Yeh that would have a distinct retro feel. I did a quick search and they don't offer the analog gages that small.
I am in the thick of the design and I come to FC with the following questions?
With this design being aiming to be both cost conscience as well as stealth I am working to use as few as parts as possible. This in the spirit of the old school dugout. The issue comes in that the dug was room for the mouthpiece and a stash spot and the lighter was in the other pocket. Us being above combustion now require a heater and a battery. All four of these combined defeats the stealth nature. Would you want to A. Keep it as simple as possible and just have the heater and battery and a Good button like what Pak pictured above (draw back is the mouthpiece is separate) have an optional dugout that houses the mouthpiece(s) and the stash or it could be in the form of a bi-fold with spots for stems and a herb vial and spare battery (could have a spot for the unit but it that would probably be too big). Or B. add the cost and complexity to the unit to integrate the stem such that there is no separate joint. This would have you load the female joint and there would be a cap and a tube that transported the vapor through the unit body to a small fixed nipple at the opposite end from the load that would serve as the mouthpiece similar to the PAX 2. This would entail a Zion like wooden cap with magnetic attachment and the complexity of the internal vapor tube. Let's say hypothetically option A retailed for $100 and option B detailed for $150. Which would you by? How would you build your ultimate stealth Zion? Is there a market for both options? Options in between? Your feedback is much appreciated.
Keep in mind the integrated unit would use the 10 mm and the "Pak" style above would use the 14 mm. This is to "right size" the load as the integrated unit would load the female 10 mm and the separate gong mouthpiece would load the male side of the removable mouthpiece. I point out this distinction for people who would use this in water. It might make sense to do a cylindrical inline unit with the 18350 with a silicone tip? Or the integrated mouthpiece bullet could insert into a silicone water told adapter?
@pakalolo do you have any thoughts yet forming? Do you have 14 mm removable mouthpiece disdain as some of the other Beta testers do? Can it be alleviated by
@MrPeanut idea of a "gong clip" that would lock the gong in place? I think the joint taper when seated snugly with the shorter joint stays in pretty well. It's clear that I am having trouble pulling myself away from the minimalist MFLB design approach but if the customers want an integrated stem and are willing to pay more for it I am all for it. Depending on the feedback I might prototype both.
shoot if you made it 18 mm it would fit over most conventional bowls and literally be a convection lighter? So many possibilities with this technology... That is a good point about the heater being seperate. The glass joint female screen on the Zion never gets dirty. The male mouthpiece does. Loading the female side would require a screen capsule and eventually small bits would tend to fall in the heater. Thanks for the thoughts and perspectives... Keep em coming.
