Multi-brand Vivant Alternate

[Prolusio]

Also detach the cooling unit and pull some air through the mouth piece and then taste your mouth (like a wine tasting type of thing). Taste any plastic goodness?

I just did as you suggested; no plastic goodness here. The plastic taste and odor from the unit I recieved disappeared within a few sessions.

 

[luke00978]

You're going to taste it too. It will only go away once enough weed material builds up in the oven to mask the smell. This is the worst vape I've ever used.

Also detach the cooling unit and pull some air through the mouth piece and then taste your mouth (like a wine tasting type of thing). Taste any plastic goodness?


Agreed. This cannot be safe to use. I would like to see a complete material sheet.

i find it to taste good especially compared to the cfx which i couldnt get rid of the plastic taste . the plastic is still clearly inferior to what storz n bickel use

 

[AAndroid]

I just did as you suggested; no plastic goodness here. The plastic taste and odor from the unit I recieved disappeared within a few sessions.

It doesn't work if you've already done numerous sessions. There is cannabis material or residue in your mouthpiece now. They are banking on you thinking it "went away" when in fact it's being masked by the pungent nature of the material you're baking.

Like I said earlier though, let's see if they provide a material data sheet. Health before getting high.

i find it to taste good especially compared to the cfx which i couldnt get rid of the plastic taste . the plastic is still clearly inferior to what storz n bickel use

I never tried the CFX so I can't compare. Try running the device with an empty oven at 400 degrees with the cooling piece attached until all cannabis material or residue is gone. Then try smelling the oven (while it's nice and hot and empty). If the cannabis material is present you can't smell anything, if the oven is very clean you will smell the device. Unfortunately once you've done a number of sessions it becomes masked until a thorough cleaning where all cannabis material can be removed. I think too many vape users have come to expect and tolerate the plastic taste/smell on units in this price range but we shouldn't. This is going directly into your lungs and blood stream.

 

[Prolusio]

I actually cleaned my mouthpiece just the other day @AAndroid, so there is no residue as you suggest! I also found the taste went way in my Alternate by the second bowl; well before any significant residue would build up. For my unit at least the plastic has not been an issue.

Not saying you're incorrect about your unit at all just that I did not find the same issues with mine. Out of curiosity is your alternate from dhgate or an authorized distributer?

 

[xlr8shun]

Not saying you're incorrect about your unit at all just that I did not find the same issues with mine. Out of curiosity is your alternate from dhgate or an authorized distributer?

his is from dhgate..

 

[AAndroid]

I actually cleaned my mouthpiece just the other day @AAndroid, so there is no residue as you suggest! I also found the taste went way in my Alternate by the second bowl; well before any significant residue would build up. For my unit at least the plastic has not been an issue.

Not saying you're incorrect about your unit at all just that I did not find the same issues with mine. Out of curiosity is your alternate from dhgate or an authorized distributer?

Dhgate but I have a friend who got his a week after mine directly from vivant. They're the same and smell the same. It's mostly gone away and he doesn't mind the slight remaining taste/smell so he is still using his but I can't stand it even if it's subtle.

 

[Prolusio]

That's interesting; thanks for reporting your findings @AAndroid.

 

[Vivant]

By trial and error, I seem to have found the following behavior to explain both outcomes:

It all begins by powering on the device (obviously) and waiting for the temperature to reach whatever the user has selected within the available range. Once that temperature has been reached, the light turns green. Depending on how quickly the user draws or how close to capacity the battery in use is, the actual temperature may drop below the specified temperature, at which point the count down timer stops and the device attempts to reach the specified temperature before finally resetting the timer. If all is well and there's sufficient power available, the device will eventually (and hopefully fairly quickly) get to the specified temperature, however I've noticed that at some times at this point, something else can happen: the reading on the OLCD will stay within a degree or two of the same temperature for a prolonged period of time, say 10 seconds or so, for example flipping beterrn 350 and 351 degrees F but never increasing beyond that. It's then that I see a "battery low" or "low battery" message, and the "heat" indicator on the OLCD turns off with the timer vanishing.

The design makes sense, after all, why make the thing try and try to reach a temperature it can no longer hit with the available charge? I think it could be better documenterd and I think that the message indicating the device is low on battery should remain on the screen far longer.

The thing that makes this particularly confusing to the new user is that the battery charge readout is often still ~60%, so by the time they've notived the device is no longer heating and they check the display, the message indicating the battery is low is gone, and the impression is that the Alternate has simply turned off for no reason and that there's still plenty of charge remaining.

Not a huge issue. I hope this offers some clarification to those seeing this issue and a suggestion to Vivant on something that could stand clarification.

Hello @BuddingMagic thank you for the clarification you provided for @luke00978 , what you have said is true.

Hello @luke00978 , along with @BuddingMagic and the other advice that has been given, I also wanted to give our clarification on this issue. I have confirmed with our design team the following information. You sound to have power lungs and are able to drop the internal convection temperature by 5 degrees with your draw. Once this powerful draw happens and the internal convection temp is dropped, the device is in a mode where its gotten signaled the device is not at the heat it is set to be, so it automatically will reheat to provide the difference to be back at it's optimal heat setting (set by the user) and restart your session timer again. Thank you.

I've also started to notice some minor cracking in my mouthpiece... but not in the same place as others pictures.

The rim that sits directly above the bowl, where the screen is has started to ever so slightly deform and crack. See the pictures below:



I noticed the slight deformation a couple days ago, but now that I have cleaned the mouthpiece you can see the cracking a bit easier. Not sure if it's mineral deposits from the water I rinsed with after cleaning, or if it's oxidation of the plastic from the isopropyl I used while cleaning.

Either way, I'm hopeful in the future we can get replacements with either some better plastic, or maybe different materials.. or else I fear the same thing will happen again and again.

I don't mind having to buy new mouthpieces, but I don't want to buy them every month or so

I just finished cleaning my mouthpiece for the first time..

I used 91%iso mixed w equal parts warm water and scrubbed w an old toothbrush... insides of mouth piece turned white..

So I said screw it.. and used 91% straight so I didn't have to scrub as much..

The outside is fine.. however the innards oxidized.. Wonder why the outside is fine, but the inside isnt.. even the inside of the straw turned white but outide is fine..

Just FYI for everyone out there

Hello @xlr8shun , I am sorry you are experiencing such negative responses with the device so far. I am sending you a DM to take care of this issue for you. The build up, crack and deformation is more than likely from the strong isopropyl alcohol used even though you changed the formula for a later on cleaning but the results from the first cleaning may have done its damage already. Thank you

I'm still waiting for mine to come in but the plastic cracking is worrisome....

Seems like the design is great....and the quality of the vapor is very good from what Ive read here and other places.

I wonder if there will be a new version of this unit in the near future built with higher quality plastic.

Hello @mash , I want to reassure you not to worry. If you have bought this device from us or an authorized seller, your problems will be taken care of if you ever encounter any. Please don't be let down by the negative responses of the device. We are very aware of every situation brought to our attention and I guarantee you we have a great team here that is willing to fix any problems so you guys have a pleasant and functional device.

Damn, thanks to all of you for the info. I was hoping it was only the units from DGgate etc... Still sounds like an awesome vape once the smell goes away. A lot of appealing points for this one. I am going to have to pick one up direct from Vivant or PIU.

@Vivant you guys ship out of Tustin, Ca?

Hello @DarkSm0ke , yes we ship out of Tustin, CA . Sorry for the delay in response as we don't work on weekends and I am only able to access this account during office hours.

You're going to taste it too. It will only go away once enough weed material builds up in the oven to mask the smell. This is the worst vape I've ever used.

Also detach the cooling unit and pull some air through the mouth piece and then taste your mouth (like a wine tasting type of thing). Taste any plastic goodness?


Agreed. This cannot be safe to use. I would like to see a complete material sheet.

It doesn't work if you've already done numerous sessions. There is cannabis material or residue in your mouthpiece now. They are banking on you thinking it "went away" when in fact it's being masked by the pungent nature of the material you're baking.

Like I said earlier though, let's see if they provide a material data sheet. Health before getting high.


I never tried the CFX so I can't compare. Try running the device with an empty oven at 400 degrees with the cooling piece attached until all cannabis material or residue is gone. Then try smelling the oven (while it's nice and hot and empty). If the cannabis material is present you can't smell anything, if the oven is very clean you will smell the device. Unfortunately once you've done a number of sessions it becomes masked until a thorough cleaning where all cannabis material can be removed. I think too many vape users have come to expect and tolerate the plastic taste/smell on units in this price range but we shouldn't. This is going directly into your lungs and blood stream.

Hello @AAndroid , I am sorry you feel this way about our device and saddened you feel it is so bad that it is considered "cheap plastic shit" to you. As for the smell, it is coming off from the ceramic convection heating element inside the device. When ceramic heats up, it absorbs all the elements around it so when the bowl is empty, it will give off that smell. However, once you place a product inside the bowl, it won’t give that smell off anymore because the convection air being pulled when you draw has a product vaporizing to pull off the taste and smell instead of it being empty and the convection air going directly to your mouthpiece. I hope this clarifies this issue. We are by no means trying to trick the public or bank on the fact the public will be misinformed. I am sorry that the Alternate was not a good fit for you and I respect your feedback as I respect everyone else's on here. I hope you can try to not be too demeaning on your comments of us though. We truly do all we can to try and make everyone happy. Please feel free to DM us if there are issues we can take care of for you in regards to your Alternate. Thank you.


TO All of FC Community: We want to clarify that we cannot guarantee the authenticity of the devices being sold on sites such as DHGate so please be aware of this if you purchased your device from an unauthorized seller and are experiencing issues. We will be here every step of the way to take care of our Authentic Devices. Thank you for all of your continuous support, feedback, advice and love. -Emily

 

[AAndroid]

Hello @BuddingMagic thank you for the clarification you provided for @luke00978 , what you have said is true.

Hello @luke00978 , along with @BuddingMagic and the other advice that has been given, I also wanted to give our clarification on this issue. I have confirmed with our design team the following information. You sound to have power lungs and are able to drop the internal convection temperature by 5 degrees with your draw. Once this powerful draw happens and the internal convection temp is dropped, the device is in a mode where its gotten signaled the device is not at the heat it is set to be, so it automatically will reheat to provide the difference to be back at it's optimal heat setting (set by the user) and restart your session timer again. Thank you.







Hello @xlr8shun , I am sorry you are experiencing such negative responses with the device so far. I am sending you a DM to take care of this issue for you. The build up, crack and deformation is more than likely from the strong isopropyl alcohol used even though you changed the formula for a later on cleaning but the results from the first cleaning may have done its damage already. Thank you




Hello @mash , I want to reassure you not to worry. If you have bought this device from us or an authorized seller, your problems will be taken care of if you ever encounter any. Please don't be let down by the negative responses of the device. We are very aware of every situation brought to our attention and I guarantee you we have a great team here that is willing to fix any problems so you guys have a pleasant and functional device.




Hello @DarkSm0ke , yes we ship out of Tustin, CA . Sorry for the delay in response as we don't work on weekends and I am only able to access this account during office hours.






Hello @AAndroid , I am sorry you feel this way about our device and saddened you feel it is so bad that it is considered "cheap plastic shit" to you. As for the smell, it is coming off from the ceramic convection heating element inside the device. When ceramic heats up, it absorbs all the elements around it so when the bowl is empty, it will give off that smell. However, once you place a product inside the bowl, it won’t give that smell off anymore because the convection air being pulled when you draw has a product vaporizing to pull off the taste and smell instead of it being empty and the convection air going directly to your mouthpiece. I hope this clarifies this issue. We are by no means trying to trick the public or bank on the fact the public will be misinformed. I am sorry that the Alternate was not a good fit for you and I respect your feedback as I respect everyone else's on here. I hope you can try to not be too demeaning on your comments of us though. We truly do all we can to try and make everyone happy. Please feel free to DM us if there are issues we can take care of for you in regards to your Alternate. Thank you.


TO All of FC Community: We want to clarify that we cannot guarantee the authenticity of the devices being sold on sites such as DHGate so please be aware of this if you purchased your device from an unauthorized seller and are experiencing issues. We will be here every step of the way to take care of our Authentic Devices. Thank you for all of your continuous support, feedback, advice and love. -Emily

I would say what I said about the Alternate about any vaporizer with a plastic taste or smell, even if it goes away. G pens, boundless vapes, weecke Fenix, zeus or any other vape that has any plastic smell or taste should be off the market. As I said before I'd still like to see a complete material data sheet.

If you taste anything after you've inhaled through the device it has gone to your lungs and into your bloodstream.

Edit: I will amend my signature.

 

[Taz4101]

Any new information on the mouthpiece? Myne taste like a candle smells as it's put out. Also as you can see here, there is a large group uncomfortable with plastic tastes or smells. Pure ISO is the standard cleaning agent in vapes. I think everyone here would be happier if you used a peek or delrin for any mouthpiece parts in the airpath. A inert tasteless odorless thermoplastic. Or even a optional glass mouthpiece. The rim of the mouthpiece is very exposed to the full heat of the chamber that is above the 265 the plastic is rated for. Even a optional more expensive mouthpiece. Or raising the price to compensate for more expensive materials.

 

[Vivant]

I would say what I said about the Alternate about any vaporizer with a plastic taste or smell, even if it goes away. G pens, boundless vapes, weecke Fenix, zeus or any other vape that has any plastic smell or taste should be off the market. As I said before I'd still like to see a complete material data sheet.

If you taste anything after you've inhaled through the device it has gone to your lungs and into your bloodstream.

Edit: I will amend my signature.

Thank you @AAndroid for your understanding and amending your signature. We do not wish to hold you back on your feedback of our device. We understand not every single person will see the Alternate fit for them but we sure do try regardless.. We do want to take the time to thank you for your response.
As for the complete material data sheet, this information will be public info and found on our website once it is revamped. Please bear with us as we are working very diligently. I will try my best to post that sheet on here as well if possible. Thank you again.

 

[Grepper]

Really wish more consumers were like you @AAndroid I also find the rampant use of plastic in vapes unacceptable. I hope your honesty and opinion isn't interpreted incorrectly.

 

[dtaxx]

The X-MAX 14mm adapter with a bit of silicone tubing in the filling aid makes an excellent water adapter! This thing rips!

 

[elykpeace]

2 batteries worth of "burn offs" and yeah that plastic smell wasn't going anywhere. Returned my vivant alternate. I DONT THINK ITS AN ISSUE WITH AN AUTHENTIC UNIT.. just seems to be the plastic used and higher temps. Hate to see the mouthpiece start to deteriorate like the boundless cfc...

 

[luke00978]

just had a good look at the cooling unit and the area that sits above the oven is already cracking (one large crack all the way down the side, the unit has only been getting put through its paces since Friday! have to agree that the plastics used are clearly inappropriate for a vape

 

[blackbur]

Plastic smell and fact that parts are turning white after being cleaned is a huge no no.
I like using 99 percent iso for cleaning my Vapes..Feeling kinda funny about half warm water thing.
Hopefully they can get better quality plastic like what the crafty has and remain relatively affordable.

 

[dtaxx]

Filler style water adapter attached to 18mm adapter {GIF}

 

[Ramahs]

Yay! Just picked mine up from the mailbox. Now I'm just waiting for the damn battery to charge. I need to stop checking the charger. It's like waiting for a damn pot of water to boil! LoLz

 

[BuzzDanklin]

@Ramahs play some Duck Hunt for me! I havent gotten to use one of those zappers in forever!

 

[Ramahs]

@Ramahs play some Duck Hunt for me! I havent gotten to use one of those zappers in forever!

I wish I could. The zap gun only works on a CRT old-school style tube television, which I haven't gotten around to getting yet (I only acquired the NES a few months ago. It was my first game system some 25 or 30 years ago, and I got nostalgic, and picked one up on eBay. I need to go get some other games for it, as all I have at the moment is the original Mario/Duck hunt. There are many classics I used to love on my NES as a kid that I need to start looking around for online! I think the next two on my list are the original Zelda (the gold cartridge) and Ninja Turtles: Arcade version.

 

[Blunter]

I know these have been mentioned, but...

Delrin/POM would be an excellent choice for the mouthpiece; It's already commonly used in the mouthpiece for e-cigarettes due to it's high heat resistance. It likely won't have problems with plant oils and what not either, as Delrin seems to be non-reactive to e-liquids. @Vivant you should try to see if your supplier can machine a Delrin mouthpiece and come out with it as a 1.x version with an updated mouthpiece; You can even order spare mouthpieces for those that want to replace their current one. If your supplier can't machine Delrin, I think it would still be worth looking into getting the mouthpieces machined by a different manufacturer that could easily be found on Alibaba.

Another plastic that should be utilized in future devices is PEEK. PEEK is extremely another high heat resistant plastic that is typically used in different applications than Delrin. In e-cigarettes, PEEK is used directly next to the heating element as an insulator for the positive and negative terminals, therefore it is extremely heat-resistant. PEEK would be best used as the plastic that surrounds the area where the heating element and stainless oven/tube are. In the case of your current device it would replace the beige plastic used that you can see around the top of the bowl. What is currently used is similar to what color PEEK plastic typically is, so it may actually already be used in the device, but we would need confirmation from you.

Other than that this device looks extremely clean and well made in the teardowns I've seen. I love the airflow options, isolated airflow, replaceable 18650, variable temp, size, etc. Really looking forward to getting my hands on one in the near future. I think really good things can come from your company and if you keep working closely with the community it could blossom into something beautiful. Definitely on the right path now, just keep innovating!

 

[gienkollo]

Other than that this device looks extremely clean and well made in the teardowns I've seen. I love the airflow options, isolated airflow, replaceable 18650, variable temp, size, etc.

Same here, i think they should realease top cap v2 from diffrent material because with current is something not good (cracking, bad smell) Such a good device shouldnt be burried because one piece design fail, or bad material choose.

 

[joint46go]

my mouthpiece when is arrived has a irregular shape where you put the screen.....

Now they have irregular angles as loose with the heat as plastic near a lighter .....I think it is not normal it safe ...My coming from heavengift.com and had a strong smell of plastic when arrived and I already wrote earlier

 

[xlr8shun]

Hello @xlr8shun , I am sorry you are experiencing such negative responses with the device so far. I am sending you a DM to take care of this issue for you. The build up, crack and deformation is more than likely from the strong isopropyl alcohol used even though you changed the formula for a later on cleaning but the results from the first cleaning may have done its damage already. Thank you. -Emily

Hi Emily,

i received your DM, and will reach out to you soon with regards to a replacement mouthpiece. i wanted to chime in here first though. in regards to those pictures i took of the underside of my mouthpiece, specifically of the "rim" that holds the screen, directly above the heating chamber.

yes, those pictures were taken after the iso cleaning, however the deformation was noticed before the iso cleaning. the cracking, while wasn't noticed before the cleaning, i assume were there before the cleaning. i just did not notice them because after cleaning the cracks were highlighted with white residue.. either mineral deposits from the water used in rinsing, or oxidation from iso used.

i never cleaned the device with iso before this past weekend. i did 2 burn offs and that was it. i understand how you would think that the iso could have been a culprit but this happened before any iso touched the device (or mouthpiece for that matter).

i am a bit conflicted on how to handle the replacement mouthpiece also. i'd gladly take another, but i have my suspicions this will happen again, and again, until a more heat resistant plastic is used or until i lower the temperature. i see @luke00978 is also having similar issues to what i have described. what happens if i receive this new mouthpiece and the same thing happens again. do i reach out and you guys send me another and another? at what point do we reevaluate things?

at this time my opinion of the deivce or company has not really changed. i am a little disappointed with the mouthpiece after noticing the deformation and cracking, as well as the oxidation after using half/half iso/water mixture. but i am hopeful that we can reach resolution that will make all parties happy.

thanks again for your time

 

[gienkollo]

Looks like melted, previous in this thread somebody posted pic with this edges over the oven looking same as yours. Other was from legit distribution, then it proving for my understanding this devices are exact same, first batch was just better, standard issue with chinese produced gear, quality control.

Edit:Sorry, i've cheked and this was posted by

I've also started to notice some minor cracking in my mouthpiece... but not in the same place as others pictures.

The rim that sits directly above the bowl, where the screen is has started to ever so slightly deform and crack. See the pictures below:

But there are cracks, not melted like here, my bad.