A question of durability.

[bushmaster]

Newbie here.
Still smoking analogs.
I've been lurking at this site for over a year, but haven't subscribed until yesterday.
I'm ready to move on to vaping now, but I have a question before investing in a PV.

I am a logger in the Pacific Northwest. I operate a skidder which means I run a piece of 4wd heavy equipment down mountainsides pulling trees behind me.
I have an enclosed cab, so the elements are not usually a problem, but the beating of bouncing over stumps, rock ledges, etc is.
My work is pretty intense and nonstop--eating or drinking over the course of a 10-hour day is done "on the fly" as they say, and so would vaping be--whenever I had a free hand to take a couple hits and stuff it back it my pocket. Not much time to fool around with changing batteries or cartridges, so extended battery life would be important.
At least as important would be the durability of the unit--stuffing it in and out of my pocket repeatedly, stepping off the machine to repair a broken hydraulic hose and not breaking the pv just leaning against the machine....get my picture?
I know none of these e-cigs are built like a tank, but I would like some input on which models would be the best way to go considering the difficulties with my occupation. Any suggestions would be appreciated, Thank you.

 

[tarheeldan]

Hi bushmaster and wecome! I don't have any experience being in a skidder but I would think a unit with long battery life hanging from say, a lanyard on your neck would work? Then since you don't have time to mess with carts and such you might either have some capped, pre-filled carts in a pocket or go for a cartomizer unit so you could switch those. I'm just a noob so hopefully my post bump will get someone more knowledgeable here quickly.

 

[shorty70]

Pick up an 808D-1 for longetivity and durability. The carts last a long time.

 

[bushmaster]

JFYI, money is not really an object. I'm not rich by any means, but I'd like to start off in the right direction--even if it means spending more for a better product.

 

[tarheeldan]

Well, eGo/Tornado batteries last a good while - hook that up with a Mega atty and keep a couple prefilled mega carts and that might serve you. I think it would hold up fine in a pocket or on a lanyard, somewhere it wouldn't bump into stuff. The 808 shorty proposes has XL batteries available and switching out cartos is convenient. I think either of these would work well.

Since you mention finances not being an issue - well, I was actually thinking people would come and post about how sturdy their mods are (I don't have any so I can't recommend a specific one). The ones that look like pipe bombs and the like look pretty darn sturdy and the batteries tend to be very high mAh. EDIT: If you consider going in this direction, ViZi put the following together which is a pretty awesome resource about mods.

 

[bushmaster]

I appreciate the list.
That said......gets kind of overwhelming, doesn't it?
Aaaaa, I'll find the right course eventually.

 

[tarheeldan]

Hahaha, I hear you but try to look at it more like a wonderful range of opportunities

Seriously though, best thing is just to dive in and do it! Couple ideas to pick from:

1. 510 starter kit: 2 batts, 2 attys, wall charger, prefilled carts. Get some Mega batteries, mega atty's, and mega carts to prefill. Or skip the mega batteries and get a PCC.

2. Get a Tornado/Ego and the mega atty's and carts.

3. Get the KR808 with XL batteries, PCC, and prefill cartos to swap.

1. and 3. would be less expensive but mean more battery switching than 2.

Gotta start somewhere right? And I think people would agree that trying any of these to start off with are a pretty good bet.

 

[CaptJay]

I've heard the Chuck (THAG BUILT: A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing!) mod is very very durable and you can stick a 510 or a 808 atty on one of those.
Welcome to the forums btw.

 

[pywackit]

Hi bushmaster,
I am pretty new to vaping but not to the PNW and logging. If I where you I would look into some of the mods, the Chameleon from Ikenvape looks pretty sturdy. I've thinking about this one for myself, for horsebackriding.

 

[Drozd]

Hi bushmaster,
I know what you mean by it needing to built well...I'm an ironworker..so I know nasty rough and tumble working conditions too..
My go to device while at work is a pair of eGos....one set up normal as a 510 and the other with an adapter and a cartomizer on it..the pair easily last me all day..the design of the eGo and the atty cover cone actually has the bonus of protecting the atty to battery connection point..it's 14 mm in diameter and about as long as a 120 length cig so it kinda feels like a stubby cigar in hand..usually carry em in the chest pocket or pencil pocket of some bib overalls...and they've been perfectly fine..

 

[Overlord]

I say go with a silver bullet with cartomizer.

Ya its size is not as slim but its built like a brickhouse and put in a 3.7 battery, he'll only need 1 for the entire day.

Toss a handfull of cartomizers into your pocket and you're set for the day.

Thats my 2 cents

 

[5cardstud]

Hey Bushmaster so you run a skidder huh? My bro used to own and run a rubber tired skidder yrs. ago He went back to falling in Alaska alot but mostly here in Washington. He spent at least 40yrs. in the woods. He finally got killed about 9 yrs. ago in the woods. Well hey glad to see your going to start vaping. Have a good one and be safe. My bro used to tell me that fallers always fall em before they buck em.

 

[bushmaster]

You guys are great--thanks for the suggestions and the warm welcome to the board. I've never posted on a forum other than those related to sports and I can safely say this is the friendliest forum I've ever encountered. Kudos to all of you and thanks again. I'll be back.

 

[hecknaw]

Yep! dare ain'ts no dout about it da SILVER BULLET!! would be right there with ya all day long!! and then some. It'll take what ever you can throw at it, and not even blink!! If you had a 8 hour day or a 16 hour day, makes no difference with an 18650 battery your goodago all day long!! wiffout change'n out batteries!!!

 

[Madame Psychosis]

If you're looking for a pocket-sized model that is built solid, I'd start with a Little Chuck from thagbuilt.com (there's a helpful Thag Built/Chuck subforum here too, scroll down to the Supplier forums). The Silver Bullet's one of the biggest mods out there as far as I know, so it's not quite as easy to tote in a pocket. I do agree that cartomizers (i think you can request 808 cartomizer compatibility on the 901 Chuck connector) will give you the best vape in terms of flavor and capacity (they hold about 1 ml of liquid), though you could also try dripping on a 510 atomizer, and just keep a small bottle of liquid in your pocket too.

Welcome to the forum

 

[Bekinder]

Hi, welcome to the forum. The idea of the lanyard is great! You have some great suggestions here and I give kudos for the BB, Silver Bullet, or Thagbuilt Chuck. They are extremely durable. Battery life is awesome..they are big well made brutes of the vaping world

 

[hecknaw]

Yep! da Chuck is most def a E-SMOK'N machine fosho!! I do have a Chuck and i would'nt stick it in a pocket!!! I put both the Chuck & Silver Bullet in a belt holster, size of ether mod is not an issue, They both are jut right!!!

 

[DC2]

The fact that you are going to be putting it in your pocket is crucial information.

Based on that, and as a very proud Chuck owner, I am going to steer you away from a Chuck because it doesn't live well in tight quarters.

I second the motion for the eGo/Tornado, because you get good battery life and the cone will do exactly as Drozd said, protect the atomizer to battery connection from the rigors of pocket life.

You can use either a cartomizer or a 510 cartridge with modifications. Only you can figure out which is better for you in the long run, but you'll need to buy an adapter if you want to go with cartomizers.

And actually, now that I think about it, if you are only going to be taking a drag or two now and then, you probably don't even need any cartridge modifications, and might be one of the people that can thrive on a standard cartridge.

 

[USinchains]

Another vote for Silver Bullet. I'm changing out my batteries every three days and they're still not dead. Haven't owned any other big mods like this, but one of them would be the way to go, IMO. The SB body looks to be computer machined from one piece of heavy aluminum (chopped in half so you can unscrew it and remove battery), no parts to fall off other than the atomizer connection and button, which are both pressed and nearly flush, the button is actually depressed a bit. I've dropped mine quite a few times, no worries. It's a bit too heavy and thick to be sticking in your back pocket, but finding another place to stash it is worth the extra battery life and performance.

 

[Drozd]

The other bonus of the eGo is that it isn't a mod...it's a stock battery...so if you do screw it up somehow it's $23 ish to replace the battery maybe $8 for an aditional cone (if that isnt salvageable) and an atty that you should have a spare of anyway..
So it's long battery life on the cheap, and easily and quickly replaceable if it does indeed get screwed..