Extreme (Arizer) Vaporiser

[cheeba]

Hey guys...planning on a relatively extensive review here, so those forewarned, please proceed at will.

 

I'll start by saying the important bit - if you're one of the folks that is wondering about the validity and potency of the higher-end vaporizer units - THEY WORK. THEY WORK WELL.

So, read on, and I'll talk about my experience with the method for a little bit, then go into what I hope is a cool and informative review for any curious minds.

 

I had tried vaporizers before - the "smoke bubble" (which was aptly named) and one of the "bubblegum machine" looking ones, you know, glass dome top with a small heated element inside?

Both worked, and got me thinking that maybe there was in fact something to all this vaporization business...not to mention, as a non-smoker of anything but the green I've wanted to ditch the actual SMOKING if the substance for some time.

 

The cheaper units ($25 for the smoke bubble, and $60 for the one with the element respectively) do work, but with the manual unit, having to hold it over flame for some time is an annoying and lengthy process, and in all honesty, they generally ended up burning/smouldering which pretty much defeats the purpose.

For these reasons, I wouldn't recommend any of the cheaper (generally the ones that the substance makes contact with any solid heating element) models of vaporizer to anyone that's looking to the method as a viable means to improve the health/lungs.

 

Ok, so I guess I'll talk about where I got mine from first - I didn't buy direct from the manufacturer in my case, but if you folks want to know which reputable supplier I've had a good experience with, it was VAPEWORLD. They're located in California, but ship worldwide. Here's a link to the package I picked up http://www.vapeworld.com/store/product.php...=248&page=1

Vapeworld was excellent in terms of their communication - sending emails promptly in regards to payment process, warranty information, and freight - I didn't really need to talk to them about anything they hadn't covered.

The time-frame did not reach the maximum quoted, and I received the package at my place in Sydney, intact and as described in just under 2 weeks from the date of purchase.

No problems at all from customs.

The packaging was relatively discreet, just a brown paper box - it did say "vapeworld" on it - I suppose that's not the worst thing, and not really descriptive of the product which is cool.

Lots of packing material - these things just aren't going to break during freight.

Overall, the retailer rating would be 8.5/10, my only issues being the inability to contact them via the phone number provided (always got the machine, even during their business hours) and that the box didn't really require the exterior labelling - but seriously, no big issues at all, to the point I'd actually highly recommend them as a trustworthy and prompt online retailer.

 

The price was $380

 

Lets talk about the unit itself then.

 

Having visited the link provided, you'll see that the unit is a nice and neat and sterile looking device - looks a little bit like some kind've scientific or new-age cooking equipment, but with nothing connected it doesn't look like a bong, which is what was important to me, there's no more of that hiding the bong shit.

 

All very self-explanatory, and easy to construct within a couple of minutes of the time you have all the components in front of you.

 

To my fellow Aussies: You don't need to buy their power converter - I've been using a generic-ass universal converted purchased cheaply from Dick Smith a few years back, haven't encountered any issues with using this at all.

 

The temperature and fan speeds can be controlled manually or via the small remote control that came with the vaporizer.

 

My personal recommendation after some use of the product, is to set it to 215 degrees (which is representative of the heat of the unit, not the passing point of the weed) and set the fan to HIGH prior to putting the herb chamber on top of the unit - this just gets the hot air circulating.

Then put your chamber/hose...etc on top and start the fan.

I have a theory that the higher fan speeds may dry out the product more quickly, so I go with the lowest setting myself - note that this is only my personal theory, could be completely incorrect.

I find that with higher temperatures (say, 230+), the product can taste a little ashy, just to the point that there's small concerns about it leaning a little towards smoke when this is done, bear in mind this is coming from a pretty health conscious person at the moment...I'm all for the elimination of anything resembling smoke right now.

 

With the recommended temperature, I've been using the BAGS that came with the unit.

Each bag fills up on Low speed in about 2 minutes.

I won't be talking about the hose/vapour on demand methods, because I have not used them as yet.

Here's a tip - the bags that come with this vapo don't come with any plugs or clips at all - so, if you don't want to hit the vapours then and there, just throw in a rollie filter to the mouthpeice and no vapour escapes.

 

Just to throw some random in there, I've tried using some "other" substances in the vapo just to check them out - fresh mint from the garden is really nice, and chamomile tea was awesome, cumin...was strange.., inhalation aside - these kind of things can supposedly be used to deodorise the air in ones house - Not something I've really checked out to greater extent...but of course we're here to talk about other things, eh?

 

The bags can be sipped, but I find I get the best effect I'll breathe out all the way, and take a few deep inhalations of the vapour, holding each one with my lungs at maximum capacity for a few moments before exhaling. There's say 2-3 deep breaths worth per bag. I do this not only for effect but health reasons as well - these products are known to actually be not just unharmful, but beneficial to your lungs, vapour works on dislodging any congestion in the lungs/throat. Through use, I can confirm this - although I think the fresh mint works just a tad better in that respect.

 

My lungs have actually become a lot better since I've been using this product - now, if you're in the same boat as me and have gone from smoking right to vaping, there are some things you should expect within your first couple of weeks of use...I'm sure these effects will vary person to person though:

*Coughing - a fair bit at first.

*Slight pressurised feeling around the lungs

*Coughing up CRAP in the morning...seriously, I hadn't coughed up so much gunk since I had bronchitis.

*Gradually you notice that being out of breath occurs far less, and your lung capacity increases slightly also.

Now, I can attribute that all as pretty good stuff, your body healing itself and the vapour method assisting in the removal of congestion, but yeah I thought I'd mention it all the same as it can be rough and unexpected, so that you know in advance, these kinds of "symptoms" are normal.

 

Green Consumption/Usage - has been less. Not by a huuuge amount, but someplace between half and a third less that I would usually burn away, but hey, anything less is a posetive right? The girl and I use about 1/4 of a gram for 6 bags, and do that twice a night at this point. So, half a g a day between 2 people....not bad eh?

 

I would reccomend keeping your greens in a sealed container, and refrigerated - seems to retain the moisture, which is ideally what you want when vapourising, don't want it drying out or anything.

I would also not chop up any more'n you intend to use over an evening, obviously this will dry out the product too.

 

What else?

Well, I've made some pretty nice "green tea" with my pre-vapourised remainder.

I was always kind've out of it when the time came around to try this - until I had it first thing one day (a little lemon juice, honey, and milk) and tested out the effects.

Wasn't bad, more of a relaxed feeling than anything - works in a similar way tot he relaxing herbal teas, but just a little bit more-so. The taste is not gross or anything, just tastes like a mild version of the plant matter itself with whatever else you throw into the mix. I would recommend this as a sleep helper for before bed.

I was toying with the idea of making a mild butter with it next time - I know it won't be as potent as a full bud/leaf would be, but if I can get the same relaxant effect from the butter as the tea, I can live with that, it's all about making the maximum of what you've got, I'll jump in and let you guys know how that went in a while to.

 

If you're a smoker or a cheapass like my friend, you may wish to try smoking the remainder - I let him, and he claimed to get a good hit from it, but it smelled like....like...really chemical? Like something burning that oughta not be.

 

So now...the good bits...I know you've been very patient reading me shit on about every other aspect than the getting f'd up part, so here you go folks...

 

Taste

I love it. I really do. It's like you're tasting the smell that comes off some nice buds. It's slightly sweet and tart, and goes down a treat. Having smoked before, its unusual to taste the plant in this form, but I can't say a bad word about it. Just don't set your temps too high, or you might end up with a slightly ashy vibe.

 

Effect

Ok, so here's where it gets interesting.

I have a feeling that the following may be what turns a lot of potential vapers back to smoking...when I first tried the extreme vaporizer, myself and the girl had a couple of bags each...an effect was there but not to the point that we were all like "wow, this is sooo much better than smoking" or anything like that, which in all honesty was a bit dissapointing.

But, we copped it sweet - after all, it did SOMETHING right? We weren't un-fucked-up, so we decided that our health was more imporant and perservere with the vaporizer.

...and I am so glad I did.

It's a strange thing, and I'm not sure if its to do with your bodies/brains gradual adjustment to a less traumatic method of consumption, your lungs getting better, or what...but, the funny thing is, I noticed that after about a week of exclusive use of the vaporizer with NO smoking at all, the effect got greater and greater over about 2-3 weeks beyond that period, to the point that I'd have one bag, and when I went to take a second bag, about half way through I'd have to stop.

Yes, it wasn't immediate but the effects kept increasing...and the best thing is that even though I've reached a point where 1-2 bags will waste me, there seems to be no kind of resistance to it at all, could be to do with the purity of the THC content minus all the other carcinogenic stuff/tar..etc, but all I can say is that I'm enjoying this product immensely.

 

Hell, I'll say it - I prefer this method now.

In terms of the high itself you may notice some differences.

In my case, I find that you have much greater control of yourself, the munchies occur less, the heart speed-ups (which seemed to be a thing when I smoked) are gone, and while I still enjoy doing this mostly at home, the familiar semi-paranoiac/nervous feelings you get are very minimal in comparison with a full on bong stone.

Don't get me wrong though, the buzz is incredible...it's more about your mind than your body in this case - it's similar to the effect of smoking through a hookah but a bit more "awake", you don't feel dopey or drowsey at all...but you can still get stupid and get the laughs, nevertheless, and if you say, had 3 bags in a row you'd have a pretty intense high for the rest of the night. The effects are also more long lasting in general, doesn't wear off nearly as fast.

 

Funny story, me and the girl were washing the components and felt like getting a bit wasted...had nothing but the old bong...discussed using it just the once while we waited.

Neither of us will be doing that again.

Ech! F'n so, so feral now...I didn't even finish a cone, I don't hate it now but seriously when you've gone a few weeks without it, you notice a huge flavour difference, and I swear I could smell it in the bathroom the next day.

 

Ah!

Important point that brings me to!!

The smell factor. It's gone.

I shit you not, there is a mild smell but not one that's in any way recognisable as weed (which even us stoners know can be deadset obvious) it's more like...shit, I don't even know what it's like, just that it's nothing like weed, and doesn't linger whatsoever...my non-smoker friends have confirmed the difference, as have I by noticing the distinct smell after the bong attempt. My house, room, and vaporizer do NOT smell like weed, another factor of importance, another thing I had read about and not quite believed, but it's true.

 

My final word is that there were a few unexpected hiccups in the "changeover" phase, but if you are interested in looking after your health, and want to try a perfectly good alternative way to enjoy your greens, I can't recommend this vaporizer enough.

I'm sure that the few units that cost more than this one will do a great job too, as will any of this type (all going well), but the EXTREME is the one I got, and the one I can comment on.

 

Crap, that was a lot of writing.

Anyways, hope I've dropped some useful info up in here for you guys/gals.

Catchya round the place.

 

B.

[mull]

Enjoy your vapin cheeba, way to go.

 

You can make oil from the postvape too.

Butter will work better than tea. Also full fat milk will asborb thc well, milk coffee perhaps.

[loylty gets u nothing]

great honest report

thanks for sharing

bil

[Frazz]

Wow, what a terrific review cheeba, many thanks for such a comprehensive report mate

 

[Sett418]

Hey Cheeba,

 

I really appreciate the review mate, so much so that I just placed an order for one (with a seemingly new aussie distributor, I'll post when it arrives). There was a real bad flu in Newcastle lately, my friends and I all got it off each other.. Bongs irritated the throat to the point that a number of us actually had bleeding throats from coughing (although the bleeding was minimal). I had a cheap vaporizer made in China that works very poorly (in my opinion) and started using that to try and do some harm reduction which I have been using since. So I really can't wait to get the extreme, play around with it til I find the sweet spot then get very

happy, hehe..

 

A few of my friends I think, were VERY shaken by the savageness of this flu and are really thinking about cutting back or even quitting ganja. Actually, I just found out two did quit!

 

There is a couple of things I also noticed about switching from smoking (about 2 g a day through a double chamber "Hurricane/Cyclone" bong, no 'spin') is that for the first few days I felt like the vapor barely did anything and I wasted HUGE amounts of ganja. After using nothing but the vape for about 2 weeks the effect is much stronger and more pleasant (I also got the sweet spot figured, but this machine is still annoying) and as you said, seems to get better and better with time! I am also down to juuuust over a gram a day, so I've cut down by 50% using a relatively shit vape. I have high hopes for the extreme.

 

I also want to add. I use MJ for anxiety purposes, and the stuff I coughed up for the first week or so caused me some problems as it was pretty unpleasant, in a visual way... Let's just say I'm also feeling pretty health concious now and don't really intend on smoking it again for quite some time. I always knew any type of smoke was bad for you but fuuuuck.

 

Erm, sorry for getting carried away but thanks for a helpful review!

[Gee]

this review deserves a bump!

[johnbonham]

I read Cheebas comprehensive review and thought perhaps we had an Arizer employee getting some free advertising. But I had read other equally glowing reviews and I sceptically purchased one with big expectations. I realize his review was written like a man that just fell in love, and I think I know what you mean. The first night some aromatherapy was conducting with a group of six newbys and dailys. The bag proved revelational to all as well as the air feeding that you could achieve with the whip.

 

Thumbs up totally Arizer seem to almost totally have there shit totally together, so much so they have had issue with there power supply (Non Candian Part), which I had read about. Maybe this is so that there customer service get battle hardened dealing, they throw in a few dodgy power supplies just to keep them on there toes. Seeing as it was the weekend, Karl at Vapourama had responded within a few hours and I soon had a person in Canada and a Karl happy top send me a new pack immediately or crediting my paypal with the cost of one from Jaycar. Which I have, so no worries 19 volt, 3.7 - 5 amp (available) at jaycar for 70 bucks. So now I am thinking about battery packs, doing something with an old laptop battery or the likes in case you are favouring an outdoor aromatherapy experience.

 

Well done Arizer, only day two with it; but it is damn effective and literal, as we are experiencing in this forum.

[Cheeba-Cheeba]

Ha, thought I'd cruise back in here.

I thought I might sound a little bit like I was pimping it just a tad too much for a general customer, ha, but I always believe in giving good credit where it's due - advocating vaporisation isn't always easy, and when you're looking, it's good to have info on standby - I encourage others to write up any good products they try.

 

 

Glad to see some peeps got something out of my review, and I hope all of your vapes are doing right by you.

 

- B.

[RobV]

Hey, I just read your review and there are a few things I would like to add.

 

With the temp setting it depends what type of weed I’m using at the time, If I’m using chronic I like to vape at about 230-240*c, but if I’m using mids Ill vape at 215-225*c, both with a fan setting of 3. I like to only get 1 bag per bowl and I always pack in the elbow and not in the normal bowl as it is stronger/more efficient ( Ill post instructions at the end of my post).

 

You should also be sipping your bag, I will sometimes take 15 mins to do 1 bag, the key is to not exhale any vapours as that is wasted product. What you want to do is breathe in for about 1-2 secs and hold that in for how ever it long it takes for there to be no vapour when you exhale.

 

I also smoke my vape remains if I run out of green, you get high but not as high as a fresh bowl.

 

The whip is good, but not as good as the bag I reckon and I find that you waste a lot more vapour.

 

 

Also the vapour tolerance and the smoke tolerance is different, so if you only vape for 2 months then go and have a bong you will get ripped, same deal the other way.

 

Cant find the instructions for the elbow pack but basically you know the bit above the bowl that the whip or bag attaches to, there is a metal screen in the glass joint, just put your product in there instead of in the normal bowl and use like normal, gives a much more compressed hit… This was posted on the extreme vaporpedia page by a guy from Arizer but it has been removed.

 

Works great with Kief and Hash too.

Edited October 7, 2009 by RobV

[Cheeba-Cheeba]

Try it with just the bit (small plastic tube on the "elbow") that connects to the bags with the fan on speed 1...now THAT'S a vapour hit...