Vape me up on the go-go

September 6, 2007 3:55 AM

Help me select a portable vaporizer for fun-filled vaping on the go.

Now that I'm a card-carrying member of the vaporizing jet-set (thanks to recommendations from Mefites), it's time to outfit myself with the next step: portability.

I've looked at a few portable products on the web, both battery- and lighter-operated. Recommendations? Product faves?

The portable vapes that work with standard bic lighters seem good, but I'm worried that I might need to hold the flame continuously to get a good vapor, possibly burning my fingers. Is this a problem?

posted by Gordion Knott to health & fitness (9 comments total)

You're talking about the weed-uh-I-mean-tobacco-smoking kind of vaporizer, not the Vick's-vaporizer-humidifier-sick-people kind, right?
posted by box at 5:17 AM on September 6, 2007

Upon rereading, yeah, it's pretty obvious.
posted by box at 5:19 AM on September 6, 2007

Everything I've used but a Volcano has been stupid, horrible and basically worthless. Especially the so called portable ones. AFAIK the two motives are at odds with each other, there are much more efficient ways to roll on the go without dropping cash on something with such a poor return on investment. I tried an original Vapir and it is just horrible, they touted it as "portable" although you had to lug around a power brick comparable to that of a laptop to keep it charged up. I see they have made a handheld version and were smart enough to rip off the Volcano "bag" delivery system, but still... even as a novelty it will quickly wear off, no pothead enjoys fiddling with a gizmo more than smoking a joint especially if you are mobile.
posted by prostyle at 5:49 AM on September 6, 2007

I've never encountered a portable vaporizer that worked very well. The lighter-based ones basically end up incinerating the dope same as if you were just smoking it, and the battery-based vapes just plain don't work. Unless there's been a breakthrough in vaporizer technology in the last few years that I'm unaware of, I'd say when you're 'on the go' and just have to get lit, stick with joints or a one-hitter.

Just to brag: my SO has a VripMaster Agent 007 Vaporization Kit that makes those rinky-dink wooden box, heating coil, & plastic tubing numbers seem like an absolute joke.
posted by Item at 6:50 AM on September 6, 2007

Going with the other posters, a portable vape may not be worth what you will end up paying for it.

Might I suggest the Solopipe? I love mine. It makes smoking tobacco so much more convenient.
posted by ThFullEffect at 7:45 AM on September 6, 2007

sounds like you want a Vapir....no lighters involved, but sorta pricey.
posted by gnutron at 10:19 AM on September 6, 2007

A volcano is good if you're trying to get more than two or three people high, but it's big and expensive and indiscreet. I've used an Aromazap for years. It's ideal for one or two people, and it's small and discreet. It's not truly portable in the sense that it needs to be plugged in, but it's very easy to carry with you and plug in somewhere, and if you get the car adapter it's even better. I wouldn't go on tour without it!
posted by ludwig_van at 10:45 AM on September 6, 2007

As illustrated in your previous question there are convection and conduction based vaporizers.

You can build functional equivalents of top end models using various off the shelf components.

A Volcano is little more than a heat gun stood on end, topped with a screened material holding chamber which is then processed by the warm air towards an empty container such as a bag or a jar, etc. It has two big knobs and some flashing lights, but otherwise that's really about all you're getting. So?

The product that item referenced is little more than a bong with a large tapered bowl which will accept what appears to be a fairly standard heat gun nozzle where normal air would pass through, so you can see there is little difference in theory but vast differences in application.

These are normally used for shrink wrapping and other packaging purposes and are available in many different configurations/capacities.

Contact models like the one ludwig_van mentioned can be built using a rheostat and a soldering iron for well under $20. The traditional method for this setup would be to set a jar with hoses attached over the heating element to capture the vapor, this kind of sucks and never works very well. It appears this referenced product uses a mouthpiece/stem type unit with a carb hole to pull directly off the vaporizing material, I could see that being a slight improvement.

The problem is when you scale up to multiple users or usage sessions you don't want to pass around this gizmo that's attached to a cord, which is why the bag system is so key. You don't pass around the unit, you pass around the end product bagged with a convenient mouthpiece. Anything that doesn't use this method is either a passive collection system (jar over the soldering gun) or one small fan away from being indistinguishable to others in that category.

As final parting words please, whatever you do, don't flush away $$$ on anything made by Air-2. If their $300 Vapir doesn't work worth a damn I don't imagine their $150 portable version is any different.
posted by prostyle at 11:17 AM on September 6, 2007

Realizing this is an old thread, I have to comment that the Aromazap is not in fact a contact model. I used one for 4 years, before I gave up such things for work reasons, it worked, and worked well-even plugged into the car.
posted by piedmont at 4:21 PM on January 13, 2008