Justify the $100+ price tag

[latexyankee]

Ok so I'm evidently new to ''true'' rba's, but like every other hobby/addiction I strive to have the best setup (check out my avatar) and it will be my inevitable downfall.

Anyway the price. Been looking at a bliss or cobra to top my provari, but is it just prestige, looks and build quality? A lot of people say that my provari is just that but they are wrong and I can tell they haven't used one for an extended period. It delivers continuous performance no matter what but that's a different story.

I get the whole vapor, flavor, throat hit etc, but many say that is just due to wicking. I've seen many that put an ss wick in vivi tank and say its on par with any genny style they own. True? BS? I have 3 vivi's and ss mesh 500 in the mail. Any of you think this is comparable aside from the titanium or SS build of an rba? Guess I'm looking for someone else "justify" my purchase. If it truly will give the best vape to date for reasons other than just the WICK, I'm in. Otherwise I can rebuild vivi's and knock off's with SS all day.


P.S. I love all of you, now that that is understood, do not worry about my patience and learning curve with RBA's and what not. I'm not a try'er I'm a do'er. If it's better, then it is for me, no matter how many times it takes to get it right. Thanks peoples!

 

[latexyankee]

Oh and happy Thanksgiving to all vapers. I may have turned 2 of my uncle's today who have been going 30 plus years on the ....sticks. Made sure i brought all my old pv's to hand out. Help your family switch!

 

[Shiryo]

Exclusivity? Personal Satisfaction?

Same question as buying a Mercedes C-Class or a Audi S8. Both do the same exact thing and aren't that much different in terms of every little feature. However one is just more luxurious and over the top compared to the other.

I myself wonder this same question, vaping out of a Phoenix rebuildable using just a SS wick, I still prefer using a carto tank.

However, putting it into another perspective... And I know this comparison will be a rigid one, but comparing a VMax and a Provari? They both are powered by the same battery type, they both are variable voltage, they're both tube mods. But the Provari is just more accurate and built stronger.

Again, what do you want to drive (or in this case vape), the humble Mercedes Benz C-Class (Provari) or the Audi S8 (Zenesis)?

Food for thought.

 

[latexyankee]

Exclusivity? Personal Satisfaction?

Same question as buying a Mercedes C-Class or a Audi S8. Both do the same exact thing and aren't that much different in terms of every little feature. However one is just more luxurious and over the top compared to the other.

I myself wonder this same question, vaping out of a Phoenix rebuildable using just a SS wick, I still prefer using a carto tank.

However, putting it into another perspective... And I know this comparison will be a rigid one, but comparing a VMax and a Provari? They both are powered by the same battery type, they both are variable voltage, they're both tube mods. But the Provari is just more accurate and built stronger.

Again, what do you want to drive (or in this case vape), the humble Mercedes Benz C-Class (Provari) or the Audi S8 (Zenesis)?

Food for thought.

Exclusivity can go **** itself. I'm already the most ''exclusive'' person everyone knows cause I vape not smoke. What I would rather drive is the unit that gets me from A to B the fastest, most fun, economical, with flavor and TH. lol

 

[latexyankee]

And I don't drive my provari cause it's the coolest car on the market. I drive it cause it's the most economical vehicle with performance. Cost's a liitle bit more for a down payment but with all the gas $ i save in the long run...win=win.

 

[Rule62]

I have several of the AGAs, AGA-Ts, and Griffins. I don't own any of the high end RBAs, but I'm perfectly satisfied with what I have. I'm not into exclusivity. I'm into function. With RBAs, it's all about the build. Tou'll be using the same mesh and wire, whether you're building a $200 unit or a $20 unit. And when it's all built, you'll be putting the same juice in either.

 

[jeffjr464]

titanium is pretty damn cool though....

 

[dirtyrigger]

The honest answer to why the high RBAs are more expensive is fairly simple. When you manufacture 1,000 units at a time you pay less, per unit, for the materials then when you make 10 units at a time. It also takes more time to build something by hand compared to an assembly line, so each unit has a greater labor burden. And what i believe is the greatest contributing factor is that most of the high end RBAs come from small, one man or family businesses, in first world countries where start up costs and costs of living are more expensive than what the chi-comms have to invest to switch their sweat shops from one product to another and pay their employees pennies a day.

All that being said i like the mass produced RBAs just fine. They function the same and i can't justify $100 (or more) on one atomizer. It would be nice though if an American company could come out with a line of genies that was only twice as expensive as their asian counterparts because i would feel better buying American, i just can't afford too.

 

[Zack nash]

I cant answer this as Im just looking at RBA's now but I love my Provari and i'm very happy with the purchase.

 

[spraintz]

With so many of the china copies and and other mass produced atomizers coming on the market so quickly I think that the makers of some of the higher end atomizers like my BliSS will eventually be forced to make the hard choice to lower the price, take the hit in sales, or find a way to get the same device produced cheaper to survive.

That being said, is the $130 I paid for my BliSS "worth it?.......Well IMO, yes, absolutely. But why....

prestige/exclusivity? sure, to a degree I feel this is somewhat true. I have yet to come across a cheap mass-produce genesis style (and I own a couple) that looks as cool or is as well made as the BliSS.

Performance? You bet. Although it is subtle since most performance depends on how well you make yer coil/wick, my BliSS is the easiest of all my atomizers to rebuild and has the best all-around performance compared to my others in many respects......wicking with full/low tank, pocket friendliness, least leaky, great draw....

Quality? Without question the BliSS is far higher quality than any mass-produced atomizer out at this time.


I know alot of these factors will be different for every user, some people just want to highest quality devices....period. Would I be "satisfied" using my $12 DuD?......sure (I use my DuD every day on my "out-and-about" mod) but I wouldn't choose the DuD when I want that awesome near perfection vape I get with my BliSS.

Point, different people will buy the high end stuff for different reasons but until the day comes where something as nice as the BliSS or Cobra or Z-Atty is available for $50 or less then, to me, $100 - $150 for an extremely well machined, easy to build, high end, high performance atomizer is worth every cent no-matter what reason one would choose to get one.

 

[j4mmin42]

I won't go into specifics, but it's also possible to spend $250 on a Zenesis that has real flaws before you even get your hands on it- which just happened to me. Believe it or not, the cheaper genesis devices were actually easier to set up the first time than the Zen as well. I'll be posting a full take on the Zen later this week, but suffice it to say that as far as I'm concerned, genesis devices are almost completely dependent on the way you build it, not on the device or where it came from. It appears that in reality, the only significant differences between the chinese devices and the exclusive mods are in the materials, styling and the price.

 

[latexyankee]

With so many of the china copies and and other mass produced atomizers coming on the market so quickly I think that the makers of some of the higher end atomizers like my BliSS will eventually be forced to make the hard choice to lower the price, take the hit in sales, or find a way to get the same device produced cheaper to survive.

That being said, is the $130 I paid for my BliSS "worth it?.......Well IMO, yes, absolutely. But why....

prestige/exclusivity? sure, to a degree I feel this is somewhat true. I have yet to come across a cheap mass-produce genesis style (and I own a couple) that looks as cool or is as well made as the BliSS.

Performance? You bet. Although it is subtle since most performance depends on how well you make yer coil/wick, my BliSS is the easiest of all my atomizers to rebuild and has the best all-around performance compared to my others in many respects......wicking with full/low tank, pocket friendliness, least leaky, great draw....

Quality? Without question the BliSS is far higher quality than any mass-produced atomizer out at this time.


I know alot of these factors will be different for every user, some people just want to highest quality devices....period. Would I be "satisfied" using my $12 DuD?......sure (I use my DuD every day on my "out-and-about" mod) but I wouldn't choose the DuD when I want that awesome near perfection vape I get with my BliSS.

Point, different people will buy the high end stuff for different reasons but until the day comes where something as nice as the BliSS or Cobra or Z-Atty is available for $50 or less then, to me, $100 - $150 for an extremely well machined, easy to build, high end, high performance atomizer is worth every cent no-matter what reason one would choose to get one.

Very good post, with my limited knowledge of all these new RBA's, I couldn't agree more.

 

[latexyankee]

I won't go into specifics, but it's also possible to spend $250 on a Zenesis that has real flaws before you even get your hands on it- which just happened to me. Believe it or not, the cheaper genesis devices were actually easier to set up the first time than the Zen as well. I'll be posting a full take on the Zen later this week, but suffice it to say that as far as I'm concerned, genesis devices are almost completely dependent on the way you build it, not on the device or where it came from. It appears that in reality, the only significant differences between the chinese devices and the exclusive mods are in the materials, styling and the price.

I've almost heard nothing but rather negative thoughts when it comes to Zenisis. You've been in the game for awhile (based on your join date) so I value your opinion. The ZAP does have me intrigued, but it's all flash cause it's damn pretty. While I want the best, I'm also stingy and hesitant to pull the trigger on one of these baby's. But then again, I finally bought a proper VV device instead of spending $40-$90-repeatedly on replacements. Sigh.....this just never ends.....Didn't we get into this to save $?

 

[j4mmin42]

I've almost heard nothing but rather negative thoughts when it comes to Zenisis. You've been in the game for awhile (based on your join date) so I value your opinion. The ZAP does have me intrigued, but it's all flash cause it's damn pretty. While I want the best, I'm also stingy and hesitant to pull the trigger on one of these baby's. But then again, I finally bought a proper VV device instead of spending $40-$90-repeatedly on replacements. Sigh.....this just never ends.....Didn't we get into this to save $?

As far as saving money, I wish

The provari is a totally different topic so far as I'm concerned. with a device like that, built for durability and overengineered to last- with much higher-quality electronics than anything I've seen- It truly is worth having one. The difference between the provari and something like a Zen hybrid is something like the difference between a toyota pickup and a range rover: The toyota is versatile and built to last (and holds its value), and won't let you down when you really need it; The range rover is very pretty and stylish, and costs a whole lot more, and it will do some incredible things when it's working- but it spends every other week in the shop getting repaired.

Also, yeah, been at it for coming up on 4 years off-and-on now. This time it's for good

 

[Rule62]

Save money? It depends. From what I've observed, there are two types of people in the RBA game. Maybe the entire ecig game; I don't know. There are the collectors; and there are the minimalists. There's nothing wrong with either. Just different outlooks. The collectors will scour the web for the limited availability of high end units, to the point of joining co ops, and waiting months in order to acquire the hand made rebuildables. The collectors pride themselves in their collections, and frequently post their latest acquisitions on here, Facebook, and in various forums.
The minimalists just want to make these things work, as cheaply as possible, and are willing to put up with air holes that don't line up, or need to be either drilled out or semi plugged, poor thread quality, unidentifiable materials, lousy hardware, non replaceable parts, etc.
The one thing both have in common is what might be called "a pioneering spirit". There's just something cool about building something yourself, that works. Whether it's building your own mods, mixing your own juice, or wrapping your own wicks and coils.

 

[Zack nash]

Sigh.....this just never ends.....Didn't we get into this to save $?

I didn't get in this to save money I got in this to save my health. After my dad died from tobacco related illness it was a real wake up call.

 

[lctrc]

Just to break it down into logical components:

a) what do you want in an RBA
b) can you find one with those qualities
c) if so, is it worth $100+ to you

Of course, (a) is going to be different for everyone, and factors that may not be important to one person may be deal-breakers for another.

For (b), it takes research, reviews, videos, etc. etc. etc...

I suspect that once someone answered (a) and (b), the answer to (c) becomes self-evident.

 

[zoiDman]

Whenever I consider buying some e-Cigarette related item, I apply the "7 Dollar Rule" to it.

A $100 RBA? Well $100 is what I spent in 2 weeks of Smoking. ie: $100 / $7 per day = 14.2 days.

Then I ask myself am I going to get 2 Weeks of Use out of it?

 

[latexyankee]

Whenever I consider buying some e-Cigarette related item, I apply the "7 Dollar Rule" to it.

A $100 RBA? Well $100 is what I spent in 2 weeks of Smoking. ie: $100 / $7 per day = 14.2 days.

Then I ask myself am I going to get 2 Weeks of Use out of it?

Simple but rational logic

 

[zoiDman]

Simple but rational logic

I told myself when I started e-Cigarettes that if I felt better than Smoking then it would be Worth It.

If I could save some Money in the Process, well that would be Win-Win. But even if it cost the same, I was doing the Right thing.

I feel Much Better and I Have Saved Money. So buying a New RBA or something else Doesn't really Phase Me.