After fighting with different lighters, I finally ordered the TurboFlame Arc, and it arrived from another continent after 3 weeks.

What a difference, as so many of you have tried to make clear.

GVG. Good lighter. Could not be easier. Count me among the believers.

Meth pipe - adios.
Dab rig (and blowtorch) - gone.
Not that I don't appreciate both of you for what you were able to do.

No more struggles. No more crap. No more fire danger.

Load. Heat. Inhale. Goodness gracious.

Now if I can only get serious about not ingesting those completely overwhelming doses...

I got a GVG, and I totally agree. Great piece of equipment.
But I've been using a bic lighter and it works fine. I've heard that torch lighters are best, but I can't understand why. Wouldn't that much heat potentially burn the spice?

Can you shed some light?

Thanks

I personally prefer the bic. The torch is faster, those crystals turn to vapor in a fraction of a second instead of taking the full second. However, now you have the added factors of making sure you maintain the correct distance, and that you aim the flame just right to hit directly into the heat stone, and not too long now, or you'll overheat it. IME, the bic is just easier and leaves a little more room for error, which is especially helpful when introducing new people to this device.

Really it boils down to personal preference, and besides... We all know the very best choice is changa in the bonga.

Sounds like one of those cases where once you train for awhile with a bic and learn each side of the spectrum where you could create error, a torch lighter might be really efficient. A crawl before you walk type of scenario.

Based on your comment, and the next one(s), it was likely due to my own lack of dexterity, ineptitude, clumsiness, impatience with continuing to try and continuing to struggle and continuing to end up wishing for better results than I was getting. Especially when I read so many others praising the GVG, and I'm trying to get in the game, and I keep getting sidelined, and..

So I got this new fancy lighter, and it just immediately worked - for me.

I am not one to dwell, I will just say I wish I had figured it out, or rather, had been more competent and could have used the bic.

I'm glad you folks didn't share my issues!

Thanks for comments, and as always, thanks to the nexus and its community.

From your comment and the others, it seems that a bic lighter can be just as effective, but maybe a bit slower. A torch lighter may be in the cards one day, but for now I'm happy.

Thanks

-Shows up in this thread, adorned in a white button down shirt, bicycle helmet and holding a pamphlet titled: The Gospel of Changa.-

Excuse me sir, do you have a moment to talk about Changa?

Changa will change your life, and make all those overwhelming doses, into easily dosed overwhelming doses. Changa can change your life... I was lost before I met Changa, but then after one haphazardly packed, multicolored bowl of herbs infused with the goodness of spice -- I saw the light.

Would you care for some literature? -Hands over Changa-ganda pamphlet-

Haha very good!

I made some changa, and tried it twice with no success. Only very mild effects.
The details: changa was 1:1 caapi to dmt (dmt was likely half nmt), and some added harmala that I made by boiling down caapi leaves, removing leaves, then scraping reduced residue from pan. Smoked the changa out of a smallish bong.

It also left me lightheaded for about a half hour. I tried to feather the lighter over the bowl so as not to burn it, but still didn't have much success.

Do I need to do more? Different technique? Different ratios?

I've heard that you can use changa in a GVG, but that it won't get hot enough to actualize the harmala compounds, only the spice.

Any tips are greatly appreciated

You just gave me a hearty laugh-- and honestly, I can't agree more.
I still love the straight spice effect once in awhile-- but more often than not, it's in change that I've found the true glory of DMT potential-- especially in "sessions" where it's one hit every 5-10 minutes or so-- sets you sailing on a smooth, etheric carrier wave that is so dreamy, relaxing, and generally beautiful--

I don't use powdered caapi--just a touch added to my general blend, which is mullein, damiana, and passion flower. Sometimes blue lotus, too.

By the way-- if you have enough heat on the ceramic, I promise you that it will be almost as if you have direct flame on the content-- I've caught it on fire before because I was a bit careless and put the flame solidly into the foam.

It pleases me that so many are interested in Changa. Changa is love...

InAwe -- you may have to try again. I usually make my ratio 1 Gram Spice, 1.5 grams herb, and 200mg harmala freebase. Comes out really really smooth. Just gotta make sure you get it to combust properly. A good cherry on the bowl, and you will go far.

Keep trying it, as Changa is great. I just pack mine in a small glass on glass bong, and get some good rips. The harmala gives you enough of a delay to finish the bowl, before blast off. Also, eating the harmala first I am told is the bees knees.

Just gotta keep trying. It took me onto my third extraction to get making the changa right. I'd advise you to conjure as much spice as you can, until you get it right, then changa will be your friend.

Thank you for suggesting the changa.
I actually have been heading that direction. I also am aware I need to take the baby steps.
I have completed an infusion of herbs for enhanced leaf but have not included any hamalas nor harmines.
The completed product is 1.5 G of the spice. 1G Mullein . 1G caapi leaf. 1G pao d'arco. As I was crumbling the herbs together, using my fingers, I understood what people were speaking of when they mentioned a grinder.
I do not really smoke anything. So I do not have a bowl from which to indulge. But that will be easy enough to remedy.
My future research here at the nexus will be into the use of the harmalas to make the changa. I did purchase a product called Peganum harmala 20:1 Syrian Rue. But I do not have enough understanding of what I would do with that powder yet to use it.

Thank you again for the wisdom. And thanks so much for the chuckle.

Quick question, if your not using changa, could you put straight spice onto the screen, or would it melt and fall through? Thinking about buying one. Tired of using my diy pipe that works amazing, just isnt the easiest to set up all the time

Disclaimer: I don't have a GVG.

IIRC over on the VG thread this gets mentioned. Apparently, the spice melting through is a problem, so there are various mitigation tactics. It looks like you can buy a small nugget of sponge ceramic or something which I remember being well lauded.

I picked up a GVG and a 17mm or 13.4mm ceramic disc to hold the spice and it has worked well as long as I don't hold the flame too close. The disc needed a few minutes of sanding before it fit in the GVG nicely, but I'm quite happy with the results. I measure out my spice, briefly heat the disc and dump the spice on it- it melts in. I get it all in with one hit and can't even feel it in my lungs.

I haven't yet picked up the ceramic disk.
In the meantime, I followed the guideline for the copper scrubber.
At my local Ace Hardware, it is called, just as described here at the nexus, the "Chore Boy".
It prevents my spice from melting and running down into the pipe.

...and all of this is completely useless, wasteful, and pointless if you simply infuse some dried peppermint (or any herb of your choice) with dmt at a ratio of 1:1.

two bong hits with a normal lighter and you're there before you know it.

Completely useless and wasteful? Sounds like something someone would say that can't afford a gvg. Some people prefer vaping to smoking and there is nothing wasteful about it.

I am a huge fan of enhanced leaf (as well as changa) but this statement about the GVG is extremely uninformed. There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to properly using the GVG, but once people get the hang of it, it is one of the most efficient devices out there for ingesting DMT.

sometimes i get restless and try to be creative. i like to find other ROA and play around. most of time i get disappointed for they never really achieve the same level of intensity and reliability as the GVG.

and then i come home to the blessed device, the GVG. when i return from hyperspace, i hold the piece in my hands and it appears almost sacred - a gateway tool to the amazing, beautiful, revealing unknown. every time.

and then i wonder why i ever strayed.

GVG is unsurpassed, at least for me.