Re the recent discussion about "factory second" HT's . . .
I bought one last week, a Precision Hydrabomb, primarily because I thought my wife might like it, what with it being smaller and being a side-car. I was wrong. She definitely likes the Evolver Hydratree we've been using, much better. And so do I. We were both under-whelmed and actually disappointed in this latest generation HT.
About the "second" cosmetic blemishes: I don't think I can find any in this piece. It's possible that the blemishes are the warbles I can see in the seam around the top cap, but I can't be sure - I don't have another to compare it to. I can't find anything else. Certainly there is nothing which negatively affects the function of the piece. Consequently $70 is a pretty good deal
compared to the usual retail. But . . .
only because the usual retail price of $150 IMO is way too high. Actually, I'd say this full-retain piece should never cost more than $100. So $70 for a "second" is reasonable, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's terrific. I was surprised at how small the piece is; there is very little volume so it is really just a small flow-thru piece. There isn't much of a chamber to speak of. The perc is a scaled-down Mobius Matrix perc so the action is good but a chamber/volume of that size provides very little conditioning. And the small-diameter stem makes me feel like I'm using something made for a child. I do like that its base is the diameter of the EVO; along with its smaller size overall, enables it to sit stable on top of the vape and eliminates any need for a hydrafoot or stand.
Maybe my perspective is distorted by having always used (since 2012) the early HT's many of which were made by excellent blowers like Evolver and Swagger. Those pieces ran from ~$150-250: Very good value at the lower price point, sometimes over-priced at the higher end, but still certainly much better performing and more aesthetically pleasing than the (sorry) tinker toys VXL is selling now. YMMV and likely will.
A side note: I just tore the bottom mesh off one of my ELB's. I've had a dozen in rotation since '12, and this is the first one to wear out. I've always really liked the ELB's, mostly because of the performance they add but also because they are easy to use and are durable. Given how clunky many vape bowl setups are, this feature stands out IMO.