Should I get a Zen Ash II?

[epetrillo]

I have liked the look of the various Zen hybrids for a while. I am thinking about trying to find an Ash II for sale. As I read this forum I sometimes get the feeling that the Zen products don't get the respect of many of the other brands. Am I wrong about this? (wouldn't be the first time) Are there people here that would have me steer clear of Zen? I currently have a kayfun v3.1 on my Poldiac that I use when I'm "out and about" and a orion 2.1 that I use mostly at home. I like both for different reasons. I would like to try something else. If there's some reason I shouldn't go for the Zen what should I look for in your opinion?

 

[El_tecolote]

Well, the new line is making its debut June 7, I understand. I, for one, am looking forward to it and want to see what all the talk is about. I am putting off any device purchase until then.

 

[yellowrider]

My zen ash is one of my favorites. I have one with ss tank and love it. I would honestly put my ash up against any mech mod in performance. My only complaint with Zen mods, besides sidewinders, is that top cap comes off of them pretty easily. So all my Zens usually stay on my desk as they are not carry friendly. I would never get rid of mine unless I could get a bam or Ti to replace.. but for the price point ash II is hard to beat imo.

 

[epetrillo]

So am I imagining the lack of respect for Zen on this forum or is it real? I ask mainly because things like this affect resale value. I have seen many "for trade" ads that state "no zen" in their description of what they are looking for in trade. What is up with that?

 

[Aoi~]

2xZAU, 2xZAG, ZAP, Zen Mini (numbered) and ZenTIni. No complaints here

ETA: Not in the habit of reselling my stuff/worrying about resale value hence the no complaints comment.

 

[tc1]

I love my ASH II. Some of the disdain might be because some feel Zen himself is arrogant ... I believe he has even admitted as much before. I personally don't care about the drama or politics and actually decided to support Zen after he publicly scorned mod scalpers who eat away inventory for profit, while leaving people who truly wanted that device out in the cold. He also decided to make his specs open source.

Another reason might be that some feel the Zenesis doesn't hit as hard as other hybrids. Frankly, you can get it to hit pretty hard ... hard enough for 99.9% of the vapers out there probably.

All in all ... it's a nice device. The vapor is nice and smooth ... very flavorful. The build quality and finish is top notch.

 

[fishercat]

I like my Zen Ash II as well. I haven't had much experience with other hybrids though, so my experience is limited. The only thing that frustrates me about it is the button. It seems like I have to squeeze it just right to get it to fire really well. Could be that I'm doing something wrong though.

 

[tc1]

I like my Zen Ash II as well. I haven't had much experience with other hybrids though, so my experience is limited. The only thing that frustrates me about it is the button. It seems like I have to squeeze it just right to get it to fire really well. Could be that I'm doing something wrong though.

Take the switch apart and compress the spring a bit ... then sand/file the button screw to make the screw head flat ... just a smidge will do. Use two washers when you put the button back together.

This will give the switch a shorter throw, make the button easier to push, and ensure 100% firing every time.

 

[yellowrider]

So am I imagining the lack of respect for Zen on this forum or is it real? I ask mainly because things like this affect resale value. I have seen many "for trade" ads that state "no zen" in their description of what they are looking for in trade. What is up with that?

Zen products are not flooded but easier to get a hold of one. So the resale will never really drop. Seems like they release just enough not to keep it flooded. The odds are as your vaping habit progresses the list of mods that you have owned/tried will be more unique and will try to obtain more high demand limited mods.. So most cases, people in the classies probably already tried zen products and want to try other premium mods and the mod they are selling is not obtainable so they are trying to replace it with similar situation.
It sucks, the le mods is hard/almost impossible to get from vendors and the ones you see in the classies are only for trade for one that is just as rare, the one you don't have. Hence the high demand.

 

[fishercat]

Cool! I will try that. Thanks for the assist. Does the brass screw hit any harder?

Take the switch apart and compress the spring a bit ... then sand/file the button screw to make the screw head flat ... just a smidge will do. Use two washers when you put the button back together.

This will give the switch a shorter throw, make the button easier to push, and ensure 100% firing every time.

 

[tc1]

Cool! I will try that. Thanks for the assist. Does the brass screw hit any harder?

I didn't notice a whole lot honestly ...

 

[epetrillo]

I ended up getting a Zen Standard. Should be a different experience than Orion 2.1.

 

[tc1]

I ended up getting a Zen Standard. Should be a different experience than Orion 2.1.

Nice! I gotta tell ya ... the Zenesis finish is simply perfection. It's the best *feeling* mod I own ... even compared to the F3CTA. Zen does an outstanding job finishing and polishing his pvs.

 

[hadouken]

I have liked the look of the various Zen hybrids for a while. I am thinking about trying to find an Ash II for sale. As I read this forum I sometimes get the feeling that the Zen products don't get the respect of many of the other brands. Am I wrong about this? (wouldn't be the first time) Are there people here that would have me steer clear of Zen? I currently have a Kayfun v3.1 on my Poldiac that I use when I'm "out and about" and a Orion 2.1 that I use mostly at home. I like both for different reasons. I would like to try something else. If there's some reason I shouldn't go for the Zen what should I look for in your opinion?

Since you are from So Cal, you probably feel like the Chi You or any Filipino mod is the only thing to have. I'm from San Diego, and I understand why. Zen stuff isn't as crazy popular here in So Cal. It's a whole cult culture, honestly. Recently people waited overnight in a line at a So Cal store waiting for a Chi You.

I'm huge on quality. In my relatively young vaping "career" I have done a ton of reading, to the point where I know more than some of the shop people. I'm like this with anything I get into; I read, read, and read some more. I watch youtube videos over and over. I learn. No shop person isn't going to teach me anything I can't learn myself.

If something doesnt work with a mod, a tank, a whatever, I figure it out. I'm not going to bring it to some shop guy that couldnt teach me a thing. It's not arrogance, its the way I am. Zen said in a pbusardo video that sometimes people confuse intelligence with arrogance. Ha! That being said- My point here is that no shop in So Cal is going to steer you toward Zen, they don't sell it.

Zen's attention to detail shines in his products. A big thing for me - USA made. Fit and finish is second to none. They may not be the coolest things to vapers that want to build .00001 ohm quad coil setups and blow clouds of vapor (been there and my lungs cant hang.)

But if you like quality, you will not be disappointed with Zen. The airy vape that people talk about is the truth. But it is definitely my favorite vape after getting used to it.