Well VV is all the rage and I have to admit I've started drooling over the Provari even considering starting a fund to save up for one
but for a primary smoking device I find I'm concerned about the fact that any failure would require sending it in to the manufacturer for service.
So I suggest a mechanical mod.
I personally like the PureSmoker Prodigy V3.1. I just replaced my Prodigy V1 after a year and a half of use. The only problem I ever had with the V1 was that the tact switch was kind unreliable requiring relatively frequent replacement and repair (relatively frequent being every 3-6 months
) The V3.1 has a mechanical switch which I'm hoping will resolve that one minor nit pick I had with the Version 1 device.
It's relatively compact, versatile and well constructed. It can be gotten with both 510 and 801 adapters giving one a fair amount of flexibility when it comes to atomizer/carto choices. It has a decent range of voltage and battery choices with either a single large 3.7V option or the dual RCR134A option for 6V.
It's completely modular and Puresmoker offers all the components for sale separately so one can be proactive and keep spares for potential failure points on hand in order to avoid the need to send the device in for repair in the rare case of failure.
My personal recommendation would be to get the 801 full kit with the 3.7 battery option add one or ideally 2 additional batteries, the 510 adapter, 2-3 extra BE112 SR atomizers and about 10 boge cartomizers and some juice to start with.
For added convenience add a second charger unit for the 3.7 battery so you can keep it at your place of employment (assuming you're a regular office worker ) .
If you are extra paranoid like me buy a replacement switch ($33) and a set of replacement springs ($2) though honestly looking at the design I can't really see much that can go wrong with it other than the spring losing tension over time from metal fatigue in which case you could likely get away with the 2 bucks for an extra springs.
Then if you want to try 6v vaping go to all-batteries.com and get their Tenergy RCR123a combo pack which will get you a charger and 6 of the green RCR123A 750mah batteries costs about 26 bucks plus shipping pretty decent price for what you get IMO. If you can spare the cash get 2 so you can keep chargers in two places which will provide the added advantage of 6 sets of batteries to rotate.
If you do end up going with the 6V option I recommend using small zip lock bags or similar small containers to keep the batteries in matched pairs and prevent them from coming into contact with any conductive objects around them (such as change/keys or extra atomizers in your pockets )
After that all you gotta do is replace atomizers and juice plus the periodic battery. Rotating 4 sets of RCR123As I get 3-4 months use until their vapor production starts dropping to the point where I decide i need new batteries. I find I get about 4 hours good use from a set before needing to charge.
I don't do 3.7 vaping so I can't really comment much on their lifespan though my understanding is that they generally have a longer lifespan. That and the 510 adapter are on my short term wish list right now so I can try some cartos .
In my experience the key to making vaping work is to never be in a situation where any single component failure will prevent you from vaping. That's when people end up buying a pack of analogues. As such I think a good reliable mechanical device like the V3.1 is an excellent choice (yes even for beginners). They really aren't that much larger than some of the customs like the Ego-T and simply have far few points of failure.
The combination of the simple mechanical design with high quality components make these type of mods damn near failure proof. People have run over these things with automobiles and simply picked them up and went back to vaping. They fit easily in a back pocket (though do take care not to sit with one there as it tends to bend the atomizers) and hell I even sit round with it hanging out of my mouth gripping the tip with my teeth a lot of times so they really aren't that much more difficult than dealing with an analogue particularly when you consider that you no longer have to lug around a pack with you all the time.
When the batteries run down all you have to dispose of are the batteries themselves making them more environmentally friendly that the integrated types such as the Ego where in addition to the battery you are also disposing of the casing the adapter and all the associated electronics.(not to mention the fact that those batteries happen to be cheaper to replace)
Further while the device itself may be more bulky than something like the EGO, you only have to carry the smaller batteries with you to extend your use time rather than what is essentially an entire second unit, meaning you are likely carting around even less volume in stuff when you are out and about.
For example when I leave the house all I usually carry with me is the V3.1 with an atomizer attached a 10 ml bottle of juice and a couple spare batteries.
That's my advice, good luck just be sure that what ever solution you end up with won't leave you in a lurch.
