I am going to order some boro balls and was thinking about ordering sic balls also. What difference would they make. And when reading the manual it says that the thermal conductivity of them is 120 W/m•K (zirconia is 1.1 W/m•K and boro is 2.5 W/m•K) so what difference does this bring when using with the tempest. Regarding density sic (3.21 g/cc) is between zirconia (5.68 g/cc) and boro (2.23 g/cc). About the differences and effect in density, I understand (tempest manual says: Higher density balls can store the heat longer and provide a smoother experience due to the slower temperature buildup.
Lower density balls heat up more quickly and can deliver a punchier hit.)
Also I am thinking to purchase a reload, but I am not sure if I should choose a silver one or black, is the black coating DLC (Diamond-like carbon) like the black tempest?
@Brenyo
The Boro heat up super fast and aggressively, don't fill it to the top of the bowl, watch how hard you draw on it while you get used to it, I ended up going below the suggested temp on the manual for Boro.
They are the most punchy of the balls on offer.
A good option for glass pieces.
I much prefer the sic, they still heat fairly aggressively, more so than the zirc, but they're easier for general use than the Boro, draw strength still affects it, but I found I was able to hit it with less issues in comparison to the odd bit of scorching I got with Boro, so they're a good halfway between the boro and zirc, they don't hold heat for long, they're ideal for single hit extractions with the half bowl using the tempest native, rather than going for a water piece with boro.
SS I'm still on the fence with them, they take the longest to heat up as the table suggests, they feel very similar to the zirc in terms of the extraction, but I've found they transfer more heat to the stem, I feel the heat coming through into the heat shield.
I've been running the SS since Sunday and really can't quite get into them.
I think the stainless will be my least used choice.
I've been running my release tempest with zirc, I've been changing the balls in the pre-release unit, to give a direct comparison.
I think my almost permanent set-up will be one with zirc and one with sic.