As I’ve grown older, I have learned a lot of life lessons. Some of those life lessons include the importance of changing your car’s oil regularly, how to create a budget, you can’t create passion in someone but you can guide and shape what’s already there and many, many more.
One of my most recent life lessons came from the dry herb vape community. Let me explain…Whenever you ask a passionate community for their recommendations, you tend to find a consensus fairly quickly. For instance, I asked the dry herb vaporizer community in r/vaporents what the best dry herb vaporizer is and the consensus landed on about two to three vaporizers labeled as “the best”. You know the usual suspects like the venty, TM2, and Arizer Solo 3. But after reading through that thread more, I found a few vocal people saying “get a ball vape”. I ignored them and carried on.
The more I spent time in the vape community, the more I would see a passionate group of people saying “get a ball vape” or “ball vapes are the end game vaporizers”. So, I finally took them up on their advice. I got a desktop ball vape and water pipe.
So what’s the lesson I learned? I learned that sometimes you really should listen to the passionate, vocal, minority who swear by a product! So without further ado, let me tell you about my first ball vape experience and my experience with the ruby twist (spoiler alert it’s insane)!
But before we dive into this review, you may want to check out my blog that explains exactly what a ball vape is and why you should probably get one!
| ✅Pros: | ❌Cons: |
| Killer Extraction & Potency | Not Portable At All (but it’s a ball vape so…) |
| Fantastic Flavor | Requires A Water Pipe |
| Extremely Efficient | Small Learning Curve |
| Very user friendly (for a ball vape) | Really, Really Strong (Can be a con for Low Tolerance Users) |
| Easy to Clean | |
| Excellent Value | |
| Durable Build Quality | |
| Comprehensive Kit |
Our Scores
| Category: | Score: |
| Vapor Quality/Flavor | 9.5 |
| Ease of Use | 8 |
| Build Quality | 9.5 |
| Heat-Up Time | 8 |
| Draw Resistance | 8 |
| Intuitive Controls | 8 |
| Cleaning & Maintenance | 10 |
| Price-to-Performance | 8.5 |
Average Score: 8.6
What is the Ruby Twist
Let’s talk about the Ruby Twist ball vape, a device that has garnered a lot of attention for its impressive performance without breaking the bank. What makes it stand out is its core: instead of just metal, the Ruby Twist uses a chamber packed with a bunch of gemstone-cut rubies. These tiny rubies act as a massive thermal reservoir, superheating the air as it passes through. This means incredibly fast vapor production, often within seconds, and a remarkably efficient extraction of your herb.
The “Twist” in its name comes from an internal airflow widget that creates a vortex, ensuring even heat distribution across your bowl without the need for manual stirring, a nice touch for those who appreciate a hands free experience.
Beyond its ruby heart, the Ruby Twist is typically offered as a comprehensive kit, making it an excellent starting point for anyone new to ball vapes. Most kits include not just the Ruby Twist injector head and PID controller, but also a variety of bowls. You’ll often find a durable titanium matrix bowl, which is great for robust sessions and provides excellent heat retention, alongside an all glass bowl that many prefer for pure flavor. Some kits even include a microdose diffuser bowl, allowing you to get serious vapor production from very small amounts of herb.
My three weeks with the ruby twist
I purchased the ruby twist three weeks ago and I couldn’t wait to unbox it and get started with my testing! Along with the base unit which comes with the PID controller, the injector/head and handle combo, all glass bowl, and metal stand, I purchased a 9” recycler rig to go along with it from The Stash Shack
The box came with all the essential parts and some extra screens for the bowl, a few plastic adapters for other sized water pipes, and a brush for cleaning out your AVB. Also Inside the box was a set of instructions for doing your first burn off as well as tips for how to best get started with your new ball vape.
I must confess that when purchasing a product like this, you need to be ready for the unboxing process to feel less “refined”. If you’re used to larger brands like puffco or S&B, your unboxing will feel more “guerilla” than “apple”. I suspect that is because you are on the bleeding edge of vaporizer technology and they spend less time on the packaging and more on the product itself.
The First Hit
After doing my burn off and following all the provided instructions, it was time to take my first hit off the ruby twist. This is where, as a reviewer, I am going to have a hard time staying unbiased. This could be because this is the first ball vape I’ve ever used or just because this particular ball vape is that good…but either way this thing RIPS.
The hits from the ruby twist are unbelievable. Very flavorful and good lord are they STRONG. I would say that the normal bowl is akin to doing a really, really large dab. You feel the effects within seconds of your first hit.
The clouds you can get from a ball vape are also incredible. It is VERY easy to fill your lungs all the way up with a large amount of potent, flavorful vapor!
There is a slight learning curve when hitting a ball vape through a water pipe or bong. When you are drawing on it, you need to do a decently strong pull to get the air moving from the mouth of your pipe all the way through the injector itself. You know you’re doing it right when 1. You hear the sound of air going through the injector, and 2. You see the vapor collecting in your pipe or bong.
Effects
Let’s talk about the effects. Holy cow. If you are not a high tolerance user, I DEFINITELY suggest getting the microdose bowl. If you can’t get the microdose bowl, I recommend you use a LOT less herb than you’re used to for your first use. Unless you want to be communing with the ancestors (I’m joking obviously, but don’t say I didn’t warn you). Overall the effects are as strong if not stronger than my dab rig which is shocking considering how little herb I used. It has to do with how efficiently ball vapes extract all of the components of your herb.
Flavor
The flavor was really solid too. While not as flavorful as some other devices I have used in the past, it still packs a serious punch in the flavor department. You can taste the terpenes and the overall flavor of the flower shines through nicely!
Vapor Quality
You can get some really big clouds/hits out of this thing. If your lungs can handle it, the ruby twist ball vape can give you what you need and more. The Vapor is smooth, and thick with plenty of flavor. I experience very little coughing or irritation when using this device (that is a personal experience and your mileage may vary). For me, at a 550F temperature, I can get a quantifiable “butt ton” of quality vapor out of this thing! This is the kind of vapor hit that is smooth, clean, and makes you say “oh my” when you let it out! After my first hit I just started laughing at how much vapor came out!
Build Quality and Tech Specs
Overall, the components of the ruby twist are pretty well built. The PID controller is small and made of metal with some plastic parts. The injector feels very high quality and has a great feel in the hand and looks very serviceable with allen wrench bolts holding things together.
Let’s talk about the specs on this device!
At its core, the Ruby Twist Injector is built with a Grade 2 Titanium housing. This isn’t just any metal; titanium is known for being super strong, lightweight, and excellent at handling high temperatures. Inside this titanium housing, you’ll find around 230 gemstone-cut rubies. These aren’t just pretty stones; they serve a crucial purpose. Rubies have incredible thermal retention properties, meaning they hold onto heat exceptionally well.
When the 20mm heater coil (which you’ll find wrapped around the injector head) brings the titanium housing up to temperature, these rubies get scorching hot and act as a massive heat sink. This allows for an instant and powerful transfer of heat to your herb as air passes through. What’s cool is the internal “Twist” airflow design, which creates a vortex, ensuring that this superheated air hits your herb evenly without you needing to do any stirring.
Powering all of this is a precise PID controller. This isn’t just an on/off switch; it’s a “Proportional Integral Derivative” controller that constantly monitors and adjusts the power going to the coil to maintain your exact desired temperature. You’ll typically see a temperature range of about 240°C to 330°C (around 464°F to 626°F), though the sweet spot often sits around 275°C (527°F) for many.
This PID features a digital display, simple +/- buttons for temperature adjustment, and often an auto-off timer for safety. The 20mm heater coil itself is fairly standard in the ball vape world, meaning it’s often interchangeable with other brands, giving you a bit of flexibility. The whole setup is designed for quick heat-up times, often reaching optimal temperature in under a minute, so you’re not waiting around to get your session going.
Overall, the Ruby Twist is solid and really, really gets the job done.
Cleaning the Ruby Twist
One of the big benefits of ball vapes is that the actual injector itself doesn’t touch your herb. The only thing that touches the herb is the bowl. So there is no cleanup for the ruby twist. Having said that, the bowl does get dirty and you will need to regularly change the water in your water pipe or bong regularly.
Cleaning the bowl is a simple affair. Simply soak it in some isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes, use a q-tip to clean it out and then give it a rinse with warm water and you’re all set. This is genuinely one of the most low maintenance devices i’ve ever used. That’s not specific to the ruby twist, as it’s the nature of all ball vapes.
Is it worth $179?
Short answer. Yes. If you’re wanting to get into a ball vape, get one. You won’t regret it. It’s not portable and you need a place to enjoy this like a table or a counter so don’t expect this to go with you. It’s an at home heavy hitter and it’s completely unapologetic about that and I actually think that’s a great thing!
If you’re in the market for a ball vape, I think it’s an absolute yes from me!
Drawbacks
Ok I need to be transparent here. I bought this device and the recycler with my own money. This is a completely independent review and I don’t even have any relevant affiliate links for this product.
I have been actively searching for things I dislike about this device and to be completely honest, I haven’t found much of anything to gripe about. Maybe that’s because I know what I’m getting into with a ball vape or maybe that’s because I’m so impressed with the performance, but I just can’t seem to find anything really wrong with this device or anything that can really be improved upon.
I do wish there was a holder or container that could keep it all organized on my desk and to that end, I’m going to be designing and 3d printing something that will hold my PID, power cables, injector, injector stand AND a place to put my recycler as well as cleaning tools etc. Stay tuned for that!
Conclusion
Sometimes, the vocal minority is right. Getting a ball vape opens up a whole new level of experience in your dry herb vaping journey and the Ruby Twist is now my go-to recommendation for ANYONE who wants to get into ball vapes without spending a ton of money.
The ruby twist shines when it comes to even extraction. I’ve never seen my herbs be more perfectly toasted on all sides. It also shines with its vapor quality and its overall effects. If you are a high tolerance user, this is your new best friend.
In conclusion (and to sound like the guys in r/vaporents)…GET A FREAKING BALL VAPE (source: trust me bro)!
