i've owned a Volcano Classic since Nov. 08. now, 8 months later i finally get off my ass to write this review. naturally this product will only appeal to certain types of smokers - if you smoke once a week or less or do most of your smoking on the go, then i don't think it'll be worth it. this is a pricey item after all. SMOKER PROFILE i've been a daily smoker for uh... hm, about 6 or 7 years, i guess. during that time i smoked joints (with tobacco) for long stretches, but overall i used a smallish bong for most of the time (also with tobacco -- yeah, yeah, i know, but it's so much more efficient) i'm a classic 'after work' smoker and also very stationary - most of the time i get high at home. the constant bong-use was naturally a burden on my respiratory system and i thought about buying a volcano for about 2 years before i actually got one. since no one i know owned one, there was no way for me to test it out and various snipplets of negative opinions from the internet made me delay the purchase. well, what time wasted! sure, it takes a couple of days to get used to inhaling your weed from a vinyl bag, but once you do it a few times, it becomes quite natural. i will highlight some main points that may be of interest to the potential buyer. HIGH one thing i read on the net that made me delay getting a volcano, was that it supposedly takes 15 minutes for the high to set in... -- what bullshit! i don't know what strange metabolism that poster had, but for me and every friend who has vaped with me it is similar: you take a couple of deep breaths from the bag and by the time it is empty, the buzz starts to hit you. the high is clear and pure, much more so than with a joint. in fact i can only achieve a similar degree of 'pureness' with eating weed. i have to think that vaporizing gets the best out of your weed, both in effect as well as in efficiency and taste. SMOKE well, it's not really smoke, but vapor, but what the hell... with the volcano you can control the grade of 'smokeyness' as you desire. you can generate a barely visible mist that you will barely notice inhaling (but will still knock you off you ass) or you can crank the heat up and enjoy the act of exhaling a huge cloud all the while knowing that no combustion has taken place and that your lungs won't get any of the nasties from burnt plant matter. i have found that the optimum temperature for me varies by strain and how fine it is ground up. another factor is weather you want to vape the contents just once or 2 or 3 times. this is another huge efficiency advantage over other methods of consumption - second or third passes don't taste as nice as the first one and have a 'toasted' quality to them (because most of the taste-generating oils vaporize at a very low temperature) but they still got plenty of THC left to get you high again. i often use just a tiny load (like the one in the picture) and just vape it once. (and it will be 2-3 hours before i want to toke again) if i'm feeling lazy or less 'connoseur-ish' i'll put in a bit more and give it two vapes. the optimum temperature will be different for everyone, but lies somewhere between 5 and 8 depending on the strain and personal preference. here is a hint - use as little weed as possible and find out what the minimum amount is you need to get you where you want to be. putting a lot of stuff in the vape is a WASTE!* also, you want to grind the pot as fine as possible - therefore you want it a little drier than you would if you were rolling a joint. *unless of course you plan on filling a 6 ft 'party bag'. the leftovers are referred to as 'volcano poo' and can be saved up and then processed into cannabutter or oil. (also can be smoked in a bong, but tastes pretty nasty and get's you only so far) i have no experience on how much you need to make what, maybe someone else can shed some light on this? EFFICIENCY the volcano has cut my weed use by ~50 % while improving the high considerably. TASTE while the weed tastes a tad different than smoked pure, the overall taste is very nice and it can - depending on the strain - be quite delicious. i usually let the vapor very slowly out of my lungs through my nose and mouth to savor every last bit of it. ;-) as i am writing this (2 weeks before i will actually post it) i am in an appartment near the beach in holland, and i have my trusty mr. spock by my side. yesterday i vaped some LSD from barney's farm and the taste was most exquisite! very spicy and peppery and it actually made me sneeze a couple of times! the G13xHaze from last week was also very tasty! mmmmmmhhh... IMHO a vaporizer is definitely *the* choice for weed-gourmets. (not that i am one.... yet ;-) ) USABILITY the volcano is also a time-saver. reloading the bowl with fresh ground-up weed is quick and easy. it needs a minimal amount of cleaning - i myself change the bag about once a month (a 5-10 minute operation) and at that time i also disassemble the parts of the mouth-piece and soak them in rubbing alcohol to get the accumulated resin off. but wait! you can scrape some of the resin off the conical metal piece easily with an exacto knife - roll it into a tiny ball in your fingers and while it won't taste too swell, it'll get you awesomely high! ;-) replacement bags can be bought cheaply at most grocery stores (if you have the 'solid valve' system) the volcano needs a power outlet and a flat surface, so say hello to your new coffee-table centerpiece! ;-) portability is one of the few disadvantages of the volcano - but it fits easily into a backpack and can be brought to a party (which i have done several times to great acclaim) QUALITY the volcano isn't cheap, but i guess stuff has its price if it isn't cobbled together from inferior materials by a slave-worker in china to make a quick profit. it is made in germany and has no moving parts (except the airpump) or consumables (apart from the bags). 3 years warranty is also solid. PROS EFFICIENCY HEALTH BENEFITS TASTE QUALITY OF HIGH LOW MAINTAINANCE QUALITY APPLIANCE CONS PRICE PORTABILITY HEAT-UP TIME (which isn't that bad at all, only a couple of minutes, about as much as it takes to roll a joint) so in closing i want to say that i can only state that i am completely happy with my volcano (which is a rarity these days with products) and that i highly recommend it to anyone who thinks this is for him and has the extra cash at hand. i'm sure i have far from answered all the questions you might have, so by all means - fire away and i'll do my best to illuminate if i can. .
https://www.thevolcanovaporizer.com/products/classic-vs-digital.php Depends on how fancy you want it. I got the classic analog one, because it's cheaper, and essentially does the exact same thing as the digital. Do I care if it's 9 degrees off vs 2 degrees? Negatory on that one red rider. The new digital ones also have a 2-year warranty, vs a 3-year warranty with the analog. I'd also recommend checking craigslist for any used Volcanos. Saves you a bunch of money, and these things are built pretty damn well, so unless the previous owner was an angry spider monkey, it should be just as good as a new one. I have a friend that bought one when they first came out (6ish years ago?), and his still works great.
i am glad i didn't buy the digital version. i start with a certain setting, then move it up for the second/third passes. with the classic it's just a flick of the wrist to re-adjust the temp, with the digi you probably will have to push a button several times to change the temp. unless you need the extra accuracy of the temperature-switch (as mentioned by pitchin) i would strongly recommend the classic. get a classic and weed for the extra 100,-
I have the digit easy valve.. like it alot I also used to / am an everyday bong user Long live toro! but volcano is awesome when your in a rush. because i hate hitting my tube and then leaving it dirty as i hurry out the door. this never happens because ill clean my tube- making myself late for wherver i was supposed to go. But i need my tube clean!
im currently waitin on my new volcano to come back in the mail. on friday the UPS guy denied me the box cause it required a 21 & older signature. now its going back to the distributor to get a new shipping label and then coming back to me. cant wait to finally use it . i havent hit a cano in quite some time
if the price is too high for you guys... there is the extreme vaporizer by arizer... which is what I have... about $230 shipped... check it out... lots of great reviews considered the second best vaporizer after the volcano
yes... the Q is the new stuff... I was about 2months early.....I ended up with the v3 Extreme... still happy.
My rooommates have the V-Tower Extreme also and it is definitely a handy vaporizer. For anyone who can't afford the Volcano I would have to agree and say that the V-Tower Extreme is the next best thing on the market.
Thank you for this write up, it was as informative as it was well written! I have an iolite personal vaporizer and I truly enjoy it. The only real problem that I have with it, is the "party" factor. Its no good! I have been seriously considering picking one of these up. The initial investment is high, but as you put it the volcano is well worth the money.
I had a digital and finally sold it a couple weeks ago. I bought it to replace smoking and it just didn't work for that. Straight vaped for like a week then brought back the blunts and bongs. My Volcano had just been gathering dust for almost a year after that until I sold her.