To the original question: I would second the recommendation of the
Divine Tribe donuts, the new v3.0 is awesome, and the old v2.5/2.7 is still a great performer that is probably better suited to novice users who don't want to mess around the insides or rebuild their atty (the v3), or for those that like micro-dosing small amounts. (v2.5)
Although I have not used some of the other ceramic attys mentioned here personally, I am familar with them and I have read over each of the threads in "e-cig based portables" and based on the pics, and lots of feedback from users, it seems most of the competition has some significant design drawbacks over the DT donuts, although they seem like most of them could still perform pretty decent.
Any decent
(non-porous, alumina) ceramic atty that can operate in temp control mode, has sufficient airflow that doesn't get clogged very easy, and doesn't leak out very easily, should be able to make very nice, pleasant, healthy vape for you.
That is some great advice....in 2013!
Cmon herbi!
Why would someone recommend an obsolete VW battery for a portable vape when temp control mods are so pervasive, and cheap and user-friendly these days? You can always revert to VW with a TC mod, if the user so wishes.
Most or all of the attys mentioned here so far can operate in TC modes, the benefits being a much quicker warm-up time (or a slow ramp up, with low watts if the user wants that) and being able to avoid combustion, which minimizes reclaim and crust buildup and preserves the flavor or your concentrates the best. Once set up, you can carelessly hold the button down, puff and enjoy, without thinking about it or doing some delicate button-cycling dance to avoid combusting your oil.
Even if you do like big, hot, slightly-combusty hits, you can dial in a higher temp for huger clouds that may sacrifice some flavor, but at least you won't be continually over-heating the coil as you keep the button held down: it just holds whatever temperature you desire
If you actually source a VW box mod or pen vape in 2017, you're buying a design that is at least 2-3 years old, or is made by a well-behind-the-curve vape mod manufacturer, and you're paying the same amount (or more) for a product that is likely larger, heavier, with less battery capacity (mah) and features for its size than the latest crop of tiny TC mods like the evic basic. ($30!)
VW...sigh....
Hey...I am not the herbi whose opinion you are soliciting, but I did read over that and I have some thoughts on the issue too:
Thanks for posting that, first off, it's good to be challenged and to raise issues of common concern.
I think your skepticism of the types of ceramic donuts being discussed here is misplaced, based on the hazards you shared with us regarding silica-based RBA heaters.
The reason: all these ceramic donuts aren't made of
silica. They are made of
alumina (aluminum oxide) to the best of my knowledge. Various brands of donuts may have different coil wires soldered to them, some are Ti, others kanthal
(yuck) the DT wires are made of nichrome. The soldering material for the wire can vary as well.
These kinds of ceramic donuts we're discussing are all non-porous, and are quite durable to abrasive scraping. They do not emit dust or particles.
With regular use vaping melt oils, a layer of thick "reclaim" oil can accumulate on the donuts. My lazy trick to get it clean, short of a full-on cleaning, is to set the temp to 200F (the minimum) and hold the button down while i scrape it off with a flat-edged dab tool. The gentle heat loosens the reclaim, doesn't even make it sizzle, while the tool easily glides across, wiping it off and leaving an
almost perfectly white and clean and flat donut underneath.
I've done this on some donuts hundreds of times, and no visible chunks, dust, or fibers break off from the donut. Even after burning them clean by setting them to VW mode (that mode does have
some use) and heating them to glow mildly, the integrity of the donuts is uncompromised, even if you set the watts/temps too high and use it a lot. The electrical contact blows between the wire and the solder on the donut, rendering it inoperable, well before any significant particulates can be emitted from the donuts.
The guy who designs these donuts and vapes, Matt
@divinetribe, has even sent one of his latest units to a lab for an off-gassing test, and he has shared these raw lab results with me . Although it is quite detailed and I can't interpret it with much confidence, he has assured me the results were excellent, with the help of his doctor & the lab techs explaining it. IDK why, but I'm sure these results will be published soon, once they can be broken down for the layman.
But I'd encourage you to contact Matt if you have concerns about the safety of vaping with ceramics. He's quite accessible and un-pretentious, and I'm pretty sure you'll come away from a discussion with him with your concerns completley or mostly allayed.
Anyways, sorry for the long counter-rant, but I think you've got silica mixed with alumina in this case. I'd like to see the original source of that quote from another forum too, to see what other people have responded to regarding that post.
Thanks
Spending more on the whole kit is actually probably not as good of an idea. Most people around here who love that cart do not use the puffco battery, instead opting for other VW batteries.
Regardless of the phrasing I used, I simply suggested using a contemporary mod in the mode that I know for certain is compatible with all such carts/atomizers/whatever you want to call them