Most consistent, flavorful, beautiful, and enjoyable analog vape I own...
TL;DR: it's the most flavorful, consistent, well-built, beautiful, and easiest to use and clean analog device I own or have owned. The instructions for use are spot on, but I'd also recommend you take 5 minutes to learn the proper technique (Moo I'm a Tree and Bud Boss both have Youtube reviews with helpful tips too). If I could only own one analog device on the market currently, it would be the TED.
The full magilla:
I own the stock TED titanium stem, not just the engine, and I've found it to have great flavor, great effect, and be very easy to use out of the box. I've only used it on the titanium stem so far, and can't imagine really wanting to change that. I only heat with a single-flame torch as I like that part of the ritual.
As others have helpfully noted, everyone has different goals in general with vaping, and then again with using an analog device. I always look for (to me) the best blend of flavor and effect, ease and consistency of use, build quality and aesthetics, and ease of cleaning in that order (scroll down if you want my list of my analog and powered vapes currently in rotation)
Pros:
-Stellar and consistently great flavor even when heating for conduction
- Impressive medication considering the size of the bowl
- The vapor feels very smooth and cool relative to the size of the clouds, and I cough much less than with other devices.
- If you follow Simrell's tips, you get consistently great vapor, and it combusts less than any other analog vape I own or have owned
- The materials used and build quality are sensational, as are the aesthetics, and it feels overall like a more polished device than many of the competitors in this arena. I specifically like that the cap doesn't discolor over time like the Tempest, and I don't have to worry about balls, o-rings, wire screens.
- This is definitely the easiest analog device I've owned when it comes to cleaning, and its very cool that the intercooler is also the same tool used to remove the heat sink and condenser tube. I can't stress this part enough, because I've broken god-knows how many o-rings cleaning Dynvaps or Tempest/Revolve stems, and as a result I clean it more often.
- Easy to load/unload: simplest method I've found is loading it with the straw method (such the material into the chamber like you would with a straw) and then when I want to empty it, I just blow the material out and it comes out in one little puck with little-to-no residue left inside the chamber
- A very pure air path with no silicon or other gross materials in the way
- Built to be modular: Simrell includes an adaptor to put the TED engine on other 8mm devices, so you can use it with other Dynvap/Simrell/Mad Heaters/etc. stems you have around
- Fits natively in glass
- Comes with adaptor to use on other 8mm stems
- Allows for convection, conduction, and hybrid heating
- I find it to be more efficient and quicker for the same amount of material compared to other devices. From one heat cycle I can get big, smooth, fluffy clouds from the first hit, and I can clean out the bowl in one heat cycle, as opposed to needing multiple heat cycles with similar devices.
Cons:
-As with the Tempest 2, taking the cap off is more involved than with a Dynavap. I don't find it a hassle to use a leather de-capper, so it's not as much an issue for me, but worth calling out.
- The bowl is on the smaller size compared with the HyperDyn, Tempest 2 or XL bowls on Anvil or Tornado, but it’s the right size for my use case
- Yes, threading the top back on requires a bit more patience than the Tempest 2 and obviously any Dynavap which are dead easy. That being said, it's not really that hard if you just go slow and don't force it. It's not enough of an issue for me
-Lack of a chamber scraping tool like the end of the Dynavap cap or the one included with the Tempest. I actually find that if I blow the material out of the stem after use I don't need to scrape anything; however, at this price they could include a little something to help clean things out between uses without having to disassemble it.
- Takes longer to heat up than a Dynavap (but about the same as my Tempest 2)
- It ain't cheap. It's not egregiously more than the Tempest 2 (especially with dollar in the shitter and tariffs) or the similar offerings from Dynvap or Vestratto; that being said, I can justify the price given the fit and finish, plus it’s made in the USA.
Overall:
I'd highly recommend this if your criteria for an analog device is similar to what I've stated above. If you care about a bigger bowl and/or stronger effect, then the Tempest 2, Tornado, or Anvil might be to your liking, but frankly I find this to be the better all-around choice for my use case.
