Well, I've just joined the ProVari club... and it was kind of a long path here.
I was at a B&M store in Woodstock, GA (nearest one to me) two weeks ago and bought a VMax (yeah, yeah,
I know...) to go with my new AGA Hydra... you know, for the short protection to give the wife peace of mind. That was on Saturday. Come Sunday evening, JUST OVER 24 HRS LATER (!!) my button started sticking. I unscrewed the bottom cap and took a good look inside to discover that the sleeve the the control board sits in is epoxied in crooked, causing the fire button to hit the button on the board at an angle. Thought to myself, no big deal since the vendor has a 20 day warranty, as well as the Vmax's warranty on top of that.
I continued to use the VMax until this morning, but during that time, experienced not only constant problems with the button sticking, but also the unit shutting off for no apparent reason (as in like the batteries weren't making good contact). What sealed the deal was what happened while I was at work yesterday during my lunch break. I was sitting in my truck eating and when I finished still had about 30 minutes left over. Vaped for a minute or two and decided to lean the seat back and catch a power nap. I switched the VMax's button off and put it in my truck's cup holder.
What I awoke to was not the performance of a "high end" mod...
The VMax was firing the atty and I saw it just as the cutoff was reached. Actually, the crackle of the atty was what woke me. I watched it for a second in disbelief of what I had seen, only to see the VMax start firing again whist still sitting by itself in the cup holder!! I quickly grabbed it and started unscrewing the atty, only to realize that the OUTSIDE of the atty was covered with juice! Apparently, the vapor was coming out of the air hole and condensing on the side of the atty, which means that it had been firing for quite some time while I was napping!
I went back to the vendor and had them switch it out, which they did with no hassle. I would have just asked for a refund and ordered a ProVari mini, but alas, I was outside of the 7 day refund window they offer (however, their 20 day exchange warranty plus the VMax warranty still applied).
I thanked the employee who was helping me, and started to turn to their juice sampling area when he said "something, something, the ProVari's we have in the case over there, something something..." and I stopped dead in my tracks. Huh? ProVari's? This isn't ProVape... What?
Apparently, they had several they were selling on consignment (how they worked that out, I have no clue) and had several colors and both sizes, as well as extension caps!! I immediately asked if the owner would possibly let me swap the VMax and pay the difference to go with the Mini in the satin finish. They agreed and I ponied up the cash!!
I will say, I paid more for this one than if I had ordered from ProVape. But to be across the country and actually be able to see and hold one, as well as not take a loss selling the VMax in the classifieds and then have to wait for the dreaded processing time of the best PV on the market (although perfection isn't achieved in a hurry!) makes it all worth it.
I absolutely LOVE the mini in comparison to the VMax, as after using it for two weeks the size was getting annoying, particularly with the AGA atty on top. It felt like I was vaping on a 4 cell MagLite. I didn't buy the 18500 extension, but I will be soon (mainly because the wife might shoot me if I dropped the extra cash on top of the difference I paid right now), because even though it adds to the size, it's still not gargantuan like the VMax.
This thing is ABSOLUTELY FREAKING AMAZING!!!! I love it!
Anywho, I want to thank ProVape for making such a great product, and also thank my local vendor for keeping me satisfied and bending their policies just a bit... They really went the extra mile and just provided quality customer service (another reason I didn't mind paying a little more... I like to support them).
To anyone considering the VMax... don't. Just don't. The ProVari is DEFINITELY worth the extra bit of money, IMHO. No running hot, no button issues, nothing. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Glad to be a part of the club...
-Creighton
I was at a B&M store in Woodstock, GA (nearest one to me) two weeks ago and bought a VMax (yeah, yeah,
I know...) to go with my new AGA Hydra... you know, for the short protection to give the wife peace of mind. That was on Saturday. Come Sunday evening, JUST OVER 24 HRS LATER (!!) my button started sticking. I unscrewed the bottom cap and took a good look inside to discover that the sleeve the the control board sits in is epoxied in crooked, causing the fire button to hit the button on the board at an angle. Thought to myself, no big deal since the vendor has a 20 day warranty, as well as the Vmax's warranty on top of that.
I continued to use the VMax until this morning, but during that time, experienced not only constant problems with the button sticking, but also the unit shutting off for no apparent reason (as in like the batteries weren't making good contact). What sealed the deal was what happened while I was at work yesterday during my lunch break. I was sitting in my truck eating and when I finished still had about 30 minutes left over. Vaped for a minute or two and decided to lean the seat back and catch a power nap. I switched the VMax's button off and put it in my truck's cup holder.
What I awoke to was not the performance of a "high end" mod...
The VMax was firing the atty and I saw it just as the cutoff was reached. Actually, the crackle of the atty was what woke me. I watched it for a second in disbelief of what I had seen, only to see the VMax start firing again whist still sitting by itself in the cup holder!! I quickly grabbed it and started unscrewing the atty, only to realize that the OUTSIDE of the atty was covered with juice! Apparently, the vapor was coming out of the air hole and condensing on the side of the atty, which means that it had been firing for quite some time while I was napping!
I went back to the vendor and had them switch it out, which they did with no hassle. I would have just asked for a refund and ordered a ProVari mini, but alas, I was outside of the 7 day refund window they offer (however, their 20 day exchange warranty plus the VMax warranty still applied).
I thanked the employee who was helping me, and started to turn to their juice sampling area when he said "something, something, the ProVari's we have in the case over there, something something..." and I stopped dead in my tracks. Huh? ProVari's? This isn't ProVape... What?
Apparently, they had several they were selling on consignment (how they worked that out, I have no clue) and had several colors and both sizes, as well as extension caps!! I immediately asked if the owner would possibly let me swap the VMax and pay the difference to go with the Mini in the satin finish. They agreed and I ponied up the cash!!
I will say, I paid more for this one than if I had ordered from ProVape. But to be across the country and actually be able to see and hold one, as well as not take a loss selling the VMax in the classifieds and then have to wait for the dreaded processing time of the best PV on the market (although perfection isn't achieved in a hurry!) makes it all worth it.
I absolutely LOVE the mini in comparison to the VMax, as after using it for two weeks the size was getting annoying, particularly with the AGA atty on top. It felt like I was vaping on a 4 cell MagLite. I didn't buy the 18500 extension, but I will be soon (mainly because the wife might shoot me if I dropped the extra cash on top of the difference I paid right now), because even though it adds to the size, it's still not gargantuan like the VMax.
This thing is ABSOLUTELY FREAKING AMAZING!!!! I love it!
Anywho, I want to thank ProVape for making such a great product, and also thank my local vendor for keeping me satisfied and bending their policies just a bit... They really went the extra mile and just provided quality customer service (another reason I didn't mind paying a little more... I like to support them).
To anyone considering the VMax... don't. Just don't. The ProVari is DEFINITELY worth the extra bit of money, IMHO. No running hot, no button issues, nothing. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Glad to be a part of the club...
-Creighton
