i like to sacrifice some quality (its abv who cares?) to just get real high return.... so is 30 seconds still too much at that point am i just overkillin it? that french press would help....
I understand on the quality vs quantity, especially being ABV, it's not much worry...but the extra weight in it isn't getting you medicated...
When I did my fresh nug qwiso runs, doing anything more than 15-20 seconds produced undesirable results, IMO. I started doing 10-15 seconds soaks with a bit of agitation. I also froze my flower for a couple hours ahead of time to help lock in the chlorophyll/waxes, etc...heard that helps.
Like the old saying, measure twice, cut once; you can make oil from the ABV'd herb more than once,if the first result doesn't yield...but it should. What I would do, is try a less than 5-10 second wash, with pre frozen ABV (not sure if it'll help with ABV but it's worth a shot if ya want) and find a way to get the ISO out of the bud as soon as your time is up...
instead of a french press (less than 30 on amazon, where I got mine) you can use two plastic cups, like solo cups, with holes poked in the bottom of one. use a rubber band to hold a coffee filter on the bottom of the cup with the holes. When you've shaken your mix in whatever you shake in (jar, etc) for 5-10 seconds, pour it into the solo cup with the holes/filter, and use the other cup to squeeze the bud down, and get the ISO out. Do this over a coffee filter, that is is sitting in a strainer, like I described.
Here's where the "measure twice, cut once" deal equates. After doing the above, let it evaporate, and scrape it up. Hopefully, you'll get a nicer looking product. You may get a similar looking/tasting product, but that weighs less...this means you've lessened the crappy un-needed stuff...do another wash and see if anything comes out that's worth dabbing. Eventually, you'll know how long of a wash, for the type of ABV you have. Worst case scenario, you'll get little to nothing back, which means it's still in the ABV, and you can do another wash. IMO, any of the above are better than just getting a guaranteed dark/not as concentrated oil.
This thread on GC shows a wonderful screen setup, and it's where I got my idea. I do the same as shown in that tutorial, but I dont put the additional screens on top. Just one strainer, with a coffee filter in it...organic(un bleached)
One drawback to the french press, is a decent amount of material, especially if ground, is needed to ensure that you get a good press (get all the ISO out) IME, at least 7g of fresh sativa (not very dense) to get a good press. Otherwise, the press won't reach far enough, as the glass container is rounded at the bottom slightly, keeping the press from touching the bottom.