Thermal Accumulator V Vapman

I will be getting a Thermal Accumulator this week after advice from this community as everything I read about it i like and I need a butane device to add to my collection.

I have also been told to look into getting a Vapman and read a bit about it and checked video but i do not know as much about it as the Thermal Accumulator but tehy seem very similar? obviously not aesthetically

So instead of asking in these 2 thread about this I am making this post to ask the people who own both and can compare them please

Thnx

Rodney said:

I have also been told to look into getting a Vapman and read a bit about it and checked video but i do not know as much about it as the Thermal Accumulator but tehy seem very similar?

Click to expand...

It's funny it was just talking about the fun exercise of comparing wildly different vapes. And I would put this comparison in that category.

Similarities:

• They both use a torch typically to heat.
• Both quite compact
• Both produce vapor

That might be it for me in the similarities. The vapman uses the pan holding the herb to heat it by direct conduction. The TA uses a torch to heat spheres in a metal tube. The thermal material, usually glass spheres, is used to heat air passing over it, which then passes over the herb heating it with convection.

The process for both is a pretty specific ritual, but the ritual differs for me. Although for both, I do heat for some period and then test for vapor. Typically the vapman has light and flavorful vapor at the beginning, followed by more body as I continue to reheat the pan. The TA has a lot of vapor right at the beginning and tapers off.

The size of the torch is another difference. The TA needs a large-ish torch to work best. The vapman works best with an eagle or vapman torch.

For me, the vapman is for a long tasty meditative session. The TA is for a few hits, possibly only one-and-done. Some folks like puffing on the TA like a cigar, but I don't care for that experience.

Both rule, but they occupy completely different places in my collection.

Rodney said:

but tehy seem very similar? obviously not aesthetically

Click to expand...

Yeah they are not much alike at all lol

VM pure conduction, nothing else has a pan like that, shape and style... I've only ever used mine with the station, which is a really nice experience at home... Heat for each hit to sip as vapor made for you.

TA pretty pure convection, it is a ball vape for the heating element, yeah supposed to take multiple puffs off one heat cycle, creating the vapor as you inhale the hot air through the load... Works well with induction heater that I am excited to try.

I suppose they are similar in that, each one you heat and then hit, but completely different conduction vs convection, along with the actual physical designs

this is indeed an incongruous comparison, but I'll add my two cents...

As @Grass Yes said, these two vapes deliver very different vapor profiles, and I second his remarks.

The firsts hits of the Vapman are really close to the nose of your strain but the palate quickly get into woody and earthy notes. Vapor production increase with the successive heatings but do not expect big clouds. Considering the amount of material needed, effects are strong and full bodied. It's a vape for enjoying the forest, meditating, stretching, sofa surfing...

The TA only need one heating to store all the energy you need to fully extract the bowl. Taste is good though not phenomenal. Vapor production is really impressive and it's a fun vape to use. Very well suited for blowing rings of vapor and french inhaling. Effects are mostly heady and more subtle than the Vapman with the same amount of material. It keeps me more productive.

The vapman will save your stash while the TA will blow through it. IMHO the Vaponic beats them both regarding the taste. The vapman is much more efficient with flower and works way better with hash and kief. Vapman is more pocketable and more discreet. I think I prefer its signature over the one of the TA. But TA clouds are fun.

I like both but these days I'm mostly using the TA3 I've received a month ago (I've had the vapman for more than 10 years.)

If I had to sum up : get both.

Agree to get both of these very different manual vapes

I've just made a side by side session with the two discussed vapes.
The main thing that really stands out to me comparing these is the heat delivery profile.

With the Vapman you keep heating, slowly increasing the temp of the material. There is a risk to combust, especially at the beginning when you're learning where to stop. But if you're gentle you can really stretch your session. It's a mindful experience, somewhat out of time, focused on the use of fire and the pace of your breath.

With the TA, you heat the thermal battery once and then the temperature decrease as you draw. It makes the vape very forgiving : the firsts hottest draws blast through moist material, if you don't combust at first then you won't. It also acts like a timer for your session. When there's no more heat, it's over and at this point I'm always totally satisfied with the level of extraction. Just like when you used to burn one down.