Pipiemcpipe
Well-Known Member
Buy the external charger. Its soo worth it. Didn't really want to spend the extra cash seeing we spent so much on unit . But trust me it was worth it
The Firefly 2 vaporizer
- Thread starter RobDaBomb
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Quick question: if you hold the mouthpiece close to your ear while the coil is heating up, should you hear an electrical buzzing noise? It's not usually loud enough to hear during normal use, but it's very clear when holding close to my ear. Sounds like a high-pitched transistor or something.
I came back to Firefly during their big Thanksgiving sale, and have found my unit to be extremely finicky. It was giving me very little vapor or medical effects -- but then it would very suddenly combust with a poof of smoke -- as if a piece of dry paper had suddenly ignited. I've stabilized usage a bit by setting it to a Med-high setting, while calibrated to 106% (and not grinding my herb at all). But it's still not great. One or two medium-ok hits, and then it tastes like shit. Will still combust, but only if I surf the buttons. (At higher temps it would combust during its normal 30-second run, even though I've never ventured into the concentrate settings.)
I was going to stay patient and keep working on my technique, but when I noticed the buzzing sound last night I wondered if it's time to return it. But maybe they all sound like that?
Thanks, Pete
I came back to Firefly during their big Thanksgiving sale, and have found my unit to be extremely finicky. It was giving me very little vapor or medical effects -- but then it would very suddenly combust with a poof of smoke -- as if a piece of dry paper had suddenly ignited. I've stabilized usage a bit by setting it to a Med-high setting, while calibrated to 106% (and not grinding my herb at all). But it's still not great. One or two medium-ok hits, and then it tastes like shit. Will still combust, but only if I surf the buttons. (At higher temps it would combust during its normal 30-second run, even though I've never ventured into the concentrate settings.)
I was going to stay patient and keep working on my technique, but when I noticed the buzzing sound last night I wondered if it's time to return it. But maybe they all sound like that?
Thanks, Pete
buckhakeesah
Well-Known Member
Buzz is normal. Its the heater coil doing its thing. I have not combusted with the old or the new software. I can see it happening if you're riding on high or medium high with a tight pack or if you do not use the tapping method to mix up the goods.
I also hear the buzz. It is normal.
I've combusted a few times with both of my FF2 units. @petey - the trick to avoiding combustion is to keep the temps medium to medium-high, don't "surf" the buttons, and stir frequently (I stir after every two hits).
Silveradio
Well-Known Member
I’ve had my FF2 since they were originally released back in early to mid 2016. Heard the buzz peeps were talking about but was too faint for me to worry about. Probably cause al the music I’ve played over the past 30 years or so. I have never combusted with my unit yet and I usually ride at high with a 106 tuning. I’ve used different techniques to load with. My favorite is “stickstones” method by putting a bud the size of the bowl in there and packing it a bit. Then take about three hits, flip the bud take three more and finally crumble and get approx. three to four more hits before it’s spent. Works real good imo and still no combustion.
Last night I finally had a really satisfying session with my new FF. Partly because of a tip here up-thread about drawing more vigorously. But I think my main stumble was packing too tightly. In my defense, I thought I was following FF instructions -- filling slightly above the bowl's brim. But that's pretty subjective, since it depends on how firmly one presses it all in.
Ironically, less material, barely ground, often stirred, leads to a longer, smoother, better tasting, harder hitting session. I think I'm now getting the hang of it, and appreciating its potential.
Ironically, less material, barely ground, often stirred, leads to a longer, smoother, better tasting, harder hitting session. I think I'm now getting the hang of it, and appreciating its potential.
vapen00b
Many vapes & accessories. Always happy to help
Hey peeps,
I was wondering, if you have the new app and firmware installed, can you change temps on the device itself, without the app? Not only the temp steps but the actual temperate in certain increments, is that possible?
Thanks for your knowledge... Sticks' method sure works like a treat - in every good vape
I was wondering, if you have the new app and firmware installed, can you change temps on the device itself, without the app? Not only the temp steps but the actual temperate in certain increments, is that possible?
Thanks for your knowledge... Sticks' method sure works like a treat - in every good vape
mitchgo61
I go where the thrills are
You can choose from one of seven presets. That’s as granular as you can get.Hey peeps,
I was wondering, if you have the new app and firmware installed, can you change temps on the device itself, without the app? Not only the temp steps but the actual temperate in certain increments, is that possible?
Thanks for your knowledge... Sticks' method sure works like a treat - in every good vape
http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/the-firefly-2-vaporizer.20281/page-220#post-1161955
Pimpslapper
Well-Known Member
I have had three sessions now on the same bowl and each time I got flashing red lights at least five times before it worked.
I tried switching out the battery to no avail.
When I finally got it to work I got very satisfying clouds. Much bigger than expected and almost as big as on my crafty. I use both at 175c.
I hope the flashing red goes away because if not it is going back
I spent almost two minutes getting it to work the last time which eliminates the only advantage over the crafty it has.
I tried switching out the battery to no avail.
When I finally got it to work I got very satisfying clouds. Much bigger than expected and almost as big as on my crafty. I use both at 175c.
I hope the flashing red goes away because if not it is going back
I spent almost two minutes getting it to work the last time which eliminates the only advantage over the crafty it has.
Flavor...
Hoping to compare notes to see if others experience similar trade-offs. Now that I'm getting a pretty good assortment of vapes I'm noticing certain patterns.
(I use a medium-high quality herb, typically stored at 60-62 percent relative humidity.)
It could be said that my new FF2 has the best flavor, but within three or four draws it produces a distinctly sour flavor (bypassing the less-obnoxious "popcorn" stage). Does anyone else feel that the best-tasting vapes also produce the worst-tasting flavor after the first few hits?
By contrast, my Plenty creates the least-interesting flavor from the start (although it's fine) -- but then keeps producing powerful clouds that still taste harmless as the material is being spent. I.e., both vapes produce usable medicine past the first few draws (as judged by vapor and effects), but, while the Plenty starts to taste a little like cotton balls, the FF tastes god-awful.
I'm finding it's a nice luxury to have multiple vaping options -- and I do keep alternating between them depending on my mood and needs. For what it's worth, here's my comparison of my current vapes (leaving out a couple of other crappy ones that I don't touch anymore):
FF2- Good for quick, light, pleasant sessions (not for getting hammered). It's finicky and delicate, like my old Fiat convertible. A pleasure to drive when it was working, but you always wonder what's going to go wrong next -- or when billows of foul smoke will suddenly erupt. Nice that it uses unground material well. Oddly, its small chamber is not that much smaller than some other vapes (including my Plenty with its reducer), yet it seems to produce far fewer worthwhile draws. So, if I need to get highly medicated it's too much trouble, as it requires a refill or two (with cleanings, stirrings, etc). Everything about it is more hands-on than I sometimes want (even holding down those buttons when it starts to get too hot).
Arizer Air (original) -- Probably my favorite all-around vape for carefree use. Tastes almost as good as the FF2, but, like the FF, suffers from bad taste after a few draws (but not as few as the FF). Much less finicky, however, and I love the form-factor (being able to load the glass tube/bowl by simply scooping it into ground herb). Its main downside is that it takes 2-3 minutes to heat up. But it can be stuffed tight with ground material, and one (economical) bowl can leave me highly medicated. It only has four settings, but I can easily "surf" the temperature, mainly with draw speed and using my mouth as carburetor. Requires no stirring, just a bit of shaking, and occasionally backward blowing (gently blowing into mouthpiece to loosen material that is blocking air flow). Very easy to clean and maintain (typically just brushing, until the glass tubes get gross enough to soak in alcohol). Battery only lasts about six months (with regular use), and replacements cost about $15.
Flytlab Lift -- A great economical option. Does everything medium well. Tastes medium good throughout session. Heats up medium fast (about 30 seconds). Medium-large chamber. Its mouthpiece includes a nifty plunger for re-packing ground material midway through session without opening chamber. The tiny holes on this plunger, however, can easily get clogged with sticky material, but I find a quick backward blow takes care of this just fine. It powers off automatically way too soon, but that encourages surfing through the four temperatures, which keeps the power on, and also regulates the vapor. Cleaning is not as easy as the Arizer, but on par with the FF, where it helps to have alcohol pads nearby.
Plenty -- Best for baking, even with the reducer chamber, which looks about the same size as the FF, but gives me many more big, cloudy hits. I stuff it with ground herb as tight as possible, because the draw resistance is almost zero. It works best by drawing fast and aggressively (whereas the others, with more resistance, require more sipping, and sometimes mouth-carb techniques). Takes several minutes to heat up, and tastes fairly cotton-like throughout. Almost never needs cleaning. Has no battery, so feels like it will continue working, carefree, forever.
Hoping to compare notes to see if others experience similar trade-offs. Now that I'm getting a pretty good assortment of vapes I'm noticing certain patterns.
(I use a medium-high quality herb, typically stored at 60-62 percent relative humidity.)
It could be said that my new FF2 has the best flavor, but within three or four draws it produces a distinctly sour flavor (bypassing the less-obnoxious "popcorn" stage). Does anyone else feel that the best-tasting vapes also produce the worst-tasting flavor after the first few hits?
By contrast, my Plenty creates the least-interesting flavor from the start (although it's fine) -- but then keeps producing powerful clouds that still taste harmless as the material is being spent. I.e., both vapes produce usable medicine past the first few draws (as judged by vapor and effects), but, while the Plenty starts to taste a little like cotton balls, the FF tastes god-awful.
I'm finding it's a nice luxury to have multiple vaping options -- and I do keep alternating between them depending on my mood and needs. For what it's worth, here's my comparison of my current vapes (leaving out a couple of other crappy ones that I don't touch anymore):
FF2- Good for quick, light, pleasant sessions (not for getting hammered). It's finicky and delicate, like my old Fiat convertible. A pleasure to drive when it was working, but you always wonder what's going to go wrong next -- or when billows of foul smoke will suddenly erupt. Nice that it uses unground material well. Oddly, its small chamber is not that much smaller than some other vapes (including my Plenty with its reducer), yet it seems to produce far fewer worthwhile draws. So, if I need to get highly medicated it's too much trouble, as it requires a refill or two (with cleanings, stirrings, etc). Everything about it is more hands-on than I sometimes want (even holding down those buttons when it starts to get too hot).
Arizer Air (original) -- Probably my favorite all-around vape for carefree use. Tastes almost as good as the FF2, but, like the FF, suffers from bad taste after a few draws (but not as few as the FF). Much less finicky, however, and I love the form-factor (being able to load the glass tube/bowl by simply scooping it into ground herb). Its main downside is that it takes 2-3 minutes to heat up. But it can be stuffed tight with ground material, and one (economical) bowl can leave me highly medicated. It only has four settings, but I can easily "surf" the temperature, mainly with draw speed and using my mouth as carburetor. Requires no stirring, just a bit of shaking, and occasionally backward blowing (gently blowing into mouthpiece to loosen material that is blocking air flow). Very easy to clean and maintain (typically just brushing, until the glass tubes get gross enough to soak in alcohol). Battery only lasts about six months (with regular use), and replacements cost about $15.
Flytlab Lift -- A great economical option. Does everything medium well. Tastes medium good throughout session. Heats up medium fast (about 30 seconds). Medium-large chamber. Its mouthpiece includes a nifty plunger for re-packing ground material midway through session without opening chamber. The tiny holes on this plunger, however, can easily get clogged with sticky material, but I find a quick backward blow takes care of this just fine. It powers off automatically way too soon, but that encourages surfing through the four temperatures, which keeps the power on, and also regulates the vapor. Cleaning is not as easy as the Arizer, but on par with the FF, where it helps to have alcohol pads nearby.
Plenty -- Best for baking, even with the reducer chamber, which looks about the same size as the FF, but gives me many more big, cloudy hits. I stuff it with ground herb as tight as possible, because the draw resistance is almost zero. It works best by drawing fast and aggressively (whereas the others, with more resistance, require more sipping, and sometimes mouth-carb techniques). Takes several minutes to heat up, and tastes fairly cotton-like throughout. Almost never needs cleaning. Has no battery, so feels like it will continue working, carefree, forever.
MinnBobber
Well-Known Member
................................................................................................................
Not my experience with some vapes as my miniVAP is my best tasting vape AND the taste never gets below "meh" or below a flat neutral taste and it never goes to popcorn.
Pimpslapper
Well-Known Member
If you don't stir with the ff2 it gets rank.
I find the crafty delivers a better overall over the bowl taste but the ff2 excels for me that I can hit the same bowl over a day or three with a little stir and it still tastes great.
Crafty for huge sessions with friends
Ff2 for single quick tokes on the go
I find the crafty delivers a better overall over the bowl taste but the ff2 excels for me that I can hit the same bowl over a day or three with a little stir and it still tastes great.
Crafty for huge sessions with friends
Ff2 for single quick tokes on the go
mitchgo61
I go where the thrills are
I think this is a function of pure convection vapes, at least in my experience. Convection gives you the best flavor as you're getting pure flavored hits as soon as the weed is heated up....conduction heats up the weed before you draw, ensuring you often get slightly stale or even over-cooked hits.
The downside to convection IME is that as the first few hits get depleted, you end up drawing hot air over material that is more and more cooked, and each hit degrades proportionally.
Tangentially....one of the interesting things about the Mighty is that its use of a hybrid approach of both conduction and convection seems to ensure that as the good flavor passes, you are left with just less flavor, not burned or charred tasting hits. I've yet to use a convection vape that accomplishes this, or that doesn't end up having less-than-desirable flavor after the peak hits are exhausted.
Lots of good things about both conduction and convection. Flavor seems to be a key difference in each, both in peak flavor and how it degrades over the course of a session.
Mitch, this rings true from my experience as well. Which would explain why the Plenty (for example) tastes consistently pretty bland, while the FF has such great moments of flavor, followed by yuck. Other vapes fall in between on the spectrum, depending on the specific design of their chambers. Or so it seems to me.
Question: although I've been enjoying my new FF, it consistently leaves a black (burnt) spot on the bottom of my intact bud after the first two draws. When I flip the bud, I see the black spot very clearly delineated right in the middle -- about the size of a BB (3-4 mm)
I rarely get full combustion anymore, but I think I could just by drawing a little more aggressively (yet still without riding the buttons).
So, my question is whether y'all think these well-defined black spots indicate an unbalanced coil (in which case I would want to trade in the unit ASAP), or if this behavior is acceptable, in which case I'll just avoid pushing it. (I'm still set at med-high, calibrated to 106%.)
Question: although I've been enjoying my new FF, it consistently leaves a black (burnt) spot on the bottom of my intact bud after the first two draws. When I flip the bud, I see the black spot very clearly delineated right in the middle -- about the size of a BB (3-4 mm)
I rarely get full combustion anymore, but I think I could just by drawing a little more aggressively (yet still without riding the buttons).
So, my question is whether y'all think these well-defined black spots indicate an unbalanced coil (in which case I would want to trade in the unit ASAP), or if this behavior is acceptable, in which case I'll just avoid pushing it. (I'm still set at med-high, calibrated to 106%.)
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Both of my FF2s have always left a dark spot in the middle of the load (although I use ground bud not whole bud). That's why the FF2 requires as much stirring as it does.
My FF2, although I've only used it for 2 bowls of flower to-date (using it for concentrate mainly), both flower bowls worked amazing, no stirring, and overall pretty even ABV. Very rough ground but, dumped out of a doob tube to just over the top of the bowl, lightly tamped down, and away we go; maybe I got the right way to load it perfect both 2 times I used it for flowers? I was immediately impressed both times by how nice it worked for flower, considering the reviews, and how evenly it vaped, considering everyone insisting on the need to stir which was a turn-off for me from the device immediately when it first came out.
Anyways ... overall impression of the FF2 to-date is it's an amazing device for on-the-go concentrate usage, and pretty good for flower too!
Anyways ... just thought I'd pitch in my 2 cents
Anyways ... overall impression of the FF2 to-date is it's an amazing device for on-the-go concentrate usage, and pretty good for flower too!
Anyways ... just thought I'd pitch in my 2 cents
OK, just wanted to see if this was common. I get it after just two draws -- a near-perfect black circle.
Meanwhile, I've been catching up on old posts about FFs with gasket problems. Ugh. Mine is just a couple weeks old and the gasket is already coming off. I'll bet Firefly's rude responses in the past indicate they think some customers were too rough with the gaskets. I can say for sure I've cleaned mine daily -- gently -- with just 70% alcohol pads and the supplied brush. No roughness in the least. But the gasket won't last much longer, as material is now getting under it, and it looks like it's starting to tear.
Sounds to me like some gaskets must have not been glued down properly in production. I can't believe FF expects me to buy a new lid. Will have to call them and see what they're saying these days.
I don't understand why we couldn't get replacement gaskets .... ? Even one not glued down would work fine I imagine ... perhaps replacing with a custom silicone gasket? Remove, clean really well, and maybe cut a new one from a silicone baking sheet or something? Just a thought ...
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
I'm sure it would ... but from my understanding platinum cured silicone for mold making etc is quite expensive. Probably easier and cheaper to find a thin silicone sheet and cut it out to size ...
I also had the 1/2 of the gasket come loose... for a temporary fix apply some spit under the loose part....I ended up buying another lid... to keep the lid clean consider getting a vaporbrothers ceramic filter...this helps keep the lid clean and will hold down the herb for a better vape when there is just a little herb left in the bowl . I clean the ff2 after finishing a bowl while still warm, and use 2 cuetips and 1 tissue.. ..no alcohol necessary (I believe this dissolves the glue holding the gasket...we'll see)
For maximum flavor I start at 300... wow what flavor! and then boost to 320 for 2 or three hits and finish at 370... The new firmware and app are amazing... I bought 1 ff2 a year ago and really liked it but the draw was quite restrictive...I used a needle and very slightly enlarged the holes (not recommened if you care about the warranty as you could enlarge the holes too much) This worked really well. I recently purchased a new ff2 and would have to say the draw is definitely less restrictive than my original old ff2 (until I enlarged the holes.....now they're about the same.... Since i got my ff2 a year ago I haven't used my Vapexhale cloud evo...
For maximum flavor I start at 300... wow what flavor! and then boost to 320 for 2 or three hits and finish at 370... The new firmware and app are amazing... I bought 1 ff2 a year ago and really liked it but the draw was quite restrictive...I used a needle and very slightly enlarged the holes (not recommened if you care about the warranty as you could enlarge the holes too much) This worked really well. I recently purchased a new ff2 and would have to say the draw is definitely less restrictive than my original old ff2 (until I enlarged the holes.....now they're about the same.... Since i got my ff2 a year ago I haven't used my Vapexhale cloud evo...
Do most FF2 users actually get months or years of normal use without the gasket going bad? Mine came loose so easily -- and then started to tear -- that it's hard to imagine any of them surviving routine cleaning.
Regardless, Vape World is sending me a replacement lid (after I sent a photo of the damage). Not too much fuss, since I've only had it three weeks.
If this one goes bad I'll start looking into homemade fixes.
Regardless, Vape World is sending me a replacement lid (after I sent a photo of the damage). Not too much fuss, since I've only had it three weeks.
If this one goes bad I'll start looking into homemade fixes.
RalphsBlend
Well-Known Member
I don't know about years as I've only had mine a few months and it hasn't been my daily driver. That said, I haven't had any inkling of the gasket coming off however I go out of my way to not damage it during cleaning.
I typically do a post bowl clean while warm using the provided brush and a toothpick. The toothpick dislodges the large chucks from the bowl/resinous areas, the flat brush is used on high resin areas (inside the bowl after a toothpick, "window area" of the lid if needed), and the round end of the brush for finishing (any low resin areas or the gasket, if needed) and when I'm using it on the gasket I'm not going hard, just a light brushing to get any little crumbles that ended up there off).
For heavy cleaning I fold a small piece of paper towel until a diameter of it is narrower than the gasket by a visible amount (an mm or two on each side), put some iso on it (enough to see it when applied, but not enough that it runs when applied) and run that straight up and down the vapor path on the lid, stopping short of the gasket on either end. This combined with the narrow diameter prevents the area where the glass and the gasket meet from ever touching iso.
One thing that I did notice about this vape that in my experience it really didn't work well with cheap bud of questionable provenance and cure, even on the highest flower heat setting with a slight calibration boost (+2%).
I went to visit some friends who mostly combust so I brought the FF2 and loaded it up when it was time to get all time. But I kept hitting it and passing it and hitting it again and so on, and even using the techniques I know from experience should get clouds all I got was occasionally a wispy "cloud". That bowl never got brown no matter how much I stirred or hit it and was green when I dumped it (after about 12 total hits).
Then I get home, load up some store bought bud and magically it's spitting clouds again.
Anyone else notice similar results with their units?
I typically do a post bowl clean while warm using the provided brush and a toothpick. The toothpick dislodges the large chucks from the bowl/resinous areas, the flat brush is used on high resin areas (inside the bowl after a toothpick, "window area" of the lid if needed), and the round end of the brush for finishing (any low resin areas or the gasket, if needed) and when I'm using it on the gasket I'm not going hard, just a light brushing to get any little crumbles that ended up there off).
For heavy cleaning I fold a small piece of paper towel until a diameter of it is narrower than the gasket by a visible amount (an mm or two on each side), put some iso on it (enough to see it when applied, but not enough that it runs when applied) and run that straight up and down the vapor path on the lid, stopping short of the gasket on either end. This combined with the narrow diameter prevents the area where the glass and the gasket meet from ever touching iso.
One thing that I did notice about this vape that in my experience it really didn't work well with cheap bud of questionable provenance and cure, even on the highest flower heat setting with a slight calibration boost (+2%).
I went to visit some friends who mostly combust so I brought the FF2 and loaded it up when it was time to get all time. But I kept hitting it and passing it and hitting it again and so on, and even using the techniques I know from experience should get clouds all I got was occasionally a wispy "cloud". That bowl never got brown no matter how much I stirred or hit it and was green when I dumped it (after about 12 total hits).
Then I get home, load up some store bought bud and magically it's spitting clouds again.
Anyone else notice similar results with their units?
Pimpslapper
Well-Known Member
Bud is not legal here so rarely super properly cured. I keep it in nason jars with a 62% boveda pack in a cool dark place and at 175c with no calibration boost get very big satisfying clods from the first hit. Definitely recommend the boveda for ff2 use. Even if properly cured it will at least remain that way.
The more i use the ff2 the more i love it.
For those with gasket issues, are you getting iso on the gasket when you ckean?
That will eat through it AND dissolve the glue
The more i use the ff2 the more i love it.
For those with gasket issues, are you getting iso on the gasket when you ckean?
That will eat through it AND dissolve the glue
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