MinnBobber
Well-Known Member
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Can you show a picture of this collection of parts in action?
Thanks
The Herbalizer
- Thread starter nopartofme
- Start date
Can you show a picture of this collection of parts in action?
Thanks
No, sir, at least not until I get a non-melted Herbie back from HQ!
Me too
Not much more than an "oh no!".
I didn't feel like pressing them on it since I was asking for a warranty replacement when I didn't really qualify for it (unauthorized reseller). They, theoretically, could have told me to pound sand.
With that said, once my replacement ships (hopefully tomorrow) I will have some pointed questions for the friendly folks at Herbalizer
matey
Well-Known Member
While Herbie's been out of action, I had to resort to using an Arizer Solo. I used to like it but now it seems pretty junky! Funny how that is. So I started shopping for a new backup vape, but couldn't decide.
What do ya'll use for a backup tool?
I would love to have something for dry herb that is truly portable and fast. I read about Milaana, VapCaps, Grasshopper, Crafty, Mighty and a couple others. The Grasshopper seems like it would fit the bill - fast and stealthy, but I hear they are not that reliable.
Anyone want to share some stories about their portable companion to their Herbie? Would be nice to use something discreet on the street.
What do ya'll use for a backup tool?
I would love to have something for dry herb that is truly portable and fast. I read about Milaana, VapCaps, Grasshopper, Crafty, Mighty and a couple others. The Grasshopper seems like it would fit the bill - fast and stealthy, but I hear they are not that reliable.
Anyone want to share some stories about their portable companion to their Herbie? Would be nice to use something discreet on the street.
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I'm using my pax3 in the meantime. I guess its not a well loved device these days but IMO a decent choice for low-effort use outside the home. It's predecessor (pax2) was my daily driver before I got Herbie. 10yr warranty on the flagship device (I have it on both my pax2 and pax3 and have gotten a warranty replacement pax2 that was as fast and easy as Herbie). Discreet. Bit of a pain to load and keep clean unless you use a suite of 3rd party extras (stainless 3d screen, titanium rod, plastic loading funnel, tamp & poke tool). With those, it's a breeze.
@fishkid @ViCKi LEEKX
I'm lucky I caught mine while it was still salvageable. or maybe not? They at least replaced all the internals in my unit. Something on the electronics board failed after prolonged use at high temperatures (normal operation for the herbalizer). Which causes the normally hyper regulated halogen heat lamp to go unregulated.
I talked to their customer service rep and they told me that the updated boards shouldn't have this issue.
"According the notes from our engineering team, it looks like it was a failure of a component on the board. So we replaced several of those parts, in addition to implementing various internal upgrades that our team feels should keep this from recurring.
While we had it here, we also updated the software and checked the calibration."
I'm lucky I caught mine while it was still salvageable. or maybe not? They at least replaced all the internals in my unit. Something on the electronics board failed after prolonged use at high temperatures (normal operation for the herbalizer). Which causes the normally hyper regulated halogen heat lamp to go unregulated.
I talked to their customer service rep and they told me that the updated boards shouldn't have this issue.
"According the notes from our engineering team, it looks like it was a failure of a component on the board. So we replaced several of those parts, in addition to implementing various internal upgrades that our team feels should keep this from recurring.
While we had it here, we also updated the software and checked the calibration."
Very interesting. Thanks for following up. Care to share the serial number (just to the thousands) of the unit that failed? I'm guessing under 10,000?
I asked them directly about whether there have been hardware revisions since my serial 9xxx unit was manufactured. I guess I just got my answer.
ViCKi LEEKX
Fuck Vaporizer Combustion
Thanks so much for sharing that response with us!
I’m very interested to see how others feel about this. As someone who really enjoyed and used the heck out of this vape, the fangirl in me wants to just say, “what great customer service!” and leave it at that.
Unfortunately that response frightens me as a technical person. Anything that is “normally hyper regulated” should not become dangerously unregulated when “something on the electronics board failed” after perfectly normal use. That suggests to me that at minimum we have different understandings of “hyper regulated” and that the system was designed to fail open (suddenly non-regulated halogen bulb in tiny enclosure catches fire) rather than fail closed (play dead until serviced). Components fail all the time which is why it’s important to account for that circumstance in the design stage.
People also fail all the time because we are human, so I’m not even that shocked or bothered by the design flaw. What bothers me more is that they realized they had made a mistake with potentially catastrophic consequences and it bothered them enough to correct their design, but not to inform their customer base. They know the original owners of every unit, how and where to find us, and what serial numbers our units are - they could have put out a product safety advisory and offered a discount on replacement units for those out of warranty. They did nothing of the sort, and I am not a fan of that decision.
This is all IMO of course; I’m definitely not trying to fearmonger. We’re all adults who can make our own choices and I very much respect the role of this forum and its participants in informing those choices as much as possible.
arb
Semi shaved ape
I cannot get my head around the obvious danger being either glossed over or ignored........glad I wasn't alone in that.
I am with you. The way Winegums' pasted support response is worded its not even clear if they:
1) Have a single hardware design and made one-off modifications to just that unit
2) Have revised hardware designs already, and incorporated (back-ported) those internal changes to Winegums' unit
3) Are just blowing smoke (vapor?) up his butt - damage control mode
I found it interesting that Herbalizer wanted to know if I use flower or concentrates (flower only) and what my cleaning habits were (obsessive), before they would offer an RMA. I got the feeling that they consider these failures to be user-caused. Another likely explanation is that they are trying to investigate what's causing these units to combust and that's obviously useful information to have.
As for glossing over the danger, it's a valid point. I plan to treat my new Herbie as if it could light on fire any time it's left on. I'll be keeping the lid closed a lot more often. I'm half hoping that they tell me my replacement unit will have no warranty, because then there's nothing to be lost by opening up and inspecting/cleaning the unit periodically.
stickstones
Vapor concierge
That's pretty standard vaporizer CS stuff...gotta know if we're dealing with drippy stuff down in there or not.
I guess I never even considered leaving the Herbie cruising with the lid up. Lift lid, power up, vape, close lid. That is the way the manufacturer told me how to use the device from the beginning. It is your option to run your machine as you like, however it seems kind of redundant considering the heat up time.
Herbalizer support just today informed me that their recommendation is to fully unplug the device when not in use, which seems pretty excessive to me.
Yes, it's nitpicky, but boot-up, vapor mode button selection, and fan spin up all take at least 15 sec which doubles the advertised heat-up time. Prior to the combustion, that was my only gripe with the device, and leaving it on all the time minimized it. (I didn't know at time of purchase that Chong's edition is less annoying in this regard).
I checked the Quick Start Guide: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0209/9072/files/Herbalizer_Manual_-_Planet_of_the_Vapes.pdf
I checked the FAQ: https://www.herbalizer.com/pages/faqs
I checked the warranty: https://www.herbalizer.com/pages/returns-warranty
I don't remember getting any paperwork with the Herbie besides a quick start guide...
You may say that it's common sense to turn it off between uses, and I'd agree with that to a point... but it's also a $649 device that advertises auto-shut-off and computerized control. Like ViCKi LEEKX said - it should fail-safe at all times.
Yes, it's nitpicky, but boot-up, vapor mode button selection, and fan spin up all take at least 15 sec which doubles the advertised heat-up time. Prior to the combustion, that was my only gripe with the device, and leaving it on all the time minimized it. (I didn't know at time of purchase that Chong's edition is less annoying in this regard).
I'm not trying to be an asshole, genuinely curious: where did you find this instruction?
I checked the Quick Start Guide: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0209/9072/files/Herbalizer_Manual_-_Planet_of_the_Vapes.pdf
I checked the FAQ: https://www.herbalizer.com/pages/faqs
I checked the warranty: https://www.herbalizer.com/pages/returns-warranty
I don't remember getting any paperwork with the Herbie besides a quick start guide...
You may say that it's common sense to turn it off between uses, and I'd agree with that to a point... but it's also a $649 device that advertises auto-shut-off and computerized control. Like ViCKi LEEKX said - it should fail-safe at all times.
You are right @ViCKi LEEKX It should be designed to fail in a closed manner not an open manner. That’s what shocked me when the unit started to malfunction. Poor design on their part. I have a bit of electronics schooling and this is a very basic design mistake but a big one. There’s not even a redundant thermal cut off like a bi metallic switch or a thermal fuse it seems.
When I said “hyper regulated” I was talking about the very fine control that the unit has over the bulb and heating. There’s more temperature probes and precision than any vape I’ve seen come out. I wasn’t speaking of the electronics design failure mode. That has nothing to do with the regulation it was providing prior to the issues.
I can tell you guys for certain that there’s new fans and other internals. It does not sound nearly the same as my old unit, the more powerful cooling fan kicks on much sooner, and the cool down standyby mode is also happening sooner.
The software was also obviously flashed because the 420 easter egg button combo no longer works.
They aren’t lying about what they did to my unit as far as I can tell.
When I said “hyper regulated” I was talking about the very fine control that the unit has over the bulb and heating. There’s more temperature probes and precision than any vape I’ve seen come out. I wasn’t speaking of the electronics design failure mode. That has nothing to do with the regulation it was providing prior to the issues.
I can tell you guys for certain that there’s new fans and other internals. It does not sound nearly the same as my old unit, the more powerful cooling fan kicks on much sooner, and the cool down standyby mode is also happening sooner.
The software was also obviously flashed because the 420 easter egg button combo no longer works.
They aren’t lying about what they did to my unit as far as I can tell.
matey
Well-Known Member
That happens to me all the time - you can hold down the vaportherapy button for a couple seconds and it turns right on. Also works with the other button. Yikes I better be more gentle than run it so hard I guess.
I guess I take issue with Herbalizer claim that hardware was not revised but, simultaneously, certain hardware components "were upgraded". Which one is it?
nice tip. I had tried pressing them but not holding them down. This would have saved me some headaches.
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matey
Well-Known Member
Man I am really suffering without my herbalizer. I didn't think it would be so hard. I think I am buying a craigslist Volcano later today. Perhaps it will be a good excuse to try using the Volcano bags on the Herbalizer like I know others have done.
Do other folks have both the Herbie and Volcano?
Besides the startup time and bag differences, do ya'll have any compare and contrast comments between the two in terms of vapor quality/potency?
I always use Herbie at max temp. I'm curious about the larger bowl on the Volcano and whether filling it up will yield a super potent bag that I can use with a water piece.
Do other folks have both the Herbie and Volcano?
Besides the startup time and bag differences, do ya'll have any compare and contrast comments between the two in terms of vapor quality/potency?
I always use Herbie at max temp. I'm curious about the larger bowl on the Volcano and whether filling it up will yield a super potent bag that I can use with a water piece.
arb
Semi shaved ape
Yes you can I run mine through a jar bubbler with a valve mounted on the lid.
1/2 od platinum cured silicone tubing off the chamber top.
I would be leary of a counterfeit unit on cl........just sayin.
I googled "volcano vaporizer fires"and found zero results that pertain to actual fire so kinda happy for that.
However if any of you know of any actual cases of that please let me know.
1/2 od platinum cured silicone tubing off the chamber top.
I would be leary of a counterfeit unit on cl........just sayin.
I googled "volcano vaporizer fires"and found zero results that pertain to actual fire so kinda happy for that.
However if any of you know of any actual cases of that please let me know.
jivebuggered
Well-Known Member
Can anyone advise me what cheap inverter/voltage regulator for Europe or in my case Australia? All the inverters I have seen are the size of houses and cost a fortune. One forum member said he had such a device but the question was never replied to. Thanks
matey
Well-Known Member
Sorry if this is considered off topic or if I am offending anyone by talking about other vaporizers in the herbalizer thread... I got the volcano digit and it is ok. Feels kind of like a nice example of the best of yesteryear. Once I get herbie back this will be out the door maybe leave at a friend's house. it's a sweet little machine but it consumes more than twice the herb vs the Herbalizer. I put two, full to the brim, untamped, herbie bowls worth of dry herb into the volcano bowl (maybe it was 2/3 full? it was a lot compared to the amounts I'm used to with herbie) and set it for max temp. the blower motor on the volcano is impressive and it seems to fill up the bag very quickly. the easy valve system is very refined, but the plastic bag material and metal clip at the top is inferior to the herbalizer's plastic bag design and material. The vapor quantity was nothing compared to what I'm used to with herbie. If I dry out the herb and grind it finely, that herbie bag gets so thick you can block out direct sunlight with it (like the thick blue when smoking fine dry shake). The volcano bag is weak - like 40-60% dense. I hit it again and it was weak. I did my usual crush it up and try again - surprisingly there was very little vapor, like 10-15% density. I really hope I am doing something wrong and that the almighty volcano is not this inefficient. I only have experience with a Solo. Is the herbalizer that much more efficient than the volcano?! If so, that's huge. Herbalizer rocks! (although I will temper my enthusiast because I do understand there is an on-going safety discussion which I agree with - it should have been designed so that it couldn't turn into a runaway train and melt itself. Maybe I will just ride the new one just as hard as I did the broken one and see how it holds up. Could be a nice long-term test. And if it breaks, maybe I can open it up and look around and see if anything can be fixed or if some innards could stand for some regular cleaning. Sorry for the ramble - volcano rocks too if you're rich and have unlimited herb. 
EDIT: not a good idea. But I still want to know if anyone's taken their herbie camping somehow.
You could get one of these portable battery packs and maybe it will perfectly power the herbie (not sure, do your research). But if it works, then you can just get a decent inverter or car charger to charge up the battery pack and your herbie is one step removed from a dodgy inverter. That might address herbie's delicate power requirements if your native power supply is not 110v north america.
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Station-Generator-Inverter-Emergency/dp/B07CNV3S5Z/
Also this could allow you to take your herbie camping or take to a deer blind maybe lol.
EDIT: not a good idea. But I still want to know if anyone's taken their herbie camping somehow.
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Station-Generator-Inverter-Emergency/dp/B07CNV3S5Z/
Also this could allow you to take your herbie camping or take to a deer blind maybe lol.
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There's a member who used their device with a good UPS in Costa Rica (which is ostensibly 120vac/60hz, same as US). It died and Herbalizer refused warranty service. If it's that sensitive, and if those of us in the US are having units literally melt down, I think that overseas use on a transformer is a really bad idea. I have spent significant amount of time overseas wanting a Herbie, so I don't tell you this without having gone down the road myself. You're gonna spend a total of $1k+ to get a setup that even works temporarily, and that money is going to be wasted quickly. Even if you're loaded, it's just not prudent. Get a Volcano.
I've been told my replacement Herbie will have no warranty whatsoever. It'll be here tomorrow and I intend to open it up and take some pictures for my own reasons (monitor if/how it changes over time, and where gunk accumulates). I'll share them here. Guess I'll have to make a little video of the water filtration rig for @MinnBobber, too.And if it breaks, maybe I can open it up and look around and see if anything can be fixed or if some innards could stand for some regular cleaning. Sorry for the ramble - volcano rocks too if you're rich and have unlimited herb.
Are you so sure? The herbalizer bags are terrible in my experience as a heavy bag user. The squeeze valves tend to wear out and the plastic tears easily due to the forces and stresses being concentrated at the constiction in the bag.
My Volcano bags and herbie modded solid valve have proven to last at least twice as long.