Hey guys, i just went ahead and picked up a new Provari mini starter kit off the provape website for xmas. I read alot of people asking about whether such a premium pricetag is worth it for a battery holder essentially. I will warn you that this is a very long post. Read at your risk!
well, casting away all fanboyism, id like to elaborate on the facts and leave the opinions to the side so that potential buyers can better understand the "Provari Difference"
SO LET'S just dive right in here. I will let you all in on a little "insider knowledge" so to speak, from a manufacturing point of view. I work as a CNC Machinist and Programmer for one of the largest oil rig tong manufacturers in the world. Basically, I machine steel parts and components for oil rigs that one day will help pump the oil from the ground and into refineries, and into petrol and its million products that we all use daily.
SO I am mentioning this because the first issue we see here with Provari is what's called fit and finish. Okay so we all know that most current APVs are manufactured and designed in China, where labor can be had for pennies on the dollar compared to our domestic costs. This allows them to manufacture APVs for insanely cheap prices, and also reap insanely huge profits, simply because they pay their work force next to nothing. They also tend to make really cheap and typically throwaway products. Well except for Apple products like iPhones, etc....lol JK! Not really....ANYWHO....
An entry level machinist/operator who simply pushes the start button and does no setup or programming can expect a wage between $12-15 per hour. In China, let's say it's $2/hr. Since the Provari is USA made, we have to account for a significant increase in labor costs during the manufacturing process. That can account for anywhere from $15-30, and perhaps more, per unit made. See, making a stainless steel tube like the Provari from a rod of stainless steel can take a machinist anywhere from 1 to 3 hours of machining time. I have made parts similar to this, not so much in design, but more in regards to relative complexity and shape. Not only that, but they will inevitably require both milling and also a lathe process to achieve the finished design. This adds significant costs in setting up and switiching between machines and laborers. The precision and detail work in a Provari unit is so far unmatched in the vaping world. Each of those cuts has been meticulously programmed and tested to ensure quality control. More money. Not to mention that if one of these tubes are scrapped in the process, the company must eat that +/- $169 finished product cost.
In terms of quality control, it is second to none. If a unit has even a minuscule blemish, it must be sold at a discount. Any thing more than minuscule and the unit will likely be scrapped. More money.
SO we have heavy labor costs and a time intensive process. We must now note that stainless is one of the most expensive steel alloys out there, and most APVs either use aluminum, which is significantly cheaper, or are made of a much thinner piece of steel. They may also use a LOW alloy steel which is of lower quality for a product like this. So stainless is rather expensive, especially when we consider just how heavy a Provari is compared to almost all standard mods out there. Significantly more steel is used, and it is also much more precisely machined and in a more complex design as well. SO all of these factors have already really started to add up. Why is more metal even necessary, and is it a good thing? Well if you're like me, you constantly drop your device from heights and onto soul shattering surfaces like concrete or tile. Good luck dusting your Evic off and vaping after it falls off the table onto the tile. Provari? THROW it on the ground and it won't skip a beat. SO yea, that extra metal DOES matter.
If no one has seen the inside of a Provari, lets take a look here : http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp43/blunderpic/P1000611.jpg
All we have is the chip mounted to the fire button, which is mounted to the LED, which is mounted to the body or tube. That is incredible when you consider the features packed in. In the size of a quarter, Provape has crammed variable voltage, ohm reader and several other key functions and safety lockouts that prevent user harm. It also holds voltage from the first vape to the very last. That 4.5 volts you set will still be set even as the battery drains out completely. Amazing. Really, only mech mods can currently get away with that kind of performance right now. Not to mention that the Provari is consistently within on one hundredth of a volt. So if you set 4.5, you can get a reading of 4.49 on a meter, or 4.51. How many other VV devices can do that? Exactly. Precision electronics, people.
SO not only is there high precision machined stainless steel of superb quality, we have precision electronics in an incredibly neat and concise package that has a very small foot print, electronically speaking.
See where we are going here?
The reason a Provari is so darn expensive is because it is! It would be impossible to make something like that cost as little as even a ZMAX, much less a VAMO. Probably even with offshore labor, the device would still be prohibitively expensive.
Another factor to consider is that Provape does not use end users as Beta Testers, or guinea pigs if you will. 99.9 percent of the kinks in this mod have been worked out looooooong before they ever considered bringing it to market. No other APVs, save a few, have really got a reputation of being so tried and true so to speak. There are no bugs. Many firm/software updates go out for less high end models because the manufacturer probably rushed to market to compete with Provape and neglected to flush out all of the issues in the process, resulting in buggy products.
Provari also has built in a number of user and device safeguards to prevent injury to the user and critical device failure. These include battery overdrain protection, overheat protection, current over draw protection, and a couple other nice safety features that will pretty much make it impossible to break your device during normal usage. Overload a Vamo or Zmax on an LR atty at high voltage and you may not just fry your atty, you may explode a batt, or fry you main circuit board. Ooops, there goes that $100 bucks. Provari simply won't let you do that, and it is a GOOD thing. I feel that too many people tend to tinker with things that they have little understanding of when it comes to subohming, high voltage, etc. These can and do lead to critical failures, including violent battery discharge. Lithium batteries and LiPo batteries are incredibly volatile and are not sposed to be overloaded EVER. SO the Provari giving an E2 error or whatever to indicate current overload is a GOOD thing, and is not meant to get in your way, but to protect you.
In the end, it comes down to the time and capital that Provape has invested in perfecting their VV mod, and the materials used in producing said product. It also comes down to ONSHORE labor and that cannot be overstated. I haven't even mentioned the incredible customer service and free year long warranty, with the option to extend that warranty. Repairs after warranty are not too expensive. If you want an APV to last you a few months, by all means buy a cheaper China made model. If you want a company with a near perfect take on VV vaping, a solid reputation for outstanding customer service, years of R&D built into the product, and a product lifespan many times longer than most competitors, seek out a Provari. Or should I say, await the arrival of the Provarinati to take you to paradise.
I hope I was able to clear up some facts about Provape and the Provari, including why it is much pricier, and whether or not it is $140 better at what it does than some other APVs. If I were an outsider with no experience in APVs, I would personally say yes, based on these facts. As an owner and lover of one. HECK YES lol.
Im sorry if I offended any Vari haters out there. The facts do not lie. If you don't like this, I would love to see an alternative to the Provari that can do all of this for cheaper, or do it better, or is longer lasting, etc.
Happy vaping guys!
C-Ram
well, casting away all fanboyism, id like to elaborate on the facts and leave the opinions to the side so that potential buyers can better understand the "Provari Difference"
SO LET'S just dive right in here. I will let you all in on a little "insider knowledge" so to speak, from a manufacturing point of view. I work as a CNC Machinist and Programmer for one of the largest oil rig tong manufacturers in the world. Basically, I machine steel parts and components for oil rigs that one day will help pump the oil from the ground and into refineries, and into petrol and its million products that we all use daily.
SO I am mentioning this because the first issue we see here with Provari is what's called fit and finish. Okay so we all know that most current APVs are manufactured and designed in China, where labor can be had for pennies on the dollar compared to our domestic costs. This allows them to manufacture APVs for insanely cheap prices, and also reap insanely huge profits, simply because they pay their work force next to nothing. They also tend to make really cheap and typically throwaway products. Well except for Apple products like iPhones, etc....lol JK! Not really....ANYWHO....
An entry level machinist/operator who simply pushes the start button and does no setup or programming can expect a wage between $12-15 per hour. In China, let's say it's $2/hr. Since the Provari is USA made, we have to account for a significant increase in labor costs during the manufacturing process. That can account for anywhere from $15-30, and perhaps more, per unit made. See, making a stainless steel tube like the Provari from a rod of stainless steel can take a machinist anywhere from 1 to 3 hours of machining time. I have made parts similar to this, not so much in design, but more in regards to relative complexity and shape. Not only that, but they will inevitably require both milling and also a lathe process to achieve the finished design. This adds significant costs in setting up and switiching between machines and laborers. The precision and detail work in a Provari unit is so far unmatched in the vaping world. Each of those cuts has been meticulously programmed and tested to ensure quality control. More money. Not to mention that if one of these tubes are scrapped in the process, the company must eat that +/- $169 finished product cost.
In terms of quality control, it is second to none. If a unit has even a minuscule blemish, it must be sold at a discount. Any thing more than minuscule and the unit will likely be scrapped. More money.
SO we have heavy labor costs and a time intensive process. We must now note that stainless is one of the most expensive steel alloys out there, and most APVs either use aluminum, which is significantly cheaper, or are made of a much thinner piece of steel. They may also use a LOW alloy steel which is of lower quality for a product like this. So stainless is rather expensive, especially when we consider just how heavy a Provari is compared to almost all standard mods out there. Significantly more steel is used, and it is also much more precisely machined and in a more complex design as well. SO all of these factors have already really started to add up. Why is more metal even necessary, and is it a good thing? Well if you're like me, you constantly drop your device from heights and onto soul shattering surfaces like concrete or tile. Good luck dusting your Evic off and vaping after it falls off the table onto the tile. Provari? THROW it on the ground and it won't skip a beat. SO yea, that extra metal DOES matter.
If no one has seen the inside of a Provari, lets take a look here : http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp43/blunderpic/P1000611.jpg
All we have is the chip mounted to the fire button, which is mounted to the LED, which is mounted to the body or tube. That is incredible when you consider the features packed in. In the size of a quarter, Provape has crammed variable voltage, ohm reader and several other key functions and safety lockouts that prevent user harm. It also holds voltage from the first vape to the very last. That 4.5 volts you set will still be set even as the battery drains out completely. Amazing. Really, only mech mods can currently get away with that kind of performance right now. Not to mention that the Provari is consistently within on one hundredth of a volt. So if you set 4.5, you can get a reading of 4.49 on a meter, or 4.51. How many other VV devices can do that? Exactly. Precision electronics, people.
SO not only is there high precision machined stainless steel of superb quality, we have precision electronics in an incredibly neat and concise package that has a very small foot print, electronically speaking.
See where we are going here?
The reason a Provari is so darn expensive is because it is! It would be impossible to make something like that cost as little as even a ZMAX, much less a VAMO. Probably even with offshore labor, the device would still be prohibitively expensive.
Another factor to consider is that Provape does not use end users as Beta Testers, or guinea pigs if you will. 99.9 percent of the kinks in this mod have been worked out looooooong before they ever considered bringing it to market. No other APVs, save a few, have really got a reputation of being so tried and true so to speak. There are no bugs. Many firm/software updates go out for less high end models because the manufacturer probably rushed to market to compete with Provape and neglected to flush out all of the issues in the process, resulting in buggy products.
Provari also has built in a number of user and device safeguards to prevent injury to the user and critical device failure. These include battery overdrain protection, overheat protection, current over draw protection, and a couple other nice safety features that will pretty much make it impossible to break your device during normal usage. Overload a Vamo or Zmax on an LR atty at high voltage and you may not just fry your atty, you may explode a batt, or fry you main circuit board. Ooops, there goes that $100 bucks. Provari simply won't let you do that, and it is a GOOD thing. I feel that too many people tend to tinker with things that they have little understanding of when it comes to subohming, high voltage, etc. These can and do lead to critical failures, including violent battery discharge. Lithium batteries and LiPo batteries are incredibly volatile and are not sposed to be overloaded EVER. SO the Provari giving an E2 error or whatever to indicate current overload is a GOOD thing, and is not meant to get in your way, but to protect you.
In the end, it comes down to the time and capital that Provape has invested in perfecting their VV mod, and the materials used in producing said product. It also comes down to ONSHORE labor and that cannot be overstated. I haven't even mentioned the incredible customer service and free year long warranty, with the option to extend that warranty. Repairs after warranty are not too expensive. If you want an APV to last you a few months, by all means buy a cheaper China made model. If you want a company with a near perfect take on VV vaping, a solid reputation for outstanding customer service, years of R&D built into the product, and a product lifespan many times longer than most competitors, seek out a Provari. Or should I say, await the arrival of the Provarinati to take you to paradise.
I hope I was able to clear up some facts about Provape and the Provari, including why it is much pricier, and whether or not it is $140 better at what it does than some other APVs. If I were an outsider with no experience in APVs, I would personally say yes, based on these facts. As an owner and lover of one. HECK YES lol.
Im sorry if I offended any Vari haters out there. The facts do not lie. If you don't like this, I would love to see an alternative to the Provari that can do all of this for cheaper, or do it better, or is longer lasting, etc.
Happy vaping guys!
C-Ram
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Very well put. I totally agree and approve. You should blog this post so when the next "Why a Provari?" post comes along we can just link to your blog.
