Anyone ever buy kits from tobacco stores?

[jcp42877]

Just curious if anyone ever has bought decent batteries or anything from their local tobacco shop.

I'm very limited in tobacco stores around me, the "best" one being about 30 mins away...but I actually have a softball game across he street from this one tonight and was probably going to stop by before the game.

I'm just wondering if it's stupid to buy from a store when there's so many options online to customize your E-cig.

I called earlier and the girl said they had about 5 different kits, only one I can remember is the Vapor 911(?) and she said it was $120 for the whole kit.

I was clueless as to whether this was overcharged or a decent deal.

 

[Ralikar]

You will get reamed. Don't buy them there... $120 for any kit is a screw...

Go to the ECF library and look at all the types of batteries there are then post a help post here with how much you smoke, kinds of batteries you like and your goals and people will suggest quality bats... 99% of the time you will get reamed at a local store, Walgreens (Blu sucks). Come here first after some basic research.

super quick overview is:

If you want it to look like a cig (808d)

http://bloogplanet.com/

has great bats and the best cartomizers

if you want something bigger

https://www.vapors-choice.com/index.php?main_page=login

ego is a great cheap new learner PV

ego twist ($22 for 1000 mah one) allows you to adjust the voltage and is a great end user item...

808ds are like 12$
egos are like $14
twists $22
charger $8

so you can see $120 is a screw and a half...

2 nice ego twists and a charger is $50... Get some blank or filled cartomizers and some juice...

$120 is a rip off! And local places sell cheap bats posing as good stuff so you overpay for a second rate battery.

 

[gthompson]

Just (don't) do it.

 

[recidivus]

My opinion on the matter may not be well received lately, but 120$ is very overpriced. If you can wait a little, find an online vendor that offers a wider selection for cheaper. Being able to add your own attachments to the battery, and refill with a liquid of your choice is definitely a plus in my opinion. Just don't go for one of those "free" kits.

Volt, Blu, Ego, there's a wide variety to choose from. I'll leave the specific suggestions to other people.

 

[jcp42877]

You will get reamed. Don't buy them there... $120 for any kit is a screw...

Go to the ECF library and look at all the types of batteries there are then post a help post here with how much you smoke, kinds of batteries you like and your goals and people will suggest quality bats... 99% of the time you will get reamed at a local store, Walgreens (Blu sucks). Come here first after some basic research.

Well, I just checked Vapor's actual site, and they're selling their kits for $94.99 each. So that, plus the shipping, and I'm guessing it would be SEMI close to $120...so that price actually makes sense now.

I wasn't going to pay that in the slightest. I was just making sure the shop was somewhat close to pricing the item for what it goes for online.

 

[kotje]

that depends on the quality of the product i guess , i checked there official site and i dont seem to find any info on them really
haven't searched for reviews tho
anyway
its allot of money for a starters kit
I made the same mistake with a 160 pounds kit from green smoke or something

anyway I had the same question a little while back witch i should have done before i bought the most expensive thing and first thing I found online

here is the thread
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/327497-beginner-considering-switching-cartridges-cartos-atomizers-clearomizer-ect.html

I eventually chose for The VE Riva 1100 Deluxe Kit £34.95
+ vivi nova 2.5

 

[Babs14]

I've been vaping for over a year and can tell you, you can get a lot more for $120 by buying on line. Search on ecf and talk to friends, if you want to try an ecig just to try them go to Walmart and get a cheap Mystic kit, about $15. If you think you could switch then order a good kit on line, don't waste your money.

 

[barefoot1988]

just get a cheap .... passthrough ego, clearomizer and juice for a start. all these are just like 30 bucks includ shipping. learn to rebuild using kenthal a1 and cotton wicks, get the spot on ohm for your taste and you are golden.

like others, i spent alot on kits and vv pv in the beginning but 90% of the time i ended up with my passthrough on my work desk with the self rebuilt clearomizer. i

 

[DC2]

The important thing is not how much the kit costs, but what model it is...

If you buy anything other than a 510 or an KR808D-1 you are going to be very sorry down the road.
You will be stuck buying their vastly overpriced replacement parts and cartridges.

The chance that ANY of their kits are 510 or KR808D-1 models is fairly slim, and they won't even know so don't bother asking them.
You can buy from a tobacco shop if you really want to, but you've been warned, and there is probably about an 80% chance you'll be sorry.

 

[Pappy]

I haven't bought from a tobacco shop, but a friend did and took it up the shorts big time.

 

[Zooker]

My first ecig purchase was from a local tobacco shop, just a little pen-style 510 kit that came with both an automatic and a manual battery, without this kit I would probably still be smoking. I found ECF after paying $50 for that kit and some juice cartriges, and a whole new world of vaping was opened up for me. I don't regret the kit one bit.

 

[filter]

i bought a "green smart living" starter kit for $19.99 + tax from a smoke shop. it included one battery, one usb charger and two cartos. i have also bought two 5-packs of replacement cartos for $12.99 + tax each. they are decent, not overly expensive, and there is no waiting for the mailman so i can't really complain. ordering online will get you about twice the value and a lot better selection (i was stuck getting 18mg menthol as that's all they carried). i spent $50 incl tax over the course of three trips and it probably averted about 4 packs of smokes so it cost-wise it wasnt worth it but health-wise it was. if you are going to blow money at a smoke shop i would stick to something like i got that's priced in the middle (don't buy disposables and don't buy expensive stuff). a $7 disposable is gonna satisfy you as much as maybe 4 cigs and you're right back where you started and the expensive stuff you are much better off getting online.

 

[tj99959]

Why would anyone think that any two tobacco shops would be the same experience? (unless it is a chain store). I would not suggest going in blind, but if you are already well versed on what things are and what they should cost there is nothing wrong with going in for a look. You never know, you might even run into a shop that knows what they are doing.

There is no way that I would pay $120 for a $12 cig look alike tho'.

To give you an example of what things should cost. This is a good example of a small kit that actually works quite well.
http://www.electronicstix.com/SDKEYRING.html

 

[Sfgiants85]

I bought ejuice from a smoke shop. Pretty horrible experience and a waste of 13 dollars for 10ml

But i was desperate lol.
My order didnt come on time and my last carto went empty after a few puffs

 

[Jinx10000]

The first ones I bought were from a gas station. They were terrible. Bought the v2cigs and they were much better.

 

[Ralikar]

Well, every tobacco shop I went in and every post here I've read has had really shoddy products. Some really expensive, some not so bad-- my $50 kit was crappy as well. The OP's kit in question is:

DSE-901 Sliver [DES-901] - $94.95 : Vapor911.com, Ecigarette refill

Which is one of the biggest rip offs I've ever seen. 2 Cheap 180mah bats which they claim have 100-200 puffs/charge, 5 carto blanks, 1 charger, 1 atty. This is about the biggest jack out there...

$95 on the website
$120 at the tobacco store= yes, they are close to the jack price on the web but they probably got wholesale rates.

I'm not up on the best 510 vendors but you can get a good Joye 510 at liberty flights

Electronic Cigarette - Batteries - Joye 510

At liberty flights 2 bats for $26, atty for $9, 5 cartos for $10, charger for $6= $51 for quality stuff from a good vendor. ECF people probably know better 510 battery deals.

That's why 95%+ of tobacco stores suck.

 

[denali_41]

for 120 you can get 3 riva kits or two ego kits..both have 2 650 mah batteries and 2 atomizers,cartridges and a charger

 

[Ralikar]

Yes, that's why I said: use ECF library to research the type of battery that looks cool to you and post a help request here first. ECF people will tell you the best types/vendors and then you can compare them to your local store in quality and price. You can also then search for the battery type and vendor here to see reviews of both before you buy. If someone tells you Ego Twists are awesome (they are) search for "Ego Twist" on ECF and read about them and other products associated with them. Same with the vendor.

 

[Dishevel]

Vapor 911 seems like a company that is just looking to sell the cheapest crap they can for as much as they can.
Quality is never a bad move.

 

[potholerepairman]

Jcp, its a huge leap of faith to buy something to quit smoking online that luckily did not happen to me only because a friend bought one at a store and let me have his.I will not buy clothing that is not already in my closet online so may feel your thought on the subject.The track record of buying thru stores to advice from friends or online has got to be about 99% to 1 % ,imo.The one my friend gave me was beyond sad but did peak my interest enough to roll the dice and order online, either way you go hope it works out for you.