Hi there

[Stormrunner]

I'm a new vapor user, and so far my experience with batteries and tanks has been bad. I bought a Smoktech Aro and first I had a battery that barely lasted 5 hours (it has been replaced). Now the tank I use is flooding and/or leaking despite everything being tightly screwed in.

I've only had this kit a week and some days and it isn't giving me confidence.

I'm wondering if anyone on the forum would be able to tell me if I'm buying a good battery or not. I want it variable voltage so I can set it lower

I'm planning to use kanger protank 2 or 3.

There is a kit on ebay I'm looking at from the seller willoswalt.

But, it is hard to tell if something is an authentic or a clone. I'm thinking because of the charger type is is a clone - though I could be wrong and it is just because there is no extra battery.

I'm also looking at the Tesla since I've seen the newer ones have better reviews. Again is there a way to tell these are authentic or not? I'm assuming the Logo?

The Kanger Protanks I'm not too worried about as I plan to order directly from the manufacture or from an ebay user that has sold the authentic ones with the blue sticker.

I need to use somewhere that takes paypal as I'm disable and my cards are limited or in my husband's name due to him being my primary caregiver (he is okay with me using them, but it isn't usually ok to have a different name then the card holder on sites- I've been denied due to this a few times).

Sorry such a long intro post.

 

[TheBerch]

I just have a few questions, and also in case im not the one to reply next, this may help out others along the way answering after me.

First off, are you willing to spend more money, and if so how much?

Secondly, are you dead set on using that particular tank, and if no would you be willing to take suggestions?

And thirdly, do you prefer something small and easily concealable, or do you not mind having a huge box mod with attached tank?

And lastly, though its silly to ask this but I have a reason to asking this, are you doing this JUST to quit smoking, and then when you quit you may stop vaping, or are you hoping this will become a hobby and forsee yourself doing this for a long time?

 

[bucknastyusa]

Clones still normally have the logo of the authentic so that's not going to be good way to try and distinguish its authenticity. I would suggest buying from a reputable website that accepts paypal instead of using ebay, but clones normally aren't of horrible quality, I just wouldn't pay much for one. Sorry youve had such a bad experience so far! it only gets better once you upgrade.

 

[Stormrunner]

First off, are you willing to spend more money, and if so how much?

Depends - I don't get a lot of money on my SSI due to where I live, so it needs to be in budget.

Secondly, are you dead set on using that particular tank, and if no would you be willing to take suggestions?

I would prefer the Kanger, but I'm willing to take suggestions provided the tanks are glass as I tend to steer toward corrosive flavors like Peppermint <_<.

And thirdly, do you prefer something small and easily concealable, or do you not mind having a huge box mod with attached tank?

Long as it can fit in my pocket or purse I don't care (EDIT: I guess I should put I'm genderfluid here because a purse is NOT my everyday thing there are days I hate them or just carry a shoulder bag). I don't tend to use it in places that have no smoking signs.

And lastly, though its silly to ask this but I have a reason to asking this, are you doing this JUST to quit smoking, and then when you quit you may stop vaping, or are you hoping this will become a hobby and forsee yourself doing this for a long time?

I actually use the vapor to get rid of stress (I have severe Depression and Anxiety - why I'm disabled) - I've never smoked in my life. I use no nicotine juice.

 

[TheBerch]

Its up to you, I have a friend who just recently bought one of these. Its called an eGrip, they are somewhat new. But it is very small, packs a punch in the vapor production department, the flavor is not as good as per se a nautilus / kayfun or most other rebuildables, but still very nice. All you have to do is buy the replacement coils, and add your liquid, there is no messing with anything else besides the warmth of vape you can get by adjusting the watts on the side. You can also find them from 50-70$

Joyetech eGrip <----- link to learn more about the device, or if you want to buy straight from joyetech.

http://www.myvaporstore.com/Joyetech-eGrip-Starter-Kit-Ecig-20W-p/joye-egr.htm <------ link to purchase from a 3rd party site, also has an unboxing video if that interests you.

Ultimately I could list off a crap ton of different mods / tanks / batteries etc etc but alot comes down to what you are willing to learn, do and spend. If you have any other questions dont hesitate to ask. Also if that is not something you are looking for, (the links I posted above) I can also give a few suggestions for starter kits, or something to meet what you currently have. As far as leaking tanks, again most people could give you a plethora of advice on what to do about fixing leaking / gurgling tanks. But with those particular ones, it happens ... often enough (the leaking / gurgling part)

 

[drunkenbatman]

Heya mate. Options for paypal are really limited as it isn't ecig friendly. Fastech (china) will, but even then sometimes things can get blocked. There's a way around it that isn't too much of a hassle. If you pay a few dollars for upgraded shipping and your package doesn't contain eliquid or batteries it's usually only 8 days. Be careful that it says "authentic" and not "style" and you won't get a clone.

A few notes:

1. I'd consider the protank 2. The coils are everywhere (25 for $14.99) and in order to save money I'd really encourage you to look into rebuilding them. A bit of 32 gauge kanthal & wick, or a 50-pack of prebuilt wicks for $3 will save you a lot of money in terms of learning how to make a coil. The protank 3 isn't nearly as easy to rebuild and will cause you lots of headaches. Once you know what you're doing you can even start doing microcoils and such.

2. Hangsen eliquid at $4.30 for 30ml on that site is about the cheapest you're going to get and still be relatively safe. I recc the RY4.

3. We can't really tell you whether you'll be getting a clone or authentic from ebay. We can't even tell you that about most B&Ms.

4. If you can spend about ~$31, I'd recommend the MVP 20W. It's very, very reliable and built well, and will hander the tanks you're looking at. You'd generally be fine with an MVP 2.0 if you can find it, but the 20W has a floating 510 which removes ones of the issues people would have after using it for awhile. I'm not sure what it's integrated battery would do to shipping times:

$31.69 Authentic Innokin itaste MVP 20W Variable Voltage / Wattage 2600mAh Rechargeable Battery - 3.3-7.5V / 6.0-20W / w/ USB charging cable / black at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

You were pretty vague, so whatever you end up going with just avoid the iStick 20w (30w is OK).

HIH

 

[Stormrunner]

I'll look into this one thanks. I'll probably look around a bit before buying anything flat.

And in the life of this post I've just burnt out another atomizer that I just replaced. I think I'll be bringing this back to the store..ugh.

 

[Stormrunner]

Not sure I'm comfortable rebuilding my coils, I'd rather just buy them straight. I don't have a very steady hand. XD Once I get the battery and tanks (plan to buy 2 atm). the cost should be minimal.

I was looking more for the protank 2 yes, wasn't sure if the dual coil was something worth pursuing or not with the Protank 3.

Will look into the battery. Might be better for me since I prefer swapping the tanks out.

Alternatively, my husband has said something about buying the credit cards from the store - so I may be able to do that to order online.

 

[TheBerch]

Not sure I'm comfortable rebuilding my coils, I'd rather just buy them straight. I don't have a very steady hand. XD Once I get the battery and tanks (plan to buy 2 atm). the cost should be minimal.

I was looking more for the protank 2 yes, wasn't sure if the dual coil was something worth pursuing or not with the Protank 3.

Will look into the battery. Might be better for me since I prefer swapping the tanks out.

I will say this, as I first started off with a very similar tank and battery to yours. Now i rebuild my own coils and it is a huge money saver. Annnnnnnyway... in this hobby / stress reliever spending an extra 10-15$ goes A LONNNNNG way. Like I said I started off on a similar setup to yours. I later purchased a nautilus tank as my first initial upgrade. It is night and day compared to what you and I both were / are using. So like we all say, its ultimately up to you on what you are willing to spend. But if you want an all rounder that you can find coils easily, flavor tastes good, and is pretty cheap. Id go with a Nautilus or Nautilus mini, get the BVC (Bottom Vertical Coils) and maybe the MVP2 that drunkenbatman talked about getting. Those both together you will spend around 70$. But trust me, it is a worth while investment. The coils are well made by aspire which makes the Nautilus, fairly cheap and easy to find even on ebay or amazon. And the MVP is a GREAT beginner mod. Easy to use, lasts forever, tons of nifty little features included as well.

But again it comes down to what you feel comfortable using. It might not be the most attractive setup, but you will enjoy it 100% more.

(Also depending on the ohm of the coil you are using, you might have your volts / watts set to high which could be the reason you are burning through coils .... literally. Also if you decide to go the protank 3 road, with the dual coils, just beware, you need a more powerful device to properly use the coils as they require more power to fire them. For example, lets say you device can only go up for 15 watts. On a single coil you can pump up to 15 watts to the coil. But on a dual coil, even at max 15 watts, you can only give 7.5 watts to each coil as there are now two you are trying to power.)

 

[Stormrunner]

I will say this, as I first started off with a very similar tank and battery to yours. Now i rebuild my own coils and it is a huge money saver. Annnnnnnyway... in this hobby / stress reliever spending an extra 10-15$ goes A LONNNNNG way. Like I said I started off on a similar setup to yours. I later purchased a nautilus tank as my first initial upgrade. It is night and day compared to what you and I both were / are using. So like we all say, its ultimately up to you on what you are willing to spend. But if you want an all rounder that you can find coils easily, flavor tastes good, and is pretty cheap. Id go with a Nautilus or Nautilus mini, get the BVC (Bottom Vertical Coils) and maybe the MVP2 that drunkenbatman talked about getting. Those both together you will spend around 70$. But trust me, it is a worth while investment. The coils are well made by aspire which makes the Nautilus, fairly cheap and easy to find even on ebay or amazon. And the MVP is a GREAT beginner mod. Easy to use, lasts forever, tons of nifty little features included as well.

But again it comes down to what you feel comfortable using. It might not be the most attractive setup, but you will enjoy it 100% more.

(Also depending on the ohm of the coil you are using, you might have your volts / watts set to high which could be the reason you are burning through coils .... literally. Also if you decide to go the protank 3 road, with the dual coils, just beware, you need a more powerful device to properly use the coils as they require more power to fire them. For example, lets say you device can only go up for 15 watts. On a single coil you can pump up to 15 watts to the coil. But on a dual coil, even at max 15 watts, you can only give 7.5 watts to each coil as there are now two you are trying to power.)

Alright, I may look into doing my own coils after a bit once I feel I may be more comfortable with it.

So Protank 2 or Nautilus Mini. Both seem to be what I'm looking for .

As for my burning - not sure I cannot set the wattage on this battery - it isn't variable voltage.

 

[TheBerch]

Do you have the winder?

SMOK Aro winder VV battery 1500mah

Or something else? What you have is basically the typical starter mod ego battery etc etc....

Anyway if you have the winder it is adjustable volts.

 

[Stormrunner]

This is the kit I bought www smokescreenllc com/ products /smoktech-aro-2-kit

Sorry about spaces <_<.

 

[greenmonster714]

Just wanted to welcome you to ECF. Great place to pick up info.

 

[Stormrunner]

Thank you.

And yes, it is. I was reading things on here before I bought my first kit. Kinda wish I had dug a little deeper XD.

 

[TheBerch]

Well, I found this for ya, MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better, and still one of the best selling tanks ... PERIOD. Not so sure about the battery / mod that comes with this starter kit, I am just trying to be honest with ya. But I can gurantee you would be much happier with a setup like this one Im posting below.


http://online.aspirecig.com/aspire-premium-kit-consisting-of-nautilus-mini-and-vv-battery-p-81.html

 

[Stormrunner]

Well, I found this for ya, MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better, and still one of the best selling tanks ... PERIOD. Not so sure about the battery / mod that comes with this starter kit, I am just trying to be honest with ya. But I can gurantee you would be much happier with a setup like this one Im posting below.

Yeah, more then likely. (Actually 100% Likely).

I've read terrible things about the kit I have after I started looking for it after I purchased it. Hoping I can get something exchanged or something with it - though more then likely not going to happen.

I just know a week with a Kit should not make it flood or burn out atomizers <_<.

 

[drunkenbatman]

Alternatively, my husband has said something about buying the credit cards from the store - so I may be able to do that to order online.

Yeah, you can always buy a prepaid card from your bank or store, in which case a lot of options open up for you. I'll leave you with a last bit: I'd be a little wary of VV things like the spinner unless you love the form factor. There's nothing wrong with a $10 battery that only puts out $3.7V. But by the time you're talking $26 VV spinners, you can start getting a lot more bang-for-buck and reliability for an extra $5.

Do consider rebuilding, as if you have a reliable setup eliquid and coils will be your main expenses. Check out a protank 2 coil rebuild video, and skip past where they actually build the coil and put it back together as you can use the below wicks. Building the coils might be difficult with shaky hands but actually inserting new pre-built coils might be OK:

$2.04 Pre-made Wires and Wicks for Atomizer (50-Pack) 50-pack - 33 AWG / 2.4ohm / 1-wick at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[TheBerch]

Yeah, more then likely. (Actually 100% Likely).

I've read terrible things about the kit I have after I started looking for it after I purchased it. Hoping I can get something exchanged or something with it - though more then likely not going to happen.

I just know a week with a Kit should not make it flood or burn out atomizers <_<.

Not a problem, ive been there myself going back 8 - 9 months ago. I started off with a crappy ego battery and tank. Then went up to an itaste vv version 3.0 which is an upgrade to the ego but more reliable and allows watts and volts adjustments. Then I bought a nautilus, and then a nautilus mini. Then I bought a cana mod which is a 30 watts device, and now I own an xpro m50 as well as a few other choice 100+ regulated devices. If I could have a do over though id go with something like I recomended you for a first time user, or that eGrip to start someone off in the vape world. But I will be honest, rebuilding coils does make a world of a difference. To give you a basic idea, all you need is organic cotton + kanthal wire (usualy people start at 28 gauge). You can buy a spool of wire thats like 500 ft for about 10-20$, and the cotton like 3-5$. And congrats you have enough of both to make HUNDREDS of coils. (The taste is also way better, and they tend to last way longer depending on how good, or BAD you are at building a coil. Its also pretty safe, the worst you do is ruin the coil, and maaaaaaybe burn yourself a teeny bit if your not paying attention. Its the crazy mech mods and 150+ watt devices which can inflict some pain either with a battery or other means etc etc.)

Take my setup im using now.

50$ for my mod, + 34$ for the tank + 10$ for my sony vtc5 battery to power it. I only need to rebuild the coils for the lemo tank which is super easy, it hits like a dripper which gives AMAZING flavor, one of the best tanks on the market atm and will be for a while. All for under 100$. Granted I need to build my coils, but I can put out clouds which will beat some drippers out there. And the taste ... mmmm amazing. (though it sucks down juice) Ultimately it will come down to what you want, and what you are willing to spend. But in this field, if you are nit picking over 10-15$ ... just spend the extra amount and get something better.

 

[TheBerch]

Also, as you can see by the image below, the tank + mod is not that big, its tiny in fact. I have really girlish hands ... But I have on my mod the full size Lemo. They make whats called the Lemo drop, which is about half the size of the full lemo. So shorten that even more and thats what I usually walk around town with or if I am at work.

 

[djsvapour]

I've not read the thread in detail, but two comments.

no.1 The Smok ARO tank was the only tank I over owned I could not stop leaking. It leaked using the factory coils and even multiple experiments with microcoils and various thicknesses of cotton wool could not stop it. It gushed juice.

no.2 When you say "Buy direct from Kanger"... do you mean order from China? If you mean buy direct from the "official Kanger store US" then you do not need to do this.
The official "brand" stores in both the US and UK of both Kanger and Joyetech are places to avoid unless you are happy to pay over the going price for products.

Let me offer this possible example. Joyetech UK sell a product for $30. You can buy this from an independent retailer for $20. Joyetech state there are only 3 'official" UK retailers and my retailer in not included in their list. So, what is going on?
What's going on is price fixing and general non-admission that in actual fact any retailer can buy the real product from Joyetech. Our quest as buyers is to find a store that deals only with the major manufacturers.
On one tank or a battery, it makes next to no difference. Over a year of buying accessories and atomizer heads and replacement glass etc. this difference could be lot of money. (especially if you use Kanger factory atomizers...).

Worth knowing, even if it doesn't interest you.