psyched! I just got me own gvg, trying it tomorrow morning!

I know this was probably discussed somewhere in this thread, but I don't want to go through 14+ pages of comments to even see if there's discussion on the subject sooo...

Just wondering about the GVG Bat version. I'm in the market for some type of vaporizing device. Seems everyone is saying the GVG is awesome. I've used one before and I agree, but the cost is a consideration and the fact that it's a big glass piece that I would be afraid to travel around with. I see there are cases for it, but that's another expense and something to drag around again. The Bat version seems good, due to portability and that it's glass. Things that are easily cleaned are nice.

What's the story on them? Good or bad?

Awesome! I don't really know how to use the forum yet. Thanks for your patience.

OK, So I just finished reading this entire thread....here are my questions:

1)Why not just hold the GVG upside down or at least on its side in order to prevent DMT run off?

2)It's very cool that vaporgenie accepts cash. The vapor genie website's faq says, "Yes! We accept orders by mail. Send cash (we prefer cash) or a money order and a note telling us what you want to order, your address, and an email address or phone number and a signed statement affirming you are at least 18 years of age. "

-So, basically they just want me to write, "I am over 18 years old" and then put my signature below it? Sounds kind of weird to me. They don't want a copy of my driver's license or anything? Why bother then? A kid could easily write that note and sign it.

Rudder, if you hold the GVG upside down the top part - containing the heat filter - will fall off. I guess perhaps you could hold it, but then the DMT would melt into the heat filter.. which might or might not be a bad thing. Personally I just use 10 screens and have no issues with DMT running away. You just have to play around with the hotness of the flame (preferably a torch lighter) and inhalation speed a bit until you find what works best . Also, recrystallization will make the vaporization temperature of your spice more uniform (it depends on the geometry of the crystals), also giving you less issues with runny DMT.

???

Might work, but why bother? With a bit of practice you should have no issues with runny DMT. I think on its side will actually be worse because the DMT will all clump together in one spot, where it will more easily form a liquid drop. The best way to ensure that doesn't happen is grinding up the DMT a little bit and spreading it around evenly on top of your screens. I usually do a small inhalation to make sure all the DMT is melted into the screens, and then a second large inhalation to vaporize it all.

How do you prepare a stainless steel scrubber for use as a landing platform? The scrubbers I have in the kitchen are basically just balls of coiled up ribbons of steel. Since the steel ribbons are coiled so tightly, they almost form miniature cylinders.

How do you flatten these out? Is there a thread with pictures that shows how?

It sounds like you have the wrong type of scrubber. Yours are too big of coils. You need a chore-boy style scrubber. They have much tighter mesh and easily balls into a wad.

No, they're actually pretty small ribbons....about 1mm wide.

So, basically just pull a section, and cut it off with scissors, and then play around with it, pinching with your fingers until you form a little platform out of it. That's the idea?

No real technique here?

i used pliers to fold the edges of the disc, it gives a nice tight angle at the edges and turns it into a thin disc, i didnt squeeze the entire disc though just the edges, you need some space in the middle for the DMT to run around.

Thanks for the tip

well i've officially cracked my first GVG top piece. I thought i had figured out the perfect torch technique, being a little more aggressive with the flame when vaping herb than spice.

I was basically aiming the torch flame across the top of the GVG so that the very tip(the invisible pointy tip of the torch flame) would make contact with the opposite/inside part of the cylinder of the top piece. Focusing more on not letting the flame get down into the top far enough to be directly flaming the filter. This was working great for months and i was enjoying the pipe regularly for vaporizing all varieties of herbs and spices.

Then all the sudden the other day i noticed a small crack forming in the top piece. The crack has gotten worse and i'm sure it will break in two any time. I've been extra careful to make sure that the flame itself does not touch the glass on the top piece since i noticed the crack and it seems to be doing fine. I fear it wont last much longer though!

Oh well! I assume it can't be much to replace just that piece from vapor genies people. Just kinda bummed to see that crack in such an amazing tool. I really thought that the glass they used was plenty strong enough to deal with a handheld single flame vector cigar torch but i guess not.

I've heard of people getting the flame down in there and cracking the ceramic filter but not the glass itself.

anyone else run into this problem?

I cracked mine early on when I tried a higher-power soldering-type torch. Just a small crack, and it hasn’t grown in the past 2 years.

You’ve heard of people cracking the ceramic filter? I find that hard to believe. The filter is silicon carbide foam. Industrially, similar filters are used for filtering molten metals. I always assumed they were indestructible. In fact, even Vapor Genie recommends aggressively torching the ceramic filter (removed from the glass) to burn off carbon build-up from a regular lighter.

Maybe i misunderstood what i was reading. Maybe i read about people heating the ceramic up too hot, thus cracking the glass. Or something similar.

I just hope this baby doesn't crack any further. i don't want to have to buy another one.

I don't seem to recall their being any significant warranty on the GVG where they would replace parts if they were broken. That would be a nice incentive to possible buyers. : )

Mine has two cracks now, one running down each side from the bottom of the lip down to the area that houses the filter peice. i'm not sure how deep the cracks are but my biggest concern is heating it up to the point where it breaks and explodes glass in my face or something.

i seriously love this pipe. i have friends that resent the thing JUST because i love it so much. I probably do mention how awesome it is a little too much. hehe

Your experience will affect my lighter purchase in the next week.

Thanks for reminding us how careful we need to be with these tools. I guess the GVG really is sensitive to the way the torch is applied. Everyone says you have to point it directly down the middle of the bowl from above, being careful not to touch the glass. To me, this just sounds too dangerous and too precise to worry about when under the influence of powerful psychedelics - especially because vapor genie explicitly warns not to use torch lighters, because they will crack the GVG.

There has to be some alternative to torch lighters that is more effective. I don't get why people are so obsessed with torch lighters on here, since the consensus is that DMT's vaporization temperature is somewhere in the range of 170-250F. A 2,600F flame seems like overkill to me. Plus you risk breaking a 110 dollar pipe.

in my experience the torch lighter is just 1000 times more effective than a regular lighter.

The heat it puts out is very even and it works fast, which is essential when trying to vaporize as much DMT as possible in a short time.

As far as not touching the glass with the torch, i definitely understand that now.
I was literally only letting the tip of the flame, and not even the visible part of the flame, touch the inside of the top peice. I didn't think it would crack unless you were really flaming the thing hard. I was wrong.

my particular torch lighter has a tendence to falter when you aim it straight down, perpendicular to the ground. It will cut out at that angle and its highly annoying.

I adore the lighter but that one flaw is a real pain in the ass. $25 for this thing and it puts out a consistent, hot, almost totally wind resistant flame. But for some reason it doesn't want to always work if you aim it straight down.

My solution is to hold the GVG at about a 45 degree angle to the floor so i can just aim the torch sideways into it rather than holding it above the pipe and aiming it straight down.

Just thought i'd throw that out there to further clarify my mistakes

How long were you letting the flame touch the glass?

Its hard to say, because i couldn't actually SEE the flame touching the glass. Its not like i was putting the flame directly on the glass and just holding it there. I only used the heat from the tip of the flame, rather than using the flame itself. And i only heated it long enough for the individual hits that i was taking.

I'm not sure how much you have used torch lighters but the flame comes out to a very fine point about the diameter of on of those "Sharpie" permanent markers. The flame is blue. But the flame seems to extend about a centimeter past what you can visually see of it. The very tip of it is basically invisible. I never let the visible part of the flame actually touch the inside wall of the glass top peice. I just aimed the tip of the flame sort of horizontal over the top peice at JUST enough of an angle to get the tip of the flame down inside the opening, aimed at the opposite side of the cylinder.(top peice)

I had to use MS paint on this and it no longer lets you rotate an image at a custom angle. So i had to represent my flame direction with a black line. Hopefully you'll see what i mean.

I think i'm just going to stick with holding the GVG at an angle instead of the torch in the future.