USB Chargeable Tornado Batteries?

[Phil A.]

I noticed that it is now possible to get (from a different supplier) Tornado (or Ego) batteries that are chargeable over USB - you unscrew the end cao and plug a USB cable in. Do you know if these are genuine Joye products and if so do you have any plans to carry these?
Personally I think it would be awesome to not have to worry about a separate charger, plus I believe it works as a passthrough whilst it's on charge

[Nick OTeen]

I noticed that it is now possible to get (from a different supplier) Tornado (or Ego) batteries that are chargeable over USB - you unscrew the end cao and plug a USB cable in. Do you know if these are genuine Joye products and if so do you have any plans to carry these?
Personally I think it would be awesome to not have to worry about a separate charger, plus I believe it works as a passthrough whilst it's on charge

I'm pretty sure they are not genuine Joye products, but a cheaper rip-off - it's a shame, because it's a very neat idea.
Maybe if there's enough demand, Joye will develop some - I'd certainly buy them (it's not that I need them - I just love gadgets )

[VapinMazo]

So when one of them dies, you lose a battery and a charger at the same time?

No thanks.

[Nick OTeen]

So when one of them dies, you lose a battery and a charger at the same time?

No thanks.

Well, there is that. But I doubt they cost as much as a battery and separate charger combined. It would all depend on the price.

[saintj]

3 3/8 inches, 650 mAh, cost $29.99.

[CraigHB]

I think Joye should have designed them that way to begin with.

[VapinMazo]

Normal eGo battery, is about £4 cheaper than the integral USB rechargeable (from the same source).

The difference for one is only about 1/3 that of a separate USB charger but I still think the 'cool factor' is more of a draw than functionality.

[CraigHB]

The parts required for the USB interface and associated electronics might cost all of fifty cents for the maker

I'd much rather be "plugging in" my batteries to a usb connector.  That screw-in interface is really annoying for the charger.  Plus, any battery can operate as a passthru that way.

TW, why do you limit yourself to Joye products?  There's lots of good stuff out there from other makers.

[Nick OTeen]

The parts required for the USB interface and associated electronics might cost all of fifty cents for the maker

I'd much rather be "plugging in" my batteries to a usb connector.  That screw-in interface is really annoying for the charger.  Plus, any battery can operate as a passthru that way.

TW, why do you limit yourself to Joye products?  There's lots of good stuff out there from other makers.

There is indeed plenty of good (or at least fun) stuff available from other manufacturers, and some of it is even of adequate quality. And TW have built good working relationships with other manufacturers too. But (particularly) when it comes to 510s, there are a huge number of cheap ripoffs of the original Joye design, built by a plethora of different companies (constantly popping up and disappearing,) of unpredictable quality and with very little service backup. If there's a problem with stuff TW has bought, Joye will work hard with them to fix it. Too many other manufacturers lose all interest in resolving problems once they've got the company's money, so the seller has to either factor in the extra cost of biting occasional duff stock, or make the money back by selling it on to their customers anyway.

In the end it doesn't work out any cheaper at all, and just causes bad feeling - just look how many complaints there are about some of the other well-known brands about variable quality and poor after-sales support. I'm sure a good percentage of them are caused by exactly this problem - companies budget on the assumption of a small number of returns, and then find they're getting twice (or more!) as many, and that their profit would be wiped out if they had to replace all the stuff their customers are complaining about. So it's easier to screw the customer like they got screwed themselves.

[gigilex510]

hey i have all the respect for TW but the other supplier we are talking about
the one who sells the ego usb batteries is I would say a well established company!
i have purchased from them and i can say i am very satisfied with what i got.
i havent bought the usb battery i am waiting for a discount
p.s. we all know who the "other" supplier is dont we?

[Nick OTeen]

hey i have all the respect for TW but the other supplier we are talking about
the one who sells the ego usb batteries is I would say a well established company!
i have purchased from them and i can say i am very satisfied with what i got.
i havent bought the usb battery i am waiting for a discount
p.s. we all know who the "other" supplier is dont we?

If it's who I think it is then, yes, I agree they're entirely reputable, and I've bought from them in the past (I had my first auto eGo batteries from them, before TW stocked them,)  though ordering from France is a PITA for me. I certainly don't mean to tar them with the same brush in my second paragraph about sub-standard budget resellers. But that's because they're not a fly-by-night budget reseller - they have worked hard and invested considerably to build up their own range of products, offer good product support and customer service to maintain a loyal customer-base, and have their own working arrangement with the respective manufacturers.
I only meant to point out that TW's caution in sourcing only genuine Joye 510 products is not without reason (and there are a lot of cowboys in the industry - both manufacturing and reselling ). You can generally work out the bad suppliers (mentioning no names,) from the number of complaints of poor quality and warranty issues that regularly appear here, and on other forums. Poor manufacturers may be less visible to the end users on the forums (because to most people a 510 is a 510 is a tornado is an eGo, because they all look the same, and claim the same specs,) but they can cost retailers dear.

I didn't know (until I just checked,) that the "other" supplier were selling these now, and it's strange, because I thought they only stocked genuine Joye 510 products, so perhaps Joye are building USB models now? (I believe the first USB 510 was a copycat, though goodness knows, the market changes fast these days!) If so, then hopefully we will see them available from TW. I'll probably wait until then, to save on shipping, though if they're ever on sale, I might be tempted, even from France

[CraigHB]

Too many other manufacturers lose all interest in resolving problems once they've got the company's money, so the seller has to either factor in the extra cost of biting occasional duff stock, or make the money back by selling it on to their customers anyway.

I understand how TW is commited to Joye because of their relationship, but Joye's products are not all without flaw either.  Isn't it possible to establish similar relationships with other makers?  I'm not saying they should carry redundant stock, but if there's a product that's better or does something new, shouldn't they always be on the lookout for that kind of thing?

If it's only a matter of money, I hope TW sees it come pouring in because they really are a great online vendor.  Though, with all this nonsense I've been reading about legal issues and customs seizures, I hope it's not affecting them badly.  In that case, I just hope they can survive it all.

[VapinMazo]

I understand how TW is commited to Joye because of their relationship, but Joye's products are not all without flaw either.

No product is 100% free of flaws so it is the relative difference between products.

  Isn't it possible to establish similar relationships with other makers?

Who is to say that aren't planning to or won't? But, relationships like this don't happen in a week's, or even month's time.

It seems that Jason is pretty conservative in many ways and I don't see a problem with that.

I'm not saying they should carry redundant stock, but if there's a product that's better or does something new, shouldn't they always be on the lookout for that kind of thing?

I think they are. The Tornado PCC being an example.

If it's only a matter of money, I hope TW sees it come pouring in because they really are a great online vendor.

Money, short term is never the matter and instead, long term reputation that in turn, can lead to a profitable future.

Even were money to pour in short term but then a given product that brought in lost of profits starts going bad, the business can turn south in a hurry and trying to recover is not always possible.

A conservative approach is more likely to see TW here a decade from now than jumping on the band-wagon of the latest gizmo.

On the other hand, look to the Evil Weevil to see where TW seems willing to invest in its own product design and speaking of, it is possible that the supplier providing the USB Tornado batteries has an exclusive arrangement with the manufacturer, maybe not but then again, it is possible.

[gigilex510]

now that you mention it and i might be wrong
but i dont think anyone else has them so yes
i guess it is possible that they have monopol
over this model for now.
on the other hand even if their products are ok
the customer service is horrible 
the one in france anyway

[Nick OTeen]

now that you mention it and i might be wrong
but i dont think anyone else has them so yes
i guess it is possible that they have monopol
over this model for now.
on the other hand even if their products are ok
the customer service is horrible 
the one in france anyway

Good to know - thanks. Fortunately I've never had a problem that required after-sale attention.

[gigilex510]

its not the after sale i mean
i tried to get a trecking number for my
order once .......it took five or six emails to get it
one email every day.
of and their orders take about 2 weeks to get to me
tw takes about 4 or 5 days.
so i guess we know whwre my loyalties lie for the moment

[Nick OTeen]

its not the after sale i mean
i tried to get a trecking number for my
order once .......it took five or six emails to get it
one email every day.
of and their orders take about 2 weeks to get to me
tw takes about 4 or 5 days.
so i guess we know whwre my loyalties lie for the moment

Ah, could be. I got my eGo batteries pretty quickly - I only check tracking orders after a couple of weeks if something hasn't arrived, and a problem is already very apparent by the absence of the ordered goods. Not had to launch into into 'aggrieved customer' mode for an ecig-related purchase for a very long time (though there's a Turkish supermarket in Edgeware that's owed me 20 cartons of Tamek sour cherry nectar for over a month now (more like 6 weeks!), and I'm about to lose my temper with them! But that's got bugger all to do with vaping, so I apologise for digressing )