One of things that has always irked me is while there are so many different guides to what's the best ecig for someone just starting out, so many of them are based on personal opinion. Too many times have I read get an ego because they last longer than the smaller ecigs out there, or get a mod, or go with this because it's new, etc. What's not stated is there is a trade off to the extra battery time, or the potential downfalls of new tech, or the fact vaping may not work for you. I've had the luxury of trying almost every type of non-mod batt out there, and done quite a few tests on them. So this guide is more of a scientific approach, very little personal opinions, no word on which is my favorite, just what you're going to get out of the different options out there...
These are the main battery types out there, while many more exist, most starter kits feature one of the following:
510- The 510 connection is a female connection. It's becoming the most popular connection type, and used in many mods and fat batts. The 510 battery is regulated to 3.2 volts, though have run across a few that come as high as 3.4v on load. 3.2v batt with a 2.0ohm atty with chain vaping can get 103 minutes of chain vaping average out of them.
RN 4081- This batt is also a female connection. The difference is slight compared to that of the 510, and the batts come in at 3.6v on load. A few companies offer these batts (Smokestik being the first to come to mind). Average lifespan in the ones I've tested, 121 minutes of chain vaping.
DSE 901- These are a male connection. In fact they and the kr808d-1 actually share the same threading, but the 901 lacks the actual air holes. Of the few true 901 batts I could track down, their voltage was 3.7 under load. This connector is the second most popular with mods, but the battery themselves are becoming more scarce it seems. You usually have to pick up a kr808 batt and use 901 atty's and cartos on them. Got 131 minutes avg of chain vaping with a 2.3ohm atty.
Kr808d-1- As stated before a male connector just like that of the 901, save with extra air holes. These come in two different generations though.
Gen 1- Start at 4.2v under load and work themselves down to 3.7 (and lower) as they are used. Vapor 4 Life has newer batts (king diamond and stealth series) that use a new cell design that enables it to hold it's voltage longer than it's predecessors. Here's where the averages get difficult, these batts come in different sizes. All with a 2.2ohm carto averages are- Shorty 119 minutes, Regular 158 minutes, XL 247 minutes
Gen 2- First introduced by Bloog, but now many companies offer them. They are regulated to 3.6v and have a slightly higher mah (220mah on a shorty compared to the gen 1 at 180mah) to them. These are the best option (and why the companies that sell them sell these cartos) for the new horizontal coil cartos for the kr808. 3 sizes again, all with a 2.7ohm horizontal carto- Shorty 161 minutes, Regular 202 minutes, XL 272 minutes average
This connection is completely compatible with the DSE 901 (though the same cannot be said of the other way around)
E9 (Kr808d-2)- These are popular among a lot of the more advertised brands, and come with a very high mark up. Their threading differs from that of the Kr808 slightly, their voltage numbers come in at the same (4.2v at start on load), but they do not last nearly as long, and take far longer to charge. Here on ecf, you'll find very few companies offering this connection type or battery for good reason... Regular- 55 minutes of chain vaping, Long- 83 minutes of chain vaping average
Ego- The ego is a fat batt, they have the highest mah (milliamps an hour), so last the longest. They usually have the 510 connection, though more and more are being released with kr808 and 901 connections as well. There is also the tank variant of this battery with a variation of the 510 type of connection (two variations actually, a and b, more explained later). These batts are regulated the same way as the 510 connection being 3.2-3.4v depending on the maker. There are a few fat batts being made which do come in at 3.6-3.7v (pigcig being one of them, it tested at 3.7v under load, it's an ego with a kr808 connection), and now a booster add on available (at extra cost) that allows you to make them a vari-volt batt (technically a mod item, so won't go much into it, just putting the info out there). 3.2v 650Mah batt with 1.7ohm atty- 452 minutes average with chain vaping.
That covers the main type of batts/connections out there. The 510 connection gives you the most options with cartos and attys, the kr808 gives you the highest voltage possible (as of right now) outside of mods, and the ego and it's clones the longest battery life at the cost of higher voltage without modding.
This will probably be the only opinion in this guide, do apologize for it, but feel it needs to be said. I didn't include any mods for a specific reason, don't suggest those new to vaping get one. Vaping doesn't work for everyone. A key factor for most in the early days for most is having something that somewhat resembles an analog. There are exceptions, and if you feel that's what you need to start, then ecf has plenty of opinions on which is the best and why. For the sake of this guide, don't feel they should be included...
Atomizers-
Atty's used to be the only way to vape, and are still very popular among many people. They require more work than the cartomizer (due to carts only containing a limited amount of juice (.4ml or so), or for some they will use a method called direct dripping in which a few drop are placed into the atty and vaped) and can be more messy, but they also offer a wide range of versatility, and usually outlast cartos. Will once again focus on the main types of atty's out there.
Before I go into explaining about atty's, think it's time to explain ohm's law and it's affect on vaping. We'll use the 510 as an example. If it's output is 3.2volts, and you're using a 2.0ohm atty, then you're pulling 1.6amps of power, equaling 5.12 watts. The formula is a simple one, volts divided by ohms equal amps. Amps times volts equals watts. This is why you'll see the kr808 uses higher ohm's for lr compared to that of the 510. Not all batts are created equal, and not all can handle the high current without shorting out. Another rule to keep in mind is the lower the resistance, the shorter the batt life.
510- These come in many different varieties, lr, medium resistance, and hr for high voltage devices. They are the most used atty's on the market.
901- Again come in multiple varieties from lr-hr. The difference being if you're using the lr 1.7ohm atty on a kr808, you'll be pulling 10.3 watts of power. Most kr808's will short out at that wattage as a warning, but there are some who can pull it. Those are mainly designed for an aforementioned fat batt with a 901 connection.
306- The 306 actually fits on the 510 connection. The difference is they are what is called an exposed atty. That means the bridge is exposed. They are a bit smaller in diameter than the 510 as well. Available in mulitple resistance levels.
Ego T- Another 510 connection variant. Comes in type a and type b, one is cylindrical the other cone shaped. Designed to hold more juice via a tank instead of a cart. This too comes in different resistance variations.
4081- This atomizer isn't as popular as the aforementioned ones, but still a viable option. Of the ones I've tested, they come in between 3.3-3.7ohms.
These are the main battery types out there, while many more exist, most starter kits feature one of the following:
510- The 510 connection is a female connection. It's becoming the most popular connection type, and used in many mods and fat batts. The 510 battery is regulated to 3.2 volts, though have run across a few that come as high as 3.4v on load. 3.2v batt with a 2.0ohm atty with chain vaping can get 103 minutes of chain vaping average out of them.
RN 4081- This batt is also a female connection. The difference is slight compared to that of the 510, and the batts come in at 3.6v on load. A few companies offer these batts (Smokestik being the first to come to mind). Average lifespan in the ones I've tested, 121 minutes of chain vaping.
DSE 901- These are a male connection. In fact they and the kr808d-1 actually share the same threading, but the 901 lacks the actual air holes. Of the few true 901 batts I could track down, their voltage was 3.7 under load. This connector is the second most popular with mods, but the battery themselves are becoming more scarce it seems. You usually have to pick up a kr808 batt and use 901 atty's and cartos on them. Got 131 minutes avg of chain vaping with a 2.3ohm atty.
Kr808d-1- As stated before a male connector just like that of the 901, save with extra air holes. These come in two different generations though.
Gen 1- Start at 4.2v under load and work themselves down to 3.7 (and lower) as they are used. Vapor 4 Life has newer batts (king diamond and stealth series) that use a new cell design that enables it to hold it's voltage longer than it's predecessors. Here's where the averages get difficult, these batts come in different sizes. All with a 2.2ohm carto averages are- Shorty 119 minutes, Regular 158 minutes, XL 247 minutes
Gen 2- First introduced by Bloog, but now many companies offer them. They are regulated to 3.6v and have a slightly higher mah (220mah on a shorty compared to the gen 1 at 180mah) to them. These are the best option (and why the companies that sell them sell these cartos) for the new horizontal coil cartos for the kr808. 3 sizes again, all with a 2.7ohm horizontal carto- Shorty 161 minutes, Regular 202 minutes, XL 272 minutes average
This connection is completely compatible with the DSE 901 (though the same cannot be said of the other way around)
E9 (Kr808d-2)- These are popular among a lot of the more advertised brands, and come with a very high mark up. Their threading differs from that of the Kr808 slightly, their voltage numbers come in at the same (4.2v at start on load), but they do not last nearly as long, and take far longer to charge. Here on ecf, you'll find very few companies offering this connection type or battery for good reason... Regular- 55 minutes of chain vaping, Long- 83 minutes of chain vaping average
Ego- The ego is a fat batt, they have the highest mah (milliamps an hour), so last the longest. They usually have the 510 connection, though more and more are being released with kr808 and 901 connections as well. There is also the tank variant of this battery with a variation of the 510 type of connection (two variations actually, a and b, more explained later). These batts are regulated the same way as the 510 connection being 3.2-3.4v depending on the maker. There are a few fat batts being made which do come in at 3.6-3.7v (pigcig being one of them, it tested at 3.7v under load, it's an ego with a kr808 connection), and now a booster add on available (at extra cost) that allows you to make them a vari-volt batt (technically a mod item, so won't go much into it, just putting the info out there). 3.2v 650Mah batt with 1.7ohm atty- 452 minutes average with chain vaping.
That covers the main type of batts/connections out there. The 510 connection gives you the most options with cartos and attys, the kr808 gives you the highest voltage possible (as of right now) outside of mods, and the ego and it's clones the longest battery life at the cost of higher voltage without modding.
This will probably be the only opinion in this guide, do apologize for it, but feel it needs to be said. I didn't include any mods for a specific reason, don't suggest those new to vaping get one. Vaping doesn't work for everyone. A key factor for most in the early days for most is having something that somewhat resembles an analog. There are exceptions, and if you feel that's what you need to start, then ecf has plenty of opinions on which is the best and why. For the sake of this guide, don't feel they should be included...
Atomizers-
Atty's used to be the only way to vape, and are still very popular among many people. They require more work than the cartomizer (due to carts only containing a limited amount of juice (.4ml or so), or for some they will use a method called direct dripping in which a few drop are placed into the atty and vaped) and can be more messy, but they also offer a wide range of versatility, and usually outlast cartos. Will once again focus on the main types of atty's out there.
Before I go into explaining about atty's, think it's time to explain ohm's law and it's affect on vaping. We'll use the 510 as an example. If it's output is 3.2volts, and you're using a 2.0ohm atty, then you're pulling 1.6amps of power, equaling 5.12 watts. The formula is a simple one, volts divided by ohms equal amps. Amps times volts equals watts. This is why you'll see the kr808 uses higher ohm's for lr compared to that of the 510. Not all batts are created equal, and not all can handle the high current without shorting out. Another rule to keep in mind is the lower the resistance, the shorter the batt life.
510- These come in many different varieties, lr, medium resistance, and hr for high voltage devices. They are the most used atty's on the market.
901- Again come in multiple varieties from lr-hr. The difference being if you're using the lr 1.7ohm atty on a kr808, you'll be pulling 10.3 watts of power. Most kr808's will short out at that wattage as a warning, but there are some who can pull it. Those are mainly designed for an aforementioned fat batt with a 901 connection.
306- The 306 actually fits on the 510 connection. The difference is they are what is called an exposed atty. That means the bridge is exposed. They are a bit smaller in diameter than the 510 as well. Available in mulitple resistance levels.
Ego T- Another 510 connection variant. Comes in type a and type b, one is cylindrical the other cone shaped. Designed to hold more juice via a tank instead of a cart. This too comes in different resistance variations.
4081- This atomizer isn't as popular as the aforementioned ones, but still a viable option. Of the ones I've tested, they come in between 3.3-3.7ohms.
