Welcome, David Renderos!
Well, you've certainly had quite a few responses and many which have taken on the debate of "mini" vs "mid" vs "mod." You have a lot to sift through, but go with what you really want to start, and any "you will regret" or "skip this and go to that" comments should be stricken from your research. The idea of making it bad for anyone else because you choose a small battery is bunk -
in my opinion. My personal experience has been that most folks wanting to quit smoking want to start simple and familiar. If too much is thrown at them at once before they even start, well they might not even start to look at vaping as an alternative. So, take a look at the actual items recommended and see if that is something you want to consider, be sure to look at the other forums here for information before making a final decision. Make the decision right for you and not someone else,
including me.
The only thing I can say about a small, regular cigarette look battery is that you will not find one that lasts for an 8 hour charge unless you are a light vaper. The batteries are just not large enough for that long of a charge with steady vaping. For more realistic vaping in the wake of cigarette smoking, the small batteries, depending on brand and vaping style, can last up to 4 hours with light vaping. By light vaping, I mean picking it up for a short time, and putting it down again for a long period of time, as one might do while working where smoking is not allowed at your desk or inside, etc. A pcc (personal charging case) with an extra battery is the way to go if sticking with smaller batteries. A pcc does not have to be anything cumbersome. There are other charging options as well, car chargers, usb chargers, etc. Have a couple of batteries and a charging method of some kind, and the small batteries work just fine.
That aside, if you decide to stay with the idea of a "mini" or the batteries that most replicate the look of a "regular" cigarette, I will also recommend the Volt from
Smokeless Image. The Volt batteries do seem to last a little longer for the "average" vaper, at least they do for me. I'd tried four other brands before settling with the Volt. I do have a Volt v2 mega pcc I carry with me in my bag or the car, and I also have a car charger. I carry my batteries in the pcc and I carry a case also available from Smokeless Image that holds four batteries, carts, and a usb charger. I don't lack for charging options when I need them, but with at least two batteries with me, I really don't find myself "out" when I'm at work or out and about. I charge my batteries when I get home, usually. The 65mm will last me about 2 hours of
steady vaping, the 78mm a little longer. With occasional work vaping, vaping in times when I would have smoked had I not switched, the batteries never run out on me. I was a pack a day smoker. My heaviest use was (for cigarettes) and is (for vaping) at home.
I use both the 65mm battery (the look closer to a 100's style cigarette), and the slightly longer 78mm battery. I have them in every color available (and there are a lot of colors), and I've only received curiosity questions about the batteries in public, never someone asking if it was for "something else." The colors seem to invite the curious to ask more if the electronic cigarette actually works rather than any diss or scorn. People find the different colors fun, and not distasteful. I can still stick with white or black if I want to be more inconspicuous, and I have "stealth" tips that I can use to hide the LED if I want. I like the color fun and diamond tips, though.
I started with prefilled carts, and still use them from time to time as they can be refilled a few times. I do like several of the flavors available from Smokeless Image, and I've been refilling carts with their liquids as well as buying blank carts for use with other liquids I buy. They all do well.
Now, I also have the Volt "mid" size battery. My 1300 X2 will last me anywhere from 2 to 3 days, depending upon my vaping moods. Though it's hard for me to go less than 2 days with charge, I'm not vaping 24 hours a day either. I certainly have gotten more than my money's worth from the X2 and from all of my batteries. The X2 is about the size of a large cigar, but it does not look like a cigar or cigarette. It does have a sleek look and feel, however. No one will mistake it for a conventional smoking device, but I haven't had anyone think of it as delivering "something else," either. It seems a little extravagant, maybe, to an onlooker, but any place I use it in public is where people already know I've switched from smoking to vaping. I primarily use the X2 at home, for my heavier vaping sessions, and let my regular batteries charge full for the next day.
