Greetings from a total newb!

[Tossican]

Greetings!

My partner and I have decided it is time to consider taking the jump from cigarettes to vaping.. But quiet frankly, I'm a bit lost! .. There are so many options out there, it's not real easy to get a start into this.. I know, the big problem is how subjective it all is...

I have already eliminated the idea of starting out with disposables, this just seems so counter productive to me in the long run..

The problem for me is where to go beyond that.. I have seen plenty of 'starter kits' out there.. But have also read that most people quickly upgrade to something bigger/better.. So I'm not sure the waste of money is a good idea.. at the same time, I don't know that I want to make a huge investment off the launchpad, not knowing how this will turn out...

And besides, if one doesn't go with a 'starter kit', they have to figure out all the bits and bobs to get.. Bigger or smaller battery, what size tank, atomizer or clearomizer, what kind of coil, etc, etc.. and what parts are compatible/fit with which others... I am sure I am making this far more complicated then it should be.. but I am so lost

So yeah, the actual questions ...

How important is this variable voltage/wattage, low resistance coils, and adjustable air intake stuff? .. I have seen plenty of people comment on how great it is, and how it's better.. but how much better really? I ask because I haven't really seen any starter kits that offer all this stuff in one kit, and so it would mean jumping head first into the deep end to consider it.

Also, cam anyone recommend somewhere reputable and fair priced that;
* has more of an intermediate starter kit, which would not need to be upgraded any time 'soon'? Possibly even a "couples" type kit?
* Has "variety packs" of juice flavors/strengths for someone to get their feet wet with? Or at least sells smaller "sample" type bottles of juice?

Thanks in advance for your tips and recommendations.

 

[Baditude]

I understand your confusion. This industry is a whole other world and its changing as we speak. My point is going to be to just do some reasonable research on form factor and size of the device and how comfortable you will be with it. You will generally get better performing gear the more you invest in it. Variable voltage is a must IMHO. Air control is optional, but worth it if you got the extra bucks to invest in it.

Economical Starters Kit: Ego Spinner or Twist batteries and Kanger Evod clearomizer; upgrade to Kanger mini Protank 3.



Intermediate Starter Kit: Innokin iTaste MVP2 with included iClear clearomizer; upgrade to Aspire Nautilus



Advanced Premium Kit: Provari from Provape starter kit with included Aspire Nautilus clearomizer



Why Provari?

I suggest that whatever "setup" you are interested in purchasing, do a YouTube search for each component and observe a review of that device. You'll see the device being used in action, and a description by the reviewer of his thoughts on the device.

 

[Warpigs]

Welcome to ECF!

 

[cammelspit]

Im new to the forum not vaping but hello to you! Good luck, once u get into it it gets a LOT easier!

 

[keonee]

Welcome Tossican to ECF. This is a great time to buy if you are going to order from a vendor. Many are running Labor Day weekend sales. If you find something go to the top of the page and click on coupons. In the search box put the vendor's name and see if they are offering a coupon. I have gotten a lot of emails from vendors offering specials and discounts.

Good Luck to You...Happy Vaping!!!

 

[Len Sholer]

Luckily for me the place were I bought my cigs also carried Vape supplies.
I was spending close to 50 bucks for a carton every 2 weeks so I asked them what I could get for a starter kit for around 50 bucks.
They had several e-juice flavors to try and even helped me with info on what nic level I should start at.
That was over 2 months ago and I havent smoked reg cigs since.
Go in to your local Vape Shop..talk to them...tell them your new,,,they will be happy to help you make a selection I am sure.

 

[David Van Landingham]

Welcome to ECF. I'm new also.

 

[HecticEnergy]

Welcome! Glad to have you!!

MVP2.0 is all around a good choice. Its a bit "big" for some, but a lot of vapers usually end up there at some point. Its got a lot of battery life, and has a good range for clearomizers in terms of vv/vw.

As far as fit - most things are 510 threaded these days. There are some differences on the atomizers, but for the most part they all make good connection.

Always check youtube reviews before buying anything! (i'd never listen to just 1 opinion)

 

[Grimwald]

All of the above are good suggestions. Just remember that, in reality, most everything is disposable. There is no bad purchase since everything wears out in the long run, and it all contributes to the learning process.

I would recommend an Evod kit as a good starting point. Simple, reliable, smaller (but not tiny), less fiddly than most. One kit could lest you several months. I'm not even sold on the whole VV thing. Even after 2 years, I seldom change voltage.

Juice selection is a whole 'nuther subject. I would suggest a local vape shop that has samples. Nobody can tell what you will like. I've chased many highly rated suggestions only to find disappointment. Find something to get you started while you search for your perfect vape.

 

[Davey59]

Fair price is very subjective. I think that an idea of what you are willing to spend for the two sets would help us give you realistic suggestions. Until we know more my advice is get some spares too

Absolutely go variable volt like a Vision Spinner for starter kits. Gives for a very decent back up batt. when you inevitably decide to spend more. Couple of guys on eBay have choose your setup type sales. This is what I did for the wife and I. 50 bucks and we had two 1300mah spinners, Protank 3 minis and dongle chargers. If you are pincher that can be beat too. Don't know what you guys spend on the smokes but for me that initial investment was less than one week of smokes, just for me.

My wife still uses that same setup I originally bought her. Me on the other hand........................................... down the rabbit hole goes I.

 

[Tossican]

First off, thanks to everyone that has responded! I am happy to be here...

Economical Starters Kit

I like the size of these, but could easily see myself wanting more functions/features, and a longer battery life.

Innokin iTaste MVP2

I don't know about this one.. I can see the benefit of the super powerful battery, but man this thing is large.. Some of the reviews I've seen have also mentioned the button positioning can be a problem for some.

Aspire Nautilus

The Nautilus mini with the "BVC" is actually on my short list... Just wish it came in colors/other designs

Provari

Yeah, I saw this one last night and thought it was -awesome-... Then I saw it's price >.< .. Considering I need to buy 2 units, this is -way- out of my budget...

do a YouTube search for each component

*Chuckles* This is what I have spent the last 3 days doing .. Which I do believe is why my head is spinning.. Sooo many options and so much to research and check out... Wish I lived somewhere I could go into a local store and look/feel these things IRL...

This is a great time to buy ... Many are running Labor Day weekend sales.

Sadly, I don't get paid til the end of next week... So I will get to miss out on all the great sales.. But there are always those coupons, which I will gladly use

Go in to your local Vape Shop..talk to them...tell them your new,,,they will be happy to help you make a selection I am sure.

Sadly I live in the middle of nowheresville.. So no local 'vape shop'.. the closest we have is a tobacco store, where I currently purchase my RYO supplies... They do happen to sell a couple different disposables, and have a single vape starter kit available as well as a minuscule selection of juice flavors. They also don't seem to have much more then a rudimentary understanding of the options available out there in the wider world.

for the most part they all make good connection.

That is very useful to know! Thanks .. Sad part of all this stuff changing so fast, is that a lot of info one might see is now outdated.. I had pretty much gotten the impression there was like 3 competing "standards" (for lack of a better term). And while conversion adapters are available, one would need to know to get one, and which one to get...

Juice selection is a whole 'nuther subject. I would suggest a local vape shop that has samples.

If only that were an option! ... It would be so awesome if some of these online vendors would offer some sort of low cost sample kits.

I find it quite interesting that so far there have been two suggestions for the Evod, and two for the MVP .. These are almost polar opposites in terms of size and functionality! (we'll just pretend one person didn't suggest both )... Is there a happy middle ground perhaps?

Lets say I choose to go with the Aspire mini. Can you recommend a good battery unit which would;
* have decent, middle ground battery life
* not be the size of a smart phone
* have Variable Voltage/wattage controls
* auto ohm detection
* sub $50
* Something with an LCD would be awesome!

How about the iTaste VV V3?

On a side note .. Am I the only one that thinks some of these things look like sonic screwdrivers?

 

[Tossican]

Fair price is very subjective. I think that an idea of what you are willing to spend for the two sets would help us give you realistic suggestions.

This is a fair point... I was hoping to aim around the $100 range for the equipment, so $50 each.. I could stretch this a bit more if it means getting into something more 'permanent'.. but not by much...

Don't know what you guys spend on the smokes but for me that initial investment was less than one week of smokes, just for me.

Now there's the trick of it all .. We do RYO cigs and spend about $25/mo each in tobacco and tubes... So something priced like the Provari would eat our smoke budget for the next 8 months *LOL* and that wouldn't even include the cost of the juice.

Me on the other hand........................................... down the rabbit hole goes I.

That's part of what worries me .. I'm one of those techy/nerdy types with OCD tendencies... So the further I can get away from "This is just a starter unit that will need to be upgraded soon", the better my wallet will feel.. at least for a while

 

[edyle]

......................................
Lets say I choose to go with the Aspire mini. Can you recommend a good battery unit which would;
* have decent, middle ground battery life
* not be the size of a smart phone
* have Variable Voltage/wattage controls
* auto ohm detection
* sub $50
* Something with an LCD would be awesome!

How about the iTaste VV V3?

On a side note .. Am I the only one that thinks some of these things look like sonic screwdrivers?

itazte vv v3 is a good economical choice.

i'd look at aerotank mini; it comes with adustable airflow base ego threaded.

However, another consideration is when it comes to the power source, if you are looking at skipping the middle ground, batteries don't last forever; they will die; so ego type batteries, itazte vv v3, mvp2 will all die eventually; the jump ahead would be to go straight to an 18630 'mod' like the vamo, zmax, svd, e-lvt, provari, etc. That will keep your replacement battery costs down; the risk is that if the mod goes faulty then you're out a bunch; I've fixed one of my vamo's twice in 8 months- center pin insulator ring.

 

[CelticUnicorn]

Hi Tossican, I am still very new to this as well and even though I tend to read before purchasing, many of my initial purchases were based on what was available quickly. This doesn't seem to be an issue for you so I suggest Fast Tech. They are a China based company my order took 3 weeks to arrive. Originally, I started with the Vision spinners, which I still like (min of 1300mah), with the mini protanks (3 being my new fav) they are a nice transition size...think that it will be something that your wife will like as it is all of similar size. I understand your concern with the square itaste, as a beginner it was not something that I was comfortable going to. I am now using the Vamo V5, with 18650 3.7v battery, it has a few more bells and whistles than the spinners. Don't get caught up in the idea of things changing, the whole idea is to reduce/quit smoking so anything that helps you do that is definitely worth your while. Yes there is always going to be something better, but really that doesn't matter. Purchase what you can afford, quit smoking, and save for the better item. Just get started! If you are concerned about the battery life of a spinner, grab a power bank (usually available for under $10) this will allow you to charge at work in between breaks, etc. As for Juice; I would go for something that you know you will like, steep your juice, it changes the flavour. However all juice will intensify in taste and colour as time goes on. I wish you good luck! Please let us know what you settle on and how you do with it. Take care!

 

[Tossican]

Thanks a ton to everyone that commented! .. After melting my brain on more videos and reading then I have on just about anything else in the last year, I have made a decision.. I think ...

I have decided on the Aspire Mini with BVC and the iTaste VV V3.. I'll report back when I get them and let you know how it works out for us...

Just have to figure out juice now, will likely just order a few flavors from whomever I get the gear from and see what happens..

I do have a new question however! .. While perusing various shops, I found a single shop which had the iTaste VV V3 in a completely different set of designs from the 4 colors I have seen everywhere else... Are these custom designs made just for that store or something? .. I really like the designs, but the store is considerably more expensive in the first place. And then they tack on still more if you want the cooler designs... In the end, it would cost me roughly $40 more to buy these special edition units over the standard units at another outlet... I just don't feel it's worth that much of a difference...

 

[edyle]

Thanks a ton to everyone that commented! .. After melting my brain on more videos and reading then I have on just about anything else in the last year, I have made a decision.. I think ...

I have decided on the Aspire Mini with BVC and the iTaste VV V3.. I'll report back when I get them and let you know how it works out for us...

Just have to figure out juice now, will likely just order a few flavors from whomever I get the gear from and see what happens..

I do have a new question however! .. While perusing various shops, I found a single shop which had the iTaste VV V3 in a completely different set of designs from the 4 colors I have seen everywhere else... Are these custom designs made just for that store or something? .. I really like the designs, but the store is considerably more expensive in the first place. And then they tack on still more if you want the cooler designs... In the end, it would cost me roughly $40 more to buy these special edition units over the standard units at another outlet... I just don't feel it's worth that much of a difference...

since you eventually have to throw away the vv v3, it aint worth the outer design.

 

[meluresti]

Hi I'm new to this to

 

[EricTheViking]

new to this as well. been vaping for 3 months and am still content with my starter kit. I use the 'pen' with a cheap topper.
don't have to worry about replacing coils n such.
oh yeah, welcome!!

 

[Bernard Marx]

Take all this and add a little will-power and you are on your way. Good luck!

 

[PinkTiara]

I'm still a newbie, too. I started out with an evod with a protank mini and that was definitely an easy way to go. I upgraded to a variable voltage battery (CTS-B Twist) and I'm not even sure what kind of tank I have now but it holds 4 mL of juice, and matches my rainbow battery so I'm a happy girl. LOL

My boyfriend started out with similar setups and just got his 1st mod this weekend. He went with a Panzer and loves it. I don't know which atomizer he has but it's rebuildable and has a tank (not just drip) so it's a good starter there, too, cost around $120 total.

Good luck to you! You'll find more info than you ever thought you needed here.