‘TED’ Talk Episode 44

XMAX V3 Pro

The XMAX V3 Pro is a surprisingly budget-friendly battery-operated vaporizer with a slim profile, which makes it really easy to take along with you. It has a way better build quality than you’d expect at this price, including a metal body, which I didn’t expect. It feels solid and has one of the best vibrations I’ve felt in a device, it’s just right. It has a magnetic lid with an outcrop similar to that of a DynaVap cap, which can be used to stir your bowl, and within the lid is a cooling pathway which works surprisingly considering the tiny size and how close your mouth sits to it. It features USB-C charging and a removable 18650 battery which will give you around 40 minutes of operation from a full charge.

You’re getting a pretty heavy convection vapour from this one, with some conduction as well, you can definitely taste the convection. It heats up insanely fast, taking only about 15 seconds from cold, but it will take either a few puffs or a longer wait to warm the material up to the point where it will produce vapour. My favourite thing about the XMAX V3 Pro is that it has session and on demand modes, session mode allows for a long session after heat up, while on demand mode is great for a quick hit (repeat as necessary) type of use.

This one sells for only $109USD, making it a great alternative to something like a Grasshopper and a way better experience than a Vleaf Go.

DynaVap Obsidium OmniVap

The Obsidium OmniVap is the newest release from DynaVap, just as they released the Coloured 2021 M's not too long ago, this is a new version of their flagship vape: the new 2021 OmniVap. It comes in an awesome special case made from aluminum and wood, with the graphics and design carved out of the metal with a laser. The wooden ends of the case aren’t stained, the wood has essentially been cooked/grilled to get the rich dark-brown colour. The tolerance on the cap of the case is way better than that of the standard OmniVap case, big attention to detail on this case.

Rather than a matte finish like on the standard 2021 Omni, the Obsidium has a shiny mirror-like black finish, which gives the device a totally different and enhanced look in comparison. It’s finished with the same PVD process that is applied to the Coloured 2021 M, this is a very resilient coating and this one is quite colour stable as well, unlike the heat-sensitive Azurium coating for example. Like the 2021 M, the entire device has that PVD coating, when you take it apart you’ll see that the condenser, the tip, and the adjustable condenser are also completely black.

The Obsidium OmniVap is longer than the Vong or the M, which really does make a difference when you’re using it dry, that added length extends the vapour-path, cooling the vapour down along the way. I encourage you to play around with the condenser position until you find the perfect spot where you don’t need to use the shotgun at all. I find that is the absolute best way to use this device and you can get either a really cool or a super thick hit depending on your preference.

Glass DynaVap Insert for The Wand

The Ispire Wand Induction Heater is an awesome device with two tasks that it’s really good at. It has induction dab cups for use with concentrate, if you’re like me and prefer to do smaller dabs then I think you would really like these. And you can use it as a DynaVap induction heater, it works great for that, some people even prefer it over the Orion Induction Heater or whatever else they’ve used. It also comes with a flower bowl which works pretty well, but I would consider it a bonus addition, it wouldn’t be the main function I would buy it for.

The only thing I don’t like about The Wand is that usually with an induction heater you just put the vape in there and it works, but because The Wand is large to accommodate the induction banger you have to manually hold your DynaVap closer to the side for it to work. You also need to stay aware of the position of the tip of your DynaVap, as if you have the snap discs outside of the wand then it will heat up but never click.

After considering these issues we designed Glass DynaVap Inserts for The Wand to completely solve them and make heating your DynaVap with The Wand as easy as with any other induction heater. They’re super easy to use - put your Wand in automatic mode by double clicking the button, and then turn it upside down so the buttons are facing down. Then you’re going to drop the Glass DynaVap Insert in there, it’s designed to fit reasonably loosely, so it won’t get stuck and will come out easily. Now simply drop your DynaVap into the Glass Insert and let it heat up hands-free. You’ll find that with the addition of the glass it’s going to take a bit longer to heat up, which will help to thoroughly roast your bowl and produce nice thick hits.

This takes all of the guesswork out of using your Ispire Wand as a DynaVap induction heater, and while the glass will get slightly warm if you do a bunch of back-to-back hits, with normal use it doesn’t get very warm at all and the heat just passes from the induction coil directly into the DynaVap.

Zippo Butane Lighter

Finally, I want to talk about two new butane lighters I have recently purchased, and the first is a Zippo. This Zippo has an antique copper finish, I really like that it has that nice classic Zippo look while being tastefully flashy thanks to the matte distressed finish.

To get a Zippo butane lighter, first you need to buy any standard Zippo for the body. I haven’t seen any Zippo bodies for sale separately, on their website they only sell them complete with the standard Zippo internals, which are only good for lighting joints. Once you’ve got your Zippo body, simply buy a butane insert that they also sell on their site and they are available in either a single or a double flame configuration. The standard internals slide out and then you slide in the butane internals in their place, now you have a butane Zippo.

I really love the look and size, the Zippo has such a classic style and that trademark sound when you open it is so satisfying, I always wanted to have one in my collection. Overall this one is a little more form over function, if you’re only using it for lighting joints for example then it will be awesome, but if you want to use it for a DynaVap or anything like that it is not exactly ideal. It doesn’t have a massive tank so you have to refill it fairly often, you have to remove the insert to adjust the flame, and you have to adjust it with a screwdriver, you can’t do it with your fingernail, which is a bit of a pain.

The main problem is that it has no flame lock, so you have to hold the button down somewhat awkwardly the entire time, which makes it unpleasant for anything more than occasional usage. It’s a really cool lighter to have in my collection and I love using it for joints, but it just doesn’t have what I need to make it my primary lighter.

DynaVap Duality Lighter

The DynaVap Duality Lighter on the other hand is quite a nice looking and highly functional lighter that will work with pretty much anything. On the bottom you’ll find a nice big flame adjustment dial that you could even use with gloves on, and a standard can of Colibri works on the intake without needing to use one of the lid adapters. On the side you’ll see a gas level window, which is handy as you can easily tell if you need to fill it before going out. It has a good size tank on it for something this size, it’s about as large as it could possibly be in this size of a body.

It has a Zippo style top meaning that the lid flicks back to reveal the butane jets. This helps to keep them protected and clean, so it won’t get gunked up if it’s in your pocket. It doesn’t have a flame lock per se, but the gas turns on as soon as the lid is open, which acts as your flame lock. Don’t leave the lid open on this one unless you are planning on using it, or else you will drain the gas quickly.

Instead of using an electronic ignition like a lot of lighters, the Duality has a flint ignition which you don’t see too often. This is an interesting choice, as the electronic ignition is usually the failure point on a lighter, that’s what seems to go first, whereas a flint is an old and proven technology that is quite reliable. If you have small hands you might find this flint a little awkward but it’s pretty good for my hands.

The coolest part is the switch on the side, this switches it between single and dual flame mode. This is a really cool feature and I find it handy as I prefer a single flame, but if I am outside or in a hurry a double flame is way more functional. It’s also cool that you can go from a single to a double flame while it is in use, so if you need to kick it up to that next level just switch it to a double flame and really make it happen.

Thanks for reading and watching, I really appreciate it.

Keep it green, keep it sneaky!

Pete.