*Wednesday, 4/17*
Hello FC,
This is my
1000th post! I wanted this post to be special. And it is indeed...
...after years of waiting and saving monies...
I finally have my international Cloud package!
This post is going to be the first impression and review "realtime".
The closed package is sitting right here in front of me as I write this.
It was great deal! 650$ in total from vapefiend. Really nice guy.
Everything about shipping went better, than expected.
Got in in my hands in 7 days after ordering.
This is the moment I've been waiting for. And I'm very nervous what to find inside.
Is it going to be ok?
Only one way to find...
*Opens the box*
Seems pretty much bomb-proof. I can't even see anything inside over all the soft protection.
*Proceeds*
There was another box inside with a Cloud (still not opened) and all the glass in the solid foam you could see in the vid.
The HT is beautiful! And has 15 nice and large slits. Feels very solid too!
Doesn't have really straight splashguard-circ seal, but nothing bad.
There is also a ring of tiny bubbles in the seal.
Only issue is it's not standing really well on its own - somewhat easy to tip over in one direction.
So I will probably use the foot all the time. The foot stands well and is wide.
It is somewhat stable if the mouthpiece is inserted in a right angle to the wobble.
Mouthpiece is very comfortable! And totaly drag free.
And pulling through the tube seems to have almost zero drag.
It's like efortless breathing. Even filled with water a bit.
With more water, its easy to suck it as it stacks a lot.
Ok, lets open the main thing - the Cloud itself!
*Opens the box in the box*
Ok, the first part I saw was the bottom and the intake very low - too much to stand properly or for HT to make good seal.
I have to fix that now.
*Pushes hard*
Ok, its now good. Made some nasty sounds (friction, scratching and glass-fiber wool compressing sound).
I hope its not broken now. I haven't heard the glass crack.
HT makes seal now and also no change in drag when standing.
The Cloud has some drag and makes a whistle sound when pulling.
There is also another higher and louder whistle only when pulling slowly.
There are paint chips and misalignments, only visible from closer look.
And there is a manual and warranty card missing, is that bad?
Simply not a single sheet of paper there. Just the goods. How can I register my warranty?
Ok, I'm going to solve that later, now its time to plug the beast in!
*Does what he says*
It turned red as expected, the red is only visible well from bottom or at dark.
In the bamboo restrictions, there are few tiny bubbles on closer look.
The green came on also as expected, in a minute or two and its much brighter.
After taking few dry emtpy hits it sems to work. Isn't too hot on the throat.
First draw tasted a bit bad, but after that all were clean.
So I'm going to let it heat for a while, so I get the maximum and load the first ELB a bit for some dry hits.
Then I'm going to test the tube.
Oh, the unit makes some smell now, I think it will burn off. And its not coming from the bamboo.
Oh and the joint gets quite hot. Touchable at the end, but not so much at the bottom.
I'm not even going to try touching the HOT labeled part.
*Fills ELB just to cover the bottom and a little more, waits*
ELB goes into the unit nicely. Fits perfectly.
Some nice clouds, great taste. It vapes like it should!
And I can get a lungful quickly - in 5-15 secs.
ABV is evenly tosted and it gets quickly to chocolate brown if topped up the temp to max.
The outer shell gets hot - i think somewhere around 50°C on max. After 25 mins or running.
I think one session could be done before it even heats up outside.
ELB gets hot fast and also cools down fast (not so fast when fully inserted).
And form the ELB the dry short mouthpiece hitting got hotter.
Not badly, my EQ with short whip is hotter.
Havent coughed, effect is nice, ABV too.
I find myself not closing the ELB completely to make it easier getting it out and opening it.
*Fills 2/3 ELB and the HT just above slits*
HUGE first hit! When the Cloud is nicely preheated on max it toasts!
I coughed some and exhaled PLENTY of vapor. The largest cloud so far i experienced.
It also killed the load almost entirely. Not a black on green spot after two big hits.
Only one stir to take the last little bit with overfilled ELBs.
Ok, its powerful, the max temp seems to be just right, I am going to test noon tomorrow.
It seems to do everything right, just the shell and joint on the Cloud is hotter, than i've expected.
HT is bubbling beautifuly.
When filled with more than cm above the slits water can get in my lips on full force pulling freely.
Just above up to a cm seems good.
This vape need more testing later, just to end this part - it's working - I'm destroyed.
It has these minor known flaws or early internationals, all of them.
These screws seem to hold the whole unit together.
The silver shells don't look put together right.
They look like they would pop open if I took out the screws.
I hope these screws will endure the stress.
Everything else seeems perfect. It works, everything is good.
I'm done. Even with this a month old weed.
I must try it with some fresh soon.
____________________________________________
*Saturday, 4/20*
So that was my first impression. I'm back home and I'm going to finish this monster post.
My expectations were unreally high and this is just a vape, not magic.
A GREAT vape, so far the best I know imo.
It does everything as advertised and reported.
Cooks really fast, ABV color is very uniform and dependent only on the dial.
Temp range seems to be just right.
I'm getting lowest temp vapor on min and almost black uncharred ABV and toasty vapors on max.
HT hitting is very enjoyable.
Hits on demand, taste is as clean as possible.
Effect is powerful.
So in short:
Cons:
-Price
-Whistle on pulling (Normal behaviour)
-Drag of the unit (Not much, normal behaviour)
-ELB gets hot after a hit, but cools down quickly (Normal behaviour)
-Heat shield get hot after extended use. Cold for 15 min, warm at 20, hot after 30. (Normal behaviour for nonplus)
-Shorty moutphpiece dry hitting is a bit hot. Manageable, but not that enjoyable. (Normal behaviour?)
-HT not standing still. (Not 100% flat base - can rock back and forth in one direction standing)
-Paint chips
-Misalignments
Pros:
-Vapor quality and quantity.
-Efficiency
-Taste
-Ergonomics
-No stirring
-Easy loading/reloading
-HT
-Size
-Aesthetics (aside from issues from cons)
-Functionality overall
So my verdict:
I'm totally satisfied with the FUNCTION of the unit.
It vapes as good as possible imo. It is ergonomic and very tasty.
I am dissapointed with the fit and finish, and assembly of the outer shells.
As said at this price point this shouldn't happen. The outside is really beaten up.
This unit would be completely flawless if it was not so beaten up.
Thank god at least for the function. I love vaping this weapon of mass extraction!
____________________________________________
And finally some pics!
With some beers for the pics to look more Czech and to compare the size.
The Circ:
The Cloud:
Together:
Issues:
ABV (2 hits on max, no stirring):
The box in the box is good size for compact case:
I know, it will need an upgrade, but now it's better than nothing.
EDIT: Had a huge scare today, I've managed to drop the hot Cloud on carpet!
It didn't land on the joint luckily. The tube moved down a bit and the cord protection dislodged a bit. I've got them back in right place and few seconds after that in went off. Restarting didn't help and when I was about to cry it went back on! It was dead for a minute. I don't know what it was, but it scared the shit out of me. Also I need to be more careful with the cord. A new rule - never leave the cord on floor.
mod note: Please don't quote this entire post, delete the images. Thanks.