Not like anyone showed any interest, but for the tCheck cannabinoid test machine, I have got some thorough email answers from their support I thought I'd share.
You'll find $25 discount codes all over the net, so this thing is at the moment to be bought for $255,-
I also add the instruction .pdf they sent me. (same instruction for THC and CBD)
1.) Is tChec measuring the TOTAL amount of cannabinoids?
The tCheck reads for the aggregate cannabinoid content and identifies the dominant compound in your sample.
Because most cannabinoid sources are overwhelmingly dominant in one cannabinoid type, with a minimal to insignificant amount of the others (less than 1%), the other cannabinoids will not be detected due to the strength of the dominant cannabinoid detected by the sensors and the reading will serve as an accurate measure of the dominant cannabinoid.
The test will work for the vast majority of samples. However, there will be some samples that can't be read, such as one-to-one CBD:THC hybrids. There are plans to release an update to support those types of materials in the future, however, we do not have a timeline for when that'll be released.
*Hemp oil and CBD in butter are not currently supported
2.) I have seen screenshots from your videos showing specific "CBD" and "THC" on the app screen. Is this just a gimmick, and tCheck doesn't really know that it is THC, THCa, CBD, CBDa, CBG or CBN, it is just a matter of displaying according to what options are selected. E.g. "flower" and "decarb". Correct?
As stated above, the dominant cannabinoid is identified, and there are separate tests for the testing of specific cannabinoid dominant material. Our flower test has a hemp and marijuana flower option, in which one will measure CBDa and the other tests THCa.
3.) If I have a solution from hemp that i KNOW has low or zero THC, I can therefore assume it is CBD that is displaying.
In the same matter, If I have a solution from Marijuana that I KNOW involves THC, I can assume it displays mostly THC. Correct?
Yes, that is correct. The flower test will say total cannabinoids, because the test is separated into two versions: one for THCa dominant flower and one for CBDa dominant flower.
4.) The "expansion kit necessary for to measure plant material", is just a matter of adding correct weight to correct amount of ~99% Isopropanol. Correct?
Yes, we recommend using around 100-250 mg of flower to 10 ml of alcohol. The amount of alcohol does not vary.
5.) Since you specify that the tray is sensitive, I really hope I can get a spare?
Yes, it is plastic. The device is paired with the tray to ensure accuracy, so while there is not a "spare" per se, if the tray is damaged a tray replacement and device recalibration is covered under the warranty.
If you are concerned about possibly damaging the tray, we have a user guide which provides instructions on properly caring for the tray here, as well as in the packaging for the device:
https://medium.com/tcheck/tcheck-2-user-manual-c94fe50b2a47
Some scratches may develop, but the damage is only to one end of the tray that is not scanned by the LED lights, and thus would not affect the results or impede testing.
After cleaning and drying your tray, I recommend you store it in the tray slot of the device. Make sure the device is off. Keep out of direct sunlight and away from high heat.
6.) Would an update involving e.g. hemp oil and/or possible specification of type of cannabinoids, be a matter of new hardware or software?
Our engineers are working on new features, but any updates involving new types of compounds will likely be a matter of software update via the app. You can subscribe to our newsletter on our website homepage at the bottom where it prompts you to enter your email.
7.) A thing I have read in different forums (not new though) is that you have to add some kind of subscription to be able to use it fully?
Do you have any such subscriptions to software or whatever?
No, there is no subscription to use the device. This was a former potential feature that was planned to be released, but after some new engineering developments we instead decided to not continue with a subscription model.
8.) I am confused about the accuracy percentage.
At your first response you said:
Accuracy:
+/- 10%
+/- 15% Decarbed material
Later you told me 5% and/or 1%?
And when I look at your website it says:
"When measuring oil infusions & alcohol tinctures made using isolates, tCheck is accurate to within +/- 1.5mg/ml. When measuring cannabis flower, hemp, or trim, tCheck is accurate to within +/- 3 percentage points."
I'm sorry, I can see how this can be confusing. +/- 10% and 1.5mg/ml is the same, as our range is 1-15mg/ml. Stronger infusions can be tested using a dilution method and multiplying by the dilution ratio.
In the previous email I sent, I had thought you were referring to our flower test, in which case the accuracy is 3-5%.
95% of samples will fall within the 3% accuracy and 10% accuracy specs for flower and oil/alcohol infusions, respectively.
If your oil infusion is not made using isolates or winterized concentrates, then you would want to follow our two step process (see attached PDF).
9.) Weighing water vs oil or alcohol does give three different results!
Why confuse weight, volume and percentage in the same sentence??
Oil and alcohol results are listed in mg/ml, or weight by volume. The flower tests measures percentage by weight, and accounts for the volume and weight by having you enter the weight of the amount of flower being tested and ensuring all flower tests use the same amount and same type of reagent. Please see the attached pdf labelled "Flower Test" for details on how flower is testing.
10.What is the warranty period? Are app. problems beyond warranties?
I read from a disappointed customer, that he/she never had managed to get any results within 15% accuracy, no matter type or method of solution, and no matter the instructions given.?
Our entire warranty policy can be read here:
https://tcheck.me/blog/post/tcheck-device-warranty-2/
We waive the re-calibration for the first time - no matter how long you've had it. You'll only need to pay for the tray and the shipping costs.
Any defective device is covered under warranty. Our agents will need to troubleshoot to determine the cause of the error. For example, a customer may be either connecting via the settings rather than through the app, in which case the device would not need replacement. Additionally, a device replacement would not resolve the issue if there is indeed an error with the app-only an app update with new code written for the app software would resolve that.
This is because the code used to create the app is what needs to be fixed, not the device itself. Once a bug has been identified, our developers would roll out a fix for the bug and customers would download the newest version from the app store onto their phones and other mobile devices. The person you are referring to was told this by a technical support agent and misunderstood it as app issues are not covered under warranty. We also still provided a warranty replacement to this customer.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
Best wishes,
Lisa
tCheck Customer Support
[email protected]
www.tcheck.me