Anyone remember when a "starter kit" was actually for beginners?

[dbrandt01]

istick Pico is still a good, inexpensive, easy single 18650 device with something like a nautilus 2 on top. Small, pocketable. While it does take an 18650 I know many people who use it as a fixed battery device and only recharge via USB. Running at a low wattage gets decent battery time too. They were my starter devices and I still have 3 of them floating around, though I don't use them as often.

So are devices a little different now? I remember when I was doing reviews, it was "forbidden" to charge an 18650 through usb.

 

[dbrandt01]

Egrip V1 was my first rig, absolutely perfect beginner rig for me. Still available for 5 bucks each at HeavenGifts. Shipping is kinda steep but might level out if Ya grab 3 or 4? I'm tempted for nostalgia sake but the limited airflow would never work for me these days.

The issue with the eGrip and why he switched to an iStick 50w so quickly was they were cheaply made. He broke the first one after a week and the 2nd one he bought was broke the next day. The second one the charging port basically fell out haha.

 

[Alter]

Thats where rebuilding comes in to play. I spend most of my day tootle puffing but can build a nasty low ohm multiwire coil in a whim then blow the cloudz. The protank2 was my learning atty for over 2 years and will always hold a special place with me no matter what other attys I use. Because of that protank and building I never had the need to buy drippers to produce a quality vape and still today I own 2 mighty old school drippers I never use.

 

[dbrandt01]

Here's the forum dedicated to the pod systems: Vape Pod Systems

Edit to add: nice to see you again!

Thank you and I've clicked through here and there but didn't talk as much. It's great to be back though.

 

[Beamslider]

I bought several of these and gave them to people that wanted to quit smoking. Older stuff but dirt cheap at $8.90 and work great. Nothing to fiddle with. Just use the .5 ohm or 1 ohm coils with it and it just works. Seems to work perfectly with coils anywhere in the range of .5 to 1.2 ohm. The people I gave them to love them.

Just fill it up and vape.

joyetech ego one mega kit

 

[RainSong]

So are devices a little different now? I remember when I was doing reviews, it was "forbidden" to charge an 18650 through usb.

I know most people still don't recommend it but those who do it that way, that I know, haven't had any problems yet. Why stick a USB charge port on a device and then say not to use it? The Pico, for example, is available for $20-$30, if the USB port gives out at some point you aren't out much.

 

[Belhade]

I think the "starter kit" label is used to indicate a compete set that's ready to go, not necessarily a "beginner" kit. Matching mod and tank, coils, batteries and juice option.

 

[Foggy Road]

How about a mix between an Egrip and a Zippo lighter?

Fumytech EZipe All-In-One Kit

 

[Beamslider]

I know most people still don't recommend it but those who do it that way, that I know, haven't had any problems yet. Why stick a USB charge port on a device and then say not to use it? The Pico, for example, is available for $20-$30, if the USB port gives out at some point you aren't out much.

I usually charge the batteries thru a stand alone charger. Have charged them on USB in Picos, Evics, and Kanger mods without problems. Not hot batteries, etc. In the standalone charger they take around 4 to 5 hours to charge. In the mods they only take around 2 hours. So while not a problem, it might shorten the battery life.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

I will always be a 'Tootle puffer'.

All 'clouds' do for me is go through more liquid in a shorter amount of time.

To each his own. That's the beauty of vaping.

Amen.

I do appreciate the range of options available to me now vis-a-vis the day I thought the Vamo & Protank II was creme, but I can see the OP's point about marketing advanced setups as starter kits. I wanted to learn as much as I could because of a dangerous curiosity but I doubt the average smoker looking to quit wants to learn Ohm's Law all over again.

 

[Bunnykiller]

yup I remember Starter Kits... for 120$ you will get an Ego 1100, 2 2.5 ml tanks that leaked all over the place, coils that would last 2 days, a pouch with a zipper that would fall apart in 3 weeks, a charger that lasted 1/2 the lifetime of the built in battery in the Ego ( which lasted 2 months if you got a good one) and 3 20 ml bottles of house juice....

wish I had the Preditor available to me when I started vaping... I must have bought over 8 Egos, 2 Vamos, 2 SVDs, 4 mechs, about a dozen RDAs and RTAs....

I would have saved alot of money buying just 1 mod and tank assy.... ( the Preditor and the included tank) which I did buy for less than 80$ and have been using it for some time now with no issues

 

[Hobbs]

So are devices a little different now? I remember when I was doing reviews, it was "forbidden" to charge an 18650 through usb.

I have a Provari Radius I wouldn't think of charging any other way. I do use a good wall wart and not my computer though. Started my vape experience with an eLeaf 60w and charged it (mostly) through the USB as instructed by the user manual. Couple of years ago when I had an Aspire Odyssey, I also had their optional dedicated charger stand/usb set up. In fact, never knew there was a "thing" about the USB and 18650 charging. I just never felt the intended purpose of computers was to charge ecigs, so have never used a computer for such. Too many unknowns about computer USB charging and the ports may or may not be accurate, so I've just always used a quality wall wart.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

yup I remember Starter Kits... for 120$ you will get an Ego 1100, 2 2.5 ml tanks that leaked all over the place, coils that would last 2 days, a pouch with a zipper that would fall apart in 3 weeks, a charger that lasted 1/2 the lifetime of the built in battery in the Ego ( which lasted 2 months if you got a good one) and 3 20 ml bottles of house juice....

The zipper pouch is the only thing out of my first starter kit that's still around. It's full of eGo style batteries and EVODS and a USB eGo charger.

 

[Foggy Road]

So are devices a little different now? I remember when I was doing reviews, it was "forbidden" to charge an 18650 through usb.

I have one mod that I just totally dislike. I made it my dedicated battery charger. Does a fine job of it for something like 4 months now.

 

[90VG]

Sigelei Spark, Subtank Mini, couple batteries (use USB to charge). Cheap, simple and effective. $60.00 I do have an Alien, and a Baby Beast, but I generally use my Sig Spark and Subtanks. Small, can charge while driving, easy to fill while driving (don't ask).

 

[bobwho77]

I wish they'd bring back the Innokin Coolfires for example. At least all sites I trust don't have them anymore.

The MVP 20W, with a Nautilus.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

Sigelei Spark, Subtank Mini, couple batteries (use USB to charge). Cheap, simple and effective. $60.00 I do have an Alien, and a Baby Beast, but I generally use my Sig Spark and Subtanks. Small, can charge while driving, easy to fill while driving (don't ask).

You fill a Subtank Mini while driving?

 

[redeuce]

My wife and I are both smokers that started vaping July4. Both 65. Go look up the Innokin Endura T22. Internal battery lasts a day and a half. 4.5 ml tank lasts all day. Regulated device set at 14 watts. 1.5 ohm coils that last at least 2 weeks and are cheap. Smokes exactly like a cig. Around $30. Check it out. For us, we love it. My wife and daughter have the T18. I have 2 T22's and rotate them. Assemble, fill with juice, let coil wick, and hit the fire button.

I'm not really active on here much anymore, but I used to do reviews. I've vaped for a few years and my dad is a little past 2 years smoke free now because of vaping. I don't really have a place to rant so I'm picking the forum.

With that being said, I don't look online much for products. I had a Wismec Predator which is a trash device. So I've been looking up mods for myself. I was looking at setups for my dad. He's in his 60s, doesn't need a fancy mod or tank, but apparently that's not a thing anymore...

Starter kit that require 18650s, starter kits that goes to 250 watts, starter kits with RTA's or tanks with claptons, ni200, ss316 coils. Tanks that need 60+ watts to even run the tank as a minimum. Since when is this for beginners?

What happened to the mods that don't go over 100 watts?
What happened to tanks that has a standard kanthal coil at 0.5 ohms that can run with 20 watts?
What happened to the mods with built in batteries?

The race to be the best with companies is ridiculous. The race to have the highest watts available is ridiculous. The race to have the most confusing tank is ridiculous. The race to have the most 18650s is ridiculous. Today I saw some mod that requires 5 18650s... why?

I know this might be a pointless rant, but it's a little frustrating when I try to find an easy setup for my dad that is durable and is easy to use yet everything is what was considered advanced when I first started.

I apologize for the rant, but my girlfriend doesn't care about vaping and my dad doesn't understand much to follow along if I talked to him about this. So this forum is the only place i have to vent haha. Thanks for your time y'all.

 

[redeuce]

I'm going to start buying pod-style kits to help people quit. The iCare 140 looks promising - no variables, nothing but a tank and a replaceable atomizer.

The 110, 140, and 160 all spit and gurgle. The ic 1.1 coil. The 140 tip has a twist in the inside of the drip tip. Might help..

Talk to someone who has one of the 3 before you buy. They all have that tiny coil with a tiny strip of wick material. Spits and gurgles most of the time. My wife and I both had 160's. Gave them away after two days to friends, but warned them first. I think they both threw them away.

 

[listopencil]

All in One Systems Ecig Starter Kits