Thanks for the answers so fast, peeps! The smell/taste is from the heater itself, not any other part. I decided to send it and hope it goes away. It's less noticeable when vaping. Could just be that burn offs were cooking it so extremely that there were smells that wouldn't be released in normal use.
Obviously I need more than one night with this thing, but here are my initial thoughts:
420EDC
Absolutely stand up seller. I'm so pleased with this bundle, and all the extras, and the price. The roffu is a deal at the black friday price, and the carry box is going to be so clutch for holiday traveling (stealth and quick rips is the primary niche this fills that other vapes I have don't do so well).
420EDC even included a handwritten personalized note and a lego shovel (which I've wanted for a while). That was a really nice touch that I appreciate.
Roffu Good/Okay/Bad:
Good-
-Quality and presentation. It's a cut above what I'm used to from this group of companies. Much more "luxurious" and classy. Great fit and finish on all parts.
-Handfeel; ooooooh it feels good to hold. Good heft and chonk, but rounded and nicely weighted. Buttons feel tight and have good click. Everything fits together solid.
-Hidden stir tool is a nice touch, and stays in place well.
-On demand with dosing pods actually works well! Clouds off the first puff instead of having to get it going!!!
-Great screen with a good indication of status of on demand at a glance.
-Great mouthpiece shape. I wouldn't say no to a different shape, but this one works great and is low profile.
-WPA is actually not so bad. I haven't used it, but the design is more than ok and i like that it can accept a number of stems and rods and stuff I have around. I will probably make a ti insert for it this weekend for direct to glass action.
-Airbox is ingeniusly designed. I like the maze and how the cooling coil works.
-Vapor is very cool thanks to the above design. Very nice.
-Battery changes are a breeze. Seriously. You don't even worry that you are going to snap a door latch or have rattle like others. I haven't used internal charging but I'm sure that's fine.
-The minimal magnetic folding usbc cable included is heavy duty and nice. It's higher quality than olight ships with. Props on not cheaping out here.
Okay-
-Size/Weight. Wish it was a bit smaller and lighter for on the go pocket use. I have other vapes for that so it's not the end of the world.
-Button placement. Others have said this, and it's one of those things I have to position my hand especially for each time I use it since it's right next to the intake. Being a lefty is a win here, because I can use my non thumb fingers to actuate it. Would be better for this to be on the opposite side, or the intake somewhere else. Not a dealbreaker for me, because I can just grip it and actuate with a finger. I bet that gets easier, and the buttons are so tactile and nice that getting a definite press is easy.
-Running at 428F with capsules clearly works well. Gets full extraction. In a cold room. I'm worried that a cold day outside will harm this performance, which is where I'd be needing capsules. This is an untested worry, but I'd love an extra 20F on tap. Still, bravo on that heater output.
-Gimme more mouthpiece shapes to magnetize into place and for quick swaps!
Bad-
-Five clicks to turn on and off? Really?!
-Out of the box smell/taste from the heater. It's one of the worst I've come across. I understand this is a economical luxury vape, and that some things like burn offs should be expected to do yourself. But there are many vapes in this bracket that don't require a burn off or are designed in a way to not need it.
-No way to clean below the heater/full airpath. It's my age old complaint, and I knew I was making the sacrifice going into this. That said, it's negligent of manufacturers to keep doing this and I'll keep calling them on it forever.
Questions:
What is the plastic in the airbox? PEEK?
People say the edge/potv capsules work best in this, but I find them to have a gap on the sides vs the OEM capsule. Seems like this doesn't actually affect performance, but did I misread what capsules people like? I'd love to use the handful of caps I already have...
Summary:
XLUX knocked it out of the park on this one. My initial thoughts were "wow this is a good vape" and that didn't change as inspected/used it. I wanted this for a quick dip and rip when traveling, to toss in my backpack, that won't generate a ton of smell. It looks like it's going to be perfect for that, just in time for the holidays. Doubly so with this 420EDC case!