What makes a desktop vaporizer 'the best'?
In the world of marketing, the term 'best' is largely a subjective concept. What is 'best' for you may not be 'best' for someone else, and vice versa. With a product like a desktop vaporizer, however, there are some objective factors that can be taken into consideration to determine which vape will give the best value, function, durability, and aesthetic quality. Elev8 Vehicles has been manufacturing desktop vaporizers since 2004, and we take these factors very seriously when designing and assembling our desktop vaporizer units. We feel confident that our flagship vaporizer, the Silver Surfer Vehicle (SSV), is the only desktop vaporizer on the market that meets or exceeds all of the standards that are typically used to judge the value and effectiveness of desktop vaporizers.
So what makes the Silver Surfer Vehicle the best desktop vaporizer on the market in 2023? If we tried to list all of the SSV's incredible features we could fill up an entire book, so we have distilled these down to six main points:
- Durability
- Functionality
- Value
- Beauty
- Representation
- Manufactured Locally
In order to be called "the Best Desktop Vaporizer of 2023", a desktop vaporizer needs to be durable and long-lasting. The SSV first hit the market in 2004, and it was designed by cannabis connoisseur and glass artist Steve Kelnhofer. Steve wanted to build a desktop vaporizer that would provide the best and cleanest flavor possible, while also being built from the highest quality materials so that the unit would last for years to come. Many of our customers have proudly owned their Silver Surfer Vehicles for 10+ years, often without ever needing a repair service, because the Silver Surfer is built with a simple and highly effective design. The SSV's housing is made from 1/4 inch thick aluminum, and no other desktop vaporizer on the market can match that level of durability! Our competitors typically use thin sheet metals or plastics for their housings, and when you compare them to the construction of a Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer it's easy to see what makes the SSV so much more durable. The SSV is built tough! Steve has even taken an SSV out to the shooting range to stress test the SSV's aluminum housings; the units withstood multiple rounds from a high powered rifle and turned right back on afterwards! No other desktop vaporizer on the market provides that level of durability. Even the glass components used for the vapor pathway are extremely durable; all glass breaks eventually, but the SSV's wand and other glass components are made with extremely thick borosilicate glass to provide maximum durability and the best flavor possible!
The best desktop vaporizer has to work, and in all our years of testing we have never found another desktop vaporizer that works as well as the Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer. Whip-style desktop vaporizers like the SSV provide the best flavor, and give the user the maximum amount of control over their vape session. Elev8 Vehicles takes this a step further by only using American-made borosilicate glass for the SSV's vapor pathway components, and the whip tubing is made with the cleanest food-grade vinyl to provide the best possible flavor for the user. The Silver Surfer utilizes a simple but effective analog circuit design with a potentiometer dimmer switch and a ceramic heater; this design has stood the test of time and the analog dimmer knob makes it simple and easy for the user to dial in their 'sweet spot' for vapor extraction. The SSV is fully customizable, with a wide range of custom components made by the Elev8 Premier glassblowing team, and Elev8 Premier can also take custom commissions to help the user create the incredible heady wand, mouthpiece, or water filter of their dreams. Elev8 also offers a huge selection of adapters and other components, including water pipe adapters that can be used to connect any water pipe or rig to the Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer. Suffice to say that no other desktop vaporizer on the market offers the same level of functionality and customization that the Silver Surfer Vehicle offers.
The best desktop vaporizer has to provide maximum value to the user, and the SSV is worth its weight in nuggets, regardless of whether you prefer green nuggets or gold nuggets. The Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer is competitively priced compared to other desktop vaporizers on the market, but the SSV provides significantly more value for the price. If you buy a desktop vaporizer from our competitors you will almost certainly be paying hundreds of dollars for a mass manufactured appliance which is made as cheaply as possible. This is not the case with the Silver Surfer; the SSV is an artisan vaporizer which is lovingly hand crafted and assembled in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Our team takes pride in their work and wants to provide you with the best desktop vaporizer unit that we can possibly build. The Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer comes in at a middle-of-the-road price point while providing top notch quality and construction. True, the SSV could be considered pricy when compared to some of the mass manufactured vaporizers which are available on the market, but none of those units can provide you with the satisfaction and the level of customer service that an American-made Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer provides. When you take this into consideration it's easy to see why the SSV is the best choice for the true cannabis connoisseur. On top of all of this, the Silver Surfer is packaged in a gorgeous padded fabric carrying bag which you will be able to use for years to come, unlike the disposable and wasteful packaging utilized by our competitors.
The best desktop vaporizer should be beautiful, and we can't think of a single desktop vaporizer that can match the aesthetic quality and level of customization provided by the SSV. The quality of materials used to construct the Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer give it a distinctive look and feel. The SSV isn't the sort of vaporizer that you tuck away into a closet when you're done using it, the Silver Surfer Desktop Vaporizer has an eye-catching profile and design, with a range of color combinations available for the housing, base, and glass components. The SSV is itself a piece of art which is designed to be the centerpiece of your designated vaping and/or smoking area, and you can take this a step further by purchasing one of our Wave Rider Series (WRS) units. The SSV Wave Riders are made with gorgeous custom images which are sublimated into the powder coating on the aluminum housing. This is not paint or print: these sublimated images will never chip or fade, and while we offer a huge selection of Wave Rider designs on our website, our more artistic customers also have the option to create their own custom designs which we will happily sublimate onto a Silver Surfer Wave Rider. This isn't even to mention the gorgeous glass components made by the Elev8 Premier glassblowing team. The wands, heater covers, and knobs which are included with every SSV are hand-blown by the team of skilled glassblowers at the Elev8 Premier studio. These components are crafted by hand with the highest quality borosilicate glass, and there are few things on Earth that are more beautiful and aesthetically-pleasing than a well-made piece of borosilicate glass.
The best desktop vaporizer should represent the cannabis community, the glassblowing community, and the vaping community at large, and the Silver Surfer Vehicle has been giving positive representation for these communities since its invention in 2004. The SSV has always been marketed as a product for the health-minded, and our more senior and elderly community members love the SSV for giving them the ability to effectively eliminate the harmful components of cannabis combustion, making cannabis consumption safer and healthier for everyone! Our founder, Steve Kelnhofer, has been intimately involved in these communities for close to two decades, constantly pushing the industry to do better and to provide the highest quality products possible. Through programs like the Elev8 Silver Surfer Experience Glass Open, the First Saturday events which benefit Elev8 Veterans, the Elev8 at 8 glassblower interview series, the Elev8 Ambassador brand ambassador program, and through resources like Elev8 University and Elev8's Link Tree, Elev8 has demonstrated a constant commitment to Elev8ing our community members and industries.
The best desktop vaporizer of 2023 should definitely be American-made, and the Silver Surfer Vehicle is 100% manufactured and assembled right here in the United States of America! For our customers, this means they get the best possible customer support services for the world's best desktop vaporizer, and our manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado is even open for walk-ins and tours so customers can come in and watch our team assemble our desktop vaporizers right in front of them! Every Silver Surfer Vehicle is assembled and tested by hand to the highest quality standards, and our team takes immense pride in their work so that we can be sure that you will be proud to own an SSV!
What is Elev8?
Our Mission
Elev8 is a family of lifestyle brands united behind the common belief that we should always strive for a higher state of mind, body, and spirit. Elev8 brands aim to achieve this goal by developing and delivering high quality products and services that our customers will be proud to utilize. Elev8 brands understand that there is always room for improvement and that self-reflection and refinement is the best way to accomplish this.
Our Code of Conduct
Here at Elev8 we have this code of conduct because we believe in it. We feel by adhering to these codes of conduct we will build the billion dollar company we have envisioned. The general intent of writing a code of conduct is to be able to hold each other accountable when something happens in the course of business. All of these items have been agreed upon by the collective employees of Elev8 Glass Gallery.
- Quality - Success begins with quality.
- Pride - Show pride in and loyalty to Elev8
- Integrity - Integrity is the consistent adherence to the social standards and moral values that are set forth in society.
- Teamwork - We are a team, the greater the team the greater the company!
- Patience - We are a growing company and there will always be growing pains, but with the pains, we will build opportunities
- Respect:
- Co-workers - When in the workplace follow the simple rule: if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all.
- Self-respect - Don't do anything to yourself that prevents you from doing the best job possible, or just being the best person possible.
- Personal Accountability - If anything that is undesirable happens and you are responsible for it, you must take responsibility for it.
- Humble and Grateful - If you have concerns about being able to complete a task, ask someone that will be able to answer your questions. Also be grateful for the things you are provided within life and professionally.
- Customers - With everything we do in the course of the day we must keep the customer in mind.
- Honesty - If you can't be honest with yourself you most likely won't be able to be honest with your coworkers. Sometimes it may hurt but in the long run, it hurts less than bullshitting.
- Continue to Improve - There will always be room for improvement, be it a process, or an aspect of your personal life, never stop growing, never stop getting better.
- Positive Attitude - Employees should come into work placing their best foot forward, it will elevate the mood of all of those around you and create a better overall environment.
Our Brands
Our flagship organization was started by Steve Kelnhofer in a small garage in 2004 in order to manufacture and distribute the Silver Surfer Vehicle (SSV), our flagship product. Elev8 Distribution now operates out of a production and fulfillment warehouse in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Many of our longtime customers will know us as 7th Floor Vaporizers but Elev8 Distribution is a new entity with an Elev8ed view on life and our products. Elev8 Distribution is responsible for fulfilling orders from Elev8GlassGallery.com as well as manufacturing all of our Elev8 Vehicles products including the Silver Surfer Vehicle, Super Surfer Vehicle, Da Buddha Vehicle, Sidekick Portable Vehicle, and the ELEV8R! We also handcraft all of our Simply-Soluble products at this facility, as well as the Trunk by Dub Saq!
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Elev8 Glass Gallery
The brick-and-mortar retail division of Elev8 started with a small shop called Higher Elevations Masterpiece Productions (H.E.M.P.) which is located on the east side of Colorado Springs. We later opened a second store in downtown Colorado Springs called Elev8 Glass Gallery. When we began uniting our brands under the Elev8 trademark H.E.M.P. was renamed to Elev8 Glass Gallery East, and the downtown store became Elev8 Glass Gallery West.
Elev8 Premier is both the name of our glassblowing studio in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as the brand name used for all of the handcrafted and artistic glass creations which are produced by the Elev8 Premier studio. Elev8 Premier consists of a team of skilled glassblowers who produce all of the borosilicate glass components for our Elev8 Vehicles products. Elev8 Premier glassblowers also handcraft high quality production pipes and rigs, heady pipes and rigs, cremation memorial art, and any other creations that they can come up with! Elev8 Premier offers Liquid Arts Experience glassblowing classes for beginners, and experienced blowers can rent booth space and pick up tips and tricks from our highly skilled team. Some of our renters have even become Elev8 Premier glassblowers themselves. Dozens of glassblowers have started their careers at the Elev8 Premier studio, and Elev8 Premier has built quite a reputation for itself in the Colorado glassblowing community.
Elev8 Glass is a team of highly skilled foreign artisan glassblowers who design and manufacture our budget line of glass products. Many of these foreign artisans come from families that have been blowing glass for multiple generations. When you buy an Elev8 Glass water pipe you are getting a high quality product at a more affordable price, but don’t let the price fool you! Elev8 Glass pieces are still entirely handcrafted using the same methods and techniques which are common to all borosilicate lampworkers. All Elev8 Glass also can be upgraded with the Phoenix Oath Glass Warranty.
Elev8 Ambassador is our brand ambassador program, formerly known as Elev8 Dolls and Elev8 Gents. Elev8 Ambassadors are representatives for the Elev8 lifestyle, and our Ambassadors help us spread the word about our many products and services by reaching out to people and organizations in their respective communities who might benefit from the products and services that we offer. The Elev8 Ambassador program is divided into three tiers depending on the Ambassador’s level of involvement, with the highest tier earning sales commissions for any wholesale orders which they facilitate.
Elev8 Veterans is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping military veterans who are facing the difficult transition of returning to civilian life. Elev8 Veterans hopes to achieve this mission by giving military veterans tools that can help them rehabilitate and adjust to society outside of the armed forces, often through alternative therapies like medical cannabis and therapeutic activities like glassblowing. Elev8 Veterans regularly organizes events to spread awareness about the condition of military veterans in society. Glassblowers who attend their monthly First Saturday events can create pieces which are given to Elev8 Veterans as tax-deductible donations, and Elev8 Veterans sells the donated glass to generate funding for their mission. Elev8 Veterans also works to provide veterans free or affordable access to safe cannabis vaporizers made by Elev8 Vehicles, like the Silver Surfer Vehicle, and Elev8 Veterans works with Elev8 Premier to provide free glassblowing classes to military veterans as a form of alternative therapy. This allows veterans to find a healthy creative outlet while also giving them access to a potential source of needed income.
Elev8 University is a comprehensive teaching tool designed to educate customers, staff, and our partners about Elev8, the products that we make, the services that we provide, and the cannabis and glassblowing industries in general. This is a great program for anyone who is taking on a new job in our industry, and the course will get you up to speed on all the industry standards and established terminology. Take it to the next level of education with our Wholesale Elev8 University.
Elev8 Presents is our media production brand, focusing on marketing materials and educational materials for the general public. Elev8 Presents has an extensive catalog of videos which are available through their YouTube channel as well as through their website, including instructional videos, product highlights, function videos, product reviews, lifestyle videos, vlogs, and interviews.
Dub Saq is an Elev8 brand that focuses on creating fashionable, high quality storage bags and containers. The vaporizers manufactured by Elev8 Vehicles are famously packaged in durable carrying bags which were specially designed for our desktop vapor delivery vehicles. The original Silver Surfer Vehicle bag was the inspiration behind the first Dime Bags, and when Elev8 separated from Dime Bags we began exploring the possibility of creating our own line of aesthetically pleasing and durable storage bags and containers. Dub Saq aims to create the best and most beautiful bags and containers, like The Trunk which is hand cut and assembled from quality hardwood ply here at the Elev8 Distribution facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Simply-Soluble is a health, wellness, and beauty brand that was born from the creation of a unique water-soluble CBD formula which, as the name suggests, was simply soluble in just about anything. Simply-Soluble CBD can be used to infuse CBD into drinks, foods, lotions, topical salves, there are too many options to list! Simply-Soluble also produces a wide range of health and beauty products which are available with or without their signature CBD solution.
Elev8 Pizza Co. is a new brand which we created for our first ever food truck! Elev8 Pizza Co. is setting itself apart from the pack by offering the world’s first true smoked pizza, a process which we’ve perfected and an amazing flavor which we want to bring to the world. For now Elev8 Pizza Co. only operates in the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, but one day we hope to expand Elev8 Pizza Co. into more cities, with a fleet of trucks and a heap of smoked pizzas for the masses.
