What's the best portable for my specific needs? Mighty+, Bowle, TinyMight or??

[Atoum]

Hi everyone,

New member and vaper here, thanks for having me! I'm a humanitarian worker who lives and works in Congo. Used to be a heavy smoker, quit cigarettes but continued joints rolled up the European way, meaning mixed with tobacco. So I'm hooked to both nicotine and tobacco. At 47, it's more than time I give up on combustion. Nicotine is the easy part with e-cigarettes. As for buds, I've purchased a Volcano Hybrid a couple of weeks ago. I love my sessions, but it doesn't fit all my needs and I don't manage to fully give up on combustion:
- I like smoking while doing other stuff like working on my computer, playing online, while playing bass, etc... So I need to be able to pick the vape, take a few puffs, put it down 10-15 seconds, pick it up again, etc... I lose air with the Volcano balloons when I put them down, slowly but surely, so it stresses me out. And I don't get good hits from the hose (I need to practice I guess) so I don't use it so far
- Puffing from the balloons makes me cough a lot, and reduces both my pleasure and sensation of hit
- I regularly travel on the field and can't take the Volcano with me.

So to complete my needs I need a vape:
- That is portable
- That I can put down for a few secs than pick up again without stressing
- That is weed efficient
- That is somehow dependable. I realize that portable vapes will always be less reliable than fix ones, and don't expect my purchase to last as long as my volcano. But I can't afford sending my unit back from Congo for repair every 2 weeks. It takes long, is complicated, and expensive to mail things to Europe from here.

I initially thought things were super easy and was planning on ordering the Mighty+, simply because I didn't know of the other options. Doing my research on this forum and others, I got to learn about the Tafée Bowle which, other than its poor battery life, seems to fit my needs much better with its "on demand" approach. Its vape is also said to be even fresher than the Mighty's thanks to its cooling unit in the stem, so less cough. I am however somehow worried about reliability issues, particularly with regards to its proprietary charger. Not talking about faulty units, rather the durability of non faulty ones.

So here I stand, desperately wanting/needing to pull the trigger fast to get rid of combustion once and for all, but not managing to do it due to hesitation. My heart screams "GET THE TB GODDAMMIT!" while my brains say "hold up, the Mighty is the safer choice, even though not the most fun one". To make things worst, while doing my research my eyes also started eyeing the TinyMight, for Elon-Musk-knows-what-reason, as on paper it doesn't fit my needs at all. My guess is that I first need to decided between the TB and the Mighty+ as an all rounder, and a couple of months down the road I'll invest in a TM to get different hits.

So my questions in order to try and unlock my brain stall are:
- Am I correct in assuming that I'll cough less inhaling the vape from a TB or a Mighty+ versus the vape of my Volcano balloons, thanks to their cooling systems?
- Do you own a Tafée Bowle? how is the reliability holding on?
- Do you own a Mighty+? Is it as over-rated as many on this forum seem to say? Or is it as great as others seem to point out? I know it's a session device but still strongly considering it as the sessions seem long enough to put it down and pick it back up every once in a while with no stress. Am I correct in this?
- Last one for the fun: if you were in my shoes (I wear size 10 btw), which would you pick?

I'm planning on pulling the trigger Sunday latest, many thanks for you help !

Edit: also somehow on my list is the Minivap but I find much less material on them online, other that they also seem to suffer from reliability issues, reason why I haven't mentioned it before. But I'd be happy to be proven wrong if it's a better option!

 

[Shit Snacks]

Welcome to FC! I suggest reading the respective product threads for these, skimming backwards from the most recent page, to get a sense of how the owners feel about them...

Tafée is a great option for your use case, sure it isn't perfect but I do enjoy mine, much more effective, efficient, smoother hitting, than the mighty in my experience... I also really love the tinymight though because it is so versatile, if I could have just one vape that would be the one, but I mostly use it with WPA through various dry glass pieces... So to get the smoothest hits you might want some external glass piece, not necessarily with water, but you may like water too... I would also suggest checking out butane torch-based vapes, if that doesn't scare you off... Finally aside from portables, desktops have come a long way from the volcano as well, a log vape like the heat island could be plugged in ready to go whenever you are for a hit...

 

[Atoum]

Welcome to FC! I suggest reading the respective product threads for these, skimming backwards from the most recent page, to get a sense of how the owners feel about them...

Tafée is a great option for your use case, sure it isn't perfect but I do enjoy mine, much more effective, efficient, smoother hitting, than the mighty in my experience... I also really love the tinymight though because it is so versatile, if I could have just one vape that would be the one, but I mostly use it with WPA through various dry glass pieces... So to get the smoothest hits you might want some external glass piece, not necessarily with water, but you may like water too... I would also suggest checking out butane torch-based vapes, if that doesn't scare you off... Finally aside from portables, desktops have come a long way from the volcano as well, a log vape like the heat island could be plugged in ready to go whenever you are for a hit...

Thanks for your reply! Trust me, I did spend countless hours on this forum in the last week, that's actually how I found out about the existence of the Bowle and the Minivap And it enabled me to narrow down the selection to the ones I have pointed, but from here I am stuck. Some things I couldn't find:
- I didn't find a comparison between the "freshness" of Volcano balloons versus the Mighty+ or Bowle vape. Will it make me cough less or not?
- About reliability, you generally read more proactive posts about people who experienced issues rather than people who didn't. That's what somehow gives me cold feet about the Bowle. I'd love to read about happy owners since several months without issues, if there are a few on this forum, that'd definitely help me in my decision!

Point well noted about other desktop options, I've also seen another amazing one that looks like a piece of art in full ceramic, from a French company I believe but can't remember the name of. I'll surely look into those options at a later stage, but right now my most urgent need is for a portable one, as in the meantime the Volcano can "fill in" for desktop use, even if not perfect for my need. Thanks again for the help and advices, I really appreciate it!

 

[florduh]

I own the Bowle and the TM. I use the TM 99% of the time. They both have great vapor quality. Haven't used a Mighty in years, but from what I remember both of these high powered convection portables outperform it.

The TinyMight is way more portable. If you ever need to pocket the vape for a walk or something, the TM is the clear winner.

Never had an issue with either vape. I feel more comfortable speaking on reliability on the TM though. I'd say in the past year, I could count on one hand how many days it didn't see use. Still works as well as day one with no maintenance besides cleaning the stems.

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

Hi @Atoum!
A butane vape, such as a dynavap stem or a sticky brick, hits many of your categories. Without batteries and a lack of parts that wear out quickly, these vapes can go long periods of time without a need for repair. They offer great, tasty hits once you dial in their use. You can definately microdose or use small amounts. The dynavaps are about as close to simulating smoking a joint as you can get in the vape world.

The only thing is the ability to pick them up one handed and hit them without thinking. They take a couple seconds to heat with a small butane torch and you have to pay attention to what you're doing. Now, you can also use a dynavap with an induction heater which can make the experience more one-handed, but you would need to find a model that can be shipped to you. There are battery and plug in versions.

It is hard to find one vape that does it all. Many of us on the FC buy several vapes to fill different needs and niches. It can become an expensive hobby!

Is it difficult to find good weed in the Congo?

 

[Cheebsy]

There are plenty of people on the bowle thread that are extremely happy with thier device. I'm not sure that I would want to take a risk on one with all the reports of needing to use customer service, especially if I lived in the Congo! I'd recommend Havering a read through the last 2p or so pages and seeing how you feel.

I don't own a mighty, but I've used them more than a few times. No thanks, especially if you're trying to give up combustion, it doesn't really go high enough on temperature to assuage those combustion cravings when transitioning. This was the most underwhelming vape I've used. I get that people love it, in just not one of them.

I would recommend an anvil or a vapcap. You'll get that familiar form factor and there is nothing to go wrong other than the torch lighter that you should be able to replace wherever you are.

The TM is fucking awesome if you're fixed on an electronic device, it is a little fragile, but it's also user serviceable.

 

[florduh]

Is it difficult to find good weed in the Congo?

Curious about that too. I don't know what the market looks like now, but don't some of the best genetics originate in Africa? I'm thinking landraces like Durban Poison.

 

[Shit Snacks]

, but from here I am stuck. Some things I couldn't find:
- I didn't find a comparison between the "freshness" of Volcano balloons versus the Mighty+ or Bowle vape. Will it make me cough less or not?

Coughing is a tricky thing, vapor is dry, you might always cough, but yeah I don't like volcano backs because it's just stale vapor sitting in there, but it could be smooth? I think mighty is not smooth, constantly cooking hybrid style, the cooling unit is annoying too imo so Bowle it's much smoother with its built-in double right angle, it is like a j-hook vape (as opposed to using the TM with a hook separately) but it can still be hot and harsh especially on the upper levels, using the drinkware can help cool the stem though...

- About reliability, you generally read more proactive posts about people who experienced issues rather than people who didn't. That's what somehow gives me cold feet about the Bowle. I'd love to read about happy owners since several months without issues, if there are a few on this forum, that'd definitely help me in my decision!

Yeah if you actually skim through the whole thread you'll see very many happy owners, true those that are happy don't post as often because they're busy enjoying their devices, what's the point in updating to say hey I'm still enjoying it haha so yeah you have to take everything with a grain of salt, you can't really extrapolate either way you just have to decide if you're okay with the potential risk you never know if you get a dud in any purchase especially with vapes!

Point well noted about other desktop options, I've also seen another amazing one that looks like a piece of art in full ceramic, from a French company I believe but can't remember the name of. I'll surely look into those options at a later stage, but right now my most urgent need is for a portable one, as in the meantime the Volcano can "fill in" for desktop use, even if not perfect for my need. Thanks again for the help and advices, I really appreciate it!

Haha yeah, I mentioned the log vapes because they really are like portable plug-in units, very small very easy to work with, Collyland is the ceramic one you are thinking of and it is a bit more involved haha more of a true desktop, I love mine, I have the bandits, they are not French, the original creator is German and so is his son, the makers of many of the units though were from Portugal but they are moving to Hungary?

 

[ray_]

I have the Mighty OG and the Bowle. I much prefer the vapor of the Bowle. It is incredible how well that metal stem cools. I cough sometimes with the mighty. I keep the temperature on the low side and temp step as the vapor begins to decrease. This makes it better for me. On the Bowle I can put it on setting 3 (of 4), take a large hit and exhale the most lovely tasting and full vapor I can imagine with no coughing at all.

I'll compare them:

Portability: The mighty wins, hand down on that one. You can toss it in a backack, fit it in in a larger pocket. It's a tank. The Bowle to me is an at-home portable. I don't take it out of the house. If you wanted you could walk around with a drink and your vape. I just haven't dome that.

Battery life. The mighty wins that one too. It should last most people a full day, maybe two with no problem. The Bowle is weak on the battery front. If vaping until it konks out you may get 5 0.1g bowls. If you treat it the way they recommend and charge it when it gets to 1 bar you will get 2 or 3 bowls. I am in the habit of putting it on the charger after every two bowls.

Reliablity: I'd give that a tie. The mighty is very reliable and I've had no issues with it. The Bowle is the same for rme. However, there seem to be more people with problems with the Bowle on this forum.

Vapor quality:
The Bowle wins that too. The easy, on-demand vapor is incredibly good. Very cool and full flavored, pure convection. The mighty is good too. It is hotter and less flavorful than the Bowle for me.

Cleaning:
The Bowle wins this one. Once I figured out the right way to do it. They give you 5 ceramic bowls (I forget what they call them... crucibles?) I load a bowl once and then clean it after use by holding it under a hot faucet. This is way easier than cleaning the mighty cooling unit. (I could write pages on that)

I think the Bowle fits your use case better, unless portabilty is a major concern.

 

[Vaporware]

I’ve seen a lot of people say they coughed more while switching from combustion, but once they hadn’t smoked in a couple of weeks I think it calmed down?

I’ve never smoked and I rarely cough, but if I take a huge hit and some of it stays in my throat that will often make me cough.

Drinking water before/between hits, and if my throat is too dry sometimes even after inhaling and before exhaling helps if I’m having any trouble, and making sure that I stop my draw early and breathe in air with no vapor toward the end is probably what helps most in preventing coughing for me.

Also, just not trying to take the most massive hits possible helps.

If you want to use it any time and not worry about being rushed, I’d go on demand for sure. The TM and TB would be much better choices than the Mighty for that.

If you want to stick it in your pocket or you’re worried about reliability, the TM seems like a great option.

 

[Atoum]

Wow, I go out for dinner, come back and find all these replies, thanks a lot for your advices! I'll try to answer best I can.
- I really see the interest of Dynavap kind of devices, and will probably look into them further down the road once I fully get into vape and start diversifying, like you all seem to do. But it doesn't fit my current needs due to its "ritual" aspect with the butane and everything. I already do what I call ritual vaping (vaping and not doing anything else at the same time) with my Volcano and its balloons. What I'm missing is something for casual and easy vaping while doing other stuff at the same time. Dynavap - and most desktop units at the opposite side of the spectrum- don't fit that purpose I think.
- It's easy to find weed in Congo, damn easy actually, even the military sell it, and you usually smell some weed scent coming from police officers stationed in front of buildings as guards! Depends on what you call "good". What you mostly get everywhere is the local breed, comes with seeds and a bit of branches, and usually quite dry. The taste is strong, with strong scents of earth, THC level low as it's 100% natural with little or no fertilizer used. Mostly smoked pure by people, rolled up in whatever piece of paper they can find (rizlas are hard to get and expensive here). For 30-40 USD you get a bucket load -no exaggeration- In the main towns, one can also find some good and strong Sensi weed, with high TCH levels, but for much more expensive (10 to 15 USD per gram). It comes from different sources. Mine is from a friend, who is renting an old colonial plantation out of town, and planting seeds he buys in Holland then cross-breeds in part of it, using only biological fertilizers. I get only one strain option at a time, but it's damn good! Some other people "import" strong weed from Europe, then resell it here for a profit. But I never buy it, as it's more expensive, I don't know where it comes from, and isn't as good as the one my friend grows. What's actually way harder, if not impossible to find is alternatives like e-cigarettes, vaporizers, e-liquid, cbd etc... I have to import it all using logistical transit companies for 20 USD per kilo, makes everything that much more expensive! Returning faulty units will cost me 40 USD per kilo as they'll have to go both ways...
- @florduh you mention having both the TB and the TM, but using the TM most of the time. What's the specific reason to that? Reading forums, I had the impression that the TB provided the purest vape coming out of a portable, period? If it's just about portability, I plan to use mine mainly at home or in my hotel room when traveling anyway. While finding weed is easy here, if I get caught as a white guy smoking weed in public, I'll get into lots of troubles simply cause they'll try to extort maximum money from me, so to avoid this I don't take any risks. If I'm outside and need to relax, I smoke an e-cigarette with CBD based e-liquid. The most portable use I can foresee for my device is on the parking lot of a club or restaurant, taking a few puffs with my girlfriend in the car before we enter the spot. So the added portability of the TM versus the others is always a nice touch, but not a game changer for my need. Is there anything else going in favor of the TM vs the TB for my mostly home based needs?
- @Shit Snacks true that, difficult to make useable stats on reliability based on forum interactions. The art-like ceramic desktop unit I was actually talking about was the Vapbong. Looks like it cam out of mars, and review say it works great. Gave me GAS...
- @ray_ thanks for the info. I do agree with you, other than battery life, the TB seems to meet my needs best. Particularly the ability to be able to take a few draws, put it down and play a few lines of bass, or a few games of World of Tanks Blitz, then draw again, without the stress of wasting my weed and having to refill a bowl each time. Basically what I'm used to do with my joints with combustion: take a few puffs, put it down in the ashtray and let it die while I do something, then pick it up and light it back 5 minutes later. TB seems the only one to be able to do this without the combustion part. And that's how I smoke 80% of the time (casual smoking), so my switch to vaping has to follow the same path if I want it to be smooth.
- @Vaporware I've been a heavy cigarette smoker for 20 years. 15 out of those I was smoking joints at the same time. At first "casually", but my consumption increased a lot when I quit smoking cigarettes (to compensate for the nicotine with the tobacco I was putting in my joints). Consumption then dramatically increased with COVID, lockdown and working from home. I've been smoking so long weed doesn't "hit" me anymore, it rather soothes me, unless I take loads. So I am easily capable of smoking up while working from home on reports and proposals. Something my health regrets. So I suppose my lungs are already pretty damaged, reason why I'm so eager to quit combustion fast. I guess I'll always cough when taking long drafts compared to you with your clean lungs. I'll try to listen to your advice and take smaller draws in the beginning to get used to the vaping sensation, and fully stop combustion to get rid of the related short term irritation in my lungs.

Reading all you guys, and further pondering on my needs, it seems like my best alternative definitely is the Tafée Bowle. I'll pray to receive a good and non faulty unit. And if it lasts me at least 6 months, I'm all good, as I can imagine by then I'll have a couple of alternative options (like the TM) in case the TB brakes down and I have to send it back for repair. It's only the beginning of a journey I hope to be as long as possible, if my health allows it thanks to quitting combustion. On the longer run, my aim and hope will be to quit e-cigarettes with nicotine, to only allow myself to vape in the evenings and weekends (meaning quitting weed daytime also altogether). With the option of smoking some CBD based e-liquid if the need becomes too strong daytime. As said, the beginning of a long and interesting journey hopefully...

Thanks a million again for your advices. The vaping world is a little complicated at first for newcomers like me!

 

[florduh]

you mention having both the TB and the TM, but using the TM most of the time. What's the specific reason to that?

I have a good reason and a bad reason. The good reason is... the TinyMight let's you do fine temp control. There's only a couple pre-set temps on the Bowle. I like low temp hits, especially earlier in the day. On the TM I can dial in a temp that's low, but still gives me a lungful. Temp stepping is better on the TM as well. There are some pretty big jumps on the Bowle.

The bad reason is... I feel less dorky using the TM. It looks like a cool little wood flask. I feel like a goof using the Bowle. I guess I feel the ergonomics are better on the TM, especially coming from ecig world. You use it like a normal vape.

I guess the vapor quality might be a tad better on the Bowle. But to me it really doesn't matter. The ability to fine tune the temp makes it irrelevant. And the TM tastes really good and can pump out the vapor anyway.

Honestly they're both top tier portables though.

 

[Shit Snacks]

For the record by the way when I say butane torch driven, I never mean dynavap lol I don't really like those... I mean the sticky bricks dreamwood style of direct pure convection (there is the new anvil and vector now however)

you mention having both the TB and the TM, but using the TM most of the time. What's the specific reason to that? Reading forums, I had the impression that the TB provided the purest vape coming out of a portable, period? If it's just about portability, I plan to use mine mainly at home or in my hotel room when traveling anyway

That's not true at all, I prefer the TM by a wide margin, it is a full temperature range with the power dial instead of the limiting four of the TB (I like to start as low as possible and eke my way up hit by hit to milk a bowl with flavor and effects) I find the TM to be more pure as well, since it just uses glass stems as the vapor path, I'm not using it with the cooling unit stock style, I'm using aftermarket stems and WPA through various dry glass cooling mouthpieces and other pieces of varying sizes along with water every once in a while too... There are a ton of options for using the TM, it is extremely versatile, pure and simple and effective, analog style, fully cleanable (and potentially serviceable if necessary though I've never needed to with both of mine, one bought early on over 2 years ago, the other bought a year later, over a year ago now) on top of that it has the replaceable battery, standard batteries, is more portable and discreet out and about too... People travel with them, without issue, and you can get a right angle jayhook mouthpiece that gives you the same style of paper path of the TB, those right angles do a lot for cooling, but I prefer glass instead of a steel to aluminum to silicone vapor pathway and mouthpiece... Much easier to keep clean, and cleaning is so minimal, I go so long without cleaning (the stock style cooling unit definitely requires more regular cleaning but there are so many other options now)

Yes TB has some elegant simplicity, has the removable ceramic chamber pots, built-in hook design, potential cup pros and cons, though it is really held back by more than just the poor battery life imo there are many reasons why I reach for the TM 9 times out of 10 and consider it the vape I would keep if I had to have just one... I work the TB into the rotation, it has its place and convenience and is nice and hasn't given me trouble other than yeah knowing I'm not going to get more than a bowl or two on a charge... For some people it is a real great perfect thing, like no one thing is best for everyone, but the TM is all around superior hands down in my experience

true that, difficult to make useable stats on reliability based on forum interactions. The art-like ceramic desktop unit I was actually talking about was the Vapbong. Looks like it cam out of mars, and review say it works great

Yes that is what I'm talking about, it used to be called vapbong by art of vapor, but they changed their name to Collyland and the vape is now called aromatizer (they make them in a bunch of different styles other than the vapbong standard style, that is what I meant by bandits, check out the plugin section to see them here!) I have three

 

[Atoum]

@florduh and @Shit Snacks you're not making my life any easier, now I'm back to hesitating between the TM and the TB! Particularly looking at prices also. Let me go back to reading some TM reviews with more attention before I place my order then!

-Edit- @Shit Snacks those vapbongs definitely sit high on my list of options for my next desktop unit I may try to resell my Volcano Hybrid first if I don't grow fonder of it in the meantime-

 

[passenger]

Hey @Atoum !
Rock solid recommendations you got here already. As there will be a Tetra P80 drop soon, I'd recommend checking that thread as well. Not as on demand like the TM, it's a killer paired to a (dry) water piece. For road trips I carry it in a peli case, all stuff in it. Replaceable 18650 batteries and heat up is very quick, pure convection. That and the always mentioned Dynavap, it's the closest to smoking in a kind of one hitter style. Indestructible in a way.
And for a desktop the Bandit style Collyland is great. If you drop the ball and it shatters, the Collyland is done though. Yes, you could let it be repaired but it's a hassle over borders.

 

[MinnBobber]

TB with an aux charger for on the go. I have one with 4 18650 batteries.
The quick heatup and smooth cool vapor are hard to beat.

My main vape for relaxed sessions (longer heatup) is the miniVAP.
Note that your perception of reliability issues, is from my experience , is way off base.
It has proven to be an extremely reliable vape.
I have a few and most are 5-10 years old.

IMO, miniVAP vapor quality and taste are slightly better than TB but TB cools/conditions the vapor better.
mimiVAP has huge battery while TB has tiny battery.

Depends on how you prioritize the plus and minus of each.

 

[Atoum]

Hi! Thanks for the replies! The more I think about it, the more I'll probably end up with the TM. Everyone seems to say it's a great on-demand device so it should fit my needs, for way less usd than a TB. So it's probably the safest way as my first portable device, to get the hang of portable vaporizers. If I manage completely switching and quitting combustion, I'm planning to end up getting a MiniVap at some point @MinnBobber. There are conflicting reliability reports from people. Those who own the older models seem to say they are rock solid and been working for 10 years, but seems like the most recent ones have more QC issues, I wonder if they moved the production to China in the meantime. Still looks like a great device, even though I struggle understanding whether it's a session or an on demand vaporizer, some point one way, others the other.
About the TB... I'm secretly hoping they could come up with a larger battery, or switchable battery as a second version in a near future. That would get rid of all my hesitation. It's not so much having to charge it every 2-3 bowls that annoys me - I'm a heavy smoker but can hold one hour without it, at worst can smoke some CBD e-cig meanwhile, or worst comes to worst blow 2 Volcano balloons-. Rather me being worried that the charger port and battery are the first things that are going to die on the device, the more often it gets charged, the fastest. And at that price, I'd expect it to last more than a couple of years (with some small repair if need but still). If in the next few months they don't release a V2 I'll probably end up getting one anyway, but as I'll have other devices in rotation I'll have to charge and wear it out less.
@passenger yeah I've read lots of good stuff about the P80, and lots of scary stuff about the wait list also! So I guess that puts it on the "roadmap wishlist" also, a novice user like me doesn't deserve such exclusive stuff... and can't wait for it in the absence of alternative devices in the rotation!
@florduh thanks for your feedback. I'm sure having fine temp control is great when you're more experienced. For novices like me, it'll take me some time to make good use of it. On my volcano I always end up using the same 3 variations (85-95-103... don't ask why the 103 and not 104 or 5, I just like the number!) so I wouldn't mind the 4 settings on the TB that bad I guess. And also I don't mind the looks of the TB that much. I'd be using it most of the time without the cup attached anyhow, so it'd look like an odd large pipe. And I'd use the glass when I want/need to make it stealthier, it's not useful super often I agree, but can come handy once in a while I guess? Also same question as Shit Snacks below as you own both devices: is the TM also good for on demand sessions taking small economic drags, or is it mostly for huge drags and burning bowls in 2-3 huge puffs? Casual smoking means taking small puffs, and as many as possible from a bowl.
@Shit Snacks I have one last reservation about the TM. Everyone I read talking about it always put forward the "huge drags and hits" they are able to take out of it, the "ability to burn a bowl in two drags", etc... Which tells a lot of good things on the TM's capacity. But I'm not a heavy dragger as I cough fast. I prefer taking a many small to medium puffs as possible rather than 2 huge ones on a bowl. So I like my stuff to last long, else I'll end up vaping more than I smoke today, which is the opposite than what I'm trying to do. Would the TM also work well on smeller, more economic drags? Or is the TB more suited for that in your opinion? Thanks!

 

[Shit Snacks]

Also same question as Shit Snacks below as you own both devices: is the TM also good for on demand sessions taking small economic drags, or is it mostly for huge drags and burning bowls in 2-3 huge puffs? Casual smoking means taking small puffs, and as many as possible from a bowl.
@Shit Snacks I have one last reservation about the TM. Everyone I read talking about it always put forward the "huge drags and hits" they are able to take out of it, the "ability to burn a bowl in two drags", etc... Which tells a lot of good things on the TM's capacity. But I'm not a heavy dragger as I cough fast. I prefer taking a many small to medium puffs as possible rather than 2 huge ones on a bowl. So I like my stuff to last long, else I'll end up vaping more than I smoke today, which is the opposite than what I'm trying to do. Would the TM also work well on smeller, more economic drags? Or is the TB more suited for that in your opinion? Thanks!

Yeah I think people talk about that, just to demonstrate the power and capability, since a lot of people do want those huge hits, but you absolutely do not need to do that, like I said with the power dial you can lower it, which is what I like to do for long low temp hits, but you can also do shorter hits at higher temp, it is very versatile I assure you!

 

[TheThriftDrifter]

A TM as ones first portable sounds like a boss level entry point. Do it!

 

[Atoum]

So I've been spending the last 2 days trying to know more about the TM, been going through forum posts, YouTube reviews, online reviews, etc... And I may just be switching my mind back to the Bowle to start with:
- About reliability, I seem to better understand now: they used to be very reliable, then they got more popular and got more demand, particularly as the pandemic kicked in, and that's where QC started going South. To the point where several reviewers, who also happen to be dealers of the TM, mention in its weak points that it's "unreliable" and "has unreliable electronics". It seems that at some point TM were even not available anymore for a couple of months, maybe the company trying to fix this with its suppliers. The reviewer who was reviewing the units as it was out of sale was saying "I hope they'll manage to sort their things out and I'll have some more in store in the future". So at this stage it seems to depend on what batch you fall on, one that was produced during their issues, or one that was produced after, if they did manage to sort things out since then.
- Ease of use as "casual vaping": most reviewers say that mixing the bowl is compulsory to get even brown on the weed, else a brown circle appears but the weed in the middle stats relatively green. It's required to take the stem out to do so, and reviewers mention the stem isn't great and doesn't manipulate easily - it shows resistance when pulling out, and particularly pushing back in-. It's not the end of the world, but if I can avoid having to do this every 2-3 draws, it'll make my vaping experience all that easier while I get used to it.
- Weed-conomy: my understanding is that the way one manages the speed at which the weed goes brown is by using a lower voltage setting on the TM (in example 4 vs 6). But even so, reviewers mention that it's not a weed-economic device, I can only guess because of the consistent draw one has to make to vape. The TB on the other hand is said to adapt its flow to how hard you start pulling on it during the first seconds, maybe that's why it's said to be weed-economic? I'm just trying to put some rationale on a blank statement made by a couple of YouTube reviewers, stating that the TM is not weed economic despite being on demand.
- Casual use and cooling: Most people seem to use the TM with a water pipe to cool the vapor down. Which makes it more "ritual" than "casual" when used that way. I'll definitely 100% sure come to vaping through water pipes at some point down the road. I just don't feel I'm there yet.
- Maintenance: The TB seems a little easier to maintain, mainly because of the screws and bolts in the cooling unit that need to be disassembled and cleaned, versus the cotton tip in the stem of the TB?
- Casual looks: the TM looks discrete enough for going around. The TB looks more casual in a house setup. So I'll be able to use it more easily watching movies with my daughter, without feeling too awkward about the image it gives. She's 17, knows I use weed regularly, and she uses some socially with her friends. I don't spend as much time as I'd like to with her as I hide in my room when smoking, I don't like the image of me it gives even though she knows what I'm doing in my room. With the TB and its glass on top, I'll look like sipping on an empty glass I'm hoping to be able to spend more time with her this way.
- I'm also hoping to convert her to vaping versus combustion. I'd rather not have her use any weed at her young age, but there isn't much I can do about it, teenagers do what they do. If at least I can ensure that she doesn't grow the habit of using it with combustion but rather vaping it, I'll be saving that much of her health. I feel like she can grow more easily on the casual design of the TB, and if she does I'll buy her one of her own.

So I'll take a shot with the TB. If the length of stem really doesn't make any difference in how the vape is cooled, I'll take it with the smaller glass, looks that more convenient to hold. But I'll definitely buy a TM in a couple of months as my second portable device, it got me intrigued and seems better designed for when I go on the field, particularly with its swappable batteries. They happen to be the same as on the Pico 2 e-cigarettes I've ordered for vaping my nicotine. So I can get a few charged with me in my bag and cover all those needs at once!

Last question: someone mentioned buying an external power bank to charge the TB on the go as it has a small battery. I was just wondering, does the end cable of the charger come with a regular wall plug format, or in a USB format? I mean the end we use as charger, not the one that goes into the Bowle? Asking as most power banks I know of only accept USB inputs to charge. Do you know of one that accepts AC plugs, if that's the option available with the Bowle charger? Thanks!

 

[Shit Snacks]

So I've been spending the last 2 days trying to know more about the TM, been going through forum posts, YouTube reviews, online reviews, etc... And I may just be switching my mind back to the Bowle to start with:
- About reliability, I seem to better understand now: they used to be very reliable, then they got more popular and got more demand, particularly as the pandemic kicked in, and that's where QC started going South. To the point where several reviewers, who also happen to be dealers of the TM, mention in its weak points that it's "unreliable" and "has unreliable electronics". It seems that at some point TM were even not available anymore for a couple of months, maybe the company trying to fix this with its suppliers. The reviewer who was reviewing the units as it was out of sale was saying "I hope they'll manage to sort their things out and I'll have some more in store in the future". So at this stage it seems to depend on what batch you fall on, one that was produced during their issues, or one that was produced after, if they did manage to sort things out since then.

I don't really know what you're talking about, TM has been pretty steadily available direct from the manufacturer, reliability has been great for me and many others here, I think reports otherwise are overblown, but it depends on the person and how they are using it, and there are always defects with everything possible... I think this feels like too much research so I don't know it just doesn't ring true to me at all lol

- Ease of use as "casual vaping": most reviewers say that mixing the bowl is compulsory to get even brown on the weed, else a brown circle appears but the weed in the middle stats relatively green. It's required to take the stem out to do so, and reviewers mention the stem isn't great and doesn't manipulate easily - it shows resistance when pulling out, and particularly pushing back in-. It's not the end of the world, but if I can avoid having to do this every 2-3 draws, it'll make my vaping experience all that easier while I get used to it.

It depends how you use it, I never stir, I never need to the way I use it, many others do not need to, again I think this is overblown, I think people who complain about this are just not using it in the best way...

- Weed-conomy: my understanding is that the way one manages the speed at which the weed goes brown is by using a lower voltage setting on the TM (in example 4 vs 6). But even so, reviewers mention that it's not a weed-economic device, I can only guess because of the consistent draw one has to make to vape. The TB on the other hand is said to adapt its flow to how hard you start pulling on it during the first seconds, maybe that's why it's said to be weed-economic? I'm just trying to put some rationale on a blank statement made by a couple of YouTube reviewers, stating that the TM is not weed economic despite being on demand.

Again this just does not ring true to me at all, the TM is 100% very economic, you can get the most, more so than the TB, because of the full temperature range... The TM is not at all fussy about how you draw either (I can't say the same for the TB necessarily because of the draw sensor that can turn off on you sometimes)

- Casual use and cooling: Most people seem to use the TM with a water pipe to cool the vapor down. Which makes it more "ritual" than "casual" when used that way. I'll definitely 100% sure come to vaping through water pipes at some point down the road. I just don't feel I'm there yet.

Again, not true, the TM is not the one I used through water most, I am just using a dry through hooks and other glass pieces, a lot of people also use it stock setup, I do not think most people use it through water at all, again this does not ring true to me... There are benefits to water and negatives in general with every vape (Yeah I find TB annoying because it doesn't have the versatility for any)

- Maintenance: The TB seems a little easier to maintain, mainly because of the screws and bolts in the cooling unit that need to be disassembled and cleaned, versus the cotton tip in the stem of the TB?

Again, I guess if you're talking about the cooling unit maybe, but the way I'm using it, the TM is like zero maintenance, and cleaning is super fast and easy, with the TB the cleaning is much more involved and it's stem and you have to be careful to not damage the outer paint... You're not supposed to disassemble the whole TB stem for cleaning, but it seems impossible to actually fully clean it unless you do so? I don't know what you mean by cotton tip in the TB, if you're talking about just wiping the steel panel below the pots, again you can get right angle hook with the TM to do it the same way, you could just swap the screen, that's all you would need to change... But with any of these eventually you will want to clean the entire vapor path too, much easier to do with a separate stem and or glass hook that is one piece.

- Casual looks: the TM looks discrete enough for going around. The TB looks more casual in a house setup. So I'll be able to use it more easily watching movies with my daughter, without feeling too awkward about the image it gives. She's 17, knows I use weed regularly, and she uses some socially with her friends. I don't spend as much time as I'd like to with her as I hide in my room when smoking, I don't like the image of me it gives even though she knows what I'm doing in my room. With the TB and its glass on top, I'll look like sipping on an empty glass I'm hoping to be able to spend more time with her this way.
- I'm also hoping to convert her to vaping versus combustion. I'd rather not have her use any weed at her young age, but there isn't much I can do about it, teenagers do what they do. If at least I can ensure that she doesn't grow the habit of using it with combustion but rather vaping it, I'll be saving that much of her health. I feel like she can grow more easily on the casual design of the TB, and if she does I'll buy her one of her own.

Yeah in this way that is true, it is its own design for sure, I don't know what the TM would look to someone else lol

So I'll take a shot with the TB. If the length of stem really doesn't make any difference in how the vape is cooled, I'll take it with the smaller glass, looks that more convenient to hold.

Yeah don't get me wrong it's still a great choice, I just had to respond to those points mentioned above lol Yes it doesn't matter which size for cooling, it's just an inch length of difference, however if you plan to use the drinkware more, you may prefer the larger size as people have said, I have the smaller one but I've never used it, people use it have mentioned that it cannot hold a lot of liquid especially if you are also using ice, so if you want to have larger drinks, definitely get the larger drinkware size!

But I'll definitely buy a TM in a couple of months as my second portable device, it got me intrigued and seems better designed for when I go on the field, particularly with its swappable batteries. They happen to be the same as on the Pico 2 e-cigarettes I've ordered for vaping my nicotine. So I can get a few charged with me in my bag and cover all those needs at once!

Yeah truly they are a great pair anyway, if you like the Pico and e-cig stuff, you might want to grab something like Dreamwood Glow though...?

Last question: someone mentioned buying an external power bank to charge the TB on the go as it has a small battery. I was just wondering, does the end cable of the charger come with a regular wall plug format, or in a USB format? I mean the end we use as charger, not the one that goes into the Bowle? Asking as most power banks I know of only accept USB inputs to charge. Do you know of one that accepts AC plugs, if that's the option available with the Bowle charger? Thanks!

It is not a USB, it is a proprietary dedicated large plug ac power adapter

 

[Grass Yes]

Yeah. @Shit Snacks said it better but I was also about to say:

• I never stir my TM.
• It is my easiest device to clean.
• I almost never hit it through water.

Look at the last 6-12 months of the TM thread here in FC and you will see that those reliability claims are kinda wild. I have never had a problem and I think this is the case for most members here.

You might like the TB better than the TM. I don't have a TB so I don't have an opinion about it. Not sure where that Tinymight bad information came from though.

 

[Atoum]

I don't really know what you're talking about, TM has been pretty steadily available direct from the manufacturer, reliability has been great for me and many others here, I think reports otherwise are overblown, but it depends on the person and how they are using it, and there are always defects with everything possible... I think this feels like too much research so I don't know it just doesn't ring true to me at all lol



It depends how you use it, I never stir, I never need to the way I use it, many others do not need to, again I think this is overblown, I think people who complain about this are just not using it in the best way...



Again this just does not ring true to me at all, the TM is 100% very economic, you can get the most, more so than the TB, because of the full temperature range... The TM is not at all fussy about how you draw either (I can't say the same for the TB necessarily because of the draw sensor that can turn off on you sometimes)



Again, not true, the TM is not the one I used through water most, I am just using a dry through hooks and other glass pieces, a lot of people also use it stock setup, I do not think most people use it through water at all, again this does not ring true to me... There are benefits to water and negatives in general with every vape (Yeah I find TB annoying because it doesn't have the versatility for any)



Again, I guess if you're talking about the cooling unit maybe, but the way I'm using it, the TM is like zero maintenance, and cleaning is super fast and easy, with the TB the cleaning is much more involved and it's stem and you have to be careful to not damage the outer paint... You're not supposed to disassemble the whole TB stem for cleaning, but it seems impossible to actually fully clean it unless you do so? I don't know what you mean by cotton tip in the TB, if you're talking about just wiping the steel panel below the pots, again you can get right angle hook with the TM to do it the same way, you could just swap the screen, that's all you would need to change... But with any of these eventually you will want to clean the entire vapor path too, much easier to do with a separate stem and or glass hook that is one piece.



Yeah in this way that is true, it is its own design for sure, I don't know what the TM would look to someone else lol



Yeah don't get me wrong it's still a great choice, I just had to respond to those points mentioned above lol Yes it doesn't matter which size for cooling, it's just an inch length of difference, however if you plan to use the drinkware more, you may prefer the larger size as people have said, I have the smaller one but I've never used it, people use it have mentioned that it cannot hold a lot of liquid especially if you are also using ice, so if you want to have larger drinks, definitely get the larger drinkware size!



Yeah truly they are a great pair anyway, if you like the Pico and e-cig stuff, you might want to grab something like Dreamwood Glow though...?



It is not a USB, it is a proprietary dedicated large plug ac power adapter

You really decided not to make my life and choice easier I guess!

- About reliability I can't say as I've never even held one. It's just that 3 reviews I've seen on YouTube (2 in English one in French) mention it's unreliable. One of them is from a US shop owner, who even excuses himself to his customers who bought it and have issues, and promises he'll make things right. The French guy says his device works well but several of his friends had issues with theirs and their electronic after carrying it around a couple of times. Again, I'm just mentioning what I have seen on Youtube reviews, can't say for myself.
- About stirring, it's actually recommended in the instructions. I have seen pictures online of the unstirred bowl, you can clearly see the dark brown circle vers the rest that remained green. Some people commented under the Youtube reviews and in forums that using the Mighty's capsules to load the TM works to have a more even "burn" (not burn but you get what I mean lol) and consistent use of the weed in the bowl. And all reviewers mention it should be stirred. I'm not questioning your use and what you say of the TM, I'm just wondering why so many reviewers and people who comment under their reviews say different. I wonder if the TM has evolved with time, maybe they swapped some components to make it more efficient on that front at some point? I'm clueless, and a little confused to be honest.
- Yeah I can see not everyone uses it with water bowls. Just looks like a lot are doing so to get that fresh vape. It's not a negative really, as I'll get to it myself at some point. Just that I don't need it right now, so the fact that it's water-pire versatile is not a benefit to my use either
- Yeah I was talking about using a cotton dip to clean the stem of the TB. I've read several people commenting under Youtube reviews that it's all they did to clean their TB. I was planning to do this, and also check whether it's ok to clean it in a ultrasound cleaning device, with some water. I've ordered one to clean my e-cigarette vaporizers, and was hoping on doing the same with either the TB stem or the TM cooling unit parts.
- I think the TM design looks great. Just find the TB to look more "classy" and less "pot-heady" to a 17 years old teenage girl. At 47 I fully assume my pot-headiness, not sure she does as well as I do
- I don't plan to use the drink ware actually. Seems to be too much of a hassle to maintain that PVC glass without scratching or damaging it with time, versus simply using a regular glass and carelessly cleaning it after. Also in Congo you can't drink tap water. Since I only drink bottled water, I often drink it straight from the bottle.
- Just checked the Dreamwood. Look really handy, but you made we want the TM really bad! So I'll get the TM as second portable device for sure I also like to have a device for each use, just me being gimmicky: a Pico for e-liquid with nicotine, a Justfog Q16 for my CBD e-liquid, and a vaporizer for my weed

Have to pull the trigger on the TB or TM in the next hour, still itching a different way every 5 months. So dumb knowing I'll end up with both at some point down the road. I'm such a bad decision taker...

 

[Shit Snacks]

You really decided not to make my life and choice easier I guess!

- About reliability I can't say as I've never even held one. It's just that 3 reviews I've seen on YouTube (2 in English one in French) mention it's unreliable. One of them is from a US shop owner, who even excuses himself to his customers who bought it and have issues, and promises he'll make things right. The French guy says his device works well but several of his friends had issues with theirs and their electronic after carrying it around a couple of times. Again, I'm just mentioning what I have seen on Youtube reviews, can't say for myself.

Haha sorry! Yeah I can't speak to whatever those reviews are, I don't watch reviews, I don't find them to be informative like ever really, they always seem to get information wrong in my experience... So I don't know, but that just doesn't line up with my impression at all, so it depends on the user and how they take care of it, it sounds like these people with these problems did not take care of it well... Who knows what they were doing with it really? Talking about shop owners customers especially, it's just a lot of over extrapolation imo

There's plenty of reliability issues with the TB as well if you look at the same sort of stuff really, and I think it would be tougher to get it serviced, with the TM there's a high chance of you being able to service it yourself, and they seem much more willing to just send you a replacement as well, some of the reports with TB replacing units is not always so positive customer service experience though I am not saying anything negative really I'm just saying when you're comparing these two, and throwing out this reason, it just seems like a wash if anything, to me...

- About stirring, it's actually recommended in the instructions. I have seen pictures online of the unstirred bowl, you can clearly see the dark brown circle vers the rest that remained green. Some people commented under the Youtube reviews and in forums that using the Mighty's capsules to load the TM works to have a more even "burn" (not burn but you get what I mean lol) and consistent use of the weed in the bowl. And all reviewers mention it should be stirred. I'm not questioning your use and what you say of the TM, I'm just wondering why so many reviewers and people who comment under their reviews say different. I wonder if the TM has evolved with time, maybe they swapped some components to make it more efficient on that front at some point? I'm clueless, and a little confused to be honest.

Again, this comes down to use, I don't think these people are using it to the best of its abilities, for even extraction, if that is the goal, I've stirred my bowls, even if it looks like it might not be even, the next hit you get is nothing, it is still extracted, looking at a darker ring, is overthinking it, it's not that complicated, just don't overload... There are other ways to help get an even extraction you'll see in the thread here, point being I think people who start is actually a minority, it's definitely avoidable, I used to stir more way back when, but now I am so much more experienced with vaping that stirring really is not necessary with most of my vapes anymore especially ones like this with effective temp control and strong heater...

- Yeah I can see not everyone uses it with water bowls. Just looks like a lot are doing so to get that fresh vape. It's not a negative really, as I'll get to it myself at some point. Just that I don't need it right now, so the fact that it's water-pire versatile is not a benefit to my use either

Again, when we say WPA we don't mean to use it with water, we still mean using it dry... Or another alternative dry stem... With right angle bends for cooling, just like the TB has, comparing like that, TM is better all around imo

Sorry, it's true that TB could be the perfect option for you, I just want to be sure you choose it for the right reasoning! Truly you may be happiest with both, so it's a question of when haha Good luck deciding, and beginning the journey, I'm sure you will be getting much more than these!

 

[LesPlenty]

The TB crappy battery and proprietory charger are a big turn-off (plus just look at it).
The TM is made by a bloke that let some customers down under a different company name so some like to trash the TM whenever they get a chance.
I do not own either but do watch the threads and would definitely pick the TM out of those 2 myself.
Glad you crossed the Mighty off as that is truly overrated/overpriced.