Alrighty, time for the full review...
Again, this is my experience with the dse-901b from Puresmoker.com that just arrived in the mail yesterday. (I ordered Sunday).
Ok, first of all... the black. This probably isn't much of a review point, but I have to say that's it's very nice.
Pros: Looks sleek
Sexy
Pretty much anything looks good in black
Cons: It's glossy - shows fingerprints, dust, dirt, oils, etc. Also, doesn't look much like a real cigarette. Perhaps if it were matte black it would retain it's sleekness without blowing it's cover and also wouldn't show all those nasty things. (I know many of you don't believe that these devices should like anything like a cigarette, but if I were going to use it out in public, I wouldn't always want the attention. I also don't plan on using this device in public places where it may give me some unwanted attention. (I.e. bars, arenas, airports, etc).
I ordered the standard "orange" LED in an attempt to keep some covert-ness to my device. The orange color of the LED is not really orange as I feared, but rather more of a red-orange glow similar to that of the color of a low-burning flame. I do believe that if seen from a reasonable distance this may disguise it, but within close perspective it does not resemble the ash of a cigarette beyond discernable measures. This isn't really an issue, but rather just something to note.
The dse-901, unlike the penstyle from Puresmoker.com, does only have 1 air inlet hole near the atomizer. I believe the penstyle is advertised to have 4? I know some people were concerned that having too many air inlet holes would thereby make the draw too easy and would cause the device to produce less vapor. The draw isn't rediculously easy, but it's not difficult either. It's similar to sucking through a small-diameter straw, although in order to get a decent amount of vapor you do need to inhale quite vigourously. It is quite different from smoking a normal cigarette, although it isn't any more difficult... just different. I also found it much more productive to use Dusty's method of inhaling versus just inhaling into my lungs. (First inhale into your mouth and then into your lungs). I'm not exactly sure why this makes such a difference, but in two equal length inhalations, I effectively doubled the amount of vapor produced with his method versus inhaling into my lungs. The vapor production of this device is very plentiful and dense. This is something I was concerned about as many have had issues with either generic models or cheaper models. It seems to be a common issue with all Puresmoker.com devices that these break that curve and perform beautifully.
The kit comes with, for those who didn't already know, a power cord (Powerline), charger, two
batteries, 1 atomizer, 1 mouthpiece, and 5 assorted strength regular cartridges. Steve is also currently giving out an additional 5 assorted strength cartridges to liquidate his stock of the brown cartriges. (The mouthpiece is still black, but the cartridge is brown). Keep in mind that each cartridge also has it's own mouthpiece. On the webpage it states that these extra cartridges will be orange. I take it this is referring to the brown color, but it may be considered a very dark maybe burnt orange. The webpage also states that the 5 cartridges that come with the kit should be black. The ones I received were brown, (the same color as the extra 5). This isn't too big of a problem for me since it's not visable when in the cig, but it does make something to note. Maybe Steve will read this and send me some black ones... *wink wink*
The cartridges that come with the kit are of course "regular" flavor. This is not to be confused with any cigarette flavor. In fact, it only very vaguely resembles the flavor of tobacco. I'm not sure how to describe the flavor, but it is quite sweet and tastes of a hint of caramel. The hit of the vapor also differs greatly from that of a traditional cigarette. It doesn't have that thick smokey, wispy texture to it and I think that may be what some of our smokers are missing. This also isn't a downside, at least not for those who don't prefer that smokey texture, but is simply just another thing to note. The throat feel is also quite different to that of a traditional cigarette. When smoking a normal cigarette that feel, I believe, is attributed to harshness and may be considered a negative issue. However, this feel is mainly masked by the thick smokey texture of the smoke in a traditional cigarette. In an e-cig, this feel is more of a reminder that it is working, in my opinion. I could do with or without it at this point.
As you already know, the kit came with two
batteries. One battery packed separately, and one packaged combined with the atomizer and mouthpiece. Steve says on his webpage that both
batteries are to come fully charged. I believe this to be true, however, the battery that I received that was connected to the atomizer seemed to have a tad less charge to it than the second battery, as it produced marginally less vapor when used. This may be do to the jostling it received during shipping. This is also not a negative point, but something to note. Another thing to note is the charger - I'm not sure if this is supposed to do this or not, but when the battery is connected to the charger, the red LED on the charger lights up and the green LED flashes as well, about 1 short flash per second. I assume the red LED will turn off when it is finished charging and the green will turn on. I'm not sure why the green LED flashes like it does, or if this is common, but it's something to note.
Overall I am really very satisfied and will be emailing the link to my review directly to Steve so that he can read it as well. I would recommend this device to anyone that is interested, and for anyone who doesn't know already the website is Puresmoker.com. I suggest anyone intersted at least check it out, and put this device as a high priority.
I realize this is a very lengthy post and I will bring it to a conclusion now. Thankyou all for reading. The dse-901b or "Black Pocket Mini ECigarette" is of extremely high quality, the service is excellent, the price is right, and shipping is fast. Kudos to Steve at Puresmoker.com.