In the Netherlands, Evert, the friendly inventor of De Verdamper, is nothing less than an icon of the cannabis movement. He can be found at almost every trade show and legalisation event, always in company of one or more Verdampers. It is also no surprise that many Dutch coffeeshops have a Verdamper in their shop. In this review, we take a close look at Evert’s glass vaporizer.
Aesthetics/Looks
De Verdamper is quite beautiful, a very impressive looking vaporiser. Some might call it a work of art. Made in Holland and Czech Republic, De verdamper is an all-glass vaporizer, apart from the inner heating element, which is ceramic/metal. De Verdamper will look right at home next to high quality boutique glass such as RooR bongs. It has a small green and black logo on the main chamber, and a text logo on the bowl. These logos are not intrusive, and give a nice detail to the overall appearance.
For the first time user, the Verdamper can look a little complicated, with the various glass tubes, attachments and different pieces. But when its setup, the unit looks balanced and attractive. The Verdamper comes in simple (but well padded) brown boxes, which is no bad thing – the contents are what counts. Plus, there is no need to advertise to the world that its a cannabis-related product. Some users will keep the boxes for storage, as they are the ideal size to keep the unit safe.
Vapor & Taste
The vapor produced is extremely thick and potent. With herbs of any reasonable quality, the vapor will be cloudy and clearly visible both as it passes through the unit, and on the exhale. The tubes, bowl and chamber are all very large in diamater, meaning there is very little drag while inhaling. Its very easy to get massive hits. The vapor is often strong enough to make the user cough, whether they are a beginner or a long time user! Although it doesn’t have a temperature controller, there is an option to increase the heat level by covering the top of the heating element, either with your hand or by carefully sitting a small object on top, such as a glass dish or an aluminium grinder. This causes the air to travel a different path through the heating element, increasing the temperature, and making the vapor stronger. With this method, a more ‘smoky’ vapor can be produced. This can also be useful for certain strains, or hash, that might need a higher temperature to produce vapor, or for when the herb is too dry.
Some users (such as those iron-throated heavy bong hitters!) prefer the stronger, cough-inducing vapor that the higher temperature produces. Personally, I don’t use the ‘extra hot’ method very often, I find the vapor is quite strong enough without it.
Because this vaporiser is all-glass, it does an excellent job of preserving the natural taste of the herb, and does not impart any unwanted flavours such as plastic or metal. The water does a great job of cooling down the vapor, allowing you to take long, deep hits, giving fantastic flavour.
Efficiency
The Verdamper heats the herb evenly – there are no visible hotspots like some vaporizers, the material changes from green to brown evenly throughout the bowl. There is no need to stir the herb. After use, the herb is a medium-dark brown. Some users like to re-grind their herb at this stage, and put it back into the unit for a couple of extra hits. While this method does give some extra efficiency, extracting every last bit of vapor, I find the flavour of those last hits have that infamous ‘burned popcorn’ taste, so I wouldn’t really bother with this unless I had absolutely nothing else to put in.
Ease of use
Setting up the vaporizer for the first time will require some attention. There are various tubes and attachments that absolutely must to go in the right place in order for the unit to function. But once its set up, De Verdamper is very easy to use. The one thing to be careful of, is that the heating element is extremely hot to the touch – it must be removed by using the glass handle running down one side. Most users will probably burn their fingers at least once. Its understandable, given the effects of the strong vapor! The heating element also has a visible warning message, and the handle is quite large and easy to grip – so this is not a big issue.
Loading De Verdamper is easy, you simply remove the heating element from the top, sit it down in the supplied wooden holder, and fill the bowl with your herbal material. Put the heater back on top, and you’re ready to go. Breath in through the mouthpiece to inhale the vapor. It usually takes one or two hits before the herbs warm up and the vapor fills the chamber.
Overall, there is a slight learning curve to this vaporizer, but nothing to worry about. If an experienced owner is letting their friends try it, there is really nothing to it – just breath in the vapor through the mouthpiece, thats all they need to know.
Durability
There are various sizes of De Verdamper available, but even the smaller models of De Verdamper are relatively large. The makers have used thick glass throughout, but glass is glass, and is still quite fragile. The unit would certainly not survive being dropped from standing height. If it was tipped over by accident, you might have a 50/50 chance of breakage, but its hard to say. If the user is the clumsy type, especially while under the influence, this vaporizer might not be the best choice. Also, if the user is looking for stealth, De Verdamper is far from ideal. It is best for someone who can comfortably leave it setup on their coffee table, and not have to worry about hiding it when someone knocks at the door!