Stem longevity and legit user warning.

[->J]

First off, I've been using this product for 3 years and am very happy with it. With few concerns.

One, as someone who has done past reading into everyone's favorite Bhopal mass murders, Dupont, I know just how touchy any PTFE form actually is, regardless of the numerous safe words of advice from the Happy vappy staff. So for one, I truly believe you owe your users the warning label to inform them that if they scrape any teflon stem, and break the uniformity of the coating, they will be exposing themselves to Teflon Flu with prolonged use. Simply put, if you have any teflon peel off form the inside of your stem (scraping it with the packing tool as I had originally), it is now toxic, please please please get rid of it. 500F degrees is widely considered the breaking point for in-tact stable PTFE, however since Dupont is so powerful and therefor evil, little to no research exists outside of the toxicity of spray teflon past 500F degrees. First hand experience? If it's scratched even in it's solid form, PTFE will become toxic for use much more quickly.

Secondly, my other concern is that after months of daily use, my stems always discolor around the base, which is inserted into the heating chamber. I'm not talking THC resin/burnt/browning discoloration, I'm talking deep dark gray/purple discoloration. I only bring this point to light because as you can tell, I'm no true believer in Teflon or any PFC material (and truly hope you find an alternate route for your stems soon). So every few months I have to order more stems, due to my mistrust of the discoloration of a material that has little to no long term research or clinical studies performed on it, especially in the use which the Happyvappy puts it through. Simply put, the more deals like your 2 extra long tulips for the 50 or so bucks, would keep me as a customer. Shit, do whatever math for your profit margin and give me a 10 pack for a monster discount, whatever, just maintain the goal here with the vaporizers -- HEALTHY LIVING. Discolored teflon does not make me feel healthy and 100$ a year for 4 stems is a bit much for me, even if I do think your product has enhanced my herbs lifestyle.

If you find any of this to be misleading, please engage me in conversation. Likewise, if any user has come across similar findings and hasn't been moved to post about it, oblige me in the same conversation. This is for all our benefit, not just bitching and moaning.

Cheers with just some small jeers from a still satisfied customer.

[Carlos]

Thanks for your post regarding the use of Teflon, and while we welcome questions and debate regarding our products and service there are several inaccuracies in your post I would like to address. As I have stated in past posts regarding our selection of materials used in the HappyVappy, Teflon is the best and only material suited to withstand the extreme temperatures of Vaporization. It is used not only for its stability at the HappyVappy's operating temperature(365°F (185°C) to 400°F (204°C)), but also its excellent thermal properties.

As for your concerns regarding scratch the surface of the mouth piece, there is absolutely no risk to user who happen to scratch the surface of the mouth piece as the material is completely stable at the operating temperatures reached by the HappyVappy. Please see the following Wikipedia link for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer_fume_fever
As stated in the link above and through many other sources, Teflon does not off-gas below 300°C (572°F) which is almost 100°C (212°F) higher than the Vappy's operating temperature. I also should mention that the month pieces are machined from solid Virgin Teflon stock and are not just coated as you seem to have indicated in your post.

Your second concern was regarding the discoloration of the Teflon at the base. This is a build up of resin that occurs through the used of the product and is not the material being transformed in anyway. if you clean the base with a green 3m scouring pad the resin can be remove to expose the original undimensional altered material. The discoloration indicates that the Teflon may be bit porous. Porosity is not a reflection or indication of its thermal stability.

There is actually a fair bit of independent information regarding the testing and safety of Teflon and we did a lot of research into all the materials used in the HappyVappy, and based on that and the various manufactures guidelines we feel that we are producing the most consumer conscious Vaporizer on the market.

I would like to take a moment to address the use of vinyl hoses and bags by many of our competitors. Vinyl has a melting point between 100–260 °C and an excepted assumption is that clear flexible hose's melting point would be at the low end of the stated range. Check out the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride#Health_and_safety for more information. If you have friends or family using vaporizers with "vinyl whips or bags" you should let them know the risks associated with their use.

In closing I hope I have addressed your concerns, and as I stated above we always welcome your feedback, comments and concerns. Our number one commitment to our HappyVappy community is its safety and and of course its Happy-ness!

All the best Carlos

[->J]

I'll probably always be a bunch skeptical of long term single item teflon use...but I chose the Happyvappy mainly because of how much more stable to higher temps it is over Vinyl, plastics, etc. I'd definitely never suck anything out of a vinyl bag. I lost a crate of records in a room fire once and the firefighters said it was mad toxic.

My stem bases, on the sides of the base, not the bottom, turn purple-ish/black. This is after 2-3 time daily use for the course of a year. I've tried cleaning it however unlike the resin on the bottom, it does not come off/clear up.

The 'scratch' concern I had was more of a deep-gouge/pulling off a strip of the interior. This was off the original nubby mouthpiece when I first made my HV purchase, and I did indeed get sick as a dog in the middle of summer and only after extended use. I wasn't able to find any info on the solid form teflon stability once it had been compromised on that level, but again, it's a Dupont achievement, and as such, I can't listen to reason because they are evil cocksuckers.

Just a quick question on the resin build up -- That would be straight THC, correct? And if so, what is the best way to extract that from the longer tulips where the build up inside is quite frequent after harvest time. I'd love to be able to get 100% use out of my herbal bi-products.

Anyways, I appreciate the feedback, it's good to see this forum get used once in awhile.

[wictorwictor]

I had initially PM'd the OP about this but it's just too ingenious not to share with everyone. Apologies to the admins if this is against the rules

1. Find a long, thin poking device like an unfolded paperclip.
2. Turn the machine on with the stem in. Do a few pulls to heat it up and soften the resin
3. Remove the stem and take it apart. Be careful not to touch the bottom as it's very hot. There are three teflon pieces and one metal screen. Don't lose the screen.
4. The screen will probably already have some resin built up on it. Put it in the bowl, reassemble the stem, and inhale. The machine will vaporize the resin until there's nothing left but a few solid bits.
5. Once it's gone, take the screen back out (just bang it out onto the table, don't touch it with your fingers until it's had a minute to cool off)
6. Take your stem apart again. Use the poking tool to scrape out some resin. Then, scrape the resin off onto the screen. If you're using the right size of paperclip you'll be able to notch it into one of the perforations on the edge of the screen. Do this until the screen is coated with resin.
7. Put the screen back in the bowl, reassemble mouthpiece, rinse and repeat
8. DON'T LOSE THE SCREEN