
You're welcome, son. Sorry for giving you a giant wall of text to wade through, but I figured since you asked the question, you'd prefer to have most of the info you need in one place. As far as Provari haters, I think a lot of people hate on Provaris because a few vocal Provari owners are very pretentious about owning Provaris, and try to claim that Provari is the only high end device out there... which most people know is not true, and those kinds of claims irritate the rest of us because it tends to lure new people into thinking they should start with a Provari, when most new people could start with something a little (or a lot!) cheaper that functions in the same way, and then buy a Provari later if they want to have a Provari or like the idea of US manufacturing and a warranty. If, when I was new, someone had told me that "the only way to vape!!" was to buy a $200 mod, plus batteries, plus charger, I wouldn't be vaping now. As it is, I'm vaping on affordable gear, staying off the smokes, and I may well get a Provari *some day*... but if I do, I'll be getting it knowing that I'm getting it to support US manufacturers and for the warranty, not because "it's the only way to vape!!"
Most Provari owners are fantastic people, and many of them saved up to get a Provari for the right reasons, and they don't answer every single "what should I buy?" question with "get a Provari!!" As with many things, it's the vocal few that cause the problem, and the majority end up embarrassed by them.
As far as how I know so much - lots of research! Going back to smoking would literally kill me, sooner rather than later, so I decided that if I was going to vape instead, I should learn everything I could about it so I could do it the right way for me. I'm still learning.