X-Max Ace Vaporizer by TopGreen

PPN

Volute of Vapor
Hi @rnartian , @Chingas , @Dutch-Mic , @oddjobold , @virtualpurple , @hans solo , @Andreaerdna , @jardri and @FlyingLow , all you lucky winners,Can't wait to read your first impressions, I like that quick unload feature and I found the vapor quality some steps better than our previous vaporizers especially in taste department... even considering it's "only" a conduction vape! I'm not bashing our previous vapes but I found that Ace a bit less "crude", more refined. And that improved airflow is something I was asking for since the Starry's release, but here it's no more like "drawing balls through a garden hose":lol:, thanks to the team.

That woodgrain finish body seems to please you a lot, for now I can't speak about it since my Ace testing device is carbon fiber but I will have soon a woodgrain to compare.

That's definitively a sleek and sexy vape, friends found it pretty... pretty! A big plus even if performances are the most important to think about.

I didn't tried it with a bubbler cause there is no wpa for now and I'm not fond of connecting a vape to a bubbler using whips. Although I bet it milks a tube easily with a tight pack and 405-410°F, and even whitewall that bubbler at 415-420°F. Personnaly I like to use it dry starting at 380-395, it depends..., for a 5mn session and usually restart it, up temp to 405-420 for a few minutes more and kill the bill... uh, no the bowl, sorry:D!
 

oddjobold

Vape swap shop
Tbh i dont usually like conduction vapes. I dont like the flavour they provide in general, i am a bit of a convection snob. However of all the conduction vapes i have tried i liked the IQ the most. This vape has some similarites.

I am hoping the ACE will change my mind about conduction vapes. I appreciate the oportunity provided by @PPN to give this vape ago. Lets see if the ACE can get me liking conduction again!

Edit: i went with carbon fibre.
 
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Andreaerdna

If God is the answer, then the question is wrong
I hope it will be able to vape unground flowers well

I was recently looking to pax vapes for this feature but report of cleaning being a pain was the deal breaker

Looking forward to my carbon fiber one

thank you again PPN
 

PPN

Volute of Vapor
I am hoping the ACE will change my mind about conduction vapes. I appreciate the oportunity provided by @PPN to give this vape ago. Lets see if the ACE can get me liking conduction again!
Thank you, yes this one is conduction but like I said previously I liked the taste of my flowers out of that device...

I hope it will be able to vape unground flowers well
Not tested but generally conduction or hybrides works better for unground flowers, let us to know, we are interested about your feedback!

That's nice to see carbon fiber get some love too (I like mine but haven't saw in person that woodgrain unit... maybe later), pretty sleek and elegant.

PLEASE, EVERY ACE CONTEST WINNERS HAVE TO PROVIDE ME THEIR PHONE NUMBER SINCE DHL NEED THAT FOR SHIPPING (some peoples already did it, I'll contact you by pm if I don't receive your phone n°).
 

rnartian

Earthling flora is... fascinating.
Nice! I went for the wood, too :luv: love me some wood grain. Huge thanks to PPN for hosting the giveaway!

I don't own a grinder, so I'll definitely test it using unground flower/the tried and true "scissors and a shot glass" grind :lol: And if that isn't the best way, I'll try to get a hold of one to see the difference.
 

adidaspimp

look ma' no shoelaces
Reminds me of my first vape, the Aria. The aesthetics are pleasing and the control panel looks very familiar.
I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one.

Will there be a WPA for this unit in the future? Sorry if already asked elsewhere, I can't find mention of one.
 

Andreaerdna

If God is the answer, then the question is wrong
Hey @PPN, while staring at the verdampfnotchmal pictures I was wondering: is it possible to use self cleaning function to do other stuff than just emptying the bowl? Is it possible to use it to press a micro amount of flowers inside the bowl after the mouthpiece has been put in place?
 
Andreaerdna,
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chlorophyll_man

AVB Inspector
Hey @PPN, while staring at the verdampfnotchmal pictures I was wondering: is it possible to use self cleaning function to do other stuff than just emptying the bowl? Is it possible to use it to press a micro amount of flowers inside the bowl after the mouthpiece has been put in place?
Hiya I asked the same question and the answer was no, it cannot.
 

PPN

Volute of Vapor
Hey @PPN, while staring at the verdampfnotchmal pictures I was wondering: is it possible to use self cleaning function to do other stuff than just emptying the bowl? Is it possible to use it to press a micro amount of flowers inside the bowl after the mouthpiece has been put in place?
No, that trick wouldn't work cause the cleaning/unloading feature use a spring loaded system... this is means the bottom of the bowl can move up when you push it using the slider on the front but automatically come back down on the bottom cause the spring loaded system.

Personnaly I'm using a custom insert to reduce the amount of flowers used by 40%, I got some very good sessions with that Ace, I like the larger airflow and the taste out of that vape is the best I ever experienced from a X-Max vaporizer.

For now the units on retail are the same than mine but I know there is another version planned with some minors improvements, but since the epidemia in China things are delayed...
 

jardri

Vapor Dreams
Hello!

@PPN you cant set the chamber at a certain capacity, but will the Ace work well with half loads? If the unit performs well with little loads, like an Argo for example, an adjustable chamber wont be necessary.

Other conduction vapes like Da vinci or Pax do require a full tight chamber for best results, and if the Ace works that way, an adjustable chamber would be a HUGE improvement over these ones.

I hope everyone there is doing well over there! Can´t wait to try my contest unit once everything goes back to normal.
 

Dutch-Mic

Well-Known Member
Hello!

@PPN you cant set the chamber at a certain capacity, but will the Ace work well with half loads? If the unit performs well with little loads, like an Argo for example, an adjustable chamber wont be necessary.

Other conduction vapes like Da vinci or Pax do require a full tight chamber for best results, and if the Ace works that way, an adjustable chamber would be a HUGE improvement over these ones.

I hope everyone there is doing well over there! Can´t wait to try my contest unit once everything goes back to normal.

Another question: could I buy the spacer like the one you use @PPN if the chamber doesn't work well with small loads?
 

PPN

Volute of Vapor
Hello!

@PPN you cant set the chamber at a certain capacity, but will the Ace work well with half loads? If the unit performs well with little loads, like an Argo for example, an adjustable chamber wont be necessary.

Other conduction vapes like Da vinci or Pax do require a full tight chamber for best results, and if the Ace works that way, an adjustable chamber would be a HUGE improvement over these ones.

I hope everyone there is doing well over there! Can´t wait to try my contest unit once everything goes back to normal.
Since that's a conduction unit I confirm it works better with a tight pack, that's why an insert/spacer/bowl reducer is needed if you want smaller loads.
About prizes shipments... I got a mail... shipping will be done before the end of this week, so expect to get your Ace beginning of next week!

Another question: could I buy the spacer like the one you use @PPN if the chamber doesn't work well with small loads?
A dedicaced spacer or bowl reducer is in the plan but still not available, personnaly I'm using the small ceramic filter in that part for the Fog but you can't see it in the pics: https://xvapeusa.com/product/xvape-fog-filter/

Although I have to ask if that part comes with the ceramic filter or just the silicone part... idk

If you have some mesh screens maybe you can found one which fits... or I noticed the small quartz cup which comes with the Fenix mini/Fury/Smono fits perfectly too.

Maybe not the answer you was looking for but for now you have to stick with DIY solution until we release that dedicaced spacer (it might be included in the basic package for next batches).

Have fun!
 

Petetbay

Well-Known Member
I was lucky enough to pick up a Ace at PlanetVape in Canada for $110 Canadian$ which is about $83 US$, it lists for $160 C$ or $120 US$. I've had a few Starrys so familiar with the design. I'm quite impressed with the Ace upgrades and the ejector I thought was a gimmick. I like using a modded Starry for hash because of the high temps going to to 464F.

So far I've been using the rubber adapter from the Starry WPA kit with Dynavap nipple stems on the Ace. The bare Starry and Ace ceramic mouthpieces I find unusable because they get too hot.

I removed the steel mouthpiece screen as I think it's overkill and would clog fast when vaping hash, the ceramic filter works good enough and you can to use a pin to keep its holes clear. The ceramic filter can be removed from the silicon in the mouth piece and placed in the bowel very nicely as it has a lip to keep in from falling into the bowl and reduces bowel depth by about 5mm. The standard bowl is about 24.5mm deep.

The side panel covers(I have the carbon fibre) work good to protect from the heat, but wish it was wrapped all the way around as after a 10 minute sesh it's just like the Starry and is a hot potato and is why my Starrys have silicone skins.

For herb I'm a low temp flavour user and the Ace doesn't do so good with low vapor at around 375F, at around 385F it puffs pretty good and tasty, but after about 3 minutes vapor production falls off lots and needed a stir. I would stir twice in a 10 minute sesh to fully extract. You could run higher temps say 395-405F, but it would be harsher much like the Starry. What I found much to my amazement was eject the load slowly onto the top scoop platform and then push it back into the bowl and vape again and found the a refreshed bowl with good flavour way better than a stir. The gimmick just turned into a very nice tool for good vapor.

Now to the reduced bowl using the ejector idea as I actually got it to work. I used the cannister top off the Nano dry herb cannister and it fit the ejector slot below the slider button perfectly and being threaded the threads catch onto the slider button and the rounded bottom end of the slot and does not fall out with the slider spring pressure holding it in, amazing. I tried it alone reducing the bowl 7mm from 24.5mm to 17.5mm and with the ceramic filter sitting on top of the bowl which reduces bowl a further 5mm to 12.5mm. It works, but not very good as I needed a higher temps around 400F to get decent vapor. I feel reducing the bowl using the ejector also reduces the bowl surface area and as well heat into the bowl as this is a conduction vape, thus requiring higher temp. Using just the ceramic filter to reduce bowl size worked like a normal unreduced bowl not needing higher temp. A longer ceramic filter if possible might work to reduce bowl size with no ill effects. The only problem I have with ceramic filter sitting on the bowl is it makes it harder to do a stir using the ejector as the filter fits tight in the bowl and you have to hold it with a stir tool to keep it from shooting out of the bowl and ease it out slowly as that mother is very hot.

That's my initial impressions of the Ace, now figuring out how to modify the mouthpiece with a wpa like I did with the Starry, then this might be my goto vape for hash. They did a good job on this vape for the price.
 
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Catweasel

Well-Known Member
For herb I'm a low temp flavour user and the Ace doesn't do so good with low vapor at around 375F, at around 385F it puffs pretty good and tasty, but after about 3 minutes vapor production falls off lots and needed a stir. I would stir twice in a 10 minute sesh to fully extract. You could run higher temps say 395-405F, but it would be harsher much like the Starry. What I found much to my amazement was eject the load slowly onto the top scoop platform and then push it back into the bowl and vape again and found the a refreshed bowl with good flavour way better than a stir. The gimmick just turned into a very nice tool for good vapor.
That's a really interesting and useful sounding trick with the bowl ejector! Thanks for sharing your detailed first impressions.
 
Catweasel,
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hans solo

Left coast Canada
Since the bowl ejector is spring loaded to return to the bottom a silicon band to hold the trigger in the middle position might work to reduce the bowl size , but this would be totally dependent on the strength of the spring and the position of the heating element.
 
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hans solo,
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Petetbay

Well-Known Member
Since the bowl ejector is spring loaded to return to the bottom a silicon band to hold the trigger in the middle position might work to reduce the bowl size , but this would be totally dependent on the strength of the spring and the position of the heating element.
[/QUOTE]

This gave me some ideas. I tried a thick rubber band wrapping it around many times to make it tight enough to hold the ejector lever which is only 1.5-2mm high and the spring strength is very high would make for a good mouse trap, but the bands are also situated on half the screen and power button. It did work and I tried a bowl, but it was set at 405F, lots of vapor but harsh. I even still did a ejector stir and the bowl was done in 5 minutes for about a half bowl.

Next I tried a Starry silicone skin which was hard to get on, but the edge was not tight enough to hold the lever open. I have the skin completely on now and this solves any heat issues. I placed a 10mm long screw under the skin into the slot to hold the ejector level open and could still fully open the ejector using a poker under the skin. 14.5mm deep bowl now so filled and started at 384F and very tasty. After a few pulls it trails off fast not good penetration I figure, up to 392F better vapor little harsher, do a ejector stir and tasty again and by the 4 minute mark this bowls done, work pretty good. I could see making a proper spacer out of metal or hard plastic held in by the skin as a stopper to hold the ejector open at desired bowl depth, cut a opening in the skin to allow the operation of ejector as well. It shall be done.

Better would be a manufacturer making a proper skin with idea built in it.
 
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