I have really enjoyed reading all the posts about vaporization methods but have a few questions I was hoping someone may have some opinions on.

First off - has anyone ordered a GVG and had it delivered to the UK? If I lived in the US I would definitely get the Sherlock GVG but apparently delivery to the UK can involve some heavy shipping costs and a customs charge. Does anyone have any experience of how much the customs charge comes to?

Secondly - does anyone use a kitchen blowtorch instead of a torch lighter? My guess is it wouldn't be very useful with a pipe, bong or VG but would it work with The Machine? I'm thinking of one of these babies: http://www.saltandpepper...Kichen+Equipment,18/3032

I will get a torch lighter if I need too but they can be pretty pricey and on top of the milligram scales, normal scales, GVG etc it all starts to add up.

Lastly - the Vaporgenie website says never to use a torch lighter with a GVG or you might crack the glass. From reading the forums it sounds like this is never a problem for anyone, is that right?

Oh..and thanks everyone for coming together to make such a great community. Last time I was using psychedelics to explore consciousness was about ten years ago with a phalaris and syrian rue brew. I brewed it up with loads of lemon juice and could only stomach half of what I made, although it was pretty effective nonetheless. I used to read the extractions on Erowid and dream of having DMT crystals but it always seemed to be out of reach. I now have a kilo of mimosa root bark and am hoping for a white christmas! I never would have got this far without all the advice on this site.

MAny UK members here have the glass genie.

Torch lighter is ideal, as long as you dont heat the glass you'll be fine.

The arc is my tool of choice that never fails me. It is a turboflame arc, which you can get in the UK.

Don't worry about the tax price, its not too much.

I would pay for my vaporgenie my all money earned in one year. It's my gate that is worth much more than any sum of money.

I payed about £20 customs fee when I got mine a while ago, its worth the investment.

The part about the vaporgenie site saying not to use a torch lighter with the gvg only came about after one of the nexus members emailed vaporgenie with this problem. This member(cant remember who) flamed the diffuser part a little too much I think and cracked it. When the gvg first came out they actually recomended that one uses a torch, I beliece they even sold the vector lighter on the site too.
If you are careful about not flaming the gvg too much, I see no problem. Dozens of nexians can attest to this. Its the standard for many a members, gvg + good quality torch(like the arc) = WIN

As for the blowtorch, member chronic tried somthing very similar and reported back that it was way too much flame. He promptly returned it the next day

Invest in that GVG and Arc turboflame dude, or just master using a bong, but if the funds are available, go gvg+arc!

I have a gvg and I only use a Bic lighter. I have not got around to buying a jet lighter yet, and if you take the ceramic and glass piece out and just suck the flame into the bowl about 1/8" in it works really really well. I have been doing this a long time now and don't see the need for a jet lighter anytime soon. Just thought I would put that out there for anybody who thinks they "need" an jet lighter for their gvg's.

Happy tripping!

Wouldn't that make for a very expensive pipe? Might as well use a bic with a bong and still get very powerful effects

If one does use a bic with a GVG remember to keep and eye out for any soot buildup.

Bong is hard to put down in time, I broke the stem and slide on my bong just setting it down after taking a massive hit and launching before I quite put it down. The gvg has an awesome chamber that works a lot better than even a regular pipe I find. I use the ceramic when I'm vaping changa just not freebase. I just clean the soot from the ceramic every few launches.

* Also, I find the soot issue only happens when you hold the lighter in one spot. If you swirl it around the out side of the bowl in a ring the soot does not really build.

Tele, Coastal_Shaman and gammagore - thanks for the information. I will send off for a GVG asap! When I think of the money I have spent on meals or evenings down the pub the cost of a GVG seems like a very small price in comparison for a pathway to hyperspace. I have also purchased an Arc turboflame from Ebay. It was much cheaper than the Colibri or Lotus lighters I had been looking at after reading a previous post.

Coastal_Shaman - I appreciate your comments on the use of a bic. It is good to know that there are alternatives.

I now have MHRB and naptha. I just need some lye, some jars and a few other bits and pieces and I will be good to go. I might have to make myself a machine in the meantime until I receive the GVG though.

Good choice. Another thing you will need is a proper screen. Steel or copper mesh(Scrubber) is ideal. You can find chore boy copper mesh on ebay. Make it into a 3-5mm thick disc that is the same size as the bowl, so you very gently have to push it in.

Thanks Tele. Copper scrubber now ordered off the internet!

To make sure that no factory oils are present, soak it in acetone... Make it airy enough but not too airy so that DMT will fall or melt thru. 2-5mm thickness is fine. And when pouring in the DMT it's best to put it in the very center of the mesh, I recommend some kind of a tube for doing it. These are important steps for successful vaping