Been forever, beginning again, but where?!

[Jenna]

Hi everyone,
It's been a couple of years now I think. Basically, the story went that I'd quit smoking analog cigs in 2004 and was smoke free for 5 years. Several years ago on a snowed-in stressful weekend in PA with my best friend (who is a heavy smoker), I lit up with her and came home from that weekend sneaking smokes here and there. Some months later I discovered vaping and I got started with a 510 and then later moved on to an eGo. I was a refilling carts and dripping type of girl and I enjoyed vaping quite a bit! Now comes the bad part *hangs her head* I went back to smoking analogs (with the same friend!) and have been smoking them exclusively for about another 2.5 years now. I've hit the point where I'm discusted, sick of the smell, the taste, freezing my ... off outside in this never-ending winter we're having and just generally beginning to get terrified of the thoughts of what this is doing to my body (family history of lung cancer from smoking, but what am I doing?! smoking!). It's become a sense of urgency to me over the last weekish to get back to vaping and get off these analogs!
So, I wander over to my old favorite website supplier and find that there is all this new stuff! I'm completely overwhemed and unsure of where to begin, I don't know a thing about "tanks" and "coils" and all these fancy things... I was hoping you all might be able to point me toward something. On a bad day I'm smoking 3/4 of a pack of ciggarettes, so I'm not a light smoker. Moderate? So something that's comfortable for all day use would be great, I'm not attracted to any of the really over the top, "look at me!" huge models and I have no idea the benefits of various voltage and all that.
I like the idea of a passthru that I can use at my computer (where I spend a lot of time) but also something that can be taken out. This iTaste box thing looks cool (the one that can charge other devices off itself?) but I don't know... The more I look, the more youtube vids I watch, the more I back peddle and just start looking at the 510's again. I want to try something new but I'm overwhelmed! Can someone reccomend something simple or explain to me how these new things work?
I appreciate it so much. In the meantime, I went to my gas station and bought a disposable Blu menthol... I'm thinking these are going to die out pretty quick but it was enough for now to end the "panic" in my head. Here's hoping it doesn't give me a sore throat as I'm not sure what the juice is made with and I was a VG juice girl, PG gives me a sore throat
Thanks so much for your time and I look forward to poking around the forum again!

 

[MorpheusPA]

An eGo is still a perfectly valid battery, so I wouldn't object if you started with a basic one or an eGo Twist if you'd rather go with a simple variable voltage device. Either is a great choice.

For that topper thingy, yeah, there's a lot out there and we all have different preferences. The old cartomizer is still available and not a bad place to start while you explore other options. Tank-sized clearos can be convenient, or cartomizer tanks (which many swear by). Both will hold 2 to 5 ml of liquid (usually closer to 2-3 but some are larger) so you don't have to change cartomizers as often.

Personally, I like the Kanger T3 (a bottom coil), but others complain it leaks for them (mine will, but only on a bad head and I rebuild anyway).

 

[grayscale]

Here's a good place to start - TAKING THE NEXT VAPING STEP 2: EGO'S TO MODS - YouTube
You can't beat Grimm Green(Nick), honest to a fault it almost seems, but his wisdom is sound, but more importantly for you it's simple and not confusing. Take a look. Maybe you decide you want to start back at the ol 510s, nothing wrong with that. As another wise man says "Whatever keeps you off the stinkies is what works best for you." He also said that taking the "journey" has been one of his most enjoyable parts of vaping for him and I definitely agree.

 

[grayscale]

Matter of fact, there's some really great stuff in the classies here like this great deal - http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/sale-trade/532890-us-fs-vamo-v3-protanks-2-a.html

 

[MotherNatural]

I just ordered the itaste V2 box thing you referred to. It's a very good set up. I already have much better equipment but this will make a good addition and would be a great start for you. Really good price here and good company to do business with: VapingME.com presents the Innokin MPV USB APV

 

[TheReign]

The MVP sounds like a good choice, if you like the box mods. You can charge your phone and other devices etc, plus the battery will last you a long time! Im sure there are a lot of new options that carry VG juice since you came back.

 

[HecticEnergy]

I tell all my friends to get a 1000+mAh twist with an EVOD tank. that set up is pretty low hassle for most people and lasts quite a while. The VV allows you to customize your vape a bit more than standard ego batteries - which is good because the kanger heads have some pretty bad qc lately, but vv solves that for the most part. (I have no experience with the iTaste).

Baditude also has some helpful blogs:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/3706-4-good-starters-setup-beginning-vapor.html
proper-terminology

 

[grayscale]

Here's another good deal to get "off" the band wagon, as it were - http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/sale-trade/532900-us-fs-lot-ego-batts-random-things.html

 

[xanderxman]

An eGo is most certainly still a great option. That will give you a variety of tanks to choose from. The iTaste also seems to get a lot of praise. I do not use one myself but I know a few people who swear by them. As for tanks, I have had great success with the Kanger ProTank 2. You will see others that hate them but I think any tank is going to have that. I have also used the Vision Vivi Nova tanks and loved them until I found the ProTank.

 

[Jenna]

Thank you guys so much for the speedy responses! I watched that vid Grayscale but I cannot acess the classifieds, maybe I don't have enough posts or something...?
I'm going to poke around some more but yeah I don't mind something more "unconventional" looking than say a regular 510 but I don't need something huge and heavy. If I could get my hands on something that would last all day without a recharge and I could charge it at night when I charge my cell phone for instance, then I wouldn't even need to consider a passthru of anykind.

I'm liking the look of these things I'm seeing that I can only imagine must be tanks, but I have no idea what they are called, they look almost like a small barrel, I've seen them in assorted colors? That looks interesting but how does that work? And, can you swap them out without a hassle? like could I have a few set up with different flavors and just swap them out?

So many questions!
Thank you guys for the patience!

 

[Robino1]

Here's another good deal to get "off" the band wagon, as it were - http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/sale-trade/532900-us-fs-lot-ego-batts-random-things.html

Grayscale, I love the thought that you put into the posts, pointing her to the classies. Unfortunately, she is not verified and won't be able to view them.

 

[xanderxman]

Thank you guys so much for the speedy responses! I watched that vid Grayscale but I cannot acess the classifieds, maybe I don't have enough posts or something...?
I'm going to poke around some more but yeah I don't mind something more "unconventional" looking than say a regular 510 but I don't need something huge and heavy. If I could get my hands on something that would last all day without a recharge and I could charge it at night when I charge my cell phone for instance, then I wouldn't even need to consider a passthru of anykind.

I'm liking the look of these things I'm seeing that I can only imagine must be tanks, but I have no idea what they are called, they look almost like a small barrel, I've seen them in assorted colors? That looks interesting but how does that work? And, can you swap them out without a hassle? like could I have a few set up with different flavors and just swap them out?

So many questions!
Thank you guys for the patience!

Those are indeed tanks. The come with either a top coil or bottom coil. The top coil tanks have the coil that heats your liquid at the top and the bottom coils are, naturally, on the bottom. The top coils need to be tilted occasionally to keep the wick wet but the bottom coils are always covered in liquid.

The Vision Vivi Nova is a top coil and the Kanger ProTank 2 is a bottom coil.

I have 5 ProTanks each loaded with a different flavor and just unscrew the old one and screw in the new one when I want to change flavors. When you want to change the flavor that is in the tank you are going to need to rinse it first to get rid of the old flavor. Some people just dump the new flavor on top of the old but I am too OCD with flavors to do that.

 

[Zealous]

Please forgive me as I have ADHD & find very long posts/threads hard to read through when I find something I can answer. So sorry.

Anyway, my thoughts: Since I saw right away that you liked cartos I would suggest you start with those. There are now carto tanks which make using cartos even better really as you don't have to fill nearly as often & it's just way more convenient for a carto user (I'm not & have never been a carto user but those that are swear by them & i believe them). Ibtanked is a great place for carto tanks: IBTanked - Get Tanked With Us!

Egos are still awesome but there are also vv ego devices which might be even better for you to experiment with. You can try different voltages & see what you prefer. But you'll have to decide what form factor you want before going on a search in this area. There's tons to choose from so it's best to know what size you like & what size is too big, whether you mind a box mod or not, etc.

 

[HecticEnergy]

Depending on how you Vape a high mah ego could last all day.
I had two setups (ego with tank) and would swap flavors that way... Easier to grab another stick than mess with screwing tanks off and on.
Baditude blogs I referenced in my last post should show you all about how this stuff works. The also Pbusardo and grimmgreen on YouTube do some awesome videos!

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

 

[Jenna]

Ok! Now I feel like I'm getting somewhere and a grip on understanding these things a little! Thanks Hectic for that blog link!

I submitted a verification request for the classifieds, hopefully I'll be able to view those soon

So, tanks are used in place of atomizers? Like I'm assuming the name suggests, a Clearomizer is "one stop shopping" and just gets added to a battery?
I'm def. digging that idea...

 

[jrenae4]

Ok! Now I feel like I'm getting somewhere and a grip on understanding these things a little! Thanks Hectic for that blog link!

I submitted a verification request for the classifieds, hopefully I'll be able to view those soon

So, tanks are used in place of atomizers? Like I'm assuming the name suggests, a Clearomizer is "one stop shopping" and just gets added to a battery?
I'm def. digging that idea...

Hi Jenna, my name is Jenna too Here's what I recommend: either a Vision Spinner (or ego if you prefer) and/or the itaste vv 3.0 Innokin iTaste VV (V3) Express kit - 101 Vape Great price at this site but only left in stock is black. Then since you liked cartos, treat yourself to an ibtanked IBTanked - Get Tanked With Us! the 19mm goes perfect with the itaste. In the meantime you could get a simple evod clearomizer, or if you're on a tight budget. Kanger Evod Clearomizers Hope this helps. Good luck! You're doing the right thing

 

[Genghis]

A lot of great suggestions in this thread. And Jenna, I can understand your initial confusion. I dabbled a little with the old 510 and 901's back in 2009 (when I created this account here). For whatever reason it never stuck and I went back to the analogs within a month. Fast forward four years (Nov '13), at almost a pack a day, I accidentally walked into a vape shop looking for RYO materials, during my lunch break. Since I was already there and I was curious about how far along the vaping world had gotten in four years, I bought myself an ego starter kit to try it out. Within a week I cut my analog usage in half. And since New Year's Eve, I've only had 3 analogs. So a much better effort than my first go around. I even had to go and post 5 times in the newbie forum before I could post in the regular forum back in December. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted you to know you aren't the only one coming back to a strange new world. I watched hours and hours of Youtube videos and read a ton of threads here to try and figure out what all of this new stuff was.

If you found that your old eGo batteries lasted you an entire day, then the iTaste VV V3 that the second Jenna recommended would be a good cheap choice to get your feet wet. I have one and I think it works great. Then you can try out a few toppers (clearomizers) to see what works best for you. Cheap choices would be the Vivi Nova for a top coil and the Evod or Protank for a bottom coil. If you find yourself with the option between a plastic tank and a glass tank, go glass. As apparently some of the new juices can breakdown some of these plastic tanks and crack them. I haven't had it happen yet, but at least I'll know what happened if I crack a plastic tank. If you do get a variable volt/watt device, start vaping on the lowest setting and work your way up until you get a comfortable vape. If you are already familiar with carto's then the suggestions for a carto and IBTanked would be good. I haven't tried that yet.

You'll familiarize yourself with stuff pretty quickly once you get your feet wet. Then you can decide if a regular setup is good enough for you, or if you end up like some of the others here and tinker like heck. (rebuild coils, etc.) My friend isn't a tinkerer, so she's ok with just slapping a premade/purchased head(coil) in her clearomizer and going. I'm a tinkerer and like to take things apart and fiddle with it.

I went a bit crazy trying to learn about all of the new vape gear and bought a ton of things, just to play with. I've only come back to vaping for 3+ months and I've already spent a ton more than I would have spent if I was on analogs. I don't even want to know where my break even point is. But I'm sure my lungs are happier and I definitely smell better. Good luck on your return to this strange new world. It is a bit confusing, but I found it to be a lot more interesting and effective than the old 510 and 901 days. That was just a pain in my rear. But at least you know what a "real" drip tip is.

 

[Genghis]

So, tanks are used in place of atomizers? Like I'm assuming the name suggests, a Clearomizer is "one stop shopping" and just gets added to a battery?

I'm not sure where exactly you left off during the evolution of vape gear. I got lost behind with the old Battery attached to an Atomizer that you attached the Drip Tip (with filler material for juice). But yes the Clearomizer is the Atomizer and Drip Tip all in one solution, but with a LOT more juice. And then you just attach the clearomizer to your choice of battery.

 

[HecticEnergy]

...
So, tanks are used in place of atomizers? Like I'm assuming the name suggests, a Clearomizer is "one stop shopping" and just gets added to a battery?
I'm def. digging that idea...

Kinda.

All of these things operate off of the same technology with some variation:
Battery - APV/Mech/Ego: Supplies power to coil for heating.
Heating Element - Coil: heats liquid to be vaporized. "Atomizer"
Wicking Material: brings juice to coil - in carto's its the "filler" looking piece inside the carto that juice is applied to. This can be everything from wiremesh, to cotton, but lately I've mostly seen people using cotton in rebuildables and they use sillica wick in manufactured heads.

In Top Coil Clearo's the wick is the "octopus" arms hanging down into the juice, in Bottom Coil Clearo's its usually hidden in the bottom. Most clearos these days have replaceable "Atomizer heads" (usually just called heads, but some people call the whole tank a head) that contain the wick/coil. These can usually be replaced for < $2 each. Some people swap these out every few days, some after a month to 6 weeks.
The wick/coil is the rebuildable part of RBAs.

You are most welcome for any help my posts provide. It is my intent to help

When you do buy something, let us know what you settle on!

I want to reiterate, everyone has different preferences and experiences with these things. Before making a purchase I watch a few youtube reviews and read up on what I'm about to purchase on here (to see what problems people are having).

 

[Jenna]

I'm still poking around. I'm also shopping for my husband in addition to myself, he's not a heavy smoker and is one of those types you hate who can smoke everyday for a week and then not pick them up for months with no cravings or anything but I figure we'll go it together and no temptation, etc. It's like the skinny woman who can eat cake all day and never gain a pound!
Anyway... I'm really loving the idea of the iTaste MVP 2 for him, he works long hours and always has his Kindle and iPod on him and that added benefit of him being able to charge his things off of that device is very, very appealing. It's also quite a sexy and solid looking piece and he can be tough on his things. I personally dig the look of box mods, I always have so I MAY spring for one of them for myself but I'm not 100% yet. A question on the MVP if anyone knows, is there a wall/car adapter available for that USB for charging? I'm only seeing a USB and it would be really nice to be able to charge it off the wall.

But yes, so many to look at. I'm like a kid in a candy store with all these websites.