The GTR

[Alan]

It has taken me a while, but I finished making all versions of the GTR heater cover and took a photo to provide a comparison.

The glass heater covers are held to the base wood using natural cork rings and ss screws. Intake air enters through a hole in the base. Heat migration to the cork ring and base is limited by the thermal conductivity of glass.

The ss heater covers are held to the base wood using ss screws. Intake air enters the slits on the side of the heater cover, which also limit the heat migrating to the base using Heat Island Technology.

The 18mm female glass heater cover uses a 17mm flat screen wedged into the joint bottom as a debris/heater screen, which is also how any 18mm female joint can be used as an injector style roasting bowl for the 18mm male glass or ss GTR heater cover. 19/22mm roasting tubes that use 12mm adjustable position basket screens will fit, as well as 19/13mm roasting tubes that use 16mm fixed position flat screens, so they hold a bit more and don’t extend into the joint as far.

The 18mm female ss heater cover uses a 17mm basket screen as a debris/heater screen. 19/22mm and 19/13mm roasting tubes fit, but have limited engagement to prevent the tubes from getting stuck.

The 18mm male glass heater cover is cut to 19/13mm and uses a 16mm flat screen, similar to the 19/13mm roasting tube for the 18mm female GTR heater covers. Any 18mm female joint can be used as an injector style roasting bowl using a 17mm flat screen wedged into the joint bottom. 14/20mm and 14/13mm roasting tubes also fit into the end of the 19/13mm glass heater covers, for roasting smaller amounts.

The 18mm male ss heater cover is tapered to 19/7mm and uses a 17mm basket screen as a debris/heater screen. Any 18mm female joint can be used as an injector style roasting bowl using a 17mm flat screen wedged into the joint bottom.

The 14mm female glass heater cover uses a 1/2” flat screen wedged into the joint bottom as a debris/heater screen, which is also how any 14mm female joint can be used as an injector style roasting bowl for the 14mm male glass or ss GTR heater cover. 14/20mm roasting tubes that use 10mm adjustable position basket screens will fit, as well as 14/13mm roasting tubes that use 1/2” fixed position flat screens, so they hold a bit more and don’t extend into the joint as far.

The 14mm female ss heater cover uses a 13mm basket screen as a debris/heater screen. 14/20mm and 14/13mm roasting fit, but have limited engagement to prevent the tubes from getting stuck.

The 14mm male glass heater cover is cut to 14/13mm uses an 11mm basket screen as a debris/heater screen. Any 14mm female joint can be used as an injector style roasting bowl using a 1/2” flat screen wedged into the joint bottom.

The 14mm male ss heater cover is cut to 14/10mm and uses a 12mm basket screen as a debris/heater screen. Any 14mm female joint can be used as an injector style roasting bowl using a 1/2” flat screen wedged into the joint bottom.

The end connection of each heater cover size/style/material can also be used as a roasting tube, so in addition to having 8 heater cover end options, there are 8 roasting tube end options.

Check out my latest roasting tube options at Toasty Roasting Tubes

 

[simba]

Just wanted to check something, I emailed Alan to get on the list and he asked what joint size and whether I wanted SS or glass. I replied but there was no reply, now I initially assumed that my reply went back into the line.

BUT I've had a lot of legit emails go into my junk folder recently, so wanted to check I didn't miss anything, I'm sure I probably need to wait longer but worth asking just in case I may have missed a reply

 

[simba]

The above has been resolved

 

[Raskolnikov]

I've got my name down for a heat island. I think I may want all of this mans devices.

 

[Shit Snacks]

I've got my name down for a heat island. I think I may want all of this mans devices.

Luckily there is one custom waitlist for any product from him, my name's come up thrice

 

[cosimo]

anyone know the waiting time for a GTR?

 

[Zillacon]

@cosimo it varies.

Alan's methods for his list of servicing his clients are more about that, the client, rather than independent units. My advice is to get on his waiting list, and once your name comes up he will put together pretty much whatever you request. I'm on his list and he reaches out about yearly to put together whatever I have in my list. Sometimes my order is a log, other times it can be a huge package with multiple units and various stems.

So anecdotally I'm on his list and just reached out about getting some 14mm gtrs. I do not expect to hear back untill around that yearly mark.

Also a caveat. Sometimes he will have units ready to sell as soon as you reach out for a multitude of reasons (cancelled orders, over produced), so you may be lucky with just reaching out and having a u it available. He will also sometimes reach out to those on the wait-list when he makes many units of a particular device (he did it a bit ago with a bunch of iHeat 510s).

YMMV

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Hello all, reviving this thread... I already have several HIs that I purchased from Alan over the past 10 years or so, but I only heard of the GTR yesterday. I've already read through this thread a couple of times since it isnt all that long, but this stuff is sort of new to me so please forgive a few more noob questions...

Since I already have a few HIs, I wanted to get the perspective from users of the GTR, how does the functionality of the GTR differ from the typical HI? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the GTR is meant to be a more powerful extraction device, something more along the lines of a ball vape that can extract larger amounts of material, and faster... am I right? Am I missing anything?

I was looking at ball vapes for the first time about a month ago so I am extremely new to this. I spent some time reading about them and considered buying one for a bit, but then just backed out. Looking at these GTR vapes has me interested all over again, especially because it's a log vape, and seems more familiar to me. But first I want to understand where the GTR fits into the log vape space, and then I probably have some questions regarding the various options.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Hello all, reviving this thread... I already have several HIs that I purchased from Alan over the past 10 years or so, but I only heard of the GTR yesterday. I've already read through this thread a couple of times since it isnt all that long, but this stuff is sort of new to me so please forgive a few more noob questions...

Since I already have a few HIs, I wanted to get the perspective from users of the GTR, how does the functionality of the GTR differ from the typical HI? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the GTR is meant to be a more powerful extraction device, something more along the lines of a ball vape that can extract larger amounts of material, and faster... am I right? Am I missing anything?

I was looking at ball vapes for the first time about a month ago so I am extremely new to this. I spent some time reading about them and considered buying one for a bit, but then just backed out. Looking at these GTR vapes has me interested all over again, especially because it's a log vape, and seems more familiar to me. But first I want to understand where the GTR fits into the log vape space, and then I probably have some questions regarding the various options.

Yes it does have larger mass, and it is for using larger stems chambers, but there are so many different versions available with every type of connection for the tip, so that is another reason to get it if you want to have a standard connection instead of the less than standard log connections... Does that make sense? For me, in practical use, it might heat up a little quicker, and have a little more technique involved, different power settings to use of course, just different, another variation (although I wouldn't say it is like a baller injector or diffuser, I don't have that tip to be certain, mine is the female earlier version more of a beta prototype really, and Alan is always upgrading with little innovations, though)

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Thanks Shit Snacks. I guess another way of putting this question might be... Let's say you were to buy both a HI and a GTR with the same new heater cover (maybe a 14M, for instance). How would you expect the 2 to perform and what would the likely differences be? What is the defining factor of the GTR (i.e. which factor makes the most difference, is it the new heater covers themselves, or is it the heavier thermal mass? Both things matter equally?

 

[Zagala]

Thanks Shit Snacks. I guess another way of putting this question might be... Let's say you were to buy both a HI and a GTR with the same new heater cover (maybe a 14M, for instance). How would you expect the 2 to perform and what would the likely differences be? What is the defining factor of the GTR (i.e. which factor makes the most difference, is it the new heater covers themselves, or is it the heavier thermal mass? Both things matter equally?

I have a 14mm Male GTR with glass cover, and have one with SS cover being made by Alan, he said to me:

SS heater cover GTR's are basically a HI w/ 14mm/18mm end connections and more heater surface area.

 

[Shit Snacks]

I guess there you go I was spot on (even though I was about to say I'm not sure lol)

 

[Zagala]

I guess there you go I was spot on (even though I was about to say I'm not sure lol)

You were spot on! And our friend @Razhumikin wrote in another thread about the GTR and the Couchlog: “As opposed to traditional log vapes with cartridge heaters, these vapes seek to create more potent heat stores, albeit through different means (The couchlog uses ceramic beads around the heater and the GTR has a SS foil insulation). The result of this is that, unlike the traditional vapes, where you slowly draw heat out of the cartridge, there is a more instantaneous heat transfer, allowing for more efficient extraction“.

 

[coolbreeze]

I've seen the "foil insulation" explanation and I wondered about the configuration. Is it something completely different than the heater core with mesh fins originally described? My understanding was that the mesh fins had a lot of surface area in the heat path but could reheat instantly, hence their more perpetual supply of heat.

I recently started placing ss screen fins on ss cartridge heaters in HI heater covers for additional heating surface area, so I tried the idea using an 18mm glass fitting. A 12 volt powered ss cartridge heater in an 18mm glass fitting by itself doesn’t get hot enough to sufficiently heat the air with its limited surface area. It does get hot enough to achieve a desired roasting temperature if ss screen fins or silica (glass/ruby/ceramic) balls are added. The ss screen fins work well since the heat conducts quickly through the ss, so recovery / heat up time is faster than using silica balls. There is less air resistance through the ss screen fins than through silica balls. There is too great of risk in having hot silica balls flying everywhere should the glass fitting break. I also cannot guarantee that silica balls will never break and create sharp particles. Therefore, I won’t be using them.
Since the ss screen fins add so much more surface area, the power required to heat the air using the 12 volt ss cartridge w/ ss screen fins within an 18mm glass heater cover is similar to the power required for a ss heater cover HI unit (around 7 watts). This lower power requirement allows me to install an 18mm glass heater cover into a wood body of similar size to the HI and use the same power socket as the HI.
The 18mm glass heater cover can be either male or female depending upon the desired style of roasting and preference of roasting tubes.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Oh yeah, I also thought the foil insulation was being used in all of the HI logs to now just like it is in the iHeat? Protects the wood and reflects the heat back toward the heating element... And I remember that the GTR had several steel mesh elements, reverse basket screens? Stacked to add mass, unless I'm thinking of my large ss HI

 

[coolbreeze]

Oh yeah, I also thought the foil insulation was being used in all of the HI logs to now just like it is in the iHeat? Protects the wood and reflects the heat back toward the heating element... And I remember that the GTR had several steel mesh elements, reverse basket screens? Stacked to add mass, unless I'm thinking of my large ss HI

Maybe both? He said he tried it in HIs first. I'll try to remember to ask him about both the foil and the screens in our next exchange. I imagine the foil would only be for the glass cores anyhow.

 

[Shit Snacks]

imagine the foil would only be for the glass cores anyhow.

Why?

 

[coolbreeze]

Why?

I think the steel cores are more isolated from the wood and don't need whatever heat boost the foil might impart. I may be wrong. I would expect both to have the fins, of course.

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Thanks everyone who responded for the help understanding the use cases for the GTR vs other vapes. I'm pretty sure that I want to try one, but like others have said I'm also having trouble deciding between M and F, also between 14 and 18mm... Alan has said (and I concur), that deciding on M/F and 14/18 has mostly to do with the options available for different bowls and roasting tubes for each of these, and how you want to use it.

I'd like to try to tackle the pros / cons of M vs F for the GTR first. Please correct my errors and chime in to try to answer any of these questions...

My generalizations seem to be that the M versions can work well with the typical female injection bowls that are usually used with ball vapes and you see for sale in at many sites. I can also see how M-to-F WPA adapter bowls could also work in a similar way. What I dont quite get is what sort of other roasting style tubes tubes would be available for these M versions? Are there roasting tubes with female ends available that work with these? Also, in the case of the 14M, is it true that stems that come with the UD Alpha would work? (I think some have suggested that in this thread)

With the F versions, OTOH, it seems to be sort of the opposite scenario. It seems people use these F versions usually with the male end of typical roasting tubes? (i.e. like the GonG ends of typical HI tubes for the 14mm version, for instance). Using the GonG end of a tube for the roasting part seems a little strange to me, but I guess I can see how it would work. But then I dont understand if there are also different injector bowls (like male-styled injector bowls) that would work with the F versions?

If I could summarize the main generalizations here, it's simply that you would pick the M version GTR if you want to use injector bowls or M-to-F WPA adapter bowls for your roasting, and you pick the F version GTR if you want to use the M end of typical GonG roasting tubes to do your roasting.

I'm sure my generalizations arent the whole picture here, so thats where I'm hoping you people can chime in to help.

 

[Razhumikin]

If I could summarize the main generalizations here, it's simply that you would pick the M version GTR if you want to use injector bowls or M-to-F WPA adapter bowls for your roasting, and you pick the F version GTR if you want to use the M end of typical GonG roasting tubes to do your roasting.

I'm sure my generalizations arent the whole picture here, so thats where I'm hoping you people can chime in to help.

Thats more or less accurate except the female is also good for using 18mm stems like for a milaana or tp80.

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Thats more or less accurate except the female is also good for using 18mm stems like for a milaana or tp80.

Thanks Razhumikin. I'm not very familiar with those other devices... which end of the 18mm milaana / tp80 tubes would be used for roasting in the 18F GTR? Is it the GonG end of the tube, or the plain end of the tube that's used for roasting?

 

[Shit Snacks]

Thanks Razhumikin. I'm not very familiar with those other devices... which end of the 18mm milaana / tp80 tubes would be used for roasting in the 18F GTR? Is it the GonG end of the tube, or the plain end of the tube that's used for roasting?

The gong! If you get the 18F, that is 18.8 mm female connection, also referred to as 18 and 19, so those two vapes have the same connection and so they use 18.8 mm male stems or adapters that are cross-compatible

 

[OrsonWhales]

Thanks everyone who responded for the help understanding the use cases for the GTR vs other vapes. I'm pretty sure that I want to try one, but like others have said I'm also having trouble deciding between M and F, also between 14 and 18mm... Alan has said (and I concur), that deciding on M/F and 14/18 has mostly to do with the options available for different bowls and roasting tubes for each of these, and how you want to use it.

I'd like to try to tackle the pros / cons of M vs F for the GTR first. Please correct my errors and chime in to try to answer any of these questions...

My generalizations seem to be that the M versions can work well with the typical female injection bowls that are usually used with ball vapes and you see for sale in at many sites. I can also see how M-to-F WPA adapter bowls could also work in a similar way. What I dont quite get is what sort of other roasting style tubes tubes would be available for these M versions? Are there roasting tubes with female ends available that work with these? Also, in the case of the 14M, is it true that stems that come with the UD Alpha would work? (I think some have suggested that in this thread)

With the F versions, OTOH, it seems to be sort of the opposite scenario. It seems people use these F versions usually with the male end of typical roasting tubes? (i.e. like the GonG ends of typical HI tubes for the 14mm version, for instance). Using the GonG end of a tube for the roasting part seems a little strange to me, but I guess I can see how it would work. But then I dont understand if there are also different injector bowls (like male-styled injector bowls) that would work with the F versions?

If I could summarize the main generalizations here, it's simply that you would pick the M version GTR if you want to use injector bowls or M-to-F WPA adapter bowls for your roasting, and you pick the F version GTR if you want to use the M end of typical GonG roasting tubes to do your roasting.

I'm sure my generalizations arent the whole picture here, so thats where I'm hoping you people can chime in to help.

On the male version you can also use a j-hook, or Sherlock.

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Hi everyone...Hope all of Alan's creations had a busy 420 yesterday! I've been on the wait list for a GTR from Alan since earlier in the year. Havent heard anything from other users here in a while now. How are other GTR users doing with their pieces? Any innovations in the uses or designs of these?

Been doing a little experimentation during my wait time. I've been using the 14M end of a 14M-10F adapter to create a mock 14M GTR... the 10mm female end can fit snugly on top of the stainless steel heating cover of some of my logs (this doesnt work with all of them, I had to find just the right log where the glass adapter will sit tightly and not fall off of the heating cover once its inverted). This mimics (admittedly kinda poorly) using my log as a 14M GTR....

In the photos you'll see I also have a 18M-14F extra tall WPA with a screen stuffed into the neck. The 14F end of this WPA is the 'injection bowl' for my mock 14M GTR. I dont believe this works nearly as well as one of Alans real GTR logs. In my mock GTR, the heat has to passively transfer to the glass adapter that sits on top of the heating cover, and I dont think it can quite keep up with the heat demands. But it definitely works reasonably well just to mess around with and get a feel for how these GTRs can be used. Works better on the logs that run a little hotter...

 

[darkstar72]

@Hagbard Celine looks like you’re having fun experimenting. I like these types of simple convection plugins. Interested in seeing your GTR after your name comes up. Have you thought about requesting a wooden spa from Alan?