I never said any such thing about wanting to get anything cheap! Show me where I ever said that?
I simply stated that I don't think it's right that they are no longer including the ceramic cap and mouthpiece with the complete Cera EO kit. Without it they are suggesting we put the now included Delrin mouthpiece in the EO and EL cores.
Delrin is not safe for someone like me with health issues. It's in no way medical grade and it's not right for TET to be expecting me to put it in a core that gets hot
It's not my math, it's the prices stated on the site. You buy the ceramic cap and top for $90, or you buy the LL core for $100 which comes with the ceramic cap and mouthpiece. Follow that with a simple subtraction $100(core, cap, mouthpiece)-$90(cap and mouthpiece)=$10(their new value on the LL core).
I'm not saying I should be able to get the LL core for $10, I don't want the LL core at all.
They won't include the original mouthpiece with the Cera EO kit because it's so expensive, but they will now give it away for free with the LL core at the same $100 it has always cost?
Krazzykid, I see why you question TET's pricing. You make perfect sense, but that doesn't mean that TET's pricing structure does not.
From the word go with the Cera, TET has followed a simple pricing structure. There must be some advantage in this (at least a perceived one). A stainless steel Cera, whether LL, EO or EL, will set you back 250 bucks. A titanium one will cost you exactly twice that. Any version of the core in stainless steel will cost you 100 bucks, while the titanium versions are exactly twice that price. What are the odds that all these items have the same profit margin? Rather improbable, don't you think?
This demonstrates that the price reflects the value to the consumer rather than the cost of manufacture, as well as the marketing value to TET of a simple pricing structure. Think about it. Someone asks their mate what a Cera costs and how much the different cores are. The person who owns the device has a quick and simple answer that both they and the person they give the information to can remember easily.
Now when it comes to the EO, TET determined that they weren't making enough money selling the Cera EO with a top cap and ceramic mouthpiece. Given that fact, and the feedback they were getting that most EO users preferred using the delrin mouthpiece, they decided to offer the Cera with the delrin mouthpiece at $250 rather than raise the price to say, $300 (just a guessed figure). In the context of this decision they included the top cap and ceramic mouthpiece with the LL core because that is what someone who purchased it as an add-on to their Cera EO or EL would need, and because, let's face, who is going to buy an add-on LL core for $190 when you can get the whole Cera LL for $250. The whole idea of the Cera being one vape with different components would be pretty much out the window, and this would detract from one of their major selling points.
Now who knows. Maybe TET is even running at a loss when it sells the LL core now, but maybe that is worth it to them overall. Maybe they are even running at a loss when selling individual EO cores, but again, perhaps this is a part of an overall strategy.
I'm sure that they make a bigger margin on selling the top cap and ceramic mouthpiece individually than they do when they include them with the LL core, but that doesn't mean that this margin is unreasonable or exploitive.
I would guess that the ceramic mouthpiece are sold individually primarily as replacements when people make a careless mistake and damage them. TET's pricing on these probably reflects a decent margin that the market can sustain, although I would also guess that if a whole lot of people make the sort of comments that you are making here, their price on these components might drop.
If I was TET I would probably drop the prices on those components 10 bucks each or so, but I'm not TET, and I don't know what they know.
If I were you I would just ask them to sell you a Cera EO with ceramic top parts for $300. They are good guys, and are accommodating. I know that when I purchased some gen 1 components from them and asked if they had any cheaper international shipping options, they dropped their handling charge because of the small value of the order.
Drop them a line. It never hurts to ask. At worst case just buy the LL core and flog it off to someone who wants a cheap spare.
As far as the safety of the delrin goes, I'm sure it's alright. The gen 1 products were considered to be of a medical standard. If you are really unsettled about it, just grab a smooth flow.
TF