I just got my Alternate today and so far I am loving it! Would not hesitate to recommend it based on my impressions thus far! I did not have any problems reading through the manual and understanding the settings; but I've used Ecig boxes in the past which are very similar so maybe that contributed to the accessibility for me.
I noticed a very faint plastic smell out of the box but I had to basically stick my nose in the bowl to detect it, so it was not a problem for me. I noticed a bit of plastic taste on my first hits but I was impatient to use it and did not do a pre-heat so I'm confident that's why. The taste vanished right away though; on the second 60 second heat cycle I did not detect any hints of plastic.
This thing really rips and is definitely worth the price. I loved the packaging, I love being able to adjust the airflow, I love how it beeps to alert you when it's on/off, I love the indicator light on the front so you can see if it's heating without tipping the thing over and I love the hits it gives. I also was really pleased about the bowl shape; its not too deep so it's easy to clean out but it's wide so it still fits a good volume.
I was very surprised at how small it is, not even 11cm tall it's about as tiny as it could be with using an 18650 battery I think. For some reason the small size makes the unit feel more high quality to me... The fact that it can get to +200 C but not be hot to hold 5cm away from the heater makes it feel very well designed. In addition because of it's small form factor it does not feel out of place that the Alternate is so lightweight. When you have a light feeling but large vape it can sometimes have a cheap feel. You expect some weight in a large vape.. But since the Alternate is so small it feels natural for it to be light as well, imo.
My only complaint so far isn't even about the Alternate.. I found the grinder does a pretty poor job of busting my herb. It'd do a in a pinch and is ok as a freebee but I much prefer my other grinders, maybe another row of teeth would help? I really like the segment of the grinder used as a loading tool though, I would have been happy with just that! I've taken the grinder apart and just use that one piece as it really helps keep herb from falling in that little lip around the bowl. I'd love to see a funnel type attachment in the future designed for loading.