Confused about e-cig reviews and what to buy

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John D in CT

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Welcome and congratulations on a good purchase. I'm loving my Volt. I have two manual batteries and they seem to last me quite a while. I haven't hit the end of a battery yet. That is definitely attributed to me having a slightly different vaping habit than most. I will pick up my Volt, take a few drags and put it down for 15 minutes or even more. Later in the evenings, clouds of vapor will be billowing out of my office though :)

I mean this as perfectly respectful to anyone that posts advice (including me) - don't worry about if you made the right purchase. I'm not insinuating that money grows on trees, but here is what I think. You wanted something roughly the size of an analog. Thats what you have purchased. Now as you vape, you may find you want a clearomizer, or a larger battery or a variable voltage ... you get the idea. The thing is you got started. Now, as you are enjoying your vaping, you can keep reading, seeing what people think about various devices and slowly grow in to it. Kind of a crawl before you can walk deal.

When you get your Volt, start having fun with it. Try some flavors - there is supposed to be a July 4 sale, but i didn't get an email about it if someone else would be so kind as to post about it. I'm seeing this as a bit of a hobby than a quit smoking journey right now.

Good luck to you and keep posting. The people on this forum are really, really great people.

"Amen" to this post, especially the bolded parts.

As for "the people on this forum are really, really great people" - speak for yourself, pal! :)

***

Flavors? Did someone say "flavors"?

Here are over 7,400 recommendations:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo.../215923-what-flavor-you-vaping-right-now.html
 
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MissBella

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Are you referring to the Grimm Green video? If so, I'm watching it right now, and the Twist is not presently $36; it can now be had for $19. The post I linked to spells out the cost of what you would need to start out with; about $85.

Also, I would mentor you at no charge if you want, and buy everything from you for what you paid for it if you don't like it (unlikely IMO).


John, yes. That is the video I watched, I was trying to figure out the parts and got confused about what I would need. Does this cost include any juice?

I know everyone here loves to Vape, and I love it too so far because I loved my cigarettes... but my boyfriend is really hoping that this is a way to get me off cigarettes and eventually off e-cigs as well. So I really need to be careful of the money I am putting out right now. I don't want to have a stash box full of flavors and accessories, ect. lol. I selected my options for the Volt package but DID NOT send my check yet. So I have NOT actually purchased anything (Except some disposables) so far. 85.00 is doable if it includes juice. John, Is there a way to PM me exactly what I would need to order?
 

John D in CT

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John, yes. That is the video I watched, I was trying to figure out the parts and got confused about what I would need. Does this cost include any juice?

I know everyone here loves to Vape, and I love it too so far because I loved my cigarettes... but my boyfriend is really hoping that this is a way to get me off cigarettes and eventually off e-cigs as well. So I really need to be careful of the money I am putting out right now. I don't want to have a stash box full of flavors and accessories, ect. lol. I selected my options for the Volt package but DID NOT send my check yet. So I have NOT actually purchased anything (Except some disposables) so far. 85.00 is doable if it includes juice. John, Is there a way to PM me exactly what I would need to order?

Here is just about the entirety of the post I linked to in my earlier post in this thread:

"I have a suggestion for you.

I am not going to recommend any one particular setup as being patently, universally superior to any other, for all users, for all purposes.

That said, I'm going to recommend to you a setup that is arguably a no-brainer, slam dunk, practically must-have setup for almost any vaper, regardless of experience level, perceived wants, existing equipment, or skill level.

It is the Joyetech eGo-C Twist, an arguably game-changing "battery"/PV/AP/power source - call it what you will. It is being called by many a "game changer" because it provides variable voltage - a near-necessity for anyone who wants a really, really good vape IMO - in the eGo form factor, for not much money. It uses standard 510 threads, can be used with almost any "attachment" on the planet, and costs about $20. You will really need two for best results in keeping the ciggies away.

Grimm Green and Phil Busardo are two of the best reviewers in the "vaposphere" in my opinion. They both own and have used more vaping hardware than I ever will in my life, and their words will probably speak much more effectively to you than mine. Please watch these two videos, and please take to heart what they have to say. Grimm Green just said that he is getting just about the best vape he has ever had by using the Twist with the eact same setup - right down to the little trim piece between the Twist and the Smoktech 3.5ml DCT tank that is fitted with a 2.0 ohm single-coil cartomizer - that I just bought thirty of as my current preferred starter kit for beginners.

Here is Grimm Green's video:

THE EGO TWIST IS A GAME CHANGER - YouTube Grimm Green Twist Game changer

And here is Phil Busardo's review:

A PBusardo Review - eGo Twist - OvaleUSA - YouTube Phil Busardo Twist review

There are many form factors, for many different occasions and uses, for many different mindsets, many of which change over time. Some people want something that looks and feels as much like a cigarette as possible, That said, I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of people who stick with vaping will add additional hardware to their "arsenal", while always having warm spot in their hearts for, and often still using, what they started on. For me, that just happens to be an eGo-class battery/PV, the Joyetech (constant 3.4 volt) battery. I will probably also get a [ciggie-sized] 510-style setup - or many of them, for those people I start out who absolutely must have a cigarette look-alike, as well as for myself - just to have, and become familiar with, and maybe even to use more than I think I might right now. They will likely be the Volt which seems to be the mostuniversally-recommended PV in that form factor.

This is exactly what I would get, and what I think you should get, if and when you can "swing" it. If you have about 70 bucks to spare I'd just go ahead and order it all tomorrow.

Two Joyetch eGo-C Twist 650 mah (milliamp/hour) batteries. They come in black, chrome, blue, white, and pink, wih the first three far easier to find in stock anywhere but at Health Cabin (in China - delivery takes a while).

About (Two x $19) = $38.

One or more Smoktech 3.5ml (milliliter) "DCT" tanks - I like the chrome ones. $8.55 each.

A box of five - or better yet, two boxes - of Boge 2.0 ohm single coil "XL" sized (50mm overall) stainless steel cartomizers. About $1.45 each, although you can get them for $0.92 each if you buy 25 of them from a particular vendor that I'll link to below.

A wall charger and a USB charger that plugs into it. Standard fare at any Joyetech vendor. About $13.

A little chrome trim piece that goes between the tank and the battery that serves two purposes; makes the setup look much more finished, sleek, and damn fine-looking, and keeps the tank from sliding down the non-flanged cartomizers and onto the outside of the 510 connector. Simpler than it sounds. About $1.49

A drip tip. Just a plain, clear "Delrin" (plastic) one will look great. About $3.

That's about $70 plus shipping if you get one tank and five cartomizers. In Connecticut, that's about eight days of smoking a pack a day (high taxes).

****

Links:

Joyetech eGo-C Twist: Joye eGo-C Twist Variable Voltage 650mAh Battery (MyVaporStore)

Smoktech 3.5ml DCT tank: Pro DCTank Tube (MyVaporStore)

USB charger: eGo Rapid USB Charger 6.75 (MyVaporStore)

Wall charger: Mini AC Wall to USB Converter 6.25 (MyVaporStore)

eGo trim piece: eGo Cone Cover for DCTank (MyVaporStore)

Plain drip tip: Colored Drip Tip - 510/901 (MyVaporStore)

Cartomizers: Crystal Clear Vaping CrystalClearVaping

Cartomizers: Boge Mix n Match (5 Boxes) SureVapes - $0.92 each


No, I do not own, work for, or am in any way affiliated with MyVaporStore.com.

If you don't like this setup, you can PM me and I will buy it from you fr what you paid for it. For you, I will reimburse you for shipping. For anyone else reading this, same deal except the shipping to me is on you.

You will like it, and you wll like it very much. You will have to slot the cartomizers; either per Phil Busardo's YouTube video:

A PBusardo Tutorial - How I slot my cartos!.wmv - YouTube - or PM me and I will call you and tell you how to do it. You'll need to own or borrow a Dremel tool for someone, and you'll need some Dremel cut-off wheels, # 409. Or you can buy a cartomizr punch. It's hard to find pre-punched cartomizers that will work well with lower-voltage devices, even ones that go up to 4.8 volts like the Twist. Some people - including MyVaporStore - will say that dual coil cartomizers work fine on lower-voltage devices - but they do not.

From the MyVaporStore website:

These cartomizers were designed specifically for use with Dual Coil Tank (DCTank) Tubes. A 510 drip tip and DCTank tube is needed in order to use these cartomizers. There is a hole punch on the side of them so may leak if used without a DCTank Tube.

All of our eLiquid will work with the DCTank (full PG or 50/50 PG/VG). Full VG eliquid is too thick and will not work well in theDCTank. [VG will work much better in a carto slotted for it].

These new cartomizers contain two heating coils instead of one to produce more vapor than your standard cartomizer [if you can put enough volts/watts to them]. They have been designed to work great with 3.7V batteries [Not IMO] or a HV (high voltage) setup. Available in 1.5ohm or 2.5ohm. Please allow +/- 0.3 variation. We recommend 1.5ohm for Ego batteries [why?] or 3.0V-4.2V batteries and 2.5ohm for 5V or higher. These cartomizers must be used with batteries of 650mAh capacity or higher and are known to discharge batteries much quicker than single coil cartomizers.

This is nowhere near as complicated as it might seem, and will be well worth the modest learning curve to figure out. This thread:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...sion/302432-why-ego-c-twist-game-changer.html

contains a thorough discussion of why single coil cartomizers are far superior (IMO) to dual coils for use in a Joyetech Twist (or any eGo-class battery/PV).

If you do nothing else, please at least watch the Grimm Green review of the Twist, and feel free to ask any questions that you might have. Good luck, and happy vaping, whatever it's on.

*****

Others might recommend other things, and I encourage them to do so without making direct comparisons to what I have recommended if those other devices are of a different form factor. I would hate to see anyone get into any sort of fuss with the moderators.

*****

And Sailorman is quite correct IMO that tank systems such as the Joyetech T and C are not at all the best means of delivering juice to an atomizer coil or coils.

******

Final note: I have always found the term DCT[ank] to be a misnomer, since "DCT" stands for Dual Coil Tank, potentially leading one to believe that single coil cartomizers are somehow not well-suited to them, which IMO they very much are. Some people like dual coils, and IMO they have their place, but not in lower-voltage devices; not even a 1.5 ohm dual coil in a Twist, due to the marginal wattage per coil, and the greatly increased amp draw of say a 1.5 ohm dual coil cartomizer over a 3.0 ohm single coil".

*******

Back to live action: 1:38 AM Eastern time, 7/3/12:

As I said, I am willing to walk you through the "tricky" spots in using this setup to its fullest potential, and they are really not bad at all, when someone tells you exactly what to do, step by step. PM me and I'll give you my email address, land line phone number, and cell phone number. I want nothing in return except to see you get a good vape. You WILL get off of cigarettes with setup if you have even the slightest desire to stop smoking. And because vaping is relatively harmless, and because nicotine by itself has proven benefits, you need be in no hurry to stop vaping IMO.

You might have noticed that I had based the $85 figure on the current (at the time) price of the 650mah Twist, which has since come down. That brings the adjusted total to around $70, but shipping might eat into the juice budget. Without shipping costs, you'd have just enough left over from your $85 to get one ounce of juice. I encourage you to beg or borrow enough extra money to get at least five or six 10ml bottles of flavors, which go for around $6 each.

***

Time for a blog.
 
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sailorman

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Bella, Just make sure that you are aware of what kind of battery life to expect from a variable voltage 650mah e-cig. You will not have a charging case like you would with a volt. If you will be out for more than 3.5 hours, you will need to bring both of your e-cigs with you, as that is the approximate time a Twist will last between charges. If you are out for 8 hours and unable to charge at least one of them, you will get home with 2 dead e-cigs and have to wait a couple hours or more for one of them to charge back up. So keep that in mind if you spend more than 4 hours at a time away from a charger.

The only time you will be able to vape one while the other charges will be when you have access to a charger for a couple hours at a time. This is something very important to keep in mind and unfortunately something that, in their unbridled enthusiasm, everyone neglects to mention.
 

John D in CT

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Some, in their unbridled non-enthusiasm :))) for the Joyetech Twist, might be inclined to somewhat understate its battery capacity (I think that 4 hours + is more like it), or de-emphasize the fact that countless numbers of people have started very successfully on Joyetech eGo T- and C- starter kits that include two count 'em two 650mah batteries.

I will concede that for what a Twist costs, you have my blessings to go ahead and get a third one when you can to increase your safety margin and lessen the importance of keeping within range of a 110 volt or 12 volt outlet. (That said, a certain someone told me that there is available the equivalent of a PCC for eGo batteries, which I will provide a link to when time permits).

That certain someone also has a very good recommendation for what might be a very good upgrade path for you in the near future, and that is the Apollo SS VTube, a very nice variable voltage device at a very nice price. Then there is the Smoktech VMax for about $96 including batteries, from All About Vapor. They are both quite a bit larger than the Twist, and are what I consider a different "form factor".

Yes, three x $19 = $57, almost the price of the Apollo VTube. But you get three of them. One-third the wear and tear per unit. And when the non-replaceable battery wears out - maybe a year, although some with diminished enthusiasm might say less - for twenty bucks you get a brand spankin' new one, with no scratches on it, and a new switch. That's about three packs of cigarettes. You're paying a few bucks extra per year for the privilege of having a very, very nice variable voltage device in the eGo form factor. Sometimes you pay a little extra for something that is particularly cool, like a Joyetech eGo-C Twist is.

If you start having second thoughts, just watch the Grimm Green video again. :) He is absolutely correct about the Twist; it is a game-changer.
 

John D in CT

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I get confused easily, just know its a good starting place and was highly recommended to me.

Steven, if someone wasn't confused by this, I'd be worried about them! I've often said that with vaping, I've finally found something more confusing than cell phones and calling plans. :confused:
 

mostapha

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I can see this being as expensive as real cigarettes.

It's really not, depending on how much you smoke. The initial outlay is pretty bad, but it's not horrible.

Maybe my view is skewed because I smoked Lucky Strikes at $6.50-7.50/pack, but even counting the disposables/batteries/carts/juice/shipping I've spent so far, after 2-months I can easily justify an ego twist setup as described here or in the grimmgreen video.

If you start having second thoughts, just watch the Grimm Green video again. :)

I'm sure it'd change both his passion for what he does as well as people's trust for his reviews, but that guy really should get a commission or something. Whatever. If I ever meet him, I owe him a beer or five.

I can get a 650mAh twist for about what cigs cost me in two days. That means I can get about 3 or 4 twist batteries for about what I paid in cigs per week.

That sounds familiar.

At this point, the only thing holding me off on ordering that twist setup is the fact that if I don't, by the middle of August, I'd be far enough in the black for my biggest concern to be whether I want to start tracking down an Empire and a Kick or just get a Provari like everybody else.

To the OP…I'm a noob too, but seriously…track your costs when you get your Volt. Start a spreadsheet. Actually calculate what you spent on cigarettes. It's staggering.

When your only real repeating costs are cartos and juice and occasionally batteries (they all will fail eventually) you start to break even quickly. I went from a pack a day to 2.5-3ml a day, which is about $1.75-$2 of juice and even if I open a new cartomizer (about $1.20 each depending on vendor and how many you buy) every day, if I don't count the initial outlay, I'd personally save about $4/day. Not a huge amount if you think about it that way. There's not that much of a difference between pulling out a 5 dollar bill and getting change vs. a 10 dollar bill.

Some perspective.

If you buy the twist kit recommended above, you break even on hardware in about the time it took me to go through 2 cartons of lucky strikes……or about 3 weeks.

And at $4/day saved compared to LS……that's $1460 a year…I could buy 7 Provaris every year and still come out ahead…while burning a new carto every day and buying juice in 10ml bottles from any of a number of vendors.

Now, in reality…other things wear out…people aren't satisfied with just cartos all the time…people like other toys…people like variety…you have to pay shipping costs, etc……but you also don't burn a carto in one day.

It's hard to actually put those $4 in a jar every day instead of spending them on something else, but they're still there.

But, seriously, it really seems expensive when you're internally comparing a $7 pack of smokes to a $30 ecig or a $100 mod, but it really doesn't work like that.
 

Mroutlaw

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If you have questions about the smokeless Image volt and their other products, check out my video, I am a very happy volt user and post videos to help new people. SI does not compensate me or provide free products to me for them. It's just my honest opinion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELM4QhceR7o


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 

John D in CT

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If you have questions about the smokeless Image volt and their other products, check out my video, I am a very happy volt user and post videos to help new people. SI does not compensate me or provide free products to me for them. It's just my honest opinion

Smokeless Image Volt Demonstration and CE3 Cartomizers - YouTube

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I love and must own the Volt, and I've never even seen one in person, much less used one. When about 500 or so people tell you something's good, and no one says it's bad, that tells me something. Plus, that PCC is so slick and well-designed it's not even funny. I would like to meet the guy who designed that, because he's a genius.
 

JG1980

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I started out with the disposables also and after buying 3 I was like oh no I could have bought a cheap kit already so that's when I jumped online and started comparing prices. I went with Bloog from bloogplanet.com and it's working really well. Now I have heard that Smokeless Image makes the Volt and it's basically the exact same product at a little cheaper price. I order from Smokeless Image today and if everything works out I will be ordering from them more in the future. Good
Luck with everything
 

Mrgreen819

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Well you've already done the hardest part, no tobacco for 2 weeks. Now you just need a device that lasts and thats refillable. Also finding a juice you like. The other thing is you found a great resource here. Some really nice encouraging people here with tons of experience and advice. When starting out I find its best to buy samples of juices. That way if you hate one it isn't a huge waste of money. Also after a couple weeks of vaping tobacco juices tasted terrible to me, seems thats not so uncommon after reading here. Now I prefer fruity juices. I also googles vape store to find one close to home, hopefully one isn't too far from you. They usually have samples to try of different flavored juices and in case you need any parts in a hurry its good to know they are a option. Keep reading and don't give up. before you know it youll be a veteran vaper.
 
John, yes. That is the video I watched, I was trying to figure out the parts and got confused about what I would need. Does this cost include any juice?

I know everyone here loves to Vape, and I love it too so far because I loved my cigarettes... but my boyfriend is really hoping that this is a way to get me off cigarettes and eventually off e-cigs as well. So I really need to be careful of the money I am putting out right now. I don't want to have a stash box full of flavors and accessories, ect. lol. I selected my options for the Volt package but DID NOT send my check yet. So I have NOT actually purchased anything (Except some disposables) so far. 85.00 is doable if it includes juice. John, Is there a way to PM me exactly what I would need to order?

Hi MissBella and welcome to EFC. I too am a newbie and now stalking the postie waiting for my set up. John D offers great simple and logical advise. He also linked to my thread in an earlier post. Have a read through it (if you haven't already)and you can see what I decided to purchase and the reasoning behind it. It might also help with your decision. Great thing is you've taken the first step like me, now its only a little reading and a process of elimination. Good luck on what ever you decide!

Oops here the link again http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...aying-hi-looking-pointed-right-direction.html

MissBella don't be shy spending a little more than what you originally thought you would spend to get what you think will first best suit your needs,then your wants. Just think about how much you currently spend on smelly sticks a month, it all starts to make sense from there. Hopefully in the very near future you will also join the ever growing number of postie stalkers!
 
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Mroutlaw

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I started out with the disposables also and after buying 3 I was like oh no I could have bought a cheap kit already so that's when I jumped online and started comparing prices. I went with Bloog from bloogplanet.com and it's working really well. Now I have heard that Smokeless Image makes the Volt and it's basically the exact same product at a little cheaper price. I order from Smokeless Image today and if everything works out I will be ordering from them more in the future. Good
Luck with everything

They are the same batteries as bloog, but I'm not sure about the cartos. SI uses horizontal bottom coil and they are awesome. They are continually expanding to new products and just announced they will be carrying ce3s next week. Their new vision clearos are branded and do not crack from juice. The are made with a different plastic than the other visions. (won't even tell us the type of plastic)

The are a few things that are certain about SI. They will continue to expand, always have great customer service and want to keep things simple for people.

July 4 sale is 21% off code is "independence"
 

MissBella

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I did a lot of research, and looked at everyone's advice and after a couple days of headaches, decided to buy a V-Tube. I got the duel coil tank thingy to go with it and I am hoping I don't have to drill any slots or punch any holes. I guess if that needs to be done, my boyfriend can do it for me. But I'm hoping this device is plug and play. :)

Happy 4th to everyone!
 
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