LEDs are giving me woes

[LudaCura]

I live in NYC. If I'm not vaping at home, I'm vaping on the street, with masses of people around. I've been vaping with V4L since February, and love them. But one thing I truly dislike about vaping is that it seems to give complete strangers the license to accost me, follow me dwon the street (believe, this has happened MANY times), badgering me with questions about my PV. I noticed that this happened more when I had a blue, green LED. With red LEDs, even if I'm holding a silver battery, it doesn't attract nearly as much attention - people seem to notice the glowing light more than the color. If anything, I have had people come up to me occasionaly to ask for a light, thinking that I was actually holding a cigarette.

So, I have a few red LED batts, that are dying a slow death, as I only use them when I'm out. I hate nothing more than being confronted and bothered by random people.. all I want is my own space and peace - I deal with enough stress from people at my job.

I have asked a few times in the comments section for a red LED, and the first few times got it. But lately I had an issue where I asked for a red LED regular manual platinum battery, and got a black extra-long instead. Can't use that one, as it doesn't fit in my PC and am rarely at home, so need to be able to carry it around. So emailed customer service, they told me they'd send me a regular batt - I told them as long as it's one of FIVE color choices (platinum, black, silver, gold, copper) and with a red LED, that was cool. Then I get a LIME GREEN battery. I would stab myself in the eye with that before vaping a lime green battery. Given, it had a red LED - but the color of the batt was so horrendous I couldn't imagine using it. So I emailed CS again (at this point, all my current batts are at their death bed, and this issue had been going on for two weeks already), and got a tort reply, saying to return them. I asked, please please let me know if you don't have any of the batteries I specified with a red LED before sending a replacement, and I'll just deal.

I know a lot of people love their blue and pink and green LEDs, but I suspect they don't live in major cities where there are people who think its their right to follow you around just because you've got something looking like a rave stick poking out of your mouth. Am I being a complete PITA for making a simple request, and saying there are five colors that I am okay with? This whole issue is just making me feel like a crotchety old lady.

 

[jeffree]

I just cup the end when stealth-vaping in public. I'm on a busy college campus and have been approached only twice during the past nine months. Everyone's different, though, and for the record, your color requests seem reasonable to me.

 

[Mary Kay]

Yeah I am one of those who love the pretty colors of my LED's and dislike the orange/ red colors. But I live in a small town and get looks but never anyone bothering me. I am 59 so NO ONE would think I am using a rave stick (what is that anyway?)
I am like Jeff The LED end goes in my palm and I push the button with my index finger. I use extra longs mostly.
I also never ever vape on a white batt!

But I don't think you are being a PITA. I think the team should pay more attention to the comment section. We need to check the update section too for which colors come with which leds..pick from the newest in or they may be out.
If no matches can be made, they have your E-mail and also if you are on the formum..your P.M. addy for other choices.
I know how busy they are and I also know special requests slow them waaay down. But minor problems like this can be remedied. That would put paid to a quite a few issues around here.
Good luck!

 

[poisonette]

I have learned to hold the battery in one hand so that my pinkie covers the LED and I hit the button with my thumb. This works with shorties & regulars.

 

[jeffree]

I push the button with my index finger. I use extra longs mostly.
I also never ever vape on a white batt!

Ah, so you're an index-finger vaper, Mary Kay. I'm a thumb vaper, always have been, but I agree about staying away from white batts. In fact, I avoid red/orange LEDs for the same reason.

 

[Gravity]

I mainly use XL's... the led goes in my palm, and I hit the button with my thumb. Looks like I'm chewing on a pen or something.

 

[Big Hitter]

Wow, that seems like a lot of trouble to go through.

I could care less what color anything is as long as it works. If you were in that bad of shape you should have wrapped the lime green one in black electrical tape or something. I know if I was in need of a batt I would'n have sending things back because of colors.

That said, I understand you want what your ordered. But I find if what you want isn't listed specifically your in trouble.
The comment field is pretty much worthless IMO.

 

[Tenebrae]

Sandpaper works to remove paint and get a brushed silver look. I personally love my lime green bat but the evil pink one they sent was unusable until it was sanded clean of the taint.

I agree with you on the LED colors in crowds. Sometimes I don't mind answering questions and sometimes I just want to vape in peace. I never got a red one but the orange seem to draw less attention than green or blue.

Comments are a crap shoot. Sometimes they go out of their way to honor them and sometimes they ignore them. I think it is just luck of the draw on who is filling your order for the day. I do notice that since they started having the order filler inital the invoice that the initals on ones that get messed up generally don't appear on future orders so someone is paying attention to defect rate. On the whole I have found that V4L will bend over backward to fix problems though so don't give up hope. We have been asking for purple LEDs for months now and they finally got them in so they DO pay attention to customer LED requests

 

[LudaCura]

Was out of the thread there for a while. Thanks for all the responses, and especially for the sandpapering advice Tenbebrae, I wish I had thought of that! I alrready mailed back both batteries, and am not in dire straits with the ones I have now, they're still working.. just crossing my fingers that I'll get a replacement that matches what I ordered.
V4L has been awesome so far, I really love the company - they saved me from a deadly habit, and I've already got several friends vaping with them now, happily. I love love love the Wow peppermint and can't even remember what a cigarette tastes like anymore, beyond the fact that it stank and gave me a horrible taste in the mouth, which vaping doesn't. So that's why I feel conflicted about the whole LED thing. I keep thinking it should be such a simple request, that it boggles my mind why it's become such a hassle. I tried the cupping the end with my end thing, but I hate feeling like I'm hiding what I'm doing, like I'm smoking something illicit - I think that looks even more suspicious to people than a blue LED. I hate having to explain ten times a day with a hint of embaressment what I'm doing to random people, and would actually prefer no LED at all, but haven't risked experimenting with one to see if I could kill it - not much by way of electrical experience here.
I'll just wait and see.

 

[firefox335]

I like the LEDs and have blue, orange and green. I have the orange on my white battery and I use it when I want to "blend in with the crowd." I would love to order another white battery with orange LED, but V4L has been out of stock for quite a while. Anybody know when more are coming in?

 

[scott58]

I got an XL battery once that had no LED function at all, but worked great. It was my favorite one until it died. No LED option would also be great in my opinion.

 

[LudaCura]

I got an XL battery once that had no LED function at all, but worked great. It was my favorite one until it died. No LED option would also be great in my opinion.

I would LOVE that option!

 

[LudaCura]

BTW, I just tried sandpapering the paint off an old black battery I had lying around. Looks great, I love the dull steel finish. Now I really wish I had just done that with the lime green I had returned. From now on, I'm going to request a red LED batt, stating my preffered five colors, but if I don't get one of them, I'm just going to sand them down. Only sticky part is around the button, it's hard to sand around it.
Another thing I was thinking of was popping off the plastic cover over the LED, and painting the inside with black nail polish. Not sure if that's the best idea though, if there's a possibility of inhaling the chemical compounds from the polish, which would negate the whole point of vaping. But worth a try. Has anyone else here tried that?

 

[timothy]

like me i hated the red led but when i go out i use my black with red led
i hope they get some more in soon this one is dieing also waiting to place an order
hey v4l guys can you put a mailing list to gether when you get some of the black regular manuals in and e mail me?????????????

 

[firefox335]

like me i hated the red led but when i go out i use my black with red led
i hope they get some more in soon this one is dieing also waiting to place an order
hey v4l guys can you put a mailing list to gether when you get some of the black regular manuals in and e mail me?????????????

Just check the V4L stock update sticky. They seem to be pretty good at updating it.

 

[Skruf]

I got a 510 battery with no LED from cignot.com, I believe.