Follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Load the bowl with loose shredded tobacco.
2. DO NOT PACK! Shredded tobacco has a high surface area that aids the vaporization process.
   
   
3. Inhale constantly while supplying flame to the flame filter. It is important to inhale constantly. The VaporGenie works best with a conventional lighter flame about 1 inch tall. It is helpful to move the flame around to get the most uniform heating. We recommend using an electronic ignition lighter (see our statement about lighters, below). Do not touch the flame to the ceramic filter. This is important because touching the flame to the ceramic filter will create soot that can eventually clog the filter. Soot will also create a bad taste. However, soot deposits will not damage the filter, so dont worry about them too much.

These images show correct lighter placement.

 

These images show INCORRECT lighter placement. Do not hold the lighter in any of these ways!

 

Always remember:

1) With a small flame, inhale slowly.

2) With a large flame, inhale faster.

3) Do not touch the flame to the ceramic filter.

The idea is to balance the flame size with the rate of inhalation so you get the right temperature.

The temperature can be varied in two ways:

1) Applying more or less flame. Flame can be applied in pulses.

2) Inhaling faster or slower. Inhaling slower produces hotter temperatures.

If you don't feel like you are inhaling anything, then the temperature is too low.
So...inhale slower, or use a bigger flame.

If you inhale smoke, or taste a burned flavor, then the temperature is too high.
So...inhale faster, or use a smaller flame.

Pay attention to the flavor and mouth sensations, and adjust flame application accordingly.
It requires a little bit of practice, but its not rocket science.

It is normal to exhale slightly visible blue vapor. Typically, this visible vapor is not smoke, but rather is oils and flavor compounds vaporized from the tobacco.

When the smoking material turns black, it is spent and there is nothing left but bad stuff. Dump it out.

Between hits, it is helpful to stir and redistribute the tobacco. This will assure uniform vaporization of your tobacco.

Cleaning Your VaporGenie

The VaporGenie produces very little tar when used properly, so it only needs cleaning occasionally. The screen can be removed for cleaning by rotating it with a needle so that it "unscrews" via the threaded bowl, or by simply pulling it out with tweezers. This will reveal the wire coil that holds up the screen. The wire coil can be removed by pulling with pliers. The screen and wire coil can be cleaned by wiping or soaking in alcohol. The steel bowl can be cleaned with an alcohol swab. Do not get alcohol on the wood because this can damage the finish.

  

The bottom pipe portion and mouthpiece can be cleaned with a pipe cleaner. First, pull out the mouthpiece. Pull a pipecleaner through the mouthpiece to clean it. Similarly, the pipe can be cleaned by running a pipecleaner through it. Insert the pipecleaner into the mouthpiece end, and pull it from the steel bowl with tweezers or pliers.

If the plastic mouthpiece breaks off in the pipe, the broken-off portion of the mouthpiece can be removed with a #4 wood screw. Twist the screw 1-2 turns into the broken portion and pull with pliers.

A Word About Lighters

We recommend using an electronic ignition (piezoelectric) lighter instead of a conventional flint lighter. Flint lighters produce flint dust, which is visible when a flint lighter is ignited. This flint dust contains "misch metal", which is an alloy of rare earth metals (neodymium, samarium, cerium, lanthanum etc). Rare earth metals are toxic! Hence, we think that inhalation of flint dust should be avoided. And the best way to avoid flint dust is to use an electronic ignition lighter. The issue of rare earth dust inhalation is not specific to the VaporGenie. Anyone using a flint lighter to light a cigarette or smoke a pipe is inhaling rare earth metal dust. Any smoker concerned about their health should use an electronic ignition lighter. Below is an abstract describing the toxic effect of rare earth metals on lung tissue. Not good. They are slightly less toxic than cadmium and might cause scarring/fibrosis of the lungs.

We offer high quality electronic ignition lighters made by Vector. These lighters are perfect for use with the VaporGenie and do not produce rare earth metal dust.

Cytotoxicity of the rare earth metals cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium in vitro: comparisons with cadmium in a pulmonary macrophage primary culture system.Palmer, R J : Butenhoff, J L : Stevens, J BEnviron-Res. 1987 Jun; 43(1): 142-56

The rare earth metals cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium each were evaluated in an in vitro cytotoxicity assay system using adult, male Sprague-Dawley rat pulmonary alveolar macrophages. Both the soluble chloride form of these metals and their insoluble metal oxides were studied. For comparison purposes, the cytotoxicities of cadmium chloride and cadmium oxide were also quantified in this test system. In general, regardless of the cytotoxicity parameter measured, i.e., cell viability, lysosomal enzyme leakage, or changes in cell surface morphology, cadmium was more toxic to these cells than were the rare earth metals. Of the rare earth metals studied, lanthanum chloride (lethal concentration LC50 = 52 microM), cerium chloride (LC50 = 29 microM), and neodymium oxide (LC50 = 101 microM) displayed significant cytotoxicity in this test system. Cadmium chloride exhibited an LC50 value of 28 microM, and cadmium oxide 15 microM. These findings suggest that rare earth metal fumes should be considered as cytotoxic to lung tissue and therefore potentially fibrogenic.

 

 

Filter Maintenance

DO NOT touch the flame to the ceramic filter. Contacting the flame to the ceramic filter will not damage the filter, but it will form bad-tasting smoke and soot. Soot will also be deposited on the ceramic filter, and can eventually clog the filter. Soot deposits appear as pitch-black areas on the filter, which is gray. Soot can be removed, but it is NOT recommended to clean the filter often because soot slowly burns off with normal use. It is not necessary to clean every small deposit of black soot.

Soot deposits on the ceramic filter can be removed with two methods:

1) A good method for removing soot is to use boiling hot water. Simply pour the hot water onto the ceramic filter. Tap or shake the filter unit until the water passes through the ceramic filter. Continue pouring water through the ceramic filter until no soot remains. This should leave the ceramic filter perfectly clean. Do not use this method often or repeatedly, because it can cause the wood to crack.

2) Another method is to burn off the soot using a jet flame windproof/torch lighter. To burn off soot, suck air through the filter (for example by inhaling from the VG, or preferably by placing the filter on a vacuum cleaner intake), and direct the jet flame towards to soot deposits. The jet flame produces very high temperatures that burn off the soot. The ceramic filter may be heated until it glows red. This will not damage the filter.

Please let us know which method works better for you, or if you discover other methods for removing the soot.

Extra filter tops cost $25, and extra pipe bottoms cost $25 (including postage) - Click here for info on ordering replacement tops

Need screens or mouthpieces? click here to for free replacement screens and mouthpieces.