Discontinued VRIPtech Heating Wand

[stonemonkey55]

Spikey, delays, delays, delays. Mark says that he wants to do it right, which I can definitely respect. They are creating the tooling so that they can create standardized pieces without much variation. He is doing quite a bit of research and trial and error to make sure that this performs significantly better than just putting a glass sleeve on top of soldering iron.

The thicker glass, the silicone sleeve, even the angle of the intake holes have been optimized for the ultimate vaping experience. I wish I could say that it will be out next week, but better to wait and get an optimal performing one, then getting an early one that needs to be sent back for an upgrade?.
:/

 

[captainwolf]

I don't like the silicon sleeve, is it removable?
Also, does anyone know if you have to use a metal screen with the VCB bowl?

 

[SpiralArchitect]

That silicone sleeve does seem strange....

What worries me is heat from the element warming it up and maybe giving off fumes or something? I mean, it's basically a 'ceramic and glass heating element silicone burrito'.

Still, I'm keeping my eye on this product.... hopefully they will be out and running before x-mas for a gift to myself. Thanks for the updates stonemonkey55.

 

[stonemonkey55]

The silicon sleeve is removable and is made of the ultra high temp (400 degree +) Tygon silicone and is out of the way of the vapor/air path. He chose to include it for safety reasons and although it does ruin the aesthetics, it does have practical purposes. The increased thermal mass allows it to keep a steadier temperature than before, and the sleeve also provides a seal with the intake piece. It's not a GG connection, but it makes a noticeable difference and you can see higher vapor to air ratio when you exhale.

It worked great before, it works better with the sleeve. You can always take it off if you want to be able to see the beautiful glass work. I'm going to keep mine on just for safety reasons, kinda like having a protective cover for your cell phone but with some added functionality. Next Tuesday I can find out if he got the final pieces ready for full production.

 

[max]

The same type sleeve is on the Extreme cyclone bowl. Shouldn't be a problem. Stainless steel screens certainly aren't.

 

[captainwolf]

That's exactly my concern spiral. If that sleeve is stuck on there, I am going to pass on this product, even though I am very excited about it to tell the truth.
I would also love if he had an attachment that could make it hands free. I know its a little big for that and could pose issues. Hands free with no thermocouple = combustion if it sits there heating. But he is a smart guy and I think he could figure out a way to space it, so hands free could work. Even if vapor quality went slightly down, he is still answering to a large market with hands free. He could go a box style route and have a box to insert it in and attach a GG whip with glass tube for extra $50-$75... Optional of course. What you guys think?

 

[KeepCalm]

That's exactly my concern spiral. If that sleeve is stuck on there, I am going to pass on this product, even though I am very excited about it to tell the truth.
I would also love if he had an attachment that could make it hands free. I know its a little big for that and could pose issues. Hands free with no thermocouple = combustion if it sits there heating. But he is a smart guy and I think he could figure out a way to space it, so hands free could work. Even if vapor quality went slightly down, he is still answering to a large market with hands free. He could go a box style route and have a box to insert it in and attach a GG whip with glass tube for extra $50-$75... Optional of course. What you guys think?

I think wands and hands-free devices are two separate products with slightly differing functionality. I could own both a wand/bong setup and an Herborizer type setup. In fact I plan on it. Wands are fun to use! I think focusing on getting the wand just right is the way to do it.

 

[Acolyte of Zinglon]

personally im trying to decide between the vhw and e for my next vape... the herbalaire is also a vape of interest but i dont know much of anything about it other than snippets ive read here
leaning towards the vhw, but id need to get a larger bong than i have, which would be more dfficult to hide

not a decision ill be making for a while but everybody knows how obsessive and indecisive i can be
i try to keep it mostly to myself this time though

 

[captainwolf]

Considering the herbalair has a teflon mouth peice, I would pass on that. However, they do claim the intake air does not flow directly over the element, so that is a plus.

 

[max]

Considering the herbalair has a teflon mouth peice, I would pass on that.

Considering you think anything in the vapor path but glass is toxic, big surprise.

 

[captainwolf]

Your entitled to your opinion, but I'm going to base my judgement on research findings. I recommend to anyone that they investigate a product and its components before purchasing. And yes teflon is toxic. If it doesn't flake off its probably not a problem, but I wouldn't take the risk since it would go right in my lung... I'm not trying to fight with you, I just err on the side of caution and recommend the same to anyone regardless of whether they want to follow that advice or not. :/

 

[marcuss]

Your entitled to your opinion, but I'm going to base my judgement on research findings. I recommend to anyone that they investigate a product and its components before purchasing. And yes teflon is toxic. If it doesn't flake off its probably not a problem, but I wouldn't take the risk since it would go right in my lung... I'm not trying to fight with you, I just err on the side of caution and recommend the same to anyone regardless of whether they want to follow that advice or not. :/

It's about 3 years that periodically i can see someone talking like you. It is nice to see that you are concerned about this issue and please when you finish with researches let us know if you still breathe or if you need a hiperbaric room like Micheal Jackson

We all try to avoid the crap out there.....this is THE target for this forum...so help us keep the target but please do not create useless fears without facts!

 

[stonemonkey55]

The good news is, the silicone sleeve is removeable, so if you have any concerns about it, you can always use it without it. Personally, I think it adds enough functionality to the VHW where I will choose to keep mine on, but prior to having the sleeve, this thing still kicked ass. Happy turkey day everyone!

 

[max]

Your entitled to your opinion, but I'm going to base my judgement on research findings. I recommend to anyone that they investigate a product and its components before purchasing. And yes teflon is toxic. If it doesn't flake off its probably not a problem, but I wouldn't take the risk since it would go right in my lung... I'm not trying to fight with you, I just err on the side of caution and recommend the same to anyone regardless of whether they want to follow that advice or not. :/

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that ingesting small particles of Teflon flaked off into food is not known to cause any health maladies.
http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/safecookware.htm

Obviously there's no consensus, so your claim amounts to an opinion.

If your standard approach is to join a forum and immediately state that pretty much all the equipment that the members are using is toxic, without providing any evidence to support your claims, I think it's safe to say that you're gonna rub a lot of people the wrong way. If you choose to use only vapes with an all glass vapor path, feel free, but if you continue to denigrate the vapes that other members use, without providing any evidence for your viewpoint, expect to be challenged. In fact, I suggest you read the forum rules if you haven't done so already. I also suggest you interpret the 'no harrassment' rule to include not slamming most of the popular vapes as toxic. We have people posting on forums (with certainty) that the Volcano isn't safe because it uses an aluminum block heat exchanger. I'd say testing by the University of Leiden that gives it the safety stamp is more believeable than forum rumors that people read and propagate as fact. Your conviction that high quality stainless steel isn't safe to use in a vape already puts your credibility at ground level.

You've already made your position clear. Talk all you want about your preferences in a vape, but in the future I suggest you keep your unsubstantiated claims of toxicity to yourself, unless you make it clear that it's just your opinion and you have no evidence to support it. You can consider my suggestion to be an official forum warning. We're not going to allow this forum to contribute to the spreading of unfounded rumors.

 

[captainwolf]

Teflon is a highly controversial chemical, and yes there is evidence that it causes cancer, but nothing is 100% conclusion:

"Studies show these chemicals can migrate into food directly from the packaging, especially when heated. PFOS and PFOA have been found in more than 98 percent of Americans? blood, and an Environmental Working Group study detected the chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of 10 of 10 newborn babies. PFOA and PFOS never break down, persisting in the environment indefinitely."

"PFOA is considered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s Science Advisory Board to be a likely carcinogen and a chemical that induces breast tumors in animals. In addition, PFOA and PFOS have been linked to problem pregnancies and developmental complications."

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=11441

And yes Teflon does offgas, it actually poses problems for birds living in your home (as they are more sensitive to air toxins, hence why carnaries were used in mines to detect gas leaks).
http://www.ewg.org/node/8305

I'm not arguing with you anymore Max, my beleifs are based on evidence I have looked at. Is it controversial? Yes, so is the aluminum/Alzheimer's connection. But yes, I am going to err on the side of caution and will recommend anyone else to. All they have to do is compare studies and make a decision for themselves.

 

[stickstones]

Thanks for posting those links, captainwolf. After reading those, I'd say one should at least consider these articles when making a decision regarding teflon.

If you continue to post your concerns about health with that kind of support, I don't think you will have any problems around here.

Anyone care to debunk these articles? And, if so, please do it in the herbalaire thread.

 

[stonemonkey55]

Captainwolf, those are very interesting articles. I really think at the end of the day, it is always better to err on the side of caution. My i-inhale for example, is supposed to be made from all these FDA approved plastics and while I appreciate the R&D that went into the choosing of these materials, I still don't feel 100% safe using it. It doesn't take a genius for you to find numerous examples of substances that were once considered safe by the FDA but were later found to be toxic. My point is, even if they say something is 100% safe, I think it would be foolish to be into it 100%. As long as we continue to question, to do additional research, you will get closer to the truth. In the meantime, you can always stick to all glass set ups like the one that I'm using in this thread.

 

[vtac]

Anyone care to debunk these articles? And, if so, please do it in the herbalaire thread.

Actually please make a new thread for discussing the safety of materials. Doing it in these model threads amounts to pissing people off and derailing the thread.

 

[captainwolf]

monkey, when is the wand going to be available? Is he setting a limit on how many you can purchase for the bro-sale?

 

[stonemonkey55]

he said that he might be able to begin fulfilling orders next tuesday. I think you can purhase as many as you would like at the bro price. Email him at info@vriptech.com and I'm sure he can work somethi g out for you. You wouldn't believe how popular the vhw has been over the holidays. The Vaporfection got a little bit of love but the vhw was almost in consistent rotation. It was very interesting to see some peoplle gravitate towards the pd, Vaporfection and the vhw. I found that the people that liked the pd seemed to favor blunts and joints while the bong folks preferred the vhw. People were extremely pleased with the performance , convenience, and taste and might have even converted a few folks over to vaporizing. It's really interesting to see how one simple change can change people's perspective on whether or not they would use a vaporizer. Being able to mimic the lighter to the bong ritual seemed to go over really well with the guests. Def made for an even happier thanksgiving

 

[captainwolf]

Is he on vacation or is he actively responding to emails over the holidays?
Is there a warranty on the VHW?

 

[stonemonkey55]

Not sure what the warranty is, I'm sure everything is covered except the glass itself. I can try and find out. Not sure if he is actively returnng emails over the holidays, pretty much a one persn shop. Emailing him would be the only way to find out. In the meantime, I will take a morning vape for the holidays.

 

[captainwolf]

Monkey, is it possible to turn the VHW into a hands free device similar to the Herborizer? I was thinking some how maybe using a lab stand to hold the wand and using a glass piece similar in design and shape as the Sphere Herborizer and just hang the wand over the bowl. What you think?

 

[captainwolf]

Also, how can you tell if your water pieces are 9.5 mm or 12mm for the VCB?
I know there is nothing wrong with stainless steel, but you never really know if the screens are "pure" stainless steel or a composite. So my second question is: is there a way to use the VCB with a glass screen?

 

[stonemonkey55]

I think with some work you can get it to be hands free. I have talked to Mark requesting for a hands free version, so maybe some time in the future. I don't think it would take too much to create something that you could prop the VHW up against to get it to function more like the Herborizer, just a little trial and error

As far as figuring out whether or not you have a 9.5 or 12mm stem, I'm not too sure how you would measure that but I am guess, most of the newer pieces use a 12mm stem. You can probably find an online dealer to get pure stainless steel screens and I have not ever seen a glass screen before but if you have one, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use it with your VCB.

I think you will be happy with the fact that even the heating element is encapsulated in glass, so the air never comes in contact with the ceramic. Herbo looks a little cleaner and offers the hands free. The VHW offers a more modular design and induces the venturi effect for more efficient vaping. You can't go wrong with whatever you choose.