Discontinued The Firefly Vaporizer

[MaxVapor]

Must be better than expected? No report is better in some cases lol

So true! Had a lot to do today, but I did get a couple of sessions in. First session I would rate 4 out of 10, took 7 or 8 hits but got little vapor. I realized that I only had filled the bowl half way, so I think that accounted for that problem. Second bowl I filled it and lightly tamped with finger rating went up to a 6 out of 10 as I did get several hits where I saw a bit of vapor (not clouds per se) and definitely got a better effect. I was using very dry but quite compact buds, finger ground. I just medium ground some different but also dry and dense nugs that I will try out for bowl number 3. If the trend continues this one will be an 8.

Overall my first impression is quite positive. The only complaint I will make is that the button is too mushy. Hard to tell when it's pressed and so I tend to press to hard. I have arthritic knuckles so this can become a problem. I will try to keep my eye on the green light to see if it is on though, that may help a lot. I am only up to page 60 so I still have some more schooling to do

It is a sexy vape that makes you want to spend more time with it...

 

[mitchgo61]

The top screen method is really something. I loaded my first finely ground, fully packed bowl with a Firefly screen on top.. and wow. The screen does a phenomenal job granting airflow and preventing any clutter on the top window or the airways.. but DAMN.. the hits were so huge and concentrated. Every draw made me cough up a lung and it was the most debilitating bowl I've ever vaped in the Firefly. I was supremely lifted. I couldn't finish the bowl. I stirred it and still had very light brown and even some green herb left.

This trick needs to be added to the Firefly's user manual.

I have been using a top screen, on occasion, on my Red FF, which (also on occasion) seems to run a little coolish. I find the screen makes the unit run hotter, and allows me to extract more of the final vapor hits. I don't usually use it in the first half or so of a bowl, only if I'm having trouble getting the latter half to really extract to a darker color. I think that's why you're getting bigger hits right away...the screen seems to raise the heat level a very small but noticeable amount.

Overall my first impression is quite positive. The only complaint I will make is that the button is too mushy. Hard to tell when it's pressed and so I tend to press to hard. I have arthritic knuckles so this can become a problem. I will try to keep my eye on the green light to see if it is on though, that may help a lot. I am only up to page 60 so I still have some more schooling to do

It is a sexy vape that makes you want to spend more time with it...

You may find the mushiness goes away after a week or two; I had this experience with my Red unit. After some use it became much more "authoritative" when pressed.

 

[Custom Flower Hardware]

I always do a fine grind then a slight tamp. I use the back of a c02 oil plastic syringe. The round button top fits perfectly over the firefly bowl just enough that you can't press the load straight down. Basically I rotate the round plastic thing around the inside edges of the bowl which kinda presses it down on the sides and not the middle. This vapes the bowl totally evenly and no stirring is required. I pop the load out when finished and blow out the lid and bowl while hot then a quick dry tissue wipe. I just cleaned it with an iso wipe for the first time in months! With this technique, the FLY stays really clean between uses. Plus the draws are superb!

 

[euph0ric1]

I always do a fine grind then a slight tamp. I use the back of a c02 oil plastic syringe. The round button top fits perfectly over the firefly bowl just enough that you can't press the load straight down. Basically I rotate the round plastic thing around the inside edges of the bowl which kinda presses it down on the sides and not the middle. This vapes the bowl totally evenly and no stirring is required. I pop the load out when finished and blow out the lid and bowl while hot then a quick dry tissue wipe. I just cleaned it with an iso wipe for the first time in months! With this technique, the FLY stays really clean between uses. Plus the draws are superb!

I've had to get to know my draw again since I started using a top screen and a fine grind. At first I was getting huge, assaulting hits using the same hard pull as for a medium grind. But now with a fine grind I can chill the heck out on my draw, and still get a dense, tasty hit without feeling like I'm hyperventilating.

Are there efficiency benefits to vaping a finer grind of herb? Or do larger pieces of herb vape all the way thru regardless of grind?

 

[Lahey]

...I find the screen makes the unit run hotter, and allows me to extract more of the final vapor hits. ...the screen seems to raise the heat level a very small but noticeable amount.

It doesn't make the unit run hotter, but by holding the material more in place and together (assuming you load it that way,) it encourages more radiative heating, in addition to the convective heat coming off the coil which is more or less maxed out at 400F (and lowered accordingly by draw speed.) I think it is an important distinction to make, since a couple people had expressed concerns about a top screen resulting in combustion/over-heating. I haven't seen any concrete evidence of a correlation.

This is just my theory anyways, I'm no scientist. Just love to vape .

 

[mitchgo61]

It doesn't make the unit run hotter, but by holding the material more in place and together (assuming you load it that way,) it encourages more radiative heating, in addition to the convective heat coming off the coil which is more or less maxed out at 400F (and lowered accordingly by draw speed.) I think it is an important distinction to make, since a couple people had expressed concerns about a top screen resulting in combustion/over-heating. I haven't seen any concrete evidence of a correlation.

This is just my theory anyways, I'm no scientist. Just love to vape .

Not sure about that. In units that have tended to the hotter end of the scale a top screen has caused combustion for several users, including me on my first unit way back in December (or at least the combustion behavior seemed to initiate after use of a second screen). The presence of more metal in the chamber appears to cause a bit more heat by increasing the thermal mass and encouraging a tiny bit of conduction (which may explain why some of us notice a degradation in taste if the top screen is used early in a session). Frankly the only reason I use it, sporadically, is to raise the heat in the chamber a touch...the other advantages, for me anyway, don't counteract the taste issue enough to make it worth using.

Be interesting if FF could do some testing on this to determine exactly what properties are present when any extra screens are used, and if the chamber temp is actually raised a measurable degree. Vaping minds wanna know!

 

[ktom1991]

The top screens do bump up the temp. I ran out of bud so I've just been sandwiching some hash and or wax in the center of the bowl with some vaped bud...but yesterday I just put waaay too much in and now I've got this big gooey black mass of supervaped bud soaked in BHO and hash in my bowl that's been really hard to extract. Literally like a piece of chewing gum. Threw a screen on top and it's much easier to extract.

 

[vapin baby boomer]

I tried the top screen for the first time and yes, it does seem to bump up the temperature. I think I will be using it for the second half of a bowl, when it gets really hard to get a good hit without it

 

[grokit]

My unit could be running cooler than it did when it was new, I combusted once but not since I've been using the top screen, abv has been very even could be improved technique damn I love this thing!

 

[Krazy]

Hi, haven't posted in quite some time. I have made a go of reading the entire thread but my health is such that parts have been skimmed and/or missed. My apologies if this has already been addressed: is their a water device that is readily compatible? I'm not very temperature tolerant and even vaporizers with a long whip are an issue for me over time. My at home rig is a crappy desktop vaporizer connected to an home made bong stuffed with shaved ice.

I love the look and the fact that it could do double duty as a (very) occasional travel vapo and home vapo (if their is a compatible water device). Plus I'm a care giver to a number of other medical users with even worse health issues than myself that I think it would be perfect for. But these are the hard cases: seriously paranoid x-military mountain dwellers like myself. If I'm not actually using the thing as my primary to only device recommending it to them would be a no go.

I'v corresponded with firefly as well as a number of glass makers. Firefly has no comment and I have yet to receive a reply back from any vapo/glassware makers with a "yes!" answer. I love the look and the quality of of the thing. Convection and glass? What's not to love. And for a pocket vapo to not have the cart/cap serving double duty as a mouth piece? Outstanding!

But my medical issues absolutely impact my cognitive functions and organizational skills. Back in teh day I had a collection of various gear but my reality is now that of needing a single go-to device. If I can figure out some kind of water filtration, bong or bubbler, firefly is it. Otherwise I will fall back on the Inhalater INH05 and buy a kit.

Appreciate anyone taking the time to reply, good news or not.

 

[mitchgo61]

Interesting New Yorker article. People still use the word "yuppie"?

"The Pax has competition: a similar portable vape called the Firefly, which retails for two hundred and seventy-nine dollars, looks (and feels) like a retro Motorola cell phone. If it elicits stares when you’re holding it, it’s because you look like you’ve time-travelled from the nineties."

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blo...ource=www&utm_medium=tw&utm_campaign=20140509

 

[EveryDayAmnesiac]

My apologies if this has already been addressed: is their a water device that is readily compatible? I'm not very temperature tolerant and even vaporizers with a long whip are an issue for me over time. My at home rig is a crappy desktop vaporizer connected to an home made bong stuffed with shaved ice.


I'v corresponded with firefly as well as a number of glass makers. Firefly has no comment and I have yet to receive a reply back from any vapo/glassware makers with a "yes!" answer.

If I can figure out some kind of water filtration, bong or bubbler, firefly is it.

I believe it was @havealight101 who posted a great vid of hitting the FF through water, but he was using bubble, and I believe just some random GonG that happened to fit?

I don't think it's seen yet, the FF with just dry herb going through water. I'm not sure if it's because it would be a pain in the ass, if it wouldn't work well, or if we all just don't feel it necessary.

I have a pretty sensitive throat as well, and was dubious I'd be okay with the FF, but it has only caused me irritation back in the beginning, when I wasn't using the FF properly and was taking way too big of hits. Even then, it was minor.

I don't think many in this thread have had problems unless taking major hits? I do recall @Stu saying it made him cough, but that was a long time ago. Not sure how that turned out?

I bet if you just rigged up some sort of crude silicone connection from the mouthpiece to your glass, it would at least somewhat work. But you might not have to. IMO, the FF is damn smooth without water, so long as you're using it smoothly.

But if hitting through water from a portable is that important to you, have you checked out the Solo? Then all you'd need is a Solo GonG and a little water tube like the Pinnacle Water Tool or the F-Bomb to carry around. Although that Inhalator 5 might turn out to be a really good one too.

 

[vapin baby boomer]

Does anybody know if the warranty covers damage from stupidity....uh, I mean dropping the FF? Got careless and dropped the poor FF 4 feet onto the concrete garage floor. At first glance I didn't think there was any damage, but on further review the glass ring is cracked it two spots and has a small chip near the screen. Oh well, my bad. Anyone know if I'm covered by warranty, or will I have to pony up? I guess it's back to the MFLB for a couple weeks.

 

[mitchgo61]

Does anybody know if the warranty covers damage from stupidity....uh, I mean dropping the FF? Got careless and dropped the poor FF 4 feet onto the concrete garage floor. At first glance I didn't think there was any damage, but on further review the glass ring is cracked it two spots and has a small chip near the screen. Oh well, my bad. Anyone know if I'm covered by warranty, or will I have to pony up? I guess it's back to the MFLB for a couple weeks.

Section E of the warranty specifically excludes damage caused by "misuse, abuse, theft, natural disasters, or any other external causes". Which would seem to include accidental damage. Still, it's worth a call to them to see what they say.

 

[vapin baby boomer]

Section E of the warranty specifically excludes damage caused by "misuse, abuse, theft, natural disasters, or any other external causes". Which would seem to include accidental damage. Still, it's worth a call to them to see what they say.

Yep I will be calling tomorrow for sure. Covered or not, it will need repair. I hope it's covered, or at least not too costly. Will let everyone know.

 

[Mynameismud]

Just got these to clean up my firefly before I sent it off. I'm assuming it's basically the same thing as the wipes they give you except these are like Clorox/Lysol wipe size so you only need one for even the dirtiest of units...

 

[studmuffin]

Yes. I had a "hot" unit. Except mine was combusting using the same technique im using with my current firefly that doesnt even give me brown spots. And my FF would be too hot to touch around the heater part after 2-3 hits... I elected for an exchange instead of trying to fix it myself. But that was when it only took less than a week to get a replacement

So does it ever combust on you, or are you able to control it every time?

I am confused by the many claims that the Firefly can combust the materials. The FF has a 400 degree F thermal cut-out in it's software, therefore when 400 degrees is reached it shuts down. As some of you may know, the combustion temperature of Class A materials, like dried herb, is 451 degrees F (thank you, Ray Bradbury). What IS happening is pyrolysis, which is a physical chemical change in the material when it is heated to below it's ignition temperature. This is the LAW of physics, which is not subject to opinion or interpretation. Word.

 

[Mynameismud]

I am confused by the many claims that the Firefly can combust the materials. The FF has a 400 degree F thermal cut-out in it's software, therefore when 400 degrees is reached it shuts down. As some of you may know, the combustion temperature of Class A materials, like dried herb, is 451 degrees F (thank you, Ray Bradbury). What IS happening is pyrolysis, which is a physical chemical change in the material when it is heated to below it's ignition temperature. This is the LAW of physics, which is not subject to opinion or interpretation. Word.

It has a temperature cut off of 400 degrees yes. But that's not to say that the materials inside the unit can get hotter than 400 degrees especially when taking back to back hits. Or those units where the coil is closer to the ceramic. Also, if any bits get on the inside of the unit while the coil is glowing or the ceramic is too hot it will make a spark and/or flame.

This happened in my unit, I saw a spark, smelled smoke, opened it up and the abv was black and ashy.

To me that was combustion. Only happened once in one unit I no longer have but it definitely happened

 

[studmuffin]

It has a temperature cut off of 400 degrees yes. But that's not to say that the materials inside the unit can get hotter than 400 degrees especially when taking back to back hits. Or those units where the coil is closer to the ceramic. Also, if any bits get on the inside of the unit while the coil is glowing or the ceramic is too hot it will make a spark and/or flame.

This happened in my unit, I saw a spark, smelled smoke, opened it up and the abv was black and ashy.

To me that was combustion. Only happened once in one unit I no longer have but it definitely happened

Sorry, 400 degrees is 400 degrees, which is well below the material's ignition temperature Do an internet search for "pyrolysis". ABV can be black and ashy in the Firefly, but that is the end stage of the oxidation phenomenon of pyrolysis. The oxidation rate of pyrolysis is less than that of combustion, which has a very rapid rate of oxidation, with it's attendant by-products. I am not trying to be annoying and abstruse here. I am just applying my physics background to vaporizing with the Firefly. I have had my Firefly for two weeks, and it is stellar !

 

[ktom1991]

If you have to worry about combusting you should talk to FF about a replacement. Having said that...I've had combustion in my FF twice before. Once when someone else packed it idk what they did and then one time I just threw some more bud on top of a half vaped bowl (I think the screen was also pushed down making contact with the metal plate). I'm not talking about black charred ABV but smoke pouring out of the mouthpiece, opening the lid and dumping a burning cherry in the ashtray. I attributed this to unusual bowl conditions and didn't consider the unit defective. 99.5% of the time the FF does a very good job vaping your bud to near char without ever combusting. That's the whole 400 degree cutoff and why the thing works the way it does...but as with any machine it has its limitations and if you do some funky stuff you might restrict the airflow and cause heat to build up or something. The FF really shouldn't ever combust but even a properly functioning unit can be brought to combustion under extreme conditions.

 

[ipax]

So, got my Firefly Friday and I've been playing with it all weekend. It's fun, produces smoother (not sure tastier) vapor than the pax.
But, mine gets really hot, is that a thing? Like the heat creeps up the device gradually making it less comfortable to hold. Am I doing something wrong? I use the pax longer and it never gets warm

 

[mitchgo61]

Sorry, 400 degrees is 400 degrees, which is well below the material's ignition temperature Do an internet search for "pyrolysis". ABV can be black and ashy in the Firefly, but that is the end stage of the oxidation phenomenon of pyrolysis.

Of course. But if your thesis is "you guys are nuts, the FF never combusts", quite a few of us have experiential data (as do the FF technicians) that, indeed, some FF's have caused and do cause combustion. (If that's not the thrust of your posts, I apologize, but that's what I inferred.) Yes, if the FF is working perfectly as designed, and the heat coil is positioned perfectly, then it will work as expected, never cause combustion, and you'll have largely "low temp" vaping ahoy. But some units are hotter than others due to coil positioning, and can thus cause combustion. A few (like my first one) combusted wildly and often. Trust me, we're talking real combustion. Smoke-pouring-out-of-the-sides, rooms-smelling-of-smoke combustion. So yes, there is combustion in the FF world, even though there's not supposed to be. Shit happens. Machines fail us. (And yes, when working correctly, stellar is the word for the FF.)

So, got my Firefly Friday and I've been playing with it all weekend. It's fun, produces smoother (not sure tastier) vapor than the pax.
But, mine gets really hot, is that a thing? Like the heat creeps up the device gradually making it less comfortable to hold. Am I doing something wrong? I use the pax longer and it never gets warm

You're not doing anything wrong. Most of the FF's can get quite warm in a protracted session. Both of mine do, and my Red gets a bit hotter than the Silver. Set it down and give it a few minutes and it'll cool down pretty quickly.

 

[Mynameismud]

Of course. But if your thesis is "you guys are nuts, the FF never combusts", quite a few of us have experiential data (as do the FF technicians) that, indeed, some FF's have and do cause combustion. (If that's not the thrust of your posts, I apologize, but that's what I inferred.) Yes, if the FF is working perfectly as designed, and the heat coil is positioned perfectly, then it will work as expected, never cause combustion, and you'll have largely "low temp" vaping ahoy. But some units are hotter than others due to coil positioning, and can thus cause combustion. A few (like my first one) combusted wildly and often. Trust me, we're talking real combustion. Smoke pouring out of the sides, rooms smelling of smoke combustion. So yes, there is combustion in the FF world, even though there's not supposed to be. Shit happens. Machines fail us. (And yes, when working correctly, stellar is the word for the FF.)



You're not doing anything wrong. Most of the FF's can get quite warm in a protracted session. Both of mine do, and my Red gets a bit hotter than the Silver. Set it down and give it a few minutes and it'll cool down pretty quickly.

Well said, you basically summed up what I was trying to get across. Thanks...

I'm pretty confident to say what occurred with my firefly and others was combustion. When I used to have a silver surfer, and would cough up into the heater the herbs would touch the rod and it would immediately combust. Now I'm sure my temps on the rod were over 400, but it's the only thing I can compare what happened in my unit...

Regardless, I got that replaced a while ago. I'm just saying don't doubt us when we say it "combusted"

Haven't had any abv look like it since, or even close to being that dark or even black/ ashy and I've tried

 

[Mrbinky]

If the goal of their software is to ensure that the contents of the bowl is never heated above 400 f, that does not preclude the heater, itself, getting above 400 f. And, if something touches or gets closer to that heating element than it's supposed to, that could be a source of combustion, IMHO.

 

[vapin baby boomer]

More good news about Firefly's customer service. As I mentioned on here yesterday, I dropped my Firefly on a concrete floor, resulting in a cracked and chipped glass ring. My fault. I called and explained what happened to Shelby in customer service and she said they will either fix it or replace it, at no charge! I had to pay for shipping back to Seattle, but they will pay for shipping of the repaired or new unit back to me. Impressive. Anyone wondering if they can count on the Firefly folks to provide excellent customer support can rest assured, they will. Thank you Firefly for a first class product with first class customer service.