ViVANT Ambit

The Ambit packs a convection heater, a shallow chamber holding a couple of tenths of a gram and a flip-out mouthpiece into a body the size of a matchbox, so there is almost no air path for vapor to cool in. Resin lands fast, and the two mesh screens, one in the floor of the chamber and one inside the mouthpiece, are where the draw stiffens first.

1. Pull the mouthpiece off: The mouthpiece base is held on by magnets, so it lifts straight off with no twisting or unclipping, exactly as ViVANT's manual describes for loading. The water pipe adaptor mounts on that same magnetic seat, so clean it at the same time if you use one.

2. Empty the chamber while it is still warm: Tip the spent material out and sweep the walls with the included brush. ViVANT warns against knocking the device out over a bin, because the small chamber mesh can work loose and go into the rubbish with the debris.

3. Clear both screens: The chamber mesh sits in the base of the oven and the mouthpiece mesh sits inside the mouthpiece. Both block up sooner than the chamber does, and ViVANT sells each as a separate five pack, so swap a screen that has gone solid rather than picking at it.

4. Keep alcohol on the removed parts: ViVANT's own advice is to brush first, then use alcohol combined with water for residue the bristles cannot shift. Limit that to the mouthpiece, the screens and the adaptor once they are off the device. Submerging the Ambit itself voids the two year warranty.

5. Swab the chamber rather than flooding it: A cotton bud barely damp with alcohol is enough for the chamber walls. The heater sits directly below the chamber mesh, so anything running past the screen ends up somewhere you cannot reach.

6. Check the rubber insert in the mouthpiece: A rubber ring inside the mouthpiece holds its mesh in place, and heat softens it over time. Once it stops gripping the screen the whole mouthpiece has to be replaced, as ViVANT does not sell the insert on its own. Owners also report the plastic stem cracking, so let the mouthpiece cool before folding it flat.

7. Dry everything before reassembly: ViVANT publishes no burn-off cycle for the Ambit, so air dry the parts fully instead of heating away leftover alcohol.

Brush the chamber after each session, or weekly at the very least. Stir the bowl with the packing tool between draws so material does not cake onto the mesh, and keep grit clear of the micro USB port, since the 1500mAh cell is internal and not user replaceable.