My experience thus far with White Cloud Cirrus 3 model

[P.R.G.]

LOL! Fan girl is great, IMO. As I thought, apparently, the 808-type is the land of the pre-filled carto (though not only that). I was just doing a web search for the ml capacity of a Cirrus 3 carto so I could answer the how-many-ml-of-juice poll, and I came across a review site that (apparently relunctantly) gave a very positive review of the Cirrus (within which I could find no links to WC - ya know, like an affiliate), and a raving review of the Volt (with several coupon links for smokeless image). From that site I have learned what DC2 just told me - the Volt is 808D-type - though apparently vastly improved over those that were the subject of complaints 2 years back. That site also mentions $30 as the cheapest starter kit - so it looks like the Volt may be what I'm looking for for the just-like-a-cigarette crowd, and perhaps the KGo or eGo as suggested by the "fangirl" for the more gadgety inclined, as I suspect my son might be. Perhaps frosting would care to make a case for the simplest, most affordable, most reliable, yet most versatile/expandable one in her opinion?

p.s. that review site is theecig.net and it mentioned this site in the Volt review.

 

[P.R.G.]

p.s. why is there no prefilled market for the 510, as many seem to prefer cartomizers over the 3-piece system, and prefilled require far less fiddling and knowledge. Seems odd to me that simply swapping which part is male-threaded and which part is female-threaded should make such a difference. Or are you saying, DC2, that no prefilled cartos are ever recommended for any platform?

 

[frosting]

LOL! Fan girl is great, IMO. perhaps the KGo or eGo as suggested by the "fangirl" for the more gadgety inclined, as I suspect my son might be. Perhaps frosting would care to make a case for the simplest, most affordable, most reliable, yet most versatile/expandable one in her opinion?

p.s. that review site is theecig.net and it mentioned this site in the Volt review.

I'm a major fan girl of Mister-E-Liquid. So Let's get that straight!

In my opinion there is no simple way, as the learning curve is unavoidable and inevitable if(more like when) someone wants to upgrade.

However, when things are actually in your hands it is much easier. For people starting out it really is hard to go wrong with an eGo from Liberty Flights. 20% off you're out the door paying shipping and handling at about 43$ With 510 threading being undoubtedly one of the most popular its a breeze to find cartomizers, drip tips, tanks, ect. Being manual you actually have protection against leaks unlike the "automatic" sort of brands that "feel like an analog". Dripping juice into an automatic battery is simply asking for trouble. Clicking a button while using an eGo is extremely easy to get use to and gives people a better control of the hit they are taking. It's what got me to quit smoking, my friends, and more importantly even my mother to drop her 40 year habit. Plus, their more powerful than cigarette shaped e-cigarettes which can't handle Low Resistance anything.

 

[wv2win]

I thank you for your reply. My friend is a light smoker, and said she wanted something like what I have when I started to tell her about the other, possibly better choices, I had read about here. However, I also think my daughter may have overspent, unless there aren't other lightweight, easy to use, kits that have a good battery life. The many kits that included passthroughs and portable charging cases made me wonder, though my generic KR808D-1 did last several hours, so maybe those 'couple hour' complaints are old news. I also wonder if anything has changed since the burnt carto threads.

This is a huge forum, and it is hard to distill the info down into a 'good place to start'. I would have thought that a Kgo with cartos would have been almost as easy, but apparently not so easy as the cartos are not prefilled... So I would say prefilled cartos are a requirement for a newbie with nobody to help with hands on or very good instructions. Hard to know what 'burnt' tastes like if you've never tasted any vapor before, for example. Hard to know how wet is wet, etc.

Seems like the blu disposables are doing a good job at gaining converts... Not very upgradable or expandable, though, and the blu kits seem to be doing very badly at the same job. (basing all this on reading here, though, so who can tell for sure).

I have to disagree with you completely. I and many of the vets have been vaping for 2-3 years when there was even less help to get started. For us and for vast majority of the new people in the last 6 months to a year on ECF, starting with a model such as the Kgo, Riva, E-Power, etc has been no problem. The only difference between those models and the mini models that you are pushing is they perform 10 times better. The "act" of vaping is basically the same in both cases. And you can get prefilled carts for any model PV so that is not an issue if one doesn't want to buy liquid and fill their own carts/cartos.

Based on my experience reading thousands of threads on this and other vaping forums, as well as the many Vape Fests I have been to, models like the Blu are absolutely the bottom of the barrel models. For every one person who starts with that type of model (especially the Blu), gets smart and comes here to find a better model, there are easily 10+ who just give up and go back to smoking due to the very poor performance.

And spending $300 on a mini-model, is one of the bigger "rip-offs" I have read about on ECF. The best of the mini-models is the Volt and you can get that kit for about $45.

So with all due respect, you need more experience and much more knowledge than what you currently have. Many of us have used 4 - 15 different models and can make a real comparative analysis.

 

[DC2]

p.s. why is there no prefilled market for the 510, as many seem to prefer cartomizers over the 3-piece system, and prefilled require far less fiddling and knowledge. Seems odd to me that simply swapping which part is male-threaded and which part is female-threaded should make such a difference. Or are you saying, DC2, that no prefilled cartos are ever recommended for any platform?

Actually, the answer is both.


The 3-piece models are probably not well supported for prefills because cartridges are going the way of the dinosaur.
The industry is moving towards cartomizers, and people that have atomizers generally use them only from dripping.

So while there are some exceptions, anybody using a 3-piece model is likely using only two of the pieces anyway, and refilling themselves.

But remember, there are cartomizers for 510 threaded batteries too.
So this isn't just a 3-piece versus 2-piece question.

As for the part about prefilled cartos never being recommended, yeah, I'm saying that too.
At least 90% of us here refill our own cartomizers, and prefilleds are generally for people who haven't found this place yet.


Nobody is going to recommend prefills when you have so many other choices of hand-crafted juice vendors out there.
And filling yourself is far less expensive than prefilled on top of that, so it's generally a no-brainer.

But there are certainly people who use prefilled for the convenience, but I doubt you'll see many recommendations.

 

[P.R.G.]

So with all due respect, you need more experience and much more knowledge than what you currently have. Many of us have used 4 - 15 different models and can make a real comparative analysis.

Yes, and that is precisely why I am asking this forum for advice, as my (very positive) experience is only with the Cirrus at this time.

OK - looking at the SI Volt starter kits - to get the 'same' equipment as the Cirrus Weekender must add 1 battery and a carry case to Standard Starter kit for approximate total of $68. I watched a couple reviews, Steeljan says she thinks very little of the cigarette-type, she fully expected to hate the Volt, and now the Volt is her new fave vape. I noted that the Volt lasted about as long as she said in the review her eGo lasts, and the carts lasted her a very long time (for her) and required less juice than she expected to refill. The other review was from a 2 week vaper (deezycakesreviews), and he noted that he really likes it, but also noted that he had trouble with the carto's silicone caps, and his battery stuck on until auto cutoff a couple times. Steeljan addressed the burning issue - not a problem at all, and the voltage issue - steadily at 3.7, and checked the resistance of the cartos - about 2.6 avg. So, it appears that the state of the art has improved, and the shortcomings of the cigarette-type have been addressed. My experience with the Cirrus is very like what she says about the Volt.

It is good to know that those that will insist on a cigarette-type start now have affordable options. You know these people exist. You know there are those that despite being pointed at what you experienced vapers consider to be far better choices, will still go out and buy some inferior rip-off free trial or fleamarket version because it offers them what they think they want. One large plus I noted with the Volt or the Vapor4Life types is that they come in a variety of colors and led colors, not just white with red, and that 'prettiness' or 'coolness' is likely to entice beginners into choosing something that does NOT look JUST like a cigarette, thereby addressing the 'being mistaken for a smoker' issue - mostly.

I think it possible (based on Steeljan's review and comments, and her stated experience) that long time vapers familiar with the known shortcomings of the mini, or cigarette-mimic, PVs, were they to actually try the Volt or newest V4L or even, heaven forbid, a Cirrus, might be pleasantly surprised at what they got out of it; they might even find they like it. Having a good JLAC (just like a cigarette) model to point stubborn people to might be a GOOD thing, no?

Remember that many smokers have learned great resistance to outside pressure to quit, and when presented with a PV as a way to quit will find many reasons to resist. However, presented with a 'cigarette' that they can smoke where they can't now, then they can find good reasons to try it. Presented with a good one, which they then use, can persuade them that vaping is just as good as their beloved cigarettes, if not (perhaps) a bit better. The no-pressure, smoke all you want and vape all you want method. I know you know it works, and I know you know that some people will only respond to this approach. There are definitely a great many vapers who WANT to quit and who want to know what's better to begin with. But there are others who don't want anything strange or anything fiddly or even anything that sounds like any attempt to get them to quit. It is that class of potential future vaper that I am seeking advice on behalf of. There is a reason there is a market for the ripoff (and legitimate) JLAC vendors. Denying that market need does not change the members of it into a different market able to be answered by a different product.

p.s. Based on what I saw in the reviews, I'd say my Cirrus is still a bit better in design, but not 4.1 times better, not hardly.

 

[P.R.G.]

As for the part about prefilled cartos never being recommended, yeah, I'm saying that too.
At least 90% of us here refill our own cartomizers, and prefilleds are generally for people who haven't found this place yet.


Nobody is going to recommend prefills when you have so many other choices of hand-crafted juice vendors out there.
And filling yourself is far less expensive than prefilled on top of that, so it's generally a no-brainer.

But there are certainly people who use prefilled for the convenience, but I doubt you'll see many recommendations.

Ah, then I definitely see a market there for the better juice vendors to offer refillable cartos prefilled with their best selling juices in sampler packs.

Perhaps some already do?

It is interesting... google searching and visiting a few e-liquid vendors - so far they all are offering the ego type kits on the side, and some don't offer cartomizers. When I look for cartomizers, I find it's the 808D type, usually, or reviews for the older JLAC (just-like-a-cigarette) often-dissed brands. A few offer the juices that are in their cartomizers, SmokelessImage and Vapor4Life for example. So, it still seems sort of divided - the 808 platform folk concentrating on improving the quality of the hardware and the 510 platform folk concentrating on the software. It's a good thing this forum exists to bring the two together.

 

[dlsw]

Hi and welcome!! I like 808's, specifically XL diamonds from V4L. They last a decent amount of time, are relatively inexpensive, and have the pretty crystal on the end. (Shallow, I know, but anything to keep them in my hands and not an analog). I also have a Volt 808 and like it as well except for the 5 second cut off. Sometimes, (most of the time), I want to hit it longer than that. That being said, tons of people, including very experienced vapers love the Volt and they do have a new fatter batt that is supposed to be good. ANYTHING that keeps you from lighting a tobacco cigarette is a good deal, inmho. Thanks for sharing your success with the forum, and hopefully your friend.

 

[wv2win]

You can't change the physics of battery composition regardless of what some "reveiwer" stated on the internet.

A 100 mAh battery = one hour of light vaping. This is just a fact. Second, another problem with small mini batteries is "battery drain". As these small, non-boosted, unregulated batteries drain, they are not able to provide the same power output in the last half of the battery life as they did in the first half, thus poorer performance even though it still heats the atomizer, but not well.

So a 180 - 200 mAh mini battery like the Cirrus (if it even has that much mAh) will provide a "light" vaper, 1 - 2 hours of use, the last half of which will not be as good as the first half.

A 1100 mAh Kgo battery will provide 6 - 8 hours of average to heavy use and the battery drain issue will not kick in until around hour 4.

And if you spend significantly less than the $300 you did on the Cirrus on a power regulated, boost circuit enabled PV, such as the Darwin, you won't have ANY battery drain issue at all. Just good, consistent vaper from the beginning to the end.

I'm not suggesting that some noob get a Darwin, but I am stating a fact that there is a significant difference in performance in a mini-battery model like the Cirrus and a better battery model like (there are too many to list).

 

[Obsidian]

I liked my Halo G6 Starter Kit and their pre-filled cartomizers (I believe they're KR808D-1's). It was a great transition product for me because you start out buying automatic batteries and pre-filled cartomizers and end up buying manual batteries, blank cartomizers, and 30 ml bottles of their e-liquid!

A few weeks later..., I'm stalking the mailman for my new Provari Mini because I just don't want to waste all the time and money for each "stage of vaping"...I want to waste it trying new e-liquids, tanks, atomizers, and drip tips Congrat's again on giving up the analogs!

 

[Neverclot]

P.R.G., First things first, congrats on getting off the analogs. By no means am I an experienced vapor, In the grand scheme of things I'm still in my infancy. I do however think that if you stop looking for a "right" or "wrong" answer on to how to vape you will gain better information and have a better experience all around. Everybody has their own idea on what PV is best, but that's because vaping ends up to be a very personal experience. What works for one person MAY work for another, but alot of the time that's just not the case....and just because someone has a camera and a Youtube account does not automatically make them an authority.

We are very lucky to have so many amazing options out there, there are almost endless ways to make it work best for YOU. The best way to find out is to jump in and try a bunch of different options. I know that can seem daunting, expensive, and confusing but you will only know what works best for you after you have spent time using it. You may find yourself surprised that what you once imagined to be complicated, is the easiest thing ever. Maybe not. But you have to try.

For many of us getting off analogs was the hardest thing we've ever done, but the payoff is life changing...You can't expect a completely hassle free way to change your life.

Good luck to you.

 

[Hoosier]

By the way, does Hoosier ecigs have a storefront, and where is it? That might be a good choice for me to suggest as I am in Indiana... I was kind of sad to see I missed a vape-together opportunity, and I might have been able to give Rave (I think) a ride as I too live about 45 miles west of Indy....

Ah, I expect I've posted enough, I could talk in the hoosier forum now...

Yeah, get over there. Someone has suggested a date for the next meeting and it needs a second.

From what I have heard, there is no Hoosierecigs' store front and it is all webstore. There are B&M stores in Indiana, but not many.

 

[P.R.G.]

Thanks all, for all your input and support. I was very amused by the youtube video someone posted a link to ... somewhere around here ... about the 4 stages of vaping. Seems the JLAC is something a great many folks start with, and many like well enough to stay with, or to use as their 'it's ok if I lose it' model. I'm now at the stage where I'm looking to add some different juices to my empty cartos, and I'm thinking I'm getting a little tired of tobacco flavor and might want some Kung Pao Chicken (if I could find out where to buy it) (j/k on THAT flavor, actually, but it amused me greatly when I read about it...)

I was right about my son. He ordered a few batteries from Magic Mist while they're still 1/2 price so he can have one all the time, and not just borrowing one of mine. He, however, has been avidly perusing the MODs info in this forum, and I'm sure that in time, he'll have built his own fabulous PV. He'll definitely end up with a variable voltage one, I have no doubt. He, however, doesn't 'forum' much, but you may seem him in the live chat room. We're both looking forward to seeing, up close and personal, what our fellow Hoosiers enjoy vaping in a few weeks.

Re battery life - the $8 battery I bought is a 280ma, and lasts almost as long as my Cirrus, so I suppose my Cirrus batteries must be more than 280ma. I also find it very easy to unscrew a dead battery from my cart and screw on another and just keep vaping.

Re "pushing" JLACs - I don't plan to "push" them at anyone who finds this forum... It's the other folks, who just like the girl in that 4 stages video previously mentioned insist they want a JLAC, or like someone's aunt, mentioned in the How Many Have You Converted thread, who will go buy one at a flea market, or respond to a "free trial" offer, that I am most concerned about. I'm thinking of the folks who will not get online and try to research and manage to find this excellent repository of information (though some is now outdated due to advances in technology) - the folks I'll run into at work, and at church, and at the grocery store - the folks who want an answer, and not to be advised to go look around at ALL the info that is out there. If I can point them at something that they can afford and that they will use and enjoy, the rest will take care of itself and they can find their own way to the promised land one day.

And I agree, there is no one-size-fits-all - and that includes the big battery styles, as well as the minis.

 

[P.R.G.]

I was looking around yesterday for mixing kits and ran into someone's (I think MadVape's or maybe SI's) disposable cigarette on sale for <$3, and I looked (out of curiosity) at the fine print of one of those "free trial" offers ... ... $55/month for ONE pack of 5 cartos? $129 for ONE battery, a charger and 5 cartos? Wow, it's not even just hook you into paying them and only them, it's planned failure from the beginning as well!

The thought came to me that when I win the Lottery tonight that I will make a real free trial offer and make sure it comes up first in Google - to wit - one long lasting and very tasty disposable cigarette (seems to me that my alkaline batteries last much longer than my rechargeables, so that ought to be doable if I ask the right people) mailed for free - yes all free - along with info on starter kits and this forum. Then when they discover they actually LIKE it, they will look for more and the world will change for the better.

 

[rave]

Congratulation P.R.G. for entering the wondrous (and often confusing) world of vaping!!

+1 for the Smokeless Image Volt system here! (You can try mine if we meet at the Hoosier Vapers Meeting). I've been vaping for over two and a half years. So far I've used 801's, 901's, 702's, KR808's, 510's (atomizers with every conceivable cart mod), tanks, dripping, cartos, Clearomizers, SmartCarts, and PumpCarts), eGo's (std., tank, carto, and eGo-C's), Go-Go's, Leo's, Lea's, even a pipe, a Silver Bullet, a 18650 XL3 VV, etc., so on, and probably a good number I've missed. It can be EXHAUSTING!

My go to PV of choice is the Volt. It's simple and futz-free, and they have prefilled as well as blank cartos. Their horizontal coil cartos are the best cartos I've ever tried. Contrary to popular belief, they are not re-branded Kanger horizontal coil cartos. Smokeless Image was the first to develop the sealed automatic battery (many others have copied it), and now they have both sealed and automatic fat batts as well. Their batteries are regulated to maintain the same voltage until just before they need to be charged. Their Customer Service is top-notch as well. And yes - I'm a Fan Girl!! With good reason.

 

[P.R.G.]

Well, alrighty then for the Volt! I seem to have 2 answers to my original question - SmokelessImage Volt, and Vapor4Life Diamond. My answer to the open minded and research inclined would be this forum, BTW.

Now I want to know who makes the best Chocolate flavor - semisweet & strong & not necessarily with tobacco. (This is for ME )

 

[rave]

Most of my nicquids are DIY so I don't have a lot of experience in that arena. I do like Smokeless Image's Chocolate though. .... and, they have diamond end caps that you can put on their batteries. Okay - I'll stop now. maybe

 

[little1199]

And I really would like to hear of alternatives that are super-easy for a newbie, because I have a friend that I would like to recommend a great start to, and reading the other newbie thread "KGo kit arrived but have questions" just now drove home to me that though some models may be better in the end, they may not be in the beginning. Did I do OK to suggest Vapor4Life to her, or is there a better starter suggestion that is super-easy to use?

I am a former white cloud user. I used them for a year. You’re in the good stage. The customer service, battery life, product, etc is great. Except for their achilles heel. The carts. You see, I was using 6 packs of xxr carts a week. (so about 30 carts a week) Thats the biggest nic level they got in regular flavor. Since I used so many packs of these carts I can tell you just wait. You will start getting bad batches. The carts won’t hit, they will be so tight of a draw they make your ears pop, the vapor production will be terrible, or they will be burnt within an hour or three. I’m not busting the company, simply just stating facts, look around online and you will see the number one complaint is bad carts. They will replace them, but when you’re spending $110 on carts a week and half of them don’t work you will abandon ship after they can’t resolve their issues. All of that is just my humble opinion though.

What do I suggest? Provari mini or v2. Throw a tank on it. You will get 2x-4x the battery that you are getting from your cirrus III, the vapor, throat hit, and flavor is customizable. You think you’re saving money by using white cloud to be healthy. I can show you the ~$4500 in receipts for the startup kits and the carts from the past year. I can then tell you I vape about 3mL a day, a 30mL bottle is ~$20 including shipping and what not, and lets say I need a carto a week in the tank, that’s $2. That’s $1144 IF i use a cart and 30mL a week… taking in the vari ~$200 with batt, charger, etc. I’m saving $3500 this year if I quit upgrading tanks and other random items. Oh and also IMHO, if you like the whitecloud throat hit, you will LOVE the VV throat hit. 2x-3x harder if you want it to be.

As for your friend, tell them to try a VV or a 3.7 mod before going with ANY mini style ecig. Hands down win for the mods IMHO.

edit: if you drip anything in your whitecloud carts or use different carts, your warranty is void (if they can tell)

 

[ProveIt]

Cutting the White Cloud Price...

1. Coupons
Google for the best current offer. Right now it is just 10% off.

2. Become and Affiliate
Affiliates get 20% refund, but you have to accumulate $150 in refunds ($750 in purchases). Since some friends aren't as heavy users as myself, I gave them my affiliate link and give a 15% refund to them... but really, the affiliate is worthwhile just for myself.

3. Don't Order While Cloud Accessories.
Their prices are a rip off. Get the wall and car chargers, lanyards, cases, etc. from eBay. Get skins from the internet. The only White Cloud accessory I use is the USB charger cable.

4. Buy cartridges in bulk
When you buy 5 packs of 5 cartridges, you get a 6th pack free. With the affiliate discount it is about $80 for 30 cartridges, each cartridge is about the same as 2 packs for most people.

5. Use the extended warranty battery exchange.
The Cirrus 3 comes with the extended warranty, which allows you to trade out batteries between the 1st and 2nd year.

6. Keep the price in perspective and apples to apples.
With the 10% discount, plus the 20% refund, and exchanging batteries near the 2 year mark, it comes out to about $38 per battery after you deduct the price of the starter kit pack and a reasonable $10 for the accessories.

 

[wv2win]

Cutting the White Cloud Price...

1. Coupons
Google for the best current offer. Right now it is just 10% off.

2. Become and Affiliate
Affiliates get 20% refund, but you have to accumulate $150 in refunds ($750 in purchases). Since some friends aren't as heavy users as myself, I gave them my affiliate link and give a 15% refund to them... but really, the affiliate is worthwhile just for myself.

3. Don't Order While Cloud Accessories.
Their prices are a rip off. Get the wall and car chargers, lanyards, cases, etc. from eBay. Get skins from the internet. The only White Cloud accessory I use is the USB charger cable.

4. Buy cartridges in bulk
When you buy 5 packs of 5 cartridges, you get a 6th pack free. With the affiliate discount it is about $80 for 30 cartridges, each cartridge is about the same as 2 packs for most people.

5. Use the extended warranty battery exchange.
The Cirrus 3 comes with the extended warranty, which allows you to trade out batteries between the 1st and 2nd year.

6. Keep the price in perspective and apples to apples.
With the 10% discount, plus the 20% refund, and exchanging batteries near the 2 year mark, it comes out to about $38 per battery after you deduct the price of the starter kit pack and a reasonable $10 for the accessories.

Good advice but overall, what a rip-off just to vape. When a person can get much better models such as a Kgo, E-Power, Evo or Riva for $35 - $70, and then just buy cartomizers for $1.25 - $2.00 each and some eliquid, I sure can't see why anyone would buy a White Cloud.

But now I'm wondering why this thread was started. Affilite programs can breed over-hyping a model IMO.