Hi, new member looking for advice

[Robbin12]

Hey there, I'm not completely new to vaping but still inexperienced with the different kits and e-cigs out there so I'm here for a bit of advice.
I'm looking to buy a new one but I am lost because of the huge variety... not looking for special mods or extras, just a good e-cig that is compatible with MTL hits that are satisfying for a smoker wanting to quit.
I've tried a few like the iKonn, istick and a couple others that were not satisfying or had terrible/non-existent wattage control.
Which ones are suggested for a returning user trying to get off of tobacco?

 

[Letitia]

Welcome Robbin. Internal battery or external? How many watts, size, etc? Little more info would help narrow down what you may like using.

 

[Hawise]

From what you've said, just about any box mod would do what you need. So that leaves the question of what you want:

• Internal or replaceable battery: With an internal, you may want at least two mods so one can charge while you're using the other (I say 'at least' because it's best to have a backup anyway - you never want to start craving a cigarette just because your mod died at an inconvenient time. I'd recommend getting one more of everything than you strictly need.) With a replaceable battery, you swap out the battery and charge it in an external charger. Also important to know is that the battery itself and the charging port are the first things to fail on a mod. With an internal battery mod, losing those generally means the mod is dead. With a replaceable battery mod, you can replace the battery and you don't need to use the charging port, so it tends to last longer.
• Size vs charge longevity: Would you rather have a smallish, lighter mod (and carry an extra battery or stay nearer a charger) or a larger, heavier mod that will last longer on a charge? I wish I could give you an idea of how long a charge might last, but that's entirely personal. It depends on your wattage and how heavily you vape.
• Are you looking for a full kit with a tank as well, or do you already have one that suits you and just need the mod?

 

[r77r7r]

Welcome. Many of us use different tanks than the ones that come with the Kits. The part with the battery is called the Mod and any will do fine. The mtl tanks are few. There is the Zenith, Exceed, Nautilus and one or two more. Mtl is usually using high ohm coils, like a 1.6, give or take. It's usually personal preference, so no matter what we recommend, you may have to try a few to find what you like. Gl

 

[Robbin12]

Thanks for the replies.
A replaceable battery would be better, because as you said if it dies then the whole thing is dead.. are there no good ones with an internal replaceable ones like I have with the iKonn? its a big plus on it but kit itself isn't very good as it has no watt control and the power of the hit depends on the battery life.
about size I prefer medium-large size, for longevity on a charge.
I'm looking for a full recommended kit to start with, maybe change the tank once I am more acquainted with it and know what I'm lacking.

Edit: I'm not sure about wattage, I'm not looking for insane clouds-just for a satisfying hit with some vapor to show.. so I guess not very high.

 

[r77r7r]

Istick is fine, many of us use them.

 

[Baditude]

just a good e-cig that is compatible with MTL hits that are satisfying for a smoker wanting to quit.
I've tried a few like the iKonn, iStick and a couple others that were not satisfying or had terrible/non-existent wattage control.

Could you be more specific in describing why the gear you've tried in the past were "not satisfying" you or "had terrible wattage control". No need to repeat past mistakes, right?

The mod itself merely supplies power to the tank. Some have more options in controlling that power than others. For instance, the most simple will have only 5 preset wattage settings. Most others will allow settings from 5 watts to up to 200 watts.

With some, they use a non-removable battery charged with a microUSB cord, while others use a removable battery that is charged with a separate external charger (preferred method).

The juice attachments can vary from simple easy to use clearomizers that use factory-made drop-in coil heads to RDA's and RTA's that require you to make your own wire coils and cotton wicks. Some clearomizers are bottom fill while others are the easier top fill design.

Some juice attachments use a MTL (mouth-to-lung) inhale technique while others use a DTL (directly-to-the-lung) inhale style.

Good Starter Setups for a Beginner Vaper
Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder

 

[stols001]

Yes, you are asking a kind of complicated question. And you do need to figure out what kind of vape you "want." I MTL and use mostly external battery single or dual mods, you can really put any kind of tank on a box mod (single or dual battery) and just enjoy better battery life if you are using a lower wattage.

Brands that I've used that are durable: Teslacigs, I have a Smoant Cylon (this seems to be most folks favorite mod from Smoant, but it's durable), an Eleaf invoke (very small and portable and still decent design and durability). You should really just check out some mods and see what appeals, but I do always look for durability because I'm clumsy. I have a couple vaporesso mods and they've performed okay.

So that part, if you want absolute ruggedness there's the geekvape ages (one battery) and the ages legend (2 battery) but both are waterproof, shockproof etc. and they've been put through their paces.

As far as a tank, if you want a MTL tank, the Nautilus 2 offers a few different coil heads and an adjustable draw, it's quite "cigarette like" in draw, other good MTL tanks would include the joytech ego one mega V2 (the magic is in the coil, you need the CLR coil heads, from joytech, they come in 1.0 and 0.5 resistance) and it's a great coil that can be rewicked or rebuilt. Tons of tanks take this coil though, there's a thread on the coil itself here that lists them. The Innoken Zenith is well liked and a very nice, solid, durable tank.

If you get a two battery mod you then have the option of exploring more sub0hm tanks down the line if you so desire. Some of the smaller kits just won't have the capacity to do that.

Best of luck, hope any of this was helpful.

Anna

 

[AngeNZ]

Welcome aboard

The eleaf invoke is the same size as your ikonn, but it uses two external rechargeable batteries. Feels great in the hand - for something more rugged though I'd go with what's suggested above and look at the geekvape aegis mod etc.

Tank wise - I've been using innokin's zenith. Its a mtl with 1.6 or 0.8 ohm coils. It has great flavour and its airey on the 0.8 ohm with all airflow holes open.

If you want a subohm/mtl allrounder option - uwell original crown gets lots of good reviews here on flavour and coil life. You can get 1.2 ohm coils for it, along with 0.5, 0.25 and 0.15

 

[Hawise]

Thanks for the replies.
A replaceable battery would be better, because as you said if it dies then the whole thing is dead.. are there no good ones with an internal replaceable ones like I have with the iKonn? its a big plus on it but kit itself isn't very good as it has no watt control and the power of the hit depends on the battery life.
about size I prefer medium-large size, for longevity on a charge.
I'm looking for a full recommended kit to start with, maybe change the tank once I am more acquainted with it and know what I'm lacking.

Edit: I'm not sure about wattage, I'm not looking for insane clouds-just for a satisfying hit with some vapor to show.. so I guess not very high.

I'm a bit confused. The iKonn I'm familiar with has variable wattage, but a search just showed up this variation. Is this what you have?

Eleaf iKonn Total - Eleaf electronic cigarette

I've never met an iStick without wattage control, but there could be a surprise out there like the iKonn Total.

As a side note, the battery(ies) in the iKonn (both versions) are better off charged in an external charger. You can charge most batteries in the mod, but if they're replaceable it tends to be better for them to use a charger.

If you're happy with Eleaf, you could try a Pico (with one battery) or an Invoke (with two). If you'd like to try something else, the options are almost infinite. Offhand, Smoant has a good reputation while Smok tends to be a bit iffy with respect to quality control.

If you've got a tank you like, there's a good chance you can use it with pretty much any mod. If you'd like a recommendation for an MTL tank, @stols001's post above lists some good starting points.

 

[SomethingElse]

Welcome to ECF @Robbin12, I hope you find the [droids] info you are looking for. While there has been a lot of excellent information for you to consider, above, I'll submit a different perspective. I first tried to switch to vaping about 5 yrs ago with cigalikes (MTL) from White Cloud and Halo. While those proved "successful" for a few months, they left something to be desired. About a year ago, I tried going to DtL and "cloud-chasing" (sorta') with a SMOK Qbox and 2 Tarot Nanos. Again, something was "missing" to keep me off analogs. Then I [re-]visited this wonderful forum and the extremely knowledgeable members and found out about NET and WTA. Currently, I'm finding MUCH better satisfaction to wean myself off cigarettes with a Vaporesso Nexus, NET juice from Black Note mixed with WTA juice from Aroma. However, I'm also thinking of trying the "new"[-ish] nic-salts in something "like" the Rofvape Warlock Peas. There is a veritable cornucopia of options and information is your best ally. Any terms you're not familiar with should be asked about or searched, here or elsewhere. Best of luck.

 

[Janusz]

Aspire Zelos plus Nautilus2 tank kit is very good option.

Aspire Zelos 50W Kit

 

[AzPlumber]

Welcome to the forum and best of luck in your battle with the cigarettes.

 

[Robbin12]

Whoa so much to let sink in...
First of all, thank you everyone for the replies.
I think I've learned today more about e-cigs than I ever have... anyway, the biggest thing I learned is that a mod isn't as important as I made it to be. I've looked around and have taken a liking to the aegis/aegis legend along with the uwell original crown, they seem very highly recommended and the tank is quite flexible. I'll do some more research because the options are quite endless, but this thread helped me narrow it down a lot as well as gave me a hell of a lot of information I needed to make the right choice.

I'm a bit confused. The iKonn I'm familiar with has variable wattage, but a search just showed up this variation. Is this what you have?

Eleaf iKonn Total - Eleaf electronic cigarette

Yes, that's the one I have.. I feel quite ripped off for buying it last year, goes to show how much I knew. It is also the reason for the "unsatisfying hit" and "terrible/non-existent wattage control.".
Anyhow after this thread I think I have a clear grasp of what is what when it comes to a little more advanced vaping... next step will be the juices and coils.

Thank you all for the help, highly appreciated.

 

[BrotherBob]

Thank you all for the help, highly appreciated.

Welcome and glad you joined.
Nice to hear your progressing.

 

[ThermoNuker]

I've tried a few like the iKonn, iStick and a couple others that were not satisfying or had terrible/non-existent wattage control.

Depending on which iKonn or iStick you've tried, ArcticFox firmware upgrade can probably enhance them to a DNA-like performance. My Pico25 has been brought to new life with above firmware upgrade.

 

[Hawise]

Whoa so much to let sink in...
First of all, thank you everyone for the replies.
I think I've learned today more about e-cigs than I ever have... anyway, the biggest thing I learned is that a mod isn't as important as I made it to be. I've looked around and have taken a liking to the aegis/aegis legend along with the uwell original crown, they seem very highly recommended and the tank is quite flexible. I'll do some more research because the options are quite endless, but this thread helped me narrow it down a lot as well as gave me a hell of a lot of information I needed to make the right choice.

Those are solid choices. They may be just what you're looking for. If not, you can put any other tank on the Aegis and try that.

Yes, that's the one I have.. I feel quite ripped off for buying it last year, goes to show how much I knew. It is also the reason for the "unsatisfying hit" and "terrible/non-existent wattage control.".
Anyhow after this thread I think I have a clear grasp of what is what when it comes to a little more advanced vaping... next step will be the juices and coils.

Thank you all for the help, highly appreciated.

In some ways it's nice to have a lot of options available, but it must be utterly bewildering when you're just starting out.

I've got the feeling you might find some information on batteries useful as well. 18650s aren't like AAs, which are more or less interchangeable because they're all essentially the same. Different 18650s provide different amounts of power. Some aren't suitable for vaping at all, while the others are safe only to a certain number of watts per battery. Then there are issues with rewraps and counterfeits. If you want a really thorough introduction to the 18650, I'd recommend Baditude's blog post here:

(9) Battery Basics for Mods; the Ultimate Battery Guide | E-Cigarette Forum

If that's a bit too much detail to start with, scroll down to the section titled "WATTAGE PER SINGLE BATTERY on REGULATED MOD:". It lists some reliable batteries and tells you how many watts you can go to per battery.

Another useful link is Mooch's recommended battery list:

Mooch's Recommended Batteries | E-Cigarette Forum

The batteries there are also good ones, and the blue section of the chart lists reliable vendors. Sticking with them will greatly reduce your risk of ending up with a counterfeit battery.

Good luck finding a setup that suits you!

 

[Robbin12]

I've got the feeling you might find some information on batteries useful as well.

Very true, I really needed some information on batteries after I ordered my mod and tank last night, so I did some research and found Mooch's thread and it gave me a lead. Baditude's guide just gave me even more information which is always nice, I have my eyes on the Samsung 30Q or the Sony VTC6, both seem quite equal and also priced the same in the shop I'm ordering from, so it looks like I'm all set.