DynaVap VonG (i) Titanium Review: The Cricket Bat

The Hook: The Cricket Bat

My grandad had one cricket bat.

He'd had it since he was about twenty, and he was still using it in his sixties when I was small enough to think the weight of it was impressive. Willow handle, linseed-oiled blade, a grip that had been replaced maybe three times across four decades. It wasn't expensive when he bought it and it wasn't expensive when he died. It was just the bat. Purpose-built for one job, maintained properly, used until it wasn't needed anymore, then handed down.

You don't buy a cricket bat for every occasion. You don't take it to the beach. You don't use it as a prop in a fight scene. It has one job — hitting a leather ball with linseed-oiled willow at the correct angle of attack — and it does that job for decades if you respect the grain.

The DynaVap VonG (i) Titanium is that cricket bat.

It has one job: delivering vapour through a water piece. The native 10mm and 14mm compatibility isn't a bonus feature, it's the entire design ethos. The twist-mouthpiece airflow isn't for flexibility, it's for precision matching to the bong you're running. The adjust-a-bowl isn't for multitasking, it's for letting you scale your session to the water piece's draw resistance. Every engineering decision on this device points at one outcome: getting the best possible water-cooled manual-vape hit.

The all-titanium construction is the cricket-bat-willow of the VapCap lineup. DynaVap's craft-manufacturing ethos is audible in how precisely the cap clicks into place on a properly-heated tip. The twist of the airflow window has the same considered resistance as a good willow grip. The whole device weighs about 18 grams and feels like it should weigh twice that.

Vapour Quality 8.5/10

Dense, powerful, roasty. If you want those three adjectives in a manual vape, the VonG (i) delivers.

The titanium tip heats precisely and holds temperature well enough to maintain draw-through extraction for 20-30 seconds per heat cycle. That's where the VonG (i) earns its water piece specialism: in a single slow draw through a bubbler, you can extract a full dense hit without needing to re-heat mid-session. Through a water piece, the VonG (i) produces cloud volumes that direct-draw DynaVaps can't match.

The trade-off is flavour character. The VonG (i)'s titanium tip heats aggressively by design — it wants to deliver dense extraction, which means temperature tends to run hot across the pack. The terpene profile gets slightly compressed. Roasty, toasty, a bit more on the extraction side of the extraction-flavour balance.

This is where the Omni vs VonG debate lives within the DynaVap community. The Omni titanium tip is tuned for flavour retention and direct-draw nuance. The VonG (i)'s tip is tuned for water-piece extraction power. Both are excellent at what they do. Neither is a compromise. If you ran both tips blind, you'd correctly identify which was which from the first draw.

Compared to my M7? The M7 vapes almost identically to the VonG (i) when you're drawing direct — same stainless-tip profile, similar roasty character. The VonG (i)'s edge is exclusively in water-piece use: the 10/14mm native fit means the draw path geometry is matched to the bubbler, not adapted to it. Through a water piece, the VonG (i) pulls denser, more coordinated hits.

The Strain Test

Two strains, two profiles. The point: proving the VonG (i)'s thermal behaviour handles both heavy-body indicas and sharp sativa-hybrids — and where the water piece earns its role in the session.

Purple Kush (Pure Indica)

The Flower: Hindu Kush × Purple Afghani — earthy-grape indica with heavy body effect. 20-22% THC. Dominant terpenes: myrcene, caryophyllene, pinene. Dense, dark-purple bud structure, properly sticky, grape-hash nose. Pure indica landrace descendant — evening medicine.

The Pack: 0.09g into the full bowl (screen down), medium grind, gentle tamp. Through a 14mm bubbler with cold water.

First heat cycle: Torch applied for 5 seconds, cap clicks, slow draw through the water piece. The myrcene hits first — grape-earthy, heavy, unmistakable Hindu Kush character. The water cooling tames the VonG (i)'s roastiness without flattening the extraction. Draw pulled for about 12 seconds, cap clicks off-temperature about halfway through.

Second heat cycle (reheating same bowl): Caryophyllene arriving. Peppery warmth underneath the grape. Dense cloud through the bubbler, full indica body effect landing. The pack's already at about 60% extraction after two draws — the VonG (i)'s thermal aggression isn't subtle.

Third heat cycle: Final extraction. Flavour simplified to roasted-earth, body effect fully engaged, clouds still substantial through water. The cap timing on reheats is faster than the first heat cycle — the tip retains residual warmth, which is part of why the VonG (i) runs roasty.

The Verdict: Three heat cycles, 0.09g reduced to dark ABV. Through water, the VonG (i) delivered exactly the heavy dense hits that make bong users reach for this specific DynaVap. Grape notes came through the first draw cleanly; by the third they'd simplified. This is the water-piece specialism in action — you're getting power-first extraction with enough flavour character to satisfy, and the bubbler cools the thermal aggression. A perfect couch-strain pairing.

Chemdawg (Sativa-Hybrid)

The Flower: Heritage diesel cut, parent strain of both Sour Diesel and OG Kush. 20-24% THC. Dominant terpenes: caryophyllene, myrcene, limonene. Pungent diesel-fuel nose, sticky resin, proper dense sativa-hybrid structure. One of the most important lineage strains in modern cannabis genetics.

The Pack: 0.05g into the half-bowl (screen pressed up), medium-fine grind, no tamp. Direct draw, no water piece — testing the VonG (i) in microdose + direct-draw mode.

First heat cycle: Torch applied, click, slow direct draw. The diesel hits immediately — pungent, fuel-forward, unmistakable Chemdawg character. The half-bowl extracts faster than the full bowl, which makes sense: less mass to heat, tighter airflow through the screen position. Flavour is present but the roastiness is more pronounced without water cooling.

Second heat cycle: Terpenes fading fast on direct-draw microdose. The VonG (i)'s temperature runs hot enough that 0.05g extracts properly in two cycles rather than three. Cannabinoid delivery is clean, cerebral sativa lift engaging.

The Verdict: Two cycles, 0.05g reduced to dark ABV. This is where the VonG (i)'s use-case limits become visible — direct-draw, the roasty character is more noticeable, and flavour-first vapers would prefer the Omni here. That said, the extraction was efficient and the cerebral Chemdawg effect landed properly. The half-bowl microdose mode works, but the VonG (i) is at its best through water. Chemdawg through a bubbler on the full bowl would have been the better pairing.

Design & Build 9/10

Titanium, precision-machined, weighted like a quality tool.

The VonG (i) is 108mm long, weighs about 18g, and feels substantially heavier than it should. That's titanium's thing — denser than aluminium, lighter than steel, with the precise machining tolerances that small-run workshop manufacture allows. DynaVap build in Wisconsin, not offshored to OEM factories, and the quality control shows in how each component seats into its mating surfaces.

The cap is the heart of the device. Titanium, threaded to the tip, calibrated to click audibly at vaporisation temperature (approximately 180°C) and click again when the chamber drops below vaporisation temp. These two clicks are your entire user interface — no display, no battery, no buttons. Learn the clicks and you've learned the device.

The twist-mouthpiece airflow window rotates smoothly through its full range, with positive resistance at both extremes. Open for easy draws, closed for tighter denser pulls. One-handed operation is genuine — Jake demonstrated this on my coffee table by holding the VonG (i) in a 14mm female joint with one hand, adjusting the airflow with his thumb mid-draw. Six months ago Jake couldn't hold a B2 without combusting it. The growth is visible.

The adjust-a-bowl screen mechanism is elegant: press the internal screen up with a fingertip or a tamper tool, chamber capacity halves, microdose mode achieved. Pull it back down for full chamber. This is genuinely the best microdose-full-dose switching mechanism on any device at this price.

Ease of Use 7/10

The device is simple. The technique is not.

Zero buttons, zero electronics, zero app, zero pairing. You're using a metal tube, a butane torch, and your attention span. Load herb, place cap, heat cap with torch for 5-7 seconds, listen for click, draw for 10-20 seconds through airway or water piece, listen for the second click as temperature drops, reheat if needed.

The learning curve is the honest barrier. First week, expect:

• 2-3 combustions per session (too long on the torch)
• 2-3 under-extracted bowls (too short on the torch, or drawn too cold)
• Awkward torch coordination when trying to use it with a water piece
• Questions about whether you're doing it right

Week two: muscle memory starts forming. You begin anticipating the click instead of waiting for it. Torch technique steadies.

Week three: you're getting consistent bowls. The device becomes functional.

Week four onwards: it's automatic. You don't think about timing anymore. The click-draw-exhale rhythm is established.

Cleaning & Maintenance 9.5/10

Manual vapes are the cleaning champions of the category, and the VonG (i) is best-in-class within that category.

The workflow: drop the whole device (minus the cap, or including it, depending on your preference) into an ISO alcohol bath for 20-30 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Dry thoroughly. Reassemble. Done.

No disassembly. No tiny o-rings to lose down drains. No chamber screens to replace every two months. No rubber gaskets absorbing flavour permanently. The titanium construction means you can soak it, boil it, bake it if you really wanted — the material is completely chemical-inert within any sensible cleaning range.

Frequency: I ISO-soak mine every 15-20 bowls. Jake soaks his weekly regardless of bowl count ("easier to just make it routine"). The titanium stays pristine. The screen wears slightly over months of use — DynaVap sell replacement screens at £2-3 for a pack, so the ongoing cost is negligible.

Portability 8.5/10

At 108mm and 18g, the VonG (i) is genuinely pocketable. It looks like a pen or metal cigarette holder from across a room. Fits in jeans pocket, shirt pocket, coin pocket of a jacket. The titanium feels premium in hand without weighing anything.

But the portability caveat is the torch. The VonG (i) is pocketable. The single-flame torch you need to operate it is not. A proper butane torch adds about 80g and significantly more bulk to your carry. If you're going out with just the VonG (i), you need either a Zippo (unreliable for this job, DynaVap advise against) or a torch lighter in a separate pocket.

Jake's solution: a small torch that fits into the opposite jacket pocket, so VonG (i) on one side, torch on the other. His coat now rattles slightly when he walks.

The bigger portability question is water piece availability. The VonG (i) is designed for water-piece use, and you can't take a bubbler to a pub garden. At home, it's the device you reach for when the water piece is already on the coffee table. Out of the house, you're direct-drawing, which underuses the VonG (i)'s specialism.

How I Actually Use This

My Default Setup: Full bowl with 0.08-0.1g, medium grind, into a 14mm bubbler with cold water. Two heat cycles per bowl, single-flame torch, three-second heat passes. Airflow mouthpiece set to middle position.

When I Reach For It: Weekend evenings when the bubbler's out. Friends visiting and wanting to share sessions — the VonG (i)'s bowl-swap-while-someone-else-draws workflow makes group water-piece sessions easy. When I want dense hits without the faff of setting up an electric vape.

When I Don't: Mornings (the torch-ritual is too much at 7am). Travel without my water piece (direct-draw underuses the device). Flavour-first sessions (the Omni handles that, or my Solo 3 v2). Quick micro-dose hits during the workday (the Go SRT's 11-second heat-up is more convenient).

The Honest Cleaning Reality: I ISO-soak this more often than I do any other vape in the collection, because it's so easy that there's no excuse not to. The water piece gets cleaned at the same time — same ISO bath, same 20 minutes, everything comes out fresh.

Session Frequency: 2-3 times per week. Specifically when water-piece sessions are on the agenda. Not a daily driver, but the dedicated water-piece specialist in rotation.

Medical Use Notes

I'm not a doctor. I'm a bloke with chronic pain and ADHD who's been using cannabis medicinally for years now. This is my experience, not medical advice. If you're considering medical cannabis, talk to a prescribing clinic — not a vaporiser review. HerbVape.co.uk sells hardware only, not cannabis.

For Pain Management: The VonG (i) through water delivers high-cannabinoid extraction in a single hit, which matters for patients who need rapid onset relief without sipping through a 10-minute session. Bigger hits, faster onset, less time spent actively vaping. The microdose mode (screen pressed up) handles lower-dose titration without the full-bowl intensity.

For ADHD/Focus: The manual ritual is genuinely useful here. The 30-second process of torch-heat-click-draw demands focused attention, which creates a mindful pause before medication. For ADHD brains that need context-switching structure, this is unexpectedly valuable. Not the best in-session micro-dosing device (the torch ritual breaks task flow) but excellent for scheduled medication breaks.

Value for Money 8/10

At £149 sale price, the VonG (i) is genuinely good value for a lifetime-grade manual vape.

You're getting all-titanium construction, twist-airflow precision, adjust-a-bowl microdose capability, native 10mm/14mm water piece fit, full-ISO cleaning compatibility, and DynaVap's lifetime warranty on tips and caps. Made in Wisconsin, small-run workshop manufacture, not OEM.

The internal comparison that matters: VonG (i) vs VonG X (£115). The VonG X is £34 cheaper, has DuraDyn reinforced construction, and the stainless-steel thermal-battery tip delivers bigger water-piece hits. The VonG (i)'s advantage is the all-titanium build — lighter, more refined, cosmetically cleaner, and genuinely heirloom-grade material. If you want the elegant all-titanium classic, VonG (i). If you want the beefed-up water-piece weapon, VonG X.

At £149 RRP, the value gets harder — that's within £10 of the Omni at £149 + accessories, and the Omni is a more versatile direct-draw device. At £149 sale, the VonG (i) is the right price for the water-piece specialist.

Score Breakdown

Vs the Competition

Vs DynaVap M7 (£85)

The starter vs the specialist. The M7 is the entry-level stainless-tip DynaVap — simpler, cheaper, same essential vaping character. The VonG (i) is the next-tier water-piece-optimised device with twist-airflow and adjust-a-bowl. On the tip, they vape almost identically (both stainless, similar roasty character). The VonG (i)'s value is in the water-piece fit and the feature additions. If you're new to DynaVap, M7. If you own an M7 and want to level up for water piece use, VonG (i).

Vs DynaVap Omni (£129)

The use-case split. The Omni is DynaVap's flavour-first tip — modular, direct-draw optimised, terpene-nuanced. The VonG (i) is power-first, water-piece-specialised, roastier by design. Both excellent. Neither is a compromise. Direct-draw flavour chasers buy the Omni. Water piece users buy the VonG. If you do both regularly, buy both — they serve different sessions.

Vs DynaVap VonG X (£115)

The sibling comparison and the £34 question. The VonG X has DuraDyn reinforced construction (stainless-steel reinforced body + titanium cap), a thermal-battery stainless tip for denser extraction, and costs £34 less. The VonG (i) is all-titanium — lighter, more refined, cosmetically cleaner. If you want the heirloom-titanium classic, VonG (i). If you want the heavy-duty workhorse built specifically for bong sessions, VonG X at better value. Most committed water-piece users will end up preferring the VonG X for pure water-piece performance; the VonG (i) remains the elegant all-titanium choice.

The Verdict (The Bookend)

Jake bought his own. That's the bookend.

Three years ago, I lent Jake a B2 and he combusted it twice in one evening. Six months ago, I lent him an M7 and he didn't combust. Last month, he arrived at mine with his own VonG (i) Titanium in a little case, his own torch, demonstrated his own technique, and drew through my bubbler like someone who'd earned it. That's the full arc. Redemption completed.

The VonG (i) Titanium is the DynaVap you buy when you're ready to commit to water-piece manual vaping. It's not the cheapest, not the most versatile, not the most flavour-forward. It's purpose-built for one job and built to do that job for a decade. The all-titanium construction is the cricket-bat-grade heirloom detail that justifies the £149 sale price. The 10mm and 14mm native water piece fit is the design ethos made physical — no adapters, no compromise, no faff.

The VonG (i) Titanium is the cricket bat. Purpose-built. Heirloom-grade. One job, done properly, for a lifetime.

If you don't own a water piece, don't buy this. Buy the Omni and enjoy direct-draw flavour. If you do own a water piece and you've already learned DynaVap technique on an M7 or similar, this is the upgrade that transforms your bong sessions.