Okay, this is a really new thing and I am quite sure no one here has tried it yet but there seemed to be some interest in it when I asked a week or so ago if anyone had heard of it before, so I took it upon myself to go out and try it (a dirty job but SOMEONE had to do it! 
) and here's my report.
* Let me disclose right up front that I am considering working for the Vape Pen company but as of now I am not working for them and not sure that I will. However, you can take this report with that grain of salt. *
I do give you my word that everything I say about it here represents my true feelings and opinions and experience about the vape pen; I would not lie or exaggerate about it even if I were officially representing it.
Okay, enough of the disclaimers, now on to the report:
Last week I had a chance to see the Vape Pen, hold it and use it. One of the cooperatives near me is now selling the pen and herbs and I was able to sample the pen and herbs for myself, and ask questions.
When I first held the Vape Pen I was very impressed with the look of it. It really does look like a pen and unless someone looks closely they will assume it is a ball point pen. It's actually smaller than most of the pens I use. The only way it looks different than a pen is that one end has a pipe type tip instead of a ball point. But even that looks like it could be a retracted ball point tip.
When I got to try it, I said, "Where is the switch to turn it on?" "There isn't one. You just suck on it to activate it " came back the reply. Wow. Cool. High tech!
As I sucked on it a blue light on the tip lighted up so I knew it was working and I took a very light 5 second or so draw because I didn't know how strong it might be. I took what I would call a medium or even small hit and did not even feel the vapor going into my lungs, though I tasted it. It's not EXACTLY vapor like the vapor that comes out of your vaporizer, but it is more like vapor than anything else I can think of. It's a bit lighter than most vaporizer vapors and has a very light, subtle taste.
I felt the effects right away and said "Wow" as I relaxed back in my chair. I was impressed with the fact that I felt the effects on such a small puff, and also that I didn't even FEEL it on my lungs, yet it was strong enough to have the desired effect.
The "vapor" from this Vape Pen FELT less irritating to my lungs than vapor from a vaporizer. Not a lot less, no; but less. It is so smooth I can barely tell that I am getting a good hit until I feel the effects. And less hot in my throat. I am not making any claim that it is milder than vaporizing but I am reporting that it felt that way to me.
I cannot speak to the cost effectiveness from personal experience yet. But I can say that even if it was more costly than whole herb, frankly I would pay it just to have it available for when I want to medicate while away from home. If the liquid herb is, indeed, equivalent in price per use, as it is said to be, then all I can say is, that's fantastic! And from my limited experience at this point, I can say that it does not seem to be over-priced for what you get.
This is technology that will allow you to take your meds anytime, anywhere with practically ZERO chance of anyone knowing or wondering what you are up to. You can easily use this at a concert, movie theater or on the street because even if law enforcement saw it and asked you about it, they would not know it is herb and there is no way to see it. And of course you would be a medical marijuana user in any case, so no problem. But if you're like me, you like to keep it discreet anyway, so this enables you to be very discreet.
The drops are diffused inside the pen in a fibrous material so there is nothing to see and it doesn't smell like herb unless you open up the tip and put your nose right up to it. If someone takes it apart all they will see is a fibrous white material inside that is colored a bit brown from the extract. Only 4 drops of liquid herb fill the Vape Pen and that is plenty for a couple of users to use when out to a concert or movie or whatever, and the battery lasts all day. If you want to take an extra battery to be sure, you can but it's not necessary.
So my opinion is that this technology works the way they say it does. I think anyone who is into vaping, especially those looking for portability and discretion, will love the Vape Pen. It is not designed to replace a home vaporizer, although it could be if you wanted to limit your meds to those available as an extract (at this time the selection is limited).
For those of you on this forum who make and sell vaporizers, I don't think you need to worry about competition from this product. For one thing, the liquid at this point is only available in a few strains. So if a user likes to sample many new strains, they will still have to use a vaporizer or combustion. You can go to a Dispensary or Co-op here in L.A. and find dozens of fresh whole herbs to try, and most of us do like to try new strains, so for me, as an example, I will still always want to use my vaporizer at home, even if I have a Vape Pen and liquid herbs. But this fills a niche for those who want absolute discretion and portability - to take it to the office, a movie theater, concert, family reunion, etc.
In conclusion, I think that the Vape Pen is yet another "vaporizer" (atomizer, technically, so they say) that a vape aficionado will want to have in his arsenal, especially for mobile, portable use.
All I can say is that I am very excited about this product and hope to learn more and see more availability of herbs for it. It's a shame that mmj isn't legal all over the country so everyone who wants to, could get a chance to use this.
(I was asked to include this DISCLAIMER:
The Vape Pen is only available to medical marijuana users at this time and it is not recommended that people try to use home-made extracts in the Vape Pen. It has been carefully developed to work hand in hand with a specific proprietary formula of herbs or legal liquid marijuana as sold in some dispensaries in California, so I was told one should not attempt to use one's own home made extracts in the pen, and the use of do-it-yourself liquid in the Vape Pen will likely ruin it while voiding the warranty. There is no glycerin in the liquid herb. This prevents exposure to toxic by-products of glycerin decomposition, according to Vape-Pen's web site.)
If anyone has any questions or comments after looking over the web site, I will try to get the answers for you.
http://www.vape-pen.com/
Please note that, as to the technical aspects, I am only repeating what I have been told in response to my questions. I cannot personally vouch for the technical aspects of it, but I do trust the information to be true and accurate. If I discover any inaccuracies I will happily correct them.
Questions? Comments?
Vape Pen herb: This is equivalent to about 1/8z of herb. The little thing on the right is a dropper to get the drops from the vile into the vape pen.
) and here's my report.* Let me disclose right up front that I am considering working for the Vape Pen company but as of now I am not working for them and not sure that I will. However, you can take this report with that grain of salt. *
I do give you my word that everything I say about it here represents my true feelings and opinions and experience about the vape pen; I would not lie or exaggerate about it even if I were officially representing it.
Okay, enough of the disclaimers, now on to the report:
Last week I had a chance to see the Vape Pen, hold it and use it. One of the cooperatives near me is now selling the pen and herbs and I was able to sample the pen and herbs for myself, and ask questions.
When I first held the Vape Pen I was very impressed with the look of it. It really does look like a pen and unless someone looks closely they will assume it is a ball point pen. It's actually smaller than most of the pens I use. The only way it looks different than a pen is that one end has a pipe type tip instead of a ball point. But even that looks like it could be a retracted ball point tip.
When I got to try it, I said, "Where is the switch to turn it on?" "There isn't one. You just suck on it to activate it " came back the reply. Wow. Cool. High tech!
As I sucked on it a blue light on the tip lighted up so I knew it was working and I took a very light 5 second or so draw because I didn't know how strong it might be. I took what I would call a medium or even small hit and did not even feel the vapor going into my lungs, though I tasted it. It's not EXACTLY vapor like the vapor that comes out of your vaporizer, but it is more like vapor than anything else I can think of. It's a bit lighter than most vaporizer vapors and has a very light, subtle taste.
I felt the effects right away and said "Wow" as I relaxed back in my chair. I was impressed with the fact that I felt the effects on such a small puff, and also that I didn't even FEEL it on my lungs, yet it was strong enough to have the desired effect.
The "vapor" from this Vape Pen FELT less irritating to my lungs than vapor from a vaporizer. Not a lot less, no; but less. It is so smooth I can barely tell that I am getting a good hit until I feel the effects. And less hot in my throat. I am not making any claim that it is milder than vaporizing but I am reporting that it felt that way to me.
I cannot speak to the cost effectiveness from personal experience yet. But I can say that even if it was more costly than whole herb, frankly I would pay it just to have it available for when I want to medicate while away from home. If the liquid herb is, indeed, equivalent in price per use, as it is said to be, then all I can say is, that's fantastic! And from my limited experience at this point, I can say that it does not seem to be over-priced for what you get.
This is technology that will allow you to take your meds anytime, anywhere with practically ZERO chance of anyone knowing or wondering what you are up to. You can easily use this at a concert, movie theater or on the street because even if law enforcement saw it and asked you about it, they would not know it is herb and there is no way to see it. And of course you would be a medical marijuana user in any case, so no problem. But if you're like me, you like to keep it discreet anyway, so this enables you to be very discreet.
The drops are diffused inside the pen in a fibrous material so there is nothing to see and it doesn't smell like herb unless you open up the tip and put your nose right up to it. If someone takes it apart all they will see is a fibrous white material inside that is colored a bit brown from the extract. Only 4 drops of liquid herb fill the Vape Pen and that is plenty for a couple of users to use when out to a concert or movie or whatever, and the battery lasts all day. If you want to take an extra battery to be sure, you can but it's not necessary.
So my opinion is that this technology works the way they say it does. I think anyone who is into vaping, especially those looking for portability and discretion, will love the Vape Pen. It is not designed to replace a home vaporizer, although it could be if you wanted to limit your meds to those available as an extract (at this time the selection is limited).
For those of you on this forum who make and sell vaporizers, I don't think you need to worry about competition from this product. For one thing, the liquid at this point is only available in a few strains. So if a user likes to sample many new strains, they will still have to use a vaporizer or combustion. You can go to a Dispensary or Co-op here in L.A. and find dozens of fresh whole herbs to try, and most of us do like to try new strains, so for me, as an example, I will still always want to use my vaporizer at home, even if I have a Vape Pen and liquid herbs. But this fills a niche for those who want absolute discretion and portability - to take it to the office, a movie theater, concert, family reunion, etc.
In conclusion, I think that the Vape Pen is yet another "vaporizer" (atomizer, technically, so they say) that a vape aficionado will want to have in his arsenal, especially for mobile, portable use.
All I can say is that I am very excited about this product and hope to learn more and see more availability of herbs for it. It's a shame that mmj isn't legal all over the country so everyone who wants to, could get a chance to use this.
(I was asked to include this DISCLAIMER:
The Vape Pen is only available to medical marijuana users at this time and it is not recommended that people try to use home-made extracts in the Vape Pen. It has been carefully developed to work hand in hand with a specific proprietary formula of herbs or legal liquid marijuana as sold in some dispensaries in California, so I was told one should not attempt to use one's own home made extracts in the pen, and the use of do-it-yourself liquid in the Vape Pen will likely ruin it while voiding the warranty. There is no glycerin in the liquid herb. This prevents exposure to toxic by-products of glycerin decomposition, according to Vape-Pen's web site.)
If anyone has any questions or comments after looking over the web site, I will try to get the answers for you.
http://www.vape-pen.com/
Please note that, as to the technical aspects, I am only repeating what I have been told in response to my questions. I cannot personally vouch for the technical aspects of it, but I do trust the information to be true and accurate. If I discover any inaccuracies I will happily correct them.
Questions? Comments?
Vape Pen herb: This is equivalent to about 1/8z of herb. The little thing on the right is a dropper to get the drops from the vile into the vape pen.
. Look forward to hearing more about the pen.
