On a slightly different note I used the air temperature sensor from my Maverick wireless BBQ thermometer. I had to run the fan 8 times at 445 to finally get the temperature to read out 443. I did all of this without using any kind of bowl which is why it is hard to isolate the temperature to get it to a steady state. Even the slightest movement of the temperature probe caused the temp to fall by 20 degrees.
The thermapen which can measure meat much faster and air faster as well got up to 460 at the highest before it would not measure anymore but this was with the bowl on.
I really do believe that Herbie has figured out a way to dial in the temperature to within 5 degrees. This little experiment reminded me of what I learned in engineering school that temperature is never consistent and can be off by a few percentage points (In this case 10 or 20 degrees) just by shifting left or right a few centimeters. Since the Herbie measures at the output and not inside the bowl I think that the temps inside the bowl could climb a bit higher due to trapped heat but that same trapped heat would also affect the temp the Herbie is measuring. I have come to the conclusion that my rough temperature measurements indicate that the Herbie is spot on with temp control and I can't imagine a better algorithm or faster way to adjust temps on any vape. Once again I will reiterate that I love this thing.
Last night I pulled my EVO out of storage just to compare since it had been so long and the Herbie slightly wins it for me and my needs but don't think that means I want to give up my EVO. The ability to use a hydratube with the EVO and pick it up so I can better look at my TV is something I wish I could do with the Herbie with a Hydratube. However, the Herbie has a smoother taste throughout a session if I remove my bowl between hits and prevent the metal from heating up.
This got me thinking of what kind of design I would want for Herbie 2.0. Some of these could be implemented ahead of time.
1. Have less metal or rather less materials that have high heat retention inside of the Herbie bowl. This would make this even more of a convection vape. The metal can get warm and potentially conduct some heat but removing the bowl between hits helps a lot. Given that metal and glass are probably the two best materials for cleanest vapor I am not sure what the options are here. Ceramic maybe?
2. Make the magnetic bowl also magnetic to stick together. I hate having to twist screw that thing together as half the time it never seems to be tight enough. Also, herb falls between the groves a lot which is annoying.
3. Add in a cleaning mode that can run the Herbie at full temp for super hot output. This could help super heat the screens and clean up some of the gunk. You need the appropriate warning so idiots don't try to vape their herb while on clean mode.
4. Find a way to vent off excess heat while bowl is on and not being used. I hate those little puffs of air that shoot out to regulate temp. I remove my bowl between hits which is not that difficult but I spent a month before I realized I could/should do that. Silly me
5. Create a reusable bag system with a heavy duty connection that can blow up without you holding it.
6. Add a WiFi chip and open source software for controlling the Herbie from a smart phone. Why? Just because