TrueSmoker.Com's "The Dragon" - A n00bs review (reposted)

[KarateLobster]

Hey Karate, thanks for your review...it was pretty entertaining. Got a couple questions for you though in regards to the dragon. How is the atomizer holding up? And does it produce good flavor? Seems like most people's reviews talk about how much throat hit they get, but no one really talks about the flavor they're getting out of their PV, which is what got me hooked on these things to begin with.

Thanks itsaj. The atty seems to be holding up well so far. I blow it out once a day to clean it, and that's about it. I've been getting decent flavor, but I think that's driven more by what juice I'm using (JC sampler pack) than anything else at this point. The carts that came with the dagon produce great vapor and good amount of flavor. The JC juice produces more flavor when I drip, but I also get some flavor from the carts as well - BUT I think that my cart issues are due to me fingering out exactly how much filler to use, and all that jazz.

Hope that helps a little bit.

 

[itsaj]

Thanks itsaj. The atty seems to be holding up well so far. I blow it out once a day to clean it, and that's about it. I've been getting decent flavor, but I think that's driven more by what juice I'm using (JC sampler pack) than anything else at this point. The carts that came with the dagon produce great vapor and good amount of flavor. The JC juice produces more flavor when I drip, but I also get some flavor from the carts as well - BUT I think that my cart issues are due to me fingering out exactly how much filler to use, and all that jazz.

Hope that helps a little bit.

Awesome...thanks. Well, seeing as to how everyone's experiences are different, I guess the best way is to just try it out myself. I went ahead and ordered the starter kit along with the pass-through, an extra atomizer and some juice. I just ordered it last night and I'm hoping it ships soon! How soon did you get yours after ordering?

 

[mistake]

Saw the Dragon and thought I'd search for a few reviews before buying it and stumbled on this thread. I feel kinda sad... I thought this forum was great, now I'm afraid to post any reviews since I've only been vaping for 3 weeks!

 

[KarateLobster]

How soon did you get yours after ordering?

It took three days to get to me via USPS - out on a Monday in on a Wednesday!

I'm afraid to post any reviews since I've only been vaping for 3 weeks!

There is no reason to be afraid to post your review. Reviews are based on your own experience, that's what matters. What other people think, based on their experiences, should in no way affect that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, good bad or indifferent. What sucks is when people think themselves to be entitled and end up ruining the experience for others.

Write your review - we're not all looking for the same things from vapeing, having more input only helps someone make a better decision based on their needs.

 

[mrrunon]

still curious how this compares to the 510..

 

[itsaj]

still curious how this compares to the 510..

The 510 totally blows the dragon out of the water. I have both the dragon and the Joye510. The dragon is a good device, but vapor production and throat hit come nowhere close to that of the 510. I do like the dragon for when I'm out and about because it looks cool and I can just fill up cartridges. The 510 doesn't seem to work well with cartridges and is best for direct dripping. The draw on the dragon is also a little harder than the 510. The dragon battery has a cutoff after 5 seconds I think. Since the 510 has a manual battery, there is no cutoff. I haven't used the dragon long enough to tell how durable the atomizer is though, only had it for about a week now.

Overall, both are good devices but I definitely like the Joye510 more than the dragon. Hope this helps.

 

[rbonie]

Well, I am going to disagree with you about that..... and I'm not a total newbie and I have tried several different styles of PV. Certainly with some PVs (and the M401 is one) how you inhale does have an effect on throat hit.

I think you were rather harsh with this. Newbie or not, this member was sharing their experiences and they made it quite clear that they were inexperienced.

I have read many of your posts wv2win where you have advised new members that they should be getting one of the larger PVs out there. You should also bear in mind that they aren't for everyone. However, any newbie should have the common sense to read the advice of many members, not just the views of one.

Good for you Angela.. I AM A n00b Also and this guys rant was insulting .

 

[Merlin]

Really nice review!! I gotta say this e-cig does look very nice!!

 

[seminolewind]

Karate, Thanks for your humorous review. I liked it. Good luck with your Dragon, it sure is pretty.
I gave a friend my dse901, and a week later she said that it didn't get good vapor or anything. When I saw her vape, she was sucking so hard her face turned red. It took me 2 hours of "you're sucking to hard!" to get her to realize that long and slow were the way to go. At the end, she was vaping huge clouds of vapor.
Good luck with your Dragon

 

[KarateLobster]

Thanks seminole! I've been enjoying my Dragon, and have absolutely no complaints. Vapor production has been good, build quality is fantastic (I've dropped mine a few times with no ill effects), my atty is nearly a month old and still going strong, and battery life has been excellent as well. I have a feeling that once the manual battery becomes available the Dragon will be able to give the 510 a good bit of competition. BUT, that's just my opinion.

 

[Houdini]

Thanks seminole! I've been enjoying my Dragon, and have absolutely no complaints. Vapor production has been good, build quality is fantastic (I've dropped mine a few times with no ill effects), my atty is nearly a month old and still going strong, and battery life has been excellent as well. I have a feeling that once the manual battery becomes available the Dragon will be able to give the 510 a good bit of competition. BUT, that's just my opinion.

That's my opinion too except I think it gives the 510 a good bit of competition with the auto battery. There is no cut off and it never fails to come on with a very light draw so I don't see there being much difference even with a manual battery. It kicks ... the way it is.

 

[Ez Duzit]

Ordered mine Tuesday night. Just checked the tracking number and it already left the local facility here in SoCal a few towns over. I should have it today.
First e-cig, can't wait to get it.

 

[KarateLobster]

Ordered mine Tuesday night. Just checked the tracking number and it already left the local facility here in SoCal a few towns over. I should have it today.
First e-cig, can't wait to get it.

You should be able to charge one battery and start vaping with the other.

 

[julalew]

Karate, I ordered my dragon last night before having seen this post. It will be my first vaping experience, and I'm very happy to hear you're enjoying it. I have to admit that the beauty of the dragon is what caused me to order w/out having found any reviews yet. I figured that even if it turned out to be a piece of junk, I'd still have something pretty to look at!

The whole discussion in the later posts about throat hit was actually pretty interesting to me. I've been smoking for over 20 years (a little under a pack a day), and when I take a drag off a cigarette I still close my throat, pull the smoke into my mouth, and then slowly pull the smoke down into my lungs through a slightly constricted throat. Makes me think that strong throat hit will never be what I'm after out of a pv.

 

[KarateLobster]

Karate, I ordered my dragon last night before having seen this post. It will be my first vaping experience, and I'm very happy to hear you're enjoying it. I have to admit that the beauty of the dragon is what caused me to order w/out having found any reviews yet. I figured that even if it turned out to be a piece of junk, I'd still have something pretty to look at!

The whole discussion in the later posts about throat hit was actually pretty interesting to me. I've been smoking for over 20 years (a little under a pack a day), and when I take a drag off a cigarette I still close my throat, pull the smoke into my mouth, and then slowly pull the smoke down into my lungs through a slightly constricted throat. Makes me think that strong throat hit will never be what I'm after out of a pv.

You will not be disappointed with The Dragon! I'm glad that the review has been able to help people (especially newbies like myself) walk away with a positive impression of The Dragon and vapeing in general. Gives me a warm and fuzzy

wait, actually that was just gas.

Oh, there's the warm and fuzzy!!

Anyway - it sounds like you smoked much like I did. And I never really did think of it that way. In the time that I've been vaping I've had multiple occasions where I get lots of "throat hit", and I honestly don't care for it. I much more prefer a smooth, non painful (throat hit can be painful at times) vape. Something I realize I couldn't really get with analogues unless I smoked some Doral Ultra Lights! And THAT was frustrating as it was more like smoking a burning length of nothing! That same technique will serve you well with The Dragon and vaping in general.

Let me know your thoughts after you've had a few days to get into the swing of things!

 

[gyahav]

I don't like the way the 510 tastes. The throat hit on the 901 is too gentle and on the 801 it is too harsh. Throat hit on the 401 is just right. It also has good vapor production and long battery life.

I have the starter kit from TrueSmoker. It is packaged very attractively and the price is right for what you get. I find the draw on the dragon a little hard, but I still enjoy it. I also have 401 parts from TastyVaping. Good price and product quality.

 

[Zukori]

I purchased a 401 from another site and I'm extremely happy with it. Throat hit is about the same, if not more than an actual smoke. I'm getting way more vapor than I did smoke. It tastes at least 10x better than my smokes did and I've been puffing this thing all day long. I let someone try it and he said, "Wow! That's just like smoking, you could feel it and everything. Mmmm.. is that blueberry? That tastes just like blueberry." So it gave just a slight sweet after taste.. I'm using a cherry liquid currently. For reference, I smoked 1-3 packs of Marlboro Red 100s a day.

 

[Alientropy]

Could anyone elaborate on some of the differences ... both mechanical and usage wise between the 401 & the 501... specifically the Janty Dura-C which is the only Pv i have tried..

Ty =P

 

[KarateLobster]

Could anyone elaborate on some of the differences ... both mechanical and usage wise between the 401 & the 501... specifically the Janty Dura-C which is the only Pv i have tried..

Ty =P

I'm sure you could search the forum and get more info than you'd like. However, a quick and dirty - from what I've been able to gather since I only have a 401 - is that the 510 has a manual (you have to press a button to activate theunit) battery (although you can ge it with an automatic batery) which leads to more vapor because you have more control over ho long the battery is actively heating the atty, and greater throat hit as well. The battery charge on teh 510 is also lesser. The 401 is an automatic battery (unit activates uppon inhale) so you don't have that much control over the atomizer heating up which crates less vapor than a 510 (although, again from what I've read, it can be close to a 510's vapor production), and less of a throat hit. It seems the 401 gives more flavor because of this and the battery charge is longer.

I've also read that the 510 has an easier draw than the 401, mostly because of the manual baterry.

 

[julalew]

Anyway - it sounds like you smoked much like I did. And I never really did think of it that way. In the time that I've been vaping I've had multiple occasions where I get lots of "throat hit", and I honestly don't care for it. I much more prefer a smooth, non painful (throat hit can be painful at times) vape. Something I realize I couldn't really get with analogues unless I smoked some Doral Ultra Lights! And THAT was frustrating as it was more like smoking a burning length of nothing! That same technique will serve you well with The Dragon and vaping in general.

Let me know your thoughts after you've had a few days to get into the swing of things!

They shipped it out yesterday, so I'm hoping to have it by Mon or Tues!!!!! I'll let you know what I think.
I just found a pretty interesting discussion in the general forums about inhaling. I don't think I'm allowed to post links yet, so I'm not gonna even bother to try. But it's in the general forums and it's simply called "how do you inhale?"