Why do early adopters usually get screwed?

[Mynameismud]

With all of these new and exciting vaporizers being released, it is very tempting to be an early adopter, but with most new releases the early adopters usually end up getting screwed from my experience...in my opinion companies need to start offering incentives for early adopter and not just false incentives (like vaporfection, but ill get to that in a minute. It just seems like with most new vaporizers being an early adopter is like being a beta tester at your own expense. I know, more people are likely to post about problems then good things but i think things really need to change. Heres some examples

Examples:
wispr-269$ many problems, then fixed and released for a cheaper price(same thing with iolite).

Vivape-bought early for the "limited time" rebate, which is still availble over a year later and released a newer design in less than a year

Arizer solo and extreme q- both of their products were released and then had to be fixed and re released multiple times and can be bought for really cheap now.

Puffit-prepay for it to get a special lower price (which is still the same price they sell for) missed release dates, and problems once its finally released.

Pax-prepay for an unreleased product that had to be tweaked after release, and has to constantly be clean in order to function

Atmos Raw-not a vaporizer

I can go on and on and really i cant think of one vape i bought where i benifitted from being an early adopter, except maybe iolite( got it when it was released as the IInhale, they got sued changed to iolite and released a far less superior model that experienced many bugs and issues.

 

[Stu]

I can go on and on and really i cant think of one vape i bought where i benifitted from being an early adopter, except maybe iolite( got it when it was released as the IInhale, they got sued changed to iolite and released a far less superior model that experienced many bugs and issues.

For the most part I would agree with you. I pre-ordered the Cloud, however and saved $100. It is my daily driver still.

But yeah, I get your point. It's a calculated risk being an early adopter to be sure.

 

[CentiZen]

Well, while I agree that there are alot of lemons in this industry, I think that it has to do with companies spending more time marketing and hyping that they should have been putting into refining their products.

I never got burned on the inhalater though, a flawless unit from day one. There are some good companies out there who won't release product that isn't ready for prime time. There are a lot of others that simply look at initial release as a paid beta test. The only way to know for sure is to wait for others to post their thoughts and use your discretion.

 

[Dreamerr]

You know I think if companies want to use the great minds around here there should be a huge incentive. Like you said you are beta testers. I was leaning in way other directions and one of centizen's post brought me to my favorite vape so far. I was early as well but not nearly as early as him. I just consider myself lucky. I do have problems from early on with my unit and will be replacing it but I am happy with it. I don't think that I would ever be an early adopter again but being a woman we get to change our minds.

 

[happyTrails]

idk... I hear you, but the demand is there and people are willing to pay without the products being "vetted". I imagine if no one was bucking up for them, manufactures would have an incentive to offer big discounts, free upgrades, or whatever. I am more of a "do your research" kind of guy. Until it has been proven here, I wait and read for the "in the field" results. But looking at your sig, "Waiting: mivape or vb 2.0 dlx whichever comes first", we are not cut from the same cloth and that is ok. I think people are willing to pay and test because of the excitement that surrounds shiny new things. Some are legit, some are duds. Caveat emptor.

 

[Vapinghole]

I agree Happytrails. I am aware of the risks I take being an early adopter. Some things are worth it to me, others aren't. It's a personal choice.

 

[Dreamerr]

I truly understand the excitement part of it all just not my thing most of the time. I can't say I have never done it or will never do it in the future it just isn't a routine for me. Now if I got incentives I would be very willing to do it. To me even the promise of a fixed one after all the testing would be fine. After all one hand does wash the other.

 

[lwien]

" Why do early adopters usually get screwed? "

Well, getting "screwed" is a state of mind, but in reality, there IS a ticket to pay for being an early adopter and if one accepts that going in, they will not feel that they are being screwed.

 

[ShipDit]

I think that there will always be some uncertainty involved if you want to stay on the bleeding edge of any kind of tech.
I've been spending hours upon hours reading the history of many Vapes hear and I'm starting to notice a pattern.
First,upon announcement,there is a LOT of enthusiasm for the product
Second is the first round of reviews,usually very positive.
Third is when folks start reporting failures. (I personally think this is due to the fact it takes a few weeks to put in some real milage on said Vape).
Then comes inevitable "This product sucks and I got ripped off" posts. Sometimes it seems like the vast majority are failing,but this not the case INMO. I think that when all is well folks are to busy enjoying the product to take the time to post that "all is well". On the other hand,if someone's unit malfunctions they need a place to vent and that brings them here. Can't blame them,when a several-hundred-dollar purchase screws up ya NEED to vent somewhere or go on a rage induced shooting spree.
Wait,WHTF was the subject?
Oh yeah,early adapters. I believe it's just good consumerism to read real-life reviews before any major purchase.
On the other hand it's pretty damned cool to be the first one on the block with a new toy.
I'm actuall going Ag
Against all logic and will be scooping up one of the first TV Ceras. Hope it goes good,but either way I'll keep the FC community posted.

 

[caseball2051]

as in.....

every other product ever? lol

 

[OhTheAgony]

I guess there is always some risk, but being screwed is an exaggeration at least imo. If you don't like the risk don't take it and just be patience enough to wait for a later version. No one forces you to be an early adopter.

I for one really enjoyed being an early adopter of the Solo. It was fun discovering it myself, instead of being able to rely on others to tell me how I can use it best, and it was also fun sharing my findings with newbies and others who were discovering it with me at the time.
My old M102 still works like it did on day 1 btw, even though Arizer gave me a newer version for free too once my ceramic bowl started chipping. I feel more that they kinda ruined it with that shitty tasting SS bowl which was suppose to be an improvement.

 

[Roger D]

I took the risk for the minivap, with that high price tag, considering the little money I got, that was a bit crazy, with so little reviews about it.
The idea was to get the perfect match for my needs, while making an investment by buying a machine that lasts. I really needed to be able to medicate heavily outside. I couldn't wait, I think it's the primary reason for us to become "beta paying testers".

So far I don't have any regret. Even now I don't see another product on the market able to suits my portable needs better. Of course I'm drooling on the new outlet powered vapes like the cloud but I prefer to wait for the new stuff to come, I can't afford many units.

I'm the kind of guy who always search for solid buys, so I wouldn't do that twice, I got lucky this time, fair enough

 

[max]

I can go on and on and really i cant think of one vape i bought where i benifitted from being an early adopter, except maybe iolite( got it when it was released as the IInhale, they got sued changed to iolite and released a far less superior model that experienced many bugs and issues.

I don't know where you got your info on the iolite but it's incorrect, other than an issue with a number of below standard mouthpieces, which was eventually remedied. The change from iInhale to iolite was a name change only. The changes they made initially to the iolite were to the bowl/mouthpiece area and were slight improvements. They never made any design changes that resulted in lesser quality or reliability. They did have a problem with the switch on the WISPR, but that was a different design.

Companies with deep pockets are able to develop products and do long term testing before they're released to the public. This is rarely the case with vape manufacturers. They need to recoup their research and development money pretty quickly. So you often have problems showing up that need to be fixed, resulting in a quick version 2 or fixes/improvements that sometimes aren't even advertised or announced. It's always been a rule of thumb to avoid a new car design the first year, and wait for the bugs to get worked out. This certainly applies to vapes, as well as a lot of other products. If you want to be among the first to buy a new product, there's always going to be risk involved.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations Max,

If you want to be among the first to buy a new product, there's always going to be risk involved.

Indeed, and i wish there were much more detailed pictures to describe ALL air/vapour paths to choose from untill every possible question has been addressed, exhaustively!...

Instead i see cases reminding me of a "BLACK BOX" image, here and there - the equivalent to some story-teller kind of crystal ball with lots of blurred visions, because of insufficient divination skills... Fog inside or even a mix of both most certainly!!



Why such lack of suitable visual information in dedicated threads? Especially the new ones???

Is it me or sometimes a revealing picture comes out but not before a few hundred pages, etc?...

Once there's no mistery left and a few other things have been explained i believe it eventually becomes significantly easier to accept being a part of the grand scheme, so to speak.​

By the way... Personally i'd be really enthousiastic to beta-test the very 1st induction heat-exchanger, for example!



...

What i mean is that our expectations are shaped by what we can infer from what's shown to us and it turns out that i don't think an induction heat-exchanger would represent a large risk (because it would be utterly basic the way i conceive it), for example.

A device filled with plenty of technological marvels bound to fail doesn't represent the same level of "RISK" as a pile of cheap-yet-custom metal/glass/ceramic sheets held together on top of an induction cooker with an even cheaper silicone brace - made in China and distributed by walmart, ultimately!

Isn't it what we don't see which should attract our attention the most? Our buyer decisions need to be based on "educated-guess" estimations and those require information.

After a while the trained eyes become better at sorting such things, it's a form of education and FC contributed greately to it but the market has evolved and potential customers are now getting smarter and super-critical at times.

So, why not render it a mandatory pre-requisite for manufacturers to offer us a 360 ° perspective of their new product(s) right from the start? INSIDE & OUT... It wouldn't take too many snapshots to put an end to a vast array of never-ending interrogations IMHO!

What do say Max?

 

[max]

Seeing quality guts won't guarantee good performance or reliability. As for requiring detailed pics, that's not my decision. I suggest you PM vtac concerning policy changes.

 

[Egzoset]

Hi again Max,

Seeing quality guts won't guarantee good performance or reliability.

Of course not, being a trained-eyed doesn't mean even more training isn't necessary: it requires exercise and only PRACTICE makes perfect!...

Moreover, not being a mechanic doesn't mean a guy wouldn't want/need to look under the hood himself before buying a car. Perhaps there are some people who will be happy just to hand out the money, take their new set of keys and walk away. Not me!

As for requiring detailed pics, that's not my decision. I suggest you PM vtac concerning policy changes.

Thank you for clearing this matter.

 

[max]

Moreover, not being a mechanic doesn't mean a guy wouldn't want/need to look under the hood himself before buying a car. Perhaps there are some people who will be happy just to hand out the money, take their new set of keys and walk away. Not me!

The topic here is risk for the early buyer. It's not about companies hiding anything inside a box. Seeing quality parts and even a good design doesn't mean there won't be bugs. And that's really what early buyers are faced with. The risk is there to some degree with every new product design, and the choice is always the same-jump in quick and take the risk, or play it safe and wait.

 

[Egzoset]

The topic here is risk for the early buyer.

Thanks for reminding us. You'd be right to infer that there's next to ZERO chance for members like me to become early adopters in absence of somewhat more substancial incentives, actually.

I've acquired my HerbalAire mostly as a leap of faith and got relatively lucky, most likely because i done my home-work 1st: 3 long months of hesitation, as i recall!... Next time will be different if any.

It's not about companies hiding anything inside a box.

A correct assumption when it comes to my reason for posting here. I just wasn't aware my writing could be interpreted in such manner, actually!...

The early adopters thing makes me think of Microsoft Windows versus Linux, one is proprietary while the other is GPL. It's only a matter of choice and i don't bargain with my eyes closed, so i guess i prefer GPL but not from any source.

 

[darkrom]

The nature of technology in general IMO. A processor today will cost $100 less a year from now, and will do the same amount of processing it'll do now...

It's all about supply and demand. If you can wait for the next generation of stuff to come out, of COURSE the stuff will be discounted as it is less relevant.