Do you like to load your flowers into the device and carry it around, or do you prefer to use a secondary storage container (like a airtight key chain pill bottle) and transfer your flowers to your device at the time you wish to medicate? Do you empty your flowers/ABV immediately after every session, or do you let it sit in there till the next time you go to use it and then clean/empty? Do you want to carry the device in your pocket, or in a bag of some kind that is then in your pocket? Those changes in the process can affect smell.
I can answer really quickly about the smell after cleaning it well with 99% ISO. I found the smell diminished to the point that it smelt new. I was pleased with how well you could clean all the parts that come in to contact with the vapor.
The answer to most of the questions is "both", but I completely understand why you're asking. It certainly depends on the circumstance. I will most likely be carrying the Pax in a little kit, the same way I currently carry my T1 /Evo. The kit contains a sealed container for herb, and iso and Q-Tips and toothpicks and mouthpieces, and a million or so batteries
. The T1/Evo is usually pre-loaded, and I also cap the top, so there is no odor in the kit at all. When I want to vape, I take it out of my kit, and put it in my pocket, and carry it wherever I'm going to use it. When I finish off a load, and there's no circumstantial reason not to, I'll dump the ABV on the spot, but I probably won't clean it. If I don't finish off a load, then of course the partial load stays in the vaporizer. I carry my vape in my pocket when it's partially loaded, and when it's empty, I clean and re-load it, and either put it back in my kit, or my pocket. I would not like to have to carry the Pax in a bag in my pocket. I was thinking that thin plastic caps for the top and bottom might keep the Pax "airtight" enough.
The reason that I've been asking so much about the "smell factor" is because of my experience with the Thermovape and MFLB. My herbs have been extremely stinky the past year or so (I'm not complaining, just observing), both raw and when vaped or burned. My friends can all tell when I open the sealed container in my kit, and they can all smell the vapor easily. The saving grace with the Thermovapes is that they don't reek on their own (at least with the mouthpiece capped). So I can carry it around, whether freshly loaded or half used.
I am glad to hear that once you clean the Pax, it's like brand new, at least in terms of smell. I also find your observation about how you get a little of the "smoking a joint" feeling very encouraging; I miss that part. Keep up the good work!
Here's a picture of my kit with the Evo: