First-Time Setup: From the Box to Your First Heat Cycle
Setting up the SS WOHW is straightforward, but taking the time to do it right on day one pays off with every session after. Here is the full process.
Unbox and Inspect
Remove all components from the box and verify everything is present against the list on Page 1. Check your heater, bowl, coil, PID, dock, and accessories. If anything is missing or appears damaged, contact us and we will make it right.
Take a moment to read through the included 4-page starter guide. It covers the essentials quickly with pictures and will serve as a handy reference you can keep near your setup. A digital version is also available on our website.
Assemble the Docking Station
Place your dock on a stable, heat-resistant surface. This is going to be your permanent or semi-permanent vape station, so pick a spot where you are comfortable.
The barrel coil has a bend that fits into the dock’s channel. Slide it in and secure it with the included hardware.
Install the 10-wrap axial coil into the dock’s coil bay and secure it. The axial coil sits upright and the heater drops straight down into it.
Important: The 10-wrap axial coil does NOT fit the Crossing dock. It will bottom out and create an incredibly hot station. When purchasing through the Build-Your-Own bundle, make sure to select the proper coil for your dock, or we will reach out after your order to advise.
Wrap any excess coil cable neatly. Most docks have built-in cable management or you can loop it around the base. Plug the coil cable into the PID controller.
Connect and Power On the PID
Plug the PID controller into a wall outlet using the included power cable. Plug the XLR connection of the coil into the PID. Flip the power switch on the back of the PID to turn it on. You will see the display light up showing the current and set temperatures.
Important PID Note: To adjust temperature, press the up or down buttons and wait a few seconds for the setting to lock in. Do NOT press the SET button. That button accesses the back-end configuration menu, and changing those settings can disrupt temperature control and potentially damage your coils if a change is made without understanding its implications.
Perform the Initial Burn-Off
Before your first real session, you need to burn off any residual manufacturing oils from the heater and coil. This is a one-time process.
Place the SS WOHW heater into the coil on your dock. Set the PID to 750F and let it run for 20 to 30 minutes. You may notice a faint smell during this process. That is normal. It is the manufacturing residue burning away, and it is exactly why you do this step before ever putting herb near the device.
After the burn-off, reduce the PID to your operating temperature (we suggest starting at 500F) and let it settle down to that range. We suggest another 30 minutes before taking your first hit, or you may be vaporizing at a higher temperature than you intend.
Heat Soak Before Every Session
This is not just a first-time step. Every time you use your SS WOHW, give it time to heat soak before your first hit.
Set your PID to your desired temperature and place the heater in the dock. Allow a minimum of 10 to 20 minutes for the heat to fully saturate through the stainless steel housing and into all of the ruby balls. The PID display may show that it has reached your set temperature in just a couple of minutes, but the internal temperature of the ruby balls lags behind the coil temperature.
Think of it this way: the PID temp is what the coil is doing. The actual vaporization temperature inside the ball chamber is always lower than what the PID reads. This is normal and expected. We cover this in more detail in the temperature dialing section on Page 5.
The good news is that stainless steel has excellent thermal retention. Once the SS WOHW is fully heat soaked, it rebounds quickly between hits. This is a major advantage over the older titanium version, which lost heat faster and needed higher PID settings to compensate.
Pro Tip from our Starter Guide: Try using a smart plug with your PID. Set it on a timer so the system is pre-heated and ready to go when you sit down for a session. The PID has a physical power switch, which makes it smart-plug friendly.
Understanding Your WOHW: Diffuser Mode vs. Injector Mode
One of the most useful features of the SS WOHW is that it works as two vapes in one. The heater has two sides, each designed for a different style of extraction. Understanding the difference between them is key to getting the most out of your device.
Diffuser Mode (Wide End Down)
When you place the wide, open end of the heater over your bowl, you are running in diffuser mode. This is the most common way to use the WOHW and the setup most people start with.
In diffuser mode, the heater sits directly on top of and over the walls of the bowl. The ruby balls inside the chamber are very close to your herb, sometimes just a screen’s width away. When you draw air through the system, two things happen at once.
Convection heating occurs as hot air passes through the ruby balls and down into the herb. This is the primary extraction method and produces clean, flavorful vapor.
Conduction heating happens because the hot metal of the heater and the bowl itself absorb and radiate heat directly into the herb through physical contact and proximity. However, this is quite minimal without preheated bowls of some type, or very thin-walled metal bowls.
This combination is what gives diffuser mode its power. Extractions are fast, dense, and thorough. You can clear a full bowl in a single draw at the right temperature. The tradeoff is that this aggressive heating profile can push herb toward darker roasts if you run too hot, and the flavor window at the end of the bowl can be shorter.
Diffuser mode is ideal for users who want big, hard-hitting clouds and fast extraction. If you are coming from smoking, this mode will feel the most familiar.
Bowl compatibility in diffuser mode: Both included bowls work in diffuser mode, each using its own adapter ring. The Titanium Hybrid Matrix Bowl uses the included 21.5mm adapter ring, while the 22mm All-Glass Diffuser Bowl uses the 22mm adapter ring. That same 22mm ring also opens up compatibility with 22mm bowls from other manufacturers like Cannabis Hardware and O’Connell Woodworks. You simply have to match the correct adapter ring to whichever bowl you are running.
| Bowl | Adapter Ring Needed | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Titanium Hybrid Matrix Bowl | 21.5mm Adapter Ring | Yes |
| 22mm All-Glass Diffuser Bowl | 22mm Adapter Ring | Yes |
| Third-Party 22mm Bowls (Cannabis Hardware, O’Connell, etc.) | 22mm Adapter Ring | Yes |
Injector Mode (Narrow Tip Down)
Flip the heater over and the narrow 18mm tip drops into the top of your bowl. This is injector mode, and it produces a noticeably different experience.
In injector mode, the heater delivers a focused stream of hot air down through the center of the bowl. The ruby balls are farther from the herb compared to diffuser mode, and the bowl is not heated by direct contact. This means extraction is driven almost entirely by convection, with hot air doing all the work.
The result is a sharper, more flavorful vapor with less body. Terpenes come through cleaner because the herb is not being heated as aggressively. Extraction takes a bit longer, and you may need two or three draws instead of one to finish a bowl. But for flavor chasers, this is where the magic happens.
Injector mode also opens up compatibility with standard 18mm glass injector bowls, which are widely available and inexpensive. This gives you a huge range of third-party bowl options beyond what is included in the kit. We carry a couple of these options, and even the Titanium Matrix Hybrid bowl works as a compatible injector bowl.
When to use injector mode: Choose this when you want maximum flavor, when you are microdosing, or when you prefer a lighter, more controlled hit. It is also a great option when sharing with someone new to ball vapes who might find diffuser mode too intense.
The Hot Hole Technique
Here is a technique that experienced ball vape users love. Instead of dropping the injector tip into a standard bowl, you slide a bowl up onto the injector side of the heater. The Titanium Hybrid Matrix Bowl is the primary bowl for this technique, but some glass bowls will also fit depending on manufacturing variance. The microdose glass bowl and certain 22mm diffuser bowls can work this way too. There is also a newer microdose titanium injector bowl that fits well for this method.
This puts your herb inside the heater itself, closer to the thermal mass of the ruby balls. The result is a heavier hit, a more sedative effect at higher temperatures, and an incredibly efficient extraction. This method requires similar temperatures to diffuser mode (roughly 450 to 580F depending on your coil) since the herb is so much closer to the heat source. The microdose bowls used this way are often called injector diffuser bowls since the setup operates more like a diffuser when paired together.
Adjust your temperatures accordingly and try it when you are ready to experiment.
Quick Reference: Which Mode Should You Use?
The SS WOHW gives you all three modes in one device. Most users settle into a preferred mode, but having the flexibility to switch based on mood, material, or company is a real advantage.
Faster extraction. Denser clouds. Heavy convection with hybrid heat. Best for power users, full extraction, and one-hit sessions.
Temp range: 450–540F typical
Slower extraction. Cleaner flavor. Pure convection. Best for flavor chasing, microdosing, and multi-hit sessions.
Temp range: 420–500F typical
Maximum conduction. Most intense extraction. Fastest extraction speed. Best for experienced users who want to experiment. Reduce temp vs standard use.
Temp range: 450–580F typical
| Mode | Heat Type | Speed | Vapor | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diffuser | Convection + some conduction | Fast | Dense, hard-hitting | Full extraction, power users |
| Injector | Convection only | Moderate | Smooth, flavorful | Flavor chasing, microdosing |
| Hot Hole | Primarily conduction | Fastest | Heavy, intense | Experienced users, experimenting |
Not sure where to start? Begin with diffuser mode at 500F using the Titanium Hybrid Matrix Bowl. It is the most forgiving setup for new users and gives you a strong baseline to adjust from. Once you are comfortable, try injector mode with the all-glass diffuser bowl at 480F and notice how different the flavor profile is.