What up Family Mark McCoy owner of Vrip checking in on the FC haps since ShadowVape has been buried with his new day job and GF (ummmmmhmmmmm) and tells me he hasn't been contributing as much as he would like! First of all: Thanks for all the killer community support to all the contributors on here you all ROCK and thanks to Nate for making this extraordinary community happen in the first place...who would have ever known that vapor could bring people together like this! Back in the late '90s when I started Vrip by sharing instruments I designed for me and my bros I used to say: "just watch in a few years it will be all vapor and people will wonder why they ever smoked." Wow how times have changed in the last decade and i'm willing to bet that changed has accelerated thanks to FC.com----we are so past the Hundredth Monkey now it's on! I'll be logging in from time to time on this account to add my two sense and make sure the company is represented until he can pick the ball back up and run again.
Just a few things to add now from skimming the more recent posts that might be of value:
The Vrip system by genesis was intended to maintain the ritual of water pipe or bubbler smoking but with vapor instead of smoke; so the facts that the vapor is intended to be run through a water pipe or bubbler and it is not a hands free system are very intentional and by design. Dialing into the Vrip takes a little practice, but the payoff is great if vapor quality, especially in terms of breadth of spectrum delivered per inhalation and aromatic density are a goal. Ahhh wait I missed size of inhalation...if you like the ability to take larger inhalations of vapor that are actually vapor and not smoke/vapor well Vrip shines in that department too.
From my perspective the genesis of the VapeXhale was all about how to benefit the higher quality extractions and purity of an all glass path with the ability to moisture condition and/or ice cool the vapor, BUT withOUT having to participate in the extraction and delivery with as much conscious effort as the Vrip or a Herbalizer or Verdamp for instance. And to this end I believe they have succeeded greatly from the prototypes I have tried....anyone one getting frustrated with the wait please understand they started 100% from scratch and took on quite a bit in the search of the perfect inhalation and StoneMonkey won't let them go full production until he is satisfied which is a good thing in the long run trust me!
StoneMonkey and I are both very much on the same page as far as opinion of what is the best vaporizer (the one you'll actually use) and what defines great vapor quality (breadth of spectrum, aromatic density, purity, size of inhalations possible, etc). I encourage everyone to try different vapes and to recognize that each device has it's strong points and weak points that could make one more ideal than another for a particular situation and vice versa. I will warn you though that once you taste full spectrum vapor extracted and delivered through a glass pathway and with moisture conditioning and/or ice cooling it's a game changer from there forward in terms of vapor quality expectations. Although I love the unrushed ritual of Vrips myself I would love to find a way to experience Vrip quality vapor in the palm of my hands quick and on the fly for when I'm riding on the mountain or just out and about....so far no go with anything I've tried so I have an inverter in the truck and even a small solar set up with panel, inverter and battery for in the field or camp out Vrips!
We have actually made hands free prototypes using ground joints in the past and never liked the performance which tended to get smoky on the pauses if hot enough for full spectrum vapor due to the perfect seal created and the inability to crack the seal on the fly. If you want glass as your heating surface you must sacrifice the quickness with which the temp can change---you benefit stability (and obviously purity) but a glass encapsulated heating element can't change temp as fast as a nichrome coil for instance.....so by having the ability to "crack the seal" between wand and bowl to cool it down a tad mid pull if it is starting to get too hot is critical to the pursuit of the ultimate inhalation. Also, the holding of the wand itself is akin to holding a lighter to a bowl---part of the ritual I, and many of our customers, where used to when transitioning to vapor. Once one dials into rotating the bowl to the side they want to hold the wand on for ergonomics and starting with nice slow pulls which equal higher apparant temp to get the vapor flowing and then milking the clean vapor thick and finishing as they would a normal water pipe inhalation with a faster pull which equals a lower apparant temp it becomes possible to get rather large and condensed BUT STILL CLEAN vapor pulls (aka Blue Vapor if done right and with high oil content herbs)---and from there everything changes.
Screen placement is admittedly a bit of an art form on the Vrip bowls (some more than others---remember each piece is handblown and slightly different from the last) and although you can leave the screen in the top half of the bowl where it is usually packed it will be a bit loose until there is some oil residue and some shaping of the edges to get it to sit nice and flat there without moving around (stir gently and don't poke at it). This is the actual intended position for smaller fuller spectrum pulls (and just more of them if you're feeling it), BUT truth-be-told many customers myself included push the screen into the bottom of the bowl and then push it back up with a poker or chop stick or similar while holding down with a finger from above to flatten it out or even make it slightly convex under the o-ring groove. This position does enable packing of larger bowls for larger pulls (usually a good thing) or if packing the same size bowls as with the upper screen position you just turn the heat up slightly higher and/or pre heat and slow pull slightly longer to get it milking up.
Silicon tip seals do discolor and eventually crack with usage but this should take many many months if not longer of daily use before you get to a point that it will hurt performance and to be clear the seal should be situated just barely below the end of the tip so that when seated in the upper intake the silicone is NOT in the air flow path---it is just there to create a seal. Also, to be clear this is the highest quality medical grade silicone that is literally approved for implanting in the body!!! And although there is a slight smell the first few uses it is harmless and non-toxic and again should not be in your air or vapor path if used correctly. Leaving the wand on full heat and inverted in one of our stands or a mug (great for faster heat up) for extended periods of full heat "stand-by" mode will greatly reduce the life span of the silicone tip seals so go horizontal for full heat stand-by and you'll be good. We are happy to send a tip seal out gratis to anyone asking or you can buy a three pack on the website for a few bucks which includes shipping if you order just the tip seals. And for those unusually committed types who NEED to have their wand on all day long and will go through the tip seals faster than the above average or average customer we are happy to cut a deal and send you a section of the hose we cut the seals from---just send us an email and ask!
That's it for today as usual feel free to hit us up at info@vriptech.com for anything we can help with or additional detail on any of the above contributions.
I have found a great hobby in vaporizers and collecting glass, and even though I have enjoyed smoking cannabis for about 30 years I would say that in these last two years I have developed a larger appreciation for it. So as I said in my original post, I would like to give this VHW a spin (you mentioned a new version on the horizon?) I have been enjoying my vape experience so far,and can't wait to try yet another what I consider to be another truly high end vape experience. THanks again for your efforts and honest impressions! I will look forward to reading your thoughts on the latest version as well! 
I read your review and your thoughts in the VXC thread and they were really great, and I think you pretty much explained everything I wanted to with more clarity (and seeing as you have experience with the VHW and the VXC you're inherently more qualified than I to do so). I thought that stirring the pot a bit on this thread was merited however, since the only love the VHW seems to get these days is people comparing it to the Cloud or suggesting someone purchase a VHW simply because the Cloud isn't ready yet. The VHW deserves more attention than being an appetizer to the Cloud. The VHW was a lynchpin in the mental development of at least one of the major contributors to the VXC BUT that doesn't mean that the VXC is necessarily going to be a major improvement on the VHW in everyone's eyes and experience. It will be a different vaporizer built with a similar ethos: to achieve the tastiest, most efficient, safest vaporizer experience possible. I'd really love to see more users explain the benefits of the VHW without just saying "well it's the best you're going to get until you can buy the Cloud." As someone with experience of both vapes your input is highly appreciated here Krazy.
Only last night did i realize there's a lip you carefully tug the screen to fit nice and snug under. This also allows you to pack a bit more in there too. I noticed that I will need to alter my hitting method a bit to fit this adjustment. Probably has to do with the heat having to travel across a 'longer path'? Regardless, im loving my VHW and all the variables that come with it.
Good too see you on FC! Also nice to see that you're still living in your writers trance 