I know it's been asked, but what is the best NON-mod pv?

[hooflabablah]

I know people have asked this, but i'm still using my little cheapo 7-11 rig that i got for $20. I've saved up enough money to get something a little more substantial, but it's soo hard to sort through all of the technical talk and jargon to figure out what the heck I'm trying to do! You try to fing out what one piece of shop-talk means, only to be answered with more shop talk! I'm not stupid, but my head is spinning!

I've kind of only got 1 shot at this. I don't have any extra money to buy the wrong thing with, or buy something that's not a complete working pv. I think I've figured out that the silver bullet is nothing more than a battery? so i guess i don't want that one, I've been looking at getting an eGo T, with the type B cylinder tanks. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be crap.

I want something that i can buy, fill, and go. I don't want to have to keep buying parts or anything, besides the juice of course. And I want it to be able to put out a good throat hit, and a lot more vapor and less charging than my lil cheap rig.

I guess most importantly, long term value! I'm a buy it once and keep it for a lifetime kinda guy. Can't keep a girlfriend for more than a week though, doesn't make sense.

 

[sailorman]

If you want a lifetime PV, then you should be giving the Silver Bullet another look. It's not just a battery tube. It's indestructible, just about. It has a 1,000,000 cycle switch, meticulous craftsmanship and it's built like a tank. The 18650 battery will last all day or longer. IMO, there is no other e-cig on the market built any better. That includes the Bolt, which is a cheap knock-off of the silver bullet. When the Chinese are copying you, you know you have a good product.

The eGo is just a battery, a sealed battery that you will throw away in 4-6 months or so. Same thing with all of the eGo/kGo types. The e-Power is different because you replace the battery and not the whole e-cig. So if you're looking for something you can keep a while, you want the e-Power. You'll replace the battery now and then, but it will cost you $5-6 instead of $15-20.

When you ask for a non-mod, you are limiting yourself to the cigarette lookalikes, which are mostly junk, except for a couple models. They also have poor battery life and wear out quickly. Or, you are talking about the eGo/kGo/e-Power type of e-cig. As I already explained, except for the e-Power, they are disposable.

So, your choices are a mod or an e-Power. Either one is a great machine. When your eGo is in the garbage can, you will still have your e-Power. When your e-Power is in the garbage can, you will still have your Silver Bullet. When your grandchildren turn 18, if they smoke you can give them your Silver Bullet.

For long term value, you cannot beat the Silver Bullet or the smaller Baby Bullet. Only the GV2 comes close, and it's also "just a battery tube".

BTW, an eGo T is not the simple, reliable thing you're looking for. First off, it's regulated so you don't get the whole 4.2 to 3.7V. You need to use lower resistance cartomizers to get a good throat hit. If you like that style, stick with the e-Power or the kGo. The tank of an eGo T is just an attempt by Joytech, the maker of eGo, to revive the obsolete atomizer/cartridge theme. IMO, it's a gimmick. You'll likely end up tossing out the tanks and using other cartomizers anyway. Just keep it simple and get the e-Power or kGo or, better yet, the Bullet.

 

[Coryac]

Is there a cheap place for PVs? Maybe trade or something?

 

[hairball]

Is there a cheap place for PVs? Maybe trade or something?

The Bolt. Many vendors carry it. Battery life is decent but if you invested in the extension sleeve, you can run an 18650 battery for double the vape time.

 

[sailorman]

Is there a cheap place for PVs? Maybe trade or something?

You can try the classifieds here. Otherwise, unless you get something shipped straight from China, not really.
That said, you can still get a good, complete starter kit, including some juice for well under $100. If you have some stuff like batteries, cartomizers or chargers, you can get something good for quite a bit less.

 

[sailorman]

The Bolt. Many vendors carry it. Battery life is decent but if you invested in the extension sleeve, you can run an 18650 battery for double the vape time.

How much is a Bolt with an extension? About $25 less than a Silver Bullet? False economy.

 

[hairball]

How much is a Bolt with an extension? About $25 less than a Silver Bullet? False economy.

You'd be better off with a ProVari or a BuzzPro.

 

[SunnyMoon]

In my opinion, I'd go with the Silver Bullet. I have an ego-T, used it for about 2 weeks and couldn't wait to get something better. Even after blowing out the atomizer, it took almost a week to get rid of the nasty primer on that thing and you have to charge it every 4-6 hours. It's a pain in the ..... Plus once the atomizer goes, you have to replace the entire top piece, cone and all.
I have a Bolt and I like it, but put it down the wrong way and it fires. I'll be saving up for a silver bullet because the button is recessed just enough that if you put it down and it rolls, the button won't fire on you.
With an 18650, 3.7v battery, you'll have power all day and with a low resistance atomizer or cartomizer tank, you'll get plenty of vapor and great throat hit.

 

[klauser]

Started with Bold and 510N. Works got fro the price - around 30 bucks.
Now I'm happy to got a ProVari, best you can buy.
Take a cheap battery now and save money for a ProVari IMHO.

Cheers, Klaus

 

[hooflabablah]

Ok, wow, good responses!

So, I've looked at the provari, and it is definitely out of my price range for now, the variable voltage does sound nice though. But, i'm gonna try for the silver bullet, and look into the Bolt a little (i don't mind a knockoff, as long as it's a good knockoff) It just kinda sucks to think I'll be spending $80 on what is essentially the bottom half of a mag-lite. XD It seems like it'd be soo simple to make a vaporizer.

btw, i have nothing at all that's interchangeable with anything already, so no matter what i'll have to get all new stuff, so no money saved there.

So when you order a silver bullet, what exactly do you need to make sure to get with it? Also, what does it come with? i.e. do you have to buy a battery?

How long does an atty last, and what eventually kills them? Does the bullet ONLY use cartridges? I like the idea of the tank just because i don't wanna hafta keep buying the same piece over and over, so how long would the cartridge last?

Once again, sorry for being such a noob, I promise i have put in a lot of time trying to figure this stuff out before starting a thread, but i was getting nowhere.

 

[zidakano]

On the note of "bottom half of mag-lite"
Blue Shine
Not exactly the prettiest of mods but it holds an 18650

 

[hooflabablah]

haha, that's odd, i have that flashlight sitting right next to me this very moment. Paid a dollar for it. The price tags i'm seeing have got me thinking about making one anyway.

 

[zidakano]

A simple box mod kit from madvapes might be easier
Mod Kits
If you are handy with wire strippers and a soldering iron these are easy and cheap only holds a 14500 though about 1/3 capacity of an 18650 but if you kept a spare you could go all day no problem.

I made one of the 3.7v box mods in about 10 minutes not counting the hour and a half of searching for my solder that ended up being in a box that has yet to be unpacked from moving...about a year ago lol.

 

[sailorman]

Come come now. The SB is FAR more than a maglite. It's beauty is in its simplicity, it's workmanship and the integrity of its design and components. It's milled from a solid slug of aircraft grade aluminum with very heavy wall thicknesses. If a battery exploded in it, it wouldn't do anything more than displace the switch. People don't rave about a fixed voltage PV because it's nothing but a maglite. They don't buy them in 7 different colors because they're $2 flashlights. Look for a bad word ever written about the SB. Go ahead. I'll wait.....No I won't because I'll grow older and die here before you find one.

The connector will never leak. The switch will hold up for year after year with zero misfires or stickiness. It's not the cheapo $2 horn switch found on other mods, including the Bolt and the madvapes mods. It's a commercial grade, vandal-resistant switch like they use in public intercom systems and ATM machines. It's been further modified to last over 600,000 electrical cycles. Mine has at least 350,000 cycles and it still fires like new, perfectly, every time. The threading won't tear up and gall out. My Baby Bullet is made the same way. I've had it outdoors many, many times, sprayed with saltwater, dunked in mud, dropped in sand on concrete and asphalt at 15 mph, even run over by a truck (on the grass). After 2 years, it still works like new.
It does look a bit rougher though.

You'll need an 18650 battery. I suggest the Panasonic 3100mah at Orbtronic.com
They're about $12 with free shipping and last 5 times as long as a typical 14500. That should last you 2 full days, maybe longer.
You'll need a charger. You can get a charger just about anywhere for $10-20, Orbtronic has them as well I think.
You need some cartomizers or a tank or atomizer or whatever you want.
Cartomizers last about 2 weeks usually. In a tank they last longer. Atomizers can last a week or 3 months. It depends on how you use them. I suggest 2 or 2.5ohm cartomizers. You can find them on altsmoke.com
The Silver Bullet has a 510 connector and will work with anything made for a 510 device. That includes just about anything.
With a 510/XXX adapter, you can use anything else as well, including stuff made for an eGo.

There is nothing, no mod, no kit, no cheap Chinese knockoff and not even the holy Provari, that is made as ruggedly and solidly as a Silver Bullet. AND, it doubles as one helluva self-defense weapon. Just try that with a Provari. Throw a Provari against a concrete wall and see what you end up with.

On the Altsmoke forum, there are pics of a SB that a pair of stacked batteries vented in. Did it explode or melt or break down. No. All it did was push the switch out 1/8". Altsmokes stuck the switch back in and the SB was back in duty. Try that with a box mod.

Forgot to mention, you can also stack batteries, once you know what you're doing, and get 6V or 7.4V out of it without worrying if the switch will handle the amperage. There is also a 5V NimH battery you can get if you want to try some higher voltage vaping the safer way.

 

[sailorman]

Oh, another thing. They've begun making extensions for the silver bullet. With an extension and a Kick, you can turn the Silver Bullet into the most Bulletproof variable voltage PV to be found anywhere. So save your pennies for when you want to upgrade it to a VV device.

 

[cricque]

Why not go for an USB (XL) ego-t/c battery, which you can charge easily, no extra battery. And get some smok ego mega dual coils, great throat hit, lasts long, looks good

And you could get a battery + some carto's. If you prefer smaller size carto's, boge LR, smok ressurectors. This will set you back around 30-35 dollars and works like a charm. Now this is a simple and easy setup. If you are more looking for higher voltage devices, you might want to look at some posts above this one

 

[Maestro]

If you're looking for cheap, simple and convenient, I'd say get the cheapest ego style kit you can find (C or T or whatever) and a few startdusts. All you really want from the kit is the batteries and charger. It might be cheaper to buy these separately, but could be confusing. For a new vaper, you really can't get more foolproof than a vision stardust clearomizer. After that, start putting the money you would have spent on cigarettes into a jar and before you know it, you'll be able to buy whatever your heart desires. By that time you'll have absorbed all the info on ECF and be able to make an informed decision on your own.

 

[sailorman]

Cuz he says he wants something that'll last for the long haul. Long term value, was the way he put it, I believe.

 

[sailorman]

.....
I've kind of only got 1 shot at this. I don't have any extra money to buy the wrong thing with, or buy something that's not a complete working pv. ...
I guess most importantly, long term value! I'm a buy it once and keep it for a lifetime kinda guy. Can't keep a girlfriend for more than a week though, doesn't make sense.

That's why he doesn't want an eGo. (his bold)
Although an e-Power wouln't be a bad kit. At least it's not disposable.

 

[Maestro]

You get what you pay for. You can't pay cheap for something that's going to last a lifetime. It's one or the other. Very few people will pay for that kind of quality because they don't know if it actually works, if they're going to like it, etc. I think it's best not to pay any more than you have to until you're sure vaping is going to work for you. Also, there's so many mods that a newbie can't possibly know what he's going to happy spending his money on. I still think a ego, kgo, riva, e-power, etc, kit is the way to go until he's spent a lot of time in the forum educating himself. By the time he's made up his mind, he's saved so much on cigarettes, he can happily treat himself to whatever he wants. Besides, his kit will still last him a long time and provide good service when he wants something he can just put in his pocket.