Discontinued VRIPtech Heating Wand

[stonemonkey55]

I just got back from lunch and got my VRIPtech heating tool in the mail. I believe he has a limited quantity of the first production units and If you purchase one from him and he makes changes to the full production units, I believe he said he will upgrade yours for free (you can email him to clarify). It is a ceramic heating element with the electrical components in a separate area. It draws 60 watts so this is something you can use in your car as well. As you look at the pictures, I think the closest comparison for this thing would be the Herborizer heating element, although I believe this heating wand trumps it in a few areas. First the temperature dial is on the wand, (marcuss, correct me if I'm wrong but the dimmer is separate from the heating element for the Herbo right? I think you connect it inline with the electrical cord, your input would be helpful) and second, it leverages the venturi effect to maintain it's heat better.

Here is a photo of it:




In the picture below, you can see a small hole where the air enters and then the air makes it way through the glass corkscrew, this is another example of the venturi effect (you also get the Venturi effect with the VRIP VCB bowl due to it's shape, another reason why I prefer the VCB to the Inspector Vapor/Gotvape bowls) . I'm not an expert on it, but the basic premise is that as the air swirls faster and faster, it gets hotter and hotter.




and here is a pic of the heating wand hooked up to a VRIP VCB and VRIP water pipe filled with crushed ice.




So I know I have a bad habit of gushing about the latest vape that I received in the mail but this one is truly exceptional. It has all the benefits of the heatgun but it is smaller, doesn't make any noise, and isn't assisted by a fan. Best of all, this is the closest thing you can get to glass on glass on glass on glass. Silicone tubing has made me like my whip SSV a lot more, but with this new heating wand, I can go back to the all glass set up to get the tastiest vapor hits that I loved without the inconvenience of the heat gun.

If you prefer using a whip, I even Macgyvored up a little set up so this wand could sit snuggly on the edge of a couple of books and I just stuck my whip to the end of the wand and voila, it kinda worked....but I'll just stick with the all glass set up. Maybe if he had something that attached to the tip of it, it would make a better seal with a whip.

I really think this heating wand is another breakthru for vaping. I'm sure a lot of you have collected quite a few nice glass pieces in your lifetime and the only way to vape with it would be to use the heat gun and some sort of big bowl. With this wand and one the VRIP bowls (which I highly recommend over the inspector vapor bowl's due to it's shape and medicine holding ability), it brings back all your favorite glass pieces back to life.

I think this heating wand is making it's own niche in the vaporizing market. Right now I see the market looking like this, with each type having it's own set of pro's and con's:

Bag vapes - Volcano, Extreme, Herbalaire

Whip vapes - SSV, Extreme, VB/VW

Purple Days Vape - I believe this one deserves it's "own" category

Conniseur vape - Herborizer, VRIPtech heating tool -> I just made up this last category but these are the only ones that are pretty much glass on glass on glass. However subtle you may think the taste difference is with an all glass set up, you have to admit that there is a difference. For me, it's pretty big, for other's it's not a big deal. I know a lot of you guys on this forum are on a quest for the "ultimate vapor" experience and I believe that this wand + VRIP bowl + your glass waterpipe is your best and cheapest way there.

 

[stickstones]

Diggin' it, monkey...thanks for the review! How much does it cost and the VRIP bowl?

 

[stonemonkey55]

I believe the VRIP bowl is $50, I cannot stress enough how much better it is than the GotVape bowls. I bought the GotVape Nitro bowl because it has a GG connection for waterpipes like Roor's and i thought that it would do the same thing for vapor as it did for smoke, but unfortunately vapor doesn't work that way...lol. The VRIP bowl is actually two pieces, the lower bowl is where you stuff your herb, and the upper chamber fits over for you to insert the heatgun/heat wand.

The heating tool is $150 retail, I know he has about 50 or so coming, and might be offering an early bird special. Email him (links on the website) for more info on getting your hands on one of these. So if you already own a glass bong, go buy some 420 solution and get it clean. For $200, you pretty much got your very own American Herbo (although the Herbo aesthetically looks nicer to me) that is a bit more versatile and I kid you guys not, the venturi fins in the heating element make the heating wand extremely forgiving. Hit it hard, hit is slow, either way, you're gonna get thick, crisp, tasty, vapor snob, vapor hits. I just wish I could be at home putting this machine thru the ringer. October has been a great vaping month, i-inhale comes out, this heating wand comes out, both I think are vaping breakthrus.

I'll answer what I can about this thing but if you want one, give him a shout at Info@VripTech.com

 

[vaporcloud]

Thats a slick looking peice SM. So hows the wife taking it ... thought you were reducing to 2 vapes

 

[stonemonkey55]

I basically told the wife I was trading in the heat gun for the heat wand so technically it's more of a trade than an actual purchase

She actually took a vape with me this afternoon because she is a bit of a vapor snob herself and got the two thumbs up from her.

 

[SuperTorch]

It looks functional(not gimmicky), just put it on the end of what ever your toking and its Vape-On. I like what you say about it being forgiving sounds like it works very well. You can see right off how it works, I'll defiantly keep an eye out as I suspect this will become a very big seller, I'll buy one in a heartbeat once a few more owner say it rocks. Its kinda like my VaporStar I could tell just by looking at it that I wanted one and it exceeded my expectations this looks promising.

 

[SpiralArchitect]

Damn, that shit looks slick.

Maybe it'll be a Christmas Vaporizer for me...... It would be perfect for my BlueDot....

Are those pictures you took stonemonkey55?

It looks smaller than it actually is (the first picture is deceiving) but I like how it is specially designed for our intended purposes, if you know what I mean.

 

[stonemonkey55]

Yep, that is my friend demonstrating what it looks like to take an ice cooled, water filtered, glass on glass vape. Now that I've gone thru 3-4 more sessions, I am loving the convenience of this thing and really appreciating the quality of vapor I am getting. You get thick but not smokey vapor, I am a extremely pleased with the overall performance.

 

[vtac]

Damn, stone, you're on the ball! Gotta say, that looks extremely nice, the corkscrew air path around the element is ingenious! To be honest I kind of wrote off VripTech early on because at first glance (jaded consumer here) it kind of seemed like they we're just cashing in on the heat gun method--Do you really need fancy bowls for that? But after reading up and hearing your comments, and now seeing this... I want to believe! Seriously, that thing just jumped to the top of my wanted list... if it's as good as it sounds, and at that price point...

Hmmm lot's of questions... but for now: How even does it cook and what's the capacity like on the 12mm bowl? I take it it's going to work best with the vrip bowl? Seem pretty durable?

Thanks for the scoop.

 

[vaporcloud]

I basically told the wife I was trading in the heat gun for the heat wand so technically it's more of a trade than an actual purchase

She actually took a vape with me this afternoon because she is a bit of a vapor snob herself and got the two thumbs up from her.

haha The Monkey and his vape empire. Sweet!

 

[stonemonkey55]

Vtac, I am extremely pleased to hear that you will give the VRIP a second look. There is a part of me that likes to have the latest and greatest, and shiniest new toy and there is also the very practical side of me. The VRIP was my first vapor set up back in 97 or so, and I've accumulated new vaporizers throughout the years. Even with all the advancements in vaporizing technology, I always felt that the VRIP with the heat gun and water pipe filled with ice produced the best vapor experience for me. So every time I would get a new vape, I would use it quite a bit for the first two weeks but slowly gravitate back to VRIP.

Just to give you an idea how much I am loving this new thing, I will tell you it is not "normal" for me to get up at 6:30 am on a Saturday just so I could take another vapor rip out of the VRIP

But to answer your question, I would say the VRIP bowls hold about as much as a whip wand would hold if you packed it between 1/2 way 3/4 full. The design on the heating wand, the shape of the bowl for the venturi effect, all work beautifully together to cook the vapor out of the medicine very evenly. The wand itself feels like it is made of heavy, durable glass but I am not taking my chances, I am babying this thing every step of the way.

Vaporcould, the wife is happy with the giveth/taketh story I gave her. She grew up using waterpipes, so she never like using whips or bags because it was different from smoking a joint or hitting a bong. She also didn't like using the heat gun because it was so cumbersome for her (esp cause she is very petite) which resulted in her vaping only on special occasions. Now, with the heat wand, she can use her beloved glass bong with vrip set up, and I can use my custom glass bong and we are both happy! I'll post up some additional pics later, time to go back to sleep

 

[marcuss]

hey Monkey thanks for the informative thread and yes the herbo has a separate box with the temp knob....not really an issue but if it was on the heater....less stuff is better to me.

 

[stonemonkey55]

Thanks for the update Marcus, I think you would like adding this to your vapor bar.

Here some additional pics I've taken while putting the wand through the rigors of testing with some organic sour diesel, strawberry-lemonade, and some super silver haze.




and




With the new harvest, the all glass setup came in handy to taste the entire spectrum of flavors that these strains had to offer. The only downside to this thing is trying to pry the wife away from it, she absolutely LOVES it

 

[SpiralArchitect]

Niiiiiiiice. Looks like it hits really well. I see some fat bags too.

What is the heatup time like? And can you leave it on/plugged-in when not in use or does it present a firehazard?

What about burning -- have you combusted with it yet?

All in all, this is really sweet. I use to love bongs, and things bring 2 wonderful things together without the scary heat guns.

 

[stonemonkey55]

SA - The heat up time is very similar to that of the SSV. The heating element looks very similar but is a little bit thicker. I noticed that it only has a subtle glow of red when at proper vaping temperature. I keep it plugged in but I don't have it turned on all the time. You would have to place it on something non-flammable to keep it on all the time but I wouldn't recommend it since it heats up in a minute so why take the chance?

I haven't turned it up to it's highest temperature to see if it could combust the medicine. I don't ever plan on doing it and while I know it gets much hotter than the required vaping temperature, I do not know if it gets hot enough to make the material combust.

Well, it's getting late here, I'm gonna go grab some crushed ice and turn on the heat wand for the good night session.

 

[spikyvape]

So if i can see this right, there is no aircontact with the ceramic ?

That would improve the taste by miles !

 

[vtac]

^ You can really taste a ceramic element? What vape are you using as the benchmark? Not trying to be a smart ass, just curious. I do like the idea of no tubing... stuff I've seen (need to try some of that sanitary silicone) does have a distinctly noticeable petrol smell to it. I can smell it more than taste though, and after some use it goes away, even if that's just the vape resin smell overpowering it. To be honest it's never bothered me. But, way in the back of my mind, if I absolutely had to find a weak point in a great whip vape like the SSV, that would be it. Again it's not an issue in my mind, but a tiny, super OCD niggle none the less.

But back on topic...

I would say the VRIP bowls hold about as much as a whip wand would hold if you packed it between 1/2 way 3/4 full.

So, maybe ~0.3g? Can you use less than that?

Thanks for the additional pics, I'm super jealous of your bud selection.

 

[spikyvape]

Don't know if i can taste it, but i know that with a SSV / VB (ceramic) you get 4 nice flavour hits. with volcano, verdamper, Aromed you get more flavour hits. These all aren't Ceramic elements so maybe
it's the ceramic ?

So all glass maybe is even nicer

 

[max]

Don't know if i can taste it, but i know that with a SSV / VB (ceramic) you get 4 nice flavour hits. with volcano, verdamper, Aromed you get more flavour hits. These all aren't Ceramic elements so maybe
it's the ceramic ?

So all glass maybe is even nicer

How many "nice flavour hits" you get isn't brand/model dependent IMO. There are variables, including how much is loaded in the bowl and each person's definition of flavorful. Personally I don't consider any bagged vapor, including the Volcano, to be flavorful. By design, vapor in a bag is diluted. Every hit from a bag should taste the same. The 'flavor' is mixed throughout the bag. The 'cano also uses a large aluminum heating block, and the Verdamper uses a heat gun. These materials seem contrary to the theory that even a ceramic element affects taste. If the Verdamper heat gun has a ceramic element, why wouldn't the other materials in it overwhelm the ceramic taste? I won't deny that the element can affect taste though, since Sebastien noticed a difference when experimenting with naked ceramic vs. stainless steel coated ceramic in the Herborizer. OTOH, all ceramic elements certainly aren't created equal, so what he was testing could be very different from what 7th Floor uses, or Vaporwarez, or Vapor Bros., etc.

If someone is taste sensitive enough to tell the difference between different types of tubing and even heating elements, then I say seek out whatever system pleases you. But if the taste you're getting from whatever vape you're using is fine to you, I wouldn't get wrapped up in the search for the perfect taste. I get a hit or two from each I-inhale bowl that I consider to be quite tasty. It was surprising to me. I don't get as tasty a hit from the Vapolution, where the vapor path has nothing but glass. I can tell no real difference in the taste from the Vapolution, SSV, and PD. Are my taste buds less sensitive than some of you? Probably so. I've had a lot of years of tasting smoke, from both cigs and weed. And everyone's taste buds surely aren't the same, smoke dulled or not. I'm interested in a safe vapor path and a quality vape. Other factors are more important to me than the search for slight taste improvements. If the taste your vape provides is OK with you, don't expect a big improvement with an all glass, 'no heater in the vapor path' unit.

 

[stonemonkey55]

Max, thanks for the feedback, nice to get another POV on this topic of taste. I think your post is a good contrast so that reader's of this forum can decide on their own, what is most important to them. Is it a dramatic taste difference? For some people no, for others like me, it is pretty noticeable. I believe with this new heating tool, you no longer have to sacrifice convenience for this type of flavor. The vapor is no "stronger" when using this all glass vapor path, merely tastes better

Spikyvape - There is air that comes in contact with the ceramic heating element, but the heating element is encapsulated in glass, but I'm pretty sure that the air travels past the ceramic heating element, maybe VRIPtech can handle this question

VTAC - Yes smaller bowls work as well, as you can tell, I am not short on medicine so I just stuff in however much I would like into the machine. Me and you fall into the same category, when I point out weaknesses in certain vapes, they are always small and minute. I have little to complain about my SSV, but when I have to objectively compare its vapor taste to either the Herbo or VRIP, it is an "A-" versus an "A" so you really can't go wrong. For me, I always had to decide, do I want to get ice, fill my water pipe, and bust out the heatgun to take what I consider an ultimate vapor hit? or do I just want to turn a knob on the SSV and take a hit? Now that the heat gun is out of the equation, the convenience factor has increased ten-fold so I don't have to make that decision anymore.

The versatility of the heating wand is ridiculous. I am 100% confident, based on what VRIPtech told me about the safety measures taken place when designing this heating tool, that it offers the best flavor and is equal in convenience to whip based models. For me, it's a win win type of situation, and if you are looking for ultimate flavor and health and do not want to sacrifice convenience (and also use your old glass collection ) and factor in price, this thing is a no brainer - I am absolutely in love with this thing, hope the other vapes aren't mad that I'm cheating on them with this new heating element

 

[SpiralArchitect]

Have you tried it with dry-pieces/bubblers/any other 'smoking device'?

Imagine gravity hits of vapor. /// edit, well I guess not everything would work because of the matching bowl you must use... :/

Thanks for the headsup on this sm55, seriously. This thing is awesome as hell. Most likely, my next vaporizer investment, fo sho.

Any idea on when the full-production models might be released? I'm not sure if I want to invest in a prototype (but the free upgrade basically nullifies any fears) then again, it seems to be working A-OK for you.

 

[stonemonkey55]

SA, I have been experimenting with my bubbler, but pretty much, this thing will work with anything that accepts the stems. I think with some creativity, you could get the wand, the matching bowl, somehow fused together to do some vapor gravity hits. I've been able to rig up some old vaporizers for that specific function, but I don't think vapor reacts the same way smoke does when doing gravity hits, either that or my machine had some leaks where air could get in to make the vapor not as dense as it could be. This will be a pet project when I have some additional time but I will need to use a glass jar to keep with the 100% glass theme

I believe the full production units will be out in a month, and you can get the one I have in a week or so. I happened to snag one of the first few pre-production units. The glass corkscrew section has some slight variances in it that should be fixed with the full production units. Either way, as it is, it works like the a champ and if it were not improved, I would be 100% happy with the one I have. Of course, if there is an improvement, I will be exchanging up right away

 

[vtac]

VTAC - Yes smaller bowls work as well, as you can tell, I am not short on medicine so I just stuff in however much I would like into the machine. Me and you fall into the same category, when I point out weaknesses in certain vapes, they are always small and minute.

Nice, any idea on how little you can use? Actually, would you mind posting (or linking) some close up pics of a loaded and assembled bowl?

Yep, and it's not so much pointing out weaknesses in a lot of cases, since those points can also be strengths when considering different criteria. I just really like the idea of 100% all glass-- you really can't question the purity of the flavor (well mayble spikyvape can ). Even if you aren't able to tell the difference from something using vinyl tubing for example, it's nice to have that benchmark, imo. Aside from that it's just seems classy to me and the corkscrew design / venturi effect magic going on does sound sweet. Conversely you have the fragility of glass to deal with, but you can't have glass without that.

The design on the heating wand, the shape of the bowl for the venturi effect, all work beautifully together to cook the vapor out of the medicine very evenly.

So no darker spot in the middle. Can you also post some pics of the hot air exit hole on the end of the wand. Sorry, no rush.

 

[Hennessy1414]

hit us up when this thing becomes for sale!

 

[Acolyte of Zinglon]

this vape looks pretty awesome
ive always liked vriptech's glass too