Da Vinci Vaporizer - Brief review.

OK, well - here's a brief review of the Da Vinci Vaporizer, which I just received.

I bought it from eBay from a seller called hilaurenhere. It came from the USA. This seller has no further listings on eBay at this point in time.

Here is a picture of the vaporiser that I received, along with all paraphernalia.

I paid around $150, which seemed pretty cheap - stores and other eBay sellers were charging up to $250 for the same device). I was kind of expecting a forgery (ie. a fake one from a Chinese knock-off factory), but it came with all paraphernalia so I am pretty certain that it's legit.

It came uncharged. Note that you have to switch it on or else it won't charge when plugged in (ie. unlike other devices which charge as soon as you plug them into the wall).

Summary

Incredibly solid, quality built device. Excellent engineering. Almost perfect. A bit fiddly to use. Overall, a superb purchase.

Build Quality

From the minute I picked it up, I was amazed at its feeling of dense solidity. It has a chunky heaviness which gives an impression of durability and resilience. You get the impression that you could throw this product at a wall, pick it up, and it would still work.

The buttons are good and firm, and the LED screen is bright and easy to read. The inhalation tube seems fairly strong - it has a corded exterior cover and is not just a rubber hose. Hinges are tight and smooth, no wobbling.

Parts all seem to be of absolutely A-grade quality. No complaints whatsoever.

Usability

I've never used a vaporizer before this, so I didn't know what to expect. I was not sure how I was going to know when I was getting a good hit, or when I should stop (what does 'vaped' weed look like? How do I know when there's no cannabinoids left?). However, it's pretty obvious when it's done - the weed goes from looking nice to looking like crusty old autumn leaves. It's obviously spent. Also, when you inhale, you don't really taste anything, but I found that when I exhaled through my nose, I could smell the incredibly strong vapor leaving my lungs. In my limited experience, you know when the weed is spent because your exhalations start to smell more 'toasty' than 'fresh'. It's hard to describe, but quite obvious when you experience it.

The most significant problem with the unit is that filling and cleaning out the chamber after vaping is a real bother. The lid gets in the way, and the tiny little brush which they supply is OK but won't last very long. I expect I'll need to be getting a small hog bristle brush later on, which is fine, but it adds a layer of complexity to a task which used to be as simple as packing a pipe and setting fire to it. Also, that brush is too easy to lose.

The inhalation tube is nice and soft, and is made from rubber and cord cable. The only annoyance is that you have to unscrew it in order to successfully transport the device, which means that there's a danger of losing the tube. Personally, I'd prefer an entirely self-contained unit, but it's not a big problem.

Conclusion

It's like Apple created a vaporizer. It's like the 'iWeed'. I love it. I don't see myself ever going back to the pipe. It makes the idea of burning herbs seem completely anachronistic. Minor annoyances are trivial in comparison to how amazingly functional and well designed this product is.

Highly recommended.

Pros

• Accurate and consistent temperature.
• Control systems for the device are intuitive and easy to work with.
• Comfortable to hold and easy to use.
• Produces a lovely fragrant vapor that is a pleasure to inhale.

Cons

• Filling and cleaning the heating chamber is a real bother.
• The unit is not properly compact for transport without risk of losing parts (ie. inhalation tube).
• Product needs to be switched on to charge battery.

If anyone wants to ask any questions, please feel free.

Post-Implementation Follow-Up Review (2 days):

I've had a chance to use the Da Vinci Vaporizer for a couple of days now, and I have come to an unfortunate conclusion: I love the Da Vinci Vaporizer, but I don't like vaping.

The crux of my issue is that I just don't feel as high when vaporizing the same amount of cannabis as I do when I smoke it. I have no idea why this might be. I'm aware that combustion destroys more active cannabinoids/terpenes etc. in the cannabis. I have no idea why combustion seems to work better for me. I have a theory that it might be that the smoke acts as an irritant which flushes one's lungs with blood and hence results in greater uptake. Who knows..?

To be honest, I've kind of lost interest in it, and am back to using a pipe and lighter, all the while reveling in the primitive appeal of self-purification through flame and sacrifice...

So... On a completely unrelated note... Does anybody want to buy a vaporizer....?

So, I've been having a bit of a fiddle with the Da Vinci, and I think that I might have figured out what the problem was which was making my vape sessions a bit weak: I think that the herbs need to be very well ground up in order for the cannabinoids to vaporize properly. It also helps to stir them once or twice during a session. 

I read a lot of stuff online where people reported a variety of methods for loading their vapes. Some just drop a single bud in the chamber, while others grind and grind, and then grind the spent weed, and then vape it again, ! I had no idea what to try, and being lazy I was just dropping buds in the chamber (maybe ripping them apart first). I have found that my results have been much better when I have chopped my weed up into tiny little chunks, and then loading it in.

Also, after a few drags, I am finding that it really helps to open the thing up (don't need to turn it off) and give the grinds a bit of a stir. The next hit after that is quite fresh, again.

I'm grinding it down to around the size and coarseness of very roughly-ground black pepper. How finely do the rest of you vapers grind your weed when setting up for a session?

man finely ground is the way to go... also experiment with raising the temps at the end of your vape.... lots of articles about temps to vape at...

also hold it in longer than you would with smoking...