needs to be to do its job, along with creating a very airy hit! All of that being said, I can see how the deeper reservoir in the cart makes this issue less likely to happen, and how with proper technique, this will probably never be an issue!
Since running that first bit of oil through, I've loaded it up again and had the same great results on the functionality front, and no issue whatsoever with mess! I just keep the unit in a mostly upright position, as opposed to horizontal, and I try not to inhale faster than I need to. Also, one other tip I'll share, is to inhale slowly while doing the five click method to turn off the battery...I say this, because I left the mouthpiece off to watch the oil as I did the five click to turn it off, and a little bit of vapor was produced. So, to keep it from building up, I've been taking a small puff while I do the 5 clicks, so that any vapor produced is cleared from the chamber, and not wasted/left to make more mess!
As far as discoloration on the wick, cleaning before refilling, etc. (some discussion on this topic has come up in the thread a couple of times) I personally don't think I'll be needing to clean out my cartridges, and if I do, I don't see it being often! The wick has gone from white to the color of my oil...and it doesn't seem like my oil is leaving behind much if any residue so-to-say...maybe as much as just some traces of un-vaped oil. When it's empty, it just looks empty, and the wick a little darker. Definitely doesn't make me feel like I need to clean it to prevent from tainting the next fresh load, and I can't seem to notice any flavor degradation from the first load to the load I'm on now....that being said, the flavor throughout the session/load doesn't even seem to diminish too drastically!
Now, I also haven't loaded more than a smallish usable amount at a time...I'm sure when loaded heavily or overloaded, things will change a bit. So I think that what I might do is use one cart as I am now, for precision loading/smaller amounts, to be carefully vaped...and use the other one to just load up less carefully, and consume with less attention being paid to the load staying neat, etc...Only time will tell how this thing will work it's way into my rotation, but I can tell already that the Cera may be getting a run for her money in a few aspects...I didn't even bother to throw the batteries on the charger for her after playing with this! I feel very confident in the performance/reliability of this product so far! Don't get me wrong, my Cera will probably stay used daily...just not when this will work more conveniently
So, now a few questions for those who already have had their DDGhost for a little while now!
First off, is the battery care with this unit similar to other common battery powered devices, where charging/topping off often is the better option versus letting the unit drain fully before a recharge? Personally, I'd just as soon throw the batt on the charger anytime I don't need to have it "at the ready," so that the battery is always ready to go, so long as this doesn't negatively affect the longevity of the battery! Otherwise, it seems like it could be tedious guessing the battery life at first, or over time, to determine when it needs to be charged, to not be left without medicine...Either way, I'm going to be picking up a second battery at some point to remedy the potential down time!
Second, am I correct in thinking that when the battery is dead, or nearing dead, there is some kind of indicator? (red light versus blue?) Obviously, if it's not working that's gonna be a pretty good sign the battery is dead lol
So, after a solid afternoon/evenings use with this thing, I've managed to stay medicated with ease, and I've really enjoyed the flavor/hit quality from this thing! All in all, I'm very very impressed! I won't go into specifics, but I will go so far as to say that I was a unique case when it comes to ordering/shipping, and things didn't go according to plan (USPS was to blame), and Dr. Dabber went above and beyond to accommodate my situation, and was extremely polite/helpful! When combined, the quality of this product and the team behind it are more than worth the cost we're paying, discount or not! I'd say we've found a winner, and supposedly it's just gonna get better!
I have a feeling your going to reaaaally enjoy our next product
So if you're on the fence, make the drop onto this side...you won't regret it!