Alright here are my early thoughts after 5 days heavy use. The V1 Tempest has been my most used portable since beta release. I'll reference it a couple of times if relevant. I'll break it down into segments to make sure I cover everything that has had an impression on me so far.
Aesthetics/Ergonomics/Quality of Life
Some people love the look. I've seen many prefer the V1 looks however. I like it. It also looks much better in person. I honestly think the main reason some people don't like it is the in built WPA. I like the WPA MP function, but I would be interested in alternative MP's to change the Aesthetics. The device has an overall highly functional, futuristic, flowing look to it. I'm particularly fond of the cog like section where the tip plugs into.
The balanced weight and hand feel are top notch. It feels very premium in hand. It gives the illusory impression somehow of a single piece solid unit, as nothing moves when locked, and the balance and design hide the seams where components are connected to each other. To the eye and hands it seems carved from a single piece. The thicker section connecting the tip to the stem is testament to this effect.
It has many nice little touches. The way the MP and Tip are raised off the table when placed on its side, the way you can feel the carb without looking, the way you can lock your airflow settings with the MP, the way it doesn't roll away on flat surfaces, the small dot on the cog like part near the tip which allows for quick orientation when changing airflow settings. This is a device that has had every minute detail obsessed over by an absolute perfectionist.
The heat shield does an excellent job of staying cool to the touch, owing to minimal contact points (have a good look if you get one, really impressive design here).
The reloading/emptying experience is no different to the V1. Suffice to say that when used with the Reload, it is effortless and fast.
Airflow
The open airflow of the V1 was a big deal for me. I suffer from TMJD, a chronic pain condition that renders me incredibly sensitive to airflow restriction. The T1 had the most open and custimisable airflow in the portable butane space. The T2 improves it. The cooling system has been simplified and is a twisted tape system, seen in Simrell stems and others. What is key is the T2 twisted Ti tape and housing is much larger than what we have seen before. The airpath now is a straight line, unlike the V1 Helix which doubled back on itself. The larger tip now also allows the use of larger balls (3mm, standard with T2 purchase) without sacrificing number of balls. All these changes add up to the device airflow being wide open if you want it to be.
The airflow setting in the tip remains unchanged from the V1. The airflow settings in the stem however are much more elegant and intuitive. I didn't need a manual to understand my cooling settings. I just needed to look and see how much visible space I have open at the carb. Someone who has never used the device before would be able to increase or decrease airflow by appearance intuitively. Compare this to the V1 where even myself after multiple years of everyday use would have to occasionally check the online manual when I forgot which symbols represented which airflow settings.
I really appreciate how even when using the stem as a WPA, you don't have to add lots of restriction to your glass piece. I intend to use the T2 stem as a general use WPA for other vapes on small glass pieces, like the Tornado and Convector XL, due to the extra cooling with no trade off.
When using the stem in WPA mode I suggest closing off the stem airflow completely, and closing the airflow at the tip from 1/2 to 3/4. It will still be relatively unrestricted, but will thicken the vapour nicely. I also advise those skeptical to the in-built WPA to try it. I didn't think I would like it, but it converted me very quickly.
Cooling
Despite the streamlined cooling system, the T2 cools nicely accross all bowl sizes. When in second bowl position (0.15g) the cooling is enough for me to finish the bowl in a single DTL hit, which hits like a desktop ball vape. I suggest everyone try this.
When in full bowl mode I find it more suitable to multiple hits. This feels comfortable. You feel a little heat in the throat, but nothing irritating. Just enough to feel the vapour. I have not coughed yet using the T2. I find the heat levels in full bowl joint mode to be ideal. Enough heat to feel like you are toking on something. Enough cooling to not cough or feel like you need a drink.
Taste
Not a lot to say here. The T1 had amazing taste, and best in class imo for vapes of this type. Something I always liked was how taste was still good when going for deeper roasts, almost like the heat built up in the bowl gives enough time for the terps to release before destruction via higher temps. As far as I can tell the T2 feels the same in this regard. The flavour feels improved over the T1 Helix stem due to more elegance in the cooling path. However it is not night and day. Both taste great and there is not much in it.
The V2 has higher potential for pure flavour chasing hits however due to the larger bowl. Bigger bowl = more terps. I've done some full bowl low temp DTL (direct to lung) hits and it was very enjoyable.
When it comes to portable butane devices in this genre, the Tempests are the kings of flavour.
Extraction
This tip/cap improves on the original. The roast is more complete, and easier to achive. I was someone who got on very well with the T1 owing to my experience with pure convection vapes. However some people had inconsistent extractions. I feel that the T2 will differ in this regard. It feels effortless to get a perfect, complete, consistant roast.
The T2 boasts an increased extraction window over the T1 which was already really impressive. You never feel rushed with this thing. You can be quite leisurely even in full bowl setting. This makes the T2 very fun to use with hash and extracts, giving an extended joint experience. I'll be releasing some videos showing this in the coming days.
Potency/Signature
I'll keep this short as it's perhaps the most subjective section with many personnal variables like tolerence and strain quality. However I believe there is improved potency compared to the V1 gram per gram. I also dare anyone to hit the full bowl in one DTL hit and not feel it hit you hard.
The Signature is still a really pure convection style signature. Imo the perfect signature to use most of the day.
Heat up/Efficiency
The V2 has increased efficiency due to improved heater/cap housing with increased induction reactivity. Im getting faster heat ups than V1 in the wand, despite increased heat capacity. This means the user can choose to heat a larger bowl, in less time. In general terms a 30ish second wand heat up, to fully extract up to 0.22g bowl with a long heat cycle window, is impressive stuff, and will leave some wandering why they bother leaving their desktop ball vape plugged in all day.
The new wand adaptor contributes to this improved efficiency, owing to not putting extra glass around the tip that soaks up heat. The downside is the adaptor adds more mass to the wand when using outdoors. Some will choose to forego it when travelling, or use the V1 adaptor, or no adaptor. But when using the new adaptor indoors it works perfectly, and is easy to remove for wand use with other vapes. The inability to quickly swap out the adaptor in the V1 was a common complaint.
Closing Thoughts
I was very excited about the Tempest 2. I had high expectations. The T2 delivered on them and then some. Improving not just in ways I hoped, but in ways I didn't even imagine. It is more elegant in function and settings than the V1 while sacrificing nothing in performance. A Swiss army knife of bowl sizes, airflow settings, and WPA sizes, while sacrificing nothing in intuitiveness. Anyone who has used a butane vape in this genre before will not need a user guide.
The Tempest 2 is a labour of love. The flawless second album that perfects everything established in the debut. I can't even imagine how many hours Brenyo has obsessed over this design. Delivering a vape like this, at that price point is frankly absurd. I would recomend this vape to anyone.
All I ask now is for some modular wood heat shields that minimise contact like the metal ones. And if possible a MP to swap out the WPA, to improve aesthetics when using outdoors. Other than that I can't offer any improvements.
Thanks Brenyo. And Bravo
.
R - The Tempest 2 melted my face, made my house smell and I loved it.
wildly excited to see what mad heaters and other stem makers can do with wooden heat shields for the T2
