Elev8R Review

This review was written by @highasakite from the VapeLife Forum.

This all-convection glass vaporizer by 7th Floor just might floor you if you’re not careful.

This is the Elev8R, a unique vaporizer with an all glass heating element and air path (stainless steel screens optional). The most common way to heat it is with a powerful butane or propane torch. After heating for about 30 seconds, it will produce a clean, flavorful, and powerful hit.

The first Elev8Rs were made out of borosilicate glass and the heater had a “nub” near the bottom, close to where it attaches to the bowl. As of the end of September, all Elev8R heaters will be made out of quartz. Quartz is thought of as a better material by most, because it is more durable and can withstand rapid heating and cooling without cracking. The borosilicate heaters were prone to cracking or chipping after prolonged use. Quartz has a higher thermal resistance, so it should minimize this issue. But the “nub” is no longer part of the design. It was useful for 2 reasons – it could be used with the sick clip to remove the heater from the bowl, and it could provide a spot for an e-nail coil to sit (more on this later, under Advanced).

7th Floor also offers an All-Glass kit ($20 more) for an all glass airpath – if you don’t use water, it’s just glass/quartz and flower – can’t get much cleaner or more flavorful.

From 7th Floor…

“Turn your torch into a tool for vaporization with the all new Elev8R Vaporizer! This vaporizer comes with a patent pending special designed heater that turns our modified conical joint into a vape beast. This also comes with a wand for standalone vaporizing, as well as a rig adapter so you can throw this on your favorite piece!

All the glass of the Elev8R except the Quartz Heater is made from borosilicate glass in Colorado Springs by Elev8’s own glass blowing team.”

People like different vaporizers for different reasons, but I am looking for potency, efficiency, and flavor – probably in that order. I can overcome other inconveniences if these conditions are met. The Elev8R ranks very HIGH in those 3 categories. Since it utilizes a glass heating element and employs 100% convection, it can have different effects than other vaporizers. It has a unique signature and can be very powerful, depending on how long you heat for. Some might even find the effects too strong for daytime use. And because it’s “on-demand,” it is very efficient with your material, as it does not heat it unless you are pulling the hot air through it. For example, you can put in 0.15g and take a rip. Then come back the next day and take 2 or 3 more rips off the same bowl. You won’t notice a big difference, because unlike a standard “session” vape, the material is not being cooked inside of the bowl.

The heater is made with 4 little indentations or notches. These allow for more heat to be retained as well as adding turbulence to the air as it passes over them. When the incoming air is mixed up before it hits the herb, it gives a stronger draw and more powerful vapor.

Quartz on the left, borosilicate on the right

For many vapes that hook up to a rig, I prefer not to use any water. But since the Elev8R has very little air resistance, I use a dropdown and water for a little chug. It makes the airpath a little longer and I’m able to pull evenly and feel what I’m doing.

The bowl could hold upwards of 0.5g, but I would stick to a load size of 0.1 – 0.4g roughly. I usually put in 0.15 – 0.25g and get 3-6 good draws from it. Two or three pulls usually gets me to where I want, depending on how long I heat for. I shake gently up and down and then side-to-side to stir after every pull. You’ll want to do that very soon after, as to dislodge the herb from the sides of the bowl for even vaporization.

You’ll get the majority of vapor in the last half of your draw, so the vapor will become more potent as you draw. Depending on your rig setup and your lung capacity, you’ll want to leave yourself some air if you have smaller lungs. For example, sometimes I have to remind my girlfriend to stop and pull the slide or she will get overwhelmed. But a good overwhelmed. :-) With practice, you should be able to tell how much heat the herb is getting, and if you’re going to darken the load too much. Then you can cut it slightly short by a second or 2 and still get a big hit. It takes a little practice, but practicing is so much fun!

7th Floor also provides a ceramic FlavorDisc for use with concentrates. Drop the FlavorDisc into the bowl opening and it will get stuck about halfway down – this is what you want. Make sure it is level, then put your dab of concentrate on top and heat as normal. I usually heat for slightly longer. The concentrate will soak into the pad as you pull, and give you multiple, flavorful hits.

I use a Bernzomatic propane plumber’s torch to heat the Elev8R. It’s about $15 at Walmart and refill bottles are $3.50. It provides a wider flame compared to most butane torches, and propane is cheap and lasts a long time. It works very well for home use, if you don’t need to be discreet.

With this torch, and flower in the bowl, I initially heat for 30 seconds, and immediate reheats are 16-18 seconds.

If you want a smaller butane torch, many people have said the Blazer Big Buddy Turbo works well at the low setting and costs only $25-$30. Some of the cheaper creme brulee torches aren’t quite strong enough and you’ll have to heat for much longer than 30 seconds.

Cleaning and Maintenance

You will get some buildup under the screen somewhat quickly. But it’s easy to clean, just pop the screen out and soak everything in isopropyl alcohol. Put it in a small food storage container or Ziplock, add coarse salt, and shake gently for faster cleaning. Be sure to rinse with water and dry thoroughly before putting the screen back in. Be somewhat careful when removing the screen from the bowl. I use the blunt end of a carb cap, so I don’t poke a hole in the screen or damage it too much. If you use the pick tool that’s included, you might make a small hole in the screen.

To clean the FlavorDisc, just torch it. Be careful! The first time I did this, I used the propane torch above. It might be easier to use a butane torch for more precise control. Using pliers to hold it might help too.

Here’s a video from 7th Floor:

Advanced

The technique of torching the heater is a little bit of art and a little science – how long to heat, how hard to pull, how long to pull – and when to stop pulling, as to not scorch the load. How long to reheat can vary, depending on how long it’s been sitting. The quartz heater cools more quickly than the borosilicate ones, so that’s something to consider as well.

I find it fun, but you can avoid most all of this if you want to use a PID controller with a coil. Personally, I do not have a PID controller so I haven’t done it, but the Auber RDK-300 with a 15.8mm coil is a popular one. You’ll want to carefully stretch the coil to even the heat out over the heater. Then set the temp to 650-700ºF. The nub that used to come attached to the borosilicate heater was useful to hold the coil in the correct spot. Without the nub, some people are trying to get the coil to fit tight to the heater. Many times though, the coil is resting on the sick clip and it gets too hot to touch. So you’ll have to wait a few minutes after removing it before it is cool enough.

The Rig Attachment/bowl that comes with the Elev8R is 18mm female to 14mm male. If you already have an adapter like this, you might be able to use it with the Elev8R. You can find cheaper ones at your local head shops or places online. Many will have big rings in the middle to fit screens in, but don’t work well to hold loose flower – it gets stuck on the sides. Others are tapered and can still fit a (modified) screen in them. This is one I found for $9 and molded a screen to fit.

As you can see, the heater is slightly closer to the flower, so it might take second or 2 off the heat time. It is useful for 1 or 2 hitters, finishing off a small amount of herb quickly. The downside to mine is cleaning. It gets even dirtier more quickly. For some reason, the flower really sticks to the middle of the screen. You also get more heat through the material quicker, because the outlet hole out is larger than the standard bowl piece.

Double Deckers (flower in the bowl under the FlavorDisc with concentrate) are another option, although I haven’t had a lot of success with them. The flower doesn’t seem to cook enough, so I have to take the FlavorDisc out to fully extract everything from the herb.

If you are torching, having a clock on the wall with a second-hand in the area where you vape is convenient. I now have an Analog Clock app on my Android phone, so with one tap, I can see exactly when I start heating and when to stop. It’s more convenient than using a stopwatch for me.

Dislikes or Things to Consider

The list of dislikes is short. The little tongs they provide to hold the heater are not great. When I use them to pick up the heater, it moves sometimes if I don’t set it down on something right away. It could be the effects of the vape, but I have a slight fear of dropping the heater. Also, when using them to put the heater back on, they don’t really retract back to their original shape right away, so sometimes I touch the heater with them after releasing. LabPong provided a couple good solutions on the VapeLife forum.

Obviously, if torching is an issue and you can’t get a PID controller/coil setup for home use, it’s not really that “portable,” per se. It’s not a vape that can be used in public without getting some looks. Although, using a small butane torch in your car is an option if you are careful and want to take a couple rips before heading to a movie or a show.

Torching outside with any wind can be tough. A powerful, thinner flame from a butane torch might work best, but heat up times can vary – it’s just hard to be as precise as when torching indoors.

Also, smell can be an issue if you are looking to be discreet. The heater is so powerful that the smell of your herb is hard to contain. But that is true of anything that produces strong vapor.

Conclusion

If you’ve made it this far, you can probably tell that I really like this vaporizer. I haven’t owned or tried as many vapes as some connoisseurs, but I do have some experience. For reference, here are the ones I’ve owned – Supreme 3, Dynavap M, Magic Flight Launch Box, Mistvape Bare Essence, Daisy, Boundless CFV, and Arizer Extreme Q. The Supreme 3 is the only other one that comes close to the Elev8R in the Heavy Hitter category. Price is a big factor in my buying decisions and you’re not going to find many others for a similar price that deliver the performance of the Elev8R.

Depending on what items you already have, you might be able to get away without buying the whole kit. But with the new quartz kit being the same price as the borosilicate one, it’s probably best just to get it all. When you buy the kit, they will allow you to get an extra heater for only $25 more. With an extra sick clip ($5), you could have 2 setups.

7th Floor also has a nice selection of custom wands and other beautiful glass available. And their customer service is fantastic – really great people over there.

Do yourself a favor and try this vape. The performance you get for the price you pay is off the charts.

-Review by @highasakite from the VapeLife Forum.