OK...third session's technique:
I gave it a go with the water tool and decided to start with it on high so I could pull heavy on it. I packed it first, then turned it on and set it to 5. I filled the WT to halfway in the first chamber. It had a nice pull and stack at that level. I started hitting it long before it got to 5 from the mouthpiece (without water) because I just knew there was vapor building up in there while I was waiting. Once it got to 5 I put the WT on it and gave it a full pull. I got some mildly whispy vapor. I then gave it another good pull and got a little thicker vapor. When I hit it really slow to try and milk it, it did get thicker, but it took forever to get a full hit and felt kind of silly. I continued to hit it hard and kept getting vapor for much longer than expected. It's about here that I started feeling medicated. At times I would give it a slight puff off the mouthpiece between WT hits, and the hit was always much thicker than I was getting using the WT. I was using cigar type puffs, which typically work better with conduction vapes. Finally the taste got pretty bad and I ended it, opened it up and saw the remains. Easily some of the most cooked and brown/black duff I have ever gotten. So you are gonna completely cook your goodies in this thing. Also, after I opened it up it was still giving off a little bit of vapor.
Third session's impressions:
First off, let's get this out of the way...no, it doesn't hit as hard as the Solo. It was one of my focus points and I know a lot of you guys want to know that as well, so there you go. Given it was only my third session with the VB2, I reserve the right to modify my opinoin if a better hit method is figured out. But remember this...whatever method that may be will most likely involve a lot of time to milk it, during which time you could have had two satisfying hits off a Solo. It's also about the size of the Solo, if not exactly the same. Enough of comparing these two vapes...let's move on. [Although a quick comparison to the Pax and MFLB...the MFLB is the only one that truly turns off when you turn it off, thus making it very efficient. These other two conduction vapes keep on cooking until they slowly cool down.]
I spent a lot of time thinking about why I'm not fond of this thing after two uses. In the end I came to the conclusion that it is a little bit confused, or trying to be a jack of all trades, but a master of none. If I want a big hit, I've got about four big hitters here already that plug into the wall...the VB2 and its battery source aren't even trying to compete with these. The glass feels of average quality and seems to weaken the hit some, so no real sompetition for the VXL HT's with their name-brand glass blowers. The conduction heat source seems to get overworked by the wide open airflow (which is why I put it on 5 to compete with the airflow). So, nothing about it seems to want to be the best, and most of what it does that I have tried, it does average. Except the battery life. The battery life is fantastic. It arrived fully charged, but I plugged it into the wall for a top off anyhow. I then did a full empty burnoff and three full sessions over the course of a week and it hasn't budged off the fully charged level. So it's either got that licked or it is broken and lying, and I think it is the former. So that's a summary of the attitude with which I came into my third session.
I came out of the session impressed. In the end, the goal is to get medicated and this thing does just that. And I think it will prove to be efficient...at least it seems to be without exact testing. Also, I really enjoyed the glass, even with the weaker hits. This thing has great airflow and pairs well witht he WT. It's also pretty lightweight and small and fits well enough with the WT that I wouldn't hesitate to walk around with it all in one hand. I also like that I can hit it from either end. By the way, I am not using any mouthpieces...I found they restricted the airflow that I was trying to maximize. I should probably give it a go with them since it was designed that way. So I came into this session thinking I would give it one more go before loaning out to a friend who might use it more, and instead ending up wanting to use it more myself. And I have no access to oil, so I cannot attest to its effeciveness there. But that it even does it really opens up a broader market. This might end up being one of my most used portables...time will tell, but it has earned the right to tryout for it.
The one thing I haven't come to grips with yet is the price. The base unit is about the same price as the Pax, and this thing is much more versatile, so it wins there. But it still isn't going to do much better than the MFLB at less than half the price. But at least with the VB2 you get a lot of versatility. So maybe the price is more of a verdict against the Pax and not the VB2. (I seem to be talking myself into it here!) But that still leaves the glass. At $250 it feels a little bit overpriced. Don't get me wrong, it's good and it works well, but I don't think anyone is going to mistake it for a VXL tube, and this thing is more expensive than six of the eight of those available.
So there you go. I'm starting to like it more and can see a real market for it. There will be some really satisfied customers out there. You just need to know what you are buying, and understanding the conduction component of it is important for that. If you are looking for a versatile vape that is portable, the VB2 needs strong consideration. If you are looking for huge hits or the purest taste, go get a great glass desktop model. I'll keep updating as I use it more, thanks for reading.