I was fortunate enough to miss the ecig.com fiasco, but decided on a whim to order a third iStick from CentralVapors.com for $21.48 shipped. Don't know whether it'll be black or silver, but either is OK, since I have a bunch of different and very nice 99¢ vinyl skin samples waiting, two of which already adorn my current iSticks.
I decided not to wait for Version 2---I have a suspicion that a second version may be quite awhile in coming, if ever. I have no information to support that hunch, just the feeling that Eleaf is eager to cash in on the iStick's current popularity without further investments in design or re-tooling. I think it more likely that a competitor will probably market a 30 watt-or-higher small-form-factor stealth APV before we see a new or revised iStick from Eleaf. The soon-to-be-shipped iPV Mini is priced a bit high, but perhaps Innokin's next-version MVP or something similar will fill the bill. The Yihi SX chips/boards are improving in quality and reliability with each generation and seem likely candidates for such a device. In the meantime, I didn't need a third iStick, but $21.48 in a no-hassle order was too good to pass up.
I also ordered a more outdated VW---a silver Sigelei Zmax Mini V3 (single 18350 IMR, 5-15 watts, 4 amp limit) from RTDVapors for $16.39 with free shipping---to replace one of my older VAMO V2s that recently went belly up. I've already received a shipping notice and tracking number via email for that. Another unnecessary impulse buy, but for $16.39 I'm pleased, since all my VAMOs have crummy pot metal 510 connectors, while the later-version Sigelei Zmax telescopic and Mini have solid and dependable one-piece stainless-steel connectors whose threads won't go wonky. I never minded having to swap out 18350 IMRs on my VAMOs or recharging my Innokin VW 3.0s after only 2-3 hours of vape time, so the Zmax Mini V3 will take over the empty stall in my PV stable formerly occupied by that now-dead VAMO.
I've never been an all-day-vape kind of guy; I change flavors every ten minutes, like a a juice bumblebee flitting from one flower to another, so I like having many PVs loaded, ready, and at hand. I even have two Magma drippers and a new Nautilus Mini with a hollow sleeve waiting on deck. One of those will go on the new iStick, filled with a DIY liquid from my next batch of homemade tobacco pipe blend or cigar extracts.
It's funny. As a hopelessly addicted smoker for almost four decades, cigarettes ruled my life, much like being in a passionate but horribly dysfunctional marriage with someone you love but also hate who loves and hates you every bit as much. I couldn't imagine life without smoking, but now here I am, a happy non-smoker who hasn't had a cigarette in more than four years and doesn't want one. Vaping fostered that miraculous transformation without the terrible compulsions, obvious health issues, and pariah-like social consequences, and with greater pleasure and satisfaction to boot. Sure, we don't yet know about the possible long-term health risks of vaping, but I'll take my chances.
Despite the various downsides of vaping---hardware that fails, retail juices that often don't live up to the hype, occasional vendor weirdness (such as yesterday's dust-up with ecig.com), stubborn social resistance that threatens legal bans or commercial regulation (including Paypal's ridiculous anti-ecig policy), flavorings with diacetyl and other possibly harmful ingredients, the "next-big-thing" consumer seduction that grabs so many of us---still, these are great times to be a vaper.
