The Herbalizer

[Stu]

There is an interesting new blog post on the Herbalizer website.

Two things you never want to see being made: laws and sausages. Some might argue that the amount of work that goes into a cutting edge electronic device might fall into the same category. We disagree. The Herbalizer® is a lean, mean herbalizing machine, and we are finally ready to reveal its advanced feature set. Our NASA engineers spent years of time, blood, sweat and tears to develop such technology. The trick was to incorporate this level of tech into an easy to use device.
Herbie has brains to go with his good looks. Powered by a 32-MHz 16-bit processor, and combined with 256 KB memory, the Herbalizer has more computing power than the Sega Genesis video game consoles. Herbie is able to read, process and react to variable demands using an ultra high-sensitivity in-air thermal sensor in order to control temperature precisely. Precise temperature means ideal vapor quality, and precision is key. And while we can’t run Sonic the Hedgehog on Herbie (yet), in addition to temperature control, its processing capabilities enable some pretty nifty features.

- Instantaneous heating and temperature control
Truly a quantum leap in technology, Herbie can heat up to over 420F in about fifteen seconds, and cools down quickly too. And no matter how you use him, his temperature is maintained within 5F of setpoint, guaranteed. And it makes popcorn faster than a microwave oven!
- LCD auto-dimming based on room brightness
The kind of feature you wish those knuckle heads had on their cell phones in movie theaters.
- Auto-off based on the integrated 3-axis accelerometer
Because of the powerful heating capabilities, we wanted to make sure that if the Herbalizer is knocked over it will shut itself down. Yes, the 3-axis accelerometer was inspired by satellite control.
- Near silent, yet high-powered fans
Not one, not two, but THREE fans enable Herbie’s performance. One fan is dedicated to cooling the device. One fan for balloon inflation and forced-air BOOST delivery with the whip. The third fan is perfectly quiet for aromatherapy mode.
- Magnetic bowl attachment
For those days when you are all thumbs, we wanted to make the herb chamber is simple to use. And fun. Who doesn’t love playing with magnets?
- Auto shut-off based on intelligent use sensors
Set it and forget it. Well, if you really did forget, then Herbie has you protected. He intelligently senses your usage to determine when you’ve… been herbalized.
- Auto on/off synched with lid opening/closing
Hours of fun trying to see if the light really does go on and off. Y’know, just like your fridge.
- Insulated herb chamber
Insulated exterior of the bowl reduces heat transfer, so even when the bowl gets hot, your fingers don’t.
- Easter Eggs?
Maybe.
- Mind reading
See for yourself how deep the rabbit hole really goes…

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!

 

[CentiZen]

That board is sex on a fucking stick... digital beauty.

Not to mention they must have liked my comparison to the sega genesis lol.

 

[nopartofme]

Not to mention they must have liked my comparison to the sega genesis lol.

Or the part about actually running games on it.

 

[Johny Chaos]

Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!

My first thought was more along the lines of the Star Trek logo...

But for what its worth the circuit board is laid out very beautifully. It's obvious lots of thought went not only into how this functions but how everything looks as well. Hopefully some day I'll get to actually try one

 

[Slightly Medicated]

Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!

I see the StarTrek communicator badge more then the Wu-Tang clan logo.

That board is sex on a fucking stick... digital beauty.

Not to mention they must have liked my comparison to the sega genesis lol.

The whole device was designed to a level of attention to detail that I appreciate. Seriously, they have thought about everything they possibly can on this device. For example the tactility and placement of the buttons was a big issue. They wanted to make sure they were just the right amount of "clicky" so when you pressed then the feedback/feeling was right. They also wanted to place them just right so you could feel around without looking and feel certain parts of the device over others. It makes it easier to press the buttons while not looking. Another good example: All the little edges and lips of the device were designed so that the sharp edges had a bit of a curve to them... this allows your plant material to not get stuck around the lips/edges of the device and makes it easier to clean. Little things like that really go the extra mile in making a device fit into your life seamlessly or not.

 

[nopartofme]

My first thought was more along the lines of the Star Trek logo...

*Beep-Beep*
Vape me up, Herbie!

 

[Stu]

I almost didn't recognize you SliM.... Nice new avatar.

Here's a new little video clip that they posted in their new blog post.

 

[Vapinghole]

That board is sex on a fucking stick... digital beauty.

I would never have thought of that description for a circuit board, but it's apt. Indicates true care.

 

[CentiZen]

Yeah it's not exactly a conventional idiom lol. I got it from Davy Jones (the engineer, not that locker dude). He does a YouTube show called EEVBlog that covers circuit board and digital design. Interesting stuff if your into electronics

 

[SD_haze]

- Magnetic bowl attachment
For those days when you are all thumbs, we wanted to make the herb chamber is simple to use. And fun. Who doesn’t love playing with magnets?

Ah ha! I was watching one of the earlier videos and was confused how effortlessly the bowl fell into the unit without coming apart when the whip added a pulling force on it.

- Insulated herb chamber
Insulated exterior of the bowl reduces heat transfer, so even when the bowl gets hot, your fingers don’t.

I will admit, my Vapexhale bowls are not hot at all when used at a medium heat setting, but if I blast the temperature, the bowl does it get close to searing hot when first taken out.

I would never have thought of that description for a circuit board, but it's apt. Indicates true care.

Back when I was in High School I intern'd for a summer at a Robotics branch on a "civilian scientist" navy base. I'll never forget one of the engineers there describing an old lady Electrical Engineer who worked there that made circuit boards of such intricate yet simple manner that "they were truly Art"

 

[mvapes]

They really know how to keep weed nerds drooling.

 

[satyrday]

They really know how to keep weed nerds drooling.

You know, whoever wins this contest will be like the lottery winner with all their relatives coming out of the woodwork. "How are you 3rd cousin Mortimer... you say you were reading somewhere about the benefits of cannabis therapy for bunions?"

 

[EveryDayAmnesiac]

You know, whoever wins this contest will be like the lottery winner with all their relatives coming out of the woodwork. "How are you 3rd cousin Mortimer... you say you were reading somewhere about the benefits of cannabis therapy for bunions?"

Could be worse.

THIS Mortimer could start calling you...

 

[mvapes]

Bring em on! The more the merrier - BUT - best bring your own weed mofo!

 

[RUDE BOY]

Could be worse.

THIS Mortimer could start calling you...

STOP FLASHING MY PICTURE ON THE INTERNET !

 

[Stu]

Here's a cool short video showing the life testing being done on their halogen bulbs.

From their blog post:

How many geeked out scientists does it take to create the most advanced vaporization device available? Two. The Herbalizer® was designed for top performance and dependability by two former NASA engineers. That’s right. One holds a patent and designed the Trident II guidance system, and the other for the Stealth Bomber radar system; and prior to Herbalizer® they collaborated to design and deploy the brain for advanced satellite systems. Nothing short of space age tech and know-how with experience in 99.9999% reliability could bring you the new vaporization experience.

For the Herbalizer, reliable performance is the name of the game. All components were vetted for quality and dependability, and even the hand assembly process. Every component is made to withstand a range of temperatures, rigorous daily use, and handling. We did not go for the low cost components and sacrifice dependability. Instead, we are providing you with a truly high-tech, high-reliability machine that will provide you years of enjoyment.

The power source is unique, a custom designed 300W glass halogen heating element. But don’t bulbs break? Yes.. but not these. The same knowhow that ensures reliability in $500MM satellites went into the design, manufacturer selection, handling, lot testing and unit screening of each bulb. Below is a video of an ongoing “life test” for production test. Geek Speak: A statistically significant sample size of bulbs is taken from each lot, and they are stressed at their worst-case failure-inducing conditions to a certain number of hours, and a select few are tested to End Of Life. This methodology is called the Weibull Model. This particular test has been cycling around 1,000⁰F non-stop for a month.

From life-testing radiation-tolerant computers for space navigation and designing the specifications for the most advanced guidance systems on the planet (and off the planet), the Herbalizer’s creators are uniquely qualified to ensure that each device is built to last. And they guarantee it. Each Herbalizer comes with a 2-year bumper to bumper warranty, and a 5-year quality guarantee. That’s peace of mind.

 

[marduk]

I wonder how long those bulbs will last cycling like that? Are we talking months or years?

And "a 2-year bumper to bumper warranty, and a 5-year quality guarantee" sounds good, but what's the difference between them?

 

[Enchantre]

A quality guarantee means that if it fails due to some sort of flaw in assembly, it's covered for 5 years. Bumper to bumper means if a part fails within the 2 years, but not due to the quality of assembly (think a bulb fails, or the fan motor burns out).
If the bulb fails because the wiring is not properly shielded, that's a quality issue.

 

[vtac]

Here's a cool short video showing the life testing being done on their halogen bulbs.

That video needed some funky music.

I wonder how long those bulbs will last cycling like that? Are we talking months or years?

Pardon me if I misunderstood your question, but I think that the idea is that a month of stress testing in that setup is equivalent to years of typical bulb usage in the actual product. So in other words the bulb probably isn't going to be a point of failure.

 

[SD_haze]

That video needed some funky music.


Pardon me if I misunderstood your question, but I think that the idea is that a month of stress testing in that setup is equivalent to years of typical bulb usage in the actual product. So in other words the bulb probably isn't going to be a point of failure.

I wonder about the possibility of the bulb getting hurt or cracking just from the unit falling off the table and crashing on a hard floor. They did mention the unit shuts off the heat when it knows it has fallen down, so I'm sure they've considered it.

 

[marduk]

Pardon me if I misunderstood your question, but I think that the idea is that a month of stress testing in that setup is equivalent to years of typical bulb usage in the actual product. So in other words the bulb probably isn't going to be a point of failure.

Yes, I got that... It was more of a semi-rhetorical question, like we know their bulbs are very tough, but exactly how tough are they? Would they last a hundred years like that light bulb somewhere in a SF firehouse?

 

[stickstones]

For you guys who have spent time with the maker, what are they doing/suggesting for using multiple herbs without mingling tastes? That's always been my reservation about using other herbs, is I don't want to deal with all the mixed up tastes. If they are serious about it being used with other herbs, I think they need to address this. Maybe multiple whips and bags? Would the bowl need to be cleaned to eliminate other tastes?

 

[pakalolo]

For you guys who have spent time with the maker, what are they doing/suggesting for using multiple herbs without mingling tastes? That's always been my reservation about using other herbs, is I don't want to deal with all the mixed up tastes. If they are serious about it being used with other herbs, I think they need to address this. Maybe multiple whips and bags? Would the bowl need to be cleaned to eliminate other tastes?

I've recently started to try some blends that were given to me by the LHS owner and I was concerned about residual taste. So far, however, I've used four different blends (one of them quite minty) in the Palm 2.0, the LB, and the FV and none of them retained any tastes that I could detect. That's not to say that the next herb I try could leave a taste behind, but I'm not as concerned as I was when I started. Another factor could be repeated usage in the same device. I've only used each blend a couple of times.

 

[Slightly Medicated]

For you guys who have spent time with the maker, what are they doing/suggesting for using multiple herbs without mingling tastes? That's always been my reservation about using other herbs, is I don't want to deal with all the mixed up tastes. If they are serious about it being used with other herbs, I think they need to address this. Maybe multiple whips and bags? Would the bowl need to be cleaned to eliminate other tastes?

I talked to him about this. I told him I would want a separate oven for straight cannabis and one for mixed herbs. They call vaporizing a mixture of herbs "Herbalizing". Hopefully they will be offering those as purchasable assories later on. That being said we used the same whip and oven for the entire time I was using the device. We vaporized so many different herbs and to my surprise it never really cross contaminated the tastes during my experience. If we did something very strong like some camphor it would linger in the hose for a few minutes afterwards, but it faded over time.

I have no evidence to back this up, other then my experience. I have tried to vaporizer other herbs before and it always left the bags/whips very smelly and full of residual oil. I felt like the Herbalizer was doing a better job at keeping various herbs in vapor form so they were not depositing on the side of the whip as much... leading to a cleaner experience overall. Now this is purely my observation.