Forgive me if I should have split these reviews up, it just seemed like a waste of threads 
.
OK, I just started vaping about 2 months ago after getting burned by Blu (haha) a year ago. I bought another pen style (an 808 clone) that only kinda half way worked as a substitute for my analogs , but it did include a 5V PT that convinced me vaping as a concept could work for me if I found the right hardware. I didn't care if my battery powered PV looked like an analog or not, I just wanted functionality at least on par with my PT as I was able to go analog free immediately after receiving my 808 knock offs so long as I was with in reach of a wall socket for my PT. I kinda wanted VV as I could foresee tracking down the correct atty/carto resistance might become an issue, but I tried to keep an open mind when that particular feature was not available on a mod. I narrowed my search down to three, the infinity, the provari, and the Reo Grand. I thought to myself "in for a penny, in for a pound" and decided to get my grubby little hands on all of them. The following is why I chose these particular mods and what I found:
Infinity:
I chose this mod because 1) referrals from other forum members in the chat room were numerous. 2) it's VV and that would open up options for different atty/carto configurations and 3) because I was already looking at the provari, but the long build time seemed daunting. I already intended to buy at least two PVs so I'd have a back up in case of equipment failure. I figured I could use this bad boy until the provari got to me and keep one of em as a back up or sell one to recoup a little of my initial cost depending on which one I liked. It arrived after the one week build time more or less (it actually took a little longer) black, slim, simple. It did feel a little cheaper than I had expected for the price. The button feels rubbery and when I unscrewed a carto from it the first time, the whole top cap came off instead exposing the soldiered wires. I was afraid the soldier would break when I went to screw it back on (but the soldier did hold). All in all, initial impressions were a little bit of a let down. I got the 510 threads, but ordered an 808 adapter to go along with it because I was (and still am to a certain degree) sitting on a mountain of pre-filled 808 cartomisers from my failed 808 experiment. I also ordered the voltage tester. Despite my disappointed initial impressions, it works well for what it was intended for. With the right carto/atty configuration, it produces copious amounts of vapor, better than my PT. I could play around the taste of new juices (pro or DIY) at different voltages. When I found a setting I liked, I could connect the voltage tester to retrieve that info, use a multimeter to check the atty ohms, calculate my wattage, fill a carto after checking it's ohms, and dial in a voltage that would give me the same wattage as the setting I liked during the testing phase with good results. What the infinity doesn't do well is this: It isn't durable enough to keep up with my active life style. I can be hard on equipment, especially tools, and I consider a PV a tool. The first time I dropped it, it lost a very noticeable amount of the black finish right around the voltage dial. The first night I took it out with me, it pocket fired multiple times, frying 2 attys. I recommend this mod if you are A) interested in a tube style VV PV and B) either not especially active or don't mind babying your PV.
The Reo Grand:
I ordered this mod because I like the taste out of an atty more than out of a carto. Cartridges are a joke (even modded) and after 2 days of dripping I already decided there was no way I could do that all the time (time consuming, messy, inconvenient when otherwise busy). So a bottom feeder solves all that. Why the Reo instead of say....the VV Ali'i? In a single word, wood. The Reo looked like (and turned out to BE) a TANK. I figured this was a piece of equipment that I could rely on. Ordering this little baby was no fun at all. I had to camp out on the website to insure getting my order in before they were out of stock. Now, is this better than ordering a product and having to wait on build time? IDK but either way is a pain. It arrived very promptly. I watched a very basic video on the operation of the mini off the website and understood the operation of my unit immediately. Initial impressions? "This is absolutely everything I had hoped it would be." It vaped every bit as well as anything else I had used once I found the right atty out of my collection (a 1.5 ohm job made by joye). It tastes far better to me than using a carto. It's durable as all get out. I've dropped mine multiple times on to concrete with very little damage to the finish (black on black). What the reo doesn't do as well: for one, I wish it was VV. I can only imagine the pain of trying to find more 1.5 attys if my usual vendors can't come through. Another point is this, using this baby while driving or while in the dark isn't as easy as using a carto. If you can't see the juice come out at the bottom of the atty when you feed it, then you just have to kind of guess, which doesn't always work out as well as I would like. The final small issue was actually just a small hurdle. I noticed that keeping the Reo in my pocket would allow lint and other little pieces of junk to collect on the wet surface of the feeder cup. This can lead to contaminated juice and clogged attys. I got a rubber stopper, drilled a hole through the middle to fit pretty snug around the atty, slipped the stopper around the atty so I could push the plug down to cover the feed cup while in my pocket. Just slide up the stopper, feed the atty, and vape away worry free, and when you're done, plug up the feeder with the plug, easy peesy. All in all, the lack of VV and the usage in the dark aren't large issues at all, and I can recommend this PV to anyone at all, it's my go to PV and don't think it will be dethroned anytime soon. I have depended on it over and over and it has never left me up a creek with out a paddle.
The Provari:
I ordered this mod because of the excellent feature list, 'nuff said. Build time on it ended up being 3.5 weeks because the option to upgrade to a different color became available during my wait for the unit and that added a little on to the lead time. It arrived absolutely beautiful. The textured black coating feels wonderful in my hand and is extremely attractive to the eye. The coating is also pretty durable. I dropped it on concrete (yeah yeah, I drop things a lot LOL) and it left a very very small defect in the coating on the extended end cap. I will say the draw is a little more airy than I am use to, but it still gets the job done with out a doubt (I am considering trying to find a way modify the air flow indentions on the connector to correct this. Ideas anyone?). It has rendered my multimeter a tool again instead of a vaping accessory and that is awesome. I can read the voltage without disconnecting anything at all, which is extremely handy. With a carto, this is by far the easiest to use PV I own. If I'm going to be in the dark for a long period of time, or if I'm going to drive for hours (or if I'm going to drive in the dark LOL) this PV is going to go with me. This is my go to tester PV for new juices. What the provari doesn't do well is a short list but bares note. The airyer draw may not be for some people and I'm not sure there is an easy fix. The lead time is just sort of absolutely ridiculous. 3.5 weeks is like 3.5 years in vaping time.
Anyway, I can recommend these PV's to just about anyone (if you are willing to deal with a few minor issues). I hope y'all enjoyed reading this (my first review) as much I enjoyed the research! Happy vaping
. OK, I just started vaping about 2 months ago after getting burned by Blu (haha) a year ago. I bought another pen style (an 808 clone) that only kinda half way worked as a substitute for my analogs , but it did include a 5V PT that convinced me vaping as a concept could work for me if I found the right hardware. I didn't care if my battery powered PV looked like an analog or not, I just wanted functionality at least on par with my PT as I was able to go analog free immediately after receiving my 808 knock offs so long as I was with in reach of a wall socket for my PT. I kinda wanted VV as I could foresee tracking down the correct atty/carto resistance might become an issue, but I tried to keep an open mind when that particular feature was not available on a mod. I narrowed my search down to three, the infinity, the provari, and the Reo Grand. I thought to myself "in for a penny, in for a pound" and decided to get my grubby little hands on all of them. The following is why I chose these particular mods and what I found:
Infinity:
I chose this mod because 1) referrals from other forum members in the chat room were numerous. 2) it's VV and that would open up options for different atty/carto configurations and 3) because I was already looking at the provari, but the long build time seemed daunting. I already intended to buy at least two PVs so I'd have a back up in case of equipment failure. I figured I could use this bad boy until the provari got to me and keep one of em as a back up or sell one to recoup a little of my initial cost depending on which one I liked. It arrived after the one week build time more or less (it actually took a little longer) black, slim, simple. It did feel a little cheaper than I had expected for the price. The button feels rubbery and when I unscrewed a carto from it the first time, the whole top cap came off instead exposing the soldiered wires. I was afraid the soldier would break when I went to screw it back on (but the soldier did hold). All in all, initial impressions were a little bit of a let down. I got the 510 threads, but ordered an 808 adapter to go along with it because I was (and still am to a certain degree) sitting on a mountain of pre-filled 808 cartomisers from my failed 808 experiment. I also ordered the voltage tester. Despite my disappointed initial impressions, it works well for what it was intended for. With the right carto/atty configuration, it produces copious amounts of vapor, better than my PT. I could play around the taste of new juices (pro or DIY) at different voltages. When I found a setting I liked, I could connect the voltage tester to retrieve that info, use a multimeter to check the atty ohms, calculate my wattage, fill a carto after checking it's ohms, and dial in a voltage that would give me the same wattage as the setting I liked during the testing phase with good results. What the infinity doesn't do well is this: It isn't durable enough to keep up with my active life style. I can be hard on equipment, especially tools, and I consider a PV a tool. The first time I dropped it, it lost a very noticeable amount of the black finish right around the voltage dial. The first night I took it out with me, it pocket fired multiple times, frying 2 attys. I recommend this mod if you are A) interested in a tube style VV PV and B) either not especially active or don't mind babying your PV.
The Reo Grand:
I ordered this mod because I like the taste out of an atty more than out of a carto. Cartridges are a joke (even modded) and after 2 days of dripping I already decided there was no way I could do that all the time (time consuming, messy, inconvenient when otherwise busy). So a bottom feeder solves all that. Why the Reo instead of say....the VV Ali'i? In a single word, wood. The Reo looked like (and turned out to BE) a TANK. I figured this was a piece of equipment that I could rely on. Ordering this little baby was no fun at all. I had to camp out on the website to insure getting my order in before they were out of stock. Now, is this better than ordering a product and having to wait on build time? IDK but either way is a pain. It arrived very promptly. I watched a very basic video on the operation of the mini off the website and understood the operation of my unit immediately. Initial impressions? "This is absolutely everything I had hoped it would be." It vaped every bit as well as anything else I had used once I found the right atty out of my collection (a 1.5 ohm job made by joye). It tastes far better to me than using a carto. It's durable as all get out. I've dropped mine multiple times on to concrete with very little damage to the finish (black on black). What the reo doesn't do as well: for one, I wish it was VV. I can only imagine the pain of trying to find more 1.5 attys if my usual vendors can't come through. Another point is this, using this baby while driving or while in the dark isn't as easy as using a carto. If you can't see the juice come out at the bottom of the atty when you feed it, then you just have to kind of guess, which doesn't always work out as well as I would like. The final small issue was actually just a small hurdle. I noticed that keeping the Reo in my pocket would allow lint and other little pieces of junk to collect on the wet surface of the feeder cup. This can lead to contaminated juice and clogged attys. I got a rubber stopper, drilled a hole through the middle to fit pretty snug around the atty, slipped the stopper around the atty so I could push the plug down to cover the feed cup while in my pocket. Just slide up the stopper, feed the atty, and vape away worry free, and when you're done, plug up the feeder with the plug, easy peesy. All in all, the lack of VV and the usage in the dark aren't large issues at all, and I can recommend this PV to anyone at all, it's my go to PV and don't think it will be dethroned anytime soon. I have depended on it over and over and it has never left me up a creek with out a paddle.
The Provari:
I ordered this mod because of the excellent feature list, 'nuff said. Build time on it ended up being 3.5 weeks because the option to upgrade to a different color became available during my wait for the unit and that added a little on to the lead time. It arrived absolutely beautiful. The textured black coating feels wonderful in my hand and is extremely attractive to the eye. The coating is also pretty durable. I dropped it on concrete (yeah yeah, I drop things a lot LOL) and it left a very very small defect in the coating on the extended end cap. I will say the draw is a little more airy than I am use to, but it still gets the job done with out a doubt (I am considering trying to find a way modify the air flow indentions on the connector to correct this. Ideas anyone?). It has rendered my multimeter a tool again instead of a vaping accessory and that is awesome. I can read the voltage without disconnecting anything at all, which is extremely handy. With a carto, this is by far the easiest to use PV I own. If I'm going to be in the dark for a long period of time, or if I'm going to drive for hours (or if I'm going to drive in the dark LOL) this PV is going to go with me. This is my go to tester PV for new juices. What the provari doesn't do well is a short list but bares note. The airyer draw may not be for some people and I'm not sure there is an easy fix. The lead time is just sort of absolutely ridiculous. 3.5 weeks is like 3.5 years in vaping time.
Anyway, I can recommend these PV's to just about anyone (if you are willing to deal with a few minor issues). I hope y'all enjoyed reading this (my first review) as much I enjoyed the research! Happy vaping
It was okay but I've found I prefer 4.2 to 6 volt range.
