Trying to get back into vaping, help a brotha out

[4daLo]

What it do FC, been lurkin here for awhile. But you all know your stuff and its about damn time I took advantage of that haha.

I'm trying to get healthy this year, and one of those things will involve eliminating smoking. I'm an MMJ patient so I definitely NEED to get my medicine in my system somehow. Before this year I've used only two vapes, the Volcano and Da Buddha. The Volcano was AWESOME, but I live by myself and I don't have the money to acquire one at this time. Da Buddha was very nice, and I still get to use my friend's from time to time. However I find that after an initial session it doesn't necessarily get me as medicated as I'd like in the following sessions. This could just be my higher tolerance, medicating too much in one day, etc. But overall, I like it.

Now for christmas a good friend of mine got me the T-Vape, since that person knew I'd like to medicate away from my home. After some use I've determined my particular unit runs hot, and its way too harsh for me, even at the lowest setting (it almost combusts my medicine). So needless to say I'm very skeptical about portable units now.

I spend a lot of money on medicine each month already, so I'm trying to acquire a vape that will help my budget by being a solid investment that I can use for years to come. My funds cap off for this new device around $300. I don't have the connections or money to purchase and try new vaporizers like some people on here, so this purchase needs to be a surefire hit. After some extensive research I believe I can obtain the right tool for me for this price or lower.

In my initial research I've determined that I might prefer ceramic heating element style vapes (like the 7th floor products) since they seem the best maintenance-wise. More electronics to me means more potential problems, but I've only used 3 vapes before so I could be wrong. I currently don't have a preference between plug-in and portable units, I just want the one that will treat me well for years. I don't like using water pipes in conjunction with vapes (too cumbersome for my personal preference). I would prefer something that is easy to clean as well, so something like the pax might not be good for me.

Sorry for ranting but I'd thought I'd give out as much info as I could. Thanks again FC you guys are awesome and I appreciate all input I receive.

 

[vorrange]

If you want to use with water as well, i would choose between the LSV and the Nano.

Another one to consider as a nice complement or instead of, is the Lotus for a portable. although it is not discrete.

Makes for a great mobile vape in the house, quick tasty sessions. Good to bring to a friends house and camping as well.

 

[4daLo]

If you want to use with water as well, i would choose between the LSV and the Nano.

Another one to consider as a nice complement or instead of, is the Lotus for a portable. although it is not discrete.

Makes for a great mobile vape in the house, quick tasty sessions. Good to bring to a friends house and camping as well.

Appreciate the input. The LSV is one of the units that's high on my list right now. I see you had a MFLB, what did you like about it? what did you not?

 

[Caligula]

I second the EpicVape E-Nano as a plug in. Solo or Lotus for cordless.

 

[4daLo]

I second the EpicVape E-Nano as a plug in. Solo or Lotus for cordless.

What makes you prefer the e-nano? Should I consider it even though I won't use it with water pieces?

 

[zymos]

Have you considered Underdog? Dead simple to use, very efficient and highly effective. Unbelievable clouds!
I'm enjoying my newly acquired Solo as well....

 

[RUDE BOY]

You may want to check out the herbalAire thread. With direct draw, Whip and bags the HA gives you a bit of flexability. Its been around a while and has great reviews.

Falls well within your budget.

 

[4daLo]

Alright so I'm down to either an E-Nano or an LSV due to them being all glass vapor path, ceramic heating, and easy to clean. Hmm where to go from here

 

[RUDE BOY]

@4daLo If your not into using water pipes an SSV or Da Buddha would be better then the LSV, same company but most people use the LSV with water tools.
The E-Nano does look like a sweet vape.

 

[vorrange]

THe LSV allows for bigger hits and slight better flavour, otoh its much bigger.

The Nano allows for big or small hits, although not as big.

 

[Caligula]

What makes you prefer the e-nano? Should I consider it even though I won't use it with water pieces?

Because it does everything SO well. It is super conservative with herb (I went from smoking a gram a day through bongs to vaping a gram every 3 to 4 days). It has amazing flavor retention. It heats up super quick (unheard of for log vapes). Its powerful enough to milk up huge glass pieces if you want. It can do concentrates VERY well (I dont bother dabbing on a nail anymore). It works just as well dry as through water. Its super small and very pretty (hand done wood). Its made in the USA. Its under $200 BEFORE the 5% FC discount... what else is there NOT to love?

Edit: credit to @BLAZING OG for the awesome video.

 

[4daLo]

Haha great video Calig

Could you chime in on the differences between the E nano and the other vape on their site, the EV2? I know they're discontinuing the EV2, but at $130 its somewhat attractive. OR do I just shell out the cash for the E-nano?

I guess one LAST question after the one above, is the e-nano easy to clean?

Thanks to EVERYONE so far, you all are making my decisions so much EASIER

 

[Caligula]

I havent used the EV2 but from what ive read its just a larger version that uses a whip attachment. I much prefer the direct draw style ofntue Nano (ive used other log whip vapes like the VB units) but part of that if because I like to attach my vape to water tools like in that video. That being said you can buy an adapter for the EV2 to make it direct draw.

Oh also the EV2 doesnt have adjustable temps like the Nano does. Its got one set temp and a "turbo" feature that increases heat for doing concentrates and stuff. I happen to think the extra control of heat levels makes the nanos price worthwhile if you can afford it.

Remember not all herb vapes properly at the same temp. To get the most out of your meds adjustable heat is a must IMO.

 

[4daLo]

Awesome Caligula

So basically it comes down to cleaning I guess

 

[Caligula]

Awesome Caligula

So basically it comes down to cleaning I guess

Cleaning what? The only thing that gets dirty is the glass stem. Just put the stem into its supplied plastic carry tube, fill with iso alcohol, put the cap on the tube, shake, empty then rinse.

The actual vape unit never actually touches the herb and doesnt get dirty.

BTW:

 

[4daLo]

Thanks for that. So the heating element doesnt touch any of the herbs? Is there a screen or something preventing that? I know there's a screen preventing the herbs from going up the mouthpiece, I just didn't know if there was one preventing the herbs from falling into the unit itself.

 

[BLAZING OG]

Thanks for that. So the heating element doesnt touch any of the herbs? Is there a screen or something preventing that? I know there's a screen preventing the herbs from going up the mouthpiece, I just didn't know if there was one preventing the herbs from falling into the unit itself.

You can use hole nug and not have any issues, if grinded and turned upside down to use lets say the dry stem some material will fall but the heating element it self has a screen, to stop material from falling into element.

If you use it with a water piece then most likely it will use the gong which sits like a normal bowl and you end up using the enano upside-down.
Heres the nano with concentrates

dry hits

thru water

Thanks @Caligula !!!!
@Caligula has a bad ass slow motion video of the nano in action, one of my favorites!!!!
& @Enchantre also made an awesome video showing the 2 cap method that caligula already posted up above!!!! Love it!!!!
Enjoy!!

 

[weedemon]

The Volcano was AWESOME,
Da Buddha was very nice, it doesn't necessarily get me as medicated. This could just be my higher tolerance, overall, I like it.

what was it about the volcano you liked so much? the bag delivery system?

the DBV / SSV / LSV all have the same heater element so if you found the DBV didn't do it for you 100% then I wonder why the LSV would? Don't get me wrong, I actually love the LSV / SSV vapes! (never tried the dbv) but the truth of the matter is they are the same thing wrapped in a difference package. The LSV's main advantage is if your gonna use it with water tools, it's quite an elegant system. I'd get it again in retrospect.

now another thing I'd like to point out to you is the 2 main distinguishers of vapes are home vs portable (imo)

For someone wanting to come to the light side of the force may i suggest you get yourself a good home vape first. and if you love it, then go on and get yourself a portable down the line.

another thing is that home vapes are more powerful than portables. a few reasons are that they do not have the limitations of batteries, smaller chambers (usually), a smaller container to house it all etc... the power from your home is much more ready for the task! as is the fact they can make it as big as it needs to be without having to worry about someone lugging it around being a factor.

when you vape consistently, you are going to probably find your overall herb usage will go down. you get get "more out of less" with vapor. I found my daily usage dropped between 33-50% of the amount i would use when I was a herb smoker. so if that helps you justify laying down the initial cost of getting a nice vape. but it really is worth it. if you buy a cheap knock off then generally I think you will be left disappointed, and maybe give up. returning to smoking.

interesting fact, smoking is actually vaporizing too just with a whole lot more as well. the bit that touches the fire is destroyed, but the herbs behind/under/around them vaporize a bit before they light on fire too. (maybe you knew that already)

when I first tried to start vaping, it was 2001 or 2. i don't remember anymore. but ti was a 100 dollar BC vape (looked like a goldfish bowl on a soldering iron, or a bubblegum machine as i called it) it was garbage and it soured me from further pursuing vapor. in the end this turned out to be a massive mistake... but I later learned better.

answering other q's I ask you had:

MFLB. it's a great little vape. it was the one that got me excited enough to really jump into vapor with both feet and give up smoking. I had a volcano already, but for on the go I kept smoking. the mflb changed this. It was also really tasty. I was blown away actually. compared to my volcano this is.

E nano is similar (if not the same) to a log vape I believe. (It get a fair bit of love here on FC, but I have not tried it personally) but I can say this.
Log vapes are pretty damned awesome. They are very, very efficient on your herb usage. There are 2 types of logs. ones that extract quickly (these have a faster airflow) and ones that take many hoots to extract all the goodies. (lower airflow) you mention you have a higher tolerance. so if you get a log, get one that extracts quickly (this gives ya big clouds!). I think the e nano fits into that group. I can also say Underdog vapes are awesome and are fast extracting. the e nano will be cheaper though. (It was on Massdrop too recently, could be again if you can wait)

 

[Kief]

I havent used the EV2 but from what ive read its just a larger version that uses a whip attachment.

The EV-2 is much more like a 7th Floor vape, not like the other logs because it uses a 18mm GonG for the bowl. With the right attachment it can be used with a whip, direct draw glass stem, or inverted into a water pipe.

Oh also the EV2 doesnt have adjustable temps like the Nano does. Its got one set temp and a "turbo" feature that increases heat for doing concentrates and stuff. I happen to think the extra control of heat levels makes the nanos price worthwhile if you can afford it.

You can adjust the temperature on the EV-2 using the tool that comes with it, but it is harder to "fine tune" your exact temp than on the E-nano.

My recommendations to any beginner are for the Arizer Solo and the E-nano... depending on how portable you want to be.

 

[max]

So the heating element doesnt touch any of the herbs?

That doesn't happen with any electric model since the element has to be quite a bit hotter than actual vaping temps.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

That doesn't happen with any electric model since the element has to be quite a bit hotter than actual vaping temps.

interesting ... how much hotter do they run? for example, if you want the EVO to deliver 395°F to the ELB, how much hotter is the bamboo running?

Same questions for the Herbalizer and the Sublimator. i think you've used all of these?

 

[max]

interesting ... how much hotter do they run? for example, if you want the EVO to deliver 395°F to the ELB, how much hotter is the bamboo running?

Same questions for the Herbalizer and the Sublimator. i think you've used all of these?

I can't provide any stats, and I've only used the EVO, of the ones you mentioned. But I know that temp drops quickly with distance, and I can't think of any models where the bowl is right on top of the heating element. Also with convection, since you're introducing cold air into the vapor path, that would be another factor requiring a higher heater temp than you'd need at the bowl. I'd say those two design features- distance from heater to bowl, and convection vs. conduction, would be the biggest factors in heater temp. With a compact design like yours I'd imagine the temp difference would be considerably less than with some convection models where there's 3-4" between heater and bowl.

 

[luchiano]

interesting ... how much hotter do they run? for example, if you want the EVO to deliver 395°F to the ELB, how much hotter is the bamboo running?

Same questions for the Herbalizer and the Sublimator. i think you've used all of these?

Whats up Hippie Dickie?.

I don't know about those vaporizers but with the Aromed, I was told that 1 cm above the screen, closer to the bulb, the temperature would be 10 degrees Celsius hotter then the temp on the display when you start to inhale, since they calibrate the temperature at the screen based on airflow rate. The way they did the machine is so smart to me because since they calibrated the machine to keep the exact temperature at that distance and airflow, as long as you inhale at a specific rate, no matter how much herb you put into it, you will always have the exact temperature. The herb in a full chamber will just push the air out, and this will help keep the air flow rate consistent, so the temperature will still be exact as you inhale. The top part will just vaporize first but, as you keep inhaling, the temperature will eventually be the same throughout the whole chamber of herb. I think it's calibrated 3 liters of air for every 5 seconds or 15 seconds. I can't remember which one exactly.

I don't like a full chamber because I don't like too much condensation, and you need a longer inhale to have the substances boiled fast. A small filled chamber does it fast, considering you are at the temperature you need to extract what you want.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

But I know that temp drops quickly with distance, and I can't think of any models where the bowl is right on top of the heating element. Also with convection, since you're introducing cold air into the vapor path, that would be another factor requiring a higher heater temp than you'd need at the bowl. I'd say those two design features- distance from heater to bowl, and convection vs. conduction, would be the biggest factors in heater temp. With a compact design like yours I'd imagine the temp difference would be considerably less than with some convection models where there's 3-4" between heater and bowl.

even with my bud vial in the center of the heater coil, the temp in the interior of the vial is 50°F lower than the heater temperature. However, i have measured that within 5 seconds after starting the inhale, the temp in the vial matches the heater temperature.

so, i wonder if the temp really does drop that much in the EVO.

i show the hottest part of the heater coil on the external digital temperature display.

@luchiano - thanks for that info on the Aromed. programming in a fudge factor just seems wrong to me.

@4daLo - considering the cost of herb (at least where i am) the cost of the vape is insignificant - after the initial investment. i.e. if you get a reliable one. i personally prefer all glass vapor path (no metal screen), computer temperature control, and digital temperature readout. battery powered for easy mobility is nice - particularly when i go out on the balcony to vape and watch the river roll by.

 

[luchiano]

@Hippie Dickie
I hear you. I think they did that to make sure you get a consistent temperature regardless of how much herb is filled in the bowl and you can get consistent, fast, results each time you load the bowl with a certain amount. Remember it's marketed as a medical device so consistency is important in that case.

Anyway, anything new happening with you?.