First Vape Mod Purchase - NEWBIE REQUIRES HELP xD

[loztsoul]

whatsup my vape peeps.

I've been lingering around different vape stores in my city recently, and I remember the last time there was only vape pens, and they were really garbage. A lot of my friends threw them away and went back to cigarettes.

Now... I'm not a heavy smoker, but I do have 3-4 a day, and It's useless considering I only do it for ....s x gigs as as social thing. Am I addicted? Wouldn't think so. However, I want to move into the vape world because everything is so updated now from what it seems. I need help with a couple of things and I'm sure you experienced people would know. I'm literally so close to buying a vape, and the local store owners keep upselling me their ....ty product, and don't know who to trust..

1 - I was looking to get the smok 220W alien kit as my first vape. I'm not looking to generate big clouds or anything or use high watts. Just normal nicotine hits so I can get a similar feeling of smoking ciggs. Now from my understanding this is a mouth2lung which would be similar to that motion.

2 - is it worth it to get the 220W even though I might be just using it around 60W or whatever?

3 - This scares me the most: batteries - now everyone's heard of the whole exploding of devices etc due to no care of handling the batteries. What are generally the best batteries to get for this mod and would I need to buy extra pairs? How would I handle the batteries so I can prevent any harm to myself.

4 - How/When to charge the unit and lastly.... how often do I have to replace the coil?


Thank you all, and from all the information I've gathered smok seems to be a really good brand. Like I said, I just want a smiliar feeling close to ciggs and not big clouds.

 

[steve.c]

Nope. The alien kit is direct lung. For a mouth to lung vape go for the Nautilus 2 tank. I'd go for the zelos kit if your after a mouth to lung vape it's got the Nautilus 2 and a mod included. It's compact and if your only using it for social gatherings you'll probably get good battery life out of it[emoji41]

 

[QcVaper]

1. I HIGHLY advise not to get a smok product,specially if you're a beginner,i keep seeing new threads about newbies getting sold those and it's kinda heartbreaking imo (that's ofc unless those people want to do clouds or know what they're doing)

2.pretty much answered : NO smok's tank aren't mtl they are dtl (direct lung inhales)
3. batteries are safe unless you go stupid,like putting them in your pocket with keys or coins. It's always a good thing to have backups but i have 2 mods so i just charge one and use the other one.
4.get an external charger,every manufacturer will recommend this and it's better for your batteries in the long run.
For coils it's a thing you'll know yourself, you'll mostly get less vapor,dry/burnt hits and basically no flavors. That's when you know it's time to switch it.

I see alot of vape shop that try to sell smok's product to beginners but i don't even advise to buy their tanks it's pretty much all dtl (exept the baby x i think ?) there's alot of issues concerning smok and there's enough threads over here on these if you wanna search.
The only person i know over here that has mtl knowledge though is @stols001

I do dtl with sub 0hm stuff so can't really help you with a tank choice, but most mtl setups are used below 30w tbh
you'd be fine with a single battery mod (like the one i'm using which is an aspire nx75,quite small and portable)

 

[Shawn Hoefer]

@steve.c is right. And, the Zelos kit has an internal battery, so half your fears are handled.

Also, look to Innokin's CoolFire IV series of kits. These are also solid, safe, internal cell devices with decent battery life, an iSub tank which can be fitted with a Mouth-To-Lung (read tight draw) coil or Direct-Lung (read airy draw) coil.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

[loztsoul]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Sorry I meant to say the SMOK is Direct-Lung, which is what I'm looking for. QCVaper - why is it heartbreaking? I personally just want to buy the best gear possible the first time, and not regret it down the road saying oh I should have gotten that.

Personally, If I could avoid getting external battery mods just to feel safe I would. But I think I'll do enough research to how to safely charge/keep the batteries safe.

If not the SMOK 220W, what about the AL85 Smok? Haha.

 

[Shawn Hoefer]

If you've got your heart set on a Smok product, consider the G-Priv II, G-Priv, H-Priv, T-Priv. Avoid the Alien, G320 Marshal, GX350, Al85.

Or, treat yourself to a nice Cartel Revenant or Vaporesso Revenger. In fact, I think the Revenger is likely the best non-DNA/non-SX mod on the market.

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[QcVaper]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Sorry I meant to say the SMOK is Direct-Lung, which is what I'm looking for. QCVaper - why is it heartbreaking? I personally just want to buy the best gear possible the first time, and not regret it down the road saying oh I should have gotten that.

Personally, If I could avoid getting external battery mods just to feel safe I would. But I think I'll do enough research to how to safely charge/keep the batteries safe.

If not the SMOK 220W, what about the AL85 Smok? Haha.

Heartbreaking as most people want simple stuff smok's well knowned but they're far from being "the best"
Alot of vape shops are only there for your money and don't necessarely care about the customer or their well being. I myself have had multiple issues with the only tank i've bought from smok, i won't get into details but lots of people even around here on ecf have had similar issues (specially recently). Imho for the money you can get much better setups. I do speak mostly about the tanks,i haven't tried any of their mods but haven't heard lots of negative tbh. If you want dtl any mod would do (specially for that 60w) though i'd suggest a dual battery one, tank wise i don't use drop in coils much so can't really suggest anything other than the Uwell crown III or the valyrian which seems to get alot of positive. At the end of the day though,it's all subjective,you might have 0 issue and like it more than i do.

 

[OlderNDirt]

1. I HIGHLY advise not to get a smok product,specially if you're a beginner,i keep seeing new threads about newbies getting sold those and it's kinda heartbreaking imo (that's ofc unless those people want to do clouds or know what they're doing)

That seems a bit harsh based on one's experience of one whole Smok tank. No doubt some newbies have struggled with more advanced gear, but we have no way of knowing how many are successful and quite happy they did.

 

[Opinionated]

Personally, I would not recommend advanced gear to a beginner. There is a bit of learning involved.. not to say you can't learn, and some people do need the higher wattage of advanced gear. (My son is one of them, he needed that extra punch of vaping around 50-60 watts)

So, learn what gear you want to buy, and learn it well. No one needs 200 watts... people buy higher wattage dual or triple battery mods for the battery life and your average cloud chucker usually vapes between 50-70 watts on a day to day basis.

I would not recommend smok products as a whole, but rather would send you in the direction of a GeekVape Aegis since you really don't have the battery life concerns - as you said your more of a social vaper. Just keep an extra battery charged and handy.

That is my thoughts. Aegis. For a tank if your wanting direct lung, I would go with a wismec reaux standard kit with ceramic coils for flavor (my son loves that thing) which vapes beautifully around 60 watts, or perhaps a uwell crown 3.

 

[QcVaper]

That seems a bit harsh based on one's experience of one whole Smok tank. No doubt some newbies have struggled with more advanced gear, but we have no way of knowing how many are successful and quite happy they did.

That's why i said in my 2nd msg that at the end of the day it's all subjective,i completely hate smok's tank (plus there's been alot of smok related issues lately on the forums) Also count on the fact i've sent smok an email for these issues about 2 months ago and never received an answer whatsoever. Can't really say it's a good company tbh,so yeah it's based on my experience as there's nothing to base it on other than that lolz.

 

[Jingles]

I have Smok's newest tank, the TFV8 X-Baby and I am not having any problems with it. Flavor is good and it doesn't leak maybe because of the top airflow? This is the first Smok tank I have owned, so I am not a long term fangirl of Smok. It seems to vape better than my Eleaf Ello and Joytech ProCore Aries.

 

[Khannnnn]

I like my AL85 and my Alien. Both working great for me with no issues. I guess I got bamboozled lol. Different strokes for different folks.

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[Eskie]

Just to clarify, are looking to vape and get a throat hit from nicotine as a plan of stopping all use of cigarettes? 3 or 4 cigs a day is not a load of nic, and you'll probably end up taking in more nic with vaping then smoking. Not a terrible thing, but counterproductive if you're going to continue smoking and adding vaping.

Throat hit does not come from nic alone, it also comes from the PG in the juice, and even some flavorings folks use.

 

[jfcooley]

I'll just say that my very first MOD was a SMOK qbox, and it lasted less than a week. The Baby & Big Baby are good thanks, I like the RBA for the Big, but SMOK coils have been awful for me. Nothing but problems.

Is the SMOK line bad? Dunno. My experience isn't overly positive or negative. Compared to the Revenger though...now that's been rock solid. So has my Drag.

Guess if I were new again I'd take a little time and look at more than just 1-2 brands. Hard to do when you're excited and you want to get going.

 

[gpjoe]

Personally, I like the idea of buying a more advanced regulated mod and growing into it rather than out of it. It will save you money in the long run.

I wish someone would have told me that when I was starting, rather than spending a TON of money finding out on my own.

 

[Cosmic_Glaze]

One of the main reasons that you see Smok products all over and in vape shops is due to the fact that they are very cheap $ for the vape stores to buy. They can be marked up for an easy profit. I do not own any of there products myself but I've heard countless stories about there short coil life and constant leaking. With some of the coils going for up to $6 a pop and lasting a few days I've avoided there tanks.
The Crown 3 tank I would recommend if you want a high wattage tank for flavor and clouds. The coils last a very long time, a couple weeks for an avg person maybe a month for you.
Now, the real question is how much $$ do you wanna spend to casually vape. You want a 2 battery mod, now you need an external charger as well. Now you need 4 batteries. (2sets) plus your whole set up is more expensive or.....
Get an Eleaf Pico kit that comes with the Melo 3 tank. Single battery mod (you can charge the battery in the mod, no need for external charger) It's a solid device and pocket friendly. You can get your nic and it's a DL tank. Online you can get the whole set up w/ a battery for $50. I highly recommend this set up for anyone starting out.

 

[stols001]

I'm not going to dissuade you from starting with a sub0hm startup if that's what you truly desire. I will say smok IS great value for the money, and there are folks who've had start up difficulties, and those that haven't. I will say if you are more of a social smoker, start with pretty low nic, as you will be getting a good lungful of smoke and if you wind up chain vaping, you may give yourself nicotine overload. Especially if you plan on continuing smoking, though some folks take to vaping and never look back.

I'd just make sure to really learn your equipment, and purchase batteries from a reputable supplier.
Mooch's blog | E-Cigarette Forum might be a good place to start to learn about battery safety.

I'd also recommend looking at some YouTube demo/reviews of your new setup to make sure you don't run into user error problems, I tend to find this more useful than just reading the manual, to me a picture is worth a thousand manuals.

Best of luck!

Anna

 

[Khannnnn]

Neither of my Smok leake. My coils last a week a week and a half and I get them online for a good price. I guess everyone hasn't a different experience. I would go for a cartel box if you have the money. Those things rock! Also, I can support the crown 3. Love my crown 3 tank!

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[OlderNDirt]

One of the main reasons that you see Smok products all over and in vape shops is due to the fact that they are very cheap $ for the vape stores to buy. They can be marked up for an easy profit. I do not own any of there products myself but I've heard countless stories about there short coil life and constant leaking. With some of the coils going for up to $6 a pop and lasting a few days I've avoided there tanks.

And without owning a single Smok product, another contribution to those "countless stories!" Sorry, but this is a prime example of what really frustrates me. Maybe, just maybe there are "countless stories" because Smok has countless sales and a good number of complaints are simply due to user error?????

 

[Cosmic_Glaze]

And without owning a single Smok product, another contribution to those "countless stories!" Sorry, but this is a prime example of what really frustrates me. Maybe, just maybe there are "countless stories" because Smok has countless sales and a good number of complaints are simply due to user error?????

I work in the industry FYI. I do believe that I can speak on the issues that I see everyday and the problems that people are constantly complaining about. So no I don't own one. That is due to the fact that I see paint stripped Alien mods Smok tanks that constantly have leaking issues and people complaining about short coil life of 2 days to less than a week.
So yes I do have experience with Smok. Experience dealing with Smok owners complaints.


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