But for how long will others work should be taken into account.
Well, 7th Floor has a Silver Surfer that's been running for about 8 years non stop. Simple passive whip vapes really only have the heater and temp control to worry about, and quite a few models have a lifetime heater warranty.

There are any number of vapes in the $150 price range I could buy and replace a couple of times and still not pay as much as one Volcano would cost. And you have to buy bags as well. Not to mention the cost of a 2nd valve or multiple Easy Valves/bags if you want to have more than one bag handy.

Toyota? The 'cano's more like a Mercedes. My herbalAire, at less than half the price of the 'cano, is more like a Toyota. And it's going strong after 3 yrs. of use.

The Volcano's a great vape, but the idea that cheaper vapes aren't reliable and don't hold up just isn't true, for the most part. You can't expect a 'made in China', no warranty clone to last, but good brand names have warranties of 2-5 years. S&B even cut the warranty back to 2 yrs. on the Digit.