Apparent side effects of e-smoking?? :)

[Trumpybloke]

G'Day all !!! longtime lurker, newtime posterer.

After some serious scrutinising of the forums lately it would appear I have discovered a new side-effect of e-cigs.
It would appear that some users of these new fangled devices experience great passion, a desire to spread and disseminate all sorts of opinions , and even get quite het up and personal
I love how so many peeps will fight to the death their right to flame another persons opinion
I love how there are people here who are willing to help out no matter what.
Heck I even love the fact some people are trying to push their own self interest by pretending their such and such is better than someone else's such and such !!!
As more of an observer at the moment, I would like to step out of the dark and offer some Trumpybloke wisdom LOL Make of it what you will and I will point out I am wearing asbestos undies as we speak

The cost of manufacturing ANY e-cig is far less than US$20, They are availiable thru many of the china web-trades to the public at far less a price than your retailers in your respective countries will have you believe.
I will keep my comments below mainly to the DSE901 as that is what I own and have researched intensively, but I am sure they will apply to almost any e-cig regardless of claims that "ours " is special.

( for example a new sexy Black DSE901 kit ( 2 bats, 1 atomiser , 1 charger and 5 carts) can be purchased in lots of 6 for US$121 or $20.17)

It is up to you as a consumer to place a price on what you think someones product and service is worth . A retailer who sells a $40-$70 DSE 901 in the U.S. , are his posting skills and supposed testing worth the extra $20 to $50 ?
That is YOUR decision.
All batteries are shipped factory tested and charged, common practise as Li-ion batts always have a holding charge ex factory.
Like any new "hobby" there is a percentage ratio of true enthusiasts who want to see it expand, and those who like it and see the potential for some bucks. This is the curse of the online business, for whoever has the fanciest webpage, and can make the smoothest exaggerations ( note NOT lies lol ) will likely get the business.
I am sure there are suppliers on these forums who fall into either/or of these catagories.
One bad dealing does not make a bad seller, one good dealing does not make a good one either.
In my humble opinion, anyone indulging in the markups of 100% or more of the chinese retail price ( NOTE RETAIL, not wholesale) is simply trading off the new fad and is out to line their pockets.

I liken it to fashion/trendy items, a $1000 Dior handbag is not WORTH $1000 but some people will pay it, because it confers on them the status of simply having it, same can be said of any product.

Everything is "horses for courses" I guess, personally I love the idea of trogs screwdriver ( and this is the only reference I will make to specific products on this forum because I kinda get the feeling Trog is a good bloke and will take this in the way it is intended , i.e. not a slight but a personal observation)
His Screwdriver looks exceptionally well made, it uses a propriety battery , likely to be available in the public domain for many years, it embodies cool asthetics, functionality , and appears to address the biggest failings of the current crop of e-cigs. It uses one of the better atomiser and cart set-ups, and appears to do all it promises... would I buy one , well the answer sadly is no , for a couple of reasons
The Au dollar sucks to the Pound,
I have extensive Li-ion and Li-poly skills as an e-flight aeromodeller and pioneer over the last two decades.
My own " Mod - to - come " will be a DSE901 based device, similar to his but using a 3 1300maH li-poly cells in parralell to provide a 3900 mAh power pack that would require maybe weekly charging at best. I also have the dedicated chargers and control circuits to do this safely.
Does this mean Trog is a rip-off..... not in the slightest, because his screwdriver addresses a problem we all whine about, its a new device, using proprietry parts and home made skills, its price is simply what people will pay for it, like a Dior handbag you could use a paper bag to carry around yer stuff ladies but hey the Dior looks nice and does what it was designed to do !!

I mentioned trog ( and again I really hope he doesnt mind) more as an example of "uniqueness" because honestly , it is the only unit I see as being ANYTHING different from what is mass produced in china and re-sold with huge markups to us the users. The rest is smoke and mirrors and snake-oil remedies to pretend company B's rebranded chinese model such and such is better than company C's rebranded one....

( I am still out on some marketers who claim their product isnt sourced from china.... and then state to people that they have travelled extensively to china to "commission" parts ??? Am I the only one seeing the flaw in this )

in closing ... Peace out lol
I see there will shortly be the WWe-cig Heavyweight champeenship belt going up if the arguments get worse lol

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS AND LADIES

( I am so glad I found this place )

[Kate]

... I am still out on some marketers who claim their product isnt sourced from china.... and then state to people that they have travelled extensively to china to "commission" parts ??? Am I the only one seeing the flaw in this ...

Lol, I noticed that, I was also wondering if I was the only one

Some sellers feed us any old tripe.

Welcome to the forum and happy new year

[UkUsa]

Good post there trumpy .

I haven't seen any of the comments you refer to but can sure believe it.

I am a member of a BBQ forum and there is a tendency for arguments to break out every once in a while on there too.

Sometimes it can be all too easy to take something out of context or misunderstand the intent behind a posting and things escalate when they don't have to.

Personally, I'm here to enjoy the postings, learn a lot about this new found obsession and maybe get to know some good people. Even if it is just in the electronic world. Have to have something to do when i'm sposed to be working .

[dc2k08]

there are other costs though for the suppliers apart from cost of the kits themselves to factor like duty, shipping, web-site, storage and a bunch of small things that all add up and other costs depending on their size so I don't think it's a question of the difference between their cost of a kit and my cost being the price they put on their service.

I would say most things we buy are marked up about 30-60% from any store so I don't think the prices some of them charge are exactly unreasonable. an atomizer will be as affordable and disposable as a bic biro I think one day though.

[Trumpybloke]

All valid points DC , And again I speak from an Australian point of view , in that we can privately import up to $1000 per shipment and not have to face duties and taxes. I would also guarantee that UK/US retailers are not paying the US$20 figure per kit I mentioned. That figure is from a retailing hub of a manufacturer, not the wholesale arm, it would be far less depending on qty purchased, I would figure on US$ 10 ish per ???
I think I am extending this point of view simply to point out costs are not that high and there is a degree of profiteering out there lol
point in case , in another thread I pointed out the price I could import e-juice for (as a consumer not retailer) and made mention of there is no supplier in Aus that had a fair price--- the cheapest being $30 for 30 ml.... the same day the supplier recommended to me in that post had dropped his price to under $20 for the 30 ml.... a very honourable move on their behalf... but in turn showing us they can afford to drop their retail by over 35% on a whim....I do applaud this particular whim

The true cost of bulk purchased e-juice ex china is Around US$ 4 per 30 ml shipped and yes a choice of 6 strengths and 30 odd flavours... that is not a 30-60% markup when people are charging US$ 20- 30 for the same lol

[Tetsab]

Ah-ha! Another long-posting type like myself (at first, getting a little better now I've been doing this longer ) and yes, I do agree that one of the side-effects of these little gadgets is to make people VERY passionate indeed! They also seem to encourage them to share their opinions and experiences like nothing else I've ever seen.

I've despised religious evangelism with considerable venom for nearly all my life; it's just SUCH bad manners - I'd never turn up on their doorstep telling them how to live their lives! However...I'm fairly acutely aware that I seem to be at considerable risk of becoming an e-cig evangelist myself - oh dear. I keep wanting to rush up to everyone I see smoking tobacco (and now I can even detect them by smell, too) and tell them to buy one at once.

I do intend to comment extensively on your assertions about retail suppliers later on (in addition to the entirely valid points DC has raised) but for the meantime confine myself to one observation: the supplier I believe you are referring to towards the end of your post has never to my knowledge claimed that his product does not include parts from China. He only describes his product as being ASSEMBLED in the UK and says that he travels to China in connection with sourcing components to his company's specifications, which do apparently differ from some of the generics. See comments from some of his reviewers/happy customers regarding the 'cutout' function.

[Kate - I noticed you have made a direct query regarding the batteries which John hasn't replied to yet; he did say he was having a break between Xmas and New Year]

I'm off now - time for dinner (I eat late) but as the Terminator would say, I'll be back!!

Love and peas (sorry, thinking about food)

[Frankie]

Well, I believe that when Dealextreme gets hold of any other than the Health brand, virtually all the resellers will be out of business. They have fair prices.

[Pjrltor]

I do see the unsuspecting people who do not research getting taken by alot of these companies for sure but I for one would love to buy 6 new sexy Black DSE901 kits ( 2 bats, 1 atomiser , 1 charger and 5 carts) for US$121 or $20.17 but the shipping on those would put me close to what I am paying here. I think most of us are not stupid and know there is a markup but truthfully what company would profit without a markup? I agree that I dont want to buy from companies who gauge the customer.

I have also had to make a concerted effort NOT to preach and remember how it feels to be preached to.

Anyways you bring up some interesting topics. Welcome to you.

[Trumpybloke]

My apologies for preaching LOL

tetsab you are very correct , the incident I was referring to was a lively debate from a proponent of the particular company not the actual company themselves ... I was more marvelling at the oxy-..... of the situation

( Seeeeeeee this is why ya never mention actual stuff ROFLMAO )

[Trumpybloke]

oh and my back-up DSE 901 came in bits in the post..... Now I have screwed it together it is a "Assembled in Australia TRUMPYCIG " and will be posted on ebay for thousands !!!!

( yes I am taking the piss and I will now try and behave )