News from the world of mobile evaporators

It is still a niche phenomenon, but vaporizing is finding more and more followers. The advantages are obvious: efficient, emission-free, elegant. Here is a test report on a new device that was recently introduced to us.

We haven't had a new vaporizer to test for a while here, when we recently got a phone from French-speaking Switzerland and someone wanted to introduce us to a device. Of course, we are always a bit skeptical, because many devices do not work or do not work well. But, interested we are of course always, so we made an appointment.

Phyto-Lab - this is the name of the vaporizer that was presented to us in September. At first glance, it reminds me of a tobacco pipe. However, a closer look reveals differences. For example, the mobile vaporizer is not held by the head, because it easily gets 150 degrees and hotter during operation, but - depending on the design - by a wrapped leather strap or heat-resistant rubber parts. The filling chamber almost looks a bit like a faucet filter. Fresh air is provided by three small holes leading to the center. To prevent the mixture from clogging the feed lines, several sieves are used - depending on the intended use. Finally, the filling chamber is screwed into the pipe bowl. (Pictures and videos of this device can be found at www.phyto-lab.ch. The texts are somewhat specially translated from French…). To generate the required heat, a jet lighter with a bluish flame is necessary. The device is completely made of aluminum. The head is even made of polished aluminum. The 13 centimeter small vaporizer fits easily into a shirt pocket - with about 60 grams it is also not heavy.

In order to be able to achieve the most accurate measurement results possible, I have mounted the probe directly in the filling chamber. The aluminum head is heated with a jet lighter. It must be heated for a relatively long time to bring the massive body up to temperature. This takes about 90 to 93 seconds and a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees is reached. With a double jet lighter the time could be reduced a bit - unfortunately I don't have one. When drawing, the value increases between 202 and 208 degrees. Now the part can be used like the good old pipe. During about 90 seconds you can vape with pleasure. This corresponds to five inhalations of 12 seconds each. After that, the temperature drops below 160 degrees, and it has to be heated again. Of course, it is also possible to heat higher - the upper limit is 230 degrees, how high depends on personal preference. Here it must be remembered that the dissolved vapor is correspondingly hot and damage to the respiratory organs can occur. And like all vaporizers that are heated with a jet lighter, it is possible to overdo it - so that combustion takes place and you are not vaporizing, but smoking. There is also no overheating protection with this device!

By the way, the mobile vaporizer works flawlessly. The workmanship is good and for cleaning (best with alcohol) the Phyto-Lab can be completely disassembled. A cleaning brush is included in the packaging. However, there is something to note: The metal body gets quite hot over time; even ten minutes after the last heating, I still measure well over 100 degrees Celsius on the head. This is generally a problem: Since the whole vaporizer is made of aluminum, it remains unusable for a relatively long time. That means it has to cool down for a quarter of an hour before it can be refilled. In addition, it has to be heated for too long to get up to temperature. I see this as the biggest drawback. My personal favorite is and remains the Vapman (see for example Legalize it! Issue 41, page 3)!

According to the manufacturers from Neuchâtel, the Phyto-Lab is produced in Switzerland and costs 99 francs (without jet lighter). You can find more info on the homepage of Phyto-Lab.