Confused and Tired, Need Assistance !

[Davohn]

First I would like thank all the folks here that contribute to a great resourse for those of us just starting to enjoy the world of vaping.

Now to the point of my post.

I am a pack and a half per day menthol smoker. I really would like to eliminate some of the health issues associated with this habit. Therefore I am considering the electronic cigarette path. I have purchased a couple different disposable type e-cigs from local retailers and not been all that impressed, yet believe the e-cig is still a viable alternative if I can find the correct combination/kit/juice/etc. So after several hours reading the forum and watching reviews and just in general trying to learn as much as possible over the course of 4 days I am still confused and while my question appears simple to me I am sure will produce several answers but it would be very appreciated if someone could post a reply here as to the following items:

1) Joye 510, Elite 880, Yeti, KR8, models all begin to run together after a while so in simple terms what is advantage/disadvantage of each and which is most reliable?

2) Where to purchase from reliable dealer that sells everything you need?

3) What is (really) everything you need?

4) Other models that should be considered such as the EGO?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Wingapo]

Welcome to the ECF Devohn! I'm pretty new around here myself but I'll try and help if I can.

If you're interested KR808D-1 cigarette size and looking e-cigs the Volt from Smokeless Image is a good little setup. A bit pricier than a basic kit but they last longer than most other KR808D-1's and their cartomizers are pretty good and last longer than most that I've tried so far. The batteries will last a good 2 hours of constant heavy vaping.

You also can't really go wrong with a basic 510 starter kit, but if you don't mind stepping up to a slightly larger size battery that looks more like a cigar you should try an ego kit and the batteries last 5-6 hours. GotVapes is a company that seems to get a lot of the newest improvements in 510 and ego stuff before other companies do and they have pretty good prices as well.

You really will have to do a little research so that you can get an idea of what you think will work for you but a good start is a KR808D-1, 510 or ego starter kit that includes the batteries, cartomizers or atomizers, charger and you'll need juice. Just starting off you may want to try 18mg or 24mg juices just to help with the cravings.

There are so many choices and everyone here has their preferred products but I think most of can agree that a good basic starter kit and a few bottles of juice is what helped us make the switch.

Best of luck in your journey into the incredible new world of vaping.

 

[dormouse]

100mah is about 1 hour of moderate vaping with standard resistance atomizer or cartomizer

Joye 510 - only buy Joye brand IMO, best quality. And I strongly recommend manual batteries. This is a 3-piece and comes with atomizer and carts which you can refill (absolutely not the favorite way to vape but OK for learning). With 510 manual batteries (which are sealed and safe from juice leak damage) you can also use a drip tip on the atomizer. And most people prefer cartomizers. (Boge are most popular and slim ecigs use standard resistance, not LR). Downside - VERY short battery life on the short 510 batteries 180mah. Upside - very nice PCC at NoSmokeVA.com. If not for that PCC I would be using the Joye Mega XL manuals which are longer and have 60-70% more charge (280mah) and hold the voltage up better (128mm with a cartomizer and the only PCC is a non-roomy metal one. Mega are so nice I would almost sacrifice having this nicer PCC)

KR808D-1 - this is the most popular 2-piece. A true 3.7v device, it give a bit more TH with the same juice vs the Joye 510 though I think with a Boge carto the Joye 510 give a bigger moister more vapory hit. Since KR808D-1 is a 2-piece there are lots of prefilled cartos as well as blank cartos. Prefilled is not a big benefit since we add juice to everything to get days of use out of each instead of part of a day. On manual batteries you can use a standard resistance DSE901 atomizer and drip tip to test juices. Vapor4Life is the most popular and established vendor and sells a model like the original manufacturer one but in nicer colors - I recommend standard manual batteries for a 120mm ecig, 280mah). SmokeLess Image Volt, Bloogplanet Maxxfusion, Halocigs G6 are the newer style - nice completely sealed threaded end on the manuals but a very tiny somewhat recessed button (I recommend the 78mm size for 120mm ecig, they claim 320mah)

Ego and its popular clone Riva 510 are fat battery 510's 650mah+. So much longer battery life and because they are over 450mah, it's OK to use the hotter low resistance atomizers and cartomizers on them (eat enhances the hit of nicotine and can give a bigger drag, but uses battery charge faster)

 

[wendallb]

Davohn, I too was a pack and a half a day guy..I got the ego-t model and I am very happy with it so far...I use the ego-t as it came and also sometimes I use the mega dual coil carts and all is good..

I started out with 24mg/ml nic and now down to 18 a month later..

 

[rolygate]

Many of these things are explained in the new InfoPages section of the site:

Best E-Cigarette for a New User

We are looking for criticism from newbies of this new resource - it's supposed to tell all you need to know up front. Does it do the job or is there more that could be added? One thing missing is exactly where to buy, but this New Members forum is the best place for that info as people will tell you the best current deals on what you have decided to buy.

 

[TxParamedic]

I'm about a month or so into vaping so take that into account!
I started with the kr808-1's while a couple of guys in the office went with 510's. In the mini batt class (cig size) I think the 808's are much better BUT if you decide to bump up to the bigger batteries the 510's are vastly more popular so I ended up with an 808 kit for my mini batts and everything else is 510. I did pick up a 510 to 808 adapter so I can use my 808 carts on my Riva.

That brings me to bumping up. I went with an 1100 mah Riva that I am very happy with the other two vapers in the office went with Riva 750's and they are equaly happy mine just last longer between charges but theirs last the whole day so it comes out about even and theirs are shorter.

Then I bought a "Hog Mod" bottom feeder and fell in love! There are several vendors that sell bottom feeders and a lot of people love them...a few don't.

I am still glad I got the 808's they got me off analogs but I don't use them any more, once I got the Riva I was done with them except as a back up. I couldn't be happier with the Riva but I kinda wish I had gone with the smaller 750. I LOVE the Hog Mod and now keep my "all day vape" in it and use the Riva with either the ego tank or cartomisers when I want a change of flavor. I pretty much only drip when I'm trying new juice to see if it deserves a cartomiser or tank of it's own.

I don't know if any of that helped but I'm pretty darn happy with my current vaping set up. YMMV

 

[artyoh]

100mah is about 1 hour of moderate vaping with standard resistance atomizer or cartomizer

Joye 510 - only buy Joye brand IMO, best quality. And I strongly recommend manual batteries. This is a 3-piece and comes with atomizer and carts which you can refill (absolutely not the favorite way to vape but OK for learning). With 510 manual batteries (which are sealed and safe from juice leak damage) you can also use a drip tip on the atomizer. And most people prefer cartomizers. (Boge are most popular and slim ecigs use standard resistance, not LR). Downside - VERY short battery life on the short 510 batteries 180mah. Upside - very nice PCC at NoSmokeVA.com. If not for that PCC I would be using the Joye Mega XL manuals which are longer and have 60-70% more charge (280mah) and hold the voltage up better (128mm with a cartomizer and the only PCC is a non-roomy metal one. Mega are so nice I would almost sacrifice having this nicer PCC)

KR808D-1 - this is the most popular 2-piece. A true 3.7v device, it give a bit more TH with the same juice vs the Joye 510 though I think with a Boge carto the Joye 510 give a bigger moister more vapory hit. Since KR808D-1 is a 2-piece there are lots of prefilled cartos as well as blank cartos. Prefilled is not a big benefit since we add juice to everything to get days of use out of each instead of part of a day. On manual batteries you can use a standard resistance DSE901 atomizer and drip tip to test juices. Vapor4Life is the most popular and established vendor and sells a model like the original manufacturer one but in nicer colors - I recommend standard manual batteries for a 120mm ecig, 280mah). SmokeLess Image Volt, Bloogplanet Maxxfusion, Halocigs G6 are the newer style - nice completely sealed threaded end on the manuals but a very tiny somewhat recessed button (I recommend the 78mm size for 120mm ecig, they claim 320mah)

Ego and its popular clone Riva 510 are fat battery 510's 650mah+. So much longer battery life and because they are over 450mah, it's OK to use the hotter low resistance atomizers and cartomizers on them (eat enhances the hit of nicotine and can give a bigger drag, but uses battery charge faster)

The folks here are unusually nice, helpful and patient; not like most forums where experienced members often don't have time for noobs and their repetitive question. It's a real breath of fresh air.

This is my second day of vaping and I started this morning with a fresh cart on a shorty battery. The battery led started flashing just before quitting time and I was still vaping on the same cart. I was a 2 PAD "light" menthol smoker, so right now, I'm feeling a bit confused. I certainly didn't expect the battery to last all day, since most people quote a figure of 2-3 hrs. on a shorty. I also expected to at least start on a new cart, since I've seen the 3-4ml/day figure quoted fairly consistently. I didn't spend the day chain-vaping, but I used it on and off more or less like I'd normally have cigarette breaks. Do battery life figures assume non-stop vaping?

 

[reprisal]

If it must be cig sized get a volt, but imo cig sized pvs just aren't worth it. Heres a list of everything I recommend for a new vaper:

From liberty-flights.com (click 20% discount in upper left):
Riva lite kit - $29.99
A 510 driptip of your choosing - ~$2
5 Pack of Boge LR (2.0 ohm) cartomizers - $7.99

All you need then is juice, I personally recommend pinkspotvapors.com (pink spot is excellent and tastes like pink lemonade, their dutch apple pie is the only apple pie I've found that tastes like *baked* apples, not fake apple). I've liked just about everything from them.

If you like menthol in your juice rawrvapor.com seems to specialize in it, great juice overall. Their default selection for menthol is a medium menthol, and they really do suggest menthol in their juice. Id recommend trying the Hawaii Sunrise.

Atomic cinnicide from tastyvapor definitely requires a mention but their juices are hit or miss imo. AC is amazing however, like cinnamon red hot candies. STRONG flavor and throat hit.

If you like the Boge LR (2.0 ohm) cartomizers, you can get 15 of them for $20 and free shipping @ crystalclearvaping.com

This setup allows you to try dripping and cartomizers, it includes cartridges in the Riva kit but cartridges suck.

The Riva is an ego style battery that runs @ 3.7v rather than the egos 3.2, it is also 750mah. The general conversion is 100mah = 1 hour of vaping, so each one should last ~7.5hrs and the kit includes two.

 

[fairydust]

[SIZE=]if your an pack and a half day somker than you need to with an ego, or ive heard lots of good things from a very reliable sorce on the new volt from smokeless image. i my self am fixing to go try this. what ever you do dont get an atomatic battery, being a new vapor you are going to tend to over drip a lot and it will cause you to frie a battery fast cause it dosnt have a closed conection so get a manuel battery. heres a link to there site and starter kit. i whould also recomend you go to goodejuice.com (i love there juices and there pretty cheap.) and get a drip tip (they have the lowest prices that i can find) to put in your cartos/attys, sometimes the cartos can get hot and tend to burn your lip the drip tips keep that from happing. Madvapes.com is also a very reliable site that has everything on it. now like i said to begin with if you dont wont the pen style 510 then you should go with a ego 510 or vgo 510 you can go to cignot.com and look at there egos. (most of the sites i have mentiond has egos find the one thats best for you.) and you can go to First Vapor Electronic Cigarettes: vGo Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit for the vgo, they have a little better hit than an ego but mostly the same thing. keep in mind that this is just my oppion on things and you may end up thinking im full of crap lol. ill post a link to a friend of mines vid on the volt so you can watch it.smokeless image volt ecig. - YouTube she is a great review go check out that vid and it should tell you what you need to know. you can also come in to Live Stream of HydroCloudVapor - Stickam.com tonight and we will answear any questions you have. i hope this coment helped you.[/SIZE]

 

[G9K]

2.5 - 3 packs a day of 100's (longs), after 38 years of puffing the things and recently the exhorbitant taxes ... Borrowed a Joye 510 over a weekend and came back to work asking about where they got it. They were showing me the website (mikeusa) and I said "No, where do I buy, I'm ready to purchase NOW!".

Got a Joye eGo with the mega atomizers and a bottle of 24mg cigarette flavored juice, and over a two-week painless (*PAINLESS!*) transition period I was down to two cigs a day if I even remembered to smoke them.

I am SO pleased with this that I evangelize, tell anybody who smokes that they're way better than cigarettes, and tell them were to go to buy.

Sure, it's more complicated, having to refill them every so often, but I keep three live ones in my shirt pocket and I have a "kit" with juice and batteries in a compact camera case that I bring with me.

As for your items list:

1. I like the Joye eGo with the tapered mega atomizers. The only thing I'd call a disadvantage is that I have to refill, and maybe that they don't last forever (I've had one die and two clog in three+ months). Once I figured out how to use them I've had zero problems.

Refill tip: Use a long pointed pair of tweezers to shove the stuffing all the way to the bottom, fill with juice to near the top, then reach in with the tweezers to *slowly* pull the stuffing up just above (~1/16") above the top, then plug it back into the atomizer. This will make more sense when you've seen it, and you should keep a roll of toilet paper handy so you can use a square or two to do your wiping and blotting.

2. No dealer sells *everything* I need, just like no store sells everything I need. I like mikeusa.com for the kits and parts (buy an extra battery with your first kit and one or two bottles of the Dekang juice in a flavor similar to the cigs you smoke, if possible.) I've smoked menthol in the past and an RY4 sample I recently tried was very nice, but it wasn't a Dekang, I've only liked their cig flavors.

I like gourmetvapors.com and weve had a good experience with ............com. These are the only vendors weve bought from, so no negatives against any other vendor. You'll probably have to try several flavors to find something you want to vape all day long - or more than one, I'm doing Dekang "wensten", Gourmet Vapor "pink lemonade", and unflavored, and they make me happy.

3. Everything I need is: A couple of the 2-cig kits that include the charger and stuff, an extra usb charger so I have one everywhere I tend to be (work, home, vehicle), an extra battery or two so I always have a charged one I can swap in, a couple bottles of juice, some spare atomizers, and that small compact camera case so I can carry supplies with me. Oh, and a long thin tweezers (see tip above), I have one at home and one at work to keep things simple.

I just started with a two-cig kit, accumulated the rest over the past three months as I figured out what I wanted to have on hand, not to mention the 48mg bulk I'm accumulating in the freezer.

4. Don't know, I'm really happy with what I have.

It should be obvious by now that I'll be happy to tell you everything I know and think, which isn't all that much in my limited experience, but the fact that I'm happy with what I've got and that I'm picky should say something.

-Gary

 

[wv2win]

I'm about a month or so into vaping so take that into account!
I started with the kr808-1's while a couple of guys in the office went with 510's. In the mini batt class (cig size) I think the 808's are much better BUT if you decide to bump up to the bigger batteries the 510's are vastly more popular so I ended up with an 808 kit for my mini batts and everything else is 510. I did pick up a 510 to 808 adapter so I can use my 808 carts on my Riva.

That brings me to bumping up. I went with an 1100 mah Riva that I am very happy with the other two vapers in the office went with Riva 750's and they are equaly happy mine just last longer between charges but theirs last the whole day so it comes out about even and theirs are shorter.

Then I bought a "Hog Mod" bottom feeder and fell in love! There are several vendors that sell bottom feeders and a lot of people love them...a few don't.

I am still glad I got the 808's they got me off analogs but I don't use them any more, once I got the Riva I was done with them except as a back up. I couldn't be happier with the Riva but I kinda wish I had gone with the smaller 750. I LOVE the Hog Mod and now keep my "all day vape" in it and use the Riva with either the ego tank or cartomisers when I want a change of flavor. I pretty much only drip when I'm trying new juice to see if it deserves a cartomiser or tank of it's own.

I don't know if any of that helped but I'm pretty darn happy with my current vaping set up. YMMV

I agree with the idea of getting a better model. I wouldn't start with any of those three. I would suggest something at least with a better battery, such as the Riva or better, yet, the E-Power. If you take to vaping, you will just be moving to one of these eventually anyway. Why not save the money and get a better one now.

 

[Davohn]

Thanks for all the replies. The link was very helpfull. Still havn't made a decission on exactly what to purchase or where but I do know that I will be going with a manual battery and probably to start, will get one of the cigarette size clones. I fully expect that there will be an upgrade in the near future but during my introduction stage I believe this type will serve my needs best. Once again all of you have been very helpfull and I am sure there will be many more questions along the journey.

Thanks,

Davohn

 

[woolgrower]

Hey Davohn, not going to offer advice, just support. I've been where you are (just last week as a matter of fact lol) so I can totally sympathize. Hang in there though and don't let all the info bog you down. I finally ended up picking a Riva 510 and I'm very happy with it. Now picking the right juice...still on that journey .

Good luck to you!!

 

[Uncle Willie]

From liberty-flights.com (click 20% discount in upper left):
Riva lite kit - $29.99
A 510 driptip of your choosing - ~$2
5 Pack of Boge LR (2.0 ohm) cartomizers - $7.99

If you like the Boge LR (2.0 ohm) cartomizers, you can get 15 of them for $20 and free shipping @ crystalclearvaping.com

This setup allows you to try dripping and cartomizers, it includes cartridges in the Riva kit but cartridges suck.

The Riva is an ego style battery that runs @ 3.7v rather than the egos 3.2, it is also 750mah. The general conversion is 100mah = 1 hour of vaping, so each one should last ~7.5hrs and the kit includes two.

ditto .. I am quite happy with my kit from Liberty Flights .. now about 3 months old .. thinking of actually buying another .. still searching for the perfect liquid ..

 

[Davohn]

So... a decission is imminent!

Looks like it is going to be the Joye 510. Only decissions now are where to buy, what accessories to buy and which actual model to purchase. Any suggestions or comments about the following would be appreciated.

Considering using Liberty Flights or NoSmokeVA as supplier.

Need suggestion on juice that may resemble Salem light menthol taste. ( I know it wont be exact )

Considering these two models - Joye 510 or Joye 510-t

Question: Will the VPCC personal charging case from NoSmokeeVA work with the Joye510 model from Liberty Flights?

Thinking about ordering an extra battery or two?

How many extra Cartridges/Atomizers should I order?

What else do I need?

 

[woolgrower]

I've had great experience with Liberty Flights, I don't think you can go wrong with them but I don't know about the others.

Only thing I would strongly suggest is getting some drip tips even if you don't plan to drip. They make vaping much easier IMO and more comfortable.

 

[markfm]

Liberty-flights rightfully is pretty popular. Don't forget to use their 20% discount code (it's right on their main page.
Coming off pack-and-a-half, I think you'll end up wanting to upgrade battery size pretty quickly -- a standard 510 is only 180 mAh, while a 510 Mega or XL is 280 mAh. As a point of reference, for people ho smoke pack a day or better I really urge that if they want a KR808D-1 they get XL (380 mAh for 808), or in 510 go direct to the Riva or eGo.
The LF Riva 510 750 mAh batteries generally lasted me about 8 hours between swaps/recharges.
Also, with standard 510 you can't reasonably use the 2 ohm Boge cartomizers, or other low resistance atomizers/cartomizers -- the batteries don't have enough oomph to run them reliably. With Riva or eGo you can user the lower resistance items, which directly relates to power/warmth.

 

[swedishfish]

So... a decission is imminent!

Looks like it is going to be the Joye 510. Only decissions now are where to buy, what accessories to buy and which actual model to purchase. Any suggestions or comments about the following would be appreciated.

Considering using Liberty Flights or NoSmokeVA as supplier.

Need suggestion on juice that may resemble Salem light menthol taste. ( I know it wont be exact )

Considering these two models - Joye 510 or Joye 510-t

Question: Will the VPCC personal charging case from NoSmokeeVA work with the Joye510 model from Liberty Flights?

Thinking about ordering an extra battery or two?

How many extra Cartridges/Atomizers should I order?

What else do I need?

I would get the Riva lite bundle kit, save tanks for a later time when you've been vaping longer. Get a couple boxes of boge 2.0 cartomizers to start and a couple drip tips. Actually Reprisal gave you the perfect shopping list. Get juice from a couple juice vendors.

In a few weeks when you know your happy with the kit, pick up an extra battery. Try a bigger battery like the Joye 1000 or 900 for all day vaping. The Riva batteries last at least 7-8 hours of continous vaping and the 1000 at least 10 hours. Mine lasts at least a day. Unless you do a lot of traveling or if you just want one, a pcc isn't absolutely necessary.

If you chose the 510 mini, then I would get a pcc. They're good but small batteries don't last long and there aren't as many options available with the mini. You can only use standard cartos, no LR cartos which gives you a much better vape.

 

[Davohn]

While I would like to go with either the Ego or Riva my vote was overturned. As the girlfriend and I are both going to be trying to switch to the e-cig, and she feels unconfortable with the larger format I figured it would be best to get the same set-up for both of us just for convienence. Maybe though I should consider two different models and try to stay with a system in the 510 series so some of the items would be intercangeable? Geesh... thought I was making progress but looks like I am back to the indecission stage once again.

 

[markfm]

Riva kit for you, standard, or preferably mega/xl 510, for the GF. One or two puffs on your Riva with a Boge 2 ohm cartomizer and she'll probably have quick second thoughts about needing cig sized (the 510 wouldn't go to waste, since backup gear is highly recommended)