I ordered Orb 3 XL Travel kit directly from the Sourcevapes website. I wanted the Premium kit, but somehow the order got screwed up (which could have been my fault), so I got the XL Travel instead. For some reason, getting that small issue resolved seems to be a challenge for Source, but it is a small issue and very well could be my fault. I'm impressed with the product itself.
My vaporizing experience thus far has been the Silver Surfer, an Iolite, some generic ~$20 globe pens and a Haze that isn't quite cutting it for me (the Haze works fine, it's just not the right product for me). I'm glad I came across this thread AFTER I placed my order or I probably would haven't ordered the Orb. So far, I've been pretty happy with the purchase. Source shipped within 24 hours.
Of course I fired up the (ceramic) Terra first. Mine had a funky smell that needed to be burnt off. The terra functioned properly at all voltages (3.2-4.8v) on the Source battery, a Vision Spinner and on some unbranded eGo style batteries. I'm not sure why others are having voltage/ohm issues; I assume it's either inconsistencies with production and quality control or perhaps Source has tweaked things in response to the issues. The Terra seems to function best at ~4-4.5v, but YMMV.
The terra is everything you've heard, great taste, cooler vapor, etc I was surprised by the efficiency (as in how far the concentrate goes). No waste and less splatter inside the orb than I'm used to (in my globes), probably due to the deep bowls. The concentrate went further in the Orb/Terra than it does in my Haze and miles farther than it did in my cheap globe pens. The vapor was hotter and the taste stronger on the Orb vs the Haze. The Haze hits much cooler. You can get some clouds if you're willing to crank the voltage up. personally I prefer lower temps/voltage.
I accidently rocked my world by hitting the Quartz dual coil at 4.8v; I got a big, hot tasty hit followed by a big dank cloud. The coils didn't light up red like I've seen with other atomizers, but clearly they get more than hot enough. Both the Terra and Dual coil bowls are a little deeper in person than they look in the photos and they do a good job burying the coils deep in the bowl. I liked the Terra the better of the two. The slim chamber has airflow control. I'm not sure which I prefer yet.
I really like the black chrome finish and the Orb looks better sitting on top their battery than my other ones. I think it's worth the ~$10 extra to have the matching battery, but the black chrome Orb looks good on black and stainless batteries too. The case that comes with the Orb 3 xl Travel kit is pretty nice.
I can see Source has had some growing pains and I hope they get thru them since it's a pretty good product and pricing is very competitive. I would suggest they offer a ~$50 Travel Kit with the Orb 3; it just strikes me as odd that they don't and it's a popular price point.
It also occurs to me that the Orb 3 & Orb Slim might be improved if Source moved the air intakes from the below the atomizer into the lower part of the chamber. Then the breather hole in the bottom of the atomizer could be eliminated. That would prevent the breather from clogging and prevent leaks into the battery, and I bet it would still "hit" good. It's certainly worth making a prototype to see. ;-)
What would you buy extra? Any coupons you know of?
