Da Buddha

The Da Buddha is a whip vaporizer that is manufactured by the US-based company 7th Floor. It was released to the market in 2008 and has a solid fan base. In this review we look at the most important aspects for a non-portable vaporizer.

Aesthetics/Looks

Da Buddha looks nice and minimal, with no unnecessary decorations or frills. The body is made from metal, with a sandblast textured finish. There are 2 color options - black or natural (silver). The base is made from black plastic. On the front of the unit is a small 'Buddha' graphic. It is nothing special, but isn't ugly either. The logo sits just above the silver metal heat dial. The wand and the mouthpiece are made from clear glass (the wand is the part that is filled with herbs, and attaches to the unit). Da Buddha comes in a padded fabric bag, which is a very nice addition. It is ideal for transporting or storing the unit. These bags come in a variety of colors, such as red, black, grey. Also included in the package is a stirring pick, which is made from metal with a glass bead on the end for holding. This is a useful addition, and is a handy thing for any stoner to have around.

The unit is a nice size, not too big, not too small. I have the feeling it could have been built smaller, but this would sacrifice some stability. Since it is designed to sit on a table, rather than picked up, I think the size and weight is ideal. It doesn't look like a obvious cannabis-product, especially with the tube/wand removed, so it could be considered stealthy. If it was sitting on a shelf, it's pretty unnoticeable (although someone might still question what it was, since it doesn't look like any other household product)

Vapor & Taste

Da Buddha produces great quality vapor. The temperature controller means the user can dial up the heat to their desired setting. Some users like the lighter, low temperature vapor, while others prefer the more smoky vapor from high temps. While Da Buddha doesn't really make huge clouds, it is definitely not lacking in the vapor production department. The heating element is ceramic, almost the same as a ceramic soldering iron. There is a glass shell around the heating element, which attaches to the wand. I would have assumed the air intake was on the bottom of the unit, but this is not the case. The glass shell has a hole at the back for air intake - this means the hot air is not passing through any metal or plastic parts before it hits the herb. Up until the vapor enters the tube, the air pathway can be considered all glass (apart from the ceramic heating element itself). The tube is made from flexible food-grade plastic, so is tested and approved.

The first couple of uses, I noticed a faint 'new plastic' taste, but this disappeared quickly. I think this is pretty normal for any vaporiser that has some non-glass parts, not a big issue.

Efficiency

The temperature control means you can dial up the heat to get the most out of your herb. On the highest setting, Da Buddha gets very hot, and can make the herb almost black. I haven't tested whether the herb can actually burns to the point of glowing red, but I think it quite possible. The user will need to keep this in mind. It is rare that someone would need to use the hottest setting, unless they are using alternative herbs with higher boiling points. Users aiming for maximum efficient will want to stir their herb every few hits, as Da Buddha does not heat the herb completely evenly. The hottest spot is in the centre of the bowl, closest to the heating element. This spot will turn brown first. Stirring is not totally necessary, but will make sure you are extracting the herb nice and evenly. If you have a good supply of herb, or like myself you are saving the material for other uses (eg. cooking, extracts), the stirring is not needed, and just interrupts the enjoyment of the vapor session. Personally I'd rather load a fresh bowl than spend time messing around just for an extra 1 or 2 hits.

Ease of use

When Da Buddha is new, all you have to do is attach the mouthpiece and wand to the tube. These glass pieces just slide on to the plastic tube, which is very easy. Once the unit is plugged in and switched on, you load your herb into the wand, attach the wand to the main unit, and you're good to go. You just put your mouth on the mouthpiece and inhale - this draws warm air over the herb and down the tube. It is extremely easy to use, and can be operated handsfree if you don't mind holding the glass mouthpiece between your lips, which quite handy for video games! Otherwise, you just need one hand free, to hold the tube up to your mouth. The only learning curve is finding the right temperature for you. The speed of your inhale also affects the temperature of the air hitting the herb. If you inhale slowly, the vapor will get stronger and smokier tasting. If you inhale quickly, the vapor is lighter with a fresh taste. The bowl size is just big enough. It could be a little bigger for heavy users, but this would decrease the efficiency, because the herb at the bottom would receive less heat. I find myself reloading the bowl a little more often than I'd like, but this is a relatively small vaporizer overall, so this is to be expected.

Durability

There is one thing about Da Buddha which you do need to be careful with. The wand attaches to the main unit by a ground glass fitting. It's designed to stay there without any other attachment mechanism, but unfortunately it doesn't always stay in place. If you accidentally pull the tube, it can pull the glass wand out of the unit, making it fall. This might only cause the herb fall out and make a mess, which is just inconvenient. At worst, the wand can fall out and hit the table hard, or fall onto the floor, causing it to break. For this reason, some users of Da Buddha place their unit on top of a mouse pad, so the wand falls on to something soft. Or they rig up something to hold the wand in place (such as an elastic band). It's a shame that Da Buddha doesn't include some way to solve this problem, such as an way to attach the wand more securely - a small flaw in the design.

Conclusion

Da Buddha is an excellent workhorse vaporiser. Its simplicity and ease of use make it suitable for the average user. The customisation options (handmade glass, water pipe adapters) also make it suitable for high-end vaporists. It is very durable, produces fantastic quality vapor and goes for a very reasonable price. The issue with the wand falling out is a small niggle, but doesn't take too many points away. Overall, there is hardly any negative points to make about Da Buddha, it is a well designed vaporiser that can be recommended to anyone.

Things that I love about DBV:
Uses less plant material.
Easy to pack.
Easy to clean.
None of the harsh taste/smell, just a pleasant subtle taste.
Comes with an awesome bag! Perfect for carrying or using as a pillow!
Easiest thing to just lay back and inhale with a friend while watching a movie.

The only 'con' you could possibly say is that it takes a minute or two to warm up; this is not really a big deal though.

A note: the tube does not want to go into the wand easily so I suggest you use either water or just lick it a little bit and it will go in much easier. I just keep the wand/tube/mouthpiece together and then put it into the bag it came with.

An all around good design at a good price, with a high vapor to air ratio which certainly outclasses any box vape I've ever used. The heating element could have slightly higher heat retention, but otherwise it is a venerable and bulletproof unit. Make sure you try hooking it up to your water pipes!

it was a friend recommandation and i have to say that it wasn't a bad deal at all !!!

Da Buddha vap is quite easy to use and to clean up instead of others vaps, like the volcano for example !! the design as well is quite nice and also made with finest ceramic and aluminium. THis vap worth it's quality-price.

The best vaporizer you can buy in this price range, it's only competition in it's price range is the Silver Surfer. The only trouble it gives me on rare occasions is that the knob is pretty sensitive, and sometimes it'll be giving me a lot of great vapor hits at a temperature and then out of no where late into the session it will burn my herbs completely wasting the product in the wand, and leaving a vile taste in my mouth.

However, this is a rare occurrence as long as you have the knob at a reasonable temperature, and will probably only effect people like me with extremely high tolerances, due to how late in the session it seems to happen at. Most people will know doubt be satisfied with a hit or a few from this vaporizer, due to how high quality of a vape it is. Over all I still give it a 4/5

Fixed mine when element fried by ordering an element from a soldering iron exactly the same std 100-25 element as da budha 16 bucks is less than a new vape and is just like new.

Fixed mine when element fried by ordering an element from a soldering iron exactly the same std 100-25 element as da budha 16 bucks is less than a new vape and is just like new.