I just wanted to drop in here to say that I've had my new ALP unit for two days after a wonderfully-discounted black friday sale purchase and I've found it an absolute pleasure to use. The unit feels well-made and solid in the hand, the lid hinge is tight and the seal quite strong without the use of easily-unglued rubber gaskets. I've vaped more than a half-dozen bowls through the device and haven't had any real issues with loading or unloading; I honestly have not found it to be any more onerous or messy than most other portable vapes (with the exception of the dynavap, obviously). The vapor quality is truly top-shelf: I've been step-up temp blowing Wedding Cake and a bit of old-school Golden Goat starting at 363 f and have been absolutely loving the terp tongue and flavor changes that emerge as I move up the temperature scale. The ALP is a pleasure to hold and to use.
There is another issue in addition to the quality of the build and its vapor delivery that I care about when considering new devices: the presence of proprietary components that will require replacement, including batteries. The ALP has a few different rubber seals and screens, which do cost it just a bit in my eyes, but it mitigates that with an included set of replacement screens and seals, and the screen hacks explored in this forum provide a fine DIY replacement when needed or desired. Just don't lose those small silicone seals right next to the bowl!
I get the complaints about the loading and unloading of the ALP, but I will not be using this vape while sprinting over concrete during hurricane-level winds either, so none of that is a concern for me at all. I do not use dosing capsules and I most likely won't even replace the airpath screen unless I lose the ones included in the box.
The ALP is being discussed as a "Mighty Killer", and I think the term is valid as comparison of value if not of market share. I've become pretty disappointed with S&B since they were swallowed by Canopy, and I was reluctant to upgrade my old, well-used Mighty with an unreadable screen and easily-drained battery for the "+" edition because I was fairly sure that the changes they made to the device were not worth the additional $100 added to the retail price. I read several reviews of the ALP as well as some of the posts here, and when I saw the black friday sale, it was a done deal. Here is my quick comparison between the two: the ALP feels better in the hand than the Mighty; both produce excellent vapor (but I give a slight edge to the ALP here, no joke); the Mighty is slightly easier to load and unload; both are about equally easy to clean; both come with small proprietary seals and gaskets that can be easily lost or broken and must be replaced; the ALP has a removable, rechargeable 18650 lithium-ion battery, replacements/backups for which can be purchased from a number of sources. The battery is a fairly big issue for me because I feel that I could keep using my old Mighty with success if it kept a charge for more than an hour or two -- the nonworking lcd screen issue sucks too but isn't quite the same level of imposition for me. The fact that the end of the working life of the battery is the end of the working life of the device is something I find really frustrating about the Mighty. That won't be an issue with the ALP. Here is another big difference: the warranty currently offered by S&B is two years for the Mighty and three years for the Mighty +: the warranty on the ALP is for the life of the device, with the exception of the battery. To me, that speaks of the confidence that the manufacturer has in the quality of their product.
The ALP will make a nice companion to my CH B1 & 3-foot glass recycler: the CH B1 for power hits that clear a bowl in one big inhale; the ALP for sessions of terpene-rich, temp-stepped flavor.
In summary, the ALP is a well-made portable vape that produces tasty, fluffy clouds with little user effort. It is a solid value at its regular retail price and an absolute steal on sale. I recommend it highly for both intermediary and advanced cannabis users.