Zmax has failed me; thinking about Provari; other suggestions?

[InTheShade]

/

Research the vamo and see how many problems with it you find, do the same for the provari.

EDIT - Older thread, comment still valid IMHO so letting it sit.

Yep, everyone should throw every APV that is not a Provari in the trash.

The Vamo, SVD, Zmax, SID and all the others fulfill a purpose for many thousands of vapers every day. They stop people smoking, people like me. I can afford a provari, I have (so far) decided not to buy one.

There is no doubt that the vamo has issues (I have raised many of them myself) but comparing the number of issues with a mass-produced and mass-purchased device like the vamo against a slightly niche, upper-end (and therefore not mass-produced or mass-purchased) mod is disingenuous.

 

[Katya]

What a mistake that was. This thing is a complete piece of [moderated]. I've been struggling with it for three months now, and I've had it. I've got the "half-moon" problem with the "inside" button. I can't use any atomizers lower than 2 ohms or I get a "low load" error. I've had the issues with the system suddenly going into the menu while I'm firing. Sometimes it just powers down instead, and when that happens there's a good chance all of my settings will be reset. In order to get it to turn back on I have to remove the battery and put it back in. I would say I encounter one of these problems about one in every four times, on average, that I fire it. I'm about to throw this thing through the window. Twice, while it was still under warranty, I emailed the vendor I bought it from. I never received a response.

I am very sorry about your troubles with the Zmax. However, you probably should have been more forceful with your vendor--if the unit is defective and still under warranty, the vendor is responsible for replacing it. He just sends it back to Sigelei and gives you a new unit. I can't understand why this wasn't done. Did you write a negative review of the vendor in the Negative Review section of this forum? If the vendor doesn't treat you right, you should do it. Did you save the emails? If so, write a review, tell your story and post it here:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/reviews-suppliers-negative/

If your vendor is one of the ECF approved vendors, he may respond. If not, at least you'll be letting other ECF members know to avoid that particular reseller. Don't give up yet!

That said, I own a stainless Sigelei mini V3 and it's a wonderful mod. Of course, I have no idea how long it will last, that remains to be seen, but I'm really enjoying it--I love the variable power setting (in addition to variable voltage), I love the fact that it comes with dual eGo/510 connection, which allows me to use all my favorite toppers without an adapter, and I like the OLED display. I also own a mini ProVari, which is a great and reliable APV.

I don't own a Vamo, but many ECF-ers swear buy it.

Good luck!

 

[The Ocelot]

/

EDIT - Older thread, comment still valid IMHO so letting it sit.

Yep, everyone should throw every APV that is not a Provari in the trash.

The Vamo, SVD, Zmax, SID and all the others fulfill a purpose for many thousands of vapers every day. They stop people smoking, people like me. I can afford a provari, I have (so far) decided not to buy one.

There is no doubt that the vamo has issues (I have raised many of them myself) but comparing the number of issues with a mass-produced and mass-purchased device like the vamo against a slightly niche, upper-end (and therefore not mass-produced or mass-purchased) mod is disingenuous.

Bad dog, no ProVari

 

[dhomes]

I keep repeating, avoid Chinese electronics like the plague

And as much as I enjoy my provari,

The best deal for your money about 100 bucks, is a mechanical mod to which you add a kick 2

15 watts, handle .5 to 3 ohm coils with the same security that a provari does (over current etc etc)

 

[dhomes]

I have a decent amount of devices, some cheaper (k100, smok natural, etc) some in the expensive side (provari, reo) and enjoy almost all of the,

Yet, the worse thing I have purchased in my vaping life is a vamo

Waste of money

 

[Katya]

I keep repeating, avoid Chinese electronics like the plague

Seriously? Do you own a TV? A smart phone? A computer? A laptop? A tablet?

The Chinese invented e-cigarettes, by the way. I've been using Chinese e-cigs for 4 years--without a problem.

And yes, I do own a ProVari.

 

[InTheShade]

I have a decent amount of devices, some cheaper (k100, smok natural, etc) some in the expensive side (provari, reo) and enjoy almost all of the,

Yet, the worse thing I have purchased in my vaping life is a vamo

Waste of money

I'll go with worst and one of the best.

Worst V3 Vamo - crappy threads, 510 connector didn't allow anything to be screwed in, sharp machining on body.

Best V2 Vamo - first APV, helped me really commit to the switch of vaping, gave me the adjustments i wanted and in a package that I liked.

So you and I both are half right...

 

[Vapolith]

Update:

It was a pretty short run. I really liked the Kmax. I really enjoyed the variable voltage option. It fired fantastic. Tonight it separated at a joint it probably shouldn't have. While I am sure I can probably fix this, I'm sure this is probably a deal breaker for most, and rightly so.

View attachment 251356

Yikes! That was quick!

 

[Vapolith]

I'll go with worst and one of the best.

Worst V3 Vamo - crappy threads, 510 connector didn't allow anything to be screwed in, sharp machining on body.

Best V2 Vamo - first APV, helped me really commit to the switch of vaping, gave me the adjustments i wanted and in a package that I liked.

I love my Vamo V2s, but I just got a Vamo V3 and it's a work of art compared to the V2, well, at least mine is. Threads are perfect, build quality is even more solid than the V2. I'm really happy with it so far. Maybe you got a defective V3?

 

[dhomes]

Seriously? Do you own a TV? A smart phone? A computer? A laptop? A tablet?

The Chinese invented e-cigarettes, by the way. I've been using Chinese e-cigs for 4 years--without a problem.

And yes, I do own a ProVari.

While the manufacturing of those devices are largely conducted in China, the design comes mostly from the USA (CPUs, chipset, etc)

I'm referring to vv/vw chip used by most Chinese devices most people use here (vmax, zmax, vamo, svd). The frequency they use is nowhere as flat as that of a kick 2 or provari or dna20d

And my vamo does not give me the voltage or wattage I set it up at no matter the mode it is at, after the battery uses the first .2 to .3 volts you will start getting less and less than what you set it at.

Just grab a multimeter and check it, I have set mine to 5 volts and it goes down to 4.2 or less by the time the battery is at 3.6 to 3.5 volts

Provari / kick 2 / dna20d (this one being the best vv/vw one can have at the moment, I don't even have one!) will give you what you set it at until battery dies

 

[dhomes]

And I have no issue against Chinese devices in general, I use daily 3 Chinese mech mods and am very happy with them.

But their vv / vw just ain't good

And the fact someone invented something does not mean that it will be the best

 

[jow350]

I love my Vamo V2s, but I just got a Vamo V3 and it's a work of art compared to the V2, well, at least mine is. Threads are perfect, build quality is even more solid than the V2. I'm really happy with it so far. Maybe you got a defective V3?

Where did you get yours from? Stainless Steel or chromed?

 

[dhomes]

Seriously? Do you own a TV? A smart phone? A computer? A laptop? A tablet?

The Chinese invented e-cigarettes, by the way. I've been using Chinese e-cigs for 4 years--without a problem.

And yes, I do own a ProVari.

And yeah, I do, assembled in China / Taiwan, designed in America

And I am not American nor I live there, but those are facts (design vs manufacturing I mean)

 

[dhomes]

There is a fellow ECF member who was about to get a svd / zmax / the like

He said he was willing to spend $100 for something that lasted, I told him to pm me and I would guide him with a good kit

He got a Chinese mech mod (chi-yu clone)
A kick 2 (5 to 15 watts, .5 to 3.3 ohms)
Two efest batteries
Quality nitecore charger

Spent about $110

After answering a few questions he had he put it all together and was extremely happy with the performance and quality of what he got. Let me see if I can get him to post here.

 

[Vapolith]

Where did you get yours from? Stainless Steel or chromed?

My first Vamo V2 came from High Desert Vapes, it was a black chrome version in a kit. Had it since May and it's looked brand new since then, I put a Jwrap on it a few weeks ago, though, just because the chrome is slippery to me.

My 2nd Vamo V2 came from Fasttech, and it is stainless steel. It survived a fall into a saltwater swimming pool (along with me), and still works perfectly. It also arrived rather quickly, compared to other orders I've placed with Fasttech. Bought it in June.

My Vamo V3 came from MyVaporStore, and is stainless steel. I have no idea why this mod isn't photogenic, it looks incredible in person, makes the V2 look like a spare piece of pipe that a plumber had left over.

I also have a V3 from Fasttech that is currently lost somewhere in the USPS system.

 

[Vapolith]

Oh, and I wouldn't recommend a Vamo kit, unless you can choose the battery and charger that come with it, mine were junk.

 

[Vapolith]

There is a fellow ECF member who was about to get a svd / zmax / the like

He said he was willing to spend $100 for something that lasted, I told him to pm me and I would guide him with a good kit

He got a Chinese mech mod (chi-yu clone)
A kick 2 (5 to 15 watts, .5 to 3.3 ohms)
Two efest batteries
Quality nitecore charger

Spent about $110

After answering a few questions he had he put it all together and was extremely happy with the performance and quality of what he got. Let me see if I can get him to post here.

I'm waiting on my Chi You clone to ship from Fasttech, I'm excited to try it!

 

[Koman]

I really like Chromed look.

 

[tj99959]

I have a Provari in my hand right now. It's almost 2 years old, and still looks and works like new. So that $159 PV has outlasted about $5,000 worth of cigarettes. Makes a Provari a pretty cheap investment in my book.

 

[SirSteve]

It really comes down to what you want. Long and trouble free life, ProVari, but it does come at a cost. I can't trash the Chinese devices, I have several, Vamo and 2 Sigelei Zmaxes among them, all performing well for months. But, if you want something that will last and last, and is built solid, has a company who stands behind their product and will service it should the need ever arise, again ProVari.