Volcano Hybrid

SquirrelMaster

Well-Known Member
To continue on the failing chamber housing. Since I adopted the device 1 year ago s&b already sent me 5 new chamber housings. All replaced because of broken clips. Am wondering how long they will continue to do so. Am not sure but it seems this time the plastic has more gloss to it then before so they may have changed material. Time will tell.
In the meantime, does anyone also have the problem when taking off the balloon, the blue silicone ring comes with it and then magically dissappears until your next clean up? It's really annoying

Not long after I first received mine my o-ring popped off and I didn't notice so I couldn't figure out why vapor was leaking out as the bag reached max capacity. Definitely something to watch for. If you're not ready to clean the bowl I'd give it a wipe with an alcohol prep pad or iso soaked q-tip followed by a damp cloth (I always wash clean with water) and you should be good for a while longer.
 
SquirrelMaster,

Vaporetto

Member
Oh and does anyone ever care to mask off the top when not using the device?
When I see how much dust collects around the device there must be dust build up inside, no?
They should provide a lid for it...
Also could one try to polish the screen to remove swirls and scratches ? The material itself is polishable but am afraid about the touch buttons...
 
Vaporetto,

SquirrelMaster

Well-Known Member
Oh and does anyone ever care to mask off the top when not using the device?
When I see how much dust collects around the device there must be dust build up inside, no?
They should provide a lid for it...
Also could one try to polish the screen to remove swirls and scratches ? The material itself is polishable but am afraid about the touch buttons...

I think Delta3DStudios makes a cover for the Volcano otherwise I'm with you on covering the top. I store mine in a cupboard and it hasn't seen the light of day in months otherwise a jar lid would suit that purpose just fine. I'd be afraid to try anything on the screen for fear of damaging it. Mine came with light scratches which I find insane that there wasn't a protective film to start with. The Mighty has a protective film so maybe new shipments have that included. The plastic is just prone to scratching it seems and although you could try something like Meguires head light renew I wouldn't do it unless you had a damaged device to test it on first.
 
SquirrelMaster,

blackstone

Well-Known Member
I got a lot of great use out of my Hybrid in the last 6 mths or so since new but I really appreciated it today more than ever. The quick heat up, the power it can give from small amounts, and the vapor quality through water the way I use it.
Anytime I had a minute to spare in the festivities I could nip down to the Hybrid and even with a good heatsoak I could still be done quickly and take some great lasting effects and pain relief back to the family room, despite having shitty amounts of medicine left to work with.
I'm still in early days with a Newvape weedeater and maybe it's just me but I think I will always need some hybrid or part conduction in my life. It seems to soothe my enthesitis, muscles, ligaments and my desire to consume a lot more than convection only.
IMO this Hybrid tastes great even at maximum temperature, while the last Volcanos, or most other convection or conduction only devices do not. Can't really figure out why that is? Hybrid magic taste science!

Besides the dry whip and whip through water, I also had some great fun recently blowing very dense half bags from heat soaked small amounts, using an LED flashlight to see when the vapor stops. Sweet strong vapor man! But not a bit irritating as it may get with a larger load.
 

Gnome34

Well-Known Member
The magma has really made an impact in my coughing/throat irritation. I still don't know if I will shell out for the obsidian, seems even more overpriced than the magma; $60 for something I know costs around $20 or less to manufacture(magma not obsidian). But they overspend on packaging and milk the niche market of an accessory to an expensive vape. Whatever, I have really been pleased with the magma as the vapor was just too harsh for me without.

I plan to make my own smaller bags to use while gaming. fill a lil baby bag for like 10 seconds in between rounds etc. easily could do this with stock bags but they are a little harder to manage space wise and noisy.

As time has gone on I have found myself settling on the hybrid cano, the sticky brick line up, and the arizer solo. They each pass the "reach test" and never let me down.

I tried the hybrid through a bong before ordering the magma. I was skeptical about the magma because it just does not make sense to me on paper. Upon using it I grasp what people are saying. There is humidity and the vapor is not harsh! It feels almost pleasant depending on the strain. It feels like a sauna in a way. Through my bong with hot water it still felt a bit stingy and dry. No sting and really moist vapor using the magma! Much less irritation or coughing with the magma.

I stick the s&b brush handle in the bag to let it evaporate in between uses and overnight. I have not seen a drop of water in my bag. I have seen the seals to the bag stretch and vapor come out before and after the mouth piece is on. This is my only complaint. People say you can poke the bag back through to make the seal seal again. This is true, but after it is back on the magma it stretches again meaning the vapor leaks out again. You can seal it while empty or I guess try to seal it while full forcing more vapor out than you would lose if it was sealed.

Hopefully this makes sense, I am stoned currently. Very pleased with the cano, sticky brick, solo line up. GF is using the cano, plenty, e-nano, and solo. E-nano does not do it for me aside from flavor due to my tolerance. Plenty lives in the living room and I use it when she already has it fired up but I have not loaded it myself in weeks. I grab my sticky brick in the living room or the solo. Still love the plenty. Cano is in "my" room and gets use everyday after work.

I wish S&B would address the metal shavings in the plenty chamber and the broken/melted chambers users are experiencing on the hybrid. I have had no issues with my hybrids chamber at all. It would make me feel better about the company as a whole if they did more to help their customers; ESPECIALLY when the issues are so widespread that everyone on reddit knows what someone is referencing without owning the device.

People buy more from companies that listen to the buyers.

Happy new year and sorry if none of this makes sense. Too stoned to be coherent.
 

blackstone

Well-Known Member
Listening to some CDs from the attic this week and that visual indicator on the OLED for when the air pump is running came in very handy!
I listed that as one of my only gripes about the old Volcano when loud music is on.
Last night I realized you could probably try to feel the vibes of the pump with your hand too but this is better.

Need to check my hours soon, people must have crazy numbers racked up already?!
 

dhacmbs

Well-Known Member
Very curious, what is better about solid valve and worse about hybrid valve?
I just had a issue today where I guess the screen that I just cleaned got clogged from a kief bowl I had packed and just shot vapor out the sides. Solid valve never did that to me. The whole herb chamber just feels so cheap you have to be so careful with it and clean it constantly to keep it from sticking. The whole thing is just so finicky. As a heavy user I miss the dependability of the solid valve
 

Trainwreck420

420.....24/7
Good evening / morning people, I recently ordered a 3m roll of balloon to make some fresh ones but when I’ve tried to unroll the tube of balloon it’s not a tube but a sheet ( as if it hasn’t been rolled or something? Am I doing anything wrong or is it a rare funk up?
 
Trainwreck420,

Kins

Well-Known Member
The whole thing with the housing breaking is because of user error. Otherwise everyone would have that problem.
 
Kins,

dhacmbs

Well-Known Member
The whole thing with the housing breaking is because of user error. Otherwise everyone would have that problem.
Well the replacement just broke today. All the top pins broke off. The bottom ones are all loosened now and don’t grip the metal chamber anymore. How do you think this is user error? I’d love to know because I hate my stuff to be broken. I have owned 3 volcanos now 2 digits and now this hybrid. Curious what I could be doing wrong. These things used to be bomb proof now it seriously falls apart when I clean it with a isopropyl wipe. One broke just from spraying it with water.
 

Kins

Well-Known Member
Well the replacement just broke today. All the top pins broke off. The bottom ones are all loosened now and don’t grip the metal chamber anymore. How do you think this is user error? I’d love to know because I hate my stuff to be broken. I have owned 3 volcanos now 2 digits and now this hybrid. Curious what I could be doing wrong. These things used to be bomb proof now it seriously falls apart when I clean it with a isopropyl wipe. One broke just from spraying it with water.

I believe people are tightening them too much. Or maybe there are a select few that end up with "duds" or something. I've only had one break on me in around 2 years of ownership. It's plastic, it should never be wiped with alcohol, that'll weaken the plastic and make it brittle and more prone to braking. It also can discolor plastic.
 
Kins,

justcametomind

Well-Known Member
Good evening / morning people, I recently ordered a 3m roll of balloon to make some fresh ones but when I’ve tried to unroll the tube of balloon it’s not a tube but a sheet ( as if it hasn’t been rolled or something? Am I doing anything wrong or is it a rare funk up?
It would be a rare occurrence you received something useless instead that a roll of bags.
BUT at first glance, the first time I took my first Volcano bags roll out of the housing, it seemed exaclty as you are describing yours. But it was actually a tubular roll, not a sheet. It's so thin it may play that joke.
Otherwise just contact S&B or your reseller.
 

dhacmbs

Well-Known Member
I believe people are tightening them too much. Or maybe there are a select few that end up with "duds" or something. I've only had one break on me in around 2 years of ownership. It's plastic, it should never be wiped with alcohol, that'll weaken the plastic and make it brittle and more prone to braking. It also can discolor plastic.
It’s odd I can go from using the digit for over a decade with no real issues to having to deal with this junk over and over. The solid valve was far superior and this is a total down grade. I also can’t believe how bad the thing leaks. Maybe people wouldn’t try to tighten it so much if the thing didn’t leak so much. I imagine this is also a exasperated issue for me because I use it so heavily. I put about 2 Ozs thru the thing a week. I’ve owned it since late October. This is already my second herb chamber that’s broke. I dont know why I wouldn’t be able to use isopropyl alcohol. The solid valve chamber was plastic and I cleaned it with iso. Guess this new hybrid is just a cheaper version of the digit or something :(
 

RJ in Canada

Active Member
It’s odd I can go from using the digit for over a decade with no real issues to having to deal with this junk over and over. The solid valve was far superior and this is a total down grade. I also can’t believe how bad the thing leaks. Maybe people wouldn’t try to tighten it so much if the thing didn’t leak so much. I imagine this is also a exasperated issue for me because I use it so heavily. I put about 2 Ozs thru the thing a week. I’ve owned it since late October. This is already my second herb chamber that’s broke. I dont know why I wouldn’t be able to use isopropyl alcohol. The solid valve chamber was plastic and I cleaned it with iso. Guess this new hybrid is just a cheaper version of the digit or something :(
I purchased a hybrid in late August and within 3 weeks the bowl was falling out of the orange part when held upside down. No problem, just don’t mess with it when it’s hot. Then the black upper plastic showed signs of cracking and now the neck of it has separated. I think mine was not sealing properly between the neck of the black upper chamber and the whip attachment. Possibly blue o-ring worn/not seated. I probably overtightened it thinking that was the problem. Fortunately, I only use it with the whip so I’ve wired the whip coupler directly to the remaining black plastic. As long as the blue o-ring is in place properly, it seals well. To refill, I just undo the top with the whip still wired to it. I emailed SnB in December and this is the response I got:

Hello,

Thank you for your message. We are sorry to hear about this, but that is a wear and tear piece and is not covered under the warranty. We are willing to do a complimentary replacement though, please provide us with a previous order number aor a good shipping address and we will get this item sent out to you.

Sincerely,

Storz & Bickel America, Inc.



It’s early Feb. and I still haven’t received the replacement. I followed up with another email a few days ago and it now appears that a part has shipped from Oakland, CA. Our cost to replace this part in Canada is C$ 13-20 plus another 10 or so for shipping so this 10 cents worth of plastic turns out costing quite a bit to replace. I’m pretty easy on stuff so I don’t get it. I used Herbie every day for years until recently and never broke any plastic on it - and it has quite a bit more BTW. The hybrid is a beast from the “crater” down but that brittle plastic herb chamber on the top totally sucks. In my case, two people use this thing every day – five sessions at 420F for a 1/2 hr chamber fully packed (1g?) – and with the exception of the poorly thought out top, we truly enjoy using it. I guess my point is, this is a lot of money to pay for a “medical grade device” and have wonky plastic breaking up within 90 days and then being told “too bad, it’s not our problem”. Hopefully they or a third party come up with something better in the future. This plastic herb chamber is truly the weakest point. Just buy a spare or two when you order more screens, whips, reducer, etc. It’s not a dealbreaker, I can live with the fact that it sucks mainly because there’s no other great choice around. I also anticipate that they will stop replacing this for free based on the email I received.
 

Demonic chronic

Chronic Connoisseur. Butane power✊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦
It’s odd I can go from using the digit for over a decade with no real issues to having to deal with this junk over and over. The solid valve was far superior and this is a total down grade. I also can’t believe how bad the thing leaks. Maybe people wouldn’t try to tighten it so much if the thing didn’t leak so much. I imagine this is also a exasperated issue for me because I use it so heavily. I put about 2 Ozs thru the thing a week. I’ve owned it since late October. This is already my second herb chamber that’s broke. I dont know why I wouldn’t be able to use isopropyl alcohol. The solid valve chamber was plastic and I cleaned it with iso. Guess this new hybrid is just a cheaper version of the digit or something :(
That’s the reason I got rid of my hybrid, the build quality is shocking, now my classic on the other hand has lasted almost 6 years and all I’ve done is change the air switch once. Classic is built like a tank.
 
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Kins

Well-Known Member
It's about time S+B steps up their game and rebuild the Volcano from the ground up and come out with a newer version. I have mine sent in for repair a second time so far. I forgot the issue I was having the first time, but with my replacement I got from S&B it gave me some kind of heart error when turned on and then that went away. However after that it seemed to "cook" my weed so quick I barely had time to make a couple bags without it tasting like strong ABV flavor even at 350!. When it worked it worked great though. It's no longer my main vape though so as long as I have the warranty it's gonna be still in rotation.
 

Trainwreck420

420.....24/7
It would be a rare occurrence you received something useless instead that a roll of bags.
BUT at first glance, the first time I took my first Volcano bags roll out of the housing, it seemed exaclty as you are describing yours. But it was actually a tubular roll, not a sheet. It's so thin it may play that joke.
Otherwise just contact S&B or your reseller.
It was a sheet. Must be a faulty batch. Weird.
 

dhacmbs

Well-Known Member
Got an email from s&b today
Thank you for your email.
We are sorry to hear you are having issues with the Hybrid housing.
We would be happy to send another replacement.

was even easier than the first time and gives me hope about this thing. Obviously if they are replacing them for free they are being responsible and I expect a quality herb chamber is in the works ! :D
 

RJ in Canada

Active Member
Received my chamber replacement - same design as the original. Broke a little faster than the original. The bottom half lost one of the tabs within 48 hours. I noticed that as I was unscrewing the chamber a few hours after use to refill it again, the metal part of the top chamber was stuck to the metal part of the bottom chamber. Sticky/resiny weed - flower only no concentrates. Anyway, while unscrewing it the bottom bowl was trying to rotate in its keyed chamber and one of the ultra thin plastic tabs broke. I also noticed that there's a slight crack at the base of one of the "spokes" of the upper black plastic. I said before that this wasn't a dealbreaker but I'm starting to rethink this. Buying this Volcano Hybrid is like purchasing a high end sports car with cheap plastic seats instead of leather or a crappy plastic steering wheel without realizing it until you're out the door. I think I'll park this thing until a better chamber comes out. I'm going back to my two Herbies - fingers crossed for a long life - that I've had for years now without any broken plastic. This is a definite case of buyers remorse but I'll keep it for backup. I don't normally post on forums of any kind but this chamber design is so ungood that I felt compelled to warn anyone else possibly doing their homework like I should have done first...
 

Demonic chronic

Chronic Connoisseur. Butane power✊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦
Received my chamber replacement - same design as the original. Broke a little faster than the original. The bottom half lost one of the tabs within 48 hours. I noticed that as I was unscrewing the chamber a few hours after use to refill it again, the metal part of the top chamber was stuck to the metal part of the bottom chamber. Sticky/resiny weed - flower only no concentrates. Anyway, while unscrewing it the bottom bowl was trying to rotate in its keyed chamber and one of the ultra thin plastic tabs broke. I also noticed that there's a slight crack at the base of one of the "spokes" of the upper black plastic. I said before that this wasn't a dealbreaker but I'm starting to rethink this. Buying this Volcano Hybrid is like purchasing a high end sports car with cheap plastic seats instead of leather or a crappy plastic steering wheel without realizing it until you're out the door. I think I'll park this thing until a better chamber comes out. I'm going back to my two Herbies - fingers crossed for a long life - that I've had for years now without any broken plastic. This is a definite case of buyers remorse but I'll keep it for backup. I don't normally post on forums of any kind but this chamber design is so ungood that I felt compelled to warn anyone else possibly doing their homework like I should have done first...
I’ve had a volcano classic for more than 6 or 7 years with zero plastic breaking, I was lucky enough to get a refund for the piece of shite hybrid, S&b really went tits up. Not acceptable in my opinion especially considering price.
 
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