Which Vape- Arizer XQ2, Silver Surfer or (something in the $200 range)

[Jbagz]

Hey , this is probably partly a repeat question although I could not find anything comparing these vapes beside by the manufacturer which I am sure will be bias.

I am a long time Pax user, I started in 2012 with a Pax 1, now own a few Pax 3 units. They are great for when I am mountain biking or out where I don't have much pocket room to carry much. But I spend a lot of time at home watching YouTube grow videos, I feel I can have a better vape experience while home with a desktop rather than portable unit. I'm not looking for a knock out cloud, I am a big fan of flavor and obviously need to feel the buzz too, not looking to choke though. I enjoy sessioning for 10+ minutes if possible rather than 2 big hits. I like to experience that full spectrum from my bud.

The vapes I have been looking at primarily are, The Silver Surfer and The Arizer XQ2. These are both in my budget. If anyone has recommendations of any other vapes I should be looking into I appreciate it or feedback on the two mentioned above. I think I would mostly use a whip over a bag, but that being said I have never tried a bag.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Peace!

 

[JaaCeeDee]

Have you considered one of the logs, HeatIsland, Enano, Underdog?

You found the right place, welcome!

 

[Jbagz]

So I have seen a bunch of people mentioning these "log" vapes, are they really much better? Do they offer great flavor and longer sessions than a few hits? I will research them although first hand knowledge and honest opinions are best.

 

[Shit Snacks]

So I have seen a bunch of people mentioning these "log" vapes, are they really much better? Do they offer great flavor and longer sessions than a few hits? I will research them although first hand knowledge and honest opinions are best.

They are more economical, the cheapest one is the heat island if you email alan@toasty-top.com see what he has in stock, you can get all set up for well under $200 (best used with a glass piece like a bubbler imo) XQ2 should be fine if you are used to Pax, but you can get more out of less with a log

 

[gordontreeman]

I haven't used the XQ2 personally. Its certainly versatile in that it offers the ability to use whips or bags, but Arizer's reputation is a little hit or miss around here: they make nice devices but the vapor quality is sometimes said to be a little lacking due to using older conduction heating tech.

If you don't have a huge tolerance I agree that a log is a fantastic choice. I love my Woodscents, but there are cheaper options between the Heat Islands, E Nanos, Underdogs, Couchlogs, and what have you. I suspect this would serve you well if you use a Pax, but if you're someone with a really high tolerance some of the DIY injection vapes would still come in at or around $200--chiefly the pinky or the B0.

 

[Cheebsy]

@gordontreeman the xq is convection, it's the updated eq.

I started with an eq, and I did enjoy it very much but I don't use it now as it's too slow. The xq might suit you down to the ground if you like a drawn out session. I think youd get a better quality vapour it of a log though.

 

[gordontreeman]

@gordontreeman the xq is convection, it's the updated eq.

Gotcha, thanks for clarifying!

 

[sickmanfraud]

but Arizer's reputation is a little hit or miss around here: they make nice devices but the vapor quality is sometimes said to be a little lacking due to using older conduction heating tech.

I disagree STRONGLY. I have had 5 Arizer vapes over the years and I have had no complaints. Arizer's portables are conduction but still some of the most popular vapes available. And, Arizer's prices are fair.

 

[checkyourlibido]

I love Arizer as well. I think they have a great rep. I have some "high end" vapes, but my Solo 2 through water still slams. It's just not a fast follow up hit.

Also, going back to the original question, I would go for the SS out of the choices you listed. I don't have one, because I personally don't like whips. But I've heard that the SS with a ball mod is arguably the heaviest of hitters. I have a Flowerpot B1 right now and love it, but if I wanted a whip device, I'd go for the SS.

Of course there are ways to work around the whip, but I just don't want to right now lol

 

[gordontreeman]

Yeah sorry, maybe I should have been more nuanced in the mixed bag comment. I don’t think anyone knocks arizers build quality, ability to get you medicated, or value. It’s more that it’s just a pretty common refrain around here to see them referred to as lacking compared to some of the more bespoke on demand full convection options. You don’t have to look hard to find people referring to them as “legacy out of date tech.” I’ve also never seen anyone who hasn’t found the volcano to be a big improvement on the eq, but again I’ve never tried the eq or xq.

Either way it’s a nice reminder not to inject our own preferences too much so I appreciate the counterpoint re: arizer portables! Session conduction vapes aren’t for me, but it’s a nice reminder that they nail it for other folks. I’d still steer op towards something other than the xq personally, unless the bags are really important to them for some reason.

 

[Jbagz]

lots of great info, it seems a lot of positive things to say about the logs from all... for some reason they really haven't grown on me yet... (not that I've tried one lol) I have watched a lot of reviews and people rave about them though. As for my tolerance, I am a perpetual grower that smokes roughly 2 grams a day. Not the biggest user, but I smoke enough to think I have a tolerance.

The Silver Surfer- There is something about the design I keep going back to and looking at, but I hear a lot of comments of burning your material if you leave the whip attached. I'm not sure I want to have to use the whip in the manner of holding it to the vape as well, looking more 1 handed operation. Thats what brings me to the ...

-Arizer XQ2, its more versatile, bags, whip, but after watching tons of review videos, the Volcano Hybrid always beats the Arizer despite the major price difference. I can pick up an Arizer for $175 right now. Silver surfer is about $250, and the Volcano is $475.... Which also gets me thinking, is the Mighty just as good? More portable even though thats not 100% what Im going for.


Let me expand my original question to this. If you were to buy a vape, portable or desktop that was going to fulfill your needs of great lasting full flavor, great high, and last for about 7-12 hits minimum what would that vape be?
This could get interesting, or just that I'm asking for too much out of a vape. But please remember, "different strokes for different folks", respect each other's opinions.

Thanks!

I haven't used the XQ2 personally. Its certainly versatile in that it offers the ability to use whips or bags, but Arizer's reputation is a little hit or miss around here: they make nice devices but the vapor quality is sometimes said to be a little lacking due to using older conduction heating tech.

If you don't have a huge tolerance I agree that a log is a fantastic choice. I love my Woodscents, but there are cheaper options between the Heat Islands, E Nanos, Underdogs, Couchlogs, and what have you. I suspect this would serve you well if you use a Pax, but if you're someone with a really high tolerance some of the DIY injection vapes would still come in at or around $200--chiefly the pinky or the B0.

Correct me if I am wrong, it looks as though the Woodscents is just a heating element for the Dynavap? Not actually its own stand alone vape?

 

[Shit Snacks]

Correct me if I am wrong, it looks as though the Woodscents is just a heating element for the Dynavap? Not actually its own stand alone vape?

You are wrong, it is a log vape, you don't use a cap, you load the tip and then inhale convection through the load like another log vape with the stem. I prefer to use log vapes, heat island, with WPA only, through a glass piece dry or with water so the log is always upside down on your bowl just like it's the lighter on your pipe...

Let me expand my original question to this. If you were to buy a vape, portable or desktop that was going to fulfill your needs of great lasting full flavor, great high, and last for about 7-12 hits minimum what would that vape be?
This could get interesting, or just that I'm asking for too much out of a vape. But please remember, "different strokes for different folks", respect each other's opinions.

Cloud Connoisseur, Atlas and Halo, still open for pre-order this weekend, before the wait until there is ready stock to buy on the website later in the summer... So it is a good time to get in! These have been my new favorite desktops hands down...

Have you seen other injector style vapes? Flower Pot, Qaroma Shop, elev8r vgoodiez??

I also really enjoy Collyland bandits (vapbong aromatizer) though they are their own thing, ceramic all-in-one

 

[gordontreeman]

@Jbagz as Shit Snacks said the WS is a log that just happens to use a dynavap for the stem. There are a couple of all glass screens you can use with it as well, but it shines with a dynavap tip and then all of the stem/wpa options that opens up to you. It is extremely efficient and tasty, and with a lot of the stems the vapcap can then double as a portable solution. Its different from the many induction heaters on the market which don't fundamentally change the Dynavap experience--its still a conduction heavy on demand vape. The Woodscents makes it full convection. Still, I think most of the logs will perform the same, they just won't have the dynavap compatibility. I was just throwing out one log option among many.

I think you might need to adjust your expectations a little though. Most of the on demand options aren't going to give you 7 - 12 hits per bowl, as they will have the horsepower to clear that bowl faster. The idea is often to kill a bowl in one hit so that you're packing another green bowl if you want the best available flavor (and I guess its not strictly true that you can't get 7-12 hits out of a bowl if you pack a massive bowl, but its going to be hard to get an even bake in a bowl of that size with most of the vapes I've tried--stirring will help).

Lots of injector options out there if you think your tolerance supports them. Its hard for me to translate a gram or two smoked into vaporizing as I haven't smoked in a long while, but I guess even in my hay day I can't imagine smoking through the better part of an eighth in a day lol. It might behoove you to look at some of the heavier hitters if that is how much you use. For your budget I still think the DIY B0 might be the best bet. The DIY is a bit of a misnomer as its just installing something into a coil and adding some rubies, but there are lots of pre-built options too. You just might need to stretch your budget some. I don't have any experience with most of these vapes though, so I'll let others chime in. GL with your search!

 

[badbee]

The Silver Surfer seems like a match for you. It's a bit of a slow sipper for a desktop. I have one I don't use too often because I prefer hard hitting 3 hit sessions. It's not especially efficient and you will go through more flower than you would with some other options, a small log for example.

 

[Jbagz]

thanks for the input on the SSV @badbee .

For the injection vapes mentioned, these look to be for rosin, correct? I have a rosin press although, yes this consumes a lot of material.
Volcano Hybrid, worth the coin? Curious if I should take some time to save some more money up.

 

[Shit Snacks]

For the injection vapes mentioned, these look to be for rosin, correct? I have a rosin press although, yes this consumes a lot of material.

No, injector just means it is an 18 mm male connection for the heater, going into an 18 mm female connection for the bowl... They are for herbs (some can do double duty with concentrates) Look them up on Instagram, YouTube, and here of course in their respective product threads, you'll see

 

[coolbreeze]

DC-elev8r assembled by @VGOODIEZ in use--makes huge clouds of the best tasting vapor. Similar ball injector vapes abound, some quartz like the elev8r, some titanium or stainless steel, some dense ceramics. The differences are largely cost, durability, and relative purity of taste. They all use glass, ruby, ceramic, or metal balls as heat-retaining mass, which allows bigger or more consecutive hits. It also allows you to use a lower temp for better flavor. They would be ideal for a grower with a high tolerance:

Edit: Also take a look at the SSV's cheaper brother, Da Buddha. Functionally very much the same except for the SSV's refined bowl/stem. Another very good experience. Powerful, but perhaps not as powerful as a ball vape. This can be modded into a ball vape, but not as well/easily as the SSV can.

 

[badbee]

@Jbagz, a lot of people like the "injector" style because they can use an adaptor or other glass as a traditional style of bowl. Those bowls tend to be bigger and easier to load. The other main style involves loading herb into a basket screen at the end of an 18 mm male fitting or a tube of some sort (most logs). Those types are a little more hassle to load and empty, spill more and sometimes have tunneling issues (toasted in the center and green around the edges). They do tend to be a little more efficient and better for small doses. Note that these are subjective opinions and someone will rightfully disagree with all of them.

One of the things I like about the SS is the big deep spherical bowl. Mixing the bowl between hits is best but all you need to do is hold it up and tap the sides a few times, much easier than stirring a packed basket screen with a tool.

 

[gordontreeman]

One of the things I like about the SS is the big deep spherical bowl. Mixing the bowl between hits is best but all you need to do is hold it up and tap the sides a few times, much easier than stirring a packed basket screen with a tool.

Yeah, stirring a basket screen or log stem seems an exercise in frustration. It’s been my experience though that a lot of vapes that load stems this way are even enough to not require stirring.

The exception would be joint packing an 18mm stem with a screen at the end of the joint. Many of my lamart stems are set up this way and it’s a nice way to do a larger bowl. It’s not as even, but the bowl is closer to injector style bowls so stirring is no longer a pain.

 

[coolbreeze]

The exception would be joint packing an 18mm stem with a screen at the end of the joint. Many of my lamart stems are set up this way and it’s a nice way to do a larger bowl. It’s not as even, but the bowl is closer to injector style bowls so stirring is no longer a pain.

Speaking of which, the small torch vapes that sit on 18mm joints can also be very powerful and flavorful (Lamart Piro, Dreamwood DLX One). They work well on j-hooks and some stems, too. Lots of good stuff out there.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Speaking of which, the small torch vapes that sit on 18mm joints can also be very powerful and flavorful (Lamart Piro, Dreamwood DLX One). They work well on j-hooks and some stems, too. Lots of good stuff out there.

Must also mention:

Glass Thermal Extraction Devices

Glass Thermal Extraction Devices

www.theroguewaxworks.com

 

[sickmanfraud]

You are wrong, it is a log vape, you don't use a cap, you load the tip and then inhale convection through the load like another log vape with the stem. I prefer to use log vapes, heat island, with WPA only, through a glass piece dry or with water so the log is always upside down on your bowl just like it's the lighter on your pipe...

Thanks for the explanation. I too was under the mistaken impression that it was just an expensive Dynavap heater. Now I have another whole class of vape to consider. It sounds like you can fine-tune the Woodscents to be a one-hitter with repeatable results?

 

[Jbagz]

You are all blowing my mind with all these different vape styles. I have had my pax 3 sites set always thinking I was using the best of the best. At one point I bought the DaVinci Iq and the ceramic bowl cracked the first time I turned the heat on, I sold the replacement because there customer service was very bad (at the time, at least). And back to the pax I went. But now I’m not enjoying the popcorn flavor I get after a few rips. I do like that the pax has the economy mode where it gradually rises in temp making for a drawn out session. But wish I got more from the unit.

The Arizer XQ2 at its price point sounds too good to be true. Whip, bag with a 10mm water pipe connection which would match perfect to my bong, the fan mode, remotec etc.. but at $175 if it lives up to hype it would outsell everything else, so I’m leery. Looking for input on this unit if anyone has any.

I do see a woodscents in my near future too, y’all have really sparked my interested.

Love this website, everyone is being really helpful

 

[Cheebsy]

A couple of your requirements don't really go hand in hand. You're not really going to find a device that allows a long drawn out session that also preserves flavour throughout. The bay vapes for long drawn out sessions are conduction vapes. You've tried the pax and the iq. Convection vapes will preserve flavour better but since the heater is heating the air rather than the herb itself you need a bit more power, and that will speed up the session somewhat. The xq is a slow extractor by modern standards, probably the slowest convection desktop. It has a large bowl, so you could have extended sessions but the flavour will diminish before the load is spent.

The best way to get great flavour is to reload often. The first hit it two will always be the best. You're getting suggestions of ball injectors because the glass ones offer really great flavour, but you worked know that they are much faster extractors than you're looking for.

 

[coolbreeze]

The xq is a slow extractor by modern standards, probably the slowest convection desktop. It has a large bowl, so you could have extended sessions but the flavour will diminish before the load is spent.

The best way to get great flavour is to reload often. The first hit it two will always be the best. You're getting suggestions of ball injectors because the glass ones offer really great flavour, but you worked know that they are much faster extractors than you're looking for.

My hesitation with something like the xq (which I have no experience with) is that you grow, and smoke a couple grams a day. You need something that can keep up and that you won't outgrow or run into limitations with immediately. The DBV/SSV are, I believe, inherently more powerful, leaving room to adjust, and with the SSV there's the ball mod to take it to the limit. With the injectors, there's also some room to adjust: if you want a single flavor hit, cover the screen and go; if you want to share, you can pack bigger and do that too; you can turn it on and walk away. Come back when you want a hit. Pack a lunchtime bowl and roast it down. Do a couple afternoon snaps. Repeat. And then crunch big bowls all evening at whatever interval/speed you choose, all without cooking the weed in between.