Here's my advice to you new Zion owners.
When you get it, make sure you charge up your batteries first. While they charge, take a few dry hits through it to see if you detect any flavours. (You shouldn't.) After they are charged, turn the power knob all the way up and hold the button down for 30-40 seconds. Use a strong light to look for off-gassing. (Highly unlikely.) Next take a dry hit without any power, then a dry hit with the button down. Keep looking for off-gassing or noticeable flavours. When you're satisfied there are none, you're ready for your first load.
I recommend using the stem to suck up the load rather than dumping it into the stem, but it's your choice. I find it is simplest if you always hold the stem with the load facing up and invert the Zion to place it atop the stem, then turn the whole thing right side up. This keeps the load in place. The load will be pulled up off the internal screen whenever you draw on the stem. To remove it, first take a pull and then reverse the procedure: invert the Zion holding the stem in place, then remove the Zion from the stem. (This is all second nature to Solo owners.)
Now for the best part. Start your first hit with the power knob at 50%. If you look at the Zion from the top with the power knob in the lower right, 50% should be around where the marker is at 12 o'clock. Since these units are hand-built, there could be some variety in the exact position of 50% but it's not enough to matter. The Zion isn't a precision instrument and doesn't need to be.
Hold the button down and after 5 seconds, start taking little test puffs. When you detect the vapour, you can start a steady inhale or do whatever suits you. You can inhale too hard at this setting so don't hoover it. Don't worry, at higher power settings the heater can handle a lot more flow if that's your style. This is just a baseline to get you dialed in. If you found that vapour too thin, turn the knob up 45° and repeat. If you prefer thinner tastier vapour, turn it down 45°. At each position, just hold the button down and take test puffs until you taste the vapour. Don't be afraid to keep the power on. Since the Zion is convection, holding the button down just uses up your battery and not your load (unless you're drawing air through it of course). It shouldn't take more than three test hits to find your sweet spot.
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