Discontinued The Firefly Vaporizer

[rainydaylair]

For anyone who owns this vape, how problematic is it to not have precise temperature control? I would be looking to reach higher temps at times, and I'm a bit bothered by the fact that the device supposedly tops out at 400F. In your experience, has this been true, or can it actually get hotter? Also, how difficult is the technique to master for newbies? Would it be really frustrating?

 

[mitchgo61]

For anyone who owns this vape, how problematic is it to not have precise temperature control? I would be looking to reach higher temps at times, and I'm a bit bothered by the fact that the device supposedly tops out at 400F. In your experience, has this been true, or can it actually get hotter? Also, how difficult is the technique to master for newbies? Would it be really frustrating?

1. It can get much hotter, depending on grind, pack, and technique.
2. Not having exact temp control is not a problem once you master it.
3. It can be easy to use, but to get consistent results is tricky, even for those of us who've used the FF for months or years.

You won't have issues using it right out of the gate, but you may find it frustrating on occasion to duplicate your best results. She's a fickle mistress.

 

[rainydaylair]

1. It can get much hotter, depending on grind, pack, and technique.
2. Not having exact temp control is not a problem once you master it.
3. It can be easy to use, but to get consistent results is tricky, even for those of us who've used the FF for months or years.

You won't have issues using it right out of the gate, but you may find it frustrating on occasion to duplicate your best results. She's a fickle mistress.

Ok, gotcha. Which would you recommend as a first vape: Firewood, Haze, or Firefly? I want something that can do small amounts, and I also want a safe air path and a unit that's quality built and not going to off-gas. Some control over the temp would be nice, which is why I threw in the Haze and Firewood.

 

[mitchgo61]

Ok, gotcha. Which would you recommend as a first vape: Firewood, Haze, or Firefly? I want something that can do small amounts, and I also want a safe air path and a unit that's quality built and not going to off-gas. Some control over the temp would be nice, which is why I threw in the Haze and Firewood.

I haven't used either of those....I have one friend who hated his FW, and I've read about some potential path issues with the Haze. So from my very myopic perspective the FF might still be your best bet given you want to vape small amounts. The FF temp control isn't exact but once you master it it's pretty great.

 

[Breathemetal]

Does the lid come off easily? If i get this ill ne throwing it into my pocket prepacked a lot

 

[Shit Snacks]

Ok, gotcha. Which would you recommend as a first vape: Firewood, Haze, or Firefly? I want something that can do small amounts, and I also want a safe air path and a unit that's quality built and not going to off-gas. Some control over the temp would be nice, which is why I threw in the Haze and Firewood.

Yeah well for simplicity Haze is pack and go, you can small amounts but it is a session vape, constantly cooking when not inhaling. Still a nice one at that, cans for herbs and concentrates, plus amazing customer service.

FF is on demand pure convection, stronger hits for sure, less hits to get where you want to be, so more efficient in that sense too. I always packed a full bowl, but you can do less with a screen on top (that can also raise load temp), also amazing to try with just a whole little nug unground... Stirring is needed to some extent though, depends on other variables, I had a great system though that i shared somewhere here... I am selling mine in the classifieds (now a brand new in box replacement actually, pm me if interested) just bc I need to offset cost of another purchase. It has served me extremely well using solo at home or in the car, in group use of 2-4 people, combusters love it as its like a new age pipe bascially, fairly simple to learn and enjoy.

The Firewood, seeks to be automatic on demand convection, but still has a manual learning curve element to it as well. It apparently works great for small amounts, and very pure airthparh and materials. Batteries are not so easily replacable and it takes 4 of em, but those temp settings do seem to provide a nice guide...

Elevape is another one in this category to consider perhaps (my favorite actually aside from the Zion, and discounting Daisy/Lily, and haven't gotten my GH just yet ofcourse), but Firefly seems to be overall the simplest on demand convection unit for most people, great taste and effects, fairly versatile with great build quality and solid customer support in my experience.

@Breathemetal it is quite secure, my only qualm with pocket throwing is herb sticking to the lid (I would try to keep it right side up when loaded personally), but if its clean and not super sticky, with a courser grind should be ok. With a whole nug, there is no issue at all, and it is wonderful (just gotta flip and then break the nug eventually)

 

[mitchgo61]

Does the lid come off easily? If i get this ill ne throwing it into my pocket prepacked a lot

Both of my FFs require a fair amount of pressure to pull off the magnetic lid. Unless your pocket is three miles below you, that lid ain't going anywhere.

 

[Slow Draw McGraw]

constantly cooking when not inhaling.

Interesting choice of terminology. I noticed you use this term when talking about conduction. I prefer 'constantly heating' as its not making me dinner or anything.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Interesting choice of terminology. I noticed you use this term when talking about conduction. I prefer 'constantly heating' as its not making me dinner or anything.

fair enough!

For Haze though it is predominantly conduction imo regardless, so I do think of it like an oven cooking, vs a convection chamber heating

 

[mitchgo61]

Interesting choice of terminology. I noticed you use this term when talking about conduction. I prefer 'constantly heating' as its not making me dinner or anything.

I say "cooking" in this context too. It seems a tad more expressive. "Heating" may not connote "using up your herb" the way "cooking" does. Seems to (correctly IMO) imply more waste in conductive processes.

Boy we've come far afield. Good thing thing this isn't an issue with the FF, he said on-topic.

 

[Astedra]

I find that the Firefly gets plenty off hot as I still combust at times.

 

[pifive]

Tired of this device already. Bought it last year around August 20. After 4 replacements that breaks down every 3 to 5 months I am done. Sending a complaint to BBB I would like to have some kind of refund. Dont want to deal with this company no more.

Any of you guys have had a FireFly breaking down several times?

I loved it while it works.. but every 3 to 5 months stopping working.. No way I am gonna keep using something like this. Specially for the step price.

What are your experiences with it?

 

[mitchgo61]

Tired of this device already. Bought it last year around August 20. After 4 replacements that breaks down every 3 to 5 months I am done. Sending a complaint to BBB I would like to have some kind of refund. Dont want to deal with this company no more.

Any of you guys have had a FireFly breaking down several times?

I loved it while it works.. but every 3 to 5 months stopping working.. No way I am gonna keep using something like this. Specially for the step price.

What are your experiences with it?

Lots of us have had issues, but many more have not...and, on the plus side, they've always been great about fixing my problems. In a perfect world these stability issues wouldn't exist. I'm hopeful their version 2 product, whenever it arrives, will have fixed some of this. Their official failure rate is apparently <1%, but obviously some of us are more than pulling our weight with regard to the average. I've never really minded, because the device is so great and the support staff so responsive. If that were not the case I would definitely have gotten frustrated in the past. (My two current devices have been working great for a while now, he said, hopefully without jinxing it. )

If you haven't already, why don't you call FF with your concerns before writing the BBB? The latter won't be able to do anything substantive anyway....they will just notify FF of your complaint and ask for a response. You may catch more flies with honey than vinegar in this case.

 

[pifive]

I already spoke to them and their support this time was not helpful at all. Since I have done this about 4 times I already know the process. This time they just want me to send the unit so they repair it. Now I love my FireFly but the amount of work sending and waiting and using the breaking for this device is just crazy. It has happened to me 4 times in 1 year and 3 months. I dont think this device has great reliability. Therefore I rather move on and find something better more reliable. Since they did not gave me a great support I really had no choice but send a complaint to BBB. I am sure that wont help but I hope they will reconsider and send me a new unit and not wait to repair.

Just wondered why it fails all the time on the same issue? I hoped by now they already fix this on their later units... but no.

 

[Vakas]

I already spoke to them and their support this time was not helpful at all. Since I have done this about 4 times I already know the process. This time they just want me to send the unit so they repair it. Now I love my FireFly but the amount of work sending and waiting and using the breaking for this device is just crazy. It has happened to me 4 times in 1 year and 3 months. I dont think this device has great reliability. Therefore I rather move on and find something better more reliable. Since they did not gave me a great support I really had no choice but send a complaint to BBB. I am sure that wont help but I hope they will reconsider and send me a new unit and not wait to repair.

Just wondered why it fails all the time on the same issue? I hoped by now they already fix this on their later units... but no.

What was the issue?

 

[Astedra]

Dont all vapes brake down in a few months? Maybe for the air.

 

[pifive]

What was the issue?

Device turns on but when you press the heat button it does not heat nor glow..... this has happened 4 times already....

 

[jim-bob]

Hey, mine's doing that too!

 

[Vakas]

Device turns on but when you press the heat button it does not heat nor glow..... this has happened 4 times already....

Mine did that exact thing after 3-4 months of use, they were very nice and took care of it under warranty. Still with them at the moment. At this point I have 3 FireFly devices, just because I don't want to be without one if something goes bad.

I agree tho, this is not acceptable. Having underpowered expensive proprietary battery is one thing but these kind of problems on such an expensive device is another... smh firefly

 

[mitchgo61]

Device turns on but when you press the heat button it does not heat nor glow..... this has happened 4 times already....

Hey, mine's doing that too!

Yep, this is a dead coil problem. I have lost two or three FFs to this issue. It isn't acceptable, yet it's something that's plagued the first version of the FF. (From my myopic perspective this seemed to have been fixed in recent FFs but perhaps not given some of these reports.)

All they can do is stand by their warranty and replace and repair them when/if they fail. That's pretty much what any manufacturer does to honor their warranty. Again I'm assuming, and trusting, that these failure and stability issues will be behind them in the new FF2, whenever we see that. It doesn't help those of us who've already suffered failures with FF1, but this is a first version from a relatively new company, with at least its share of the normal "portable vape exigencies" problems that seem to plague most ports in their early versions. I think compared to other vape companies FF does a great job of responding to customers and making us happy....again, in my experience, anyway.

I knew a V1 of this vape would be a bumpy ride. Given other ports out there, the FF isn't even a top-priced vape anymore (it's somewhere in the middle of the range, thanks to the Mighty and a couple others setting the high end). Maybe it's a bumpier ride than I imagined, but it's also included better service than I expected.

Can you see me crossing my fingers for the improvements I'm imagining in FF2?

 

[pifive]

I always had great service and support with them. They always send me a replacement and I understood their situation. I mean i came here and we all agree we are gonna be testing this device pretty much. But It has happened to me 4 times already I though by now my latest FF would at least have been fixed from early flaws. Since yesterday they were not friendly neither I received their stellar support via chat It got me pretty disappointed.

 

[nacho257]

Exact same thing recently happened to my FF (dead coil). Ditto on them being very helpful, but I've got to wonder if the issue is truly on 1% of them when it seems like many here have had multiple replaced....

 

[RUDE BOY]

Dont all vapes brake down in a few months?...

I take it you were joking but From reading some of the threads here of late it may seem that way but the answer is NO.

I know I've only had two that had to be sent back within weeks or months of buying them (the WISPR and OG Davinci ) got warranty replacements and both are still running strong after 3+ years.


(Edit; oops I did forget about the puffit 2 that started screwing up within 2 months... it still works but not how it was made to, ya just have to know how to work it now.)

 

[mitchgo61]

I always had great service and support with them. They always send me a replacement and I understood their situation. I mean i came here and we all agree we are gonna be testing this device pretty much. But It has happened to me 4 times already I though by now my latest FF would at least have been fixed from early flaws. Since yesterday they were not friendly neither I received their stellar support via chat It got me pretty disappointed.

I hear ya. We can only tolerate what we can tolerate. For some, the reliability issue is worth having this device, given its unique properties and IMO unparalleled flavor delivery. For others, not so much. I don't think it's unreasonable to be frustrated....it just doesn't happen to bother me much at this point. Practice, I guess.

Exact same thing recently happened to my FF (dead coil). Ditto on them being very helpful, but I've got to wonder if the issue is truly on 1% of them when it seems like many here have had multiple replaced....

It's always dangerous to attempt to extrapolate failure rates from forum chatter. We tend to hear about problems more than things working correctly....sometimes the quietest forums are centered on the most reliable devices. Like, what's to talk about? In general, extrapolating from anecdotal evidence falls into the "too small sample size" problem often plagueing statistitical analysis.

I too assumed a higher rate, but when I asked them back in February, the answer was under 1%. I'm taking them at their word, because they've always been honest and straight with me, and they have tons of data I don't possess.

 

[MinnBobber]

I too assumed a higher rate, but when I asked them back in February, the answer was under 1%. I'm taking them at their word, because they've always been honest and straight with me, and they have tons of data I don't possess.

..........................................................

The FF is a wonderful device but I'd have to call BS on their claim of 1% failure rate.
If @pifive is on his 5th FF in a little over a year, that just doesn't add up.
If the odds of each unit going down were 1% (1 in 100), how could he possibly be on unit #5?

It would be like (1/100) x (1/100) x (1/100) etc
What does that give you, odds of 1 in one hundred million that it could happen?

Me thinks they are "fibbing" on their 1% claim.

Great vape but wish they could up the reliability factor