Updated Vaporbrothers Dabbler Ceramic Core Heater Review

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Towards the end of last year Vape-Pen teased everyone by releasing an initial run of Ceramic Core Heaters for the portable Vaporbrothers Dabbler vaporizer pen. These heaters quickly sold out. Then all went silent while Vaporbrothers worked with Vape-Pen on issues relating to the performance of the Ceramic Core.

Most vapor pen companies use a wick made from cotton and other materials that will burn up if run dry and give off bad taste and odors. Vape-Pen‘s high quality glass fiber wick for the stock Vaporbrothers Dabbler heaters is non toxic and completely inert, eliminating any problem if the Dabbler is  run dry. Unlike cotton based wicks, this glass fiber wick does not give off a bad taste or odor.

Currently the Dabbler Ceramic Core Heaters are only available as a "3-in-1". For those who might get excited at the term “3-in-1,” sorry it does not mean you can use oil, wax, and flower with this cartridge. Instead it refers to the three parts of the cartridge: heater, cone, and mouthpiece. Let's take a look at all three parts starting with the heater. 




To address customer concerns about using a wick of any sort, Vape-Pen replaced the glass fiber wick with a solid ceramic rod for the Ceramic Core Heaters. For this second round of Ceramic Core Heaters, the ceramic rod is slightly more porous than the initial batch. There is a trade off to having a rod instead of a wick, and that is a decrease in wicking action. The wick acts a bit like a sponge, absorbing oil, and delivering it to the coil. Keep in mind that fiber wicks are much better at this function than ceramic rods. To offset the decrease in wicking action, the ceramic rod is now set deeper into the bowl so that it can attract the oil to the heater more effectively.

Like the stock Dabbler heaters, the Ceramic Core Heaters employ a ceramic dish and Vape-Pen’s proprietary inconel wire coil wrapped around the ceramic rod. Unfortunately this coil, while a bit more rugged than the original design, still can be damaged easily, rendering the heater useless. Please use care when loading or cleaning the heater not to damage this coil.

Something else to note about the coil in the new Ceramic Core Heaters: It does not glow as bright as it does with the glass fiber wicks. This is not due to a change in resistance, but the amount of heat required to warm up the ceramic rod. It may even require a 10 second run on the button just to preheat  the rod. So don't be alarmed when your coil doesn't glow as bright as it once did; your Vaporbrothers Dabbler vape pen is still fine.  The lower temperature of Dabbler’s coil is one reason behind why Dabbler is a better tasting pen.



To increase airflow and ward off any problems if the ceramic core gets clogged by oil, a vent hole has been added to the cone to improve air circulation within the cartridge and help move the oil about. This is further aided by the hefty metal mouthpiece that doesn't restrict the airflow as much as the stock Dabbler mouthpiece. Just use a bit of caution when bringing this to your mouth so you don't chip those pearly whites.

The Ceramic Core Heater was designed as an alternative to the Glass Fiber Wick Heater. While some customers view this as an improvement, the performance of the Glass Wick Heaters can still rival that of the Ceramic Core Heaters. You now have a choice and we feel you can't go wrong with either choice.



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10 comment(s)
kyle charron July 8, 2015 12:37 PM reply
why is there any need to have a cotton/ wick anyway vb11 is great because of this

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