Considering a kit switch - Any similar recommendations?

[Turns]

So I've been using an Apollo Extreme - I really really enjoy it. I did a little research beforehand and it's really delivered in every aspect. However I have a couple issues with it (some that Apollo can't fix unfortunately, they have been second to none in customer service)

1 - I live in Canada, so the shipping time is unnecessary (and costly) from California when there are canadian providers of kits/carts etc. - not to mention I'm afraid of the border catching a shipment and me being totally borked.

2 - One of the batteries in my kit has ceased to work. When I plug it into the wall it says it's fully charged and the light at the end blinks showing connectivity - yet when I connect a good cart to it, I get no vapor,LED response or flavor from a puff (any suggestions?).

2 - The thread is a 906, I've heard which is a unique type of cartomizer.. which means I can't get carts anywhere except from them, and now that I have a ton of juice from other providers, I'm at a crossroads.. If I just purchase carts I'll have this problem again down the road very soon.

Now I like the cigarette shape, and the auto battery seems to be good and long lasting. I get big vapor clouds and their cartomizers work extremely well with 100% VG fluid. I like it a lot, but I've also been eyeing the eGo - C, because I can get parts here in Canada locally.

Can anyone recommend a similar kit to the Extreme? I like Cartomizers because I can prefill a bunch, and switch on the go, but I'm not opposed to a tank system. If there is any more information I can provide to help in recieving a good recommendation just let me know!

 

[RenayNJ]

A member named Newfie George was asking questions about the apollo extreme in the Canada forums. Canada Forum However I would recommend Joye 510 to anyone who asks. I am new to the ecigarette and decided to go with a popular brand or like just so I would not have problems with replacements and stuff.

 

[Turns]

Interesting, I looked at that too, but it's a 3 piece with replaceable attys correct? does that get annoying switching them out? I use VG juice and I've heard that it's no good for that scenario (however it's working just fine in my cartomizers - Jugs juice must be thin for a VG!)

With the tank models, how long does a tank last? anyone know?

 

[sailorman]

I used 100% VG with cartos and attys for months when I first started. It tends to gum up the coil a little faster, but nothing serious.
A Joye 510 can be a 2 or 3 piece depending on if you use a carto or a separate atty and cartridge. The 510 simply refers to the style of connector.

The Joye 510 was my starter kit. IMO, you could do worse, but you sound like you're beyond that point. I would suggest going for one of the eGo/Riva type models, if you don't want a full blown mod (which is best). Specifically, look into the E-Power. Unlike the other eGo/Riva/Kgo types, the E-Power uses replaceable standard lithium batteries and is therefore non-disposable.

I've never used a tank model eGo type. How long a tank lasts depends on your vaping habits. I use a 3ml tank and it lasts me about 1/2 a day on my Apollo V-Tube. You can gauge it by your own personal consumption, although most tanks seem to burn through juice faster than something like a carto. But, you get a nicer vape most of the time.

Again, given your circumstances, you should get something for which you can get the widest variety of most commonly available cartos, attys and tanks. That would be something with a 510 connector. You should preferably get a tube type mod, or even a box mod, with a 510 connector. That gives you maximum flexibility. Alternatively, get a E-Power because it has a 510 connector as well as replaceable batteries that can be found anywhere.

If you want the most flexibility of all, try a variable voltage mod if you don't mind the form factor. I have an Apollo V-Tube and couldn't be happier with it. It works just fine with any 510 tank, atty or carto you can find. Or, I can use a 510/808 or 901 adapter and use those kind of parts as well.

 

[mynameisrob]

With a joye 510 you could always just use cartos instead of an atty and cartridge. 510 is the most popular threading too so you'll have quite a few options of cartos you could use.

If your gona get an eGo, I would just get a regular one and use cartos instead of getting an eGo-C. The eGo-C tanks are a slight improvement over the older eGo T tanks, but they still can be very finicky and leak a lot.
And if you only use VG juices, then I def would not get an eGo-C. The tanks do not work well at all with thick VG juices. Personally I think the eGo tanks suck period with PG or VG juices, but thats just my opinion. They especially dont work well with VG juices though, and I think youd be quite disappointed/frustrated. And even when the eGo tanks are working, they still dull flavor and TH. So if you want an eGo, youd be much better off just getting a regular one and using cartos.

I would def get a bigger battery PV over another slim ecig. Slim ecigs have to be recharged very frequently and you can only use standard resistance attys and cartos. Low resistance attys/cartos, which most people prefer, are only for bigger battery PVs. And if you are going to get another slim ecig, I would def consider getting a manual battery instead of an auto. Manual batteries are sealed, and they also let you control your vape a lot more. Auto batteries can be killed if you get a juice leak, and its quite possible that the reason your one battery isnt working now is from juice getting into the air hole and killing it.

I would check out the E-Power and kGo as well too, and personally I recommend either of them over the eGo. The E-Power and kGo are both 3.7V PVs, while the eGo is only 3.3-3.4V. The 3.7V PVs provide alittle more oomph, and more importantly handle the lower resistance attys and cartos better.
I have an E-Power and love it. The main difference between the 2 is that the E-Power uses non-proprietary batteries, which are removable. E-Power batteries cost only $4-5, while eGo/kGo batteries cost $14-20. The batteries are 1050mah so they will last 4-5x longer than your slim ecig batteries. I get on avg a day to a day and a half on one battery, and its really easy to carry a spare battery with you bc their small, and if needed unscrew the switch and pop in a fresh one. Also everything is replaceable on the E-Power so its cheaper to maintain, while the kGo/eGo have the tube, battery, and switch all in one unit, and if one thing fails you have no choice but to replace the entire unit everytime. Everything is seperate on the E-Power and the batteries, switch, etc can all be bought individually.
The kGo is also a really nice PV, even though it uses proprietary batteries. The batteries are 1100mah so they last a long time too and most people get a full day on one battery.

I think youd be really happy with an E-Power or a kGo, and they both give a really nice vape, and personally I think their both def better than an eGo. Either one of them would be a LOT better than your extreme, with 4-5x longer battery life and a much better vape, plus then youd have the option to use standard resistance or low resistance cartos. I just checked the price of the extreme kit too, and the funny thing is, that you could get an E-Power or kGo kit for cheaper than what you paid for the extreme.

Oh and I forgot to add, the E-Power and kGo both have 510 connections, which is the most popular threading like I said earlier, so youd have a wide array of attys and cartos that you could use. I recommend trying the Ressurector cartos. They are designed for 3.7V PVs like the E-Power and kGo, and they work awesome on both. The Ressurectors are the only cartos I use on my E-Power. They are 1.7ohm so they give a nice warm vape and produce a LOT of vapor, and they hold about 2ml of juice so they last a pretty long time between refills.
If you want to use a tank too, youd be much better off using a carto tank, instead of buying an eGo-C and using those tanks. Carto tanks work great and are def better than the PITA eGo tanks.
I use the 3.5ml Smoktech tanks on my E-Power and they are perfect for E-Power/kGo sized PVs. They are cheap and work great. This is what they look like:
With the long battery life of my E-Power, and the 3.5ml tank with the Resurector cartos, I can vape all day long completely maintenance free.
Especially if your using VG juices, trust me youll be much happier with a carto tank than an eGo-C tank. I have a few different tanks with different juices in them, but the one in the picture has a 100% VG juice in it, and it works great.

Goodluck!

 

[Turns]

buddy... so much great information!!!! I'm going to research the heck out of everything you said here. I've seen other posts, but this one makes a lot of sense. Thanks so much for typing that out!!

I like the "robot in disguise" aspect of the Apollo Extreme, that being said I can't expect to sell people on these up here as a legitimate device if I'm packing a lot of mods and tubes etc. Honestly, I can't see how anything could be better than what I'm using because I haven't used anything else or seen for that matter. I've watched youtube videos and it seems at times that it's a lot more work to have a nice unit than the huge milky vapes and flavors the extreme has offered. It comes down to accessibility and reliability, which I can't get because they are proprietary in their location and threading.

I really like the way you guys described the E-Powers functionality, it really does sound like a unit that would be perfect for me.. It comes down to esthetics at this point, does the tip light up? It seems that isn't an issue for lots of people on these boards, but I think it's pretty neat. It's tough to decipher all the information I get about ohms and volts.. would it just produce more vapor when it's stronger? Also, why is it so hard to find a vendor for the e-power? I can find two pages and one doesn't seem to be even legit lol, is it just the one model? I'd like to have a link on quickdraw in case my other apollo battery turfs too

 

[RenayNJ]

I stand corrected. The 510 pertains to the threading, yes. I like the options of 510. I know the OP stated that he wanted similar recommendations. I mentioned the 510 because there seems so many ways to build a satisfactory PV this one may be a good candidate.
I also have the ELIPS, which is a small tank system because I simply didn't know what I was doing and purchased backup batteries and attys just in case I broke something with my "newbie" hands. Having said all that, for now, I love the ease of the 510 but I love the look of the ELIPS. Neither look like an electronic cigarette. The ELIPS looks like a tube of mascara, and I love the way it looks, I can't stop touching it. I've been home for a few days from works, so I was paying close attention to battery life and hours....The ELIPs battery was at least 1.5 days. Recharging took 1.5 hours so far. I just got it on Tuesday....both of them.

 

[mynameisrob]

You have to remember that the bigger battery PVs do not look like a cig, meaning there is no "tip" that could light up. On the other hand though, the button that you push to fire the unit lights up.

I took a picture so you can see what the entire E-Power looks like :

The left one is a black E-Power with a Ressurector carto in a Smoktech 3.5ml tank
The right one is a Stainless Steel E-Power with a Ressurector carto in a Smoktech 3.5ml tank with polished chrome end caps.
Both E-Powers have Big-Belly Drip tips on them.
And I pushed the button on the one so you could see what it looks like lit up.

As far as ohms, in a simplified explanation, standard resistance attys/cartos give a cooler vape, while low resistance attys/cartos provide a warmer vape with more TH. Standard resistance is generally considered 2.5ohm-3.0ohm, and low resistance is generally 2.0ohm and below. So basically the lower the ohm, the warmer the vape will be and the more TH there will be. So even though a 1.5ohm carto and a 2.0ohm carto are both considered low resistance, the 1.5ohm carto will give a slightly warmer vape. LR cartos do drain your battery alittle faster than standard resistance cartos, and LRs also burn through juice alittle faster.
Your Apollo can only use standard resistance attys/cartos since its a slim ecig. Biggger battery PVs, like the E-Power, can use standard resistance or low resistance attys/cartos.

For vendors that sell the E-Power, there are quite a few. You gotta make sure they will ship to Canada though.
I bought mine from Crystal Clear Vaping. They sell theirs for alittle more than some others, but they also give you about $25 in free stuff, so its actually a really good deal. Hoosier Ecig Supply also sells the E-Power for a good price, but they are sold out right now.
The cheapest vendor that I know of that sells the E-Power is Sweet-vapes.com
Heres the link: 14650 Carto Kit | Sweet-Vapes E-Liquid
Sweetvapes sells E-Power kits that you can get with atomizers and prefilled cartridges, or you can get a kit that comes with your choice of a few different cartos. I would get a kit with 2.0ohm Boge cartos bc I think that will be the easiest to start with, but thats up to you. You can also get Smoktech dual coils in either 2.0ohm or 3.0ohm or E-Power dual coils in 1.5ohm or 2.0ohm. I wouldnt get the E-Power dual coils to start bc their freaking huge and hold lik 6ml of juice or something like that. You could always buy an E-Power dual coil for a few bucks down the line if you want to try them, but I wouldnt get them to start.
Sweetvapes also sells the eGo E-Power and the 18650 E-Power. The eGo E-Power is nice, but its considerably bigger and uses an 18650 battery instead and the switch isnt removable, which I dont like. They also sell the 18650 E-Power, which is similar to the 14650 E-Power that I have, but its bigger as well and uses an 18650 battery like the eGo-E-Power. The 18650 E-Power has been problematic in the past so I wouldnt get that.
I think getting the 14650 E-power, like I have, would be your best bet if you want an E-Power.

Looking at it now, for where you live, Sweet-vapes would prob be the best place to get it from. They ship to Canada, and they sell the kit for only $41.95, which is a damn good price. You can get it in either black or chrome from them. (They dont sell the stainless steel or titanium colored E-powers)(You could always buy a spare tube in a different color down the line so you can have a different colored E-Power if youd like, and if you buy another switch, you just built yourself a second E-Power for dirt cheap. Thats what I did)
Also their kit comes with the newest blue LED switch, which you want. The last one has some problems running the lower resistance cartos, but the newest one works great. It also has a 5-click on/off feature, which will allow you to turn the unit off so you dont have to worry about it accidentily firing when your carrying it in your pocket.


Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, if you do order an E-Power, or any other PV for that matter, DO NOT ORDER juice with it.
Canada has no problems with PVs, cartos, and other hardware coming into the country, its juice with nicotine in it thats the issue.
If you order a PV and some juice together, theres a chance that it could get taken by customs bc of the juice, and then youll get your PV taken as well bc its in the same package. Thats why if you want to take a chance and order some juice from the US, make sure it comes in a seperate package, so then if it does get taken, youll just lose the juice, and not your new PV.
Make sure that whatever you order does NOT come with any juice or free samples or anything, bc then your risking getting your PV taken.
Thats why I didnt recommend you ordering an E-Power from CCV where I got mine, bc part of the $25 in free stuff is a 30ml juice of your choice. I guess if you did want to order from there you could just call him and say do not include the free juice, but that would be up to you. I think Sweetvapes would be the best deal for you.

Hope all this helped, and let me know if you have any more questions

Goodluck!

 

[Turns]

You are absolutely right, I took a look before I read the last half of your message. Great price, fairly cheap shipping to Canada. I think 2ohms would be similar to what I'm getting. Are those big belly drips hard to find? I like them, seeing where my liquid is at would be cool. I have like 250ml of juice lol, how many atomizers/ carts would I require to do that comfortably?

I've had two orders cross the border with nic from Apollo, one was substantial (I was nieve). They listed them as "empty tubes" the first time and "sealed vials" the second. Both flew right past customs. Now that I've been introduced to Jugheads up here, I'd much rather keep my nic supplier 24 hrs away

 

[sailorman]

Turns, the big belly drip tips are just the little piece at the very tip that you put in your mouth. I think what you're looking at is the Smoketech Tank. That's the 3.5ml tank that holds the juice. The carto is punched with a hole and fits inside the tank. The drip tip goes on the end of that carto.

You might want to look up PBusardo review on Youtube about these Smoketech tanks. They are relatively inexpensive, but they have some issues you need to be aware of. One thing is that you need to use a longer than normal, XL sized carto. A standard carto is too short for this tank. The other thing is that you many need to enlarge the hole, depending on the thickness of the juice you use. Personally, I don't care for that particular tank, but some people are perfectly happy with them. Again, I'd look at the review and some other tanks that take a more standard length carto that may be more easily availble to you. These Smoketech tanks run about $12-13, so they're fairly cheap but for me, their issues aren't worth it in the long run.

Another tank to look into (again, see PBusardo's review) is the J-Tank. It takes standard length cartos, is built very well, won't leak but, unfortunately, costs almost twice as much as the Smoketech DCT tank. Again, just IMHO, I'd rather have one J-Tank than 2 Smoketech DCT's. The ability to use any carto should be an important factor in your situation I would think. It's easy enough to punch or slot standard cartos yourself if you can't find pre-punched cartos. A saddle punch will pay for itself in pretty short order. You can get standard cartos for about $6/box of 5, while most pre-punched cartos will run you $2 each or more.

How many cartos 250ml of juice would go through depends on a lot of things. What resistance is the carto? A lower resistance goes through juice faster. How big is the carto in the first place? What is the VG content? Cartos last longer with higher PG juice. How wet do you keep it? They'll last longer in a tank where they never dry out. All of those things make it hard to guess how many cartos you'd need. If you shop around some, you can find deals for cartos for about $20/per 15 shipped free to U.S.. Obviously that wouldn't apply to Canada, but the point is that if you get a crapload of them at once, you can stock up. Get as many as you can afford. The don't go bad. With 250ml of juice, I'd think 30-40 would be a reasonable ballpark estimate.