Fade Space S-tier Inserts
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    • Jan 6, 2021
    • 6 min read

Fade Space S-tier Inserts


People have been trying every way possible to tap into the heady marketplace, but very few products stand the test of time. Some products failed so long ago, that they're being re-released to another generation of high paying, one-time customers. It isn't the first time and it won't be the last. But, as it is with anything, people are looking for different results. As a daily hash and rosin smoker, I was happy when FadeSpace reached out to try their S Tier insert, especially for dabbing ice water hash.



Fade Space S Tier
S-Tier 25mm Insert

Who this?



I'd originally heard of FadeSpace for the #fadespacesavedmypeak hashtags. With their SiC inserts (Silicone carbide), the company really improved the all-around experience for the original Puffco Peak electronic dab device. Since leaping to popularity, I'd been asked enough times by my followers, to realize a keen interest exists. Their popularity caught on and by the time they asked me, I was already looking forward to trying their inserts, especially for ice water hash.



 


The Tech


These guys have discovered several different high-grade materials perfect for maintaining temperatures and increasing vapor and flavor production during the dab. From the original Silicone Carbide, or SiC inserts, came the improved S-Tiers made from Aluminium Nitride, and for the biggest ballers of all, they offer the X-tier, a Single Crystal Silicon Carbide... (maybe someday). All these high-end materials come from other technology, usually applications requiring high thermal conductivity. By thinking outside the box, FadeSpace has borrowed materials developed for other industries, to improve the efficiency of solventless dabs.






Finding crazy new materials to smoke on or out of, is what we have always done before, mastering the art of building a bong out of quite literally, anything. They sent me the 25mm S-Tier model that fit right in my Bear Quartz banger, (that I love, stand-by, and purchase frequently, Yo @bearquartz!). The insert is well made, laser engraved, and came in a dope FadeSpace printed card-board box.



 


The Materials


The S-Tier insert is a chemically inert ceramic, called Aluminium Nitride. Here is what a ceramics engineering facility in New Jersey called Accuratus says:


Aluminum Nitride, formula AlN, is a newer material in the technical ceramics family. While its discovery occurred over 100 years ago, it has been developed into a commercially viable product with controlled and reproducible properties within the last 20 years.



High Thermal Conductivity


The high thermal conductivity allows hash to vaporize at lower temperatures while creating thicker, denser vapor during the dab. Their site says the S-tier insert has "Extremely High Thermal Conductivity of over 200 w / m / K - " that is "133x Greater Than Quartz." While the SIC insert offers thermal conductivity 80x greater than quartz, the S-tier doubles it. Don’t worry if you don’t understand thermal conductivity yet, because you will with every dab.



Heat-up


For the S Tier, I was glad it recommended using it as usual, instead of a drop-in type set-up. I’ve played around with most set-ups and none have ever stuck with me. From inserts to cold starts and various other shapes of quartz, I’ve always gone back to the simplicity of decent quartz, a torch, and a carb cap. With the S Tier insert, I’m able to leave it inside my quartz banger, heating it simultaneously through the quartz. Instructions recommend this or else a cold-start, where the insert provides an added layer of protection against burning.



 


Rosin Dabs


I’d been hearing a lot of low dab temperatures lately from people I often trust. Right away using the insert I understood how some veteran smokers dab at or below 500 degrees. I started with rosin and found I needed to reduce my starting temp from 535-40 down closer to 500 degrees. It was evident from the first dab, how well the insert maintains heat, but what shocked me was the flavor. Quite honestly, I haven't had anything taste this strong since the first and only time I ever purchased a CRC chemical extract from Cali Kosher. That's what I was reminded of as pure flavor dumps out of the insert. I had to take another dab to make sure I wasn't losing my sanity, a thing that goes missing more frequently than ever before.


By reducing overall starting temperatures, the flavor is bound to be increased. And while reducing the starting temperature of dabs works since the insert maintains heat longer, the insert also produces a noticeable vapor at temperatures far below any quartz. So despite beginning a dab nearly fifty degrees lower, it will maintain that ideal temperature range of 450-500 degrees for much longer, while also continuing to produce vapor down to nearly 300 degrees! Pretty amazing, honestly.



Ice Water Hash



Water hash is a difficult concentrate to dab and at times can be extra finicky. Certain melts seem to want to burn, or else only produce very fine vapor, leaving something to be desired. With ice water hash being the shining star hash heads worldwide congregate toward, the difficulties in dabbing are made up for in effects. Despite owning an InduxLabs electromagnetic rig and several electronic dab rigs, I still only smoke hash on quartz. None of the products currently available work well for ice water hash besides a good temperature reading device and a quartz banger. I had hoped this insert could be part of a solution. It is.



I dialed in a few flags of some full melt @Papas_Select hash, dabbing around 475 degrees. The flavor can only be described as enormous. Seriously, with each passing dab I am enjoying the S-Tier insert more and more. It allows water hash to melt, bubble, and vaporize with a fullness or density of smoke, unaccustomed to ice water hash dabs. I had a particularly tricky batch of 120u hash, and the difference in vapor production with and without the insert was astounding. After two difficult dabs of water hash without the insert, I hit the next dab perfectly with it, and the S-Tier instantly became my new hash friend.



The surface of the S Tier increases flavor, especially towards the end of a dab. When my quartz alone would cease to smoke, the S Tier keeps it going. I can get a couple extra pulls off each dab with a noticeably thin vapor you can feel more than you can see.



Downsides


I’m usually about quick and easy and do not like having to clean and maintain more than is necessary for me to get lifted. With the insert, it requires longer torch times and can take forever to burn off inside my quartz.


After a few dabs, I noticed the insert turned dark under the torch and took me several minutes of direct torching to burn off. I think it gets seasoned on the the first few dabs, and after the initial burn-off, q-tips and alcohol have kept it from happening again. Tweezers you can hold the insert in, while torching it directly, are crucial.


The only other drawback, a huge drawback personally, is the increased time it takes to heat up. Granted the material absorbs heat incredibly well, heating much faster than the quartz surrounding it, but it's still more material to heat up. For its flavor and vapor production with ice-water hash, all negatives can be easily over looked and I'm completely sold. For rosin dabs, I'm somewhat torn, using it half the time.



Conclude



The design and construction of the S Tier insert is clean and well crafted. It will certainly improve the dabbing experience and can protect some of the burnt hash out there from overdoing cold-starts. As mentioned earlier, it is not often that a new tool becomes a part of my holiest-of-holy dabbing routine. I look forward to trying the S-Tier Carta version, using the temperature-controlled app, as I've had some success with it on the go. Fade Space delivers with some amazing materials that will definitely improve your experience, while flattening the learning curve for ice water hash dabs.




If all else fails, I'll slap em' on my BMW, as I'm overdue for a brake change, anyways. 🤪


 








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