The Firefly 2 vaporizer

[flipjoe]

Do you have any tablets around? Many have bluetooth and could solve your problem without having to buy a new phone.

No unfortunately not. But i tried to get one instead of a phone today. But they were too expensive. Maybe next month.
The good thing is that my ff2 arrived today and so i could try it without the new update. If i had the app i probably would have upgraded before first try. And i have to say it was very satisfying on "old" stock settings.
Imo performance and handling are not too different from the ff1. A little more draw resistance but i could get some nice light vapor on the first hit. This doesn't happen with my ff1. Taste seems very good and equal to ff1 but i can't really tell until the "new"smell goes away. I'm already loving it. The feel, the looks, the effect...
I know i'm a little late to the party but i wanted to share some positive thoughts about the ff2. And i took a photo of these two beauties.

 

[turk]

...there was a number of us....who were perfectly happy...before the update..

 

[Vaporcussion]

...there was a number of us....who were perfectly happy...before the update..

Yup

 

[baxter84]

Another useful tool for me is using my "dub tube" funnel to load the FF2. It works nicely.
Post firmware update my FF works as it supposed to and I like it. I bought mine used as I dint think it's worth the price at $330, but I do love the on demand ability to just pick it up and rip it once or twice.

 

[ElPic]

No unfortunately not. But i tried to get one instead of a phone today. But they were too expensive. Maybe next month.
The good thing is that my ff2 arrived today and so i could try it without the new update. If i had the app i probably would have upgraded before first try. And i have to say it was very satisfying on "old" stock settings.
Imo performance and handling are not too different from the ff1. A little more draw resistance but i could get some nice light vapor on the first hit. This doesn't happen with my ff1. Taste seems very good and equal to ff1 but i can't really tell until the "new"smell goes away. I'm already loving it. The feel, the looks, the effect...
I know i'm a little late to the party but i wanted to share some positive thoughts about the ff2. And i took a photo of these two beauties.

IMO don't buy a phone just for the app, if you have access to a compatible phone from a friend, update your device, put it on High with power tuning close to +/- 103% and control the temps manualy. I never use the app anymore !

 

[oddjobold]

Hi All - first time poster, long time lurker. Am considering a FF2 purchase after having followed this thread for the past 2 months. My question might be off-topic, but I'd like the community's help here... why is the general viewpoint of this vape AMAZING on this site yet on VapeLife, all they do is poo on it? It's become very confusing trying to synthesize the consensus opinion and hoping some of you can shed light on it.

Vapecritic has removed the FF2 as his top tier portable - top pick. Now it is the crafty again. Also there is a note in red on the review about customers having mixed results.

I am still on the fence with this vape. I have had mixed results myself. However this time i think i have cracked it with technique. After more testing ill post my findings!

 

[flipjoe]

IMO don't buy a phone just for the app, if you have access to a compatible phone from a friend, update your device, put it on High with power tuning close to +/- 103% and control the temps manualy. I never use the app anymore !

Good advice. I'll probably do that. After some bowls last evening i feel like temp on high could be too much for me as med-high seems ok now. But then i haven't experienced how med compares to med-high and if it's really more about how long i draw. Always fun to explore a new vape. Definitely consume more green in these test phases.

 

[Cl4ud3]

Vapecritic has removed the FF2 as his top tier portable - top pick. Now it is the crafty again. Also there is a note in red on the review about customers having mixed results.

I am still on the fence with this vape. I have had mixed results myself. However this time i think i have cracked it with technique. After more testing ill post my findings!

I think a similar thing happened with a reviewer and the Firefly 1 - it was a top pick but due to battery problems he ended up changing his review to not recommend. Think it was Paint the Moon but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Baron23]

Vapecritic has removed the FF2 as his top tier portable - top pick. Now it is the crafty again. Also there is a note in red on the review about customers having mixed results.

I am still on the fence with this vape. I have had mixed results myself. However this time i think i have cracked it with technique. After more testing ill post my findings!

I think he made a fair statement acknowledging both those to are and those who are not satisfied with this vape.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I’ve received very mixed reports from users who own this vape so I urge you to learn as much as you can about it before buying one. Some people love it and get great results, and some people unfortunately do not. Please read through some of the comments at the bottom of this review and also search for the Firefly 2 on the forum to read more user experiences.​

 

[jay87]

I'm guessing here but I'd bet you money the vapecritic did that because the Reddit army basically accused him of being paid off and wanted to ruin his reputation because he liked the FF2 more than the Grasshopper.

I think it's really worth noting that since it's release and even before, there is an extremely vocal minority of people who express how much they hate the FF2... Even though they've never used it and are completely against buying it no matter how good it is.

I've never seen this exchange happen so many times other than with the FF2;

Person 1:"So I heard on X website this vape sucks, does it suck?"

Person 2: "No the Firefly 2 is awesome and works great for me!"

Person 1: "I don't believe you. Ive never used this vape but I believe the negative comments and don't want anyone to even think about purchasing a FF2 because I'm sure it sucks"

It's really crazy how controversial this vape is. Case in point: on average on the few internet forums I frequent I get about 3x as many likes for posting about FF2 issues than I get when I post about how awesome my FF2 is.

So for me I've had none of the issues i hear parroted over and over by people of questionable legitimacy.

I love my FF2 and it's truly a great vape.

 

[Baron23]

I'm guessing here but I'd bet you money the vapecritic did that because the Reddit army basically accused him of being paid off and wanted to ruin his reputation because he liked the FF2 more than the Grasshopper.

I think he made this statement because he has members of his site complaining that they followed his recommendations and feel completely ripped off. Specifically, that he misled them. He also has members of his site who are completely satisfied with the vape and don't have any issues, like yourself. They thank him for his recommendation.

I don't think there is any other ulterior motives or maneuvering going on, but that's just IMO.

 

[HighGuy]

@jay87 - this seems to ring true to me as well. This Baron23 guy doesn't own a unit and seems to want to poo all over them. I'm wondering why someone would waste some much energy on it...

 

[jay87]

I think he made this statement because he has members of his site complaining that they followed his recommendations and feel completely ripped off. Specifically, that he misled them. He also has members of his site who are completely satisfied with the vape and don't have any issues, like yourself. They thank him for his recommendation.

I don't think there is any other ulterior motives or maneuvering going on, but that's just IMO.

I mean we're kind of saying the same thing then.

The vapecritic evaluated the Firefly 2 as great, people on the internet told him he was wrong, then he changed his stance to appeal to his customer base.

Splitting hairs a little bit but I think he's really just covering his ass because even though he thought the FF2 deserved that rating, he changed his tune due to internet pressure.

 

[Cl4ud3]

I mean we're kind of saying the same thing then.

The vapecritic evaluated the Firefly 2 as great, people on the internet told him he was wrong, then he changed his stance to appeal to his customer base.

Splitting hairs a little bit but I think he's really just covering his ass because even though he thought the FF2 deserved that rating, he changed his tune due to internet pressure.

He hasn't marked it down, his review is still the same but he has pointed out that some people are having issues. The fact he was open and honesty in his review about the Crafty having above average return rates I would of got one of them. So the fact he updates his reviews to reflect current trends is not a bad thing.

 

[Baron23]

I mean we're kind of saying the same thing then.

The vapecritic evaluated the Firefly 2 as great, people on the internet told him he was wrong, then he changed his stance to appeal to his customer base.

Splitting hairs a little bit but I think he's really just covering his ass because even though he thought the FF2 deserved that rating, he changed his tune due to internet pressure.

Quite possibly we are indeed saying the same thing.

But I offer you an alternative: He received his FF2, used it, loved it, it worked perfectly, so he made a review on it reflecting that and providing the highest recommendation. Then production qty started to ship, average users began to try to use this vape, and the results were a mixed bag (which is still completely mysterious to me), and he got a LOT of blow back from dissatisfied owners who bought on his recommendation.

My recommendation to him was for him to find one of these users who is completely dissatisfied who is somewhat local to him and try the two units, his and the one that's allege to not work well, and try to sort out if it is indeed variation between units or its operator error. Use the same herb, the same way, with the two units and see what's what.

I personally am still baffled by this situation. I know of experienced vape folks who love it and experience vape folks who can't understand how anybody can think this design works properly. I just can't see how this situation exists, frankly.

 

[jay87]

Quite possibly we are indeed saying the same thing.

But I offer you an alternative: He received his FF2, used it, loved it, it worked perfectly, so he made a review on it reflecting that and providing the highest recommendation. Then production qty started to ship, average users began to try to use this vape, and the results were a mixed bag (which is still completely mysterious to me), and he got a LOT of blow back from dissatisfied owners who bought on his recommendation.

My recommendation to him was for him to find one of these users who is completely dissatisfied who is somewhat local to him and try the two units, his and the one that's allege to not work well, and try to sort out if it is indeed variation between units or its operator error. Use the same herb, the same way, with the two units and see what's what.

I personally am still baffled by this situation. I know of experienced vape folks who love it and experience vape folks who can't understand how anybody can think this design works properly. I just can't see how this situation exists, frankly.

Yeah I feel the same way, it's just weird.

The three possibilities I come up with for dissatisfied users are these:

1. Defective Units- Your FF2 doesn't work right due to manufacturing, no matter what you do you'll get bad results
2. User Error- Your FF2 works fine, other users can get good results with your device but it just doesn't work for you
3. Low Quality Material- Your FF2 works fine, your technique is flawless(sealed lid, slow draw, etc.), but just because your material isn't super high quality you don't get the clouds you expect

To me the most likely answer is Defective units but that's not to say the other 2 possibilities aren't misdiagnosed as a defective unit as well.

I think the crux of the issue here is how does one prove that their unit is defective, and how is Firefly going to deal with defective units.

He hasn't marked it down, his review is still the same but he has pointed out that some people are having issues. The fact he was open and honesty in his review about the Crafty having above average return rates I would of got one of them. So the fact he updates his reviews to reflect current trends is not a bad thing.

No you're right it's not a bad thing that he's willing to update and voice the fact that many of his customers are having issues. Don't get me wrong I love the vapecritic reviews and I'm not knocking him but the FF2 stuff seems a bit forced.

It's like how he went out of his way to make an hour long video showing how to use the FF2. To me that shows he liked the vape enough to try to help his dissatisfied customers get the same satisfaction he did. Again he's a really good reviewer imo.

 

[oddjobold]

My experience so far.

Some days i use this vape and get the tastiest, coolest vapor i have ever had from a vaporizer. Visible clouds - not that i am a cloud chaser but i like to see something come out so i know its working. The high is great quite strong and different from what i get on other vaporizers. I think this is great exactly what i was after!

Other times i use it - and get a vague taste, no clouds and a crap high. When this happens my material does not look vaped properly. I feel like i want to sell this vape and cut my loses.

So how can i get two different results form the same vape? If the vape was broken - this would not happen. Most problems with appliances are either a 0 or a 1. Either they work or they don't.

My material does not change.

So i have to put this down to technique. However i believe the amount of technique required is excessive. So much so i am slightly embarrassed to let my friends try it. I am still not 100% sure i have nailed it myself.

This thing needs a better usage guide than the one we have had so far. Once i have done more testing and i get this to work consistently well i will post a step by step guide. I feel the video from FF was no where near the amount of technique that this thing needs to get to work right.

Its all about draw length, speed and volume. I also also believe its all about the pack, density (which changes with vaporization) and material grind.

I wont say more unless i have it all wrong.

 

[jay87]

@oddjobold I can't be sure and you've probably heard this over and over before so sorry for that, but to me your situation sounds like it could be a lid not being on quite right or a loose mouthpiece every now and then.

I say this because if your herb isn't getting heated it means that air is not flowing from the heater to your herb. The most common reason for that would be a lid being off or the mouthpiece not being tight which could lead to air not flowing through the heater and finally your herb will not be vaped.




The biggest difference I find with my FF2 is that with all of my other vaporizers, especially my conduction vaporizers, if I take a draw harder, I will get more vapor.

That is absolutely NOT true for the Firefly 2. With the FF2 the air you are drawing is also your heat source which is unlike all of my other vapes. This means that your draw will affect the amount of heat in the heating chamber.

If I draw too slow to the point where air isn't flowing through the heating chamber I'll get no clouds.
If I draw too fast to the point where too much air is flowing and cooling down the heating chamber then I'll get little.
If I draw at the sweet spot I get amazing tasting high quality and high potency with large clouds.

As I take draws I can actually feel the vapor getting thicker as vapor production increases, that let's me know that my draw is at the sweet spot.



I've switched my FF2 to be my dedicated concentrate device so I think concentrates may just be easier and perform better with the FF2 than herb, but with the amount of heat that I'm getting I don't see how any herb could go unvaped in the FF2.

Since the update I have had 0 issues easily getting large clouds with the FF2 every time. I will comment that I can get bigger clouds with a clean concentrate pad than with a dirty one though.





The learning curve thing is one of the most common complaints I see about the FF2 but for me the amount of control I get is a huge advantage.

I can literally think to myself "Do I want a thick hot cloud or a thinner better tasting cloud on this draw" And then I can change my draw and/or heat settings to get whichever kind of hit that I want at any time.


At this point there is no technique or learning curve for me and the FF2, it's just second nature. I just pick it up and absent mindedly take draws and I get great results. For me it's that simple, and I hope everyone who bought an FF2 somehow gets to this point as well because it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

 

[mitchgo61]

I'm guessing here but I'd bet you money the vapecritic did that because the Reddit army basically accused him of being paid off and wanted to ruin his reputation because he liked the FF2 more than the Grasshopper.

I think it's really worth noting that since it's release and even before, there is an extremely vocal minority of people who express how much they hate the FF2... Even though they've never used it and are completely against buying it no matter how good it is.
.

I like the Vape Critic, but I personally am not crazy about a reviewer changing or mitigating his rating based on comments or other users. I come to your site to read your take on the device. If I want the "wisdom of crowds" (and I usually do), I'll come to FC. God knows every complaint on every subject on every single vape ends up here eventually.

As for Reddit, the less said the better. Makes Twitter look orderly and smart.

 

[terijane]

When I first got my ff2 back in June, I called cs because I wasn't happy with it. One of the batteries didn't work as good as the other one. They sent me the postage paid slip to send it back but I couldn't part with it. I continued to read what people wrote on here, picking up tips here and there. Bought myself another battery before the update and now after update, I have three batteries that all work good.I have taken it many places and no one has any idea when I use it. There is hardly any odor...I just am not sure if it could set off a smoke alarm.

 

[Elbuort19]

@kcmochrisHave you tried those ceramic screens with concentrates? That'd be a dream come true

Not yet but I'll be vaping concentrates exclusively for a month in a couple of weeks so I'll try it out. I suspect it will run through the ceramic screen before it gets hot enough to vape.

Nice move ! Like the ceramic idea over pads or screens. Can't see the goods through the window, but many of us vape blindly anyhow. How's the taste with VB's ceramic?

Taste seems unaltered compared to without which is good. With the pads I can taste a difference when new but after that I don't notice it. For taste the ceramic will be easier to clean so it should taste better vs the pad unless you're popping in a new one on every bowl.

The only drawback for me using the ceramic screen or the pad is the reduction in bowl size but its a solo vape so not a deal breaker. With the pad or ceramic I can pack loose, not a fan of dense packs on restrictive vapes, but the difference for me is with the ceramic I don't have to stir. Prior to this I was using my Mighty way more than my FF2 because of the convenience with the dosing capsules. The Mighty is still more convenient for on the go but with the FF2 I can pour straight from a doob tube, lay on a ceramic screen and finish the bowl with no stirring so its getting close. I think the ultimate accessory for the FF2 would be dosing capsules. Besides the portable convenience of dosing capsules, cleaning frequency would be greatly reduced and like the ceramic screen I suspect you wouldn't have to stir.

I should also mention that my experience with the ceramic screen and a coarse grind have been less than favorable. I only tried a coarse grind a couple of times and it worked like shit with the ceramic screen so I never looked back. Could have been a higher moisture level but it had spent a couple of days in glass with a Bevoda pack so moisture should have been the same as all my other strains. I think it was the combination of a coarse grind and a loose pack. Medium, fine and dust all work well loose and with the ceramic you're not picking weed out of your teeth if you remove the mouthpiece screen.

 

[huxley]

Hello folks,

I had promised I would follow up about the odor of the multiple firefly units I had.

Sorry for the long delay i got occupied elsewhere.

This is in reference to this: The Firefly 2 vaporizer

At the time I had tried 2 different new units that both smelled/tasted bad to me, if they were used brand new without any herbs. I was waiting on firefly to produce a new batch of less smelling units.

After a month or so, I was contacted by FF and offered 3 choices, I'll paraphrase:

1) I could have a used unit, that they've opened up and used for a while, then disinfected. This, I was told, would make the odor go away.

2) I could have a brand new unit, but that this unit would likely still smell, perhaps from the glue in the packaging. I was told that this unit would be from the same manufacturing process as before, not the "new" process. I was told they could take it out of the box for me, and set it up next to fans blowing on it for a few days or so, and then mail it to me.

3) I was told I could wait for the new process to happen, but I was not given a timeframe. They highly recommended that I did NOT pick option 3. They told me they would prefer to refund my money if I wanted to do number 3.

Well, I took the hint and just got my money back. I got the sense that who knows when, this "new process" would be finished.

All told, it took about 2 months but I got my money back.

I hope any one else here who was not satisfied with the smell was able to get the issue resolved to their satisfaction.

 

[Cl4ud3]

Not yet but I'll be vaping concentrates exclusively for a month in a couple of weeks so I'll try it out. I suspect it will run through the ceramic screen before it gets hot enough to vape.



Taste seems unaltered compared to without which is good. With the pads I can taste a difference when new but after that I don't notice it. For taste the ceramic will be easier to clean so it should taste better vs the pad unless you're popping in a new one on every bowl.

The only drawback for me using the ceramic screen or the pad is the reduction in bowl size but its a solo vape so not a deal breaker. With the pad or ceramic I can pack loose, not a fan of dense packs on restrictive vapes, but the difference for me is with the ceramic I don't have to stir. Prior to this I was using my Mighty way more than my FF2 because of the convenience with the dosing capsules. The Mighty is still more convenient for on the go but with the FF2 I can pour straight from a doob tube, lay on a ceramic screen and finish the bowl with no stirring so its getting close. I think the ultimate accessory for the FF2 would be dosing capsules. Besides the portable convenience of dosing capsules, cleaning frequency would be greatly reduced and like the ceramic screen I suspect you wouldn't have to stir.

I should also mention that my experience with the ceramic screen and a coarse grind have been less than favorable. I only tried a coarse grind a couple of times and it worked like shit with the ceramic screen so I never looked back. Could have been a higher moisture level but it had spent a couple of days in glass with a Bevoda pack so moisture should have been the same as all my other strains. I think it was the combination of a coarse grind and a loose pack. Medium, fine and dust all work well loose and with the ceramic you're not picking weed out of your teeth if you remove the mouthpiece screen.

I'm still trying it with the metal screen I had from amazon as those ceramic ones are impossible to find outside the U.S. The good thing about it when I have to stir I use the lid to pick the screen up magnetically, it does get hot. How hot does the ceramic screen get ?

 

[Baron23]

I like the Vape Critic, but I personally am not crazy about a reviewer changing or mitigating his rating based on comments or other users.

Mitch - what about modifying/updating your initial review based on a larger body of field use data? That's what I think happened.

 

[mitchgo61]

Mitch - what about modifying/updating your initial review based on a larger body of field use data? That's what I think happened.

Oh I agree....that's exactly what happened. But he's the Vape Critic. We know his reviews are his opinion, based on his experience, not fact. If I want feedback from larger groups of users, I know where to find it (here, the comments below the VC's review...etc). If he gives the FF a certain rating, and then uses it for two months and decides his initial review was wrong, he should change the rating. Absolutely. I just don't think he should alter a rating based on other folk's feedback. It's not "the Vape Critic plus your random votes" review site. It's the Vape Critic. He's one guy. I just want his opinion, which is what his site purportedly offers. I like the guy because I like hearing his viewpoint, not one filtered through user consent.

Somewhat back on topic...the guy seemed to love the FF2 in his initial review. If he still loves it as much, altering his rating is a little disingenuous. If he doesn't, he should say so. (Full disclosure, I haven't seen his site since the first review, so I'm basing this on the description here in this thread.)