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Discontinued Pax Vaporizer by Ploom

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OregonStoner

Well-Known Member
I know it has been discussed in this thread about the possibility of a battery exchange program and what the cost will be. Since Ploom has not stated anything officially on their website, I decided to send a support ticket to them to inquire what will they do when my battery degrades to a point of poor performance.

Miss Harriet Technician | Support Specialist | Ploominati said:
We generally hear that around 5 power-ups is typical for normal battery performance. It is worth knowing that while on the charging dock the Pax indicator light will turn green when it is 80% charged. If you shake your Pax while it's on and the LED Indicator flashes green 3x that means your battery is 80-100% charged. General rule is 2 full hours on the charger will get you up to 100% battery charge and ensures maximum Ploom time.

It's also important to know that the battery uses most of its power heating up or going into standby mode and then heating up again. A situation like that will lead to less than 5 full sessions.

Like most electronics, battery degradation can be expected. You can expect the capacity of the battery to decrease to about 80% after 300+ oven loads. The battery is a consumable component of the device. which means it will diminish over the years. I would like to clarify, if just for the future, that standard battery degradation is not covered under our 10 Yr Ltd Warranty. It's also important to understand that battery in Pax itself is not replaceable. If and when, normal battery degradation is determined, Ploom offers a complete new device replacement (similar to Apple's iPad battery solution) for $125.

It appears that Ploom will not be having a "battery exchange" program for your current Pax. They will offer to send you a new unit for $125 dollars. Thought other members might be interested about battery degradation and Ploom's current plan for this inevitable circumstance.
 

Reflections

Well-Known Member
Like most electronics, battery degradation can be expected, you can expect the capacity of the battery to decrease to about 80% after 300+ oven loads...

Wow that less than 1 load a day for a year...gonna die sooner than expected sighs...
 
Reflections,

GraffiX

Well-Known Member
I know it has been discussed in this thread about the possibility of a battery exchange program and what the cost will be. Since Ploom has not stated anything officially on their website, I decided to send a support ticket to them to inquire what will they do when my battery degrades to a point of poor performance.

It appears that Ploom will not be having a "battery exchange" program for your current Pax. They will offer to send you a new unit for $125 dollars. Thought other members might be interested about battery degradation and Ploom's current plan for this inevitable circumstance.

Thanks for sharing this, clears up a lot of the speculation.

Seems rather unfortunate though, and when you add all that information up, it would seem that a "10 year warranty" is a rather nothing more than a contrived marketing scheme. I say this because, consider the following:

(I stand corrected on these calcs, and the battery life should be based on charging cycles and not usage cycles. The below microfonted items were my original post, errant, yet left for posterity. I still stand by my disappointment as indicated in posts below this one. Ploom should specifically cover charging issues on that battery for 12-18 months of that 10 year warranty. :) )

The actual battery life should be calculated as:

300 charging cycles x 5 usage cycles = 1500 uses before ~20% capacity degradation begins.

A daily user who's using the device 3 times a day on average should then expect the life cycle of the unit to be 500 days before experiencing capacity issues. This is still only 16 months, nowhere close to 10 years.) Not terrible given battery expectations, but if the battery fails in that period, I feel Ploom should still cover it with a reasonable expectation of fixing it imho.

- after 300 oven loads, the battery degrades to ~80%. As Reflections said above, that's one oven load a day for ~10 months from brand new.

- Two ovens in a day, and you can expect your battery life in a Pax to last ~5 months before it degrades to ~80%. 20 WEEKS.

- Based on what Ploom said above, any further degradation and the green light will not come on after charging (stated that it goes "green" once it hits 80% charge)

- Ploom warranties the device for "10 years", yet knows that the battery will be relatively unusable in ~5-10 months with very normal use.

- Put all that together, and there is no way on God's green Earth that a Pax will last anywhere close to 10 years.


While they seem to be well made, I haven't had any warranty-based troubles with my unit(s), and they apparently have amazing customer support.....c'mon man....a 10 year warranty that doesn't cover an unreplacable battery (without voiding the warranty) that's not designed to last more than ~20 weeks @ 2 ovens a day before it degrades to the point it won't hold a "green" charge??

Indeed, the 10 year warranty is nothing more than a marketing ploy I'm sad to realize.

That they'll give you a new one at the cost of $125 sounds more like a Verizon "well, just buy another discounted phone from us, we still make $$$" scam than it does any sort of awesome warranty based on the info above.

Sorry for the negative mini-rant, I am a HUGE Pax fan and absolutely love this unit and the company, but I knew there was something amiss about the warranty. This seals it for me. I'll stick with 'em because I do love my Pax and wouldn't trade it for anything, but I'm very glad that I'm technically adept, and thought ahead to purchase (2) Panasonic 18650B's with tabs a few months back.

I'm very disappointed that when my time comes, after taking absolute pristine care with my Pax, that I will indeed have to void the warranty and replace my own battery, as I will not spend yet another $125 for a replacement in ~5-10 months on a device warranted for "10 years". I've had mine for 8+ months now and no sign of degradation, but that they chose not to provide a battery replacement program is really disappointing.

Unhappy day. :(
 
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Quetzalcoatl

DEADY GUERRERO/DIRT COBAIN/GEORGE KUSH
I thought most electronics rated batteries by charge cycles and not use cycles? If you get 300 charges before a drop, doesn't that mean you can charge it, do multiple sessions till the battery is low, then charge it for 1 cycle? :huh:
 

pakalolo

Toolbag v1.1 (candidate)
Staff member
Thanks for sharing this, clears up a lot of the speculation.

Seems rather unfortunate though, and when you add all that information up, it would seem that a "10 year warranty" is a rather nothing more than a contrived marketing scheme. I say this because, consider the following:

- after 300 oven loads, the battery degrades to ~80%. As Reflections said above, that's one oven load a day for ~10 months from brand new.

- Two ovens in a day, and you can expect your battery life in a Pax to last ~5 months before it degrades to ~80%. 20 WEEKS.

- Based on what Ploom said above, any further degradation and the green light will not come on after charging (stated that it goes "green" once it hits 80% charge)

- Ploom warranties the device for "10 years", yet knows that the battery will be relatively unusable in ~5-10 months with very normal use.

- Put all that together, and there is no way on God's green Earth that a Pax will last anywhere close to 10 years.

While they seem to be well made, I haven't had any warranty-based troubles with my unit(s), and they apparently have amazing customer support.....c'mon man....a 10 year warranty that doesn't cover an unreplacable battery (without voiding the warranty) that's not designed to last more than ~20 weeks @ 2 ovens a day before it degrades to the point it won't hold a "green" charge??

Indeed, the 10 year warranty is nothing more than a marketing ploy I'm sad to realize.

That they'll give you a new one at the cost of $125 sounds more like a Verizon "well, just buy another discounted phone from us, we still make $$$" scam than it does any sort of awesome warranty based on the info above.

Sorry for the negative mini-rant, I am a HUGE Pax fan and absolutely love this unit and the company, but I knew there was something amiss about the warranty. This seals it for me. I'll stick with 'em because I do love my Pax and wouldn't trade it for anything, but I'm very glad that I'm technically adept, and thought ahead to purchase (2) Panasonic 18650B's with tabs a few months back.

I'm very disappointed that when my time comes, after taking absolute pristine care with my Pax, that I will indeed have to void the warranty and replace my own battery, as I will not spend yet another $125 for a replacement in ~5-10 months on a device warranted for "10 years". I've had mine for 8+ months now and no sign of degradation, but that they chose not to provide a battery replacement program is really disappointing.

Unhappy day. :(

@Quetzalcoatl is right, your calculation is flawed. If it weren't, this thread would have been flooded with complaints by now.

You're right for the most part, though. Ploom isn't the only manufacturer facing this problem. VaporBLUNT is starting to get inquiries about battery replacement, and I know DaVinci is as well. Although the MTF isn't as short as you calculated, it is coming up soon for some of the early Li-ion battery-powered designs. I expect a similar discount replacement unit program from most of them. The question will be whether they supply new units, or refurbished ones.
 

GraffiX

Well-Known Member
I thought most electronics rated batteries by charge cycles and not use cycles? If you get 300 charges before a drop, doesn't that mean you can charge it, do multiple sessions till the battery is low, then charge it for 1 cycle? :huh:

That is correct, the charge cycles are what count, and with LiOn, it's best for the battery life to do nearly full discharge, then charge it again to full, even though one can choose to "top it off" if needed with no capacity/memory issue.

I have had amazing life with my Pax so far and have nothing but good to say about the Pax, Ploom as a company, and the tales of warranty service are legendary.

The rub for me is the "10 year warranty" itself, and the notion that they were "purportedly" going to implement a battery replacement program.

I think it's a bit misleading given that this device will last anywhere close to 10 years with even the most moderate use. That, and for half the price of a new one, I can buy another one in 1-3 years.

None of this is a deal breaker for me at all, I will continue to stick by the Pax and Ploom eternally. I'm just really disappointed that the battery replacement program turned into a "well, just buy another discounted new one". A good 18650 at retail is ~$10, they get them for much less. For $50-60, they could have implemented the exchange program, still turned a solid profit.

It just seems a bit misleading to have a 10 year warranty on a product that will never see that lifespan without a new battery.

@GraffiX You make a good point. Ploom's warranty clearly isn't all it is cracked up to be. They should at least cover the battery for a year... Solo's warranty does..

At the heart of my mini-rant, this is exactly what I mean. If they at least warranted the battery for a year, maybe 18 months, it would make much more sense. Well said brother.

@Quetzalcoatl is right, your calculation is flawed. If it weren't, this thread would have been flooded with complaints by now.

You're right for the most part, though. Ploom isn't the only manufacturer facing this problem. VaporBLUNT is starting to get inquiries about battery replacement, and I know DaVinci is as well. Although the MTF isn't as short as you calculated, it is coming up soon for some of the early Li-ion battery-powered designs. I expect a similar discount replacement unit program from most of them. The question will be whether they supply new units, or refurbished ones.

You're correct, and indeed I jumped the gun on the calculation, should be based on cycles and not uses. I did state though (in my defense), that my Pax was doing really well after 8 months of an oven or 2 a day and exhibited no signs of the battery losing life. :) :)

I think you and VapeMan980 nailed the heart of what I'm perturbed about. I'll go retract my errant calcs from my original post and replace it with something more realistic. :)

Thanks fellas!

EDIT: For the record, I owned my errant calcs, superscripted them to preserve the post, and added the correct calculation which comes out to ~16 months of use 3x per day. That's definitely more like it, however, the issue about "10 year warranty" still bugs me a bit with that hanging out there.

Your point about the replacement program potentially using refurbs is VERY solid and I'd like to know more about that from Ploom. May reach out to them for the first time to find out specifically if it's at their whim, or if they will always use a new device. Good call.
 
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Jethro

Well-Known Member
Well, I can understand people being in a huff about this, it certainly does not seem right to not have your battery warrantied for at least a year when the company is pushing the hell out of the 10 year warranty thing. I just received a brand new Pax back from Ploom after sending mine back for not heating up anymore. No battery issue, just wouldn't heat up one day. They sent me a new kit as you'd buy it in the store, even though I did not send them my charger. They also gave me extra screens and PG lube. Paid shipping both ways. Personally, I don't really see a problem with a Pax exchange program for $125 but it better be a brand new unit not a refurb.
 

Wizsteve

Well-Known Member
ploom as far as i seen in this thread doesn't repair units when they go bad they just send out new units correct?

If so this means one thing they don't take them apart and do the work themselves they most likely send faulty units back to china for credit for new units .

So this makes prefect sense to me they don't have ppl there to work on the units to replace the batteries so they would need to send them to china for replacement.

Question is does your 10 year get renewed ? with it being a new unit? guessing not.
 
Wizsteve,

BTBAM

Active Member
ploom as far as i seen in this thread doesn't repair units when they go bad they just send out new units correct?

When I had to send mine in the other day for some strange issues I was having it kind of got me wondering the same thing. I'm guessing they don't really repair them though, they probably just test them and when they are deemed faulty they might get sent back to the manufacturer as you said. Today Ploom emailed me and said they were "unable to repair" my unit, and are sending me a new one, so I'm pretty stoked for that. :tup:
 
BTBAM,

Wizsteve

Well-Known Member
When I had to send mine in the other day for some strange issues I was having it kind of got me wondering the same thing. I'm guessing they don't really repair them though, they probably just test them and when they are deemed faulty they might get sent back to the manufacturer as you said. Today Ploom emailed me and said they were "unable to repair" my unit, and are sending me a new one, so I'm pretty stoked for that. :tup:

yeah i never heard of anyone getting a repaired unit back, always a new one.
 
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Wizsteve,

qwer

New Member
I live in Australia so I cannot buy a pax from a proper shop like vape world, like I was going to.
However I found this one on ebay, I am aware of the scams but this seems legit. what do you guys think?
It costs $218, but the postage costs $63, so it will end up being more than $250. Also they have sold 16 just in this colour, have 99.4% positive feedback, and are from USA.
Here is a link http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-in-Box-PAX-by-Ploom-Vaporizer-Emerald-Green-Premium-Portable-852605002466-/291162930641?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43caa9bdd1

I
really want a pax but I really don't want to spend so much and get a fake
 
qwer,

qwer

New Member
you can buy pax in australia now from a genuine shop, Ive seen it here: http://www.australianvaporizers.com.au/store/ploom-pax-vaporizer.html

bit more expensive than ebay though, but you know the old saying.

Oh and there might just e other au retailers selling them now as well, shop around :)

thankyou, I will definitely do this.
I found another shop in Australia called namastevapes, and they have them for a bit cheaper than Australian vaporizers. but they don't have any reviews or anything so I don't know if they are legit or not.
Do you or anyone else know about namastevapes?
Thanks
 
qwer,

Teedub

Well-Known Member
Theres talk of namaste over in the evo anticipation thread, I have noticed that they have alot of sites,
france, uk, ireland, russia, newzealand.

Magpie77 said he has communicated with them and that he and his friend have made successful purchases off them.

I can vouch for aus vapes as I've ordered from them quite often and never had any problems, I've never used namaste.

http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/the-cloud-evo-anticipation-thread.10875/page-72#post-612444
 
Teedub,
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qwer

New Member
Theres talk of namaste over in the evo anticipation thread, I have noticed that they have alot of sites,
france, uk, ireland, russia, newzealand.

Magpie77 said he has communicated with them and that he and his friend have made successful purchases off them.

I can vouch for aus vapes as I've ordered from them quite often and never had any problems, I've never used namaste.

http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/the-cloud-evo-anticipation-thread.10875/page-72#post-612444
They seem a bit dodgey to me. so I just decided to go with Australian vapes.
thanks for all the help everyone, cant wait to get my pax and start vaping!
 
Well, I can understand people being in a huff about this, it certainly does not seem right to not have your battery warrantied for at least a year when the company is pushing the hell out of the 10 year warranty thing. I just received a brand new Pax back from Ploom after sending mine back for not heating up anymore. No battery issue, just wouldn't heat up one day. They sent me a new kit as you'd buy it in the store, even though I did not send them my charger. They also gave me extra screens and PG lube. Paid shipping both ways. Personally, I don't really see a problem with a Pax exchange program for $125 but it better be a brand new unit not a refurb.

I don't want to get into details. But there are ways to circumvent the no warranty on the battery... That's for smart people to figure out though ;)

Paxing for life baby
 
VapeMan980,

mrweed

vaporizer review blogger
I'm not sure if namastevapes is really legit! I would not risk it. They invest a lot in marketing and google ads and have a website in nearly every country, now. They've told me something about a UK warehouse, however I doubt that it excists. So if they are legit I bet the units will be send from the US and that means importing taxes!
Stick with the Shops you know already!
 
mrweed,
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GraffiX

Well-Known Member
Happy Fathers Day brothers and sisters!

Full retraction, the fathers day sale excludes Pax. hopefully i deleted before anyone got their hopes up.

Happy Fatthrs Day all, give your pop a big hug today!!

G

sorry vapeman980, got all excited and went back read the fine print. :(
 

GraffiX

Well-Known Member
@GraffiX

Damn that sucks.. Thanks anyway though..

Sorry brother. I was so excited to share with everyone that after I posted, I thought to myself "wonder if there are any exclusions?". So I scoured the email, and even though it said "20% off site wide!!" in big letters everywhere, in fine print, the following at the bottom of the email:

*Coupons cannot be stacked. Offer not valid on Pax, Firefly, Volcano, Plenty, or Ascent products. Expires 6/16."

Very sorry to get your hopes up, thought I was helpin', and all I ended up doin' is helpin' to get your hopes up. Again, sorry eternal, brother. :(

Have a very happy Fathers Day though!! :)

Peace and positive energy!!

GraffiX
 
GraffiX,

Shadowdjinni

Active Member
I don't want to get into details. But there are ways to circumvent the no warranty on the battery... That's for smart people to figure out though ;)

Paxing for life baby

This is what I ended up doing. After sending in my unit for having a charge issue (would say green on the charger but then it would blink red 3x as if the battery was 100% dead), they just decided to give me a new unit.

My Pax started with 4.5x (20-25m low-mid-high) sessions when I got it 13 months ago, upon mailing it in I could barely hit a full 2 sessions. Obviously the battery wasn't covered, but the other issue was. To anyone needing a new battery, just find some way to get a faulty issue on the unit and cover two birds with one stone :p
 
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