Goodbye Buddha, welcome back Vapor Genie! :(

I'm not exactly happy about this, but after giving the Da Buddha vaporizer a good trial run, I think I'm going back to my previous vaporizer: the Vapor Genie.

The first thing I noticed about the Vapor Genie that really made me sit up was that I used about 1/2 the herb I used before. Unfortunately, I don't get those savings with the Da Buddha. I use just as much with Da Buddha as I used when I smoked (one-hit bong).

To be sure, the Da Buddha is a quality unit. It's a solid, cylindrical source of predictable, adjustable heat, which when combined with its whip and hose, allows effective vaporizing with very little practice or dexterity. Anyone suffering a debilitating disease or condition will find the Da Buddha an easy unit that doesn't require trumpeter lungs to operate.

And for my part, I must admit to being first a recreational user and only second a medical user. Moreover, routine matters to me, and since I was a cigarette smoker for many years before and after discovering the herb (tobacco-free for 12 years now), I find the ritual of rolling joints, cleaning herb, or using a Vapor Genie very satisfying.

With Da Buddha, the experience felt more clinical. I could tell compounds were being extracted from the herb because it turned straw-colored first and then mohagony, but it was hard to get a rush. The vapor was simply too diluted by the air in the wand and the hose, even though I shortened the hose to about 18 inches.

The VaporGenie is hardly perfect. You have to suck and suck, and sometimes I wonder if I'm not getting higher from hyperventilating than from pot. But it's a very satisfying ritual for those who enjoy ritual. You have to unscrew the unit and stir the bowl up. Besides, I can't argue with the results. I'm going to run another test, but it looks like the Vapor Genie, for whatever reasons, requires much less material for the same effect that the Da Buddha provides.

I think the difference in stem length and area explain why one is more effective than the other. On the Da Buddha, you have a hose about 1/2" internal diameter, and the walls of this hose are a perfect place for vapor to condense. I was surprised to see how quickly the Da Buddha hose got dirty. All that "stuff" is stuff that's not going into you, and thus not getting you high.

On the VaporGenie, in contrast, the air passage is only about 1/8" in diameter, or maybe 3/16", so less sticks to the passage's walls. The VaporGenie does require a lot more physical skill to use, but even with no visible vapor, I usually put the Genie down while thinking, "Whoa, I am sooo stoned!" I don't get that feeling with the Da Buddha, possibly because it's easier to use.

I just re-upped another half ounce. I'm going to just use the VaporGenie to see if I go back to the frugal days of yore. A half-ounce used to last me 4 weeks with the VaporGenie, but when I switched to the Da Buddha, a half-ounce was lasting me only 18 days. I'll see how it goes.

When I went from smoking to vaping (the VaporGenie was my very first vape), my consumption was cut in half. When I went from the VaporGenie to a Purple Days, my consumption was cut in half again. It may be something you may want to check out.

Thanks, lwien. I think you've mentioned the Purple Dayz before. It's the one with a bowl that holds just about 1/40th of a gram, right? That's more than 1,000 bowls from an ounce!

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Originally Posted by BuzzBob

Thanks, lwien. I think you've mentioned the Purple Dayz before. It's the one with a bowl that holds just about 1/40th of a gram, right? That's more than 1,000 bowls from an ounce!

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Yeah, I have a Buddha too, but it's not getting too much use lately as I tend to go through a lot more bud than I do with the PD. The Purple Days is my daily workhorse and has been for over a year.

I hope it's not bad manners to post on an old thread, but I didn't want to leave readers with the wrong impression about Da Buddha. After some logging and keeping track, I concluded that I use the same amount with both. For some reason, I'm using more than I used before, but that's a separate issue. And having paid more attention to both the DBV (Da Buddha) and the VG (Vapor Genie), here's some info that some may find helpful.

One thing I noticed is that the DBV produces lots of visible vapor easily and reliably while the VG doesn't. However, this made no difference in the actual effect. I think the explanation is that the visible part of vapor is largely steam (water), and for some reason, the DBV's operation facilitates the formation of steam while the VG's operation doesn't.

Maybe the reason is that the VG's method of using a hand-held BIC lighter is inherently less precise that the DBV's control knob, and steam doesn't form as easily when using a BIC. Or maybe the short wooden stem of the VG discourages steam from forming.

Whatever it is, the effect is the same. Whether it's carried in H20 or plain air, it's the same THC. I felt it just the same either way.

Anyway, I still haven't ordered the Purple Dayz. I'm going to use the DBV and VG I have a few more months before deciding where to go. They're both very, very good vaporizers.