I messed up and need some help (fell off the bandwagon).

[edyle]

............................

Yes, I'm thinking of getting an rda to have on hand. I need to do some more research and budget checking.

.....................

I've been thinking about getting an rda for a while now. The biggest hurdle is the cost of some of them. .............

An RDA is a very SIMPLE device.
I'll translate that to another language: An RDA is a very CHEAP device.
Think in terms of 5, 10 and 20 dollars.

vaping on your first rda is like learning to ride a bike.
When you're learning to ride a bike, you don't want to use a fancy expensive bike with gold rims.

 

[ddirtyvapes]

Thanks guys, once again very helpful. I'm sure I can afford one of those. Part of the reason I really want to keep the cost down on the RDA right now too is that of course I need the rest of the necessary items for building, wire and wick and ohm meter and whatnot. Captain Obvious, yeah. I'll also probably get a bag of pre-wrapped coils while I learn how to do it.

I like clouds but I'm definitely not a cloud chaser. I guess it's a little important to me, but not as much as flavor. I like things that do well with both, even if it's not the absolute best with either.

To me though, the best 1-1.3 ohm tanks out there is still my beloved kayfun v2. Which you could buy a clone of, at fasttech.
Altho if you're having issues with kanger V1 deck you'll prolly face the same issues with a kayfun. (Depending on what the issues was.)

My issue with the v1 Kanger RTA was the tiny wicking holes and the fact that it seems like I can't get it to work as I want without leaving it loose on the threads. The holes on the side of the v2 which are more akin to the pre-built coil holes seem like a huge improvement on that point.

Tobeco makes a clone of the Dark Horse that's around 15 bucks. It's one of my favorites for the clouds. The Mutation X V4 is a pretty awesome RDA and it's only around 20 bucks. Some of them can be pretty pricey, but some are also pretty cheap. As terrible as it sounds, eBay usually has some awesome prices on RDAs and lots of sellers ship from the US.

Thank you! I've heard great things about the Mutation, I've actually been leaning on that somewhat before now, so maybe I'll just take your mention as a sign.

I used to really like Volcano when I was a new vaper, though I haven't bought anything from them for some time. However, I noticed that they now offer two RBAs, including one that is quite inexpensive... "Cauldron," which has a v1 and v2, 19.99 and 24.99 respectively. I know absolutely nothing about these other than the fact that I've always been pleased with the quality of their products, but there's a big difference between cig-a-likes and eGo clones and a solid RDA. Do you happen to know anything about this one? I don't really know why I'd go for that over the Mutation X V4 for the same price anyway, but I always like having more than one realistic option.

An RDA is a very SIMPLE device.
I'll translate that to another language: An RDA is a very CHEAP device.
Think in terms of 5, 10 and 20 dollars.

Do you actually know of a decent RDA that is only 5-10 dollars? I mean if you do, that's awesome, by all means let me know! Otherwise, as you can see, we're working on it But any other $15-25ish dollar suggestions you might have for a specific RDA are more than welcome.

I appreciate you all continuing to come back to help.

 

[Nickstive]

The Caldera looks alright. Personally speaking, I like options when it comes to RDAs and tanks. The Caldera looks like it's limited in it's airflow options; the posts look kind of skinny, which is another issue for me-I've found they don't hold up well in the long run and skinny posts mean small post holes, and on a three post RDA, that usually means any dual coil build is going to be difficult. Also, it looks like the drip tip is attached to the top cap, which I'm not a fan of at all.

If it's the same price as the Mutation X V4, I'd go with the one that has more options.

 

[edyle]

Do you actually know of a decent RDA that is only 5-10 dollars? I mean if you do, that's awesome, by all means let me know! Otherwise, as you can see, we're working on it But any other $15-25ish dollar suggestions you might have for a specific RDA are more than welcome.

I appreciate you all continuing to come back to help.

Well I have and like this one, $15 on fasttech:

$15.32 MANTA V2 Style RDA Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer - stainless steel / 22mm dia. at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

It's one of the new top-intake designs.

This is my main vape: it's a 30mm veritas; most tanks and mods are 22mm and the fit/line up with most mods which are 22mm.
This one is $10 on fasttech:

I don't have this one, but it is interesting because it is one of the 2-post designs;
$10 on fasttech

for a dirt cheap rda, you can sort by price:
Found 490 rda at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

and for $3 you could get a 14mm rda

https://img.fasttechcdn.com/139/1395701/1395701-1.jpg

but the most common rda's (and tanks) are 22mm diameter, so there is an advantage to buying a 22mm one, for example, my manta topcap, I actually use it with the deck from by aris rda; the aris has a better drip well


other popular rda's are
plume veil, doge, mutation x

igo is a big name in rda's but there are quite a few different models.

 

[SleeZy]

The wicking is usualy the hardest problem, to learn when you're new.
It took me quite awhile before i got the hang of wicking RTAs. But as you mentioned you feel that kanger V1 is to small. (Which they're.) But it does work once you learn how to wick it right, which is the hard part.

RDA for 5-10$... i would like to say Gaia but it's neither a cloudchaser nor flavorchaser atty. It just works for both of them. But not realy recommended for a newbie due the small post holes.

For flavor i would still say magma. (13$ or so at FT)
Just for learning how to build, any of the IGO works fine imo. (Also in the 5-10$ range.)

Mutation is a pretty great atty for clouds as mentioned, i've a v4 clone of those. But i can't honestly recommend it for a new guy either.
Esp since you pretty much need to use direct inhale to use this RDA. Unless you're used to this ofc. (Due the airflow.)

Edit: Damnit plenty of posts came by meanwhile i posted this.. oh well.
Anyhow i don't recommend the veritas for a beginner. Just wanted to mention that. (Great RDA but harder to build.)

 

[Nickstive]

I agree that the Veritas, although killer with flavor, is quite hard to build on. Honestly, most clones are well within the 15-25 dollar range. Other specific RDAs you can look into are the Dark Horse (HUGE post holes, lots of open space on the deck, square posts). Any of the Doge RDAs are also pretty solid and simple to build on as well.

I'm not sure of your experience with direct inhaling, but SleeZy is correct. Any RDA that brings the clouds is best used with a direct lung inhale, but (to me) it's the best way to vape, and turn yourself into a human fog machicne

 

[roxynoodle]

I thought the Veritas was a little bit of a pain to wick with the vertical coils. I can vouch for the Plume Veil clone from FT. $10 or so IIRC. Easy 4 post build and was nicely machined.

I have quite a variety of gear. I use 6mg in everything because I don't want specific juices for specific devices. Some attys give me a stronger vape than others, and I pick them up when I'm having stronger cravings, and vape the milder ones in between. The Cthulhu RTA is great for times I need "more". So is the Flash e Vapor, Estia and Aquas.

 

[chopdoc]

This is really a simple problem. You was doing fine and then you learned about sub ohming and ya liked it. Ok. You was vaping higher nic juice but your lung cant handle the higher nic with sub ohming. ok. Simple solution. Get your old gear out and vape the higher nic juice when you feel you need a cig and then vape on with the sub ohm. And by the way, stop beating yourself up. We all stumble. Lay down those cigs, forgive yourself and vape on.

 

[ddirtyvapes]

Lots of great stuff in here, thank you all so much. I can't respond to every last word but I definitely want to touch on the most important things.

Sleez, Nick, and ed: I'll do some reading about all the options that have been presented. Can someone explain the pros/cons of the different post set-ups? As in, number of posts. ALSO, and this is important, until I'm more comfortable with everything I DO NOT want a situation in which I have to be drilling out any holes if at all possible, so if any of these recommendations may have a small-hole problem that you know of, I'd love to know too. I have no idea if this is common or not, I've just heard it mentioned. I somewhat doubt I'll be doing much dual-coil building at least to start. I do still like resistances around 1ohm.

Sleezy, do you really think I'll find the wicking all that complicated if I've been rewicking the OCCs without issue? I do know it's not the same thing, but just from video watching and friends and such I think I pretty much know roughly how much wicking material should be in there. Or are there other small complications unique to RDAs I might not be thinking of as a current non-user?

I'm sort of leaning on the Mutation as I know I said, but I like that the Dark Horse has the huge post holes. How are they on the Mutation, if anyone can answer? You said you like the Tobeco Dark Horse clone, Nick?

Lastly (for now), Nick, yes I've plenty experience with direct inhaling At least since switching to the subtanks. I like a pretty open airflow most of the time so yeah, in those cases I'm usually doing lung hits. Sometimes I'll reduce it and kind of do a half-and-half (hard to describe but I realized at some point that at medium airflow it wasn't really a lung hit or a mouth-to-lung) but the short answer is I'm comfortable direct inhaling.

This is really a simple problem. You was doing fine and then you learned about sub ohming and ya liked it. Ok. You was vaping higher nic juice but your lung cant handle the higher nic with sub ohming. ok. Simple solution. Get your old gear out and vape the higher nic juice when you feel you need a cig and then vape on with the sub ohm. And by the way, stop beating yourself up. We all stumble. Lay down those cigs, forgive yourself and vape on.

Yes, this is also a good idea. I mentioned somewhere that part of the reason I switched to the Subtanks (which realistically only has me sub-ohming about half the time) is because my old set up wasn't so satisfying anymore, even before I reduced the nicotine or really caught up with the current big things in vaping. That said, I still have actual devices that are working just fine and I'm sure could run a heating element that's more enjoyable for me at this point. I'm not talking about more subohming or anything, maybe a 1ohm dripper or something. Thank you for the suggestion and the encouragement.

 

[Rixsta]

Get some DIY juice, nobody was more confused than me about doing it but I have finally got my head around it, not sure why I struggled really, then you control everything, the nic level, the throat hit, the flavours and hell its so much cheaper.. If I ever felt like you do, I'd be grabbing a powerful sub ohm tank like the starre or crown ect, getting a couple of batteries, a 100w box mod and some 3mg juice, high in vg and I'd vape that baby until I was off the stinkies, that's just what would work for me though but wanted to share..

 

[Bunnykiller]

you like subbin... do a low nic juice for subbin and keep a higher nic around in a nonsub atty for those moments of nic needs

 

[ddirtyvapes]

Get some DIY juice, nobody was more confused than me about doing it but I have finally got my head around it, not sure why I struggled really, then you control everything, the nic level, the throat hit, the flavours and hell its so much cheaper.. If I ever felt like you do, I'd be grabbing a powerful sub ohm tank like the starre or crown ect, getting a couple of batteries, a 100w box mod and some 3mg juice, high in vg and I'd vape that baby until I was off the stinkies, that's just what would work for me though but wanted to share..

Thanks for the suggestions, although I think you must have missed where I've said (a few times I think) that I already DIY and have a fairly powerful subohm tank. In fact, at least one person thought that the switch to this set-up was triggering for me, just because it was a change in what I was using. Clearly I need more nicotine than I have been using though, so I need to figure out how to get it in me without overdoing it or choking myself. That's the real problem, but I like the suggestions that have come up to continue using my subtank with the low nic juice and having some higher mg stuff in an older, lower output set-up like I was doing before. I hope this doesn't sound rude at all, like how could you miss that in my mess of posts here because that's not what I meant at all. I just do happen to DIY and have a tank I like and I think my next relatively significant spending purchase on hardware will be an RDA.

you like subbin... do a low nic juice for subbin and keep a higher nic around in a nonsub atty for those moments of nic needs

Pretty certain that's what I'm going to do.

 

[Rixsta]

Thanks for the suggestions, although I think you must have missed where I've said (a few times I think) that I already DIY and have a fairly powerful subohm tank. In fact, at least one person thought that the switch to this set-up was triggering for me, just because it was a change in what I was using. Clearly I need more nicotine than I have been using though, so I need to figure out how to get it in me without overdoing it or choking myself. That's the real problem, but I like the suggestions that have come up to continue using my subtank with the low nic juice and having some higher mg stuff in an older, lower output set-up like I was doing before. I hope this doesn't sound rude at all, like how could you miss that in my mess of posts here because that's not what I meant at all. I just do happen to DIY and have a tank I like and I think my next relatively significant spending purchase on hardware will be an RDA.
Not rude at other, my fault for not reading it properly, anyway, good luck, we are all here for you


Pretty certain that's what I'm going to do.

 

[DoctorJ]

I'll admit I still smoke 3-4 cigs a day. I would blame it on my wife because she still smokes and always has cigs around. But I still like the taste of one now and then, so I look at it this way, I used to smoke 2 PAD/ 40 cigs and now I only smoke 4. So a 90% reduction seems pretty good to me. One reason I only smoke so few is that I don't care for my wife's brand and that has helped when I think about smoking one. With this in mind, my advice would be, if you have to have a smoke, get some cheapo off brand that is the total opposite of what your preferred brand is and that might help curb the craving for a cig. Just a thought.

 

[ddirtyvapes]

I hate to plug my own thread, but if there's anyway any of you who have been giving advice about RDAs could look at my very specific requirements for a new device, it would be such a huge help. It's been a long time since I've been this excited about something vaping related, and the last time I was this excited I quit the nic sticks the first time.

Doctor J, thank you for the post. I agree it's all about the ones you didn't have, and a 90% reduction is very steep. I guess I just feel like I made a big jump up from zero cigs a day, because I did. But I'm working on it.

 

[ddirtyvapes]

I thought it would be rude not to update after all the helpful replies I got.

It took me a little while to get myself in gear but I was finally able to put down the death sticks again. I did get an RDA-- a Twisted Messes-- and getting into building has helped keep my mind off the cravings a lot. It took a few days after receiving it to finally stop smoking too, but I'm about a week out and it's getting easier by the day.

Thanks again to everyone who posted here.

 

[toucandan229]

Hate to hear you're having these problems, but don't feel too bad. A close family member gave me an entire box of Serie V Melanio Olivas for my birthday a few months ago and here recently I have caught myself chewing on cigars and even smoking cigars more than vaping. Old habits never really die it seems. What I could recommend though is to try vaping a slightly repulsive ejuice in a lower nic content(3mg). Something that isn't unvapable, but not desirable. That way maybe you can get enough for the craving but not get sick thanks to not wanting to vape it. I don't know just a thought.

 

[AndriaD]

If no one has mentioned it yet... c'mon over to the Still Smoking Support and Chat thread -- lots of us have been thru that, some still wrestling with it; we ALL understand it! As much as anyone can.

I had a relapse last summer, and my experience is that it often does matter why the relapse -- in my case, I had a septic appendix and emergency surgery, and my already-IBS-afflicted colon didn't like it one bit; cigarettes actually helped me start recuperating, and they were a real bear to get rid of, the 2nd time.

WTA finally banished my cravings utterly -- again, because I think the cravings were due to the dysfunction in my digestive system that required those minor alkaloids.

I also keep my last open pack in the freezer, with 12 still in it; after a year, I'm sure they're dried out and unsmokable, but just the fact of their presence staves off panic and irrational behavior.

Andria

 

[ddirtyvapes]

@AndriaD no one has mentioned that yet, thank you! I will definitely come on over. It's so funny you mentioned keeping that last pack. I did the same thing for a while with a pouch of rolling tobacco, and it worked for a really long time. Obviously it stopped working eventually but I'm starting to get back on track and at the moment am simply trying to not have any tobacco available to use.

@toucandan229 that is a good idea, thank you.

 

[AndriaD]

@AndriaD no one has mentioned that yet, thank you! I will definitely come on over. It's so funny you mentioned keeping that last pack. I did the same thing for a while with a pouch of rolling tobacco, and it worked for a really long time. Obviously it stopped working eventually but I'm starting to get back on track and at the moment am simply trying to not have any tobacco available to use.

I just remembered something from when I smoked and had no thoughts of ever quitting. As long as I had what I considered a sufficient amount of cigarettes, I could generally moderate my habit and not go thru 'em like water. But if I was down to maybe running out before the ol man got home from work... PANIC... and I'd start smoking like I was trying to set my lungs on fire. Everytime, it never failed. It was like... HAVING them was *almost* as good as smoking them -- but if I was close to running out, there was simply no such thing as enough.

Last summer when I had my relapse, the straw that finally broke the camel's back was when I realized that I had no cigarettes in the house -- INSTANT PANIC -- so, in tears, I ranted to my husband that I just had to have cigarettes. So he went and got them -- he's not stupid enough to argue with an addict in withdrawal. They helped my digestive system return to something like normalcy, but I knew I had to get rid of them before too long, or I never would again. The smoke-break lasted a month. But I made sure to quit with just over half a pack remaining, which I put in a ziplock, behind my stash of nicotine in the freezer.

Andria