Discontinued The Firefly Vaporizer

[StealthMaster]

Sounds like the unit itself passes at least a cursory examination of the major counterfeit symptoms (though I don't know what you mean by "chip of red"...do you mean you have a red FF and there is a chip in the finish? If so, yes, there are occasional reports of minor cosmetic issues, I don't think that's in and of itself indicative of anything re authenticity). The box thing could almost be a judgment call. (Maybe you could show us pix?) The retailer...sounds like "not enough data". Here in the states there are only a couple of authorized places from which to purchase, so it would be easier to be suspicious of another retailer, but you have me at a disadvantage when it comes to Europe etc.


I would guess it's fine based on the unit itself but again to be sure send FF the serial number and get them to confirm its authenticity. (Also worth asking them about the retailer you purchased from.)

Good luck, let us know what happens...I am intrigued!

Here

 

[StealthMaster]

Sounds like the unit itself passes at least a cursory examination of the major counterfeit symptoms (though I don't know what you mean by "chip of red"...do you mean you have a red FF and there is a chip in the finish? If so, yes, there are occasional reports of minor cosmetic issues, I don't think that's in and of itself indicative of anything re authenticity). The box thing could almost be a judgment call. (Maybe you could show us pix?) The retailer...sounds like "not enough data". Here in the states there are only a couple of authorized places from which to purchase, so it would be easier to be suspicious of another retailer, but you have me at a disadvantage when it comes to Europe etc.

I would guess it's fine based on the unit itself but again to be sure send FF the serial number and get them to confirm its authenticity. (Also worth asking them about the retailer you purchased from.)

Good luck, let us know what happens...I am intrigued!

As you asked for pics I thought I'd take some of areas of the FF where you could distinguish between genuine and fake as mentioned on FF website on what to look for in counterfeit models. Also, the chip I refer to is on the rear of vape, above the grill just below the lid.

1. Off-center logo on inside face
2. Off-center mouthpiece
3. Visible glue around mouthpiece
4. Magnetic lid not as strong
5. Battery sticker upside down
6. Writing on battery scratches off
7. Unit doesn't work at all - turns green then flashes red and dies

 

[mitchgo61]

As you asked for pics I thought I'd take some of areas of the FF where you could distinguish between genuine and fake as mentioned on FF website on what to look for in counterfeit models. Also, the chip I refer to is on the rear of vape, above the grill just below the lid.

Thanks for posting these. I knew they'd be helpful! Here's my ....

1. The "box gap" doesn't alarm me. (Not sure I'd even notice it.) I currently have three FF boxes in my closet, and at least one of them has an identical gap to yours. (And all mine came directly from FF.)

2. I see the chip. I don't think it's indicative of counterfeit...though if you wanted to return it for arriving in less-than-perfect condition I think you've got an entirely reasonable case.

3. I compared all of your pix to my red FF. Everything looks identical. (Except, one thing, which I think is just a bit of an optical illusion....in the fourth pic down, your mouthpiece almost appears to have a metal sleeve inside the main stainless steel mouthpiece section, like a mouthpiece within a mouthpiece. It must be a trick of the light, because it doesn't look like that in any other pix...but in any event, the mouthpiece should be one piece of metal around the rim, so if for any reason it's not like that...)

The one picture-illusion notwithstanding your FF looks genuine to my fairly-untrained eye, in these shots anyway. If FF confirms your SN, I wouldn't sweat any "spoofed" SN issues (I had never heard of that until you mentioned it...). If you don't wanna wait until you hear from them, I would guess you are safe to use this thing (if you are concerned you won't be able to return it if it turns out to be fake, then you must really be worried about that retailer...because unless they are outright dishonest, they would want to refund your money if they had sold you a fake somehow unknowingly. If you're worried about safety issues with a counterfeit, then I would abstain until you hear from FF.)

I think you are likely safe. Nothing in these shots raises any flags for me. If you hadn't expressed skepticism I would just see a bunch of pix of your new FF...which is probably all I am seeing. Good luck and give them a call if you don't hear from them in mail tomorrow.

 

[hoptimum]

Did you try online chat during their business hours?

Check the serial number with the company if youre not sure

 

[murf2010]

Any tips on keeping ABV even colored? I always have portions that look burnt

 

[420engineer]

stir the bowl

 

[murf2010]

Am I the only one that after two or three hits the herb loosens up and rises slightly up to the glass? Also I find I cough a little bit with this device? I usually preheat for 10 seconds and then get massive clouds. 4-5 hits and then some material is burnt. Usually grind find and pull for 10 second draws. Steady easy draw too, nothing aggressive.

 

[mitchgo61]

Am I the only one that after two or three hits the herb loosens up and rises slightly up to the glass? Also I find I cough a little bit with this device? I usually preheat for 10 seconds and then get massive clouds. 4-5 hits and then some material is burnt. Usually grind find and pull for 10 second draws. Steady easy draw too, nothing aggressive.

If you don't pack a full bowl, you will get the herb spinning around the bowl and collecting on the port window of the lid. You can deal with this by packing more densely, or just opening and stirring every few hits (also solves the "uneven browning" problem mentioned above, an occupational hazard with convection vaping).

I don't cough more with the FF than other vapes...all depends on the size of the hit.

 

[StealthMaster]

Thanks for posting these. I knew they'd be helpful! Here's my ....

1. The "box gap" doesn't alarm me. (Not sure I'd even notice it.) I currently have three FF boxes in my closet, and at least one of them has an identical gap to yours. (And all mine came directly from FF.)

2. I see the chip. I don't think it's indicative of counterfeit...though if you wanted to return it for arriving in less-than-perfect condition I think you've got an entirely reasonable case.

3. I compared all of your pix to my red FF. Everything looks identical. (Except, one thing, which I think is just a bit of an optical illusion....in the fourth pic down, your mouthpiece almost appears to have a metal sleeve inside the main stainless steel mouthpiece section, like a mouthpiece within a mouthpiece. It must be a trick of the light, because it doesn't look like that in any other pix...but in any event, the mouthpiece should be one piece of metal around the rim, so if for any reason it's not like that...)

The one picture-illusion notwithstanding your FF looks genuine to my fairly-untrained eye, in these shots anyway. If FF confirms your SN, I wouldn't sweat any "spoofed" SN issues (I had never heard of that until you mentioned it...). If you don't wanna wait until you hear from them, I would guess you are safe to use this thing (if you are concerned you won't be able to return it if it turns out to be fake, then you must really be worried about that retailer...because unless they are outright dishonest, they would want to refund your money if they had sold you a fake somehow unknowingly. If you're worried about safety issues with a counterfeit, then I would abstain until you hear from FF.)

I think you are likely safe. Nothing in these shots raises any flags for me. If you hadn't expressed skepticism I would just see a bunch of pix of your new FF...which is probably all I am seeing. Good luck and give them a call if you don't hear from them in mail tomorrow.

thanks for your observations they really helped put my mind at rest knowing my FF was identical to yours. i see what you mean about the optical illusion, there is another piece of metal inside the mouthpiece and im not sure what its purpose is though it is identical to the mouthpiece of the genuine version shown on FF website, its within, say, the first 0.5 cm it does not come all the way up to the edge of the mouthpiece.

Anyway, the good news is that FF have responded to my email and confirmed that my FF is authentic and that owl vapes are an international partner. this chip of the finish, im thinking if everyone looked at their FF in as much detail maybe there would be a small chip somewhere and if its not a chip it might be a loose mouthpiece or another defect, who knows but it seems there is always a minor problem? the thought of returning and receiving another FF with another defect is unsettling so is it really worth the return? ive noticed that people seem to be use to having to return their FF 3/4 times because of problems they encounter, is this something i should expect because that would mean sooner or later id end up with a perfect FF and so returning because of a chip would be pointless.

 

[mitchgo61]

thanks for your observations they really helped put my mind at rest knowing my FF was identical to yours. i see what you mean about the optical illusion, there is another piece of metal inside the mouthpiece and im not sure what its purpose is though it is identical to the mouthpiece of the genuine version shown on FF website, its within, say, the first 0.5 cm it does not come all the way up to the edge of the mouthpiece.

Anyway, the good news is that FF have responded to my email and confirmed that my FF is authentic and that owl vapes are an international partner. this chip of the finish, im thinking if everyone looked at their FF in as much detail maybe there would be a small chip somewhere and if its not a chip it might be a loose mouthpiece or another defect, who knows but it seems there is always a minor problem? the thought of returning and receiving another FF with another defect is unsettling so is it really worth the return? ive noticed that people seem to be use to having to return their FF 3/4 times because of problems they encounter, is this something i should expect because that would mean sooner or later id end up with a perfect FF and so returning because of a chip would be pointless.

Good news. You are all set. And yes, yes, and yes...I think the odds of maybe having a return in the future are high enough (no pun) that you might end up with a different FF in six months anyway. (I've been through NINE myself, and I only purchased two.) So....let her rip...and enjoy. And let us know how it works for you, and yell if you need any technique advice. (Give the "best of FF" thread a quick read, it'll answer tons of q's about usage you may encounter...)

 

[StealthMaster]

Good news. You are all set. And yes, yes, and yes...I think the odds of maybe having a return in the future are high enough (no pun) that you might end up with a different FF in six months anyway. (I've been through NINE myself, and I only purchased two.) So....let her rip...and enjoy. And let us know how it works for you, and yell if you need any technique advice. (Give the "best of FF" thread a quick read, it'll answer tons of q's about usage you may encounter...)

thanks for the response, very informative as always. i have one final question before i use this unit. as a UK customer if theres any fault with the unit i dont think i can deal with fire fly directly? im guessing it would have to be the company i purchased it from and im not sure they understand that fireflys often get returned, which would mean after say, 6 months of use, if my unit does fail i wont be allowed a return. i only mention this because since ive mentioned the chip on the device and that i want a return they are working slowly, and have failed to reply to me when they said they would. several people have commented on bad after sales support. so if the company are not willing to do a return which should be allowed, will firefly too ignore me? surely they cant otherwise whats the point of a 5 year warranty

 

[CurryLeafTreehugger]

I posted here about having trouble with my Firefly but it got moved for some unfathomable reason to a thread about transitioning to vaping. Took me forever to find it, I kept going over and over this thread looking for it here.

Long story short, I've not had good success with my Firefly and I've tried everything I've read on here to make it work. I've decided it MUST be faulty, after finally finding folks' responses to my plight in the wrong thread (they moved my original thread and all the responses, I thought I had lost my mind).

In short it doesn't seem to be heating up enough, not nearly. Someone posted a link to a post showing vapor clouds coming out of somebody's Firefly and I guarantee you I never see anything like that coming out of mine.

I've been trying to get hold of them over there for (I just realized, not one but) THREE weeks now, since I originally posted here. Nobody ever answers the phone.

Does anybody have an extension or the name of the person I should be trying to reach? I can't seem to get out of answering machine hell every time I call over there.

 

[grokit]

I posted here about having trouble with my Firefly but it got moved for some unfathomable reason to a thread about transitioning to vaping. Took me forever to find it, I kept going over and over this thread looking for it here.

Long story short, I've not had good success with my Firefly and I've tried everything I've read on here to make it work. I've decided it MUST be faulty, after finally finding folks' responses to my plight in the wrong thread (they moved my original thread and all the responses, I thought I had lost my mind).

In short it doesn't seem to be heating up enough, not nearly. Someone posted a link to a post showing vapor clouds coming out of somebody's Firefly and I guarantee you I never see anything like that coming out of mine. This could be the source of your troubles. It's been said that the telephone is better than email but I haven't had to contact them myself. Good luck!

I've been trying to get hold of them over there for (I just realized, not one but) THREE weeks now, since I originally posted here. Nobody ever answers the phone.

Does anybody have an extension or the name of the person I should be trying to reach? I can't seem to get out of answering machine hell every time I call over there.

Have you checked the battery? There was a bad batch of 750mah batteries, they will replace it with the new 770mah battery if you just purchased your firefly new and got one of the old batteries.

 

[RelaxedNow]

I posted here about having trouble with my Firefly but it got moved for some unfathomable reason to a thread about transitioning to vaping. Took me forever to find it, I kept going over and over this thread looking for it here.

Long story short, I've not had good success with my Firefly and I've tried everything I've read on here to make it work. I've decided it MUST be faulty, after finally finding folks' responses to my plight in the wrong thread (they moved my original thread and all the responses, I thought I had lost my mind).

In short it doesn't seem to be heating up enough, not nearly. Someone posted a link to a post showing vapor clouds coming out of somebody's Firefly and I guarantee you I never see anything like that coming out of mine.

I've been trying to get hold of them over there for (I just realized, not one but) THREE weeks now, since I originally posted here. Nobody ever answers the phone.

Does anybody have an extension or the name of the person I should be trying to reach? I can't seem to get out of answering machine hell every time I call over there.

I emailed them from the form on their website when I had a problem, and got a quick response. You might try that.

 

[murf2010]

I call and instantly they pick up

 

[mitchgo61]

Does anybody have an extension or the name of the person I should be trying to reach? I can't seem to get out of answering machine hell every time I call over there.

Just call that main Seattle number on their website and hit the customer service prompt. I've never gotten voice mail from them, except after biz hours. As has been said above, they pick right up when you reach customer service.

thanks for the response, very informative as always. i have one final question before i use this unit. as a UK customer if theres any fault with the unit i dont think i can deal with fire fly directly? im guessing it would have to be the company i purchased it from and im not sure they understand that fireflys often get returned, which would mean after say, 6 months of use, if my unit does fail i wont be allowed a return. i only mention this because since ive mentioned the chip on the device and that i want a return they are working slowly, and have failed to reply to me when they said they would. several people have commented on bad after sales support. so if the company are not willing to do a return which should be allowed, will firefly too ignore me? surely they cant otherwise whats the point of a 5 year warranty

Well I don't know what the protocol for returns in other countries is....I would contact the retailer if you need to do a return and see what they say. I really wouldn't sweat it...I strongly suspect that FF will find a way to make you happy in the unlikely event that one of their authorized retailers dropped the ball. You have a 5 year warranty and I am pretty sure FF will cover you in whatever way necessary. (I've dealt with them many many times, and that's the one thing I can say for sure: I never worry about them taking care of me.)

And hey, keep a good thought. Lots of folks have had FF's running fine since December 2013 with no failures or returns. You are more likely to be one of them than not.

 

[StealthMaster]

Just call that main Seattle number on their website and hit the customer service prompt. I've never gotten voice mail from them, except after biz hours. As has been said above, they pick right up when you reach customer service.



Well I don't know what the protocol for returns in other countries is....I would contact the retailer if you need to do a return and see what they say. I really wouldn't sweat it...I strongly suspect that FF will find a way to make you happy in the unlikely event that one of their authorized retailers dropped the ball. You have a 5 year warranty and I am pretty sure FF will cover you in whatever way necessary. (I've dealt with them many many times, and that's the one thing I can say for sure: I never worry about them taking care of me.)

And hey, keep a good thought. Lots of folks have had FF's running fine since December 2013 with no failures or returns. You are more likely to be one of them than not.

you were right! FF customer service is outstanding to say the least. i mentioned the chip on the unit and that the retailers are ignoring a refund so FF are sending me a brand new one from the US which is amazing as they do not ship internationally. International customers would have to buy a FF through one of the international retailers. Anyway, they said the will send it by expedited shipping. the email was received at 1pm US time, thursday gone. do you have any knowledge of how long, roughly that will take to arrive at my door?

 

[mitchgo61]

you were right! FF customer service is outstanding to say the least. i mentioned the chip on the unit and that the retailers are ignoring a refund so FF are sending me a brand new one from the US which is amazing as they do not ship internationally. International customers would have to buy a FF through one of the international retailers. Anyway, they said the will send it by expedited shipping. the email was received at 1pm US time, thursday gone. do you have any knowledge of how long, roughly that will take to arrive at my door?

Great news! Not surprised though, they are awesome. No idea how long it'll take to get to you...given holiday here tomorrow I would expect maybe early next week....keep your fingers crossed!

 

[Jherst]

Just ordered a Firefly. Can't wait to try this thing. Only portables I've ever used haven't been so great.

 

[hafalump]

The strain can be the deal. I had some animal crackers that did not work in the FF.
The crackers are great in my log.
Fresh sour d is crazy in the FF and just ok in log,so go figure....

dryness etc was close.

Be sure you get the new 770mah battery

 

[Quote]

The strain can be the deal. I had some animal crackers that did not work in the FF.
The crackers are great in my log.
Fresh sour d is crazy in the FF and just ok in log,so go figure....

dryness etc was close.

Be sure you get the new 770mah battery

You say the dryness of each strain was similar. I had been thinking that I wasn't getting clouds because my herb was so dry, but I guess that's not it. Any idea what *was* different about the strains?

 

[mitchgo61]

You say the dryness of each strain was similar. I had been thinking that I wasn't getting clouds because my herb was so dry, but I guess that's not it. Any idea what *was* different about the strains?

Many (but not all) vapes seem to produce more vapor if your weed is on the dry side. My general experience is that conduction vapes really need dry-ish weed to produce good vapor; OTOH convection vapes (like the FF) can handle moister weed because, since they move hot air over the herb, the first couple of hits function to dry out the weed. (One of the reasons why you get better vapor on second and third hits with convection...the first pass is drying/prepping the weed, after that the vapor gets unlocked more easily). In any case, I find I get better results in all vapes by erring on the dry side...if the ambient humidity is high, I'll pop my on-deck stash in the fridge where I know humidity is controlled. (In the winter, where I live, five minutes in the ambient air will dry the fuck out of anything. )

I agree that different strains, irrespective of moisture levels, perform differently in the FF and other vapes. I have never heard any convincing explanations of this phemonenon. But it's worth playing with diferent strains in your FF. (Last night I was getting some huge clouds from Sugar Black Rose...my same FF was performing much less optimally with some Chem Dawg.)

As with much of the vaping experience, the fun is in experimenting. Hey, it's all in the interest of science.

 

[Quote]

What do people use for a case? Anyone know of one that's smell proof and small enough to be pocketable? Maybe all you'd need is something to cover the mouthpiece?

 

[Jherst]

Got my FF in today and so far I'm extremely impressed. Highest quality portable device I've ever held I think.

First bowl wasn't great, second bowl I ground a little finer and used a screen on top and have been getting great clouds and strong potent hits almost every time. Once I get the technique down I think this will definitely be my go to portable until the Grasshopper or unnamed RBT device arrive.

I almost wish it WASN'T so nice though...I feel like I'm going to scratch it or mess it up every time I touch it haha.

 

[nacho257]

Hey all,

Been loving my Firefly for around 5 months now. I recently discovered a new way to hit it that I find much superior.

I received the vape from @Trogdor , who was kind enough to include a lid that he made with a Lotus waterpipe attachment. I tried out the attachment, it definitely works however is more of a novelty; too hard to use regularly.

I recently began loving my Daisy, part of which is due to the fact it has a carb. I then realized I could probably use the WPA as a carb, and was AMAZED at the results. I now have three ways to control the vapor; draw speed, button modulation, and carb modulation. Having the "carb" allows me a great deal more airflow, and also allows me to heat it to a higher temperature and not worry about toasting it, as I can easily let in cool air.



I went from getting about 6 medium hits per session to having the ability to kill a bowl in 3 huge, tasty as hell hits. It definitely takes a bit more skill, however the Firefly just feels so natural, like an extension of my hand. Anyway, video link included below so you can see it. (wasn't sure best way to share videos, used vidme)

(Skip to the last 10 seconds to see clouds)
https://vid.me/e4pV