Still going full-time getting out the last of them, shipping notices going out very soon. They absolutely must all go out this month. Please reach out via email if you'd like an update at any time, I keep a good eye on my email. The work involved in sending these out has been all-consuming lately, and I'm sorry I don't update as often as I probably should.
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@letter never sent, A great way to test your batteries is to load one up into your unit, take the stem out, and find a dark room.. Look down the stem hole at the mesh screen, press the button and time the seconds between button press and when you can just barely start to see the heater start to glow behind the mesh. Stop heating when you see the faintest dull red color, no need to go beyond that.
If everything is working perfectly, you should record about 9-10 seconds with the high heater. If it's more like 15 seconds, your batteries are weak, or the electrical connections need a quick clean. 99% of the time it's the electrical connection between the heater module and the brass ring. To clean this connection, start with a quick wipe down in that area with the white cleaning pad, focusing on the little step down on the outside of the heater module shell, clean right up into the corner. And then focus on the lip of the brass ring where it makes contact.
Sometimes after the unit sits in the shipping box for a while, it needs to be "broken in" with a bit of use. Most of the electrical connections are designed to be self cleaning with use, so.. they'll tend to clean themselves. Once they move around a bit, everything just works as intended.
I wouldn't be surprised if your 4 year old batteries are shot. Storing them unused over a long time can certainly kill them. With unregulated devices, the heater is tuned to work optimally with a healthy battery, and a dying one will certainly lower performance substantially.
Thank you for sharing, as usual
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