well after years of waiting for something to fit my niche of what i wanted in a herbal vape pen, i think this is as close as its gotten.
the Atmos Astra is a new product intended to vape (not combust).. here is the description from their website:
The Atmos Astra is the next generation all-in-one portable vaporizer. The Astra’s embedded ceramic heating chamber vaporizes dry herbs providing users with pure flavorful taste, while its removable stainless steel cups allow users to vaporize waxy and liquids, making it one of the most versatile vaporizers available. The Astra is equipped with five preset heating temperatures, allowing users to vaporize their preferred product at the temperature that best fits their needs. The Astra is powered by an interchangeable lithium-ion battery that provides long lasting battery life for extended use. The Astra’s revolutionary heating chamber, minimal heating time and advanced temperature settings give users control over every aspect of their vaping experience. Take charge of your vaping with the Atmos Astra.
Size: h 6.17 in, d 0.94 in
This Kit Includes:
1 - Lithium Ion 2000mAh Battery
1 - Heating Chamber
1 - Mouthpiece/Filter
1 - Liquid & Waxy Cup
1 - Tweezers
1 - Cleaning Brush Tool
1 - Packing Tool
1 - USB Cable
1 - Wall Charger
1 - User Manual
so its basically 6 inches long and 1 inch across. the battery is removable/interchangeable and it uses a micro usb charger (convenient since i use android devices). the heating element is a ceramic bowl so to say, not a cheap coil.. there is no direct contact to combust herb if you are using flowers. it has 5 heat settings so you can dial in to the exact temp you want to vape at. it seems that it heats very quickly, and has a 3 minute auto shutoff. i will be using this piece strictly for dried herb and some occasional bubble bag hash. the product is very new and there is no reviews online yet. its on their website for basically $200. the reason i also decided to give this piece a try is because it was on groupon for $99 (50% discount). for basically $100 dollars it seems like a steal if it works as it is intended.
the groupon purchases through a provider called 'smk24' which i am not familiar with. but non the less my unit should be here on saturday as i paid extra for expedited shipping. looking forward to see how she performs.
on a side note, i saw someone elseware mention that its a rebrand of the X-Max V2 by XVape.. it does look very similar, but from the pictures it looks to be an improvement. the heating element and inside look upgraded, and also the capability of charging from micro usb seems to be absent on the x-max. that is a major selling point for me, because i can use my mobile phone car charger in a pinch if needed.