I’ve been in the industry for over a decade. I have owned or handled countless devices in that time. However for some reason I’ve never had a FW in my personal collection. I really should change that haha.

The last FW I handled in fact was the Firewood4 way back in 2014/15-ish (anyone know Mephisto over on FuckCombustion? It was his - he’s an awesome guy)

Sniff the comments in this thread make me so happy. I gave up combustion over a decade ago and my body has been happier for it.

These days I only combust socially when joining old friends who don’t dry vape.

Lol, this industry has done plenty for me over the past decade, dropping some knowledge is the least I can do to give back.

Haha yeah the MFLB is for sure a very analog experience and takes quite a bit of practice to perfect. There are some devices in my collection I just don’t share with anyone who doesn’t also own the same device simply because I don’t want them to accidentally combust and tarnish the flavor of the device.

The MFLB Finishing grinder is a niche product but it has it’s uses. I like that it locks into the notch on the MFLB when grinding so it dumps directly into the oven for you. But dang it’s a PITA to grind away like that - the dryer the herb, the easier to grind with that finishing grinder. Still it is a VERY popular grinder for many conduction-style vaporizers. I actually sell aftermarket adapters to connect the MFLB to a pax (custom funnel design), or even a mason jar lid so people could fill a glass jar with ultra finely ground herb haha.

Note - there are other grinders like the Brilliantcut grinder (pricey, but damn it’s a nice grinder, I have one) which have different middle plates so you can choose the grind type (fine, medium, or coarse) - just grab two middle plates and you can swap out as needed.

Or if you don’t want to buy any new grinders right now and have a 3 or 4 piece grinder try this trick: Turn your grinder upside down and grind extensively before uprighting your grinder for the herb to fall through into the bottom compartment.

The MFLB actually uses radiant heating as the primary source of cooking, as opposed conduction or convection which is far more common in portable vaporizers. This is partially why it’s such a popular device with a cult following more than a decade after it’s release.

Generally I’m not too concerned about stealth, affordability is somewhat a factor and (maybe like most people) I like to look for something that doesn’t break the bank and gives a lot for what you pay. Portability is favorable as I can see us using it more as we frequent more places where recreational use is legal.

For many years PlanetOfTheVapes (one of my largest retail distribution partners) sold their own POTV One vaporizer (basically a customized build of a HealthyRips Fury Edge vaporizer) for $99. It was an insanely popular budget-friendly device for the company. Basically one of their top five devices still to this day. POTV just dropped an upgraded model called the Lobo which I have yet to get my hands on. But knowing the company and knowing the previous device, I’d say that the Lobo is probably a really good option for the money - it’ll be MUCH easier to use.

While the MFLB may be fully analog pulsing heat to the oven, think of these temperature-regulated portables like a car on cruise control. Just set your desired temp and sip away - the heater will pulse itself as needed to maintain that temperature (within a few degrees).

You can also do some fun stuff with the Lobo since it uses dosing capsules - you can preload those and easily reload the device on the go. I also like dosing capsules for “microdosing” - toss a bit of herb in the bottom of the oven then use an EMPTY dosing capsule as a spacer to hold things in place.

Ah the Magic Flight Launchbox (aka MFLB) was a cult classic back a decade ago. It was one of the best and stealthiest devices on the market… once you get the hang of using it. The problem is that it is not the easiest vaporizer to handle - much more of an “analog” device.

Don’t throw it out, but certainly stash it away until you become a more “experienced” vaporent.

Temperature control can be handy… depending on what you personally seek from the flower. Different temperatures don’t simply mean “bigger clouds” - the reality is that different temps release different active compounds from the flower. This means you can “customize” your sesh based on your desires. For example I like lower temps in the mornings for a more uplifting creative affect, and higher temps in the evening for sedation. Others need high temp at all times for pain relief and sedation. That’s fine, not all of us seek the same thing from the plant, and part of the fun is discovering what temps work best for you personally.

First, price does not equate to performance. That MFLB can out perform a bunch of vaporizers that retail for over $200… once you know how to handle it properly (which takes a lot of practice… and patience loading the device with ultra finely ground material - this device needs some of the finest ground herb of any device on the market).

Next, know that not all devices perform the same - vapor flavor, heatup times, oven sizes, draw restriction, etc all vary wildly from device to device. Since I work in the industry I’ve handled literally countless devices (lost count around four dozen lol) so by all means feel free to ask me how they’d compare to the MFLB.

What specifically are you looking for in a device? It sounds like temp control is one desire, I bet you wish you could get bigger clouds, but what else is a desire in a new device?

Do you need stealth? Portability? Budget-friendly? etc

Let me know what are most important aspects and I’ll try to give you a few good options to meet your needs.

Woot! Happy to hear it! Thank you for your patronage - this biz is purely a labor of love with no corporate overlords. I am constantly innovating and pushing out new widgets to keep things exciting on the website.

I didn’t realize different temps have different effects as well. Do you have a chart or description of what effects the different temps have? Thanks!

There are a few charts floating around, but I don’t exactly agree with all their data - some of the temps listed on these charts comes from single studies with minimal testing.

In very general terms I say low temps below 375F for a more cerebral creative uplifting affect, while temps over 400F work better for sedation and pain relief (higher temps especially for pain relief). Some people like to enjoy a low-temp sesh in the morning, and cook the remainder of the bowl in the evenings at a higher temp. The fun part is the ability to take a hybrid or indica and extract only the sativa-effects from the plant (which is inefficient as you won’t get many big clouds, but it can be done which is handy when the options are slim).

The fun part is self discovery - start at 300F and work your way up 15F at a time, see how you feel

Ever check out the Lotus vaporizer? It’s a convection vaporizer which is unlike most other vapes on the market (and very different from the vapcap). Basically you heat a plate while drawing air over the plate - this is a forced convection heating. The faster you draw and move the torch, the more uniform your extraction. From a cold start, I can completely extract everything in a single rip, or temp step and play with the temps by adjusting draw speeds, etc.

It’s a very analogue device. But it’s so easy to combust (if you leave the torch heating one spot too long) so I NEVER shared mine with friends.

Neither, I prefer dry vaporizing to combusting these days - it’s healthier, tastes better, and I can customize what the affects feel like (different temps cook out different medical benefits from the plant)

But I still enjoy combusting socially when someone is passing something around, but I absolutely prefer flavor chasing with a dry vape

Heck yeah! I’ve been spoiled by dry vaping to the point where I can’t even handle the taste of smoking anymore. I always get pissed when I accidentally combust with my Vapcap or other butane powered device.

I love my Crafty+ It provides exceptionally smooth rips without any mods (between the Crafty and Mighty, I actually chose the Crafty because it’s more pocket-friendly and has a smaller cooling unit allowing me to still enjoy some of the heat from the vapor). However I am usually a flavor chasing snob, especially when trying out a new strain so my crafty rarely gets used these days. However thanks to my position in the industry, I have many devices to choose from so I’m always cycling through device.

Careful with that tooth extraction! Be sure to let things heal fully before using any vaporizers, or you could risk a “dry socket” which is something extremely unpleasant from what I understand. For now, edibles only! haha.

Varies entirely from person to person. Many people have a hard time making the switch to dry flower vaporizing because their bodies are accustomed to the toxic cocktail of carcinogenics and carbon monoxide yielding an instant euphoric headrush and couch-lock.

Dry vaporizing takes time to hit you (5-10 minutes) so that can be hard for many people who expect a more instantaneous affect.

Additionally unlike smoking where you get everything at once, with dry vaporizing we use different temperatures to release different medical benefits from the flower.

I work in the industry over the past decade and have handled countless dry flower vaporizers (literally lost count around four dozen). While I enjoy the Volcano, I don’t find it the most efficient vaporizer on the market.

For a novice beginner on a budget, I often suggest the Dynavap Vapcap - it can be tricky to use (so watch videos first!!) but it packs a hell of a good punch for the money, and it’s a great transition for people who smoke regularly.

The reason for this is because combustion releases a toxic cocktail of carcinogenics and carbon monoxide. Many people tend to associate those affects with those from the herb itself.

The reality is that desktop vaporizers can cook very efficiently when they are preheated and loaded properly.

The problem is that one will never fully appreciate the affects from dry vaporizing unless they fully detox from combustion by not smoking (vaporizing exclusively) for a few weeks to month. I made the switch to dry flower vaporizing a decade ago and I still smoke socially with friends, but I hate it - the smell, the taste, the feeling, etc.

Dabs are concentrated and extract faster than most dry flower vaporizers which is why they can often work, however they can also kill one’s tolerances when used in excess. I prefer dry flower vapes to avoid killing my tolerances (I also switch up my daily driver two or three times a year to avoid building up a tolerance to the same device over time).

Nah, the Santa Cruz Shredder is a pretty nice grinder and should work great with the TM2. If you think you’re missing out on anything, try doing two things:

1. Clean your grinder! Grab a toothbrush and use a bit of ISO alcohol. Remove the PTFE ring using a knife first before using ISO to clean (it will affect the plastic). The toothbrush and iso will help you scrub away the buildup on the teeth of the grinder.

2. If you have a 3-piece or 4-piece grinder, try turning the grinder upside down to get a more thorough grind before uprighting the grinder and letting the herb fall through the holes into the bottom section.

Oh totally, an average grinder will work just fine for most vaporizers, especially with enough patience. But I am absolutely talking about the refined ent who is looking for ways to “maximize” the efficiency of the device, or for those like myself who are flavor chasing snobs - different grinds can help achieve a more efficient and tastier extraction.

Depends entirely on how you’re consuming your herb. As mentioned to another poster, there are different grades (hardness) of steel. Cheap grinders don’t hold a sharp edge on the teeth for very long. Your grinder still “works” but is it as easy to turn? Does it gunk up with resin fast? That’s due to tearing/mushing the herb as opposed to grinding.

Additionally not everyone simply smokes their herb. Dry herbal vaporizers are essentially mini ovens designed to cook the herb to release the active compounds (without combusting and inhaling a nasty toxic cocktail of carcinogenics and carbon monoxide) - the fun part is different temps release different effects from the herb (so I can skip the sedative/couch-locking affects of the herb when desired). Not all dry vaporizers “cook” the same way - some devices work best with an ultra-fine grind (almost powdered kief) for optimal heat-transfer, while other vaporizers benefit from a very fluffy “airy” grind.

So if you’re loading up a waterpipe or joint, sure a medium grind is good enough. But if you’re trying to get fancy, there are certainly plenty of ways to enhance your sesh experience.

Yep, I have one - the teeth hold a strong point, and the strong magnetic core is handy to hold dosing capsules while loading individual ones for my Rogue/Edge capsules.

Mine has held up a LONG time and still looks great despite wear/tear. My Santa Cruz Shredder didn’t hold up half as well

Howdy! My older bro around the same age is also in the same boat - they are still at the early stages of giving up the bottle. I really want to introduce them to this miracle plant - but I’m still holding off a bit longer before anything haha.

Smoking sucks anyway - it stinks, and it’s terrible for your body. Dry vaporizing and edibles is the way to go. Fun part about dry vapes is that you can use different temps to choose what sort of affects you get from the plant.

Hot damn I forgot about the movie - I still haven’t watched it yet! (Life keeps me too busy to watch much television these days lol)

Venture bros takes me back to a different era - I love it. I grew up watching Johnny Quest haha.

Coming from dry herbal vaporizing, no. I have found some concentrates are more “Full spectrum” than other concentrates.

A lot of it comes down to how it’s extracted from the plant. Temperature and pressure can alter what gets extracted into the concentrate.

Personally I equate most concentrates to junk food - yes they taste great, but they don’t give you the full nutritional content of a healthy salad.

Same with dry herbal vaporizing - it lets you extract everything you want from the plant, directly. Yes it’s not as concentrated and for a dabber they probably won’t get much enjoyment from dry vaporizing since it’s a slower extraction. But after having “dabbled” with a bunch of different concentrates myself over the years, I’m perfectly content with dry herbal vaporizing.

Just my $0.02

Lol this industry has done plenty for me over the years. I’m always happy to jump in and drop some knowledge for my fellow ents (I won’t spam the site with a link but if you haven’t, be sure to check out my site, I make a bunch of cool shit for vaporizers 😉 )

I was wondering some things: What is a good temp range with these? I have been using the method you suggested for my max pro of starting at 300, letting it preheat a bit, taking a few good hits and bumping the temp +20f every few minutes until 385f daytime or 430f evening.

That’s the fun part - self discovery. Not all of us prefer the same temps. Sometimes it depends on the mood, or the strain, or the time of day, etc.

You sound like you’re on the right track. The best way to do it is continue temperature-stepping. Start at that 300F. But work your way up 10F or 15F at a time from 300F. Maybe you find yourself RIGHT where you want to be at 350F… maybe it’s 380F. Maybe it’s 430F.

500F is used for concentrates. Depending on the device, temperatures can fluctuate by as much as 1-10F hotter than set temp (depends a lot on the design of the device, programming software, etc. So combustion can occur anywhere between a set temp of 435F and 450F. In general I prefer staying below 430F. If your ABV looks black, that’s beyond cooked for me haha. I still like it to be a shade of coffee brown when I’m done cooking… in most cases.

There are times when I’m a dumb@ss and fall off a bicycle or something and injure myself bad. Then I’ll enjoy some higher temp sessions closer to 430F. But I personally usually stay below 400F most days.

With this desktop I’m not really getting any vapor until I hit around 400f and the device can go up to 500f. Do you have any suggestions for the temps I should be using/avoiding?

What desktop? Arizer ExtremeQ/XQ2? It sounds like you’re not preheating adequately and the oven is sucking heat away from the oven. This is a very common situation. The glass hardware acts as a heatsink. With most desktop plug-in devices, it’s best to set temp and let it sit for 20+ minutes before loading. This lets the device run more efficiently at temp.

The preheat thing for desktop is my biggest issue right now. Even just loading the herb and waiting for it to vaporize can take 3-5 minutes, which is a big difference from the comparatively instant smoke im use to with air max and plain old combustion. Plus preferably a 30 min preheat for best heat extraction? I will have to learn to have a little patience. Maybe get my first wake and bake done with air max while its preheating

Yes indeed this can be an adjustment.

There are “hacks” for many portables to avoid this preheat.

With my tin “log” vaporizer (Epic E-Nano Vaporizer - about the size of a small redbull can) - the wood housing was part of the secret sauce to the device. Even at max temp the device would suck for the first 10 minutes. But once the device got going, it was unstoppable. Since it was literally a 120v ceramic heater wired to a PWM dimmer switch consuming about 10 watts of electricity (at my favorite temp), I simply kept it running 24/7! So I always had heat on tap ready to vaporbong a load of any size I wanted (from full oven to microdose). It was literally too convenient so after running for 10 years I powered it offline and tucked it away for safe keeping.

At one point I even got fancy and used a smart outlet, programmed on a schedule to turn on the device in the morning before waking up, off while at work, then on to preheat before I arrived home from work hahaha.

Should I have whip inserted while its preheating?

For sure heat rises. Inserting the whip attachment would trap some more of the heat radiating up from the heater decreasing preheat times

What is minimum time for preheat in your opinion?

So this depends on many factors. With the OEM bowl, probably 10 minutes. You could accelerate the process by cranking up to 450F for the first 5 minutes, then turning down for the next 5 minutes (or less) before starting your sesh.

Some people get a different oven modded with the screen placed lower closer to the heater so they can rip away without preheating. That depends on you - I prefer the OEM bowls.

On the topic of packing the whip insert part, I think that’s dumb from an air flow standpoint. I noticed the herb that gets stuck in there stays green which indicates its not being heated as well as rest of bowl. I actually take a little puff into the mouthpiece to dislodge the stuck herb back into bowl.

For sure, I agree with you. I’m a bigger fan of preheating my desktops before use. I’ve simply gotten in the habit of turning on my Arizer XQ2 if I think I’m going to use it in the next hour. I have the auto-off timer set to shut off after 60 minutes of inactivity so it doesn’t stay running unattended.

Finally,would it be okay to email you? Not sure how Lemmy PMS work.

Totally! Feel free to fill out the contact form on my website and I’ll reply back from there :-)

Vapcap for the win. I’m about to enjoy my 2020 Vapcap-M which was personally gifted to me by George (founder and inventor of the Vapcap) - we go way back (both of us were founding our businesses in the same year and experienced challenges dealing with financial BS like Paypal suspending our accounts).