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Iolite Portable Vaporizer

MDBudz

Member
so mine arrived today and just tried it for the first time. Although I did get a buzz, I'm a little disappointed. Hoping it's just user error and will do better next attempt. After filling w/butane and letting warm up for several minutes I loaded my first bowl. I found the draw to be somewhat constricted (bowl not at all packed and about 1/2 full). Got very little visible vapor and/or taste. meds turned only slightly darker.
 

rrog

Active member
Veteran
After filling w/butane and letting warm up for several minutes I loaded my first bowl.

Did you let the weed heat for 5 min before toking?

I found the draw to be somewhat constricted (bowl not at all packed and about 1/2 full).

Then it's too packed. Try it a few times and see. I had the same learning curve.


Got very little visible vapor and/or taste. meds turned only slightly darker.

When it's up and running it'll choke you with output, really. The meds will stay dark Green / light brown. No combustion, after all.
 

MDBudz

Member
thanks for the quick reply. yes, weed was heated as well for several minutes. I have a SSV vape at home so very used to vaping. bowl wasn't packed at all, i funneled a small amount into the chamber and unpacked was a little less than 1/2 full. instructions said could load .5 g, and was far less than that. like i said, hoping just user error and that i'll be "choked w/output" on my next attempt. one other question... instructions were a bit vague regarding the moisture condenser. Said it was installed w/unit but as far as I can see it is not (assuming I'm referring to the correct part). There is a piece (included in the bag) that looks like a small (1/4") metal piece that could slide inside the stem, but i'm not seeing that already in the mouthpiece stem.
 

rrog

Active member
Veteran
I'd love an SSV. Have admired them for a long time. Personally I'm often outside when doing the V so the iolite was a better first vaporizer choice for me. But now I'm thinking again...

Anyway, remove that condenser. I'd forget it immediately. I haven't ever felt it did anything but restrict.

After removing it, try just lightly loading the entire chamber with light fluffy fresh ground bud. Fluffy full and level. Then load that as-is onto the rig and heat for 5 min.

I have dinked around with the fill levels and it's easy to overpack and that doesn't work so well. As well, underfilling can lead to a disappointing session. But pack one like I described and report back.

I have to go test a chamberload myself.
 

MDBudz

Member
guess my last question wasn't clear enough... i don't think the condenser is installed. The instructions said it came w/it installed, but unless i'm missing something I don't see it. It is that small metal piece, right? It sits inside the mouthpiece above the screen? There doesn't appear to be anything in mine now, but there is a little metal piece (which I assume is hte condensor) that was included in the bag of extras (or is that a second one and I'm just not seeing the one that is installed?).
 

K.J

Kief Junkie's inhaling the knowledge!
Veteran
instructions were a bit vague regarding the moisture condenser. Said it was installed w/unit but as far as I can see it is not (assuming I'm referring to the correct part). There is a piece (included in the bag) that looks like a small (1/4") metal piece that could slide inside the stem, but i'm not seeing that already in the mouthpiece stem.

You can hear the condenser rattling/sliding around in the stem if it's installed. Just unscrew it from the bowl piece and let it fall out. I'm reciting this from memory as I don't have my unit with me right now, so I hope I got that right. The one in the bag is a second replacement condenser.
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Just a thought. At higher altitude, there is less oxygen. A butane burner typically uses a different orifice size depending on altitude, to keep the oxy/fuel combustion ratio optimum.

Once the butane is heated, it is more volitile and lights easier. That might be why ya'll are experiencing high altitude initial light up problems, but not after it warms up.

GW
 

BlueMonk

Member
Like MDBudz, I got mine yesterday and was surprised by the output. I got very little taste and no 'smoke', 'mist' or anything visible when I exhaled. I put very little bud in there (not enough to completely cover the bottom) after making a mess trying to grind for the first time. My objective wasn't to get too high since I had been traveling for a few days and didn't want to piss off the wife by being high immediately upon my return.

Even though I could not see anything upon exhale, I did feel the effect. It was sort of a good test since I was convinced that it was not working, then started to feel a moderate high.

My question about how to tell if the bud is done was already answered. But how long a hit do you need to take to get some 'vapor' and taste? I like the taste of my bud and would miss it!
 

MDBudz

Member
ok, took apart the mouthpiece and reassembled... confirmed no moisture condenser. Tried repeatedly with varying size bowls and also let everything heat up for well over 5 minutes. Nothing. The unit is firing up and getting warm, it's just not generating any vapor... at least no vapor is making it thru the mouthpiece. It's like trying to suck thru a pinhole. Again, even w/o any meds loaded the airflow is pathetic. Seems like even if the meds are being heated in the bowl, there's not enough airflow to pull the vapor thru the mouthpiece. So far, very disappointed. Waiting on reply from the manufacturer.
 

rrog

Active member
Veteran
"It's like trying to suck thru a pinhole."

How does it draw when there's nothing in bowl? All assembled with no weed. I just haven't had these issues with mine that I've used hundreds of times.
 

rrog

Active member
Veteran
Well then I can't see where the problem is. What about the mouthpiece assembly (bowl and mouth tube) while not attached to the main unit?

You should be easily able to see light through the mouthpiece
 

MDBudz

Member
flow thru mouthpiece assembly alone seems fine... just when placed in the unit it seems to seal too tightly or not let enough air thru. Tried not putting mouthpiece all the way in too see if could get more flow thru that way, but that didn't work either.
 

rrog

Active member
Veteran
One thing... it's a tighter than normal draw. The air enters the unit between the inner and outer aluminum sleeves. Not much space there. It's just part of the design.

I have thought that they have a desire to keep the air chamber tight so that it heats up without so much leaking. Side effect is a pull that's tighter than a bowl or perhaps other vapes. But this isn't a big deal and you get used to it.
 

MDBudz

Member
wouldn't mind the hard draw if I was actually getting some vapor thru it. I'm at a loss and very bummed.
 

MDBudz

Member
yup.... i have an SSV at home. for kicks I just left the i-olite on and running (with bowl full) and would try a hit every few minutes between SSV tokes. throughout a 20-minute session I tried hitting the i-olite at least 10 times. Not once was any vapor visible, and barely any taste. At the end of the 20 minutes I emptied the bowl from the i-olite (meds now crispy, but not brown or even darker at all) and put them into the SSV and proceeded to get a full, thick vapor load from that bowl in the SSV.
 

rrog

Active member
Veteran
Dunno man. Wait to hear back from the mfg, I guess. Mine pours out grey/blue vape dramatically. Not smoke, but vape, exactly as you describe with the SSV.

Obviously you hear it come on every 60 seconds or so with the orange glow? You are using ground bud?
 
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