Apex Alpha? Provari? Riva?

[killerbee]

Hi all,

Looking for some thoughts/advice/comments from those with experience with these PVs. As I'm now officially an ex-smoker, I'm looking to move on from a KR808 system to something that suits me better.

At the moment, my top choices are:
1. Riva 510
2. Provari (or maybe just the the Provape-1; not sure I care all that much about variable voltage)
3. One of the Apex Alpha models with the RES- Yeah, uber-expensive, but as it's my birthday coming up, what better way to celebrate quitting smoking than with what appears to be an incredibly well-designed device!

Here's what's important to me, and why:

1. Battery life. I'm simply not interested in charging batteries over and over again. Not only is it a pain in the .... but it takes such a toll on the batts themselves. I'm not a chain vapor, but not a light vapor either, so looking for something that would last about a day.

2. Durability- I'm attracted to the Provape and Apex designs for the idea of having only to replace the internal battery eventually instead of the whole device (like one would for the Riva).

3. 510 connection for versatility in attys, cartos, etc. Ideally I'd like something I don't have to fill too often, so I'm willing to play around quite a bit with cartos, etc.

4. Ideally, want to get away from carts & cartos filled with batting/foam, as I have health concerns about these fillers- just seems like a bad idea to me. NOT interested in direct dripping a whole lot; just doesn't suit my lifestyle.

5. Very interested in clearomizers and larger tank style cartos, for reason 4 above. Extremely interested in the RES system of the Apex Alpha models- as it's essentially a large porous ceramic cartridge- thus solving the batting issue- and perhaps making cleaning easier too. Though this still would involve some dripping, I'm thinking I could supplement with clearomizers- does that make sense? Wondering if I could do that or if I'm missing something about the Alphas. (One other thought in this department- wouldn't it be great if there was such a thing as a clear carto that was made of clear ceramic instead of plastic? Easier cleaning, non-porous, heat resistant, no plastic-leaching issues? Maybe it exists and I'm not aware.)

6. I actually prefer automatic batteries- but from what I can tell I'm probably out of luck in that department, and they may just be a bad idea for leakage and other technical issues. I think I can get over it. But if you know otherwise, let me know!

Thoughts? Comments? Advice? Other model suggestions? While I think the eGo/Tornado/etc. tank systems are a good idea, I'm rather put off by all the futzing it seems people have had to do to deal with leaks, burnt taste; other problems. Additionally, I'm not aware of an eGo type model that has excellent battery life. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Spent a good deal of time watching reviews at e-cig-reviews.com, which I found very helpful, but any additional advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a million in advance!

killerbee

 

[C1BERUS]

if you looking for durability you should try Apex Alpha, with that you can replace only the battery if something happend and the switch is nice, give something unique.

i think all your question i like to answer from 1-5 is Apex Alpha. if you doesn't care with variable voltage LOL

but number 6.
you can try ECHO/iGO i got mine it was nice, great battery life, it gave me about 14 hour in my vape pace. i got 1300mah.
just dont drip with it, i got mine with echo carto they just work great. but ECHO/iGO not 510, i think they got KR808D-1, you can try vape this with your old atty right ?

 

[Eclipsed1770]

Sounds to me like you really should be looking at a REO or REO mini somthing along the lines of a bottom feeder.

 

[classwife]

If you go with one of the larger mAh Riva or eGo batteries you can use the larger tank cartos and get good time...

The Apex Ultra is really convenient as is the REO (more so)...

I have all of these set ups.......I think you would be happy any way you go....

 

[SkeetS]

All of your questions are pointing towards either the Apex or the REO as Eclipsed1770 said.
If you are not a fan of dripping or cartos...(my opinion here guys...give me a break) stay away from comercial tanks,G4 or look-a-likes as they will not satisfy you. Don't know why but i always have a strange flavour mixed along with the juice and the vapour is pretty much cold. (tried 510-t, eGo-T, g4 and always had same impressions on all systems) Also had a reduced Throat-Hit compared to dripping (as we should expect)
Bottom-feeder? ok...but you will be looking at cartos right away because they are simply more suitable for these type of feeders.

Since you have health related concerns about all that i would say Apex is the way for you (never tried it but will accept one for testing)

 

[mgaruccio]

The apex or a bottom feeder like the REO seems to be the best idea, they are both fully mechanical and aluminium so its pretty hard to break one(not sure about the apex's but reos have been submerged for over a day and run over by a car with only the battery or atomizer being damaged) Personally I love my REO but iv'e heard very good things about the apex units and the RES but I will say that atomizers work wonderfully on a bottom fed device, cartos do too but a reo+cisco 306lr (1.5 ohm) is amazing.

 

[killerbee]

Thanks all for the advice!

I looked into the Echo, but am concerned about the apparently very strong throat hit, which is not my bag; however it would seem that the throat hit would be a result of the 3ml carto it comes with, right? (Still very new to all of this.)

Larger Riva is still appealing, but as with the Echo, inability to replace internal battery doesn't make it my top pick.

Hadn't considered the REO- not a huge fan of the box style, but clearly worth considering...

Apex Ultra of course is still in the running.

And what about the Provape?

Cheers,
killerbee

 

[killerbee]

SkeetS- Do you think the strange flavor from commercial tanks is a result of the material of the tanks, primer on attys, both?

Oh, and I just watched a review from GrimmGreen about the REO, and he had a little quick fix which would prevent one from swinging toward a cartomizer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYDXljnARLE&feature=related

 

[SkeetS]

It is my strong belief that the flavour is a combination of some sort of plastic flavour along with the cold vapour.
Not strong enough to make me noxious but it's still there. Also i don't feel satisfied (nicotine terms) with the juice inside the tank even if it's a 26mg (yes..i tried it) when a 9mg on drip is all i need.
All my tanks are inside the boxes they came and keeped away for emergency only.

 

[killerbee]

It is my strong belief that the flavour is a combination of some sort of plastic flavour along with the cold vapour.
Not strong enough to make me noxious but it's still there. Also i don't feel satisfied (nicotine terms) with the juice inside the tank even if it's a 26mg (yes..i tried it) when a 9mg on drip is all i need.
All my tanks are inside the boxes they came and keeped away for emergency only.

Good to know- thanks. Have a sensitive palette so this is important. And like you I'm on low nic (12mg).

Have you tried any of the clearomizers? Wondering if plastic flavor might come through with those too. Though I'll still try them either way.

 

[CBB]

The Apex alphais beautiful and a great idea but it does have its flaws, mainly each model takes the three worst batteries made. I would advise against them because of the batteries alone unless you are a very light vaper. The switch is also an issue, a lot people have trouble working it, getting blisters and callouses from it and heaven forbid your fingers are damp.

The Provari is really nice if you want VV. There are some issues with it, like the number of button presses it takes to check the resistance of an atomizer.

Riva, well very short battery life.

As mentioned earlier, a bottom feeder sound like what you need. The Reo grand uses an all day battery and has an all day juice bottle. It also has a very good feed system. There are other bottom feeders that work in various degrees, and some very pretty wood modles. Look into them.

 

[SkeetS]

Sorry killerbee but haven't tried any clearos yet.
Since i got my G4 and tanks i usually run away from all that has plastic on it.

I would agree with CBB on the switch on the Apex about the injuries. But all PV's still have a downside because, like juices, everyone has a different opinion and likes what suits him best.
Since you are not a heavy vaper the injuries should not be severe...some callouses could be the worse you got.

My advice is start making a list (on paper) of pros and cons on each device from your point of view and decide from there.
Today i am vaping on a Revolution V2.1 and i really can't say anything bad about it (on the straight function of vapour production and battery...because i have had and still have some issues about it) so maybe...maybe the REO would suit you.

 

[killerbee]

CBB-

With the Apex batteries- what exactly is the issue? And if I had a problem with them, couldn't I just swap them with better ones (e.g., different manufacturer)?

I am aware of the switch issue, but I figure I could always just put a little piece of grippy tape on there.

I wasn't too concerned about the # of button presses with the Provari; I figure it's something I could get used to. I was actually just thinking about the Provape.

Thanks for the confirmation about the idea of a bottom feeder like the Reo. It's definitely on my list now.

 

[killerbee]

Sorry killerbee but haven't tried any clearos yet.
Since i got my G4 and tanks i usually run away from all that has plastic on it.

I would agree with CBB on the switch on the Apex about the injuries. But all PV's still have a downside because, like juices, everyone has a different opinion and likes what suits him best.
Since you are not a heavy vaper the injuries should not be severe...some callouses could be the worse you got.

My advice is start making a list (on paper) of pros and cons on each device from your point of view and decide from there.

Yeah, I tend to run away from any combination of plastic and liquids myself.

As far as injuries with the Apex, got plenty of knitting and writing callouses, so no worries.

Point taken on the pros and cons list- thanks again.

 

[mgaruccio]

CBB-

With the Apex batteries- what exactly is the issue? And if I had a problem with them, couldn't I just swap them with better ones (e.g., different manufacturer)?

I am aware of the switch issue, but I figure I could always just put a little piece of grippy tape on there.

I wasn't too concerned about the # of button presses with the Provari; I figure it's something I could get used to. I was actually just thinking about the Provape.

Thanks for the confirmation about the idea of a bottom feeder like the Reo. It's definitely on my list now.

Well im not CBB but I think I know what hes referring too. The alpha ultramax uses 17670 batteries which (unless super-t lighthound and a general google search have failed me) are not available as IMR high drain batteries which give the best performance out of a mod, in addition to that the battery itself is almost the size of an 18650 but has only about 60% of the power density(when talking about the protected lithiums, the AW IMR 18650 actually has the same capacity as the 176570 protected's but will perform much better) you have the same issue of IMR high drains not being available on the ultralite, the ultra uses 14500 sized batts so it doesn't have this issue now that the aw imr 14500's are back in stock.

I just realized how much text that was with alot of terms and numbering so if that made no sense at all the basics of it are that the apex alpha ultramax doesn't support 18650 batteries which are far superior to the 17670 size that ultramax uses and the other two models use batteries too small to be considered an all day battery(depending on how you vape a 17670 may or may not last all day but will never perform as well as an 18650) you may also run into issues with a non-imr battery when using 1.5 ohm atomizers but I couldn't find a c rating for the aw 17670's so I couldn't calculate that.

on another note I would not bother with the provari if VV doesn't matter much to you as it doesnt have any kind of feed system available and while it has been proven to be durable it still has electronics in it that can fail unlike the reo and apex which are pure mechanical mods.

 

[killerbee]

Well im not CBB but I think I know what hes referring too. The alpha ultramax uses 17670 batteries which (unless super-t lighthound and a general google search have failed me) are not available as IMR high drain batteries which give the best performance out of a mod, in addition to that the battery itself is almost the size of an 18650 but has only about 60% of the power density(when talking about the protected lithiums, the AW IMR 18650 actually has the same capacity as the 176570 protected's but will perform much better) you have the same issue of IMR high drains not being available on the ultralite, the ultra uses 14500 sized batts so it doesn't have this issue now that the aw imr 14500's are back in stock.

I just realized how much text that was with alot of terms and numbering so if that made no sense at all the basics of it are that the apex alpha ultramax doesn't support 18650 batteries which are far superior to the 17670 size that ultramax uses and the other two models use batteries too small to be considered an all day battery(depending on how you vape a 17670 may or may not last all day but will never perform as well as an 18650) you may also run into issues with a non-imr battery when using 1.5 ohm atomizers but I couldn't find a c rating for the aw 17670's so I couldn't calculate that.

on another note I would not bother with the provari if VV doesn't matter much to you as it doesnt have any kind of feed system available and while it has been proven to be durable it still has electronics in it that can fail unlike the reo and apex which are pure mechanical mods.

Thanks mgaruccio. Yeah, well the battery numbers are a bunch of gobbledy-.... to me at the moment since I don't know anything about them, but I'm sure I can look it up and figure it out. I wouldn't consider a model other than the ultramax, but when you say "apex alpha ultramax doesn't support 18650 batteries", my question is: Doesn't support 18650 batts why? Do they not fit the sleeve?

Thanks for the note on the provari.

 

[killerbee]

ugh, why is the word "goo k" being replaced with .... ???

 

[B4DJ1N64N]

The Apex alphais beautiful and a great idea but it does have its flaws, mainly each model takes the three worst batteries made. I would advise against them because of the batteries alone unless you are a very light vaper. The switch is also an issue, a lot people have trouble working it, getting blisters and callouses from it and heaven forbid your fingers are damp.

The Provari is really nice if you want VV. There are some issues with it, like the number of button presses it takes to check the resistance of an atomizer.

Riva, well very short battery life.

As mentioned earlier, a bottom feeder sound like what you need. The Reo grand uses an all day battery and has an all day juice bottle. It also has a very good feed system. There are other bottom feeders that work in various degrees, and some very pretty wood modles. Look into them.

About the Provari, the issue is not about how many times you need to press the button to check something, but the battery life. The plus about the Provari (and also a minus for some people) is that it's a complex electronic device, the output is regulated, which mean you'll get the exact performance from the batt even if it's nearly run out of power, you will get the best of any atty or cartomizer you had with you since it's a variable voltage device, you don't need to buy a multitester just to check the resistance of your atty & carto collection. But, not everybody need that. These day there's a lot of bottom feeder VV device which are reliable, durable, power efficient too.
About the Riva, you can get the 1100 mAh ones, quite cheap & reliable IMHO.

 

[classwife]

Thanks all for the advice!

I looked into the Echo, but am concerned about the apparently very strong throat hit, which is not my bag; however it would seem that the throat hit would be a result of the 3ml carto it comes with, right? (Still very new to all of this.)

Larger Riva is still appealing, but as with the Echo, inability to replace internal battery doesn't make it my top pick.

Hadn't considered the REO- not a huge fan of the box style, but clearly worth considering...

Apex Ultra of course is still in the running.

And what about the Provape?

Cheers,
killerbee

LOL ! I also have a ProVape...another excellent PV.....

I stay with the 14500 AW IMR batteries...decent time and I feel safer using them....All the mods I have are 3.7 and mechanical (I drop things) so I buy for durability.

The Apex switch...easy (eeewww alert !)...lick your thumb, wipe it off, use your switch ! I am female with small hands...didn't take me long to figure that out to not slide on the slide switch !

 

[Eclipsed1770]

For the record, I don't own a REO or Riva or Provari or Apex. I do own an echo but that didn't sound like what would fit for you. It goes to show that what is perfect for me might not be your cup of tea.

Dam those apex's are expensive. I thought the provari's were pricey. Those items are way out of my price range but look damn nice.