Amazing, right?
This is a whole can of worms
Price becomes a variable here, and also build quality and durability. Here are my suggestions. You should take them as a starting point for a little research. One little thing to remember: all electronics have a limited lifespan so variable setting APVs are not for life. Only "all mechanical" APVs can make that claim.LavaTube (by any other name) - it's sort of cheap, and it feels and looks that way even in the new shiny stainless steel version. In any event, it seems the newest version performs well compared to the old, and maybe there are fewer reports of flimsiness and unreliability. It's not a bad device, overall, but don't expect the same feeling of luxury vaping you'll get from higher end devices. It gets the job done, and for the price it's hard to beat.
You might want to look for other names by which it goes. A great option is from Apollo E-cigs especially if the coupon vtube30 which gives you 30% off is still working.
I don't really want to say this is it, but it would be a great entry PV.
The Buzz / Infinity are good and stable and reliable and powerful, but they use stacked batteries (which is not a huge deal given all their protection features). They have a satisfied fan following.
The concept is that instead of boosting one battery to the required voltage, it trims down the double voltage of two batteries linked in series. That has the advantage of a longer battery life, and the disadvantage of you having to always charge batteries in sets and make sure they have the same charge at all times. And they look... differently. I find them unattractive, some find them beautiful .
Find them here: Notcigs
ProVari - this is a beautiful APV, slightly more expensive, but extremely reliable and well performing. It takes a single battery, and comes in a standard and mini version - both with available extension caps so you can use them with larger batteries as well. I don't know anything bad to say about the ProVari, except for the price - but owning one makes you feel the price is right. I am a little wary of recommending it as a beginner's choice, but it is easy enough to use.
Find it here: ProVape E-Cigarettes: Buy Electronic Cigarettes & Smokeless Cigs
VMax - unless you have some anti-China bias and you can get over the shameless way in which they copied ProVari's looks and Buzz's circuitry in their device it's probably an attractive choice. Reviewers pointed out that the supplied voltage doesn't match the displayed one, which is not a problem once you're aware of it. It is also a stacked battery design. The other annoyance is that it resets when you swap batteries, and it resets to a high voltage so you have to be on your toes or you might burn your cartos.
"Mechanical mod" + the Kick - the greatest advantage is that you get an APV that will function on its own indefinitely and will be variable power for as long as the Kick kicks. The other advantage is that you get to choose whatever looks you want. The downside - limited power with the Kick and perhaps price: if you go all out on a fantastic mod, then add the price of the Kick you may end up spending more than on a ProVari.
The Kick is basically a small circuit that you can add to most PVs that take 18xxx batteries and turns them into a variable power unit...
You can also safely start by buying the mechanical mod and see if and when you think you really need to venture into variable power and buy the Kick. This is a more advanced solution, and one that people usually end up with after they had the mechanical mod already, and it feels a bit odd to actually buy a mechanical mod and the Kick.
Good choices to start from are: Legacy, Precise+, BAM and many others you will find if you look and ask around.
Another choice is Silver Bullet + Kick which is definitely attractive; although not mechanical, the Silver Bullet has an unstained track record of reliability and longevity. It's been on the market a long time, with no real negative reviews. It can withstand a truck driving over it and other such extreme success stories...
SVR / Evo - not really variable voltage (it has like three settings). I don't know much about this one - it looks cool enough, but there have been some QC concerns in the past. It has some nice features, but I for one like being able to tweak the voltage in small increments rather than having a few presents. Remember that power depends on voltage squared, so small changes in voltage make for large effects. My personal opinion is that it is not worth the price.
I'll let others comment. The Stardust is pretty good. You can browse all this clearomizer world has to offer here: GotVapes.com, E-cigarette Supplies - Atomizers Cartomizers Mods Juice and more
Drip tips are a must and an important part of the experience. For one, it makes it easier to refill whatever you're using. Then, it keeps your mouth away from the atomizer which can get hot, and it also is more comfortable for your mouth.
There are no PCCs. Get the batteries recommended for whatever APV you end up getting, and get at least 4. Always get branded IMR batteries of the size needed. AW IMR are popular for a reason.
JUICE!!! In fact, finding the right juices is even more difficult than finding the right PV. Browse the E-juice section, look for good vendors, maybe open a different thread asking about juice. Juice is important and you can never order too many samples in the beginning, before you actually know what you will like. You cannot tell. You will be surprised.
Another thing you should consider are plain atomizers. Maybe this is a more advanced thing, but they come in useful for testing e-juices rapidly without filling something else. You can just drip onto an atomizer - ask for help specifically if you end up buying any. I would recommend Cisco Spec LR atties, but there are many choices and you can also just use a regular, generic "510 atomizer" to start with.
(no, I did not type all this - it's stitched up from canned replies I have in notepad, lol)
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