Thanks for the tip. My lighter doesn't have any sort of cap, but I found a Chapstick cap that fits it like a glove.
Don't know whats happening… Are the new plates a lot thicker maybe? It needs to glow red hot so I can start inhaling and still the temps are sooo low… 
I got a slightly used Lotus from a friend a few days ago and it has the new hot plate installed. It is the first time for me with this new version of a hot plate but I find it needs a lot more heat from the torch and longer flame to see vapor and it's not nearly as hot as my old Lotus. I can't even turn the herbs brown!
Any ideas? @Max Jitter?
Is that the lotus v3 or the upcoming high temp cap? ThanksI got a slightly used Lotus from a friend a few days ago and it has the new hot plate installed. It is the first time for me with this new version of a hot plate but I find it needs a lot more heat from the torch and longer flame to see vapor and it's not nearly as hot as my old Lotus. I can't even turn the herbs brown!
Any ideas? @Max Jitter?
Hi all!
Just wanted to share a story with you about the dangers of high heat vaping with the Lotus.
I've vaped reclaim several times at higher heat than normal using my crazy max diffusion (AC + Bubbler + PNWT combined) rig to reduce the flavor of the vapor. I usually let the Lotus run hotter than normal for those sessions.
Recently I've noticed my herb wasn't vaping evenly despite proper technique (especially when comparing ABV from the lotus to my other vapes) - I even tried every technique I've read on this thread. I started to suspect it was caused by my 15 degree angled adapter. But found it strange, It felt like I had to heat the cap hotter tha normal to produce thicker vapor. Additionally I noticed my ABV after the first hit seemed dark brown in one spot while the rest of the herb was relatively light brown (almost green). Another recent thing I noticed was a slight smell of burnt wood when I removed the cap from the WPA after a normal draw (not high temperature). I knew something was up.
I decided to try switching back to one of my (bent, non cracked) spare plates from the original design.
When I removed my top plate, I found this inside:
Well there's my problem right there!
Literally 1/3rd of the outer ring clip holding the inside plate was loose! I contacted Mendo regarding this to see if this was normal. I discovered this is caused by excessive heat and not covered under warranty!
BE CAREFUL TO NOT HEAT EXCESSIVELY!
Thankfully Mendo was kind enough to work with me to get a replacement cap (natural finish this time!). But let this be a lesson to all. If you're trying to vape with higher heat for huge lung-busting draws, please use caution with the Lotus.
As mentioned many times before, the three screws holding the outer heating plate to the Lotus cap strip easily. I advise not 'checking' inside your cap unless you suspect a serious issue like mine.
The first session with my new cap was amazing, performed like a champ. I was able to finish a whole load in one draw (no stirring needed). Haven't seen this kind of performance in over a month from the Lotus.
For now, I'll only use it with raw herb exclusively - I'll save concentrates and reclaim for my other vapes.
It was the plate after all mate... Sorry...
I don't know what the exact cause is but I suspect it might be that the plate is thicker or that there is something wrong with the alloy and doesn't heat up so much. I have visited a friend and tried a new hot plate and it baked the load as well as usual. But the new plates do need a longer flame! I am pretty sure they are thicker than the past to avoid cracks in the future due to excessive heating. That means I might be right and my hot plate is indeed thicker than the standard. Maybe @Max Jitter could shed some light here... 
I will be using my friend's back-up hot plate for the moment and I hope Max sends a replacement soon after I contact him...
So my headphone case recommended by @SSVUN~YAH (several weeks ago) arrived today! I must say, it's pretty tight, but with the Lotus facing down, and the WPA sticking upwards, it fits VERY well into this case. And there's enough room for a scoop and a baggie of some ground herb! All I need is my lighter and I can transport to friend's houses worry free.
The zipper seems sufficient, and the shell is probably made from cardboard. However, the WPA and the Lotus together make for a nice tight fit which should nicely hold everything tight while still protecting the nickle plate from damage. Not bad for less than $5!
@Gray Area beat me to it. I was going to make my own custom silicone cap (3d printed mold, of course).
