In this video, we interviewed Labpong, who’s made a history of helping people in the vape community. He knows the Elev8r and the mods better than anyone, and he dropped some serious knowledge in this one! Grab your tools, your favorite vape (not the Elev8r), and let’s get busy!
The Basic Elev8r
The basic Elev8r is very simple – a dimpled glass dome heated by a torch to vaporize herbs in the bowl below. Although dimpled glass mods can now be found all over the dry herb vape scene, they got they’re first real boost here. Make no mistake, the hits on this thing can be enormous with all that fire!
The idea is to heat the glass with a pretty big torch (think crème brulee) until it’s glowing hot, let it cool down a bit, and go to town. I’m sold on the power of this vape, but the torch keeps me at bay. But Troy, who loves to dab with a torch, quickly found his groove. In fact, he used it all week for his big hitter (ball-less) and was more than satisfied.
Make it electric!
If you’re up for the challenge to make your own electric Elev8r, grab these tools and push play:
- Glass elev8r heater
- Two pairs of pliers, with the teeth covered in masking tape to prevent scratching
- A 16mm flat coil (or any similar coil you have that you’re willing to bend into place)
- A big flat-head screwdriver
- Balls are optional, but if you use them, bring two screens – one for the top hole and one for the bottom opening
Work that coil
Most of your time will be spent bending the coil and fitting it onto the glass heater. Use the screwdriver initially to adjust the coil, and use the pliers for later adjustments, and to tighten the coil to the glass. My final version was definitely too loose, but it still worked fine. But a loose coil leads to a loose heater, which can be pretty fucking scary, especially if you installed balls!
Balls are optional
Balls are optional, but I found I needed them with this looser coil. I’m pretty sure if I took the time to tighten my coil, I’d get a safer, more efficient, and more effective heater. But I could already tell this wasn’t for me. With all the big hitters at my disposal, I have no need for this dance.
Hits a sweet spot
As someone who focuses a lot on the needs of the mass market, I see little to like here. But as an enthusiast, I think it fits a big need right now. When the Terp Torch went under, it left a spot in the big hitter market for something good and cheap. This might be it. The elev8r itself is only $109 form 7th Floor, and a coil is usually less than $30. That’s really cheap for a massive hitting desktop, but you have to mod it yourself.
Know thyself
This is not a mainstream vape. It’s big, clunky, and dangerous, but the hits still call! DIY’ers who are all about the vapor should get moving on this mod. But if getting your hands dirty isn’t your kind of thing, stay far away from this one. It’s one of the more difficult, although more rewarding, mods I’ve worked on. If you feel up to the challenge, and lust for a cheap heavy hitter, then get to work. Just remember that the finished product will be an exposed hot piece of glass on your desk, that will crush your sobriety!