Okay so I've had my Pax now for a couple days. I admit my hopes weren't really high as I expected it to be too "gadgety". I am surprised at how much nicer it is than I expected. I'm glad I ordered one now.
The packaging is really well done and yes, reminiscent of higher end electronic packaging and hey...those folks expect you to go buy your own case for your phone, mp3 player, camera etc. so while I too was disappointed at the lack of case - not a big deal. I will find one myself easily off shelf.
There wasn't an awful smell when I first turned it on but I let it do a little cooking empty just in case. Charged it up and was ready to roll. Used my very fine ground stuff that I'd use in LB (coffee grinder fine). Loaded the oven and let it heat on medium. Very quick getting to temp and the first hit was lovely. The 2nd one - I actually coughed lol. A long slow draw or cigar puffs as suggested both seem to work.
So... to me the device works pretty darn well. It feels well made and though the design worried me in pix - after using... I'm kinda liking the design. The mouthpiece is very comfortable. My unit does not get too hot to hold though I admit most times I turn off after a few hits. It is very stealth. No smells other than cloudy exhales and the unit itself feels very solid, well made
I do wish it was easier to clear/cool the chamber after turning off. Once you click the mouthpiece down you can still draw air through to cool but more difficult than while mouthpiece is up. I've done this several times just to see if like an LB you can start a bowl, finish later kind of thing and it does work. The herb doesn't seem to cook like in an IO which is a bonus. I draw a few times after turning off and then flip and open over door for a minute to exchange fresh air too. So far, this method has worked well.
I think they should come with a little solder flux type brush like the LB's. I've found the little brush very useful in brushing crumbs off the lid or edges of oven. It would be a good addition IMHO. The screen or lack thereof is pretty neat. The metal plate easily comes out and after a couple days of use the whole oven area still clean as a whistle with just brushing.
In order to truly replace my other portables I'd need a few of these things since battys aren't changeable and I can't 'refuel' on the go lol but seriously glad I grabbed one of these. Once I see how they go over the long haul, see if they hold up - if so, I'll probably end up w/ a couple for on the go
Happy Vaping
Light on my Pax, just went green - gotta dash!!