The Lotus Vaporizer

[grokit]

Tough call, I would say that they compliment each other more than one is any better. The ff is smooth as silk, and really hard to combust with. They both hit well, and have learning curves. The lotus works great with glass and can be used off the grid. The ff is more of an automatic experience to the lotus' stick shift.

 

[exit]

Ok so today i burned the second time with my lotus taste and smell is horrible.

Disgusting after cleaning my j-hook and WPA with some PBW the smell didn't go away.

So i let it soak for a day in some vinegar and now the burned taste and smell is gone..

I use the standard single flame honest lighters guess i need to be more careful next time

don't have my lotus yet but how can i prevent burning. how do you know when to stop. is it rpetty clear when you should stop heatin it?

don't own a butane torch anymore so i will look at my options from rec'd lighters in this thread. tryin to look on amazon but seein a lot of trash and 3 flames. bought a t-38 tho

i placed order #1400.

 

[natural farmer]

I've ordered both a Lotus and a Firefly recently…so far I've only received my Lotus but Mendocino Therapeutics packed it without a screen. I called and the kind man on the phone is having a few screens sent my way ASAP.

The Lotus was the first to my doorstep even though I ordered it several days after the Firefly…could it be a sign? I actually do have a serious question for those of you who have been lucky enough to try both the Lotus and the Firefly: Which do you prefer and why? Cash is pretty tight this summer; should I just send one of them back?

I'd say that the Lotus is on a whole different level performance-wise but there are some times where you just have to have a FF at hand. Few times but they are there...
The Lotus gives me faster and more controlled hits as it lets me decide instantly the kind of hit I want. So it can also be tastier. And more flexible as well. With the WA you can practically use it with anything. It's more reliable. It is harder for something to go wrong with the Lotus. One butane can lasts me months of everyday usage. No need to remember if I charged it or not! Firefly doesn't want me as a customer cause I am not Northern American...
I like the Lotus more than any other invention in the world!
The FF is silent and more discreet, needs only one hand and less attention while having a session. I need it as well! Or an Elevape...

If it was for one to go, it would be the FF!

 

[nemo]

@exit
with the metal stem and with the jhook, because of the relatively short vapor path, you can taste the combustion before it actually happens... the vapor gets harsher... this has warned me in time for most accidents

 

[exit]

@exit
with the metal stem and with the jhook, because of the relatively short vapor path, you can taste the combustion before it actually happens... the vapor gets harsher... this has warned me in time for most accidents

I suppose i will just have to experiment!

 

[Gray Area]

don't have my lotus yet but how can i prevent burning. how do you know when to stop. is it rpetty clear when you should stop heatin it?

Go easy on a few of the first bowls to start with and keep checking the bowl for colour change as you stir between draws... I combusted one bowl good and proper one time each in both the stem and WPA learning, but that's all really... very rarely get the odd spec of charring but only once in a blue moon and usually after a few bowls in a row (the cap will retain a fair bit of heat if you're doing multiple loads in a row, and so need less heat as you go through the session).

I think you probably should expect to over do at least one load, but use that then as a benchmark and the below advice going forward...

@exit
with the metal stem and with the jhook, because of the relatively short vapor path, you can taste the combustion before it actually happens... the vapor gets harsher... this has warned me in time for most accidents

This ^^^ is what I use a my main gauge of heat. If it starts to feels too hot I stop or pull the flame back. You will quickly learn how warm the vapor should feel to get the roast you're after.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Indeed - the funnest part about the lotus is that dynamic control over the temperature, and how fast you can bring it to temperature is simply awesome. Once you connect one to a bubbler with the WPA and realize it's full potential, you'll wonder why you didn't buy it sooner!

A few of my more technical friends absolutely love the simplicity of the Lotus (I'm sure one of them will get my v3 cap once the new v4 cap comes out). That T-38 torch should be fine torch should work just fine - let me know if you have any problems (mine was DOA until I fixed it using a little known trick).

Learning how to hit the Lotus is part of the pleasure. Even though I love my Nano and use it daily, the Lotus still get's quite a workout especially when I don't have time for a long session (like lunch break!). You should expect to combust a few times, and it will taste like ass for 1 or 2 sessions after that (hence why I usually prefer to handle the torch when my friends hit it). The most important thing in my experience is to remember to remove the cap from the lotus the SECOND you notice combustion (don't let the smoke flow back into the cap).

Don't worry too much about the taste after combustion, it will go away after a few more sessions. I usually replace any cotton I'm using as a filter whenever I combust and rinse my bubbler then fill with fresh water & CE

 

[exit]

That T-38 torch should be fine torch should work just fine - let me know if you have any problems (mine was DOA until I fixed it using a little known trick).

Would you mind sharing your trick now? I just have this unshakable feeling i'll need to know it pretty soon

So excited for it! Going away all weekend tomorrow and so upset I didn't order it any sooner. I'll have my solo with me which I love to death but it's certainly not ready to go in 2 seconds or less

Is it a bad time for me to have bought one? I guess a new cap version is right around the corner. Oh well.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Try to fill your Zico T-38 - and follow normal torch instructions to make it work - adjust the flame sizes if necessary. Most people have no problem with their torch. Mine was set too way low and I had to adjust PAST the large flame until it clicked past the + side 2 times - now there's enough pressure to get a flame to ignite. Since then it's been a great torch, but I was pissed to the point I almost threw it away.

As I've said before this is not recommended, in fact I have not seen this mentioned anywhere else. I only tried because I had given up trying everything (including 3 different butane cans with different tips hoping that fixed the problem, burping the tank, etc - nothing worked).

 

[terminally_chill]

Thank you all for the replies! After a bit of internal debate I have decided to keep both the Lotus and the Firefly.

I know I will use (and love) them both.

@exit

I love your avatar. Sky is such a burnout

 

[420time]

http://ezvaporizers.com/all-vaporizers/by-type/portable-vaporizers/lotus-j-hook-kit/prod_1731.html
with coupon only $100.

Three year manufacturer's warranty on the Lotus Cap. Warranty does not cover piercing or denting of the hot plate, obvious abuse, or any part of the glass.

that was on the ezvape site, so when can i return my old for a new one?

 

[grokit]

My T-38 works but like the stock honest torch, it sputters and goes down/out when I tilt it down.
I'll try @Ratchett's solution to see if I can turn it up any higher, which may help because it doesn't really turn up as much as I would like it to which may be part of the problem.

For now I'm having the most success with this, I just figured out that it's made by honest as well (less than $10 shipped from amazon but available everywhere):

It works pretty well. Part of my issue is that my lotus' flame requirements have evolved, it takes a lot more than it used to to vape and it's much harder to combust. When the flame is adequate it hits even better than it used to, so I don't mind. Here's another one that I may try next if I can't whip my T-38 into shape:

This one is on the same page as the above torch at Amazon, seems more compact ($15 shipped).
Has anybody tried this one with the lotus?

Mods, I put this here because my only need for a torch is with my lotus and my comments seem pretty lotus-specific, but please feel free to move this to the torch thread if you feel that this is inappropriate.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Yeah, my T-38 would only ignite for a few seconds when fully filled - then it wouldn't do anything (I thought I had a problem filling the thing, so I wasted about half a can of butane just burping, and refilling before I realized that wasn't my issue!) - If your T-38 works for the most part, I would suggest giving it no more than 1 click past the big flame setting

Part of my issue is that my lotus' flame requirements have evolved, it takes a lot more than it used to to vape and it's much harder to combust. When the flame is adequate it hits even better than it used to, so I don't mind.

I don't like the sound of that. Are you noticing that your Lotus seems to favor one side over the rest of the load? It became impossible for me to combust, but it also required a LOT more heat than I remembered to get my Lotus to vape properly. Even still no matter what I did with the torch I couldn't get the load to fully evenly vape.

Even worse, sometimes after my session, I could smell burnt wood - didn't mess with my taste profile of the herb, but I could certainly smell something after using the Lotus.

Upon opening the top to swap the plate with a spare one, I discovered the inner ring had come loose and the inside plate was loose. Emailed MT to confirm, and indeed the cap was dead (Killed from several sessions with excessive heat - most likely when I was trying to vape reclaim at high temperatures and long lung-busting draws - very effective, but apparently too much heat for that cap).

Also note this damage is not covered under warranty. Hopefully they have this issue resolved with the V4 cap (or at least mitigated)

 

[grokit]

Are you noticing that your Lotus seems to favor one side over the rest of the load?
...
Upon opening the top to swap the plate with a spare one, I discovered the inner ring had come loose and the inside plate was loose. Emailed MT to confirm, and indeed the cap was dead (Killed from several sessions with excessive heat - most likely when I was trying to vape reclaim at high temperatures and long lung-busting draws - very effective, but apparently too much heat for that cap).

Sometimes it does seem to favor one side over the other, I have written this off as a symptom of the inconsistent flame. Maybe it's the plate but I just can't tell for sure yet. I opened my cap up relatively recently, because of the change in behavior. Nothing seemed amiss so I put it back together. I do have a spare new-style plate so I'll probably throw that in there next time I open it to investigate.

 

[420democrat]

Got a torch working reliably and a real good feel for dark abv out of lotus, took me about 12 loads, second bowl with torch working properly lead to combustion, but I just did a pinch of kief with a tiny amount of bud less then a solo stem and milked the water pipe to where I couldn't even clear, Lotus is a monster wish I found it sooner

 

[natural farmer]

So, I tried to perfect my reed stem today cause I really like this idea. It can save people money if in need of a new stem or just add another option to the armoury...

A little more sanding all around, inside the WA hole and around the mouth opening, a couple of tie-wraps strategically placed to make the pipe more stable and it's production ready!!!
It's almost double the size of the original long stem, cools a lot better so it's a nice match for concentrate consumption and can be done in half an hour or so. If you have a Dremel tool to make the WA hole faster than with a knife and sand paper, all the better.
The REED Lotus gives some really nice hits. Try it out!

 

[cybrguy]

That really does look great. I love the ingenuity displayed in this newsgroup.

Also note this damage is not covered under warranty. Hopefully they have this issue resolved with the V4 cap (or at least mitigated)

I know Lotus has been a little closed mouth about this, but is the main reason for the "high temp lotus" to make it easier to use with hash and reclaim?

 

[grokit]

@Ratchett, I went two clicks beyond the "+", my t-38 is more useable now, thanks!

 

[natural farmer]

I know Lotus has been a little closed mouth about this, but is the main reason for the "high temp lotus" to make it easier to use with hash and reclaim?

IME some people tend to draw much harder than needed, thus needing to heat the vapor cap a lot more as well. I can get hash and oils vaporized without too much heat but some friends of mine need to apply extra heat even for flowers. I really believe this new version is aimed at those hard sucking people! If it works as well for the rest of us and for flowers, all the better. Something tells me though that it won't heat up as fast as the current version and will need a couple more secs for preheating....

 

[FlyingLow]

I find it much easier to take slower draws with water than dry; milking slowly

 

[420democrat]

Any lotus discount codes? About to order a spare plate and a short pipe

 

[nemo]

IME some people tend to draw much harder than needed, thus needing to heat the vapor cap a lot more as well. I can get hash and oils vaporized without too much heat but some friends of mine need to apply extra heat even for flowers. I really believe this new version is aimed at those hard sucking people! If it works as well for the rest of us and for flowers, all the better. Something tells me though that it won't heat up as fast as the current version and will need a couple more secs for preheating....

why would you rather suck slower? personally i do it for the plate's sake... after i saw 3-4minor cracks (old style plate)

i mean, i get that it is not necessary, but wouldn't it be an optimization of technique to heat more and suck faster?

 

[GrilledGoat]

Dropped and broke my j-hook last night.

Another one is on the way! I have some small bamboo laying around, I think im going to try to make a smaller version of @natural farmer 's reed stem, thinner reed.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Dropped and broke my j-hook last night.

Another one is on the way! I have some small bamboo laying around, I think im going to try to make a smaller version of @natural farmer 's reed stem, thinner reed.

SunshineStore on dhgate sells a 5-pack of j-hooks for $15 shipped.

 

[natural farmer]

why would you rather suck slower? personally i do it for the plate's sake... after i saw 3-4minor cracks (old style plate)

i mean, i get that it is not necessary, but wouldn't it be an optimization of technique to heat more and suck faster?

It would be better for us, yes, but there are drawbacks as far as extraction goes. As the hot air coming in the bowl has to go through a narrower hole than the width of the bowl (and the load of course), if the draw is very hard, usually there is tuneling in the herb load, meaning the forced airstream finds the easiest way to the exit and opens a tunnel through the herb. So you understand that uniformity in baking has gone to hell this way... The same happens with log vapes. If you draw too hard, tuneling happens. Maybe @Alan can describe it better. You actually have better and more thorough roasting if the air passes slowly through the herb load... Another drawback is energy loss and problems with your vapor cap...
For me slower draws give better vapor...