Silver Surfer Vaporizer Review

Overview:

The Silver Surfer is among the most popular and highly regarded vaporizers on the market today, and is often referred to as the king of the whip-style vaporizers. It is made by 7th Floor, an American company which operates out of Colorado Springs.

Some of the key features that set the Silver Surfer apart from the competition are:

• Durable aluminum housing and base plate.
• Ceramic-encased heating element
• Downward-angled heater cover connection
• 100% non-toxic materials used in construction
• Clean air path that is totally separate from the internal electronics
• Artistic design with a variety of colors, themes, and finishes to choose from as well as thick, customizable, hand-blown glass parts.
• It can diffuse essential oils in the aroma dish (sold separately) WHILE being used for vaporization.

Using the Silver Surfer:

First, plug in the Silver Surfer and turn the knob clockwise until it is at full power. An LED light will illuminate near where the power cord attaches to the back of the unit to indicate that the Silver Surfer has power and is heating. Allow the unit to warm up for approximately 2 minutes and then turn the knob down to around ½ - ¾ power, this is usually an ideal vaporizing temperature. Alternatively, you can just set the knob to ½ - ¾ power right away, but usually you will have to wait closer to 3 minutes when you do it this way.

Then (or, ideally, while you wait for the unit to heat up), grind or break apart your herbs. Load the wand by holding it just above the ground herbs while inhaling through the whip. This will suck the herbs up like a vacuum cleaner, and they will be in place on the screen inside of the wand. For best results, do not fill the wand more than half full.

Once the wand is loaded and the unit is warmed up, hold the opening of the wand up to the Silver Surfer's glass heater cover (or insert it into the heater cover, if you have the hands-free version) and start inhaling from the mouthpiece. If there is not a satisfactory amount of vapor at first, increase the temperature a little by turning the knob clockwise slightly and then try again. Once you find a temperature that provides the density of vapor that you are seeking, make note of the knob position for future reference. You can also fine-tune the temperature that your herbs are heated to by varying the speed at which you inhale, and contrary to what most people may at first think, inhaling slower will actually yield more and thicker vapor.

It is recommended to stir the herbs every couple draws to ensure that they are evenly heated. When there is little to no vapor being produced, this means that the load is spent. To empty the wand you just blow the contents directly into the trash or other container by blowing through the whip.

How It Works:

The Silver Surfer is a vaporizer that uses convection, the indirect transferring of heat through a current of hot air. When the user holds the wand up to the heater cover and inhales, they are drawing fresh air in through the small hole at the bottom of the heater cover which then gets heated as it travels over the ceramic-encased heating element before exiting through the heater covers top "nozzle". This stream of hot air flows over the contents of the wand, quickly and evenly vaporizing it. When the user stops drawing through the whip and this flow of air stops, so does all vapor production. This means that the Silver Surfer only produces vapor when you want it – nothing is being wasted.

A very important feature of the Silver Surfer's design is its downward-angled heater cover. Nearly every other whip-style vaporizer on the market requires you to insert or hold the wand up to the heat source by holding it at a downward angle. This causes the contents of the wand to sometimes spill down into the heat source, often causing them to burn. With the Silver Surfer's downward heater cover angle, users hold the wand at a more upright angle, using gravity as well as suction to keep the load in place.

Warranty and Extras:

7th Floor back the Silver Surfer with a full 3 year warranty. If any problems arise during normal operation of the unit, they will do whatever it takes to get you back up and running again. The 3 year warranty does not apply to the glass parts, but these can be replaced for less than $30 if need be.

Included with the Silver Surfer Vaporizer is a high-quality zip-up carrying case that is constructed of a nice hemp-polyester blend. The case has a lot of padding and provides very good protection when you are transporting your Silver Surfer from one location to the other. Also included is a stir tool/pick with a round marble end, some spare screens, and owner's manual.

The Silver Surfer has a couple different styles of wand/heater cover connections to choose from, based on what sort of experience you are looking for. The standard set is not hands free so it requires both hands, but some people prefer this style since it is easier to remove and stir the wand between hits and allows for the wand to be twisted and rotated during draws in order to ensure that the wands contents are heated evenly. There is a hands free wand and heater cover set that uses a standard 18.8mm ground-glass connection to hold the wand in place for you, as well as a spherical ground glass connection style that provides some of the maneuverability of the standard wand with the tighter seal of a ground glass connection.

A very nice and creative accessory for the Silver Surfer is the aroma top. This sits on top of the unit and makes use of the heat radiating from the heating element to diffuse whatever essential oils or scented waxes you put in it. It works very well and the great thing is that you can do this while you vaporize, since the heater cover opening is in no way blocked by the dish.

Another popular Silver Surfer accessory is the ground glass water adapter which allows you to run the vapor through water filtration to provide even cleaner and smoother vapor. The adapter replaces the mouthpiece on the Silver Surfer whip and is inserted into your water-pipe of choice, as long as it uses a ground-glass joint.

Satisfaction:

The Silver Surfer is easily the best of its class. It is very sturdy, well designed, and a pleasure to use compared to any other vaporizer in the whip-style category. The angle of the heater cover makes it so that you're never worried about accidentally dumping your wand on the heating element, which is a significant benefit over the other models available. The clean air path and the even, convection heat transfer produces some of the best tasting vapor that one could hope to find. The Silver Surfer is also good at fully extracting all of the vapor possible from your herbs because of its variable temperature control that has a more than sufficient range. These things all make it an excellent choice for anyone looking for a great performing whip-style vaporizer.