Hi All... I'm not going to bother giving a review of the Provari, lots of those available and I don't think I'd add anything new to the subject being a noob. My Provari is the same as everyone else's. Perfect. 'nuff said about that. But I do want to give a first impression, give a few props, and a brief comparison to what I had. All comments are welcome since I'm pretty new to vaping and may have missed some important stuff that would be obvious to the well entrenched and enlightened vapers, and any advice would be of benefit to me.
First prop is to Baditude. I probably have 20 hrs. of research on the Provari through this forum and on Youtube etc. My real interest in Provari started in the new member forum with posts by Baditude. He has a nice way of making a point without bad mouthing other products, being pushy, or making me feel he's an over the top fanboi for Provari. But he was obviously very impressed with the Provari and not shy about pointing out it was a quality piece that should be considered by anyone seriously looking to step up their vaping game. Just the right approach for someone like me to listen. Well done Baditude, you impressed me enough to research further. Much further actually. So I guess I owe you either a kick in the nuts for your subtle pushing, or a Guinness for tempting me into an expensive purchase. I'm thinking Guinness at this point.
Second prop mention goes to everyone on this forum. Great information here! Most good, some not so good, but all seemed like honest opinions without the typical trolling and FUD I normally see on forums. You all contributed to my buying decision one way or another. I can't ask more of a forum topic than that. Well done to all!
And the third recognition goes to my local vendor I bought from. Which was Vapor Lounge in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. (909) 945-1898. They spent a little over 2 hrs with me going through all the different products, how they work, the good and the bad of each (which really matched everything I learned on this forum, which gave them credibility in my eyes), spent a lot of time going through the operation of everything and how to use, and finally what I considered a pretty fair price. They also warranty the tank for life... even O-rings if I screw them up and if the Provari needs service they will send it in (they will pay postage) AND they will give me a loaner while the Provari is being repaired. How sweet is that!
What I paid was $375.00. (this includes 8% tax)
What I got was:
1 Provari full size, black with blue LED (I had already decided the colors and they had these in stock... sweet!)
1 Extended cap, black
2 AW IMR 18490 batteries
2 AW IMR 18650 batteries (they said I didn't need 2 sets of batts, I just wanted them)
1 Intellicharger i4
1 4ml (my choice of 4ml or 6ml) PV1 glass tank w/tip black
5 Pack of single coil pre punched 2.2ohm cartos
1 Case
1 15ml bottle of my favorite juice
Can't say enough about this vendor. Maybe it would be possible to shave a couple bucks going to internet vendors (not sure it would really be any cheaper), but I would give up the excellent guidance they gave me and the great warranty support. That piece of mind with a loaner being available is worth a lot in my book. Plus it's nice to have a place to go and enjoy the hobby with others and test juices, ect. Good folks there.
Comparison:
I have been using the iTaste VV V3 up until I purchased the Provari and to be honest, the iTaste with the PV1 Glass Tank and the Provari taste and vape identical. I spent a fair amount of time moving the tank between them to test and I really can't sense a difference between the two. The Provari feels better and more substantial, and it has that Provari "mystique" which is cool (OK... bad to the bone kinda cool). But the vape experience is really the same with both. That being said, the Provari will last all day and then some so I got that going for me, but I was surprised at how good the iTaste VV really is. I'm sure if I was using a different topper that pushed the envelope a bit more the difference would be obvious, but I do have a new respect for the iTaste and don't regret having it for a backup device. Well done Innokin!
The PV1 glass tank system is a real surprise though. All I had used with the iTaste prior to this was the iClear 16s clearo's. They did a great job, are easy for a noob to use (and abuse) and are still vaping great for what they are. But OMG, the flavor of my juice comes alive with the PV1. I'm sure most of you are just smiling with that "Been there, Done that, Bought the tshirt" smirk on your face... but until I tried a carto tank, I had no idea. WOW! And the PV1 is pretty easy to use and doesn't leak. I know now why Scott at Vapor Lounge took a long time making sure I understood how to change cartos, fill, and refill the PV1 for a trouble free experience. Thanks Scott! Oh, and the PV1 matches my Provari in looks perfectly. It's black with the same kind of machining as the Provari and just looks like it was made for it. Have no idea how to add pictures in this forum, but may have to figure that out to show how great the tank looks if you're not familiar with the PV1.
Conclusion:
No buyers remorse here. Happy with the purchase. Would do it again. I feel like I got a great bargain considering top level equipment, support and the honest opinions I got. They did try to talk me out of two different sets or batteries and getting a less expensive 2 slot battery charger to keep costs down, but I really wanted a complete setup with both extended length and normal length setups and the ability to charge everything at once. Plus, I have heard good things about the i4 and a good charger is never a bad investment I figure. Like I said, good folks there. I'm as happy with the personalized attention as I am with the hardware.
So that's a noob's experience, for what it's worth.
BTW, they also showed me the Hana Modz DNA30 Mini. Holy crap! That is an awesome piece of kit! Could easily see one of those in the fleet sometime down the road.
First prop is to Baditude. I probably have 20 hrs. of research on the Provari through this forum and on Youtube etc. My real interest in Provari started in the new member forum with posts by Baditude. He has a nice way of making a point without bad mouthing other products, being pushy, or making me feel he's an over the top fanboi for Provari. But he was obviously very impressed with the Provari and not shy about pointing out it was a quality piece that should be considered by anyone seriously looking to step up their vaping game. Just the right approach for someone like me to listen. Well done Baditude, you impressed me enough to research further. Much further actually. So I guess I owe you either a kick in the nuts for your subtle pushing, or a Guinness for tempting me into an expensive purchase. I'm thinking Guinness at this point.
Second prop mention goes to everyone on this forum. Great information here! Most good, some not so good, but all seemed like honest opinions without the typical trolling and FUD I normally see on forums. You all contributed to my buying decision one way or another. I can't ask more of a forum topic than that. Well done to all!
And the third recognition goes to my local vendor I bought from. Which was Vapor Lounge in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. (909) 945-1898. They spent a little over 2 hrs with me going through all the different products, how they work, the good and the bad of each (which really matched everything I learned on this forum, which gave them credibility in my eyes), spent a lot of time going through the operation of everything and how to use, and finally what I considered a pretty fair price. They also warranty the tank for life... even O-rings if I screw them up and if the Provari needs service they will send it in (they will pay postage) AND they will give me a loaner while the Provari is being repaired. How sweet is that!
What I paid was $375.00. (this includes 8% tax)
What I got was:
1 Provari full size, black with blue LED (I had already decided the colors and they had these in stock... sweet!)
1 Extended cap, black
2 AW IMR 18490 batteries
2 AW IMR 18650 batteries (they said I didn't need 2 sets of batts, I just wanted them)
1 Intellicharger i4
1 4ml (my choice of 4ml or 6ml) PV1 glass tank w/tip black
5 Pack of single coil pre punched 2.2ohm cartos
1 Case
1 15ml bottle of my favorite juice
Can't say enough about this vendor. Maybe it would be possible to shave a couple bucks going to internet vendors (not sure it would really be any cheaper), but I would give up the excellent guidance they gave me and the great warranty support. That piece of mind with a loaner being available is worth a lot in my book. Plus it's nice to have a place to go and enjoy the hobby with others and test juices, ect. Good folks there.
Comparison:
I have been using the iTaste VV V3 up until I purchased the Provari and to be honest, the iTaste with the PV1 Glass Tank and the Provari taste and vape identical. I spent a fair amount of time moving the tank between them to test and I really can't sense a difference between the two. The Provari feels better and more substantial, and it has that Provari "mystique" which is cool (OK... bad to the bone kinda cool). But the vape experience is really the same with both. That being said, the Provari will last all day and then some so I got that going for me, but I was surprised at how good the iTaste VV really is. I'm sure if I was using a different topper that pushed the envelope a bit more the difference would be obvious, but I do have a new respect for the iTaste and don't regret having it for a backup device. Well done Innokin!
The PV1 glass tank system is a real surprise though. All I had used with the iTaste prior to this was the iClear 16s clearo's. They did a great job, are easy for a noob to use (and abuse) and are still vaping great for what they are. But OMG, the flavor of my juice comes alive with the PV1. I'm sure most of you are just smiling with that "Been there, Done that, Bought the tshirt" smirk on your face... but until I tried a carto tank, I had no idea. WOW! And the PV1 is pretty easy to use and doesn't leak. I know now why Scott at Vapor Lounge took a long time making sure I understood how to change cartos, fill, and refill the PV1 for a trouble free experience. Thanks Scott! Oh, and the PV1 matches my Provari in looks perfectly. It's black with the same kind of machining as the Provari and just looks like it was made for it. Have no idea how to add pictures in this forum, but may have to figure that out to show how great the tank looks if you're not familiar with the PV1.
Conclusion:
No buyers remorse here. Happy with the purchase. Would do it again. I feel like I got a great bargain considering top level equipment, support and the honest opinions I got. They did try to talk me out of two different sets or batteries and getting a less expensive 2 slot battery charger to keep costs down, but I really wanted a complete setup with both extended length and normal length setups and the ability to charge everything at once. Plus, I have heard good things about the i4 and a good charger is never a bad investment I figure. Like I said, good folks there. I'm as happy with the personalized attention as I am with the hardware.
So that's a noob's experience, for what it's worth.
BTW, they also showed me the Hana Modz DNA30 Mini. Holy crap! That is an awesome piece of kit! Could easily see one of those in the fleet sometime down the road.