Another n00b ready for the plunge

[Jarek91]

So I've been reading ECF and Blu forums for a few days now...so much info to digest. I've been through reviews and the 6-part guide and Puff's blog. I've done Google searches to narrow down the threads I wanted while narrowing my choices for my first PV. Now I want to ask the community for some more direct guidance (understanding that everyone is different and YMMV).

I'm a light smoker, down to about 4-5 analogs a day on average but can get upwards of 10 on a really stressful day. I've been smoking Camel Lights for probably 15-16 years now with Djarum Blacks thrown in from time to time and I'm ready to ditch the nasty taste and smell (not to mention my daughter is really griping at me about it). My hookah helps but it's a LOT of work to set up, though nothing beats the Fantasia Blueberry...as my friend put it, "It's like smoking a cake"

Okay, intro done, down to the nitty gritty. I'm leaning kind of heavily towards the Revolver Elite. I know there's a pretty strong sentiment against autos but it's gotten some good reviews and looks like it'd probably fit my light usage pretty well. But I'm also looking at the Gemini since it's a 510 which seems to be a crowd fav though I'm not thrilled with the cart selection for the Gemini. (Plus the Gemini is actually in stock) I want to have a nice selection of flavors (hookah's spoiled me to good tasting stuff) when I order so I can test out what works and what doesn't. Ideally I think I'd like some fruit stuff like my beloved blueberry shisha taste and a reasonable Blacks-like flavor for starters.

So what says the hive-mind? Would it be worth waiting a few weeks for the Elite or should I plunge into the Gemini or would it be best to go with another 510 and maybe look at the Revolver stuff later? (And I am a techie/MacGuyver kinda guy so fiddling with the bits and pieces will happen, oh yes, it will happen)

And juice suggestions for the kind of things I may like would be much appreciated. For my Shisha I'm really liking the blueberry, gingerbread, and frappucino...not sure how close any e-juice could come to those tho.

 

[Thornak]

You can never go wrong with a 510. Just make sure you order some blank carts and some good juice! I suggest Halo or Innovapor.

 

[ejoker]

welcome jarek!!

since you're techie/macguyver, i suggest making your own pv. plenty of how-to's on this forum and at madvapes.com - flashlights, boxes, coppers, etc. you'll get much longer battery life and it's cheaper. first one will take you maybe 30 minutes. you can easily build two, and have different atty on each one for like $50.
as for liquid, its all very subjective. there are a lot of really good coffee-type flavors, but i've not come across a great blueberry yet. best one i've found is from avejuice. of course there's always diy for liquid as well.

best of luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

 

[Jarek91]

since you're techie/macguyver, i suggest making your own pv.

I thought about that, but figured it might be best to get a kit to start with and once I find my groove and what style (volts/carts/atty/etc) fits me, start tinkering. Besides, I'm thinking having something really close to analog size/shape for starters should help me with the transition.

 

[Hoosier]

Flavors in carts? Nah, never liked any prefilled cart I received.

If I had a chance to do it over again I'd have gotten a 510 from cignot for $35 and a few sample juices and spare batteries to bring the total up to free shipping. Then headed over to Ms T's Bakery and picked up some sweet flavors.

Once it arrived I'd have thrown the prefilled carts in PGA while charging the batteries and started sampling flavors when the fill was clean and dry.

Of course I did not do all that. I suffered through the bad prefilled carts. I found out about blowing the primer out of the atty just before putting the second one on. Found Ms T's and Tasty Vapors long after I discovered Chinese tobacco flavors did not work for me. Found Halo's tobacco flavors after Ms T's.

Sigh, but I learned a lot. Maybe that is for the best...

 

[Jarek91]

One of the big reasons for looking at a kit is the inclusion of a PCC, which seems to be almost universally out of stock in the sites I've looked over...that or really expensive.

 

[Hoosier]

Yep, Cignot has a PCC kit too, but the chinese new year has put a crimp in the flow of product. Should be getting back to normal soon.

At least I hope as I just placed an order for a bunch of folks and they'd like their stuff before April.

 

[sentrarob]

Take the plunge and DON'T LOOK BACK!!

 

[Jarek91]

I'm trying sentrarob...just find myself unable to make the final decision between grabbing the Gemini/510 or holding out a bit longer for the Elite/M702. I'm not sure I want to go the KR808 direction yet, not until I see how I do with one of those first two. Of course, if I really like it I may just tinker something together by hand, but I really want to try a kit first.

 

[bushmaster]

Rocky Mountain Vapors has pcc in stock or did yesterday for the 510.

 

[DC2]

I will never recommend an automatic battery. Having said that, it might be easier to help you decide if you let us know why you are learning heavily towards the Revolver Elite at this time.

 

[Jarek91]

It's a pretty small package and from most of the reviews I've read, has decent vapor. The setup on the Elite seems simplistic which is another plus. While I'm a techie kind of guy, I like to ease into things because it's easy to grab a bunch of stuff for what you think you'll like then find out you wasted money because you were wrong.

My mother, who just had to forcibly quit smoking, has a 510 and it seems a little larger than what I might find comfortable to use (won't test it because she like menthol and I can't stand the taste even briefly). I like the idea of the Gemini (both manual and auto batts) but the complaints about no caps for the carts is a bit off-putting since I plan on refilling from the get-go. That and I don't like that the included carts are the strongest reds only.

And yes, I want it to look good too. The black finish on the PCC and the batt/cart is kind of what I'm looking for.

 

[Jarek91]

Well I've been talking with a friend today who is going to make the switch off analogs with me. After a long, long discussion, we settled on both of us ordering the Gemini. I got the core since it's in stock and an extra atty. Now I'm looking for a good juice sampler. I don't want to invest in a large bottle of a flavor I may not like so samplers look like the way to go until I can find a couple that really hit my palette nicely. Googling the forum for sampler turns up a lot of info but much of it is old and mixed in with lots of discussions about one or two flavors...so I thought I'd ask specifically about samplers.

 

[DC2]

It's a pretty small package and from most of the reviews I've read, has decent vapor.

It might be a little smaller, but there is a 90% chance you won't care about the size after awhile, and just want performance. With that said, I'm not saying that I am in a position to compare the perfomance of these two models, just saying that you feel the same way we ALL felt at the beginning.

The setup on the Elite seems simplistic which is another plus.

Since it is a 3-piece model, just like a 510, I'm not sure what is more simplistic about it?

While I'm a techie kind of guy, I like to ease into things because it's easy to grab a bunch of stuff for what you think you'll like then find out you wasted money because you were wrong.

You'll probably do it anyway, because that is how this works.

I like the idea of the Gemini (both manual and auto batts) but the complaints about no caps for the carts is a bit off-putting since I plan on refilling from the get-go.

No caps for the carts?
That sounds really strange, not sure I understand what that means.

That and I don't like that the included carts are the strongest reds only.

Since you are going to be refilling it shouldn't matter.

And yes, I want it to look good too. The black finish on the PCC and the batt/cart is kind of what I'm looking for.

Looking on the Revolver website, both the Elite and the Gemini have slick looking PCCs.

I have confirmed that the Revolver Gemini is a 510 model.
It seems the Elite may be a 401 but I can't tell for sure yet.

 

[skumpe]

I ordered enough 808 gear to get me started from NHaler.com (after I bought a kit at a local retailer), a PCC, 2 manual batts, some carts and a bottle of juice. I have to say, I much prefer the manuals over the autos. Drews Virginia Tobacco also has a MUCH better flavor than any of the tobacco prefilleds I've used

 

[thorian]

One of the big reasons for looking at a kit is the inclusion of a PCC, which seems to be almost universally out of stock in the sites I've looked over...that or really expensive.

I ordered one from Innovapor yesterday. They are in stock and it was about $29.

 

[Jarek91]

I have confirmed that the Revolver Gemini is a 510 model.
It seems the Elite may be a 401 but I can't tell for sure yet.

From what I've seen in my research, the Elite is an SMoore M702

 

[DC2]

From what I've seen in my research, the Elite is an SMoore M702

Yeah, that looks correct, never heard of a 702 though.

Still can't recommend an auto battery.

 

[Jarek91]

Yeah, that looks correct, never heard of a 702 though.

Still can't recommend an auto battery.

From what I understand, it's a fairly new model. But I went ahead with the 510 based Gemini anyway. It has both batts so I can exeriment. And I figure you guys (and ladies) are probably right and I'll rather the 510 in the long run anyway.