Couple things I've noticed about the VT whip, again all credit goes to FEAR420 for putting me on
-There are two parts actually, each with screens. You fill up the bottom (or the top, turned upside down) and then screw the other piece on, what you have then is your product sandwiched, again the herb itself sits much closer to the element than the original cyclone
-Now that you mention it, the fit is SLIGHTLY different, after all it is the same joint size. The only discrepancy I've noticed between the VT fit and the cyclone fit is the following: every now and then the Cyclone would get sticky, causing a lot of people to pull a little too hard and damage the element (note: the theme seems to be that if the bowl gets stuck like that, wiggle it back and forth a little, DON'T twist), this has never been an issue with the VT. The VT then, fits very snugly but with no 'stickage.' (I think vape4life's rationale is right on, the wiggle while a little weird is for a reason)
-The amount you put in the VT piece is very variable, I've come to think of it as an elbow-pack type set-up with more variability in amount. What I mean is this, unlike the Cyclone bowl (and LIKE the elbow-pack) when you pack the VT, the material doesn't have an opportunity to move much, but it offers much more space than an elbow pack. I've put an elbow-pack's worth of herb in the VT and it worked, that said, you can also put close to a gram of product in the VT, something the elbow could never do.
-What I just wrote above should answer your question about constant repacking, not a problem (unless you choose to continually use a small amount of material). Here's a quick note on repacking: the VT gets HOT! Pulling the piece straight off the unit and trying to repack it will result in a prompt "ouch!" (or in my case, what the f#@% I'm a dummy!). The metal part of the piece gets REAL hot and that's the part you would generally use to unscrew the piece. All that said, just like the Cyclone, the glass on the bottom of the piece cools surprisingly quickly, and the metal actually does too. I've settled on waiting a minute or two to repack OR I now have a designated kitchen tool (looks like a rubber coaster, its really there to help the gf open hard-to-open glass jars) which I use to grab and unscrew the hot parts.
Whew, sorry for the long post but I hope that answers the question! Here's my consensus on the new piece: I've found that I usually use more material in one packing than I would in an elbow-pack; even though I'm using more at once I think I'm vaping more efficiently and overall more pleasantly now for a couple reasons.
First, the larger amount means that I repack less often, my high settles in before I'm reaching to repack I've found.
Next, even though I pack more at once, I pull more out of the herb in less hits, i.e. I'm taking bigger hits, than I would in the elbow-pack, my ABV has gotten a little darker (sure, I could do that with the elbow too I know). Actually, I think the VT excels when you put a little more in it, I've put a large amount in there a few times and its great for sitting around w/ friends. Still, I've conserved successfully a bunch of times by only using a small amount.
Finally, the VT offers a larger/milkier hit than I was ever able to get with the elbow (same bong). I think this last fact is mostly a function of the larger tubing that comes with the VT but the different surface area and lower-sitting location definitely plays a role, the inner diameter though is slightly wider.
Also, not a functional improvement but more aesthetic, the VT allows you to see the vapor pool up more when your hitting it. Because the VT has more empty space and a larger hole for the vapor/hot air to travel through you can watch the vapor swirl around and whatnot, shouldn't play a role in buying one but kinda cool.
Needless to say I'm happy with the purchase
Hope that helps.
