Have I made a mistake?

[ian74]

Well, just like everyone said, within 2 weeks of buying my smokeless image Volt I already went and bought a new mod set up. Incidentally, in the week since I really stuck with just vaping I've only had 3 cigarettes. I'm happy about that (the only downside is that I'm having some wicked depression, I hope this passes)

Anyway, back to my point, it's a pretty substantial upgrade. I ordered a GLV-2 super mini from Great Lakes Vapor (GLV-2 Super-Mini 3.7-Volt Electronic Cigarette [GLV-2-SUPER-MINI] - $95.00 : Electronic Cigarettes and E-Liquid - Great Lakes Vapor) . I just thought it was too sweet to pass up. Small, good battery, super sexy. But then I started thinking. It's a 3.7 volt mod, not a variable voltage. It says that my Volt batteries are also 3.7 V, regulated too, so technically it's the same with respect to power, correct? So my big concern am I going to benefit from this upgrade?

My Volt is a KR808D-1, and I've already stocked myself up with about 30 blank cartomizers (from Volt). I can get an adaptor and use the 808 cartos on the GLV-2 SM, so I'm not worried about that.

What will this mod bring me? I guess I will be able to use 510 atty's and cartos. Can I use LR? I am thinking I'm having some buyers remorse. Can someone tell me what other benefits there are? Did I just waste money? Part of me is thinking of cancelling the order, but I'm not sure yet. Was hoping to post this to the GLV supplier forum, but I need a few more posts...

Help?

 

[ianlm]

you can definitely use LR. The difference between a GLV2 (or any other 3.7v "big battery" mod) with an LR atty and your KR808D will shock you. Get AW IMR or AW LiFePO4 batteries (in the size that fits) for maximum effect. Your fears are unfounded, you will be very pleased.

 

[nqabassist26]

My cousin did the same thing, his first "upgrade" was a glv 2 mini, and it didn't really give him anything that his Volcano Inferno couldn't already do.

I'm not saying you wasted your money, because it's a beautiful mod in its own right (I actually want one now as a sidekick to my Provari). However, you won't notice a big difference, if any at all, from your Volt. You can use LR cartos and atties on it since the battery has a decent Mah rating. That should prove to give you a warmer vape and satisfy you a bit more overall (if you are into a warmer vape).

So all in all, I wouldn't have recommended that as an "upgrade" to your Volt if you were looking for different power options, but as a mod in its entirety, it is beautiful.

 

[Rocketman]

You bought AW protected cells, right?


Answer this and you get a free pass

It sure is pretty. and one more e-cig always comes in handy.

I noticed, like many mod advertisements you can't see if the bottom is vented at all.
When you get to the big boys forum, ask about that

 

[ian74]

You bought AW protected cells, right?


Answer this and you get a free pass

It sure is pretty. and one more e-cig always comes in handy.

I noticed, like many mod advertisements you can't see if the bottom is vented at all.
When you get to the big boys forum, ask about that

Thanks guys. Rocketman, I did buy the batteries directly from GLV. They are AW protected 750 mAh batteries. I figured that would be the smartest way to not screw up. Can I also use dual coil cartomizers with this? If anyone else has thoughts on this I'd love to hear them!

 

[elfstone]

I don't know the answer to your question, and I might go against the ECF dogma when I'll say that it's exactly the question I asked myself when I decided to ultimately go with the ProVari instead of another mod. I kept asking myself how is a fancy looking tube that doesn't really do anything better than my KGO that at least has some voltage regulation and short circuit protection? Vaping such a mod should be really little different from vaping a battery directly with a couple of wires and a 510 connector from a dead mini. I guess. I don't know.

The vape ought to be as good as the battery inside. The AW batteries are darn good. But you MUST use a protected battery. I guess you could use an IMR battery, but you'd be exposed, and if you use an unsafe chem, unprotected battery, that's only if you really want to be in the news. The GLV has a fan following, so there has to be something they do right. You get to use dual coils, at 3.7V they don't even come close to the battery amp limit, but expect a little decrease in the battery capacity, just like you would with every other device.

However, monitoring the voltage of my AW IMR 18650 on the ProVari, it starts at 4.2V off the charger, drops to 3.7V after ~30 minutes of actual vaping, then settles at 3.5V for the next 8 hours or so, then fairly rapidly in about 1 hour starts going down to the dreaded 3.3V where the ProVari decides to blink. So, I guess that's what you get, more or less (probably more, since the protected Li-Ion should have higher capacity)...

 

[LucentShadow]

Well, I can see several benefits to that as an upgrade:

- Uses cr123a battery cells. You will need to buy these, if you haven't, and a charger for them, but these store quite a lot more charge than a Volt will, so you will not have to charge as often. This fact also effectively extends the battery life cycle. Plus, you can just pop your freshly charged spare in, and keep using the unit while the other charges.

- It's 510, and has plenty of power for LR atties or cartos. You have more options to explore. 1.5 ohm Dual-coil with a tank, anyone? You'll be able to get plenty of performance out of it.

- It's sexy. It has a nice design that looks ergonomic, and nicely limits the height.

I would also inquire about any safety features for battery failure, such as venting, though. Using safer chemistry batteries is a good idea, as mentioned.

 

[PaporPlas]

It's all in the carto and Juice, to a certain point. Both my Pig Cig (808-D1 650mAh) and Smoktek (510 900mAh) PV's are 3.7v and they work great with good cartos (CE2 Clearozmizers) and suck with weak cartos (Fluximizers).

Try these CE2's and you will be blown away by the oomph, taste and vapor volume:

LeCig Electronic CIgarette Store - CE2s

 

[wv2win]

The GLV2 is one of the best made PV's on the market. However, I think you would have been better served to get the 5 volt version over the mini. That would have been a real step up and provided you much warmer, fuller vapor for just a few dollars more.

 

[pagga]

My Volt is a KR808D-1, and I've already stocked myself up with about 30 blank cartomizers (from Volt). I can get an adaptor and use the 808 cartos on the GLV-2 SM, so I'm not worried about that.

Have been thinking of ordering a kr808 Volt for the leak res auto batteries and the similarity to traditional cigs (I admit, manual has perks over auto, but reproducing traditionals is important to some friends of mine). I have 510 compatible stuff now, including a ceramic cart (not clear, forget the term for it, oops) that i love compared to the polyfill carts, and I'm glad to hear that I can mix and match with the right adapter. For the two piece design, are the kr808D and 510 compatible cartomizers more or less the same thing? So far I;ve read that 510 produces more vapor, but I imagine maintenance and chance of burning polyfill is more or less the same.

My first "just like a cig" was not a great experience, a 510 with cartomizers. A higher quality one would likely have been fine, but mine not only fell apart but only would recharge one time. So far, my favorite set up is a manual ego 3.7 batt with ce-2 but, well, I guess I've developed a new hobby because I keep on shopping and reading!

 

[sailorman]

.....
However, monitoring the voltage of my AW IMR 18650 on the ProVari, it starts at 4.2V off the charger, drops to 3.7V after ~30 minutes of actual vaping, then settles at 3.5V for the next 8 hours or so, then fairly rapidly in about 1 hour starts going down to the dreaded 3.3V where the ProVari decides to blink. So, I guess that's what you get, more or less (probably more, since the protected Li-Ion should have higher capacity)...

Wow!! is there something wrong with your Provari or your battery? I've never had one, but if that's all the life you get off a charge, I'm glad I don't have one. Something must be wrong here.

My lowly V-Tube starts at 4.2. For example, just today. I replaced the cheap, generic IMR 18650 battery at about 2:00PM. Here it is, 8:30PM and I've been vaping steadily on a 2.1ohm vision stone tank with it set at 4.2V. I just checked the voltage and it's 3.9V. Almost time to swap batteries for me. I swap once, maybe twice a day and never lower than 3.8V.

What you get with a bigger battery Mod is a longer time at a higher voltage. That equals a better vape. You also get the ability to use LR attys. You also usually get better reliability and durability and, unlike a PV that's really just a battery itself, you won't have to trashcan it in a few months because it will no longer hold a charge.

 

[tricci]

Dual coil cartos are not great at 3.7 volts. The are really made for 4.5 to 5.5 volts. A Boge LR with an AW IMR is a very nice combo.

 

[mynameisrob]

I agree, dual coils are really nothing special at lower voltages. The Boges work well, but personally I prefer the 1.7ohm Ressurector cartos. They give a great vape, and they hold about twice as much juice as Boges do. Plus they work really well in a dual coil tank

 

[Rocketman]

tricci, are you talking about 1.5 ohm Dual Coil cartos, with a pair of 3 ohm coils in them?
3 ohm in a single coil is pretty weak, a pair of them in a dual coil on a big battery mod @ 3.7 volts seems to work fine for me.
Granted it's not a 20 watt vape like 1.5 ohms @ 5.5 volts, but it does work.

 

[mynameisrob]

Have been thinking of ordering a kr808 Volt for the leak res auto batteries and the similarity to traditional cigs (I admit, manual has perks over auto, but reproducing traditionals is important to some friends of mine). I have 510 compatible stuff now, including a ceramic cart (not clear, forget the term for it, oops) that i love compared to the polyfill carts, and I'm glad to hear that I can mix and match with the right adapter. For the two piece design, are the kr808D and 510 compatible cartomizers more or less the same thing? So far I;ve read that 510 produces more vapor, but I imagine maintenance and chance of burning polyfill is more or less the same.

My first "just like a cig" was not a great experience, a 510 with cartomizers. A higher quality one would likely have been fine, but mine not only fell apart but only would recharge one time. So far, my favorite set up is a manual ego 3.7 batt with ce-2 but, well, I guess I've developed a new hobby because I keep on shopping and reading!

Pagga, the SI "sealed" auto batteries are NOT actually sealed at all. Only manual batteries are completely sealed. Think about it, if an auto battery was completely sealed, how would you take a hit on it? I dont know why SI markets those batteries as "sealed" bc their simply not. The airholes are just off to the sides instead of being right in the middle. So while it is alittle harder to kill one with a juice leak, its def still very possible.

 

[elfstone]

LOL, sailorman, you're right. I meant 18490. I never monitored the big one, it would take too much time. The 18650 lasts me a whole day and halfway through the next, then I usually swap it - I never actually hit the blinky with them. I get around 10 hours of vape time on the 18490 (I wonder how pbusardo got 15, though...) I guess he vaped through the blinky, I guess I could do the same, but I just don't want to; I can't think it gives you an extra 5 hours after it starts to blink, though.

 

[dearme]

Elf, what kind of cartos are you using? My Provari has never been under 3.8 in a 24 hour period. Granted I'm using Boge single coil 3.0 cartos, and I switch between 3 PVs, but even vaping my favorite flavor in the Provari all day, it's still never been lower than 3.8 in 24 hours.......


Edited......by the time I posted this, I saw two more replies. I guess the answer is that I'm a whimpy vaper..........LOL

 

[elfstone]

I'm using mostly 3.0 Ohm Boge, alternating with 2.0... And the 3.0 atties. I mostly use it at 4.7-5.2V with the 3.0 and 4.2-4.7 with the 2.0... Anyway, I don't want to hijack the thread. I have the 18650 now since yesterday at ~5pm, and it's 3.5 V... Is it really wrong?

 

[pagga]

Pagga, the SI "sealed" auto batteries are NOT actually sealed at all. Only manual batteries are completely sealed. Think about it, if an auto battery was completely sealed, how would you take a hit on it? I dont know why SI markets those batteries as "sealed" bc their simply not. The airholes are just off to the sides instead of being right in the middle. So while it is alittle harder to kill one with a juice leak, its def still very possible.

Thanks for the advice. I actually already did understand that autos can be killed with juice, but with some good reviews I had thought that SI had made some special improvement to the standard (even as ambiguous as the word "standard" is starting to become to me). I guess the airhole position you mention is that improvement.
Regardless, unless youre saying SI's autos will explode in my hand, I can bear replacing them until my friends and I learn to ditch the "just like a traditional" cructh.

 

[ian74]

Thank you all for such a great response and not to mention a really warm welcome. I think I'm going to keep it. I did buy the batteries and chargers directly from GLV which, as I mentioned, are protected AW cells. They included 2 and a charger for few extra dollars. I decided on the smaller unit more for the portability/subtlety? At the rate I'm going, it probably won't be long until I go for a variable voltage. Damn, even my girl wants us to get matching pipes. She doesn't even smoke....I see a substantial collection in my future.

I must say to pagga, I am really happy with the Volt, I don't have anything to compare it to, but my initial experience has been quite positive. I have the auto batteries. mynameisrob is correct, there are small holes on the threads of the battery. They are pretty tiny so while it would be possible to get liquid in the battery, I think you would really have to be careless to have it happen. I wouldn't try dripping with them. The draw is still good and using the cartomizers has been an easy experience, which was something I wanted as it was the first e-cig I was buying. Even though I'm getting the GVL2, I still plan on using the Volt, probably more when I am out and about. It really is a cool system.

Thanks again everybody.