Brand new to vaping, wondering if I'm doing it right

[unlucky4ever]

I went to my local mall the other day and finally bought an electronic cigarette, but what I'm wondering is did I get jipped out of money because I didn't research well enough, or what, I paid a total of $75 for this, and I'm not even sure what to call these pieces...

I know there is the battery, and I'm not sure if it's a cartridge, cartomizer, or an atomizer. But I need some help...

My entire kit came with the following:
1 Carrying Case
1 Battery
2 Of the tips (not sure if they are cartomizers, etc like I said)
and 1 bottle of flavor

Now the guy at the mall said that I just take the white tip off when I need flavor and put in a few drops, and bam I'm good to go, I've been doing that for a few days now, but now I'm starting to notice that when I refill it, after about 30 minutes to an hour after I refilled it (with just 3 drops), I'm no longer producing vapor, but I still get my flavor (somewhat)

Is it a signal that I need to replace something? I have no clue about this...

I know how to use it and all, I just really want to know if I got my money worth for it, and exactly what this tip is called (the filter looking part)

I don't know if this helps, but I was reading other topics and people were saying if you say a model number, you can help more...

This is mine: RN4081
I bought the E-Cig from a kiosk in my mall, and everything on my stuff says "Smoke Smart", I went to the site on my box that it came with (SmokeSmart Online | Premium E-Cigarette Products) and was finding that it can be quite expensive for my liquid... and also expensive for cartomizers if that's what I am using.

Please tell me in as much detail as possible as to what I got, and if I got jipped.

Thanks

 

[Flyer]

Welcome to ECF Unlucky. You bought the stereotypical mall ecig. As you probably know from reading here, there are not the best value. It is also a shame that they only provided you with one battery. Should be a law against that as you have nothing to vape while you charge your one battery. But, you have what you have.

You are managing the juice in the carto's properly. I would just ad that when you detect a decrease in vapor or flavor that you immediately add more juice. You rub the risk of buying the filler in the carto and if you do burn it, the carto is finished as it will always taste burnt.

I suspect you will tire of this ecig pretty quick. A much better choice of ecigs that still have the form factor of a real cig can be found at smokeless image.com, the Volt. They have real kits for a little over half of what you paid for the mall ecig and will provide much more satisfying vaping.

 

[Danousa]

Welcome to ECF! The good news is that you are not using analogs (as much), and found this website. The bad news is don't buy from a mall Kiosk. Read and absorb all the information here you can. Then make an educated decision on your next step.

 

[Wishdog]

Cheaper than what you have and better would be to either buy an EGO kit. Or I'd suggest just the battery and some cartomers. I wouldn't take the plunge to a Provari or similar first thing. And if you sit in front of a PC the majority of your life, like I do, a pass through battery (can be used while being charged via USB) is a good option too.

I believe the last sentence in the second paragraph of Flyer's post meant to say "risk of burning."

Getting any ecig is better than smoking, but mall cigs are always rip-offs. They have to charge too much to be able to rent that space. Brick and mortar sales are not what you want when buying most technology. And, generally speaking, you aren't going to get the best of vaping from something as small as a cigarette clone.

Welcome to the forum and congrats.

 

[babemomlover]

Welcome to ECF

I'm sorry to say but that website is disgusting...
Tobacco Flavor E-liquid 10ml Bottle

80 bucks for 10mL's of juice?
Dear lord... if you DIY it will only cost a buck.

This place capitalizes hard.
200 dollars for a kit with a battery, charger, ONE atomizer, and four cartridges?

That's gross.

 

[unlucky4ever]

Okay thanks for all this information! Now I know that those things are ripoffs, and I'll learn from that.

I still am curious, is it a cartomizers or cartridge, and how often do I have to replace it if it is a cartomizer?

Do I just replace it when it's burnt out, and usually how long does that take if I'm very careful, I was smoking up to a pack and a half to 2 packs a day, and like Wishdog said, I do sit in front of my computer most of the day, and the E-Cig usually never leaves my hand, and I'm doing 1-2 puffs every about 1-2 minutes, all day long, and when I need to recharge, I just stop for a bit, and get preoccupied with something else so I don't think about it.

EDIT: About what babemomlover said, I actually have found a site that sells the juice for $17 and it's a 30mL bottle, so I'm NOT going there lol

 

[wv2win]

RN4081 is very old technology, sorry to say. But you are not alone, many people start out this way until they find ECF and discover much better options at a lower cost. With your model, there are few places that sell any atomizers or cartomizers in that size which forces you to go back to the mall. That's why they sell those.

Rule of Thumb: generally, the more it looks like the real thing, the worse the performance.

If you decide to continue to vape, I would suggest getting a better model. Your mall PV (personal vaporizer) can always be your backup. (Everyone needs a backup)

I would look at the Kgo 510 or E-Power 510. Your current model will give you a few hours at best on a battery charge forcing you to constantly change batteries and buy many extra batteries. With the Kgo or E-Power, you will get 6+ hours on a charge. They are the size of a sharpie pen or slim cigar. They come with manual batteries unlike your mall auto battery. Manuals are better because they provide warmer vapor, more control and are sealed, unlike your auto battery which means they will not allow liquid to leak into the battery like auto ones do, which kills the battery. You should be able to get a good starter kit for around $50 which unlike yours, will give you two batteries plus some blank cartomizers. Cartomizers are an atomizer and cart built together which are much easier to use than your atomizer/cart set-up.

You will get many suggestions of the eGo, which is the same size as the Kgo and E-Power. But the eGo is only a 3.4 volt battery which is actually a lower voltage than the one you already have. The Kgo and E-Power are true 3.7 volt batteries. More volts, warmer vapor, better vape.

Here are some well support suppliers to consider:

http://www.sweet-vapes.com/shop?page=shop.browse&category_id=31

Crystal Clear Vaping

E-Power Replacable Battery kit!

Good Luck

 

[Danousa]

Search on google for a true e-cig shop near you. Go take a look at the equipment and ask questions. You probably spent too much for your first e-cig, but getting healthier is priceless me thinks.

 

[mooreted]

As soon as you see a reduction in flavor or vapor, add more liquid. Also, 3 drops is not enough. You want to add enough liquid that it looks wet without pooling at the top, thought it's better to accidentally flood it than to let it run dry. Once the wick is burnt, it's toast. If you over fill it, blow out the extra liquid into a paper towel.

How To Refill Your E-Cig Cartomizer - YouTube

 

[Vchick]

Sounds like what I initially started with, but I paid twice as much..... So in my eyes you got a deal....lol

The tips sound like cartomizers, they can take 20+ drops, just keep dripping on the filling until it starts to look wet on top, otherwise you risk flooding your battery. To make sure there isn't any liquid in the center hole, blow through the cartomizer into a tissue and wipe off the battery connection end.

If you got a automatic battery (no button to push) more than likely the battery has a hole on the connection end, once liquid gets down into that opening you run the risk of frying the battery.

The RN4081 is a decent little battery, depending on how much you use it. You can purchase additional cartomizers & batteries relatively inexpensively (and you need back ups) just check for RN4081 or 4081 in the search boxes, from these + plus other forum suppliers here:

GoodProphets.com - Your View into the World of Vaping...
SmokeStik Electronic Cigarette (eCig) | The Alternative to Smoking

Whatever you use, as long as it works is the right set up for you, hth!

 

[unlucky4ever]

Again, thanks for all this great information, it's really helping me a lot!

After looking at a few more sites for some of the recommendations that you guys/girls have been saying, I think I'm going to go with a KGO or E-Power like wvwin2 said, it's a nice price range for me, and it would be a great start once again.

My only problem is, is it better to have one that you push a button, or auto (no button)

 

[Vchick]

manual ~ push button

 

[Flyer]

A manual battery is what almost everyone prefers sooner or later. Gives you more control of when it is vaporizing. Some autos also accidentally trigger with sound (don't now if yours does or not) and that can be a bad thing depending on the situation.

 

[mooreted]

Again, thanks for all this great information, it's really helping me a lot!

After looking at a few more sites for some of the recommendations that you guys/girls have been saying, I think I'm going to go with a KGO or E-Power like wvwin2 said, it's a nice price range for me, and it would be a great start once again.

My only problem is, is it better to have one that you push a button, or auto (no button)

Excellent choice. The manual batteries are sealed so you don't have to worry about killing your battery when something leaks. I would go with the Kgo first. The E-Power is great, but you have to learn about proper batteries and their care because it uses removable batteries. Also, the reason I don't use my E-Power out of the house is that it's too big. You want something that's easy to carry and maintain when you're first starting out.

 

[r77r7r]

Considering what you've purchased, you're really doing good- vaping wise. Since you're at a pC most of the day, You might enjoy a Passthrough- you keep it plugged in and vape away, and simply unplug it and get a few hours worth of power away from the PC.

Best wishes on your journey

 

[unlucky4ever]

Okay after reviewing the site I was given earlier, I have manage to pick out my new E-Cig I will probably be getting sometime next month, but I'm still a little lost, and would like some help as to if I'm picking the right thing.

http://www.sweet-vapes.com/shop?pag..._color_plus.tpl&product_id=438&category_id=31

 

[mooreted]

Wow, that's a really good price. You will want to get some cartomizers to go with that. Many people don't like the atomizer + cartridge setup. I like the Boge 2.0 and the Phoenix bottom coil clear cartomizers. The clear cartomizers have to be filled upside down with a little syringe, which some people don't like.

FIVE (5) Joye 510 compatible e-Cigarette blank low resistance cartomizers (Manufactured by Boge)

GotVapes PHOENiX™ Bottom Coil XL 1.5ml Cartomizer 2.4-2.6ohms [gv-PHOENIX-XL-2.4-510] - $11.95 : GotVapes.com, E-cigarette Supplies - Atomizers Cartomizers Mods Juice and more

 

[wv2win]

Okay after reviewing the site I was given earlier, I have manage to pick out my new E-Cig I will probably be getting sometime next month, but I'm still a little lost, and would like some help as to if I'm picking the right thing.

http://www.sweet-vapes.com/shop?pag..._color_plus.tpl&product_id=438&category_id=31

That's a good kit and a good price. Definitely get the manual batteries (small button). Pushing the button becomes second nature almost immediately. Plus you can start warming the eliquid even before you inhale with a manual.

And I agree with getting some blank cartomizers and some eliquid in the 18 - 24mg nicotine strength level. Most need that level to make the transition.

Good Luck

 

[r77r7r]

If you can afford it now, that's a good starter kit to get right away. Often those mall kits die quickly, and if you're off of cigs, they'll taste real nasty if you have to go back to them.

Maybe get several sample flavorings to start, maybe 30ml total of 18-24mg each. There are alot of juice vendors here. A syringe and drip tips are almost always needed also.