Just some first impressions...
I finally received the beta unit today after an eternity (about 10 days) of excitedly waiting.
It is slightly larger than the Revolve w/ dynavap tip, but only the head is longer. The stem is exactly the same length as the revolve, it just has the sleeve so its wider. The sleeve feels really good in hand. Its something extra to grip onto. The head is really cool looking and I like being able to see the little balls inside. The head also makes a very strong connections to the mad heaters magnets. Its way stronger than the dynavap caps. I can hold the Reload / Tempest on magnet sideways and it will not fall off. I took it all apart and cleaned - easy just like the revolve.
My daily routine consists of micro-dosing with a Revolve Gen 2, titanium tip, and armored cap. I prefer full bowl extractions with a single heat cycle using a single flame torch. Maybe 2-3 bowls throughout the day. Then after work I use a desktop ball vape thru a bong. I also have some portables, but end up using the Revolve for out and about as well.
I saw RedZep mention he didnt receive the Direct tube, so after cleaning I thought I would start with that one installed. I usually have my Revolve Gen 2 set up with the direct tube anyway so why not? I had the direct tube with the direct bypass setting and the adjustable air flow on the head fully open. I set the wand up with the insert, set it to 600F and waited for the time out notification. That first bowl was way too close to combustion for my taste. The way I had all the air flow settings was a little noisy and may have helped lead to a toastier roast because all that heat hit really fast on the flower.
Next bowl I turned the wand down to 575F and raised the insert just the tiniest bit. I also closed the air flow control on the head to about 2/3 open. Back into the wand until notification again, and got a perfect roast. The vape was a little warm, but I did have the direct tube in, and the taste was amazing.
Third bowl I kept all the same settings on the wand, and kept the head air control at 2/3 open, but I swapped out for the Helix tube. Perfect, cool vape. Perfect roast for my taste. And this is totally repeatable. It took just 3 bowls to get it dialed in for my taste.
Being pretty stoned at this point, I sat with the Tempest. I realized I was trying to hit the Tempest just like my dynavaps - fast and to the point before the precious heat was gone. I dont think this is necessary with the heat retention of the balls. So next I'll try sipping a bit more. I'm still experimenting but I think it is very versatile so far.
I'm just going to enjoy this for a bit. I'll be in touch after I've had some more time with it. Thanks for reading