My Review:
First let me start this review with a review of the VaporGenie company itself.
I, like I am sure many of you, have been cutting down on spending. I was looking for a way to save bud, but I also needed portability. Naturally I turned to the VaporGenie because I heard so many great things.
I received $100 in credit to Amazon.com as a Christmas gift , and I occasionally see the VaporGenie listed on Amazon, but somebody was always purchased it before I could. It didn't make much sense for me to spend my "real" money on the VaporGenie when I had $100 at Amazon, so for a few weeks I was patiently waiting for Amazon to get another VaporGenie so I could hopefully snag it before somebody else did. I didn't have any luck though.
So I contacted the folks at VaporGenie in an act of desperation and I asked them if they would accept my Amazon credit as a way to purchase their product. Naturally I was almost positive that I would be declined because, well, I frankly would not want to take an online store credit as a method of payment either.
Well, very shortly after I e-mailed them I had a response. They understood my situation and they were very sympathetic. They actually accepted my Amazon credit as a method of payment!!!
NEVER have I ever been treated so well by a company. To accept Amazon store credit as a personal favor to me meant so much because I just couldn't spend the $55 on a pipe when I had other priorities to take care of.
Not only did they so graciously accept my method of payment, but they also shipped it to me in 3 DAYS!!!!
The VaporGenie
Build Quality
As you can see this VaporGenie is made of Ash and is very sturdy. It has a very rigid construction and I don't see how this could ever break. The threads where the filter screws on are also very thick and you probably couldn't strip it if you tried. It is very smooth and has a nice feel to it. The wood is good quality and this has a very classy look to it!
Size and Portability
The VaporGenie is the perfect size. It fits the hand very comfortably, but it also can become compact enough to fit inside my little sunglass stash case! Portability is not an issue here. You can even load a bowl, put the VaporGenie in your pocket, and take it on the go! The only possible downside of this unit could also be considered an upside, and that is the issue of using butane as a heat source. I personally find this an upside because it allows me to take this ANYWHERE. You will go through butane rather quickly, but butane doesn't cost much money people. For now I am using a Zippo , which works well except for taste, until I find a nice refillable lighter that has a good sized flame.
Vaporization
The VaporGenie does an EXCELLENT job at vaporizing for what it is. If used correctly you should get even vaporization, and if your not, you probably need to grind your herb more. I find that the VaporGenie bowl holds a perfect amount to get me sufficiently high.
Pre-Vaporization
Post-Vaporization
As you can see, the herb has turned a very nice brown color and the color is spread evenly. Notice how the herb is not packed in.
As you can see, the mound of herb on the left is greater than that on the right. The mound on the left is the amount I pack in my regular glass piece, and the one on the right is the amount of herb that I pack in the VaporGenie. I would say that I still get a little higher using the VaporGenie than I do with my glass piece and I am using quite a bit less.
Pros:
Perfect size
Easily concealable
Portable
Uses Lighter
Can be used indoors
Very classy design
Very sturdy design
Health Benefits
Can be carried in pocket with loaded bowl
Great vapor
Cons:
Learning curve
Hard to use with multiple people
Takes longer to vape than smoke
Uses lots of butane
As you can see the pros far outweigh the cons and this is a unit that ANYBODY can enjoy. I also own a HotBox, and while the VaporGenie will not replace it, it will serve very nicely as a travel vaporizer. I maybe only get to use my HotBox three times a week, so it's nice to be able to vape anywhere I go! For only $55 the VaporGenie is a STEAL, and I am sure that almost everybody could benefit from having one in their collection!
Yeah, I'll get a picture on how it looks compared to a bic later and you'll see for yourself. It's a lot easier to accidentally get the flame to burn/scorch/touch the ceramic element with a bic, wheras with the lateral flame it dips in perfectly.
