Puresmoker's Protege` V1.1

[MSmusicstudios]

The Puresoker Protege' arrived FINALLY today! I was so excited as I have had it on order for a little over a month.

After taking it out of the box I was really impressed with the way it looked, and felt. It is very sleek and felt great in the hand. I was really surprised to see that the end cap was even vented!!!!! This was an added bonus!

So while the batteries charged up, I took a closer look at this PV... I love the SS switch. There is no wiggle room at all! It feels very sturdy. The switch has a lot of travel room, which surprised me a bit and I thought it would be more like it's big brother the prodigy (Without the upgraded switch). I attached a 510 atomizer to it and noticed that I could not get the atomizer flush to the body of the unit. Not a big issue, but it was a little surprising. Also there is no drip well (or a very small one). This is a little frustrating, but I guess I can deal with it. I had to clean up a little juice tonight that leaked out. I guess I learned that I need to drip a little less...

Now the vape. Well it was FANTASTIC! I decided to use one of my favorites to start out. NHaler Pear Lung juice. I had a huge vapor cloud around me after 1 drag. AMAZING. This juice (for me) usually has an ok throat hit, but the protege had a bit more than my 510 (as expected). The SS button was hard to press, and still is stiff. I did see that it can take a few days/weeks to break the button in. At first I thought it was misfiring, but it turns out that I was not engaging the button enough. I have noticed a DRASTIC improvement of the button response after a couple hours of vaping.

Overall I really like this unit. I have a prodigy as well, and sometimes felt that I was getting pounded by vapor, and didn't like how big it was. With the protege` I feel it is more like an analog. I wanted more vapor, and shorter drags than my 510 could provide, and the Protege delivers!!!

I have to say the few draw backs that I have found so far, are for me not that big of a deal. Time will tell, but for now I REALLY like the look, feel, and performance of the Puresmoker Protege`.

Just thought I would share!

 

[smokum]

Thanks for sharing !!

I'm waiting on my shipped v1.1 myself.... but being in Canada I suspect I won't see it for approx 2 more weeks as has been the norm from all USA orders for me.

Although my v1 Protege has been hassle free from day one I look forward to the latest and greatest and will keep the v1 as my trusted backup.

VapeOn,
Greg

 

[g123456e]

Anyone here using a protected 14500 battery with the Protege? That is one thing keeping me from purchasing. I've read that the protected ones are a really tight fit and wondering about possible switch damage.

 

[smokum]

I use protected from Deal Extreme...

Here's the items I use:

-TrustFire Protected 3.7V 900mAh 14500 Lithium Battery (2-Pack)
Item# 3435

-TrustFire All-in-One Charger (for 10430/10440/14500/16340 /17670/18650/CR123A)
Item# 4151

-Greg

 

[tintal]

I use AW 14500 Protected Rechargeable Lithium Battery from Lighthound on my Protege v.1 without any problem. It's a bit tight, but affordable, doesn't seem to risk the switch. BTW, these batts are great performers.

 

[LuckyCharm]

I just received my Protégé V1.1 yesterday, and couldn't wait to get it all charged up (my Prodigy died just as the PS offices started their move, so I've been back to cigs since then!)

But when I finally put in a nice charged batt and a known good atty and pressed the button, got just a tiny fizzle, not the bright red warm glow I'd expected. Tried again, and nothing. Tried a different atty, no luck. Tried the other batt.... I guess my stars have gone out of alignment or something, because I've now got two of the best e-cigs in the world right here, but they don't work. :-(

 

[redrhino]

Sorry to hear that LuckyCharm Send the unit back.... You should be under warranty.....

 

[LuckyCharm]

Both my Prodigy and Protégé should certainly still be under warranty (limited lifetime, whatever that means). I purchased my Prodigy less than a year ago. Hoping they can send me a simple fix or something, though, rather than going through a lengthy return process...

 

[Love]

I have had my Protege for about two months now. It was pretty good for about the first month. Since then it won't even work as a paperweight. (it rolls around too much) I didn't bother sending it back because Puresmoker said they will be sending out replacement switches. That part I will give them credit for and I hope I receive mine soon. For a while I kept taking the switch apart and could get it to work randomly but now it won't work at all. I found the Protege to be more frustrating over the course of the day then my wife is. Should I receive my replacement switch and get positive results I will make another post stating that my problem has been corrected but as of now my Protege is useless. You could say that I should have returned the Protege rather then complaining but after purchasing my Protege and having problems I went in and found reviews of many others having the switch problem long before I purchased the Protege so this problem was known by Puresmoker before my purchase. The proper thing to do would have been to suspend sales of the Protege until the switch was redesigned to function properly.

 

[tunabubblegum]

I have had my Protege for about two months now. It was pretty good for about the first month. Since then it won't even work as a paperweight. (it rolls around too much) I didn't bother sending it back because Puresmoker said they will be sending out replacement switches. That part I will give them credit for and I hope I receive mine soon. For a while I kept taking the switch apart and could get it to work randomly but now it won't work at all. I found the Protege to be more frustrating over the course of the day then my wife is. Should I receive my replacement switch and get positive results I will make another post stating that my problem has been corrected but as of now my Protege is useless. You could say that I should have returned the Protege rather then complaining but after purchasing my Protege and having problems I went in and found reviews of many others having the switch problem long before I purchased the Protege so this problem was known by Puresmoker before my purchase. The proper thing to do would have been to suspend sales of the Protege until the switch was redesigned to function properly.

That's not good news to hear!!
I thought they had fixed the switch problems.

 

[DelMartian]

That's not good news to hear!!
I thought they had fixed the switch problems.

This would be indicative of my experience with Puresmoker devices. I purchased two Proteges and, additionally, two of their "improved" switches. They both misfire and, when they do fire, produce weak vapor.

I await my new replacement switches (at least they are free). I have very little confidence they work, but I am sure the forum will be filled with all kinds of posts about how to make them work.

 

[Tumbleweed4829]

This does not make me feel too confident in my purchase. I just purchased this earlier today...I hope I don't have any problems with it.

 

[LuckyCharm]

Trust me, if you're going to have a problem with an e-cig (and I have had many!) you'll be glad you're having it with PS. They are US-based, very fair, and will bend over backward to make you happy. If you have trouble with a Chinese-made unit, what incentive do they have to satisfy you? The entire US market could disappear and they'd hardly feel it.

My Prodigy has faithfully served me for almost a year's worth of exclusive, heavy use. I mean, I carry this thing everywhere with me, and I'm never NOT puffing! Now the switch might have worn out. If that's all it is, the out-of-warranty repair price is just $1, plus I think $5.95 S&H. I just mailed both my Prodigy and Protégé off a couple hours ago, and I can rest easy, knowing that I will be getting back two units guaranteed to work (you can bet they don't want to have to go through this again, as busy as they are! I imagine the QC process has just gotten more intensive, with the two new staff members they just hired).

After becoming accustomed to the Prodigy, my 801 and 901 just don't cut the mustard anymore, so I've resigned myself to smoking till PS sorts this all out. My first day back to smoking, I hated it. It just tasted and smelled awful, and I know that this "break time" is going to make me appreciate my P&P that much more. Oh, to go back to smoking the sweet taste of chocolate-almond...!

~~Cheryl

 

[mace bewley]

Lucky, I just got my Stainless steel switch (comes on the V1.1) It has a little bit of a break in period. Mine would not work at first either. Lots of presses and preasure is what it needs. I got mine broke in after about 20 mins or so. One person suggested putting a dime over the button to help with the proccess. Hope this helps!!

 

[LuckyCharm]

Now you tell me! I mailed it back today at Casey's suggestion. Oh well... hopefully they'll get it working and all QC'ed and everything, and mail it back fired up and ready to go!

 

[tunabubblegum]

Screw it, I retired my Prodigy in favor of the Super 6.

And I do not intend to buy any more of their products in future until I start hearing consistantly good reviews.

Out of sight, out of mind, as they say

 

[STILLSMOK9]

That's not good news to hear!!
I thought they had fixed the switch problems.

I know PS is an honorable company with outstanding CS, but I have had the same experiences. I have basically given up with mine too even with the new switch they mailed me.

 

[LuckyCharm]

I know PS is an honorable company with outstanding CS, but I have had the same experiences. I have basically given up with mine too even with the new switch they mailed me.

I found out I basically caused my own problem in the case of the Prodigy -- I had let the adapter get so dirty (I didn't know it should be periodically removed and cleaned!) that it was leaking fluid onto the switch. They've fixed it up and also rehabbed the Protégé, and they're both on the way back to me now, for only $10 repair fee (for the Prodigy, which needed a new adapter).

~~Cheryl

 

[aschmidy]

I was $10 and $20 to death with my Protege, I give up. 3 nonworking switches? Looking elsewhere.

 

[G_Jones]

The new stainless steel switch works great on the Protege. Took mine a small amount of usage to break it in, but the thing is a champ. I imagine it could last for years of heavy usage. The very low cost of the long-life 14500 batteries is a huge benefit, making the Protege as cost effective or more so as just about any vaping device. Also, Puresmoker customer service is excellent, and I was pleased to buy a device built in my own country.