The VVPV and the VV REO Woodville or VVGrand

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donnah

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I still want the black satin provari with blue LEDs... And if I can get gold caps, HUGE plus! :)
I've been looking at the mapvapes vv box - does that one feed a 306 pretty well? Any leakage issues? For the price, I'm totally not picky, just wondered if you thought it'd be a good, representative intro to bottom fed mods?

The vv madvapes box is an awesome little device! Even though I own a Provari and the new vv Reo woodvil.. my vv madvapes box goes to work with me every day. It's small, easy to cut on and off, doesn't drop voltage underload, lasts all day and keeps it's same voltage till the batts die. If I set my vv madvapes box at 5v and my provari at 5v.. there's no difference in the vape. Plus it's cheap enough to replace if I lose it or it stops working. I've been using mine daily for maybe 5 months now. It's not a feeder mod, meaning it doesn't bottom feed. I guess if you put a drip on demand (madvapes) thingy on it.. you can top feed. I use the xxl 3ohm boge cartos in a dctank with no leaking, gurgles or flooding.

For me it's not only an intro to vv.. it's the best vv mod for the money out there.. My opinion... for me. :D It'll give as good a vape as the big expensive PV's and do it for a lot less. :)

If you do get one, get the one with the readout. If you get the cheaper one without the readout (like I have) then you'll need a voltmeter to set your voltage. The voltage adjuster wheel isn't very "dial to taste" friendly.. meaning just a tiny turn can change voltage drastically. I usually just set mine at 5v when using a 3ohm carto.

I have the voltmeter because I have several vv devices that don't have the readout and I need it to tell me what the voltage is. When this mod quits working, I'll order the one with the readout though.

Hope I've helped you. :)

(but don't let this stop you from getting that black Provari! LOL)
 
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billherbst

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If I'm reading the posts correctly, isn't GeminII assuming that the Madvapes VV Boxes (with or without display) are bottom-feeders? They're not. They're standard 3AA box mods that use two 14500s and the very dependable Fairchild linear regulator. I suppose one could buy a 4AA box and use the Madvapes build-it-yourself VV kit ($18) to create a modded-mod VV bottom feeder, but that would require additional parts---a large-hole connector and feed bottle assembly. Anyway, Madvapes doesn't sell a pre-made bottom feeder.

Maximum Vapors sells a regulated 5-volt bottom-feeder (using a 3AA box powered by two 14500s). With their current 30% off sale, that box is only $31.50 shipped, which is a very good deal. No, it's not VV, but regulated 5-volt mods give a very nice vape. I might just order one for myself. Maximum Vapors also sells a VV bottom-feeder called the Max Fun Box, which has a built-in voltage display and an easy-adjust evercool regulator, but the box is significantly larger. That one costs $63 during the current sale.

Like donnah, I love my eight Madvapes VV boxes (even though the meter crapped out on one of the two I have with built-in meters), and I agree wholeheartedly that they're the best bang for the buck in the mod marketplace---VV or not.

I currently own three bottom-feeders---two wooden Phids and a little Missy Wetbox---all of which I still use with certain juices (Boba's Bounty, Kona Cream Milkshake, or any juice where I want the clarity and pure flavor of dripping). I run the Phids using the special 4.8 volt nimh batteries (which provide 5.4 volts fresh off the charger, although with voltage drop it's about 4.4 volts loaded, just right for powering my bonut-modified 2.0 ohm LR306s beautifully). Still, I have to admit that the Missy box continues to holds it own, even at 3.7 volts from a single 14500 high-drain, as long as I use a 1.5 ohm LR306.

I'm chiming in here mainly to be sure that GeminII doesn't order a Madvapes VV Box mistakenly thinking that it's a bottom feeder.

And yes, both the Reo Woodville/Grand VVs and the notcigs VVPV look great!
 

GeminII

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Thanks donnah, you definitely have helped! I watched some reviews of the madvapes box last night and learned about the display vs no display models ($10 difference I think - and totally worth it!). Reading how pleased you are with the device is a huge help. Seeing as you vape Provari style, you know a good hit when you get one! :) I'm excited about this little box because it is really "get it now, as a backup" - AND at this price point, they're totally giftable; I've got some enthusiastic eGo friends what would absolutely LOVE one of these!

Billherbst - you're right! When I wrote my last post, I was under the impression that the madvapes box was a bottom feeder. After seeing a couple vids, I saw it was not. But I was very impressed that it's available with a display at this price point! I'll have a look at Maximum Vapors - thanks for the heads up on the sale. AND - thanks for looking out for me!

PS donna: Provari's still on my menu, it's just not the next course LOL! I think the VV Reo Woodvil is next major purchase...if I can get one. I've heard one must be very quick on the draw! 5/28, 7PM EST... I have no idea how I'm gonna find the perfect one before they all get snatched up LOL!
 

six

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I think the VV Reo Woodvil is next major purchase...if I can get one. I've heard one must be very quick on the draw! 5/28, 7PM EST... I have no idea how I'm gonna find the perfect one before they all get snatched up LOL!

First the bad news: The sale was 4/28 and VV Woodvilles sold out in a little over 2 hours. Now the good news: The metal VV Grands are tentatively indicated to be about 4 weeks away. Now for the even better news: REO had 500 bodies machined for the first run of VV Grands, so there should be a bunch on sale day.

Best news yet: I was lucky enough to get a VV Woodville:

VV_REO_W.jpg

and I'm very much looking forward to getting a VV Grand.
 

GeminII

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First the bad news: The sale was 4/28 and VV Woodvilles sold out in a little over 2 hours. Now the good news: The metal VV Grands are tentatively indicated to be about 4 weeks away. Now for the even better news: REO had 500 bodies machined for the first run of VV Grands, so there should be a bunch on sale day.

Best news yet: I was lucky enough to get a VV Woodville:
and I'm very much looking forward to getting a VV Grand.

<assuming primal scream position> NOOOOO!!!!! Argh. The site said "the 28th", and I just assumed that meant "of the current month". Man...that bites. Hey congrats on your VV Woodvil, she's a beauty, for sure!

I dunno what's next. Maybe I'll grab a grand in a month. My heart shall always long for the VV Woodvil, but alas, I am not a patient man...

Question: I've read reviews that comment on the lack of depth of the Reo Grand dripwell. Anyone having issues with that?

Man, this is crazy. I haven't been vaping long. I promised myself I'd not become a mod freak. I am becoming the mod freak.
 

donnah

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I have the vv woodvil and am planning on getting a vv grand too! I don't have any issue with the dripwell depth. To get a vv reo..its not so much about being quick as it is being patient...the site was super slow due to all the traffic and server errors. It took me an hour to get through..many gave up. They would have all sold instantly if the site could have handled it. It was a wild ride and I cant wait to do it again!!

The provari and the vv woodvil are totally different devices and I'm thrilled to own them both :) the vv madvapes box performs equally the same and is more. Convenient to grab and go. I love and use them all!
 

billherbst

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I have the vv woodvil and am planning on getting a vv grand too! I don't have any issue with the dripwell depth. To get a vv reo..its not so much about being quick as it is being patient...the site was super slow due to all the traffic and server errors. It took me an hour to get through..many gave up. They would have all sold instantly if the site could have handled it. It was a wild ride and I cant wait to do it again!!

The provari and the vv woodvil are totally different devices and I'm thrilled to own them both :) the vv madvapes box performs equally the same and is more. Convenient to grab and go. I love and use them all!

donnah,

I agree completely. I've nearly lost count of how many VVs I own. Today it's 18 with a SmokTech VMax on the way. (I know, I know---no one needs 18 VVs, but I'm sure there are vapers on ECF who own many more than I do, LOL.)

Anyway, I love all my VVs. Well, almost all. I have two that need repair for different reasons. And I could get 'em fixed for nothing if I'd just mail them back to the vendors. Somehow, though, it's easier (and more intoxicating) to buy a new VV than to go to the trouble of getting the broken ones fixed. LOL.

We can debate all day about which variable-whatever (voltage, wattage) PV is "the best," but that strikes me mostly as macho posturing about whose you-know-what is bigger. Not that I don't like good reviews that point out the pros and cons of various PVs. I like that a lot. But for me, life is too short to argue about vaping, especially when vaping is so great to begin with.
 

six

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Man, this is crazy. I haven't been vaping long. I promised myself I'd not become a mod freak. I am becoming the mod freak.

It's hard not to with all of the different devices out there. The best thing to do is to figure out exactly what features are appealing to you before you start spending. There are a lot of different things to consider. Just as an example, I replied to a review thread recently about the BP. It was a fairly negative review, which in and of itself is fine. But, what struck me as a little odd and made me feel compelled to reply was that the reviewer's disappointments and complaints were primarily about some of the features of the BP that are really desirable to some people. He didn't understand the differences in features and chose a PV that didn't have what he wanted it to have -- all because he focused on the single feature variable voltage.

Don't get hung up on a single feature when you are buying mods. Drip wells, catch cups, connector types, colored displays, no display, feeder, tube, metal, wood, plastic, button types, on-off switches, etc etc etc etc. All of these things need to be thought about at least a little. -- And some "personal experience" type advice: The very first two things I look at now when I consider a new PV are the switch/button and the quality of the connector. The two most likely failure points of any PV are the button and the connector. The better those are, the more likely it is that the mod will last.


We can debate all day about which variable-whatever (voltage, wattage) PV is "the best," but that strikes me mostly as macho posturing about whose you-know-what is bigger. Not that I don't like good reviews that point out the pros and cons of various PVs. I like that a lot. But for me, life is too short to argue about vaping, especially when vaping is so great to begin with.

I must have missed the argument. --- However, I really was hoping to come to some conclusion myself if I preferred the VV Woodville or the VVPV. I have made up my mind that I won't be buying any more tube mods or plastic boxes (and I do have a madvapes VV box and it works just fine - no complaints). I don't think I'm very likely to buy any more tanks. I'm likely to stop buying most of the cartos I keep in my stock for different devices and will probably just stock 2 different ones from now on rather than the dozen or so different cartos like I have been. I have even been trading away and selling some of my PVs. My VV feeders have literally, actually, and permanently changed the way I vape.

I've come to a mental impasse regarding which of my VV feeders I prefer. I've had the VVPV quite a while longer than the VV Woodville and it has become a very familiar item in my hand. But I've had a REO mini since late last year, so moving to a larger form factor wasn't strange at all - though I will admit that the different build material throws me a little bit. The wood might be too elegant for me. I'm sure I'll feel differently once it has some scratches and dings. But regardless, both of these devices perform well above my expectations (and those expectations were very high).

I wasn't very enthusiastic about the feature 'variable voltage', and really, I'm still not. I have a couple of VV boxes. They work just like they are supposed to. I found myself setting the voltage to what I could produce before (lacking regulation, but still pretty much what my batteries could do in non-vv PVs). I've already done the work of matching attys and cartos to voltages, so I don't stray too far from what I was able to do with single batts and stacked batts and ni-mh batts. Plus, I've had a couple of 5.0v resisted mods for a long time.

For me, where VV begins to shine as a feature is when it is coupled with a reliable feed system. That's when a PV starts to exhibit consistency. Consistency is what I want. Variable Voltage regulators or regulation provided from a resistor are nice, but until the atty or carto always has exactly the right amount of juice all the time, VV or single voltage regulation can't provide a consistent experience by themselves. Tanks are Ok, but do have their issues. Cartos are OK by themselves but change as they age and wick differently when full vs half-full vs starting to get dry. Dripping is great and an excellent way to exploit voltage regulation to gain consistency, but is a hassle and is often not convenient or appropriate (while driving, for instance). The feature "feeder" coupled with the feature "variable regulated voltage" is currently the best method I can find to achieve "consistency".
 
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GeminII

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It's hard not to with all of the different devices out there. The best thing to do is to figure out exactly what features are appealing to you before you start spending. There are a lot of different things to consider. Just as an example, I replied to a review thread recently about the BP. It was a fairly negative review, which in and of itself is fine. But, what struck me as a little odd and made me feel compelled to reply was that the reviewer's disappointments and complaints were primarily about some of the features of the BP that are really desirable to some people. He didn't understand the differences in features and chose a PV that didn't have what he wanted it to have -- all because he focused on the single feature variable voltage.

Don't get hung up on a single feature when you are buying mods. Drip wells, catch cups, connector types, colored displays, no display, feeder, tube, metal, wood, plastic, button types, on-off switches, etc etc etc etc. All of these things need to be thought about at least a little. -- And some "personal experience" type advice: The very first two things I look at now when I consider a new PV are the switch/button and the quality of the connector. The two most likely failure points of any PV are the button and the connector. The better those are, the more likely it is that the mod will last.




I've come to a mental impasse regarding which of my VV feeders I prefer. I've had the VVPV quite a while longer than the VV Woodville and it has become a very familiar item in my hand. But I've had a REO mini since late last year, so moving to a larger form factor wasn't strange at all - though I will admit that the different build material throws me a little bit. The wood might be too elegant for me. I'm sure I'll feel differently once it has some scratches and dings. But regardless, both of these devices perform well above my expectations (and those expectations were very high).

I wasn't very enthusiastic about the feature 'variable voltage', and really, I'm still not. I have a couple of VV boxes. They work just like they are supposed to. I found myself setting the voltage to what I could produce before (lacking regulation, but still pretty much what my batteries could do in non-vv PVs). I've already done the work of matching attys and cartos to voltages, so I don't stray too far from what I was able to do with single batts and stacked batts and ni-mh batts. Plus, I've had a couple of 5.0v resisted mods for a long time.

For me, where VV begins to shine as a feature is when it is coupled with a reliable feed system. That's when a PV starts to exhibit consistency. Consistency is what I want. Variable Voltage regulators or regulation provided from a resistor are nice, but until the atty or carto always has exactly the right amount of juice all the time, VV or single voltage regulation can't provide a consistent experience by themselves. Tanks are Ok, but do have their issues. Cartos are OK by themselves but change as they age and wick differently when full vs half-full vs starting to get dry. Dripping is great and an excellent way to exploit voltage regulation to gain consistency, but is a hassle and is often not convenient or appropriate (while driving, for instance). The feature "feeder" coupled with the feature "variable regulated voltage" is currently the best method I can find to achieve "consistency".

Thanks for the advice, six. It's cool to hear what you've learned, and which way you're leaning (and why).
My spate of acquisitiveness is abating now (at least as far as hardware goes). I've tried enough things to narrow my field. I like VV. A lot. While I really want some of the iconic 3.7v mods, it's hard for me to justify them when I can have any voltage I want, down to the last vape on a batt. I've found that my perfect vape, carto and device being equal, happens at different voltages depending on the juice; some (like Boba's), are best for me on the razor's edge of burning the carto, and some lighter flavors are just perfect at 4.1v. My most recent (and probably biggest in terms of what devices will work for me going forward) discovery is that a Cisco 306 1.5ohm will take me everywhere I want to go. I'd tried other LR 306's but these are...WOW, man! The flavor! The vapor! I feel like a dragon. LOL! So...what remains is: I am a SLOPPY dripper. Based on all that, I am thinking that a bottom-fed VV box is my best option. The Perfect Vape all day, without the hassle of dripping. :)

That said, I did indulge my mod lust yesterday and ordered a SmokBox Vari-Cool!
 
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