Discontinued Zion vaporizer

buckhakeesah

buckhakeesah

Well-Known Member
Were there possibly different size intake holes drilled for the zions through production models or is it pretty consistent? Coming from Milaana to the zion, I never had a problem with this wide open airflow on the milaana but with my zion I do notice that with my unit, it benefits from restricting the airflow/hole to get a decent hit straight from cold.

Once my unit warms up though, the restriction is not needed and all is good.
 
buckhakeesah,
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AJS

AJS

Calm Consistency
buckhakeesah said:
Were there possibly different size intake holes drilled for the zions through production models or is it pretty consistent? Coming from Milaana to the zion, I never had a problem with this wide open airflow on the milaana but with my zion I do notice that with my unit, it benefits from restricting the airflow/hole to get a decent hit straight from cold.

Once my unit warms up though, the restriction is not needed and all is good.
Click to expand...
I thiiiiink we've thought this to be caused by the larger heater and space taking longer to heat up .... anyone correct me?
 
Z

ZC

Well-Known Member
Yeah as a new Zion owner I was really surprised by how cold the heater can seem if you don't restrict airflow. I can get relatively cold hits while still feeling the wood heating up. Haven't tried tape yet but I've basically been using the air inlet as a carb.

I was also super surprised because I've never needed to restrict the Milaana's wide open air inlet.

Don't get me wrong, I can still get great results without covering the inlet, but it's waaay better to restrict it.
 
M

MAbud

Well-Known Member
I will try this soon. I am struggling to get as good a pull as with my Milaana and also notice it taking awhile to heat up. I am interested to try this method
 
MAbud,
TeeJay1952

TeeJay1952

Well-Known Member
Tears and rage me Buckos. I was harvesting with daughter and she was pulling on Zamfir and I bitched about goo on wood. She sweeps her arm and knocks my precious to the floor. Hulkette has smashed the glass insert locking stem. I called number on webpage, Ryan answered and said send for repair.
The earth abides and I await
Tee Jay 1952:rockon::myday:
 
dormouse

dormouse

Well-Known Member
I received my Zion last year but only got the opportunity to try it yesterday. Haven't been following the thread, but realize now that the Zion has been discontinued, so it is interesting that this beautiful piece of machinery is one of only about 200 made. (Mine is #196).

I used it solely with a water filter, and a rimmed dome screen, as in the photos, and after at bit of trial and experimenting I found a working technique. For best result, this required about 10 seconds of preheating and partly blocking the hole in the bottom with my finger in various ways part of the time, playing the Zion almost like a musical instrument.

I got decent clouds, but not quite the number of huge milky ones that I get with the Solo. (I suppose the dome screen makes for a slightly smaller bowl as well.) However, I was thoroughly medicated and the sensation was quite unique. I love both the aesthetics and the convection feeling -- a very different experience.

One downside is that the left 35-40% of the weed in the bowl was very dark brown, almost black, while the remaining part was greenish-to-light brown. So the heating does not appear to be very even. I suppose I can partly compensate for this by stirring it a bit between the hits. Also interesting to note is that I could not get any more vapor out of it at this point, even by stirring, so it appears that the Zion did extract pretty much all of the THC in a few big hits, even if the heat was not even.

In any event, the result was very good once I got the hang of it.

Does this sound like a flaw? Could the uneven ABV be due to the weed being placed a bit higher up than it would be with the original stem?

One other thing I just noticed was that some discoloration in the wood, on the top an the bottom, had occurred during/after use. Would prefer it hadn't, but no biggie.

I realize that using the Zion with non-original glass is probably not covered by the warranty, but I wouldn't want to return it for potential repairs either way. Too much hassle across borders. I am happy to be one of a handful international customers with this beautiful and unusual piece, and I love it already.

Edit: What am I doing wrong with the photos?
https://imgur.com/a/zgYp1Hf
https://imgur.com/a/9OYrfz5

zgYp1Hf

9OYrfz5
 
Shit Snacks

Shit Snacks

Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
dormouse said:
I received my Zion last year but only got the opportunity to try it yesterday. Haven't been following the thread, but realize now that the Zion has been discontinued, so it is interesting that this beautiful piece of machinery is one of only about 200 made. (Mine is #196).

I used it solely with a water filter, and a rimmed dome screen, as in the photos, and after at bit of trial and experimenting I found a working technique. For best result, this required about 10 seconds of preheating and partly blocking the hole in the bottom with my finger in various ways part of the time, playing the Zion almost like a musical instrument.

I got decent clouds, but not quite the number of huge milky ones that I get with the Solo. (I suppose the dome screen makes for a slightly smaller bowl as well.) However, I was thoroughly medicated and the sensation was quite unique. I love both the aesthetics and the convection feeling -- a very different experience.

One downside is that the left 35-40% of the weed in the bowl was very dark brown, almost black, while the remaining part was greenish-to-light brown. So the heating does not appear to be very even. I suppose I can partly compensate for this by stirring it a bit between the hits. Also interesting to note is that I could not get any more vapor out of it at this point, even by stirring, so it appears that the Zion did extract pretty much all of the THC in a few big hits, even if the heat was not even.

In any event, the result was very good once I got the hang of it.

Does this sound like a flaw? Could the uneven ABV be due to the weed being placed a bit higher up than it would be with the original stem?

One other thing I just noticed was that some discoloration in the wood, on the top an the bottom, had occurred during/after use. Would prefer it hadn't, but no biggie.

I realize that using the Zion with non-original glass is probably not covered by the warranty, but I wouldn't want to return it for potential repairs either way. Too much hassle across borders. I am happy to be one of a handful international customers with this beautiful and unusual piece, and I love it already.

Edit: What am I doing wrong with the photos?
https://imgur.com/a/zgYp1Hf
https://imgur.com/a/9OYrfz5

zgYp1Hf

9OYrfz5
Click to expand...

I don't notice the wood discoloration, but yes especially through water stirring every hit is advised if you want an even extraction. This is likely due to how you draw, a strong pull through water can create tunneling (classic convection issue) whereas dry you can control draw better for an even extraction without stirring. You can also try rotating the stem, and/or a finer grind, to get a more even extraction. Everything takes practice, good luck and continue to enjoy!
 
B

buddingglasshead

Well-Known Member
buckhakeesah

buckhakeesah

Well-Known Member
Frickin love my Zion to death. Now that my stem has gotten some miles on it and the draw restriction I like has been achieved, the Zion is right where I like it. No more needing to feather the air inlet. I hope others that have noticed this open draw being a challenge have found their sweet spot with this awesome device.
 
AJS

AJS

Calm Consistency
buckhakeesah said:
Frickin love my Zion to death. Now that my stem has gotten some miles on it and the draw restriction I like has been achieved, the Zion is right where I like it. No more needing to feather the air inlet. I hope others that have noticed this open draw being a challenge have found their sweet spot with this awesome device.
Click to expand...
RBT (and I) also recommend putting a piece of tape over the inlet, and using a toothpick to poke a hole in it. This will decrease airflow and increase vapor density and flavor. Can increase the hole size as you see fit. Totally worth it!
 
upriver

upriver

combustion-free
My Zion has the "won't turn off" bug again. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and picked it up, ouch!
 
upriver,
upriver

upriver

combustion-free
Yep, it was already sent in for this issue. The good news is that I now never travel with batteries in place as a result, which I know is a good practice for any unit but how many of us actually abide by that?

I just did on a 3 hour drive before this happened and am quite glad I took the precaution.
 
upriver

upriver

combustion-free
aaaand no response from RBT. I've been going through this for literally years. Luckily I have plenty of alternatives already but it sure feels shitty to have paid for this thing so long ago and to still not have it functioning properly.

In short:

- Funded it in Aug '15
- Waited over 2 years for delivery (sent to wrong address since I had moved - I told them that, but happened anyway)
- Finally arrived, was missing battery terminals
- Waited 3 more weeks for copper plate and epoxy (though I was willing to go put that together myself, was told to wait)
- Finally used the thing, great! Worked like a charm for a nice week
- Received first degree burn grabbing the unit because it did not occur to me that it might be locked ON for 15 mins
- Sent unit in for repair
- Was sent back to WRONG ADDRESS again, even though I sent in a cautionary note about the 1st mishap and put all possible effort into highlighting current address.
- Finally got unit back - electronics compartment cover fell off, so I added tiny screws
- Used it occasionally - since over those years I have acquired other devices and TBH this thing is not that amazingly better, even though I do like it
- And now this one LOCKS ON, too, which for me is effectively a show-stopper. Pretty ridiculous to have to take the batteries out after each hit, since I am not always sure if I will want another or not for a few minutes.

The Millana, with actual mechanical OFF seems like a better way to go, I wonder if I can just exchange for one of those at this point.

All things said, I think I have been incredibly patient - had a good talk with Ryan on the phone at one point and yes he is "nice" etc but could certainly use some customer support assistance. I love supporting independent makers and small-time operations, and I love the wood and glass design of this thing but really I have put a lot of time and money into this and gotten very little in return.
 
S

slatihe

Well-Known Member
Pretty excited about this new wooden stem from @Alan for my Zion. Has a partial Male connection for back up water connection and is UV reactive. Fits perfect, very pleased! Thanks so much Alan!

Here are a couple pics

T1Lf9nf.jpg

XwYsJIU.jpg


Zeur3EG.jpg
 
T

tblast

Well-Known Member
I broke my stem! Is there any way to get an OEM replacement green stem that fits perfectly in the Zion? It seems like the store is down. Thanks!
 
tblast,
SloJimFizz

SloJimFizz

Unknown Member
I got my amber replacement Zion length stem from Mark aka @cannabis.pro at 420 EDC.
Perfect fit in the joint and the stiff RBT screens fit in there like their supposed too.
 
SloJimFizz,
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