Newbie here from SF bay area (San Jose). Vamo v5 issues and rant about brick and mortar stores

[Heartisan]

Totally get your frustration Snackwich!!
The B&M stores we have in the East Bay are Smoke Shops and/or Hookah shops who have decided to cash in on the ecig train. They don't know much about the products, and are super aggressive trying to sell their inferior,WAY overpriced products.
Most stores I've been in around the Bay Area carry tons of Egos (mostly Ego clones) Vamos, Siegeleis, etc. I own a couple Siegeleis, but purchased them to use when I go places - so I don't accidentally wreck my Provari or Buzz Pro. Nothing wrong with them, they're just a lower price, mass produced version of better quality mods.

Your description of that store employee (or Owner?) is dead on with what I've experienced at the B&M stores!! They don't know much about ecigs or how they work, and hardcore push whatever they have on the shelves. Prices are usually double what you can find online.
The two in my town - East Bay Area - at least have a decent selection of Kanger & IClear type tanks. 3/4 brand name, 1/4 knock offs. It's very nice to have somewhere to go if I just need a part or two. Having to go through the sales pitch for their mods EVERY time is annoying as hell, though. "No, I STILL don't want a Tesla or Vamo, Thank You"
I try to educate their staff a bit when I go in. I always feel bad that their Boss hasn't taught them anything! They appreciate it very much - the Boss of the larger store is usually at the bar next door

You seem to have a good bit of knowledge when it comes to the technical side of mods, thankfully! That helps so much when dealing with pushy salesmen peddling cheap products. I'm looking forward to the day when we get stores that mainly sell ecigs, and know how to use them!
I do suggest investing in a quality PV when you can. Doesn't have to be a Provari - although Provaris & Reos have the most rabid fans, lol!
There are many great PVs available now. Mechanical mods are okay, but I've always preferred Variable.
Good luck with your Vamo! I'm sure you can figure out a work around its problems.

Maybe you should start a new thread just about your Vamos issues? This one got off track with B&m problems I suggest the Modding forum Modding Forum or Technical Issues Ecigarette Technical Issues LOTS of fantastic advice in those.

 

[joesquid]

Understand your frustration but B&M stores have a much higher overhead than online suppliers. You may have some bad stores by you or you may be expecting too much. I bought a couple mods (at a higher price)at a local B&M here that I had problems with. Went to the store and showed them the problem. They said that sucks and gave me a new one. Every bit worth the extra money as far as I'm concerned. I think most businesses are the same. If you return to the place of purchase you will get better service (and should)

 

[snackwitch]

Totally get your frustration Snackwich!!
The B&M stores we have in the East Bay are Smoke Shops and/or Hookah shops who have decided to cash in on the Ecig train. They don't know much about the products, and are super aggressive trying to sell their inferior,WAY overpriced products.
Most stores I've been in around the Bay Area carry tons of Egos (mostly Ego clones) Vamos, Siegeleis, etc. I own a couple Siegeleis, but purchased them to use when I go places - so I don't accidentally wreck my Provari or Buzz Pro. Nothing wrong with them, they're just a lower price, mass produced version of better quality mods.

Your description of that store employee (or Owner?) is dead on with what I've experienced at the B&M stores!! They don't know much about ecigs or how they work, and hardcore push whatever they have on the shelves. Prices are usually double what you can find online.
The two in my town - East Bay Area - at least have a decent selection of Kanger & IClear type tanks. 3/4 brand name, 1/4 knock offs. It's very nice to have somewhere to go if I just need a part or two. Having to go through the sales pitch for their mods EVERY time is annoying as hell, though. "No, I STILL don't want a Tesla or Vamo, Thank You"
I try to educate their staff a bit when I go in. I always feel bad that their Boss hasn't taught them anything! They appreciate it very much - the Boss of the larger store is usually at the bar next door

You seem to have a good bit of knowledge when it comes to the technical side of mods, thankfully! That helps so much when dealing with pushy salesmen peddling cheap products. I'm looking forward to the day when we get stores that mainly sell ecigs, and know how to use them!
I do suggest investing in a quality PV when you can. Doesn't have to be a Provari - although Provaris & Reos have the most rabid fans, lol!
There are many great PVs available now. Mechanical mods are okay, but I've always preferred Variable.
Good luck with your Vamo! I'm sure you can figure out a work around its problems.

Maybe you should start a new thread just about your Vamos issues? This one got off track with B&m problems I suggest the Modding forum Modding Forum or Technical Issues Ecigarette Technical Issues LOTS of fantastic advice in those.

I actually got my vamo to work by pulling up the 510 center pin with a flathead screwdriver. The issue hasn't come back for now thankfully.

I am looking for replacement. Funny that you mention Tesla, I actually bought a Tesla as replacement for my vamo. At least it has a spring-loaded 510 connector and it only uses 1 battery size (no fiddling with extension tubes).

What other mods do you recommend other the provari or Reo? To be honest I never heard of Reo, is it mechanical mod?

I was also looking at sigelei Zmax V5, SVD and VTR. What other variable voltage/wattage mods are there out there that are solid and dependable?

 

[rc3po]

I've been vaping for a year and have never even stepped foot in a vape shop. I've bought everything on-line.

 

[rc3po]

I actually got my vamo to work by pulling up the 510 center pin with a flathead screwdriver. The issue hasn't come back for now thankfully.

I am looking for replacement. Funny that you mention Tesla, I actually bought a Tesla as replacement for my vamo. At least it has a spring-loaded 510 connector and it only uses 1 battery size (no fiddling with extension tubes).

What other mods do you recommend other the provari or Reo? To be honest I never heard of Reo, is it mechanical mod?

I was also looking at sigelei Zmax V5, SVD and VTR. What other variable voltage/wattage mods are there out there that are solid and dependable?

The Zmax has a deep 510 with a solid center electrode. My KFL clone won't fire on it and my R91 will only fire when the center pin is screwed out so far it looks like it wants to fall out. It seems that there is no 510 standard in the industry.

 

[FatCatNat]

Looks like I finally found the right thread for my Vamo V5 510 connector gripes. The V5 is my first APV and I really like the voltage and power options and the integrated ohm meter. After dropping it a few times, and completely rebuiding it twice, and having tried several 510 tanks, the damn thing is still flaky. I get "low load" errors, loosen the tank a tiny bit and it'll work for a while. Bought a couple of "air flow" adapters to save the 510 connection on the V5 but the same problems persist with or without the adapter. Got used to tanks wobbling around in order to get a good electrical connection, but that's not a solution. Thought about replacing the whole 510 connector sub assembly (they're available online) but I believe that will only be a temporary fix. Seems like the 510 connectors are just a very poor design for the larger tanks now in use and the EGO style connector is more stable but unavailable on larger capacity tanks or RBA's. Looks like I'll be fiddling with O-rings to get it working more reliably. Meanwhile I'm waiting for a Hades clone from FT and we'll see how that 510 connector works. Still can't justify the $150-$200 cost for a provari.