My mother always told me then I was a little kid that there was no reason to be scared of ghosts. Of course, she was right; I grew up and figured out nothing was hiding under the bed or in the closet.
Recently the Ghost VMI portable vaporizer crossed my desk, a new vaporizer from Ghost Vaporizers, and right away, I got scared. Not because of the name, but due to many challenging and frustrating experiences testing out other “portable” vaporizers. For me, each time I’ve taken on a new portable vaporizer, there has always been a steep learning curve to achieve a decent vape experience, or the unit ultimately failed to perform as advertised.
Can The Ghost MV1 Compete With Other Portable Vaporizers?
The VMI has had some fantastic features built into the unit. Even more important is that the features work and create a unique vaping experience. When test driving other vapes in the past many times the product will have a load of features jammed into a tiny little package which seems like good value until you try to use the unit. While the VMI is noticeably larger and heavier than other portable vaporizers on the market there is a reason for it. This vaporizer actually works like it’s supposed to.
The Look and Feel of a Luxury Brand
Opening the box was exciting. The box materials and the presentation of the device reminded me of the experience I get when opening a new Apple product. Pure quality with an almost luxury type experience, the feeling is hard to explain; if I had to describe how I felt initially, it would be exciting.
Picking up the vaporizer for the first time, you instantly feel the weight, build quality and material quality of the unit. My first thought is this bad boy is significant and not that portable. Its size is comparable to the Crafty Vaporizer to give you an idea of the scale.
The metal alloy body is substantial and durable, and the shape is beautifully sculpted, giving the device an almost elegant design. The VMI is a sexy looking gadget that would look great as a statement piece left out on the table as a conversation starter. What the Ghost VMI is not is pocketable. If you want to travel with this bad boy, you’ll need to backpack it or use a fanny pack or purse to carry it around.
Vapor Quality and Flavor
The VMI serves up tasty cool vapor, unlike many of the cheaper units I’ve tested. Thanks to a combination of a retractable glass mouthpiece engineered to sit in heavy-duty heat sync. This combination gives the vapor time to cool as it’s drawn into the mouth. The action of drawing vapor through the heat sync draws heat out of the vapor very efficiently. The weight of the heat sync though effective, does make the unit top-heavy and prone to tipping over, so be careful when setting it down.
Getting Ready to Vape
Loading the Ghost MV1 is a bit more of a process than with other vaporizers I’ve used because you don’t load your ground cannabis material into the unit but into a small removable ceramic crucible. Loading the crucible to prepare it for insertion into the heating chamber is finicky. I found it sometimes challenging to get the lid on the crucible if I didn’t load my herb just right.
The crucible used in the MV1 can hold just 0.12 grams of herb. A small chamber when compared to other portables, but there is a reason for its small size. This unit is designed to heat quickly to operating temperature and maintain that heat while the user takes a long draw. By having less herb in the crucible, the heat can evenly penetrate the herb at a lower temperature. Lower temperature means better tasting vaporizing experience while maximizing the amount of THC that is extracted from your cannabis.
Turning the VMI on was a simple, fast process, and the unit reaches operating temperature in about 10 seconds, which is much quicker than average. With just three controls, there is a little learning to remember what does what.
Ghost MV1 Simple Operation Instructions
- Hold down the power button until the LEDs light up.
- Click it 3x to turn on the MV1.
- Choose the temperature by holding down the power button to enter heat setting mode, click the button to choose one of the four temperature settings.
- Hold down the firing button on the back of the until it vibrates. That means you’re ready to vape. Keep holding the firing button down while you take a long draw from the mouthpiece.
- Bam! You are now high.
Instant Heat Without Combustion
The heating of the crucible is achieved via indirect convection. The plant material doesn’t come in direct contact with the heating element. Air instead is drawn through the heating element up through the crucible; preventing the cannabis from combusting. This process releases only chemicals that are evaporated from the plant material, such as CBD, THC, and terpenes.
The VMI has three pre-set temperatures available from the onboard control button. These pre-set temperatures are 340°F | 365°F and 390°F. You can take complete control over your temperature settings by access in the Ghost App on your compatible smartphone. Using the Ghost App also displays battery usage. Having to use the Ghost App to have finer control of the temperature turned out not to be a big deal because I found myself happy with the default 365°F and 390°F settings.
Ghost Vape Battery Life Expectations
Battery performance is exceptional, lasting up to eight hours. You can easily take hits off the VMI all day long and not run dry (7-10 crucibles). The downfall of the micro-USB chargeable battery was the 5-6-hour charge time. There is a quick charging base available at extra cost.
You Need to Experiment to Achieve a Good Toke
As with all portable vaporizers, it took some experimenting to figure out how much cannabis and how tight to pack it into the crucible for maximum results. I found that packing my fine ground cannabis firmly but not tightly into the crucible: the more ground, the better as it opens up more surface area on the cannabis material. I fully packed bowl allowed me to get two decent sessions of it.
If you are a heavy smoker, don’t expect the VMI to be quick to load or maintain as with all other portables. The access hatch on the front of the VMI gave me a few problems getting it closed and latched. It’s essential to keep the crucible filled below the very top so that excess cannabis doesn’t jam up the path the crucible needs to slide on.
Easy Cool Draw
Taking a hit off the Ghost, you’ll notice how free the draw is right away. That makes it easy to take a long even draw from the glass mouthpiece, which provides the best toke on the VMI. Anyone that has tried other portables knows how tight the draw can be on these devices; the VMI is a whole different draw experience.
Once you figure out how to draw and load the bowl, the VMI produces tasty vapor, which doesn’t feel hot or harsh in your throat, even with the higher operating temperatures. This portable vaporizer produces a nice vapor cloud, not thick like you are expecting, but regardless, it does a great job getting you high. Larger vapor clouds are achieved at higher temperatures, but this isn’t recommended as it can make your draw harsh and the taste burnt.
Not Great With Wax
You can use the VMI to smoke Wax concentrates, but this operating mode has only one heat setting unless you use the App, which is disappointing. The unit did produce a nice flavor, but the density of the vapor wasn’t ideal. I feel like the wax wasn’t cooking perfectly. Cleaning the wax leftovers was not easy. I would recommend using a standard vape pen for wax.
Scrub-a-Dub-Dub
All portable vaporizers suffer from cleaning and maintenance issues, and the VMI is no different. For the unit to operate correctly, it’s important to keep up on your cleaning; I’m talking every day if you use it more than a few times a day. The Ghost provides decent access to its internals, which allows for a good scrubbing with a cotton swab with alcohol. Many of its parts are detachable, which makes access a bit easier but by no means easy. If you aren’t willing to keep up with the maintenance, you should avoid any portable vaporizer as they all require meticulous cleaning routines.
The Ghost has a solid two-year warranty on workmanship and defects, but I recommend registering on the APP for the full seven-year warranty.
Final Thoughts:
The Ghost MV1 will be the perfect vaporizer for those who don’t mind the process of maintenance to maximize their vaping experience. If you are lazy, I recommend being honest with yourself and sticking to a desktop vape. If you truly value portability while still providing a superior taste and draw experience, then the VMI is going to be your new best friend.
The materials and build quality of this unit is fantastic from its luxury appearance to the medical-grade materials used to produce it. The VMI looks great out on your coffee table our counter but traveling with the VMI will require some effort; there is no way you can pocket this unit.
The Ghost MV1 is perfect for more experienced smokers who appreciate the full taste of their vapor experience. Beginners may find the loading and cleaning process to be overwhelming.
I keep my VMI nice and close as it’s become my go-to home portable vaporizer.