I was a bit skeptical when it arrived just because my last vape experience wasn’t so great. I read the included manuals and a few online tips. I’d already read reviews and had bought an extended mouthpiece kit to cool it. I used Vector butane to fill it with. The first go-round startled me. I didn’t expect the “gentle hiss” to be quite so loud. Fortunately it doesn’t stay on long when it does come on.

The first go was much better than the other vape but still not quite what I’d read in reviews so I looked at a few more websites and learned how to get the most out of the Iolite. For me, using a plastic grinder works better than an aluminum one. The herbs I use have no stems or seeds or anything to fuss with so I can powder it up and tap it out and pinch it directly into the loading chamber. I let the Iolite heat up for about 2 minutes before using it. This seems to help pre-heat the powder so the first sip is the same as the 8th.

I was a bit leery of the cost-to-size ratio of the thing but after using it a bit, I love it. Worth the money for sure. It’s kind of neat to see a product that’s made in Ireland too. Is that Gaelic on the side? Anyway, I thought the rubbery grip was a bit sticky initially but after using it, I’ve found the slight tackiness beneficial as it keeps it steady in your hand while you’re holding and using it.

All in all I’m very satisfied with my purchase. I just wish I’d bought one sooner.

I Warm mine up in a heating pad. When warm, it lights Everytime.

When cold <70 degrees, it doesn't light at all.

The factory requires authorized dealers to sell the iolite for no less than $199. Usually authorized dealers bundle grinders, butane, etc to make up for the extra cost.

I think having the 2 year warranty is worth buying from an authorized dealer.

Instructions could be better,

leave it on for awhile so it can heat up completely you don’t have to wait for it to relight, it doesn’t need to be “burning” while using.

There is some smell that clears quickly if used in an enclosed room, but outdoors no problem.

I tried to fill the wrong part of the “bowl”, tried to fill around pin side instead of the correct side of chamber the first couple times. (it would be nice to have an easier way to fill the bowl, still figuring that out. I guess if your herb was in a baggie instead of a plastic container you could just stick it in and fill it up)

When you turn it off, it will relight a couple times, I thought mine was broken when it relit while turned off.

Clean regularly or it is very hard to unscrew bottom mouthpiece from bowl.

I just cut a short piece of tubing for the mouthpiece and it works great, (just cut a new piece when needed)

A few minor irritations at first but I do love it.

Buy your butane refill before it arrives (it is empty during shipping and you are going to want to try it out as soon as it arrives)

It is the only thing I use for herb, no more smoking, coughing, smell, etc.

This is the one you want if you need portability, don’t even bother with the ones that use a lighter.

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned – you’ll want to measure the amount vs. high by the bowl, not by the number of inhalations. You’ll puff around 15 times for a full lightly packed bowl’s worth compared to 2-3 tokes. This way is SO much better for your lungs, it’s the only option if you care about breathing.

Absolutely great for travel, leisure, work, whatever you want to use it for. I took the included pieces out of the travel case and keep the iolite inside while using it on the go for added discretion

One fillup of butane lasts about two hours, in my experience can be used for at least 40 minutes without refilling herb so basically one-handed operation after minimal (2-4 minutes for butane fill + herb grinding) preparation. That is why it is better than magicflight IMO. Putting a battery up to your mouth repeatedly is not dicreet. Haha.

My mouthpieces got snapped, i bought 3 feet of plastic tubing from the hardware store for $3 and now have disposable 4-6 inch hoses. Some people might say this is not the same quality of plastic that the iolite is made of, and they’d probably be right. But it works for me.

Definitely agree about the herb container needing a fastener – if anyone has a nice way to rig it up, post it!

-B

The construction seems very solid. One thing I will add is that this thing gets got. It gets hotter than I had expected from a lot of the reviews I had watched and read. I haven’t burned myself but you don’t want to touch up by the chamber after it’s been running for several minutes. That and the hiss it makes are my only complaints and they are small enough that I am still giving this 5 stars. I have never written a review before but I liked this thing so much I felt I needed to add to the positive feedback on it.

Enjoy and keep on vaping.

I haven’t had ANY of the problems I’ve read in other reviews. The mouthpiece must have been redesigned (mine has the metal threads) since it hasn’t broken. But I do treat my Iolite well; I don’t put it in my pocket, I keep it clean and I keep it in the included case whenever I’m not using it. I haven’t had any problem with starting, either. One click is all I’ve ever needed. (I’m using “Power” brand butane.) And one fill-up of butane lasts about a week of daily (but not constant) use.

I haven’t seen anyone else comment on the included “condenser” which can be inserted into the mouthpiece. It helps if you’re vaporizing moist herb since the hot water vapor can be a little hard on the throat. If your herb is dry, you can take it out. And if your herb is moist, you have to clean the chamber, screen and mouthpiece a little more often. But they give you tools for this and it’s not very hard (or very time consuming).

Now that medical marijuana is available in 14 states, and vaporizing is so much easier on the mouth, throat and lungs than smoking, I’m sure that vaporizers will become more mainstream. And as they do, I’m sure the technology will just continue to get better and better. But in the meantime, I don’t think you can beat this one.

As for it’s durability, I give it an A. So far, I’ve dropped it off my kitchen island onto tile and a friend dropped it on pavement, it survived all those events without a scratch.

The butane fuel is abundant and cheap so people that see the fuel system as a problem shouldn’t. I get a solid 2 hours of burn time with a fill up. My only wish is that they had a simple latch for the herb chamber. If you pass it to a friend who has never used it you will find they almost always want to hold onto the mouth stem, which in turn causes the herb chamber to release and the unit to fall, but this is my only gripe.

Mine almost always lights on the first try as well.

I strongly recommend this unit, you will not be disappointed.

Cleaning is breeze as well. It doesn’t get as hot so its much easier to clean. But you still get a perfect amount of vapor. I am very impressed.

The design is excellent. The octagonal herb chamber on the end of the stem slides snugly into the round heating chamber. When you draw through the herb chamber external air flows between the herb chamber and the heating chamber, preheating the air before it hits the herb for less cooling of the herb as you draw. Both screens are easily removed with a sweet little brass tool that came with my unit, and clean with a little soaking and swishing in Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol (I just pour a bit of alcohol into the bottle cap.) According to the web site, the plastic is a high-tech grade designed for use at high temperatures in the food industry.

As a high-tech product, you need to know how to use it.

1. Use a premium quality butane fuel, not the standard butane you can buy at Walgreens. Mine came with Vector, and I’ve had no problems. The web site lists approved fuels. If you have problems starting, you are likely using an inferior fuel. Or your are living too high. (I mean, like above 7-8000 feet).
2. Keep it clean – carry it around in the zippered pouch it comes with, don’t just stick it in your pocket.
3. Make sure your herb is dry. If your unit gunks up quickly, it is too moist and will also harsh your throat.
4. Iolite redesigned the stem. The original had plastic threads. Mine came with extra stems, and you can also buy replacement herb chamber / stem assemblies on their web site.
5. Know how vaporization works. When you heat vegetable material, the volatile organics evaporate, so you need to allow the herb to heat. This takes less than a minute after firing it up, when you hear combustion stop. It takes only a small draw to clear the chamber of vapor – more simply cools the chamber and stops vaporization. Allow the chamber and herb to re-heat between draws.

I clean the filter and metal chamber (with Epsom salt and rubbing alcohol in a zip-lock bag) once per week and it takes about 5-10 minutes. I was aware of the issues with the mouthpieces breaking so I ordered a 3-pack of mouth pieces just in case. I used some of these parts to extend the length of the mouth piece to about 8″ and this has significantly enhanced my vaporizing experience as it is much cooler and does not irritate my lungs and it provides much smoother inhalation. Also, the temperature is preset so it doesn’t allow for any combustion to occur or allow for any user errors. I would recommend this product to almost anyone (it requires minor weekly maintenance) as it has allowed me to have more freedom and it’s so compact.

With that being said, I think a few slight modifications would make the iolite absolutely perfect and I’m being quite picky. These modifications include:

- The herb chamber needs to be easily secured to the iolite. The lack of a latch or other form of fastener has caused occasional messes and some waste of product.
-The mouth pieces still need to be improved as they remain somewhat fragile and easily breakable despite the updated metal threads
-The orange glow should be brighter or as it can be difficult to see at times if it the catalytic heater was activated or not when the iolite is first turned on
-A butane level indicator would be extremely convenient
-The retention ring could easily be lost and just seems to be a temporary fix for the new mesh screens