Greetings fellow Vapernauts

[CykoDad]

So I've been reading various forums on this site for just over a month now trying to figure out if vaping was something I wanted to do. I've been a pack-a-day smoker for the better part of 25 years. I've tried several times within those 25 years to quit but nothing ever worked. About a year ago I actually tried ecigs but that didn't work either. I think the problem was that I just wasn't using the right ecig (I tried the products from Blu). Then, a few months ago, I started getting into this whole "I need to start taking better care of myself" kick. I stopped eating (or at least drastically cut down) certain foods, I got out and walked with my wife a lot more, I joined a gym, I put it in my head that I wanted to start running 5/10ks, all that. But the one thing I had troubles doing was stop myself from smoking.

A little over a month ago I had some contractors come over to the house to do some work on my roof. One of them pulled out this tube looking thing from his pocket and took a hit out by his work truck. I went over and asked him about it and he gave me tons of information I didn't understand. Now I've seen the kiosks at the local malls selling juices, tanks, and the likes but I never talked to them, mostly because I knew they were going to sell me something that was way overpriced and nowhere near the quality it should be. This guy told me to do some research on Youtube and join a forum to get real opinions from real people.

I gotta say this site has been extremely helpful it getting me to quit smoking. Given my financial situation at the time I bought the Halo Triton starter kit. I am happy to say that I am about 3 weeks analog free.

Now, I love my Triton. Don't get me wrong, it's a great product and the juices are wonderful. But from what I've been reading on this site, from what I've watched on Youtube, from what I remember from that contractor guy, I need (or at least want) to step it up. I'm seriously jonesing for an AVP and am strongly considering getting into dripping.

I still have so much to learn for all of you and I look forward to being here for a very long time. Hell, I might even feel brave enough to contribute from time to time.

 

[WhiteHighlights]

Welcome & congrats CykoDad! Lucky you to meet someone who could introduce you to the world of vaping. You're doing great! Sit back, relax, read and enjoy the journey. Feel free to ask any questions you have. The folks here are very knowledgeable and incredibly supportive. Happy vaping!

 

[CykoDad]

Thank you. Since I started this I've been really enjoying this whole vaping experience. I know I will have several questions along the way especially once I make the move to something with VV/VW, which I will be doing once the holidays and the round of beginning of the year birthdays are done bleeding my bank account dry.

I've visited other ecig forums but this one by far has been the most informative one out there that I've found. I will definitely be posting my questions, comments, thoughts, and concerns here.

Thanks again.

 

[Enoch777]

Congrats CykoDad, welcome to the ECF!

It's really great to hear success stories. I'm over a month analog free myself, despite vaping for close to a year now. Not everyone is the same. It can certainly take some patience in narrowing down what works the best for you, but generally, a great vape is a great vape and there are more than a few well-known ways to achieve that. Juice on the other hand...

I'm a dripper myself, have been using micro coils w/ cotton wick on an RDA with an APV for close to 6 months. It's a fantastic way to vape. However I am determined to get into mechanicals for the obvious reasons. I've simply over-stayed my welcome with my current setup. I have things like twisted kanthal and quad nanos that I'm completely experienced at building but simply do not have the ability to fire them.

General progression, eh? Disposable -> eGo -> APV -> Mechanical

Actually I still plan on using my MVP

If there's one area in specific you think you could improve with your current setup, what would it be? Coil life expectancy? Flavor? Vapor production? TH?

Let us know and I guarantee you'll get some solid advice!

 

[CykoDad]

Thanks Enoch. Currently I'm using a Halo Triton 650. This thing has been great but it is very limited. I now Halo offers a VV model but I've quickly learned that I'm still quite limited in what I can do with it given the treading. Sure, I can buy an adapter but I'm still limited by the VV and right now I'm kinda interested in VW, mainly because from what I understand I don't necessarily have to give much consideration to voltage when using something that's power mode driven. I'm probably wrong in stating that but that's my level of understanding and an area I want to experience for myself.

I don't know that I'm overly concerned with coil life, but I do really enjoy the flavor. Probably more so because my sense of taste has been dramatically increased since I fully stopped using analogs. Vapor production? I'm not exactly sure where I stand with that as a matter of importance. While I think it's cool as hell from what I've seen in countless Youtube videos I don't know that that's necessarily my main driving point when it comes to vaping, at least not yet. That may change once I make the switch to something that produces a lot more vapor than my Triton does. I'm not sure yet about throat hit either given the limits of my current setup and possibly the juices I've used. That too could change relatively soon too.

You mentioned mechanical mods. What exactly are those? Honestly I thought all these devices (outside of disposables) were considered mods. Maybe I was wrong, which wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Enoch777]

right now I'm kinda interested in VW, mainly because from what I understand I don't necessarily have to give much consideration to voltage when using something that's power mode driven. I'm probably wrong in stating that but that's my level of understanding and an area I want to experience for myself.

No, no. You're absolutely right... almost. Variable Wattage is fantastic in that, you can easily and quickly identify what level your vape tastes the best at. It is however still possible to set it too high depending on your juice, airflow, and what topper you're using (Specifically your coil and wick assembly). If you really want to vape at 15 watts? Consider your wicking. You may need to drip more drops if you're using a dripper, or you may need to clean/replace or modify your current wick to make sure it's up to snuff.

It's hard to say what would or wouldn't be too high of a setting given the variables involved. Generally you want a good balance of everything to get a good vape. All parts are important and should work in synchronicity. As with VV, start low, adjust to taste and leave it. You will be getting a more consistent vape than a mass of other bats/mods out there.

You really can't go wrong with a Variable Wattage mod, they're safe, reliable, and high-performance. And there's a HUGE number of choices to choose from. I highly recommend you check out: TAKING THE NEXT VAPING STEP 2: EGO'S TO MODS

While I think it's cool as hell from what I've seen in countless Youtube videos I don't know that that's necessarily my main driving point when it comes to vaping, at least not yet.

For me it's all about the flavor in combination with a good TH. I want my vape to be as satisfying as possible. Unfortunately that means chasing clouds, at least a little

You mentioned mechanical mods. What exactly are those? Honestly I thought all these devices (outside of disposables) were considered mods. Maybe I was wrong, which wouldn't surprise me.

Something like the Nemesis Clone, and a huge slew of other mechanical mods. From genuine items costing a very pretty penny, to cheaper well-built clones, to dirt-cheap clones on FastTech, to the other mechs that don't fit in the above categories.

They're known for 2 things, I think: 1.) No internal electronic parts, no safety fail safes such as short-circuit protection, etc which allows the user to vape sub ohm coils. That is, coils that read at 1.0Ω and below. SUB OHM IS FOR ADVANCED USERS ONLY.

2.) They generally look sleek & metallic, maybe even a little art deco depending on the mod.

All in all, I think mechanical mods are reserved for vapers who either have plenty of experience rebuilding and knows how to identify hard shorts, check ohms, and knows their battery's amp limit. Does that mean you couldn't spend $200 on a fancy mechanical, put a Protank II on it and call it a day? Surely not. But you'd probably get better performance out of something like the MVP v2.0 if you planned on doing that.

Again, mechanicals are generally used by advanced vapers who plan on putting RBA/RDAs on them, know how to do this safely, and have knowledge of Ohm's Law and other basic fundamentals... with the intent pumping many more watts into those coils than is possible on something like an eGo or APV. Again, safety is #1

I think they're are a category best left to study for another day, but that about covers the jist of it

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

If money is an issue, and you'd like to experiment with VV and VW, I'd recommend something like the iTaste VV v3 or the iTaste MVP 2. They're still considered disposable devices, as you can not remove the batteries to replace them, but they really are quite nice and taught me a lot about VV and VW. I consider them as kind of a step between the ego sized type batteries like the Triton and more high end Mods like Provari. The VV v3 is actually still an ego sized battery, just with the added function of VV and VW. The MVP is kind of like a box mod, which is larger, but has phenominal battery life with 2600 mAh. It'll even charge a cell phone in a pinch, and I use it for my long, 2 hour commutes. You can find the MVP 2 at 101vapes.com for $40.

 

[CykoDad]

Yeah, I'm going to take some baby steps with all this. I've been watching a lot of videos on RBA/RDA but I'm nowhere close to doing any of that yet. Lots of great and helpful information here in your reply Enoch, but I think my next step will be something in the fashion of a SVD/VTR or maybe MVP (i seem to be heading in the Innokin direction for some reason) and mess around with Protanks/iClears for a bit before I start to venture out again, which might be in the few weeks to follow from that point.

I'll check out that YouTube link you sent me after I'm done committing financial and mental suicide at the mall with my wife to finish up Christmas shopping.

Thanks again for taking the time to replying back and providing me with some great information.

 

[CykoDad]

Thanks Tinkegrrl. I've actually been considering a VV3 and MVP2 as well although I seem to be spending a lot of time on reviews of the SVD and VTR, both being quality devices at a higher cost given the nature of the devices and the additional equipment involved such as batteries and chargers. I held the VTR at my local B&M last weekend and the weight of it isn't that big a deal for me.

 

[Harlen]

Way to go keep up the great work
Think long and hard as to why your vaping before going out and getting expensive toys ?

 

[Enoch777]

No probs!

I own a MVP v2.0 and it's definitely my favorite APV, despite only going to 5v or 11w. No pulsing, so you get a nice consistent vape, everytime. As Tinkiegrrl mentioned the battery is 2600mAh which lasts me at least 2 days, also a plus. It's quite affordable and feels manly in my mannly mitts

Keep in mind that the VTR has that cage ring which limits what kind of tank attachments will even fit on it, unless you don't mind using the extender that it comes with... the MVP 2.0 will give you more options because the 510 connection is raised and sitting right on top.

GrimmGreen MVP 2.0 Review
GrimmGreen iTaste VTR Review

Not that I'm fancy enough to own a Provari or anything special, but I feel the MVP 2.0 is one of the best choices out there.

Best of luck in your vape adventure!

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

I've been looking hard at the VTR as well. It's really nice looking, and I would't mind the weight much either. The rings on the side are holding me back though, as well as the price for now. Maybe after the holidays. I think 101vape had those on sale for a bit as well, in the $60 range, but with Christmas around the corner I had to hold off on my new vaping obsession to buy for other people. I'm also considering saving up a bit for the Provari as well. I'm told by various people here that I'll wind up there eventually, and I may as well save some money by just buying one now, rather then working my way up to it through various other device. Still, the price tag....

 

[CykoDad]

I know right. I read up on the Provari early on and was interested until the sticker price kicked me square in the gut. Then I saw something about a Provari mini and thought that would be more reasonable, but no, it cost just as much. I have no doubt that I will eventually be heading in that direction too. But in all honestly, even if a few extra clams came falling on my lap that would make the Provari price tag easier to digest, I think I'd still want to play around with the VTR anyway. So for me, it I think it works both ways and for right now I gotta go with what works easiest for my wallet.

 

[maxstern33]

It's great that you found a company that you like. It took me some time to find mine but I found Dropsmoke and I haven't smoked since!