Funny story. After not being active here for several years, I came back to the forum to sell my beautiful 2012 UD (picked up by
@nacho257). It hadn't been getting any use at all and I had been using my Solo everyday instead.
But visiting FC immediately brought back my VAS... To think I had been cured before! Nope, all it took was some idle browsing for the cravings to return. Once I found out that Underdogs now had the option of using nylon stems, similar to the ones I loved from my PD days, I just had to jump in again.
I purchased a birch air core UD and just received it yesterday. First of all, I have to say that Underdog scores top marks in the customer service department. Really can't say enough about how pleasant the entire experience was. The website is clear and easy to navigate, all of my questions were answered in the videos and comprehensive FAQ, and Dave quickly replied to any inquiries I had both before and after the purchase. Not to mention what a great job they did actually packaging and shipping the UD. A lot of attention to detail and nice little touches, like the careful way each stem was wrapped and labeled.
The UD itself is beautiful - and much smaller than I was expecting! Initially, I had some trouble because I was combusting each time I packed a nylon SS stem. I messaged Dave about this and he responded within minutes with very helpful advice. I thought I was going to need a VVPS, but Dave suggested a dimmer so I ordered that instead because a) it is a lot cheaper and b) I'd like to keep the setup as simple as possible.
The good news is that last night, I tried just adding on the extension cord that comes with the standard kit, and that did the trick! I've used the UD multiple times since then and each time, I'm getting big, satisfying hits with NO combustion at all.
I'm blown away by the efficiency of this thing. I'm using less than HALF the amount I would use in my Arizer, I'm talking just enough to cover the screen of a nylon stem, a sprinkle... and I'm getting massive clouds and very high-quality vapor. I'm also really enjoying the experience of having such a powerful on-demand vape, without needing to wait for anything to heat up and slowly work through a session.
OK, this post is way longer than I was intending it to be when I started, so let me wrap up with a question...
I love the nylon stems I have, but today I read about a crimped version of the same stems. Do these crimped SS stems prevent the screen from moving down past a certain point? If so, are there still any in stock I could purchase?
I accidentally pushed the screen down far into the nylon stems because I used a stirring tool to scrape off the stems after the combustion incidents. I was used to the PD stems where the screen is locked into place and didn't realized these screens moved so easily. One I managed to push back into proper position, but the other I kind of screwed up and ruined the shape of the screen, so I need to order replacements today and potentially a couple of crimped stems.
So these crimped stems, do they lock the screen into place similar to the old PD ones? And do I buy the same formed screens for them?