Discontinued Thermovape Cera

[OF]

So are switches not supposed to feel any degree of heat? Or is a bit normal due to the power it is demanding?

I think a minor bit of heating is normal. In mine, which I consider to be running well, the total losses outside those in the battery are a little under a Watt last I checked. A small, but real, fraction of the total. Those losses show as heat where they happen. And of course some of the battery heat shows in the switch area too.

Expect modest heat to build over time. The big indication to look into is a change in this. If it suddenly starts running hotter (or even cooler) than before under the same conditions that points to changes going on in the switch (like the contacts are going out).

But just like with MFLB and others, the high currents can lead to other stuff getting warm in normal operation.

OF

 

[harmudge]

OF, I ain't going to get into a difference of opinions with you yet again...as it get's a bit boring, you being a mobile WikiPedia and all that...and any time I have got into a dis-agreement with yourself, well you can guess what generally happens shortly afterwards.

I agree that at least by my readings of the thread that a lot of the initial problems people are encountering are technique related, and I did mention that in my post that you quoted.

On the QC thing...If you look just above your post quoting my post you will see that Tim said the following - "There was a small batch of switches that were out of spec and couldnt handle the Amperage, when they fail they become a large resistor and start getting hot. There are still some out there in the wild with them, but we can easily send out a replacement if that seems to be the case."
Now I'm no QC god, but I'm sure you will know more on this subject than me...surely there must be a QC problem if those switches managed to go out to customers.

 

[hooperbell]

last time I asked not a single bad LL core had come back for service.

Yes but about 10 switches have had to be replaced due to them not working/overheating. Whether It's a core or a switch the device still has the same downtime (amount of time it takes for TET to ship new) as if a core failed.

I tend to think the problems owners new to TV products have that get resolved without hardware changes have to do with technique not design or construction of the tool. I don't recall a single T1 or Evolution owner reporting anything but how much better the new design is at some things?

As a general rule I don't think the customer can really be blamed for not being able to get any vapor with the LL. I mean look at Noah's video on youtube of the LL, he makes it look like he is dabbing he is getting such big hits, and with ease (it appears). Also I don't think that anybody is doubting the fact that the cera is much better than the T1 and evolution.... But it should be. This is a second generation product, but at this point it's looking more like a sidegrade than an upgrade.

I also disagree, no part of this is a QC issue, at least not in the conventional sense. Inspection and test is doing the job correctly, IMO.

People are reporting failed switches within the first day or two they have their cera, and overheating has been reported immediately. This IS a quality control issue because if it wasn't there would be no failed or overheating switches. These things should be tested extensively.

experiences of some few with as yet unresolved problems (most likely to be user issues in the end)

Maybe the problem doesn't lie in the consumer, but the product itself then..

 

[Tweek]

Not really sure why this is being debated to begin with? If there are issues with anyone's product, they should shoot TET an email and get it resolved...THEN report back to us. I want cold hard facts, not constant speculation and debate.

 

[hooperbell]

.I can use my pax or even Solo for 30 minutes straight and it does not get ANYWHERE near as hot as the Cera. It is also a quarter of the weight, half the size, and hits like a SSV(pax/solo) compared to a MFLB(cera ll). When you are designing a product practicality has to be taken into consideration, Yes a ceramic body is nice, and supposedly "as hard as diamond" but one user has already reported dropping it out of a car and having a huge crack down the middle of their cera, so it is as hard as a diamond yet it is more breakable than the previous T1 (the T1 couldn't shatter or crack). It is also larger and requires a silicon sleeve if you want it to not get that hot. I'm sorry but having a silicon sleeve over the device scares me... it scares me to know I'm pushing a battery so hard the device is too hot to hold without an additional sleeve over it. Now OF I bought the Cera directly as a result of your beta test. According to you you were hitting the Cera LL in your garden with for 'over 20 straight minutes' before it got hot. Which just turned out to be COMPLETELY false. In all honesty to me it seems like a lot of these problems, specifically the overheating, were not supposed to occur. But then again thats the problem when you produce a product based on calculations and how the device 'should' work, because usually what 'should' happen is not what ends up happening. In TET's case they went all in with this Cera LL before it was too late to realize the ceramic didn't insulate the heat as well as previously thought. Now the Oil cart is a completely different story, but maybe in retrospect they should have only released the oil cart and then slowly tested the best new LL system. All of these issues also bring the question as to "Why Noah left?" This was his BABY. Something had to SERIOUSLY go down for him to leave in the middle of a product launch of a company he codeveloped and founded. I'm beginning to think we are slowly finding out why he left...

 

[pakalolo]

Not really sure why this is being debated to begin with? If there are issues with anyone's product, they should shoot TET an email and get it resolved...THEN report back to us. I want cold hard facts, not constant speculation and debate.

Thanks. I was about to post almost exactly the same comment myself.

Now OF I bought the Cera directly as a result of your beta test. According to you you were hitting the Cera LL in your garden with for 'over 20 straight minutes' before it got hot. Which just turned out to be COMPLETELY false.

Are you accusing OF of lying about his experience?

 

[ShipDit]

Just because your Cera isn't working right doesn't mean you can shit on them all.
As with anything made by humans it won't be 100%,thats what the warranty is for. Even companies like Rolls-Royce and Rolex have failures
I guess the lesson here is that life's tough,wear a helmet.

 

[harmudge]

Hooperbell, I agree wholeheartedly with your two posts above...but sadly in this thread there is no end of TET guardian angels that will shell out hard earned cash and then bend wires or stuff tin-foil into their $300 vape so that it works the way it was originally intended to...and think nothing of it...their call I suppose if they want to do that.

Us doubters and perfectionists will never win in this thread as long as people want to bend wires or tin-foil into their expensive gadget...so just as a word of caution, the mod's here don't like the thread getting de-railed with complaints of product short-comings or answering back to certain posters who think their a vape god so I would be careful if I were you...

@ Pakalolo, I'm not saying that hooperbell was actually saying that OF lied about his findings but tbh I don't think I have read a single post from anyone saying that they have been able to use their Cera anywhere near as long as 20 mins...a poster earlier stated something like, that after 5 minutes of use the thing was that hot it burnt his hand.

mod note: Public discussions of staff decisions are not permitted. Infraction issued.

 

[hooperbell]

Thanks. I was about to post almost exactly the same comment myself.



Are you accusing OF of lying about his experience?

Not accusing OF of lying at all, but maybe withholding information (which could have been required in the beta test). Look the facts are the facts, there is no way OF could have vaped for 'over 20 minutes without the cera ll getting extremely hot. Just the way it is.

 

[pakalolo]

Not accusing OF of lying at all, but maybe withholding information (which could have been required in the beta test). Look the facts are the facts, there is no way OF could have vaped for 'over 20 minutes without the cera ll getting extremely hot. Just the way it is.

Please don't split hairs. Lying by omission is still lying, so apparently you are accusing him. Don't try to hide behind "could have been required in the beta test" either. By your previous posts about this I know that you're aware that OF was not required to withhold anything about his testing. The facts are that you have no idea what batteries he was using or what else he was testing at that time so his experience is certainly possible. I would go so far as to say that from OF's posting history here I find it extremely unlikely that is lying or withholding anything, but of course I don't know that for sure. You have no more to go on than I do. If you are skeptical of his reporting then you'd better find a more diplomatic way of expressing it.

 

[hooperbell]

Please don't split hairs. Lying by omission is still lying, so apparently you are accusing him. Don't try to hide behind "could have been required in the beta test" either. By your previous posts about this I know that you're aware that OF was not required to withhold anything about his testing. The facts are that you have no idea what batteries he was using or what else he was testing at that time so his experience is certainly possible. I would go so far as to say that from OF's posting history here I find it extremely unlikely that is lying or withholding anything, but of course I don't know that for sure. You have no more to go on than I do. If you are skeptical of his reporting then you'd better find a more diplomatic way of expressing it.

I think the most diplomatic way is to just ask OF.

OF: Did your beta unit not overheat due to some other factor such as diff batteries/setup?

 

[Skored]

Not accusing OF of lying at all, but maybe withholding information (which could have been required in the beta test). Look the facts are the facts, there is no way OF could have vaped for 'over 20 minutes without the cera ll getting extremely hot. Just the way it is.

There is no withholding of information. It was posted that TET decided to increase the power of the LL core before shipping their final product. OF said he didn't agree much with it, but that TET wanted this to be easier to use for new users. So it gets hot faster than the one OF was using in his testing.

On a different note, TET made good on replacing my switch and getting me a good working Cera. I'm new to vaporization, but this thing really didn't require a whole lot of technique. Just preheat, a few good draws to get vapor, and then go at it at will. The vapor tastes great and is very satisfying. I seem to be getting great clouds, but not sure how I compare to other's desired cloud production. In about 4-6 minutes (about 4 good inhalations), I'm done... I don't want anymore. And at that point, the Cera is really not that hot. So for me, it's perfect and exactly what I was looking for.

One question: I have this new strain that doesn't seem to get as brown as my old strain. But I've hit it enough times to know that it's probably milked... and then just too hard to get any more vapor. The result is a greenish brown, but very dry and brittle end product. Do all strains go completely brown when done? I'm new to vaping, and am struggling to know when it's done. I don't really taste 'burnt' popcorn'. But when I can't draw more vapor, I'm assuming it's done. Maybe I need to better my technique?

 

[momofthegoons]

Skored, I have found that some strains vape better than others. If you have gotten the herb to the point where it's not giving vapor, and is dry and brittle, it's probably spent.

 

[nopartofme]

I'd like to say that I've been getting exactly what I was hoping for out of the loose leaf Cera: a relaxed, stir-free medicating experience, with amazing flavor, a portable form factor, and the ability to be thoroughly cleaned. It has even surpassed my expectations in pleasantness of the vapor, due to the awesome ceramic mouthpiece.

On top of all that it has a very attractive looking design in my opinion, and the engineering evident in its construction actually inspires me rather than making me wonder about where shortcuts might have been taken, or what the lives are like of the poor, underpaid chinese workers who put it together, like most other things that most of us spend money on.

Its solid construction points toward a good, long life, and the company behind it offers low-cost replacements of the one component (the heating coil) that may fail after maybe a year, at the very worst estimate as I understand it. Add to that the fact that for $100 I can convert it to a state-of-the-art essential oil vaporizer or e-cig, on the fly.

No buyer's remorse here!

 

[OF]

I think the most diplomatic way is to just ask OF.

OF: Did your beta unit not overheat due to some other factor such as diff batteries/setup?

No need to work too hard on it, just ask.

You're conveniently misquoting me now aren't you? Yes, it got hot in 20 minutes, very hot. In fact I reported that by the end of that time I was clinging to the bottom as the rest was too hot to hold now didn't I?

Yes, I'm offended. You are accusing me of being underhanded, no doubt about it in my mind. Show me the proof of that or kindly take that BS elsewhere?

TIA

OF

Edit: OK, here's what I said, please note the last part?

"Anyway, over the course of 20 minutes (OK 19 minutes 51 seconds) I took say two hits a minute? I'm not exaggerating here, it never left my hand, it was easily two dozen hits. Because I was hitting it so lightly in terms of flow rates, flavor lasted a very long time. At 8 minutes in I noticed that while I could start to taste the nutty taste of some of the bud getting well done, I could also detect the original Trainwreck taste. Just a bit, but it made the hit seem more fresh than it would be otherwise. The last hits were potent. Not huge clouds of course, but substantial and easy to see in the noon time sun. No doubt about it, it was producing when I keyed it off. Not because it was done, but because I was. Off a tenth of a gram!! It was also getting impossible to hold onto. I was hanging on the last inch of the body and the metal end cap before I carefully pushed the button off and set it down." OF

 

[GReYAReA]

Help - charger issues. I cannot get these batteries (the first grey ones) to hold a charge with either the WF-188 or WF-139. I mean, practically zip. I can run the LL for 30 seconds. Any reason why?

Recommendations?

 

[ShipDit]

There is no withholding of information. It was posted that TET decided to increase the power of the LL core before shipping their final product. OF said he didn't agree much with it, but that TET wanted this to be easier to use for new users. So it gets hot faster than the one OF was using in his testing.

On a different note, TET made good on replacing my switch and getting me a good working Cera. I'm new to vaporization, but this thing really didn't require a whole lot of technique. Just preheat, a few good draws to get vapor, and then go at it at will. The vapor tastes great and is very satisfying. I seem to be getting great clouds, but not sure how I compare to other's desired cloud production. In about 4-6 minutes (about 4 good inhalations), I'm done... I don't want anymore. And at that point, the Cera is really not that hot. So for me, it's perfect and exactly what I was looking for.

One question: I have this new strain that doesn't seem to get as brown as my old strain. But I've hit it enough times to know that it's probably milked... and then just too hard to get any more vapor. The result is a greenish brown, but very dry and brittle end product. Do all strains go completely brown when done? I'm new to vaping, and am struggling to know when it's done. I don't really taste 'burnt' popcorn'. But when I can't draw more vapor, I'm assuming it's done. Maybe I need to better my technique?

Do yourself a favor and buy a jewelers loupe (magnifying glass). Less than 10$ on Amazon or your local Wally World.
This will allow you to visually see the THC crystals on your ABV. If you're going to be Vaping it's the best 10$ you can spend.
Oh yeah,welcome to the forums!

 

[OF]

Help - charger issues. I cannot get these batteries (the first grey ones) to hold a charge with either the WF-188 or WF-139. I mean, practically zip. I can run the LL for 30 seconds. Any reason why?

Recommendations?

This is spooky. You say 'batteries', you're having this trouble on more than one unit? How many cycles on each?

Even though the numbers are small I'd say the statistics of you getting both the only failures are mighty slim. Until all the asteroids are safely past I think I'll stand over here......

I assuming you're not running them dead flat each time? Not that's the issue, but I doubt few if any are.

TIA for more info.

OF

 

[Sonics420]

Woke up on fresh batts.. timed myself 4 minutes with fresh packed goods. Results still no vapor and the switch burned me again.. couldnt hold her for long.. i tried every inhale i can think of. From buchees first vid posted i know this shouldnt be hard.

Ive sent an email last night and tried callin a few times but sent to VM.. ill let you guys know every step of the way so if anyone else has these problems they can find out quickly.

 

[OF]

Woke up on fresh batts.. timed myself 4 minutes with fresh packed goods. Results still no vapor and the switch burned me again.. couldnt hold her for long.. i tried every inhale i can think of. From buchees first vid posted i know this shouldnt be hard.

Ive sent an email last night and tried callin a few times but sent to VM.. ill let you guys know every step of the way so if anyone else has these problems they can find out quickly.

How about we 'take it by the numbers'?

How long until the core reaches full temperature (step 1)?

FWIW, it's highly likely someone else has already had this same problem before I think.....what ever it turns out to be.

TIA

OF

 

[pakalolo]

the mod's here don't like the thread getting de-railed with complaints of product short-comings or answering back to certain posters who think their a vape god so I would be careful if I were you...

I can't believe you posted this after the trouble you've gotten yourself into in the past, not to mention the numerous PMs I've sent you explaining how moderation works here. The part I've underlined is blatantly untrue and as you should already know by now breaks this rule:

• Public discussions of staff decisions are not permitted on the site.

It also is an indirect insult to "certain posters" and trying to disguise it by not being specific won't help you here. Apparently you just can't learn your lesson. Infraction issued.

 

[GReYAReA]

This is spooky. You say 'batteries', you're having this trouble on more than one unit? How many cycles on each?

Even though the numbers are small I'd say the statistics of you getting both the only failures are mighty slim. Until all the asteroids are safely past I think I'll stand over here......

I assuming you're not running them dead flat each time? Not that's the issue, but I doubt few if any are.

TIA for more info.

OF

Only the Cera. I don't have anything else that would use them. I think they came with some charge, as I got one good session out of both the LL and the EO. Short though, but good. Since then not capable of charging in either charger. I can get red core on the LL for a minute at most. The EO MIGHT produce one hit of vapor.

 

[Skored]

Skored, I have found that some strains vape better than others. If you have gotten the herb to the point where it's not giving vapor, and is dry and brittle, it's probably spent.

Do yourself a favor and buy a jewelers loupe (magnifying glass). Less than 10$ on Amazon or your local Wally World.
This will allow you to visually see the THC crystals on your ABV. If you're going to be Vaping it's the best 10$ you can spend.
Oh yeah,welcome to the forums!

Thanks for the info guys. I'll get a jewelers loupe and see how it goes.

 

[OF]

Only the Cera. I don't have anything else that would use them. I think they came with some charge, as I got one good session out of both the LL and the EO. Short though, but good. Since then not capable of charging in either charger. I can get red core on the LL for a minute at most. The EO MIGHT produce one hit of vapor.

Thanks. At the risk of saying something stupid and obvious.....something's not right.

Let's go with the WF-188, I know that one, please verify the slide switch on the right is in the down (3.7) position.

TIA

OF

 

[Haywood]

Woke up on fresh batts.. timed myself 4 minutes with fresh packed goods. Results still no vapor and the switch burned me again.. couldnt hold her for long.. i tried every inhale i can think of. From buchees first vid posted i know this shouldnt be hard.

Ive sent an email last night and tried callin a few times but sent to VM.. ill let you guys know every step of the way so if anyone else has these problems they can find out quickly.

Sounds like something is wrong. If after four minutes, you had zero vapor, and the switch on the bottom was hot enough to burn you, it sure sounds to me like the switch or spring or something down there is high resistance. (But, of course, I'm just guessing). Maybe you have a defective bottom switch. Is the Cera ceramic body in the middle (halfway between the core and the bottom switch) hotter or cooler than the switch? Thanks for letting us know what TET suggests.