The Toad from Morwood
- Thread starter Dan Morrison
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- convection toad
gordontreeman
Everythings coming up Milhouse!
Yeah, not sure what I can say that hasn't already been said. As you can see, Dan's work and craftsmanship absolutely phenomenal. This really is exquisitely made: its a joy to hold and use, and while I don't even have children yet I am confident that if taken care of its something that could be on a shelf someday with grandkids saying "yeah that is how grandpa used to get high--if nothing else he had great taste in vaporizers" before they pull it off to share with their own friends. It really is an amazing piece of functional art. I think this goes for everything in the package--the case and stem are also very well done.
I saw someone with a stem other than pearwood somewhere in here, so I reached out to Dan to explore options. He suggested African Blackwood as the best compliment to the suminagashi ink on my toad, and seeing it in person I have to agree that all together the combination is quite the looker! Attached a close up snapshot of the stem to show off the grain. I was going to get out my dslr and take a bunch, but I don't think I can really do any better than Dan did in the drop photo if you want to see more.
I tried a small bowl in the wooden stem, and a slightly larger bowl in a glass stem that I packed with the beads that came with it. I think so far my main takeaway is that I need to get used to manual vaporizers, as this is my first! The wooden stem with no beads got a little hot for me fast (I guess I am a weenie), which is what prompted using the glass stem with some beads. However, I finished the bowl and it was a lighter roast and extremely even. Taste is fantastic! This seems like it will shine for smaller doses and flavor savoring. This isn't to say that you can't take some large rips. With the glass stem and beads I was able to get some nice large hits by feathering the button and just trying to go off of intuition. But I eventually was a little too greedy and combusted
. Luckily it was with the glass stem, so I just cleared it to keep the smoke from affecting the wood. I will probably consider the glass stems my set of training wheels until I am confident I can put the beads in the wooden stem for on the go usage. I probably should have ordered a low heater as well. I was thinking about e-mailing Dan to add it to my order, but then got the shipping notification. I think if I get past the learning curve the high heater is fully capable, though. I am very excited to develop a better sense of intuition/muscle memory and really see what it can do!
Quick questions though: how do folks get the screens out that you use to hold the beads in place? Just a tweezers? Also in @Dan Morrison's quick start guide (which I guess I'll pay more attention to after combusting!), he mentions putting the beads as far away from the herb chamber as possible. I'm a little confused: is this suggesting to use three screens, one near the end to hold he herb, and two further away to hold the balls in? The beads take up most of the length of the glass stem, so is it maybe instead meaning to have a slightly larger capacity just to keep the beads further back from the heater?
edit: oh yeah, snapshot of the stem for the curious--
I was never super into blackwood as it just looked plain black, but the grain on this up close is actually amazing!
I saw someone with a stem other than pearwood somewhere in here, so I reached out to Dan to explore options. He suggested African Blackwood as the best compliment to the suminagashi ink on my toad, and seeing it in person I have to agree that all together the combination is quite the looker! Attached a close up snapshot of the stem to show off the grain. I was going to get out my dslr and take a bunch, but I don't think I can really do any better than Dan did in the drop photo if you want to see more.
I tried a small bowl in the wooden stem, and a slightly larger bowl in a glass stem that I packed with the beads that came with it. I think so far my main takeaway is that I need to get used to manual vaporizers, as this is my first! The wooden stem with no beads got a little hot for me fast (I guess I am a weenie), which is what prompted using the glass stem with some beads. However, I finished the bowl and it was a lighter roast and extremely even. Taste is fantastic! This seems like it will shine for smaller doses and flavor savoring. This isn't to say that you can't take some large rips. With the glass stem and beads I was able to get some nice large hits by feathering the button and just trying to go off of intuition. But I eventually was a little too greedy and combusted
. Luckily it was with the glass stem, so I just cleared it to keep the smoke from affecting the wood. I will probably consider the glass stems my set of training wheels until I am confident I can put the beads in the wooden stem for on the go usage. I probably should have ordered a low heater as well. I was thinking about e-mailing Dan to add it to my order, but then got the shipping notification. I think if I get past the learning curve the high heater is fully capable, though. I am very excited to develop a better sense of intuition/muscle memory and really see what it can do!Quick questions though: how do folks get the screens out that you use to hold the beads in place? Just a tweezers? Also in @Dan Morrison's quick start guide (which I guess I'll pay more attention to after combusting!), he mentions putting the beads as far away from the herb chamber as possible. I'm a little confused: is this suggesting to use three screens, one near the end to hold he herb, and two further away to hold the balls in? The beads take up most of the length of the glass stem, so is it maybe instead meaning to have a slightly larger capacity just to keep the beads further back from the heater?
edit: oh yeah, snapshot of the stem for the curious--
I was never super into blackwood as it just looked plain black, but the grain on this up close is actually amazing!
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gordontreeman
Everythings coming up Milhouse!
Yeah, its a beauty. The case and everything just look so great together.Thanks for your initial information. I'm about to receive my Toad and I'm trying to pick up on others experiences As This will also be my 1st unregulated device as well.
The photograph update of It looks amazing.
I can't say if its universal, but trying to learn unregulated with a wide open stem in my head seemed like the intuitive thing to do to feel the heat and get quick feedback on when to let go of the button. But it felt too hot on my throat at a pretty light roast level on the flower--maybe I was inhaling too fast? Most of the vapes I use you can sort of rip if they are not draw restricted. Once I put the beads in and practiced a bit, its sort of becoming a thing where I intuitively understand how to adjust my draw speed and get a sense of when to let off the button. I've gone pretty dark a few times now =). I think for my sensitivity levels its a lot better to calibrate with that level of cooling though.
Its a joy to use. I am really digging it. Much appreciation for creating this little guy @Dan Morrison!
@gordontreeman
Love hearing all your thoughts! Thanks!
The wood stems definitely make the vapor feel more hot. This has been an evolving observation now that more people have the toads/nomads and have been offering feedback.
A straight stem has very little surface area contact, and wood has the lowest thermal conductivity of any stem material. So, the vapor will feel the hottest.
Switching to glass will cool the vapor more, due to the higher thermal conductivity and possibly something about condensation going on as well.
Adding cooling beads to either stem will greatly increase cooling. I generally recommend cooling beads with the wooden stems.
My favourite setup is either stem with a half or quarter stem loaded with cooling beads. You can adjust the amount of beads based on your preference. I like the least amount of cooling required to avoid irritation from heat in the throat. A full pack of beads is too much cooling for me.
The best way to learn unregulated, imo, is a glass stem with or without cooling beads. A few cooling beads may help give a little cooling, but keep some heat feedback. So that might be the best setup to start with.
Cooling beads definitely help with taking bigger rips as well.
Some people rely on the heat feedback to drive unregulated, but others don't. I think that you can totally learn without any heat feedback, just using timing or the feel of the vapor.
A helpful tip... If you pack the chamber loose n fluffy, the moment you hit vaporization temp, the herb will start to 'melt' and shrink down on itself. This shrinking action produces a slight increase in draw restriction. You can feel for that change, and use that as a signal to slightly increase draw speed to cool down the heater or keep it stable at the perfect temp. This method may or may not work, depending on the consistency of your herb, but its something to consider.
I also think that increasing draw restriction does help greatly with lung control. I'm currently testing a way to do this, I think I've got a good method now that can be added cheaply to past and future toads/nomads...
Love hearing all your thoughts! Thanks!
The wood stems definitely make the vapor feel more hot. This has been an evolving observation now that more people have the toads/nomads and have been offering feedback.
A straight stem has very little surface area contact, and wood has the lowest thermal conductivity of any stem material. So, the vapor will feel the hottest.
Switching to glass will cool the vapor more, due to the higher thermal conductivity and possibly something about condensation going on as well.
Adding cooling beads to either stem will greatly increase cooling. I generally recommend cooling beads with the wooden stems.
My favourite setup is either stem with a half or quarter stem loaded with cooling beads. You can adjust the amount of beads based on your preference. I like the least amount of cooling required to avoid irritation from heat in the throat. A full pack of beads is too much cooling for me.
The best way to learn unregulated, imo, is a glass stem with or without cooling beads. A few cooling beads may help give a little cooling, but keep some heat feedback. So that might be the best setup to start with.
Cooling beads definitely help with taking bigger rips as well.
Some people rely on the heat feedback to drive unregulated, but others don't. I think that you can totally learn without any heat feedback, just using timing or the feel of the vapor.
A helpful tip... If you pack the chamber loose n fluffy, the moment you hit vaporization temp, the herb will start to 'melt' and shrink down on itself. This shrinking action produces a slight increase in draw restriction. You can feel for that change, and use that as a signal to slightly increase draw speed to cool down the heater or keep it stable at the perfect temp. This method may or may not work, depending on the consistency of your herb, but its something to consider.
I also think that increasing draw restriction does help greatly with lung control. I'm currently testing a way to do this, I think I've got a good method now that can be added cheaply to past and future toads/nomads...
jbm
Well-Known Member
MrBaked.co
Well-Known Member
fangorn
Well-Known Member
Vehmic
Bogwood Ent
I'd love something Black Sabbath, maybe inspired by Bakemono/Yokai:I would love to see the Pink floyd one then
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/culturacolectiva/5RM7ZLXYOZACLG6JIBKDSVKSVY.jpg)
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gordontreeman
Everythings coming up Milhouse!
@Vehmic that looks spot on for the vibe my toad exudes!
@Dan Morrison I might have to try it with fewer beads. For all the reasons you mentioned I knew wooden would be the hottest. I think I am just a weenie when it comes to heat, and also I was inhaling way too fast. The vapes I mostly use have mechanisms to preheat any coils and thermal mass associated with the heater, so once they're up to temp wide open draws (what some might term a rip rather than sip) are handled really well if not even encouraged in a few cases. I was playing around with the glass stem beadless last night and slower draws and it seems worth exploring. I will say, though, that I have gotten some great looking bowls with the beaded stem: I take it to a dark brown color and while in the stem it looks a little uneven on the outside ring of flower (I assume heat is stolen by the stainless steel screen which absorbs heat much more readily than the organic material/glass?), expelling it onto a piece of plain white paper reveals that it is a surprisingly even bake.
I think most of this can be learned by experimentation, but questions for other toad/unregulated owners: do you mostly favor slower/more controlled draws (sips)? Or do you preheat and let slip the dogs of war (rip)? How deep do folks like to put the screen/your herb in? So far I've been doing very shallow microdose bowls; e.g. the screen is basically as shallow as it can get such that the edges are still in the stem. Its probably a smaller bowl than a dyna, but its a great microdosing experience. The taste is fantastic, and I am loving the unregulated ritual so far--it reminds me of riding my fixed gear bicycle vs something with a bunch of gears (which is still of course rad depending on the ride I'm going to do, but there is something very satisfying about the direct connection to a fixie--I know that probably sounds like hipster bullshit). It also gives a surprisingly large cloud when I get the heat right for a one hit or 2-shot bowl!
Also excited to try some coarser grinds. I have read and am inclined to agree with a lot of the thoughts posted by Dan and some others in the convection thread and around that compare the process of vaping to brewing coffee. I have a fine plate from BCG. I went fine thinking that if I kept the tamp loose it would not be so fine as to create tunneling and would expose more surface area of the flower to extract more cannabinoids. I think that stands, but I have a medium and coarse plate arriving today or tomorrow that I'd like to give a shot with the toad and some of my other full convection vapes.
Edit: for the “a picture is worth 1000 words crowd:”
Not bad after 3 or 4 small bowls!
@Dan Morrison I might have to try it with fewer beads. For all the reasons you mentioned I knew wooden would be the hottest. I think I am just a weenie when it comes to heat, and also I was inhaling way too fast. The vapes I mostly use have mechanisms to preheat any coils and thermal mass associated with the heater, so once they're up to temp wide open draws (what some might term a rip rather than sip) are handled really well if not even encouraged in a few cases. I was playing around with the glass stem beadless last night and slower draws and it seems worth exploring. I will say, though, that I have gotten some great looking bowls with the beaded stem: I take it to a dark brown color and while in the stem it looks a little uneven on the outside ring of flower (I assume heat is stolen by the stainless steel screen which absorbs heat much more readily than the organic material/glass?), expelling it onto a piece of plain white paper reveals that it is a surprisingly even bake.
I think most of this can be learned by experimentation, but questions for other toad/unregulated owners: do you mostly favor slower/more controlled draws (sips)? Or do you preheat and let slip the dogs of war (rip)? How deep do folks like to put the screen/your herb in? So far I've been doing very shallow microdose bowls; e.g. the screen is basically as shallow as it can get such that the edges are still in the stem. Its probably a smaller bowl than a dyna, but its a great microdosing experience. The taste is fantastic, and I am loving the unregulated ritual so far--it reminds me of riding my fixed gear bicycle vs something with a bunch of gears (which is still of course rad depending on the ride I'm going to do, but there is something very satisfying about the direct connection to a fixie--I know that probably sounds like hipster bullshit). It also gives a surprisingly large cloud when I get the heat right for a one hit or 2-shot bowl!
Also excited to try some coarser grinds. I have read and am inclined to agree with a lot of the thoughts posted by Dan and some others in the convection thread and around that compare the process of vaping to brewing coffee. I have a fine plate from BCG. I went fine thinking that if I kept the tamp loose it would not be so fine as to create tunneling and would expose more surface area of the flower to extract more cannabinoids. I think that stands, but I have a medium and coarse plate arriving today or tomorrow that I'd like to give a shot with the toad and some of my other full convection vapes.
Edit: for the “a picture is worth 1000 words crowd:”
Not bad after 3 or 4 small bowls!
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fangorn
Well-Known Member
Hello @gordontreeman
I said to myself that I would answer and I forgot!!
I am clearly on the side of slower / controlled draws!!
but to tell the truth, it's my preference in general. this is also how I configured my electronic cigarette. and the toad's fairly open airflow confused me a bit at first. so I think I adapted according to my preference.
I have to do moderately slow prints of about ten seconds.
Either way, I'd advise firing really slow at first so the heat builds up...until you feel..."it's on"!
after that it also depends on the preheating!
if you preheat too much, on the contrary, it is better to pull quickly at the beginning to prevent the heat from overheating your material.
this is my first vaporizer of this type... not necessarily the best placed to answer!!!
you were talking about preheating...
on low heat it is advisable to count to 7 (I believe). I counted to 7 at first and took a little longer for the heat to soak in. today i usually count to 8. the steam takes less time to arrive.
my understanding is that therefore the heater temperature is higher initially. it changes the terpene experience a bit (I don't know if it's said!)
with my way of counting, at 6, it takes way too long to heat up and the steam takes too long to come. but I sometimes do this step.
at 9, it's already way too hot for me and I don't like the terpene experience. and the further we go, the closer we get to a possible combustion!
for the depth of the screen... the lower part of my screens is 0.7 or 0.9cm from the edge of the stem. I haven't checked my wooden stems but it's about the same.
I attribute the fact that my sessions with one of my wooden rods are longer because the screen is a little further from the edge and there is more material. maybe I'm wrong ... in any case it's very pleasant.
and I try not to pack it down, just squeeze the material in and make sure it doesn't fall out if I shake it ever so slightly. but sometimes I'm greedy... and I have to pack!!!
but yes, you are right, it goes through experimentation and finding what suits you best.
I've had my toad for several months and we're still getting to know each other!
I feel like I took a step in my relationship with him this week
I understand his non-verbal signals better and manage to adapt more quickly!
thinking about it, it's been a week, ten days that I only use it with my mini bubbler without water... my throat is just starting to leave me alone.
well, seeing the steam build up and then gradually reduce made me understand/feel the operation differently. I saw for example that with my technique, it is useless to pull beyond X seconds because I no longer produce steam, or much less.
Besides, the use of this bubbler (without water) is really nice! you see the steam so you don't need the feeling of heat less. it works better than the balls in the rod! on the other hand, you lose flavor... I like both experiences, so I will probably do both.
in any case, I didn't succeed in learning with glass marbles.
I had to go through the step without beads and learn to manage the heat.
I would advise trying your hand with a glass stem without a ball, even if it's less pleasant for the throat!
nothing to do, but I bought 21700 battery protections and the stems fit very well in them... for those who would like to carry preloaded stems, I think it's a good solution!
even less related to the subject... I have just acquired a Vapman, with its wooden case. the appearance of the base of the Vapman reminds me a lot of the lower part of the Toad -the one used to make contact-.
I looooove it!
and there is something in the use that makes me feel similarities... even if I can't figure out what!
maybe just counting... hahaha
there is clearly an "organic relationship" in feel with both vaporizers. I love that !
gordontreeman
Everythings coming up Milhouse!
@fangorn thanks for your comments. I've actually been really loving my toad with the glass beads in the stem, and using it that way almost exclusively to learn the ropes of unregulated.
Since that first weekend things have come pretty intuitive for me. I just have the high heater, but I am able to pretty consistently bring my avb as dark as I ever want it without combusting now (that dark brown/roasted tobacco color). Typically I am able to kill the small loads I pack (again, just putting the screen flush with the end of the stem so by most standards a microdose) in a large hit or two depending on how I preheat and what I am trying to achieve. I recently got the medium and coarse plates from BCG so I've been experimenting with them some. The coarse seems to work well with a straw suck and a very loose (almost no) tamp, but due to the size of the material its a little easier for it to fall out of the basket screen if you don't take that first hit inverted to melt everything together. So far I wouldn't necessarily say its "better" than with the fine plate, but I would need to spend more time with the different grind sizes and especially trying to do back-to-back comparisons. Over the last few days I've been checking my battery level after every bowl to get used to it at lower voltages--it takes a noticeably longer preheat at 3.7V to achieve what I was doing at closer to 4.2, for example. In some ways though things are a little more user friendly at those lower voltages: things don't get up to temp quite as quickly, but its a lot easier to avoid going too hot. At some point I will probably try to spend a bit of time consciously trying to achieve lighter bakes/lower temps with the high heater and a lighter touch of the button. I'm pretty into the ritual of unregulated, so I want to learn it as well as I can. I'm also tempted to try a low heater for flavor savoring, though!
I want to spend more time without the balls at some point, but every time I have tried it the heat has just been a lot on my throat (@lookhigh 's comment about using your tongue as a heat shield is criminally underrated, though!). I've acclimated to the feel of the heat through the balls pretty quickly though to where I'm comfortable using them and don't think its any kind of a handicap. I suppose save in that its probably extra surface area for vapor and terpense to condense on, so maybe slightly less flavor, but that is always the trade-off for cooler vapor I think. And the hits I get from my toad are still terpy and delicious! I just find that, as with most vapes, if you don't kill the load on your first higher temp hit you'll have boiled most of the terps off, so subsequent hits will still produce vapor but it is much less flavorful.
I'll probably try packing some larger bowls, too. I am imagining that as you go deeper with your bowls, getting an even roast without stirring becomes more difficult. I am just curious to experiment and try to find my upper limit for those occasions when I want to enjoy a bit more or try to share with a friend (unregulated is definitely not ideal to hand to a newbie, but I have a few friends who vape with more mainstream devices and will surely be curious when I pull out my little koi fish decorated gadget!). The small bowls that I have been using with it now suit me well, though--they're definitely doable in a single tasty one-hitter if one wants! And I have been very impressed with how even the avb is with a bowl of this size as I said. Its only around the very outside of the stem where I guess a combination of fluid dynamics (I'm not sure how to model this, but I assume when the air stream hits the load less of it ends up going around the outside of the stem) and heat absorption lead to a slightly less dark roast, but its nothing that bothers me.
Since that first weekend things have come pretty intuitive for me. I just have the high heater, but I am able to pretty consistently bring my avb as dark as I ever want it without combusting now (that dark brown/roasted tobacco color). Typically I am able to kill the small loads I pack (again, just putting the screen flush with the end of the stem so by most standards a microdose) in a large hit or two depending on how I preheat and what I am trying to achieve. I recently got the medium and coarse plates from BCG so I've been experimenting with them some. The coarse seems to work well with a straw suck and a very loose (almost no) tamp, but due to the size of the material its a little easier for it to fall out of the basket screen if you don't take that first hit inverted to melt everything together. So far I wouldn't necessarily say its "better" than with the fine plate, but I would need to spend more time with the different grind sizes and especially trying to do back-to-back comparisons. Over the last few days I've been checking my battery level after every bowl to get used to it at lower voltages--it takes a noticeably longer preheat at 3.7V to achieve what I was doing at closer to 4.2, for example. In some ways though things are a little more user friendly at those lower voltages: things don't get up to temp quite as quickly, but its a lot easier to avoid going too hot. At some point I will probably try to spend a bit of time consciously trying to achieve lighter bakes/lower temps with the high heater and a lighter touch of the button. I'm pretty into the ritual of unregulated, so I want to learn it as well as I can. I'm also tempted to try a low heater for flavor savoring, though!
I want to spend more time without the balls at some point, but every time I have tried it the heat has just been a lot on my throat (@lookhigh 's comment about using your tongue as a heat shield is criminally underrated, though!). I've acclimated to the feel of the heat through the balls pretty quickly though to where I'm comfortable using them and don't think its any kind of a handicap. I suppose save in that its probably extra surface area for vapor and terpense to condense on, so maybe slightly less flavor, but that is always the trade-off for cooler vapor I think. And the hits I get from my toad are still terpy and delicious! I just find that, as with most vapes, if you don't kill the load on your first higher temp hit you'll have boiled most of the terps off, so subsequent hits will still produce vapor but it is much less flavorful.
I'll probably try packing some larger bowls, too. I am imagining that as you go deeper with your bowls, getting an even roast without stirring becomes more difficult. I am just curious to experiment and try to find my upper limit for those occasions when I want to enjoy a bit more or try to share with a friend (unregulated is definitely not ideal to hand to a newbie, but I have a few friends who vape with more mainstream devices and will surely be curious when I pull out my little koi fish decorated gadget!). The small bowls that I have been using with it now suit me well, though--they're definitely doable in a single tasty one-hitter if one wants! And I have been very impressed with how even the avb is with a bowl of this size as I said. Its only around the very outside of the stem where I guess a combination of fluid dynamics (I'm not sure how to model this, but I assume when the air stream hits the load less of it ends up going around the outside of the stem) and heat absorption lead to a slightly less dark roast, but its nothing that bothers me.
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i immediatly thought of Dan when i saw this lichen while walking in a lunar setting on the island of Minorca.
Can't wait to see the new models!
Can't wait to see the new models!
Molicel P28a
Shit Snacks
Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
As I said before, when you are using dual batteries, you don't notice much of a difference because you have double the amps and double the capacity regardless of the cell you choose (just choose two of the same cell and keep them together as a matched pair!) and this is all regulated battery and temp control sessions, so it should not affect performance at all really
Edit: My bad I thought I clicked on the Angus thread lol
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Zuhdj
Charles Mingus
This is the toad forum. I was just curious about the unregulated world as I'm seeing a difference in my tinymight with the p28a
Shit Snacks
Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
Haha that was a quick quote, I even edited further, but my point is you notice it more in a single battery device, that's why the Molicell work so well, they have extra amps compared to similar cells, despite the lower mah capacity... So yeah it is the best cell for the Toad as well, but others would be fine too, it is not as demanding as the TM/TP80
Edit: whoops my bad I totally thought I had clicked on the Angus thread when I saw your message and replied and then thought your reply was quoting me from Angus thread lol
Anyway having more amps here with Molicel could help the toad heat up a bit faster, I find the battery life to be very reasonable too, even with this lower capacity, so yeah single battery device, even on regulated, benefit from more amps... I haven't compared to many other cells with it though, just LG HE4 which also work fine at least
checkyourlibido
Well-Known Member
Sir, this is a Wendy's!