Well, my wdz arrived today.
It's smaller than i expected, which is exactly how i expected it would be.. so really I wasn't surprised at all in the end was I? I can say right off the bat that it's very nice and performs well with small loads. I vaped 1 stem and i'm to exactly the point where i need to be, off of what would have been 1/10th of joint. As i anticipated, a fully loaded stem is even less than the minimum amount i normally had to load in the VB mini wand with my SSV (we'll say about 1/2-2/3 the size) and far less than what i prefer to use in my HA.
The hits are also exactly what i was look for as well. I like big lung-crushing clouds and over-indulgence just as much as the next human being, but I've always sought after cost-effective use of my herbs. You can feel and taste the hits and there is visible exhale on the first few that are slightly visible in normal lighting conditions, but they really light up if you blow them over the top of a lamp or flashlight (something i regularly do with any vape), which is exactly how i think it should be for best efficiency. I'm with the group of minds that think thick, visible exhale is just wasted THC. So really i ended up getting around 6 hits i'd say, and there is still some left to squeeze out with the HA later on (after i amass like 25-50 spent stem's worth of abv lol).
But it's not all just unicorns flying around, shitting sunshine and rainbows.
There are some flaws with the unit, both in design and minor, fixable cosmetics. When i say flaws in design, it really applies to the other log style vapes as well. Well, actually, its really just "flaw" - and i'm referring to there not being a screen inside the top of the unit to begin with. I had some herb that was a pretty fine grind (for use in my VG) that i loaded up and, especially after the first hit or two, i noticed that when i removed the stem there was as much herb sitting on top of the screen (that i took the precaution of insert in the top as i waited for the unit to heat up) as there was still remaining in the stem. Im going to assume that, even though the instructions say to finely grind, that there is such a thing as too fine. I think if the chunks would have been a bit bigger, like from a 3-4 piece grinder instead of a 2, that they would have held themselves in there a littler better. But still, there would have been some that still fell out. Especially if you removed the stem between hits, and/or dump it out to stir (more like shuffle i guess) the herb around to examine it. The main thing i guess is that there's no good reason NOT to have a screen in there.
The minor cosmetic defects i referred to are just that, just a few rough spots in the wood around the top and back by the power jack. nothing some fine grit sandpaper can't fix. Also, the top isn't quite perfectly level, it slopes slighting one direction. nothing some coarser sand paper can't fix. I think i'll just post a pic or 2 after i venture out into the frigid winter hell to grab some sandpaper and get these couple things touched up. I personally don't mind having to put a little bit of finishing touches on something like this, so it doesnt really detract much from my satisfaction of the vape, but i guess it could be a big deal to some people. I'm used to having to lap a heatsink or CPU heatspreader before installation when i order those, this isnt much different.
Also, the aroma cup works great. I have some eucalyptus going right now, and its not too overpowering but detectable for sure.
Overall I'm really happy with it, and feel my $125 was well spent. Just looking at the tiny pile of herb i dumped out of the stem and glancing at the clock and seeing how much time has passed (an hour+) since that first stem tells me that the wdz is going to accomplish exactly what i was wanting it to. It's going to help me really evenly spread my herb out over a longer period. The only things i could think of that other people might consider a negative are the facts that you just dont get massively huge rips like you can off of some vapes (but thats kinda the purpose of so many aspects of log vapes design, if you get one of these vapes for that purpose you're going to be trying to shove a round peg through a square hole) and that it doesn't extract the full range of actives from the herb by any means. I don't know the actual operating temps, but i would compare it to stopping around 360-370F on my HA, which is just about exactly where i would stop during daytime vapes anyway. Also, not a problem for me because i plan on revaping in HA, and wouldnt be a problem for someone who makes edibles or QWISO.
Definitely a great vape overall