Hey there,
I know I promised a video review, but I just haven't had the time. I've had more than enough time with the unit, and it has become my main device. Here's my thorough Prodigy experience:
It took a long while to get this thing. That expectation was set though, so I wasn't too bummed. I had done considerable research beforehand. Here are the main features of the UNIT:
*Very strong construction
Everything exposed is metal (except the switch). I have dropped this thing, once down a stairwell about 30 feet. Could not find a scratch. The bent to hell BE112 atomizer on it still gave me a hit. I bent it back into shape with pliers. I honestly did not expect that kind of durabilty.
*No sharp edges to catch on anything
I have a 30lpi checkering file, and was *very* close to adding checkering to the edge of the battery cover. But Steve swore that the battery cover gets "like butter" after a few days, and he was right. If I had put checkering on the battery cover,it would have caught on everything. I'm very glad I didn't.
*Perfect finish. Just shiny enough, but doesn't collect fingerprints
As a one-time apple fanboy, I appreciate this. You can't buy a thing from Apple that doesn't get covered with fingerprints the first day of ownership. It's nice not having to care.
*Very nice looking
There's a high spartan appeal. There's almost an art deco thing going on. There's a 57 chevy hint to the font, but the name isn't screaming out at you. The look itself is a fantastic balance between tech and classic. It's not easy to pull this off. Ask ford.
*Comes with two complete sets of very common and fairly inexpensive batteries that are protected.
I had another two sets of batteries (four total) and two more chargers shipped to my door for 34 dollars.
*Very long battery life
I'm still getting 4-5 hours between battery swaps and my usage has increased significantly.
*Excellent switch placement
Falls right under my thumb. I don't have to do some bizarre pinky gymnastics like I would with competing products.
*Very natural in either hand
Completely ambi, and I'm using it in either hand depending on what I'm doing.
*Very comfortable to hold and use
People have complained about the length, but I find it perfect in my very large hands.
*Very easy part change/replacement (won't ever have to send back entire unit if something needs replaced)
I can't imagine a failure mode where you'd have to send the entire unit back.
*Practically maintenance free
Short of occasionally blowing hard on the battery connector to remove a little juice, and swapping out batteries, there's really nothing to do for this unit. I was initially pissy about the connector not accepting certain penstyle atomizers, but the benefit to the design is there's nothing to get clogged.
*Completely sealed
I could dump a gallon of e-liquid over this thing from the top and there's no fear I'm going to ruin anything.
*Excellent throw on switch, generally the best switch I can imagine on a PV.
I am completely in love with this switch. Big button, long throw, good stuff. The switch is so good, up until it was pointed out later in this thread, I was convinced it was anodized aluminum. : )
*Overall, an outstanding design
No wires to worry about. No exposed edges to catch on things. A button with a long throw and enough resistance that it won't go off in your pocket. People have complained about the size of the unit, but it works in its favor as far as comfort is concerned. Also, while other designs feature huge extended adaptors for other atomizers, the Prodigy features custom threaded top caps giving you that length back. For a user like myself that prefers the 801, it's nice not having to mess with some custom adapter that would increase the length.
*Local Company
Of the competing high voltage units, none of them are Made in the USA. That's where I'm located. I don't have to worry about any shipping issues sending my unit overseas.
*Outstanding Support and Customer Service
Show me the disgruntled Puresmoker customer. I've yet to meet one. Even people that have had problems get them rectified. I have had none to date.
*The Five Volt Sweet Spot
It's real. I have a six volt mod I made. I can tell you straight, the vapor from the Prodigy tastes better, and I can take bigger hits off it because it doesn't hurt as bad. I'm a believer. It's not just a gimmick. Flavors that were weak before explode. Atomizers that were "eh" before are awesome now. And my favorite cartridge atomizer "be112" works incredible with it, as long as you do the straw mod to the carts.
Negatives (weak ones):
*No built in USB charging
This convenience is something I love about the Janty Stick. To be fair to the Prodigy though, NOBODY else has this feature but Janty.
*M201 Atomizer's don't work
While I understand that the modifications to the 801 connector would mean additional cleaning and complexity to the design, it's a shame this monster dripper's atty is not available. It would be perfect on this natural dripping machine.
*No LED
I can argue for or against LED's.
On one hand, it wouldn't be too hard to incorporate a very tiny LED directly in the endcap. It's nice to have one for quick troubleshooting.
On the other hand, american cars drive me nuts when you open the car door and they go ".... .... .... ...." to let you know it's open. It's not terribly hard to figure out you aren't getting juice when you hit the button. Also, you SHOULDN'T be running your batteries to total drain anyway. It seriously shortens their life. You should be replacing batteries long before they die. So having an LED for that purpose is pointless. And I'd also point out, none of the other high voltage mods for sale have LED's either.
So that's it. I love this thing. At some point to be objective I will purchase and use the rest of the high voltage mods, but for now, given the feature list and unbeatable service and support, I'm reasonably sure that the Prodigy is currently the absolute best personal vaporisor money can buy and I highly recommend it to anyone.
I know I promised a video review, but I just haven't had the time. I've had more than enough time with the unit, and it has become my main device. Here's my thorough Prodigy experience:
It took a long while to get this thing. That expectation was set though, so I wasn't too bummed. I had done considerable research beforehand. Here are the main features of the UNIT:
*Very strong construction
Everything exposed is metal (except the switch). I have dropped this thing, once down a stairwell about 30 feet. Could not find a scratch. The bent to hell BE112 atomizer on it still gave me a hit. I bent it back into shape with pliers. I honestly did not expect that kind of durabilty.
*No sharp edges to catch on anything
I have a 30lpi checkering file, and was *very* close to adding checkering to the edge of the battery cover. But Steve swore that the battery cover gets "like butter" after a few days, and he was right. If I had put checkering on the battery cover,it would have caught on everything. I'm very glad I didn't.
*Perfect finish. Just shiny enough, but doesn't collect fingerprints
As a one-time apple fanboy, I appreciate this. You can't buy a thing from Apple that doesn't get covered with fingerprints the first day of ownership. It's nice not having to care.
*Very nice looking
There's a high spartan appeal. There's almost an art deco thing going on. There's a 57 chevy hint to the font, but the name isn't screaming out at you. The look itself is a fantastic balance between tech and classic. It's not easy to pull this off. Ask ford.
*Comes with two complete sets of very common and fairly inexpensive batteries that are protected.
I had another two sets of batteries (four total) and two more chargers shipped to my door for 34 dollars.
*Very long battery life
I'm still getting 4-5 hours between battery swaps and my usage has increased significantly.
*Excellent switch placement
Falls right under my thumb. I don't have to do some bizarre pinky gymnastics like I would with competing products.
*Very natural in either hand
Completely ambi, and I'm using it in either hand depending on what I'm doing.
*Very comfortable to hold and use
People have complained about the length, but I find it perfect in my very large hands.
*Very easy part change/replacement (won't ever have to send back entire unit if something needs replaced)
I can't imagine a failure mode where you'd have to send the entire unit back.
*Practically maintenance free
Short of occasionally blowing hard on the battery connector to remove a little juice, and swapping out batteries, there's really nothing to do for this unit. I was initially pissy about the connector not accepting certain penstyle atomizers, but the benefit to the design is there's nothing to get clogged.
*Completely sealed
I could dump a gallon of e-liquid over this thing from the top and there's no fear I'm going to ruin anything.
*Excellent throw on switch, generally the best switch I can imagine on a PV.
I am completely in love with this switch. Big button, long throw, good stuff. The switch is so good, up until it was pointed out later in this thread, I was convinced it was anodized aluminum. : )
*Overall, an outstanding design
No wires to worry about. No exposed edges to catch on things. A button with a long throw and enough resistance that it won't go off in your pocket. People have complained about the size of the unit, but it works in its favor as far as comfort is concerned. Also, while other designs feature huge extended adaptors for other atomizers, the Prodigy features custom threaded top caps giving you that length back. For a user like myself that prefers the 801, it's nice not having to mess with some custom adapter that would increase the length.
*Local Company
Of the competing high voltage units, none of them are Made in the USA. That's where I'm located. I don't have to worry about any shipping issues sending my unit overseas.
*Outstanding Support and Customer Service
Show me the disgruntled Puresmoker customer. I've yet to meet one. Even people that have had problems get them rectified. I have had none to date.
*The Five Volt Sweet Spot
It's real. I have a six volt mod I made. I can tell you straight, the vapor from the Prodigy tastes better, and I can take bigger hits off it because it doesn't hurt as bad. I'm a believer. It's not just a gimmick. Flavors that were weak before explode. Atomizers that were "eh" before are awesome now. And my favorite cartridge atomizer "be112" works incredible with it, as long as you do the straw mod to the carts.
Negatives (weak ones):
*No built in USB charging
This convenience is something I love about the Janty Stick. To be fair to the Prodigy though, NOBODY else has this feature but Janty.
*M201 Atomizer's don't work
While I understand that the modifications to the 801 connector would mean additional cleaning and complexity to the design, it's a shame this monster dripper's atty is not available. It would be perfect on this natural dripping machine.
*No LED
I can argue for or against LED's.
On one hand, it wouldn't be too hard to incorporate a very tiny LED directly in the endcap. It's nice to have one for quick troubleshooting.
On the other hand, american cars drive me nuts when you open the car door and they go ".... .... .... ...." to let you know it's open. It's not terribly hard to figure out you aren't getting juice when you hit the button. Also, you SHOULDN'T be running your batteries to total drain anyway. It seriously shortens their life. You should be replacing batteries long before they die. So having an LED for that purpose is pointless. And I'd also point out, none of the other high voltage mods for sale have LED's either.
So that's it. I love this thing. At some point to be objective I will purchase and use the rest of the high voltage mods, but for now, given the feature list and unbeatable service and support, I'm reasonably sure that the Prodigy is currently the absolute best personal vaporisor money can buy and I highly recommend it to anyone.
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