Is Provari worth it? How big a premium must I pay for the very best equipment?

[zjb1]

Hey forum!

I'm brand new here. I tried vaping for the first time two days ago and it blew my mind. My first device was a single-use, disposable version. Then I bought the next level up--the $15 Maya thing that resembles a real cigarette and comes with a USB charger.

I realize now that vaping will be a long-term activity for me and I'm trying to decide what equipment to buy. I think it's pretty unusual when a product category has a single leader, acknowledged by almost everyone as the very best. But that's what we have here, no? In my short time exploring this forum and other online resources, I've found that everyone seems to agree Provari beats all the competition on every variable other than price. Some people complain it's not worth the extra money, but no one says the Provari doesn't work as well.

Could someone help me quantify the actual premium one must pay in order to take the Provari route?

It looks like there's a big difference in the cost of the device at the very beginning. The difference between the Provari and the next best option might be as high as $100. But what about the operating costs? Must Provari users also pay more than other people pay for consumables or maintenance?

Or perhaps the price difference works the other way around? Maybe saving $100 by not buying a Provari is a false economy because the Provari is more durable and has a longer lifespan, or maybe the Provari is more efficient in its consumption of cartridges or whatever?

$100 might be a big difference in terms of percentages. But I suspect that when I switch to vaping exclusively I'll save tons of money over what I pay now for about a pack a day of regular cigarettes. If switching saves me thousands of dollars per year, then the extra $100 wouldn't feel like a lot of money.

I'm inclined to start with the Provari. I value things like durability and build quality. If I buy something cheaper, I'll probably want to trade up quickly to the better option anyway. And it sounds like the Provari is so well built that people are actually surprised by how nice it feels. Like it's an exquisite little tool, like just holding it in my hand would make me happy. Whereas the cheaper alternatives feel cheap in one's hand, right? If I'm going to interact physically with this thing for hours each day, then it's important for me to enjoy touching it.

Am I missing something here?

Should I get the Provari V2 or the Mini? I'm inclined to get the mini for its portability. The V2 just seems enormous--it's longer than an iPhone and it weighs more--and the battery life of the mini is already adequate, or I could keep a spare battery and charger nearby. What's the best way to these things?

Finally, does anyone know if the devices are attracted to magnets?

Thanks,
ZJB1

 

[denali_41]

both the provari and the mini are both V2 ,,,and they are made of stainless steel so not magnetic

after i got my V1 provari,i was content with my mod selection,,it is at provapes now getting the V2 upgrade

 

[Flyer]

Actually, the V2 is a bit smaller than my LT. Is it worth the price? Only you will be able to answer that. It looks and feels incredible compared to my other PVs, and frankly anything I've seen so far. How much is that worth? I expect, based on the material and build quality, that it is likely one of the most durable PVs available - time will tell. Does it vape all that much better than my LT? For me, it's better because I take long draws and its 16 second cutoff has never gotten in the way. My LT at only 10 seconds often cut me off before my draw was finished. What is that worth? When I set the LT to a given voltage, did I get this voltage over the length of the draw? Probably not. On the Provari, you get almost exactly what you set for the entire draw, that's pretty well documented. What is that worth? On the LT, I had no idea what resistance carto I was using (my fault due to poor organization of my supplies). On the Provari, I can find out. I don't know if I'm helping you answer the value question or not with this. But, am I unhappy with my Provari purchase and sending it back (I could)? Absolutely not.

 

[Malduk]

Ok, deep breath...
Normally, I wouldn't recommend such a device to someone who tried vaping 2 days ago, though it seems you already did some research. Provari is pretty much maintenance free, more so than many other devices. Durable, SS, well made, blah blah. It really is great, it really does what it says on the tin etc etc.
You'd NEED to get yourself some good IMR batteries (my suggestion is to go with AW IMR Provape sells on their site).
I'm not gonna go into $$ issue here. Either you're willing to pay for it, or you're not. Those that aren't will try to find any silly reason why they arent; those that are will try to justify their expense. But at the end of the day, who cares; go with what you think would work for you.

After that, your maintenance cost is in the atty/carto department really, and juices.

I prefer Mini, though I also have an extension cap and both sets of batteries (18350 and 18490). They both work the same though; both have V2 electronics inside. And changing the battery isn't that hard to do.

As for magnetism, I have strong neodymium magnet next to me. You can feel some force when you put it next to a Provari, but its very weak. Most of the stainless steel isn't magnetic.

 

[sailorman]

They're stainless. No magnet problem.
Like any other high end thing, it's a matter of diminishing returns.
Are they twice as good as a $139 BuzzPro or a $110 Vmax. No.
Are they 3 times better than a $70 Lavaube? Debatable.
Are they any better than a Reo VV? Depends on your taste.
Some cheaper alternatives feel cheaper, some don't. Some look cheaper in pictures than they feel in the hand.

They don't cost any more or less with respect to consumables like cartos or batteries.

Whether you get a mini or a regular size is strictly personal preference. The performance is the same, excepting battery life, of course.

I don't recommend them as a primary PV. Some do. Mostly people who have been vaping for awhile, know what is out there and have chosen a Provari for themselves on the basis of their own personal experience. IOW, people who have forgotten what it was like when they didn't know a volt from a watt from an ohm.

There are places you probably won't want to take a Provari. You haven't tried other form factors and might not even know what you like in a larger PV.
Have you seen the Reos? Do you know the principles behind how and why they do what they do, and the differences between them?
If you like the feeling of quality, you don't necessarily have to spend $250 to get it. A Silver Bullet is as quality and durablility as they come, for $85. Put a $40 kick on it and you have a variable wattage machine that they can bury you with.
It's not rocket surgery, but there are other ways to get a quality vape with a quality PV and, in the end, what's on the end of a battery is more important than the battery it's attached to.

If you have money to burn, by all means go for it. You could do worse.
I would suggest you get a quality backup unit first. You need a backup for everything in vaping anyway.
By the time you get more familiar with the market and what's out there, there might be something even better.
This technology is exploding. Nothing is the king of the hill for long.
The fact that you have to ask certain questions, is a clue that you might not be prepared to make the best decision.
But, again, it's up to you and whatever will make you happy when you open the mailbox.

 

[sailorman]

... My LT at only 10 seconds often cut me off before my draw was finished. What is that worth? ....

You have a 10 second cutoff? How long ago did you get your ver.1? Mine has no cutoff that I can detect. I didn't want to push it past 20 seconds.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I just have to know.

 

[Flyer]

Got my unbranded LT about a month ago from Juicy Vapors brick and mortar store locally. They said they thought it was a version 1. Definitely cuts off after 10 seconds though.

 

[sailorman]

Got my unbranded LT about a month ago from Juicy Vapors brick and mortar store locally. They said they thought it was a version 1. Definitely cuts off after 10 seconds though.

Crap. That must be a new feature maybe. I was considering getting another one with the 30% discount at Apollo, but I dont want a cutoff. Maybe I'll ask them about it. Thanks.

 

[elfstone]

Hey...

Hey, there, and welcome!

I realize now that vaping will be a long-term activity for me and I'm trying to decide what equipment to buy.

Right! I know that feeling. It seemed unlikely it was true, but it was. You can just tell. Not to purposely annoy Sailorman, but I got that feeling with a disposable Blu. It was a far cry from what I'd call now an acceptable vape, but it proved the concept for me, and I knew right then and there this would work.

I think it's pretty unusual when a product category has a single leader, acknowledged by almost everyone as the very best. But that's what we have here, no?

Not in the least. And this is coming from a ProVari fan. It is an excellent device. Extremely well built, reliable and powerful; beautiful too. But the best? I don't know...

First, there are many vapers with many needs. A lot of times, especially on this forum, people will recommend whatever they found to be good and vehemently oppose anything else. But needs vary, and therefore various devices fit the bill of "best".

It is important to look at what you want from your vaping experience before settling on what's best for you.

On the other hand, as many of us discover, there is always lust for a new APV or device and there is always a new "need" to be fulfilled.

That's why one needs to think in terms of PV classes - from the slim, cigarette look-alike to mid-size sealed "ultimately disposables" and then on to large tube APVs and box mods; each of the latter two coming in all-mechanical, electric switch and fully electronic flavors, with or without variable power. Oh, boy...

There are entire classes of devices that are appearing and evolving out there. The mid-sized variable voltage - eGo Twist and Innokin iTaste, the rebuildable hybrids - Katana, Zenesis, etc, the very large battery mechanicals - Shockwave, BAM and so forth.

And talking about rebuildables - in many ways, rebuildable atomizers obviate the need for a versatile, "intelligent" APV as they require low voltages to operate extremely well and are easily tweaked in terms of resistance.

So there is no way to crown any one device as "the best".

A lot of time and effort is spent by folks in building arguments around their preconceived notion, and the end result is some form of fan clash. Don't let yourself dragged into that.

It looks like there's a big difference in the cost of the device at the very beginning. The difference between the Provari and the next best option might be as high as $100. But what about the operating costs? Must Provari users also pay more than other people pay for consumables or maintenance?

No, not at all. You can use exactly the same attachments that you would use with any other PV, and you would use AW IMR batteries, for the most part - which are the same you'd use in most other mods. Now, there is an important savings component to using swappable batteries instead of sealed, ultimately disposable e-cigarettes, but that saving is the same for the ProVari as for any other APV.

Maybe saving $100 by not buying a Provari is a false economy because the Provari is more durable and has a longer lifespan, or maybe the Provari is more efficient in its consumption of cartridges or whatever?

Yes and no. You get this type of savings with any APV worth its salt. Some are less likely to be durable, some more likely. All variable voltage devices are electronic and all electronic devices, ultimately, have a limited lifespan. An all-mechanical mod has a higher chance at an "indefinite" lifespan, but then it cannot be variable voltage. The alternative is using a variable power module - called the Kick - in an all-mechanical mod, but that is an added expense (~$50) and there is evidence to suggest that the Kick has a limited, and unpredictable lifespan.

The ProVari can be compared in terms of durability with the likes of Infinity and Buzz Pro, for instance. These somewhat cheaper mods are probably just as durable. So there. But the ProVari offers features not found in those two, and it feels far better to the touch an to the eye...

I'm inclined to start with the Provari. I value things like durability and build quality. If I buy something cheaper, I'll probably want to trade up quickly to the better option anyway.

That is exactly why I went for the ProVari, and I don't regret it a bit.

Am I missing something here?

I'm sad to admit that you probably miss a little bit more vaping experience. I still think you could just go ahead and get a ProVari this early in the game because of two reasons: it is a device built in a way that will not disappoint, and it retains resale value so there is just a very little risk involved in buying it.

It's obvious from your post that you want it. While a lot of times help given here is given in terms of what new users need to be able to make the great switch, I feel no need to ignore what one just wants. Smoking, vaping, PVs - they all are, after all, luxurious pleasures not basic necessities. So, go for what your heart wants.

BUT - you can't ignore, I guess, that you still need to have your bases covered if you want to make a switch to vaping, and that means that in any calculation you'd make now you need to include some form of backup. Either a cheap APV - if we're there already - or something mid-size like a KGO or KGO passthrough.

My most recent backup is an SD Keyring - a tiny, automatic battery that is shockingly powerful for the size and gives an unexpectedly great vape while, really, staying on my keychain without any discomfort.

The ProVari has intrinsic value, and once you have it and hold it in your hand and vape it you end up thinking it's not expensive at all. But that value, really, can't be fully justified in a strictly rational, calculated, accounting way. It's the value of a high end product, residing more in an ineffable feeling of well-being rather than in fact-for-fact comparisons.



Good luck, and again, welcome!

 

[Caridwen]

Lots of great advice given in this thread.

To the OP, we do have a provari subforum you may be interested in after you have 5 posts.

ProVari

 

[blake28]

All I can say about the provari for me, is I would of saved hundreds of dollars if I would of just bought my 2 provari's right from the get go.

But instead I went the Ego route for almost a yr and decided to venture into a good mod. I started stalking the ECF forums to find that perfect pv that would be the be all, end all to my vaping world. Well I did read alot about how the provari would be that be all end all, but at that point in my vaping career, I still haven't even tried vv, so I bought an Omega, which is a fantastic pv in its own right, but it only satisfied me for a short time. I then went through a few more 3.7 v devices, such as the alpha, p+18650, p+16340, and vv box mod. Well my first go with vv, I honestly wasn't to impressed, mostly due to having to Carry a screw driver around all the time and a voltage meter and so on for batt readings and such. But even then it just wasn't doing it for me, so I took another look at the provari and watched some YouTube of it this go around and I decided to make the plunge.

I will have to honestly say that since I bought my first provari, I instantly fell in love with it and I knew from then on that I found the perfect pv end all for me. I even had to buy another 1 as my back up b/c I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with anything less. So to say the least, I would of saved a bunch of money if I would of just went ahead and bought it from the get go. Once u get a good vv device, I think that u will never want to Vape anything else again, at least I didn't IMO anyway.

Hope this helps and good luck with ur decision.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[zerominusone]

I used a KR808D-1 for about 7 months before getting my Provari. It was really expensive and really worth it. I don't have a bunch of money to throw around so it was a pretty big thing for me to buy but once I held it in my hand, I knew I had made a great purchase. I would recommend that you go ahead and get a Provari instead of waisting your money on all the others. I've tried quite a few different PVs (friends) and to me the Provari is the best. So if you want the best, go ahead and get it, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Flyer]

Another point of view:
Of course, I have a Provari and I like it very much. I believe I knew exactly why I wanted it over other great options before I bought it. Choosing it was the result of spending a lot of time here, listening closely, watching reviews, evaluating what I had and what more I wanted. When I got it, I was then able to validate that it did the things that I thought were important to me. So, I am quite satisfied with it. But, I think if I had jumped straight to the Provari rather than sampling my way here, I would not appreciate it as much as I do now. I think this is important because our overall satisfaction with what we're vaping is what keeps us off analogs. Yes, I spent more money this way, but not that much really. In the end I got what I wanted. YMMV. Now what the hell is the latest device? I already know I want it

 

[elfstone]

Now what the hell is the latest device? I already know I want it

How about this: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-rebuildable-atomizer-integrated-tank-pv.html ?

 

[Flyer]

Damn, that looks incredible! Is it VV? It seems to do everything else. I love the ability to adjust airfow. re-buildable addy? That's a really big plus. Oh my! Gotta keep my eye on this one.

 

[sailorman]

... go ahead and get a Provari instead of waisting your money on all the others. I've tried quite a few different PVs (friends) and to me the Provari is the best. So if you want the best, go ahead and get it, you won't be disappointed. ....

THIS is the attitude I have a problem with, not the Provari. Someone is saying that HE tried the others and the Provari was the best to HIM. And HE expects that the guy with 2 days of vaping experience, no idea of what his options are and no experience trying any other PV, will also find it the best for HIM. And everything else, "all the others" is a waste of money because HE thinks the Povari is the best, based on HIS experience with friends' PVs. I wonder how his friends feel when he tells them how they've wasted their money.

So, what is being said here? A Reo is a waste of money? A Buzzpro or Infinity is a waste of money? This is kind of Provagelistical tripe is not doing the OP any favors. Ramrodding someone into buying something based on the absurd idea that anything else is a "waist (sic) of money" is doing them a disservice and should be saved for the Provangelist church meetings.

 

[elfstone]

Damn, that looks incredible! Is it VV? It seems to do everything else. I love the ability to adjust airfow. re-buildable addy? That's a really big plus. Oh my! Gotta keep my eye on this one.

Sorry for the off-topic, no it's not VV. Again, with Genesis-style, VV becomes sort of superfluous. It is built with the Kick in mind, though, so that's an option - at least for regulation if not for variable power...

 

[sailorman]

Sorry for the off-topic, no it's not VV. Again, with Genesis-style, VV becomes sort of superfluous. It is built with the Kick in mind, though, so that's an option - at least for regulation if not for variable power...

But that would be variable power. Up to about 10 watts, or whatever the kick limit is. Only thing I don't like is that I'd have to buy 2 or 3 extra tanks. I'm not an all day, one flavor, vaper. Now, if SuperT built a VW module with a LED display for it, maybe that Russian Nevis, the Provari would be running scared.

 

[Flyer]

Don't want to hijack this thread either. But thanks for bringing this device to my attention and enlightening me. Great points Sailorman! I've never heard of the Russian Nevis either.

 

[sailorman]

Don't want to hijack this thread either. But thanks for bringing this device to my attention and enlightening me. Great points Sailorman! I've never heard of the Russian Nevis either.

Ooops. wrong name. It's Nivel. VV OR VW, selectable. Here it is: Варивольт/вариватт «Nivel» (плата) ― SvoёMesto

And, here's the badass PV that's using it

And that's just one configuration out of about a couple hundred.
Варианты сборки мода ― SvoёMesto

The attys are rebuildable. The tanks, attys, controller and battery carrier are all modular. Makes a Provari look like a relic.