Provari vs Vamo

[beast1911]

I have 3 vamos and a provari mini + 18650 extension. I used both about the same and enjoy both equally. One thing I have noticed and that gives the edge to the provari is that if I have one of my rbas on the vamo and if it takes a second or two to heat the coil up to get a good vape, I pop it on the provari at the same voltage and no wait. I'm sure that has to do with the big difference in pwm frequencies on both devices.

If I was going to get another mod I would get another provari. Now which I would recommend depends on that persons situation and expectations. I don't use the VW mode on the vamos at all after about the first week.

 

[DaveP]

I didn't know about the Vamo voltage setting going to default at battery change. That's unexpected when everything stays where you leave it on the Provari. At least the wattage setting holds. That's good. I've waited quite a while to buy a Vamo just to let the revisions catch up with user demand. I'll still buy one but I'm doing like I did on the Provari and procrastinating.

It's hard to let go of $150 or $170 for a Provari (depending on whether the satin SS model is on sale), especially if you don't already have the batteries and a charger. It's much easier if you know that it will last and it's durable. Both are very true. It's almost the same as what a 2 PAD smoker spent on cigs, even more now that prices have risen again. One pack a day purchased singly is about the same as a Provari each month unless you bought El Cheapo cigs somewhere and those can be pretty bad on the taste buds.

At least ECF members have hands on reviews to keep them from buying over and over looking for the best mod. There's always someone around here doing reviews and discussion. I can't count the number of times new members have expressed how they wish they'd found ECF before they spent $400 trying ecigs to find one they liked. If you read the threads and search for what you are looking for, someone has more comments than you care to spend time reading, but it's time well spent in terms of dollars in your pocket.

 

[tsbrewers]

Sounds like a pretty stupid reason to not buy a superior device.

This philosophy has served me very well over the years, no reason to change now. If I listened to everyone telling me something is the next best thing, I would have a drawer full of provari's, darwin's, and rio's and 50 different styles of cartos, tanks, atty's, and everything else you can imagine. I would have a prius in the driveway, have an iphone, ipad, ipod and thousands in credit card debt. Just doesn't make sense to me.

My $60 altoids mod has worked flawlessly for a year and a half. and i don't feel bad bringing it to work, or dropping it, or getting it full of sawdust. Inside is nice and rusty, outside barely has any paint left, lasts me 2 days on a charge, I would be hard pressed to find a single reason a provari would be any better? Especially at 3 or 4 times the price.

Brew

 

[taylormadesuperfast]

Would you please explain the highlighted part with some more detail? I'm always hearing it the other way around, with people not liking the single button on the Provari?

Sure no problem. Let me again preface this by saying I have been using my ProVari for awhile before I got the Vamo so maybe part of it is just the fact that I'm used to the ProVari interface. But for me it's the fact that you have to memorize what each button does, hold this button down for this many seconds to do this, hold only this other button down to do that, hold these two buttons down together to do this. So for me the ProVari single button scroll through menu let's me see everyting I need to access and just I can choose whatever it is I want. With having said that the single push up down power - battery meter - and Ohm checker is nice but it's a matter of preference and possibly for me being a little out of my comfort zone from what I'm used to with the ProVari. It's not like it's ridiculously hard or anything and I'm sure some people prefer the Vamo interface it's just a nit picky thing for me and I prefer the way the ProVari has it laid out. Is the ProVari perfect? Hell no.....there are things about it as well that I think could be better too. So it's just my opinion. Vamo is a GREAT device, just not nearly as well made as a ProVari IMO.

 

[sawlight]

Sure no problem. Let me again preface this by saying I have been using my ProVari for awhile before I got the Vamo so maybe part of it is just the fact that I'm used to the ProVari interface. But for me it's the fact that you have to memorize what each button does, hold this button down for this many seconds to do this, hold only this other button down to do that, hold these two buttons down together to do this. So for me the ProVari single button scroll through menu let's me see everyting I need to access and just I can choose whatever it is I want. With having said that the single push up down power - battery meter - and Ohm checker is nice but it's a matter of preference and possibly for me being a little out of my comfort zone from what I'm used to with the ProVari. It's not like it's ridiculously hard or anything and I'm sure some people prefer the Vamo interface it's just a nit picky thing for me and I prefer the way the ProVari has it laid out. Is the ProVari perfect? Hell no.....there are things about it as well that I think could be better too. So it's just my opinion. Vamo is a GREAT device, just not nearly as well made as a ProVari IMO.

Thank you, I was just curious.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I can't imagine being without either one, honestly. I like them both. The Vamo has a tendency to fry my coils when I'm pulsing them on my RBA's, which is annoying as all get out when I'm building a new wick and wire setup. If it doesn't burn holes through the mesh or short out the wire, it works pretty good. 90% of the time I build my RBA's on my ProVari, and 10% of the time I'll forget and ruin a bit of wire or mesh on my Vamo. Once it's broken in, it works equally well on either mod. The Vamo is much lighter and bigger than the ProVari.

It's kind of like debating the difference between a Coby MP3 player and an Ipod. If the Coby breaks in two months, well that's to be expected. I've had one Vamo break on me, but the second one has held up fine...so far. The ProVari? I honestly don't know if I could break it if I tried. I've dropped it on many occasions and I always check the tank or clearo for damage, not the mod.

Regarding the menu systems. I keep my mods in my coat pocket and every time I take them out to vape, I have to check the Vamo's settings because on of the buttons might have accidently been pushed. They should have a lock screen switch on the Vamo, so you can disable the buttons without having to go through the lengthy power on/off ritual every time you want a vape. With the ProVari, you don't have to worry about that.

Someone who adjusts their settings all the time and leaves their mod in a desk caddy 24/7 won't have the same issues I do. For my active lifestyle, the ProVari suits me better.

 

[garyd]

I started this thread and have to say I enjoy the provari very much. At first I was confused a bit by the menu but it is actually very simple and accurate, fires when you check your battery so you know voltage under load. The vamo menu is also simple and straightforward. If you want to get confused with a menu system get an eVic.

 

[Ravalstoney]

Got the provari b4 the vamo. I won it at a vape meet a few days ago and wasnt expecting a huge difference. I was wrong. The provari has a much smoother draw. The advantage in the vamo to me is the fact it can be used in more batt configurations out of the box but thats it. VW isnt a concern for me.

 

[john0821]

Pretty smooth in RMS mode. Try that.

 

[Kycap]

Got my Vamo about a month ago and it served me well, no problems and nothing to moan about, got my Provari Mini yesterday and was suprised by the build quality, the size and the speed at which i got used to the single button menu. Still like the Vamo but i am afraid it is light years away from the Provari (sits back and waits for the flac) but then again its a good three times the price.

As Pbursado stated "I now get it".

 

[sawlight]

Got my Vamo about a month ago and it served me well, no problems and nothing to moan about, got my Provari Mini yesterday and was suprised by the build quality, the size and the speed at which i got used to the single button menu. Still like the Vamo but i am afraid it is light years away from the Provari (sits back and waits for the flac) but then again its a good three times the price.

As Pbursado stated "I now get it".

I'm happy for you! I spent the money as well, had mine bounce off the driveway a couple of times today, still works as it did before!
I really don't know how to put it any better than that. "It just works!"

 

[Un-Loco]

My wife has a ProVari, I have a VAMO, and a SB w/ kick. These are mine and my wife's opinions. We do not like the VAMO, but it does work. It is possible I just have a bad mod?

-I don't think the settings are accurate, in RMS or AVG. They may be closer in RMS mode, but I have to turn my voltage and/or watts lower on my VAMO compared to my kicked SB or my wife's ProVari. As a matter of fact, without the kick in my SB, I vape great at the battery's 3.7 and my VAMO I have to tune it down below 3.7v or sit around 4-5w sometimes.
-I am not an electrical engineer or even really know what those modes mean compared to how other things work, but my experience is PWM is not for me. The vibration of the PWM bothers me, definitely not the same vape you get from a ProVari or mech mod.
-Buttons changing settings OFTEN in my pocket or if i set it down and it gets bumped. If I pick it up I can get my head blown off or get a tiny bit of vape. its a 50/50 chance if I don't check it and reset it.
-Battery cap comes undone OFTEN, reset your settings as well. Nothing bothers me more than picking up my Mod for it not to work and I have to fiddle with it.
-clinkity-clink: everything rattles on this mod. Its like picking up a maraca. (exaggeration i know lol)

If you have the money, and want a solid performer... provari or kicked mod wins hands down. If you are hard on cash? I personally would recommend a couple of Twists over a VAMO honestly. If someone wants something to tinker with, or to have a large shiny mod regardless of its shortcomings, 60 bux is a good price but i think its probably worth about 40ish.

Before yall hate on me.. like i said, we just dont like it. Build quality is bad, PWM is weird, doesnt work 1/2 the time without fixing something. Just not a quality product and that's why they make a profit while selling it at 60 bux. =)

 

[garyd]

Well you get what you pay for in most cases. IMO the Vamo is a good device for the price. I have a provari and a kicked silver bullet and I like them better than the Vamo and use them more. You may have just got a bad one. Still the Vamo is a good device for those looking to get into VV/VW without breaking the bank.

 

[peraspera]

My wife has a ProVari, I have a VAMO, and a SB w/ kick. These are mine and my wife's opinions. We do not like the VAMO, but it does work. It is possible I just have a bad mod?

-I don't think the settings are accurate, in RMS or AVG. They may be closer in RMS mode, but I have to turn my voltage and/or watts lower on my VAMO compared to my kicked SB or my wife's ProVari. As a matter of fact, without the kick in my SB, I vape great at the battery's 3.7 and my VAMO I have to tune it down below 3.7v or sit around 4-5w sometimes.

Settings are accurate with both my VAMOs in RMS mode and are consistent with my meters. Reviews also indicate the power settings as being accurate in RMS mode. The vapes are consistent between my two VAMOs and with my NHaler Curve/Can and kicked K100.

-I am not an electrical engineer or even really know what those modes mean compared to how other things work, but my experience is PWM is not for me. The vibration of the PWM bothers me, definitely not the same vape you get from a ProVari or mech mod.

Provaris use PWM. It pulses faster and doesn't produce the rattlesnake sound but I am highly skeptical that this produces a readily discernible difference in vape quality. Drew at Nhaler said the Can (Evolv DNA 12 inside) doesn't use PWM and I don't notice a different in vape quality when using my Curve/Can combo versus my VAMOs.

-Buttons changing settings OFTEN in my pocket or if i set it down and it gets bumped. If I pick it up I can get my head blown off or get a tiny bit of vape. its a 50/50 chance if I don't check it and reset it.

One can turn the VAMO off before pocketing it but I very much agree that a menu option to lock in power settings would be an excellent improvement.

-Battery cap comes undone OFTEN, reset your settings as well. Nothing bothers me more than picking up my Mod for it not to work and I have to fiddle with it.

Something is seriously amiss with the threading on your VAMO or battery cap. Neither of my two have ever come loose, ever, let alone come off!

-clinkity-clink: everything rattles on this mod. Its like picking up a maraca. (exaggeration i know lol)

I have absolutely no rattling whatsoever on either of my VAMOs. However, I bought my chrome v2 version early on which shipped with a weak spring that allowed 18650s to rattle and to become periodically disconnected. I immediately replaced the spring with a better one that cost about $3 and have had no issues since.

If you have the money, and want a solid performer... provari or kicked mod wins hands down. If you are hard on cash? I personally would recommend a couple of Twists over a VAMO honestly. If someone wants something to tinker with, or to have a large shiny mod regardless of its shortcomings, 60 bux is a good price but i think its probably worth about 40ish.

Before yall hate on me.. like i said, we just dont like it. Build quality is bad, PWM is weird, doesnt work 1/2 the time without fixing something. Just not a quality product and that's why they make a profit while selling it at 60 bux. =)

Did you contact your vendor about the issues you are having? It sounds to me like you got a seriously defective VAMO.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Sounds alot like both of my Vamos. Except my battery cap doesn't come off, but I suspect that's because I reflexively check it for looseness every time I vape. And the only things that rattle and move on mine are the buttons and battery. Minor complaints for devices that I own strictly as backup devices. Not quite "Break glass in case of an emergency." But close.

 

[Koman]

My wife has a ProVari, I have a VAMO, and a SB w/ kick. These are mine and my wife's opinions. We do not like the VAMO, but it does work. It is possible I just have a bad mod?

-I don't think the settings are accurate, in RMS or AVG. They may be closer in RMS mode, but I have to turn my voltage and/or watts lower on my VAMO compared to my kicked SB or my wife's ProVari. As a matter of fact, without the kick in my SB, I vape great at the battery's 3.7 and my VAMO I have to tune it down below 3.7v or sit around 4-5w sometimes.
-I am not an electrical engineer or even really know what those modes mean compared to how other things work, but my experience is PWM is not for me. The vibration of the PWM bothers me, definitely not the same vape you get from a ProVari or mech mod.
-Buttons changing settings OFTEN in my pocket or if i set it down and it gets bumped. If I pick it up I can get my head blown off or get a tiny bit of vape. its a 50/50 chance if I don't check it and reset it.
-Battery cap comes undone OFTEN, reset your settings as well. Nothing bothers me more than picking up my Mod for it not to work and I have to fiddle with it.
-clinkity-clink: everything rattles on this mod. Its like picking up a maraca. (exaggeration i know lol)

If you have the money, and want a solid performer... provari or kicked mod wins hands down. If you are hard on cash? I personally would recommend a couple of Twists over a VAMO honestly. If someone wants something to tinker with, or to have a large shiny mod regardless of its shortcomings, 60 bux is a good price but i think its probably worth about 40ish.

Before yall hate on me.. like i said, we just dont like it. Build quality is bad, PWM is weird, doesnt work 1/2 the time without fixing something. Just not a quality product and that's why they make a profit while selling it at 60 bux. =)

Good analysis, but they are both pretty good I think!

 

[angryguy77]

My wife has a ProVari, I have a VAMO, and a SB w/ kick. These are mine and my wife's opinions. We do not like the VAMO, but it does work. It is possible I just have a bad mod?

-I don't think the settings are accurate, in RMS or AVG. They may be closer in RMS mode, but I have to turn my voltage and/or watts lower on my VAMO compared to my kicked SB or my wife's ProVari. As a matter of fact, without the kick in my SB, I vape great at the battery's 3.7 and my VAMO I have to tune it down below 3.7v or sit around 4-5w sometimes.
-I am not an electrical engineer or even really know what those modes mean compared to how other things work, but my experience is PWM is not for me. The vibration of the PWM bothers me, definitely not the same vape you get from a ProVari or mech mod.
-Buttons changing settings OFTEN in my pocket or if i set it down and it gets bumped. If I pick it up I can get my head blown off or get a tiny bit of vape. its a 50/50 chance if I don't check it and reset it.
-Battery cap comes undone OFTEN, reset your settings as well. Nothing bothers me more than picking up my Mod for it not to work and I have to fiddle with it.
-clinkity-clink: everything rattles on this mod. Its like picking up a maraca. (exaggeration i know lol)

If you have the money, and want a solid performer... provari or kicked mod wins hands down. If you are hard on cash? I personally would recommend a couple of Twists over a VAMO honestly. If someone wants something to tinker with, or to have a large shiny mod regardless of its shortcomings, 60 bux is a good price but i think its probably worth about 40ish.

Before yall hate on me.. like i said, we just dont like it. Build quality is bad, PWM is weird, doesnt work 1/2 the time without fixing something. Just not a quality product and that's why they make a profit while selling it at 60 bux. =)

I had a couple of Apollo VV's before I bought my Vamo. I wish I had known about the Vamo earlier because it blows the Apollos away. It's not that the Apollo batts are bad for what they are, but they just don't provide me with the same experience as my Vamo.

If my vamo goes tu, I may spring for a provari