I discovered the Zero looking for a cig-a-like. What impressed me the most is the thing ironically turns most folks away……
Smoooooooooth. For many that means a lack of throat hit with mild, thick juices. Especially on medium. Coil life is outstanding too. Yet like any pod the trade off is a blunted flavor compared to big ole modular devices. Still it puts out a pretty good taste. I really liked the drag too.
I say all that in past tense because the Vladdin RE is the all day device for me now with the Zero around when I want a hit or two of some sour apple/grape taste. Without realizing it, my subconcious just migrated to the drag of the RE. If that thing is a Juul clone I totally get why the big J is so popular. I've never needed a big dose of nicotine from pods as when I used to toodle puff modulars 3 strength was the norm. I did move up to 6 with the Zero and stayed there with the RE. It's new to me so I can't speak on it in terms of lifespan for the body part.
One not mentioned a lot here is the Vape Ant E8. About the size of a double a battery, it has a drag more like a cigar so it's a bit tight for some. I found a double a flashlight pocket clip for that one and keep it fastened to a pocket or collar (depending) so it's always handy. Now again I cannot speak about reliability since that one is only a couple of months to me, but it was my brothers for a few months before he gave it to me. He used to be a big cloud guy until he tried the E8 and ended up only using his Legend a few times a day. For him it was portability and ease of carry that caused him to look at pods for all day vaping. Same with me. The tank on my E8 has about a dozen refills. I swapped on a new one and preferred the old one that had 10 refills. Note, he gave me one of his E8's to try since it had become his all day vape and I kept telling him the Zero for me was close but not quite the ultimate cessation tool.
The ceramic core coils need a bit of time to build up flavor. Like an outdoor grill, these things need a bit of stuck on flavoring for the best flavor. The Zenith tank coil was the same for me so I was used to that anyway. Not that the initial use is dull and lifeless. No flavor at first is actually pretty good on ceramic pod coils. Yet after about 50 drags or so they seem more flavorful. Can they compete with the big toys? No more than a Cessna can compete with a 747 for carrying cargo but to some that is to be expected.
To this pod user the Vladdin RE checks a lot of boxes for satisfying old habits developed while using cigarettes for my nicotine ingestion. So it was an easy thing to get comfortable with. Shaping, weight, drag, size etc. I still smoke, but often times I prefer the RE to a cigarette. That had not been the case with the dozen or so mods and pods tried before. Folks at work think I've stopped smoking because they see me using the RE so often now.