The Torch Vapes I Keep Coming Back To
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Today let's talk about 3 of my favorite torch vapes right now: the Simrell Titanium, the Vaphit QoQ, and the Tempest 2.
Lately I’ve been using these way more than my battery-powered portable vaporizers. Not because they're bad, but because I just prefer the vapor quality I’m getting from these torch-powered devices.
There’s something about the flavor, the density, the smoothness, and the overall feel of the vapor that I really like. These aren’t necessarily the easiest vapes for beginners, but once you get the torch technique down, the results can be excellent.
For torches, the three medium-sized models I’ve been using are the Blazer Spitfire, the Groove Spark, and the Ronxs. I actually don't think any of them are that amazing, but they all get the job done and have been pretty reliable.
So I’ll go through each vape, explain why I like it, how I use it, and where I think each one shines.
Vaphit QoQ
The first one here is the Vaphit QoQ, or Quartz-on-Quartz.
I think this is one of the best values in the vape industry, hands down. It’s one of my top-rated portable vapes, and it’s only around $60.
That’s the part that makes it kind of crazy. For the price, the vapor quality is extremely good.
The size and weight are also good, and I think it has a really nice look and feel. The build quality also feels pretty decent, not like some cheap throwaway device, just not quite as good as the other two.
There are no audible or visual indicators with this one to let you know when it’s ready. No click, no temp indicator, nothing like that. It’s totally manual heating, so you have to use it a few times and really dial in your torch technique for the best results.
But when everything is right, the hits are fantastic. It can produce lots of vapor, it's smooth and comfortable, and the effects are strong.
The vapor quality is top tier. The flavor is very clean and pure, and I do notice a subtle taste difference from the quartz components. It’s not night and day, but it's there.
The technique I use to heat this one works pretty consistently and I'd consider it fairly repeatable, it just takes a little practice.
Heating with the tip of the inner blue flame, I first start around the top area and heat for about 3-5 seconds, then I move to the lower area and heat for about 10-15 more seconds. You'll want to spin it in your hand the whole time you're heating it.
The two downsides for me are pretty simple. First , it looks dirty very quickly. After only a few uses, you can already see residue building up in a couple of areas. I mean the thing is transparent so it makes sense.
Second, it has higher draw resistance than the others, and there’s no airport to work while drawing from it, so you’re more locked-in to the way the draw feels.
But for the price, I have a hard time complaining too much, the vapor is just too good.
If you think you understand how torch vapes work and you want excellent vapor quality without spending a lot of money, I think this one is worth considering.
More info and link to buy here.
Tempest 2
Next is the Tempest 2.
This one has the capability of being a pretty heavy hitter, and it has some cool built-in features. But I’ll be honest, the design is a little funky. It feels a tiny bit odd and chunky to me, but it's not a deal-breaker at all and I really don't mind it.
Aside from the look & feel, I think it has a really solid set of features. It has an adjustable bowl depth, an adjustable airport, a visual temp indicator, and a water-pipe adapter built right into the mouthpiece of the stem.
Oh yea, probably the biggest thing that sets the Tempest apart is that it also has balls in it.
So there’s a lot going on here, and I do appreciate that. Bells and whistles usually don't do it for me, but I like the functionality of these features.
The way I use it is with the bowl screen in the upper position, which gives me the smaller dose that I usually go for. I like that setup because it brings the herb closer to the heater, and I'm getting good results that way.
The biggest thing I had to learn with the Tempest 2 was the torch technique.
At first, I had some trouble getting smooth vapor from it. The vapor felt a little hot or harsh to me. But once I changed how I was heating it, I started enjoying it a lot more.
With this one, I get better results heating it with the tip of the outer blue flame, not right up close in the inner flame. Holding the torch a little farther away seems to work better.
My impression is that the balls in the heater prefer a slower heat-up. When I heat it more slowly, the vapor feels smoother and less harsh.
So when I'm heating it up, once I hear the second click, I start watching the visual indicator. I stop heating when the indicator reaches the second line.
That method has been working much better for me.
Now I usually leave the airport fully open and work it with my pointer finger, but sometimes I also like setting it mostly closed. When I do that, I don’t really have to flutter it while taking a draw. I can just take a steady inhale and let the vape do its thing.
You can also use this with an induction heater instead of a torch. Some people prefer this method because it could possibly be a little more consistent. Heat-up time is roughly the same with both methods, somewhere around 35 seconds.
So as you can see this thing has the ability to provide big hits with lots of vapor. I wouldn’t call it the smoothest vape of this group, but it's very tolerable, you get a nice throat hit, and I do enjoy using it.
It’s a little chunkier and funkier than my personal ideal, but the hits are strong, the features are useful, and the performance is definitely there.
More info and link to buy here.
Simrell Titanium
Lastly we have the Simrell Titanium, and If I had to choose just one of these 3, I would consider this one my favorite overall.
One of the main things I like about it is that it's very elegant and refined. The look, the machining, the way it feels - it's all very premium without being over-complicated.
This is the only vape of the 3 that is made in the USA, and there is a clear quality difference between U.S. titanium and the cheaper import metal that many devices are made of, including the Tempest. It's also the only one that doesn't have any o-rings, all of the parts are threaded, which is pretty cool.
The heater assembly at the top has discs inside of it that click when it reaches vaping temperature, and it has two of them: low temp and high temp.
Performance-wise, I like that it can be used in a few different ways. You can use it as a mostly-convection vape, or you can heat it more aggressively and get more of a hybrid convection-and-conduction style hit. Or, if you really want to, you can get a mostly conduction hit too.
The oven fits a little over 0.1 grams comfortably, but I usually use it with about 0.05 grams, so more of a micro-dose. That’s one of the things I really like about it. It works really well with small amounts, and it still gives me big satisfying hits.
Most of the time, I heat it in what's considered the convection zone. That means I’m only heating the top half of the heat exchanger.
For this style, I touch the tip of the inner blue flame to the vape while heating, slowly spin it, and heat for about 15 to 20 seconds. I stop when I hear the second click.
That gives me smooth, dense, flavorful vapor, and it feels like a very clean convection-style hit.
The other way I use it is more of a hybrid hit. For that, I like to use the Ronxs torch in dual-flame mode, because the dual flame hits both heating zones at the same time. You can also use a small single flame torch to accomplish the same thing.
With this method, I heat the full length of the cap for about 20 to 25 seconds, and I stop immediately at the first click.
That gives a heavier, punchier hit. So if I want more vapor production or a stronger extraction, that’s the way I’ll use it.
When I’m drawing from it, I usually take a nice long pull - around 15 to 20 seconds - and I flutter the airport while I’m hitting it.
The vapor you get is super smooth, dense, and flavorful. There is a creaminess or softness to the vapor that takes it to another level above the others. The effects are right where I want them also, it just feels very dialed in.
This one also works with induction heaters if you'd rather not use a torch. Set the depth to the first fin for a hybrid style hit, and heat for about 35 seconds if you're using the YLL, and a little longer with the Wand.
You can also change how the device looks and feels by swapping out the sleeve. I have a bunch of really cool ones and it's kinda nice to switch things up every once in a while. My two favorites would be the argyle titanium and the amboyna burl wood.
There are also two other variations of the Simrell that I like and highly recommend: the Heritage version and the stainless steel Hydro, with both providing what is essentially the same high level of performance.
The only reason the Hydro didn't make my top 3 is that I personally just really like the full titanium stem, so I end up using that one more often.
The Hydro is designed for use with a glass rig and has a stainless steel heat exchanger. One main difference from the Ti is that it can be heated up without spinning it, which is pretty convenient when using it on rigs.
I also use my Heritage quite often, I have a cool opal stem with the flat mouthpiece, it's pretty sweet.
Very recently they also released a new convection-focused heater assembly, and I'll have more thoughts on the performance of this soon, but the advantages are a faster heat-up, a faster cool-down, and more airflow.
In summary, the Simrell is ahead of the pack, and it's the one I'd recommend if you're looking for the most premium experience.
More info and link to buy here.
Runners-up
So there are two other runners-up that I'd like to mention: the Tornado and the Dani Fusion 2.0. I like both of these, and I keep them in my rotation, they both perform pretty well.
To me, the strength of both of these is vapor production. You can get really big hits and lots of vapor from both of them, and they're nice and smooth too.
I don't love them as much as my top picks, but I do think they're solid choices.
Final Thoughts
Another thing that's important to consider is the repeatability of these things, or how easy it is to get consistent results.
So although each of these requires it's own special technique, I do think they score highly in consistency.
The Vaphit would technically be the hardest to master, but I still think it's very do-able.
And lastly, there is some debate about using a torch versus an induction heater, as far as which one is better. I like both methods and you can get good results with either.
I think I personally like using a torch more because I can really pinpoint the heat for nice convection hits.
So that's the story. Lately, I'm all up in the torch vapes, and I’m usually grabbing the Simrell, Vaphit, or Tempest.
Check out my full YouTube video here.
Stay up!
-Bud