Review - Arizer Extreme Q vape

[Paladin]

Hey all.

 

This is an early report on the Arizer Extreme Q vape. I've only had this for a few days now, but thought I'd give some quick feedback.

 

This vape is getting a lot of hype recently. The extreme Q is the new 2010 model, and there's quite a bit of chatter about how it goes head-to-head with a volcano. I reckon the volcano is better, but the extreme Q has a lot going for it also.

 

Firstly, although not a low-end vape, the extreme Q won't break the bank like the volcano does. It set me back about $350 AUD, delivered to Aust (I purchased it from Canada). Still exxy, but it's an awful lot of bang for the buck.

 

On that note, the standard model works just fine on 240v. It's designed to do so.

 

Secondly, you can use whips as well as bags with this one.

 

The 'cyclone bowl' set up is a good one - nice and easy to clean and very convenient when swapping the many attachments the extreme Q comes with (this thing is packed with extra mouthpieces, tubing, different attachments, etc). Having a vertical mounting like this has all sorts of benefits when stirring the bowl, adding in extra material, etc.

 

The bag fills quickly (maybe 2-3 mins?). The three-speed fan is useful here. I found that a decent pinch of herb was getting me about three bags worth of vapor, and being able to set the fan lower after the first few bags meant that I was able to take my time and get the most out of my material.

 

The whip is fun to use either manually, or with fan assist. Fan assist actually works here.

 

Oh - and a remote control is now a must have for me. I thought this was a little gimmicky, but being able to change the fan speed, temp, lights and so on from the other end of the whip is really useful.

 

The bottom leds ARE gimmicky - but do give her a nice UFO look at night.

 

Compared to lower end vapes like the iolite, this thing absolutely, positively kicks ass. Complete and accurate temp control, fantastic temp stability, and just a good build quality all around. The ceramics used here are top notch - a lifetime warranty on the heating element. Multiple heat sensors (3) to keep the temp pukka. The extreme Q also preserves the taste really, really well. I'm smoking a no-name sativa dom at the moment, and the extreme q brought out some really lovely subtle flavors from it, where as my Vaporite Hyper (now retired) failed to do this well with the same gear.

 

Hmmm. . . in short, while not as fast as the Volcano, I'm seeing a lot of positives here. Firstly, whip or bag. Secondly, a remote and more features than the Volcano. Thirdly - well, for the price, it's one hell of a vape.

 

Downsides? The mesh screen system in the cyclone tubes had me stumped for a bit. I find a really good hit through the whip can actually unsettle the screen a little - but it does warn of this in the user manual and says it settles with use. The price is still a little steep, but for me this is a better investment than a lower end vape, and the attendant lack of build quality, reliability and accuracy.

 

Happy toking all.

[The Hash Nibbler]

Nice review paladin, used a Vap a bit in Holland but Now I see the good ones are here, you have rekindled my interest. Thanks man, GH72

[Indycar]

Yeah, quite a good review indeed without the usual noobie hype that ya generally see when someone gets a new vape. These sorta unbiased reviews DO actually help others out when it comes time for them to look at purchasing a vape.

 

It'd be good to hear your thoughts on it again in about a month or so of the Extreme-Q after you've broken it in 'n and got the hang of it, Paladin.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

[Paladin]

Cheers Indy, GH.

 

Sure. I'll post a follow-up in a couple of months once she's broken in properly. Will update also if bugs emerge in the product.

[Nooby]

What makes it different from the regular extreme?

[Indycar]

From what I've gathered, Nooby. The Extreme-Q is more compact and has a better/quieter fan in it. When I first heard about it, I searched YouTube and found a series of 10 short video clips about it. There maybe more features, but they're the two main ones that stuck out, from memory.

 

Here's the first one

If your prepared to watch the other nine. You'll see them in the list, on the right of the YouTube page.

 

[Nooby]

Thanks!

[Untitled]

I got a Extreme Q about 3-4 weeks ago and I'm in love!!! I always thought I would be smoking bongs till the day I die....... I now havn't smoked a bong for over 2 weeks and I'm kinda disappointed in all those years i spent/wasted smoking bongs

 

The price seems a bit steep but it is worth it.. You use half as much bud and get twice as stoned, The stone/high is alot nicer/cleaer IMO. The taste is fucken awsome.

 

You can also change the high off your weed a little by adjusting the temp you vape at. 190-210c on mine gives u more of a head high then when you crank it up.to 230c u get that good stone.

 

I'm sure there is a few more benefits but I just vaped some Ice cream and now I must go

[Rooster]

Well I just ordered this vape a few minutes ago - will post my thoughts when I get it. I payed $249US shipped with a space case 2 pc grinder. Not bad! I got the deal from going through the fuckcombustion.com forums and used the the "FCEXTREME" coupon code to get $50US off the $299US price and you get free international shipping and the space case. I was going to order a space case off ebay anyway but that just totally sweetened the deal.

 

My 1st vape purchase so Im real excited. I also bought the Magic Flight Launch Box which is apparently one of the best portable devices going around. Around US$95 from a reputable ebay dealer.

 

Now the waiting.............

[Paladin]

Wow, Rooster - that's an amazing deal! Good one. Wish I'd gone that route.

 

OK, so I promised to update after the vape has had some heavy use. Consider her properly field tested now

 

PROS:

 

So far so good. Build quality seems great.

 

I'm absolutely sold on the vertical orientation of the glassware here. It makes adding new weed to the bowl very easy. One technique that I'm working with here is this - fill a bag, add another pinch to the bowl, and keep going. This seems to result in nice, thick bags of vapor every time.

 

I'm pretty sold on the bags here too. Although the whip works a treat (and you can really feel the benefit of using one of the fan speeds for extra oompf), I can't beat the bags for getting blazed fast, if needed. Fill one bag, start hitting it, and the next will be done in good time.

 

I just tested one of the bags for y'all. On speed 3, it fills up completely in 1 min 53 seconds when all is well. So I'm pretty happy with that speed.

 

I could live without a remote after having used this one, but not happily. It comes in very handy.

 

To my surprise, I have indeed been using the aroma attachment to burn aromatic oil. It's really very good at doing this. The vape now no longer needs putting away when guests arrive - it's just a very cool high-tech looking aromatherapy device.

 

CONS:

 

It's possible if leaving the bowl in place and adding a little to it that you can drop some herb down inside the vape. This is not good for it, so care is required if hot-filling the bowl.

 

As advertised, the screens in the cyclone bowl do settle in with use and now stay nicely in position.

 

I find the top screens a frustration, though. They're made of a much finer mesh and do clog very easily. I find I need to clean them after every 2nd use or so. The symptoms of a clogged screen here are that the bag starts taking longer to fill up, and you start getting a lot less vapor. Makes sense with an airflow issue. To get the most out of the vape it's REALLY important to keep these clean.

 

While I get that it's important to filter the vapor very carefully before inhalation, I don't get why these screens need to be so fine. One issue with the vertical orientation and a fan blowing does mean that if you grind up very fine a bit of the herb blows up into the top screen. Combine this with any resin residue and you're rapidly losing performance.

 

What I've done is a work around with one of the slightly coarser screens designed to sit in the bowl itself. It can be bent into the correct top hat shape (kinda sorta) pretty easily and fits in nice and snug. This vastly improves airflow for me.

 

TIPS:

 

One tip is to let the Arizer warm up properly before use. If I know I'm going to have a session, I'll fire her up at top temp for about 15 mins or so to get all the components nice and toasty. This ensures a great first bag.

 

Another tip - setting the fan to 3 does seem to result in more extraction for me, so I make sure to run it on 3 when I'm having the last bag for the session, and it seems to wring a bit of extra vapor out.

 

A third tip - gently squeezing the bags as you inhale is a good way to take extra large hits.

 

And a final tip on that point - make sure you swap out your bags regularly. Their interiors get sticky with time, which means that they are harder to inflate and you waste some vapor (you always want to have the air whoosing through free and unimpeded - this seems key to maintaining top performance). Turkey bags from the supermarket are good - but really any plastic bag will do. I prefer clear because you can monitor the density of the vapor of course. The time test above was with the last of the default bags that shipped with the unit.

 

PS: A battery pack is also available for this vape, making it portable if needs be.

 

PPS: Looks like we're getting a good little user group happening here! Would love to hear any hints or experiences from the rest of you. Thanks!

 

 

TL;DR (Summary): I would buy this again, and at this point I would buy it in preference to a volcano and spend the saved cash on other toys. I'd go a volcano for commercial use (coffee shop or similar) but this is a great recreational vape.