I use it as my daily driver! But I'm fairly new to vaping and haven't had the cash to drop on something better yet lol
so I guess I might be the wrong person to ask...
But in answer to your lighter exhaust question, I've noticed no negative effects from it. And anyway, as long as the butane is burning properly, my basic knowledge of chemistry (which is limited I'll admit) tells me that the "lighter exhaust" is most likely just carbon dioxide and water vapor. So IMO I wouldn't worry about it
(if you want to look into it more, I think there's a good discussion of it somewhere here on FC)
BTW good review! Never thought about the paint thing probably because mine's just plain maple. But it would make sense I guess.