KumarNoFumar
Well-Known Member
This is my review of 4 low-ish priced vaporizers. I figured I had 'em, so why not?
From left to right: Easy vape w/wand, Vapor Genie, Myrtlezap w/stem, Supreme Vaporizer with whip/bong adapter & torch.
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DISCLAIMER: This review is not intended to be a buyer's guide. It is just my opinion of these vapes. That's why I only declared a "favorite" and not a "best".
Declaring my favorite was based on what I care about most: massive hits from small quantities, with minimum waste, even if the herbs are not great. Last night, three testers (herb gluttons, mind you, not reasonable people) agreed the Supreme Vaporizer does this much better than the others, and all 3 considered the Supreme their favorite. But the readers should be aware that *I* was the ringleader, and I like to swing for the fences every time I get a vaporizer in front of me. There's no way this review could be objective.
Frankly, most people will find the MyrtleZap hits hard enough, and fits into your existing lifestyle much better than the others. Super-convenient and economical vaping makes the MyrtleZap an easy recommendation for any frequent vaporist. If you can only have one vaporizer of this bunch, I think most people would be happiest choosing the MyrtleZap.
Of course the Vapor Genie is by far the most pocketable and least expensive, and the EasyVape vapes the biggest bowls and can service a group of people much better than the others. They all play their roles well.
I consider all of these vaporizers to be worth their cost, and to provide good vapor under different conditions. Everything here is an opinion, and you would be well advised to seek multiple sources of information before committing to buy a new vaporizer. I hear the Silver Surfer is really nice, actually, but I wouldn't know because these are the only 4 I've really tested.
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Also, I apologize for being such a BBCode noob. I couldn't figure out text size, so I've been adding some color and stuff to make it more readable.
First things first. Hi everybody. I've been reading your forums, and I thought I'd give some consumer information back to you guys, since I enjoy the site, and get a lot out of it.
Easy Vape VS Vapor Genie VS MyrtleZap VS Supreme Vaporizer <---- order of acquisition
For purposes of this review, we are mostly using some fairly poor grade herb, obviously if your herb looked like a miniature Christmas tree that's been rolled in sugar (
before you ground it...), then you will get better results in any model here today. Every word in this post is an early opinon of the vaporizers being compared. I may change my mind after I use them a while.
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First Inspection, done at separate times, listed from best to worst first impression:
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1.) VaporGenie, "Handcarved" model, walnut $65 direct - Holy fuckin cute shit, this thing is great. Not perfect - wood color isn't as even as I want, but it sure looks like real walnut to my untrained eye. Not bad, guys, my first impression after a 5 second cursory inspection was "I want more of these". The packaging wasn't great, just a shipping envelope and maybe some stuffing. I tossed it ASAP. The mouthpiece seems to have a small hole, and can be rotated or pulled out, but the bowl looks really good, with the top acting as a lid to contain your herb in your pocket. And that ceramic disc looks pretty damn fancy, not some regular piece of shit rock fished out of a gas grill. The lack of accessories or any "bonus" is a shame considering how impressive just the device itself is on first look. It doesn't look like the biggest hits will be possible, and that the mouthpiece is the bottleneck.
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but that is easily the most handsome of the lot. The walnut reminds me of an old gunstock.
2.) MyrtleZap, $145 direct- Pretty cool. Roughly soda can size and shape, only not so perfect a cylinder. This is great in the hand. Great weight, feels solid, cool smooth surface, soft blue LED isn't annoying like it could be. The only problem is that it is tethered to power supply, so it can't be as great as a truly standalone device in the hand. But other than that, it is a nice thing to have in your hand, and nice to look at. The color and pattern on mine aren't too flashy, but who knows how age and flaxseed oil will affect that. The butterfly thing is a nice touch, but somewhat weaksauce. I know the person who made it didn't really love it as an individual butterfly
. The scented oil makes me think of soap, and I don't really love it yet. The little flaxseed capsules are cool. I so fuckin want to pop one of them, like 10x more than a liqui-gel capsule type of cold medicine. Air flow is the lowest of all vapes, but it has very simple operation, good for noobs.
Top of the MZ. The center screened hole is where you stick the stem, the smaller surrounding holes are the fresh air intake. The dent at the 8 o'clock position is from me throwing it across the room, and is almost invisible in person.
3.) Supreme Vaporizer, $100-170 eBay - funky blocky-looking and not exactly obvious in its operation. It's actually kinda WTF-looking, if you ask me. There is even a warning in the owner's manual not to allow the SV within sight of Steve Jobs, as he's likely to start throwing things. Well, perhaps there will be at some point in the future. It is smaller than I thought it would be. It moves about as much air as Vapor Genie, empty, but its bowl has a smaller cross section, which could mean more even heating. Kinda cute in person with a neat thermometer equipped with a blue backlight. The attachments will make it much more flexible, but they are optional to use - weird. I do not care for how firmly the plug sticks in it. It looks like it might be dangerous to use, but feels quite sturdy. Torch is remarkably nice and big and serious feeling for a pack-in item. IMO, the wood isn't as pretty as VG & MZ, but it is just fine.
The SV's screen (shown partially inserted for the photo) is very fine, so you can grind your herb (or regrind your ABV) to powder, if you like.
4.) Easy Vape, black $80 local (sticker was 99.99, and the guy was cool), even less online - A little bling for my taste. It looks better than I could build, but it looks like someone took a plain box-style vape and added some LED jewelry. Still though, $80 to go home with a vape right now, I can make some aesthetic compromises. And it seems like it will do what is asked of it. A blah, but certainly not negative first impression. This thing can move a lot of air over a lot of herbs, the most of any vape here. Herb will be slightly upside down if connected to the box in the upright position, just like it looks in the pictures. There's no way the LED readout is actual temperature.
Not much to look at, but certainly nicer than most of the bongs I've had.
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After a little testing at home with friends and family, listed current favorite to least favorite:
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1.) Supreme Vaporizer - Unquestionably our favorite*. It seems to be super efficient, and its excellent performance doesn't depend on your techniques very much, thanks to the narrow-yet-ample tube-shaped bowl & fancy air heating block. The thermometer is wonderful and the heat box part is kinda high-tech looking. Direct draw is fine for me, but is a bit weird because it is a big wooden hole you inhale through. To get the herb in the best position, it needs to remain upright, so I just put it over my head and inhale with the hole in the bottom position. It might be easier to use the whip and keep the SV in an upright position and your head in a normal position. The torch method of heating isn't nearly as bad as some people said. The included torch locks in the on position, and lines up perfectly with the heat block when both pieces are put on a flat surface - super easy. Obviously it isn't as tidy a system as the MyrtleZap, but it is quicker, much smaller, and requires no electricity, unless you heat it up with an electric stove
This system gives big hits, from small piles of herbs, and step-by-step perfect results, and extracts that herb VERY thoroughly. It just blew everyone away how well it does the job of actually vaporizing the damn herbs. It does it perfectly over and over, without even almost burning, but definitely extracting the oils as completely as possible. Bottom Line: TOTALLY WORTH THE SMALL HASSLE OF OPERATION. There's plenty of room for improvement in the overall design, but the working parts of this device perform close to perfection in my book.
*Note: I actually got to use better herbs in this device than the others, but I'm convinced the performance of the SV is still superior to the others. Next week, I'll know for sure.
The thermometer is critical to correct operation, but the "indiglo" backlight is just a sweet bonus. Left button is on/off, right button is backlight. Sry, no celsius here.
The SV's bowl has an ID of 3/8", giving it more than twice the area of the MZ, without noticably sacrificing efficiency or evenness of heating. At almost 1.5" deep (MZ is just under 3/8" deep), it has many times the volume of the MZ's bowl.
2.) Vapor Genie - The price & lack of a power cord keeps it in front of the MyrtleZap. You can keep it loaded, ready-to-vape in your front pocket. One might even be tempted to say you keep it "locked & loaded", but then they would need to be slapped in the face. The performance of the VG is very technique-dependent, though if you're good, you can vape quickly, thoroughly, and evenly with a regular lighter. You can pull big clouds of vapor, even from crappy herb. It's easy to burn your herbs, because you rely on the feel of the inhaled air to determine how much more or less heat to apply. Burning herbs can leave it a bit stinky, but it isn't "ruined" as some say, and it isn't as bad as a real smoke pipe. VG doesn't like being wet at all, trust me. I think cleaning with a bamboo skewer works OK. Even though the bowl has a fairly large cross section, the filter and good technique can heat it quite evenly, though perhaps still only the third best of the bunch at evenness and thoroughness
My VG's screen, darkened from accidental combustions. It's about 1/2" across, which I think is a bit bigger than ideal for thorough and even heating. But it's very good if you've got the technique.
3.) MyrtleZap - The fact that it's easy to understand really does help noobs. The low air flow rate and low temperature annoy me, and is unsatisfying with crappy herbs. Now I know it works well because even some ground up crappy stems gave up some tasty vapor, but you can use the MyrtleZapped herb, and get additional vapor clouds with any of the other vaporizers. It is a cool product, fun to have and hold and look at. I'm hoping I get better results from a 15v adapter (oh hell yes I am
) and a tall can koozie 
I've got coming in. I actually tried a 15v adapter I had, with some success, but we accidentally shorted it out because my lazy ass left the leads uninsulated. Can't hold that against the MyrtleZap. Id love to compare this to a Purple Days, side-by-side.
The MZ stem's tiny 1/4" ID is further bottlenecked by a screen & a circlip. Stick to the good herbs and you'll be fine. While it vapes the bowl very evenly, I still wish the MZ could move more (and hotter) air. In fact, if it could hit nearly as hard as the SV, the MZ would be my favorite.
4.) Easy Vape - Still in last place, IMO, but definitely a decent vape. I like the way it vapes around "310" on the LED, which is right around the best temperature we liked for the Supreme, so maybe that is accurate, but only after it has been sitting ON for a while. Small quantities are not the best for this vape, and burning or under-heating is easy with this. Technique is important, because the cross section of the bowl is so big, that it isn't heated evenly and thoroughly like the others. There is a definite "hot spot" in the bowl, which means one part would be vaped dry while there's still green herb in the surrounding area. This vape works, and is great for extracting the last bits from a big pile of well-vaped and re-ground herbs, as long as you don't get a throat full of dust. I guess everyone knows that box vapes are sometimes easier to deal with if rested on their side or something, and this is no exception. If there isn't enough herb, or it's too loosely packed, sideways or even upside down operation may be needed to keep the herbs in place. In a group setting where maximum efficiency isn't as important as quantity and learning curve, this might be the best of the bunch.
The EV's massive 7/8" diameter bowl is great for big bowls, not so much for conserving (or uniform air flow). If this were a recently vaped bowl, you could see the 1/4" hotspot as an off-center dark circle in the herbs. Just rotate the wand for the next hit, or stir it up.
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Random extra:
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Vapor Genie VS Vapor Buddy
The idea that Vapor Genie guys get pissed at Vapor Buddy for "copying their design" is kinda funny. Well, I guess the idea of keeping the herb and flame separated by a filter disc would qualify as a design
, but otherwise it's just a sporty wood and steel pipe. This is just silly. Vapor Genie's design just isn't that special, but it does work well & look good. Frankly their position should be "Who cares how well VaporBuddy works, just look at that pile of shit." Vapor Genie is a classy product and works about as well as the concept can be expected to. I guess Vapor Buddy would be more resistant to water, which walnut Vapor Genie does not like one bit. I've also seen the Chinese knockoff of the Vapor Buddy, and lead paint aside, it is a paperweight. Their "filter" wasn't porous like the Genie's, so it couldn't possibly function 
.
From left to right: SV whip/bong adapter, SV torch, SV, VG, MZ stem, MZ w/butterfly, EV wand, EV (powered on)
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Labor Day Update w/photo by Kumar himself
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There are certain expectations I had of these vaporizers. Here's how well I figure (feel? guess? this is just an opinion that is subject to change as I learn) each of the vaporizers performs in each of the ways that matter most to me. On a scale of 1(sucks ass) to 10(rules)
1.) Extract as much of the vapor as possible from the herb
SV 9.5 | VG 7.5 | MZ 6 | EV 8
The difference between SV and all the others is noticeable, and it is fast and east to get it every time. MyrtleZapped herb can be revaped in the other vaporizers with good results if you pack a decent bowl.
2.) Extract it as uniformly as possible
SV 8.5 | VG 6.5 | MZ 9.5 | EV 5
The supreme Vaporizer really seems to be great, but because you have to dump the bowl to see it, I knocked off a bit. Vapor Genie takes some practice to heat evenly. MyrtleZap's bowl is narrow to a fault, but on the upside you do get very uniform heating of your entire load of herb. You can vape nicely with the Easy Vape, but toward the end, some herb will be over done and some other herb will be not quite depleted.
3.) Work well with small quantities
SV 9 | VG 7.5 | MZ 10 |EV 4
This is something related to bowl size, and at odds with high airflow & even vaping. The Vapor Genie surprised me how well its fairly large bowl handled small amounts, but it didn't really shine unless it had enough to cover the screen well, and would have been better if it was a bit narrower. The MyrtleZap can easily handle bowls too small to be of any use. The Supreme Vaporizer can handle bowls down to about what a real serious user can handle on a single inhale. EasyVape likes to be used upside down with small quantities.
4.) Quickly fill your lungs with dense clouds, ie hits hard
SV 9.5 | VG 7.5 | MZ 4 | EV 8
The SV could pull easier, but it fills lungs quite nicely, as much as you can handle, even from impressively small portions. The MyrtleZap really wants very good herbs or else some dedicated vaoprists wouldn't get satisfying puffs. EasyVape will do it if you've got the herbs to pack. Vapor Genie pulls at a good rate rate for general use, and excellent consdering how portable it is.
5.) Minimize burning herb or any other harshness for any reason
SV 9.5 | VG 4 | MZ 10 | EV 6
The MZ only wins here because it couldn't burn without modification, but it is probably possible to accidentally burn herb with the Supreme, though we haven't yet. VG is like very fine balance between vapor & smoke, though I think I may give it a better score after trying the torch with the VG. It seemed a lot less fussy than the Bic.
6.) Easy to use, figure out, provide power for, etc - minimum hassle
SV 6 | VG 7 | MZ 8.5 | EV 6
MyrtleZap's the easiest but power cords suck. The Supreme takes a bit of fuss to set it up, then vaping is nice and simple once you get going, but reloads are not convenient because of the external heat block. Vapor Genie works on a pretty straightforward idea, but some people don't take to it. Easyvape is cumbersome with cords and hoses, and the upside down bowl is something you have to keep an eye on, but with help noobs don't have trouble.
The koozie and playing card might help the MyrtleZap hit harder. At least I'm trying. The paper funnel is helps a little bit at speeding up the clumsy reloading process of the Supreme Vaporizer. Does this remind you of Aqua Teen Hunger Force? Picture it with the MyrtleZap's stem in.
7.) Consistently perform , not requiring much "skill" from of the user
SV 9.5 | VG 4 | MZ 10 | EV 6
MyrtleZap has basically no variables for the noob to screw up. Vapor Genie is a challenge for many, and is actually a little difficult for me to master. Supreme is super easy and comfortable, but dangerous if you aren't cautious. The EasyVape is difficult to master because of the large bowl + hotspot.
8.) in a comfortable package, that's pleasant to hold and operate
SV 6.5 | VG 7.5 | MZ 8.5 | EV 6.5
The MZ feels the best in the hand and has smooth stems, but perfection is spoiled by a power cord. The SV normally takes 2 hands, and caution around the heat block, though it is quite nice to use if you don't try to put your brain on autopilot. The EV is fine normally, even for noobs, but the need to fuss with it to get evenly vaped herb or use small amounts of herb is annoying.
9.) that can take abuse & have a long life
SV 8 | VG 6.5 | MZ 9 | EV 8
The SV's thermometer doesn't look built-to-last, and the screen things don't seem like they love being jammed in the hole. Vapor Genie gets all slimy and crappy feeling quickly after getting wet, and likes to get packed in soot by noobs who don't like instructions. MyrtleZap is tough, but my old AromaZap burned out so lose one star for that. If you rinse your wand, make sure you dry it off before connecting it to a hot EasyVape. The one tested here cracked because of thermal shock from an absent minded moment, but it remains usable, practically unaffected.
Overall Score, value for money, not an average
SV 8.5 | VG 7 | MZ 5.5 | EV 7
Overall Score, disregarding price, not an average either
SV 8 | VG 7 | MZ 7 | EV 6
The Supreme Vaporizer performs best at what matters most to me and the fellow enthusiasts that participated in this test: Big hits from small piles & minimum burned and/or unvaped herbs. The Supreme Vaporizer's unusual heating system can be a little inconvenient to use and potentially dangerous, but it is also totally effective, and unless severely abused, I don't see how you could wear it out or break it. Heat it on a stove burner or with a butane torch, being careful not to burn the wood indirectly either way. My Bic leaves soot, but it is true that a butane torch will easily remove soot completely.
And it came with nice accessories, too.
I think that about covers it
From left to right: Easy vape w/wand, Vapor Genie, Myrtlezap w/stem, Supreme Vaporizer with whip/bong adapter & torch.
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DISCLAIMER: This review is not intended to be a buyer's guide. It is just my opinion of these vapes. That's why I only declared a "favorite" and not a "best".
Declaring my favorite was based on what I care about most: massive hits from small quantities, with minimum waste, even if the herbs are not great. Last night, three testers (herb gluttons, mind you, not reasonable people) agreed the Supreme Vaporizer does this much better than the others, and all 3 considered the Supreme their favorite. But the readers should be aware that *I* was the ringleader, and I like to swing for the fences every time I get a vaporizer in front of me. There's no way this review could be objective.
Frankly, most people will find the MyrtleZap hits hard enough, and fits into your existing lifestyle much better than the others. Super-convenient and economical vaping makes the MyrtleZap an easy recommendation for any frequent vaporist. If you can only have one vaporizer of this bunch, I think most people would be happiest choosing the MyrtleZap.
Of course the Vapor Genie is by far the most pocketable and least expensive, and the EasyVape vapes the biggest bowls and can service a group of people much better than the others. They all play their roles well.
I consider all of these vaporizers to be worth their cost, and to provide good vapor under different conditions. Everything here is an opinion, and you would be well advised to seek multiple sources of information before committing to buy a new vaporizer. I hear the Silver Surfer is really nice, actually, but I wouldn't know because these are the only 4 I've really tested.
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Also, I apologize for being such a BBCode noob. I couldn't figure out text size, so I've been adding some color and stuff to make it more readable.
First things first. Hi everybody. I've been reading your forums, and I thought I'd give some consumer information back to you guys, since I enjoy the site, and get a lot out of it.
Easy Vape VS Vapor Genie VS MyrtleZap VS Supreme Vaporizer <---- order of acquisition
For purposes of this review, we are mostly using some fairly poor grade herb, obviously if your herb looked like a miniature Christmas tree that's been rolled in sugar (
before you ground it...), then you will get better results in any model here today. Every word in this post is an early opinon of the vaporizers being compared. I may change my mind after I use them a while.=============================================================
First Inspection, done at separate times, listed from best to worst first impression:
=============================================================
1.) VaporGenie, "Handcarved" model, walnut $65 direct - Holy fuckin cute shit, this thing is great. Not perfect - wood color isn't as even as I want, but it sure looks like real walnut to my untrained eye. Not bad, guys, my first impression after a 5 second cursory inspection was "I want more of these". The packaging wasn't great, just a shipping envelope and maybe some stuffing. I tossed it ASAP. The mouthpiece seems to have a small hole, and can be rotated or pulled out, but the bowl looks really good, with the top acting as a lid to contain your herb in your pocket. And that ceramic disc looks pretty damn fancy, not some regular piece of shit rock fished out of a gas grill. The lack of accessories or any "bonus" is a shame considering how impressive just the device itself is on first look. It doesn't look like the biggest hits will be possible, and that the mouthpiece is the bottleneck.
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but that is easily the most handsome of the lot. The walnut reminds me of an old gunstock.
2.) MyrtleZap, $145 direct- Pretty cool. Roughly soda can size and shape, only not so perfect a cylinder. This is great in the hand. Great weight, feels solid, cool smooth surface, soft blue LED isn't annoying like it could be. The only problem is that it is tethered to power supply, so it can't be as great as a truly standalone device in the hand. But other than that, it is a nice thing to have in your hand, and nice to look at. The color and pattern on mine aren't too flashy, but who knows how age and flaxseed oil will affect that. The butterfly thing is a nice touch, but somewhat weaksauce. I know the person who made it didn't really love it as an individual butterfly
. The scented oil makes me think of soap, and I don't really love it yet. The little flaxseed capsules are cool. I so fuckin want to pop one of them, like 10x more than a liqui-gel capsule type of cold medicine. Air flow is the lowest of all vapes, but it has very simple operation, good for noobs.
Top of the MZ. The center screened hole is where you stick the stem, the smaller surrounding holes are the fresh air intake. The dent at the 8 o'clock position is from me throwing it across the room, and is almost invisible in person.
3.) Supreme Vaporizer, $100-170 eBay - funky blocky-looking and not exactly obvious in its operation. It's actually kinda WTF-looking, if you ask me. There is even a warning in the owner's manual not to allow the SV within sight of Steve Jobs, as he's likely to start throwing things. Well, perhaps there will be at some point in the future. It is smaller than I thought it would be. It moves about as much air as Vapor Genie, empty, but its bowl has a smaller cross section, which could mean more even heating. Kinda cute in person with a neat thermometer equipped with a blue backlight. The attachments will make it much more flexible, but they are optional to use - weird. I do not care for how firmly the plug sticks in it. It looks like it might be dangerous to use, but feels quite sturdy. Torch is remarkably nice and big and serious feeling for a pack-in item. IMO, the wood isn't as pretty as VG & MZ, but it is just fine.
The SV's screen (shown partially inserted for the photo) is very fine, so you can grind your herb (or regrind your ABV) to powder, if you like.
4.) Easy Vape, black $80 local (sticker was 99.99, and the guy was cool), even less online - A little bling for my taste. It looks better than I could build, but it looks like someone took a plain box-style vape and added some LED jewelry. Still though, $80 to go home with a vape right now, I can make some aesthetic compromises. And it seems like it will do what is asked of it. A blah, but certainly not negative first impression. This thing can move a lot of air over a lot of herbs, the most of any vape here. Herb will be slightly upside down if connected to the box in the upright position, just like it looks in the pictures. There's no way the LED readout is actual temperature.
Not much to look at, but certainly nicer than most of the bongs I've had.
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After a little testing at home with friends and family, listed current favorite to least favorite:
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1.) Supreme Vaporizer - Unquestionably our favorite*. It seems to be super efficient, and its excellent performance doesn't depend on your techniques very much, thanks to the narrow-yet-ample tube-shaped bowl & fancy air heating block. The thermometer is wonderful and the heat box part is kinda high-tech looking. Direct draw is fine for me, but is a bit weird because it is a big wooden hole you inhale through. To get the herb in the best position, it needs to remain upright, so I just put it over my head and inhale with the hole in the bottom position. It might be easier to use the whip and keep the SV in an upright position and your head in a normal position. The torch method of heating isn't nearly as bad as some people said. The included torch locks in the on position, and lines up perfectly with the heat block when both pieces are put on a flat surface - super easy. Obviously it isn't as tidy a system as the MyrtleZap, but it is quicker, much smaller, and requires no electricity, unless you heat it up with an electric stove
This system gives big hits, from small piles of herbs, and step-by-step perfect results, and extracts that herb VERY thoroughly. It just blew everyone away how well it does the job of actually vaporizing the damn herbs. It does it perfectly over and over, without even almost burning, but definitely extracting the oils as completely as possible. Bottom Line: TOTALLY WORTH THE SMALL HASSLE OF OPERATION. There's plenty of room for improvement in the overall design, but the working parts of this device perform close to perfection in my book. *Note: I actually got to use better herbs in this device than the others, but I'm convinced the performance of the SV is still superior to the others. Next week, I'll know for sure.
The thermometer is critical to correct operation, but the "indiglo" backlight is just a sweet bonus. Left button is on/off, right button is backlight. Sry, no celsius here.
The SV's bowl has an ID of 3/8", giving it more than twice the area of the MZ, without noticably sacrificing efficiency or evenness of heating. At almost 1.5" deep (MZ is just under 3/8" deep), it has many times the volume of the MZ's bowl.
2.) Vapor Genie - The price & lack of a power cord keeps it in front of the MyrtleZap. You can keep it loaded, ready-to-vape in your front pocket. One might even be tempted to say you keep it "locked & loaded", but then they would need to be slapped in the face. The performance of the VG is very technique-dependent, though if you're good, you can vape quickly, thoroughly, and evenly with a regular lighter. You can pull big clouds of vapor, even from crappy herb. It's easy to burn your herbs, because you rely on the feel of the inhaled air to determine how much more or less heat to apply. Burning herbs can leave it a bit stinky, but it isn't "ruined" as some say, and it isn't as bad as a real smoke pipe. VG doesn't like being wet at all, trust me. I think cleaning with a bamboo skewer works OK. Even though the bowl has a fairly large cross section, the filter and good technique can heat it quite evenly, though perhaps still only the third best of the bunch at evenness and thoroughness
My VG's screen, darkened from accidental combustions. It's about 1/2" across, which I think is a bit bigger than ideal for thorough and even heating. But it's very good if you've got the technique.
3.) MyrtleZap - The fact that it's easy to understand really does help noobs. The low air flow rate and low temperature annoy me, and is unsatisfying with crappy herbs. Now I know it works well because even some ground up crappy stems gave up some tasty vapor, but you can use the MyrtleZapped herb, and get additional vapor clouds with any of the other vaporizers. It is a cool product, fun to have and hold and look at. I'm hoping I get better results from a 15v adapter (oh hell yes I am
) and a tall can koozie I've got coming in. I actually tried a 15v adapter I had, with some success, but we accidentally shorted it out because my lazy ass left the leads uninsulated. Can't hold that against the MyrtleZap. Id love to compare this to a Purple Days, side-by-side.
The MZ stem's tiny 1/4" ID is further bottlenecked by a screen & a circlip. Stick to the good herbs and you'll be fine. While it vapes the bowl very evenly, I still wish the MZ could move more (and hotter) air. In fact, if it could hit nearly as hard as the SV, the MZ would be my favorite.
4.) Easy Vape - Still in last place, IMO, but definitely a decent vape. I like the way it vapes around "310" on the LED, which is right around the best temperature we liked for the Supreme, so maybe that is accurate, but only after it has been sitting ON for a while. Small quantities are not the best for this vape, and burning or under-heating is easy with this. Technique is important, because the cross section of the bowl is so big, that it isn't heated evenly and thoroughly like the others. There is a definite "hot spot" in the bowl, which means one part would be vaped dry while there's still green herb in the surrounding area. This vape works, and is great for extracting the last bits from a big pile of well-vaped and re-ground herbs, as long as you don't get a throat full of dust. I guess everyone knows that box vapes are sometimes easier to deal with if rested on their side or something, and this is no exception. If there isn't enough herb, or it's too loosely packed, sideways or even upside down operation may be needed to keep the herbs in place. In a group setting where maximum efficiency isn't as important as quantity and learning curve, this might be the best of the bunch.
The EV's massive 7/8" diameter bowl is great for big bowls, not so much for conserving (or uniform air flow). If this were a recently vaped bowl, you could see the 1/4" hotspot as an off-center dark circle in the herbs. Just rotate the wand for the next hit, or stir it up.
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Random extra:
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Vapor Genie VS Vapor Buddy
The idea that Vapor Genie guys get pissed at Vapor Buddy for "copying their design" is kinda funny. Well, I guess the idea of keeping the herb and flame separated by a filter disc would qualify as a design
, but otherwise it's just a sporty wood and steel pipe. This is just silly. Vapor Genie's design just isn't that special, but it does work well & look good. Frankly their position should be "Who cares how well VaporBuddy works, just look at that pile of shit." Vapor Genie is a classy product and works about as well as the concept can be expected to. I guess Vapor Buddy would be more resistant to water, which walnut Vapor Genie does not like one bit. I've also seen the Chinese knockoff of the Vapor Buddy, and lead paint aside, it is a paperweight. Their "filter" wasn't porous like the Genie's, so it couldn't possibly function .
From left to right: SV whip/bong adapter, SV torch, SV, VG, MZ stem, MZ w/butterfly, EV wand, EV (powered on)
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Labor Day Update w/photo by Kumar himself
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There are certain expectations I had of these vaporizers. Here's how well I figure (feel? guess? this is just an opinion that is subject to change as I learn) each of the vaporizers performs in each of the ways that matter most to me. On a scale of 1(sucks ass) to 10(rules)
1.) Extract as much of the vapor as possible from the herb
SV 9.5 | VG 7.5 | MZ 6 | EV 8
The difference between SV and all the others is noticeable, and it is fast and east to get it every time. MyrtleZapped herb can be revaped in the other vaporizers with good results if you pack a decent bowl.
2.) Extract it as uniformly as possible
SV 8.5 | VG 6.5 | MZ 9.5 | EV 5
The supreme Vaporizer really seems to be great, but because you have to dump the bowl to see it, I knocked off a bit. Vapor Genie takes some practice to heat evenly. MyrtleZap's bowl is narrow to a fault, but on the upside you do get very uniform heating of your entire load of herb. You can vape nicely with the Easy Vape, but toward the end, some herb will be over done and some other herb will be not quite depleted.
3.) Work well with small quantities
SV 9 | VG 7.5 | MZ 10 |EV 4
This is something related to bowl size, and at odds with high airflow & even vaping. The Vapor Genie surprised me how well its fairly large bowl handled small amounts, but it didn't really shine unless it had enough to cover the screen well, and would have been better if it was a bit narrower. The MyrtleZap can easily handle bowls too small to be of any use. The Supreme Vaporizer can handle bowls down to about what a real serious user can handle on a single inhale. EasyVape likes to be used upside down with small quantities.
4.) Quickly fill your lungs with dense clouds, ie hits hard
SV 9.5 | VG 7.5 | MZ 4 | EV 8
The SV could pull easier, but it fills lungs quite nicely, as much as you can handle, even from impressively small portions. The MyrtleZap really wants very good herbs or else some dedicated vaoprists wouldn't get satisfying puffs. EasyVape will do it if you've got the herbs to pack. Vapor Genie pulls at a good rate rate for general use, and excellent consdering how portable it is.
5.) Minimize burning herb or any other harshness for any reason
SV 9.5 | VG 4 | MZ 10 | EV 6
The MZ only wins here because it couldn't burn without modification, but it is probably possible to accidentally burn herb with the Supreme, though we haven't yet. VG is like very fine balance between vapor & smoke, though I think I may give it a better score after trying the torch with the VG. It seemed a lot less fussy than the Bic.
6.) Easy to use, figure out, provide power for, etc - minimum hassle
SV 6 | VG 7 | MZ 8.5 | EV 6
MyrtleZap's the easiest but power cords suck. The Supreme takes a bit of fuss to set it up, then vaping is nice and simple once you get going, but reloads are not convenient because of the external heat block. Vapor Genie works on a pretty straightforward idea, but some people don't take to it. Easyvape is cumbersome with cords and hoses, and the upside down bowl is something you have to keep an eye on, but with help noobs don't have trouble.
The koozie and playing card might help the MyrtleZap hit harder. At least I'm trying. The paper funnel is helps a little bit at speeding up the clumsy reloading process of the Supreme Vaporizer. Does this remind you of Aqua Teen Hunger Force? Picture it with the MyrtleZap's stem in.
7.) Consistently perform , not requiring much "skill" from of the user
SV 9.5 | VG 4 | MZ 10 | EV 6
MyrtleZap has basically no variables for the noob to screw up. Vapor Genie is a challenge for many, and is actually a little difficult for me to master. Supreme is super easy and comfortable, but dangerous if you aren't cautious. The EasyVape is difficult to master because of the large bowl + hotspot.
8.) in a comfortable package, that's pleasant to hold and operate
SV 6.5 | VG 7.5 | MZ 8.5 | EV 6.5
The MZ feels the best in the hand and has smooth stems, but perfection is spoiled by a power cord. The SV normally takes 2 hands, and caution around the heat block, though it is quite nice to use if you don't try to put your brain on autopilot. The EV is fine normally, even for noobs, but the need to fuss with it to get evenly vaped herb or use small amounts of herb is annoying.
9.) that can take abuse & have a long life
SV 8 | VG 6.5 | MZ 9 | EV 8
The SV's thermometer doesn't look built-to-last, and the screen things don't seem like they love being jammed in the hole. Vapor Genie gets all slimy and crappy feeling quickly after getting wet, and likes to get packed in soot by noobs who don't like instructions. MyrtleZap is tough, but my old AromaZap burned out so lose one star for that. If you rinse your wand, make sure you dry it off before connecting it to a hot EasyVape. The one tested here cracked because of thermal shock from an absent minded moment, but it remains usable, practically unaffected.
Overall Score, value for money, not an average
SV 8.5 | VG 7 | MZ 5.5 | EV 7
Overall Score, disregarding price, not an average either
SV 8 | VG 7 | MZ 7 | EV 6
The Supreme Vaporizer performs best at what matters most to me and the fellow enthusiasts that participated in this test: Big hits from small piles & minimum burned and/or unvaped herbs. The Supreme Vaporizer's unusual heating system can be a little inconvenient to use and potentially dangerous, but it is also totally effective, and unless severely abused, I don't see how you could wear it out or break it. Heat it on a stove burner or with a butane torch, being careful not to burn the wood indirectly either way. My Bic leaves soot, but it is true that a butane torch will easily remove soot completely.
And it came with nice accessories, too.
I think that about covers it
I was considering Purple-Days, to compare to the Myrtlezap and see what the hype is about, but frankly I just don't expect such a similar design to hit much harder than the MyrtleZap, and so I may not bother. I just don't think I'm a small bowl, low-temperature, low airflow type of guy. The glass Vapor Genie could be easier to clean than the wooden ones, and also it might be nice to see the vapor in the pipe. Launch Box is cute, and it will be mine eventually. I am open to suggestions, but it will be another lower priced model. I'm skeptical about the notion that it needs to cost a lot of money to do a great job controlling hot air flow across some herbs, which is the main thing I want from a vaporizer.
that's way to much for this vape, way too much. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it basically a Vapman with a thermometer! I think he's taxing personally...
