I surrender! How to choose mod?

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Look, i gave my ego/ 100 buck sugguestion just to give you a base line reference and a emergency back up drawer idea...thats all it was....if sugguesting to spend money youll eventually spent sooner than later offended you i am sorry....but here is the best i can offer you....i can find a vamo on fastech for under 30 bucks, theyre hit and miss on duribability...some people say theres has lasted year(s), mine is having button problems after two months but i still use it no problem....i can get a pair of Samsung 26500 20R-125 2000mah / 20 am max draw flat tops which will work for just about anything but a provari for under 16 bucks and free shipping from a vender across town from me on ebay i order batteries from regulary and theyre they only other non protected batteries i buy anymore except for my AW's for my provari....and i can usually find a nightcore i2 charger with shipping onsale somewhere for under 20, there was a flashlight website thats got the i4 on sale right now and i can find the link when i get home.....my point is that without buying an atomizer/carto/tank yet youre still looking at around 75 bucks for a solid vw/vv start with good batteries and charger and a cheap mod and all but the charger has free shipping.....all of the things mentioned here are great and have their strengths and weaknesses....my advice is to scam the classifieds and "steals and deals" and maybe get a black friday/cyber monday deal and grab it quick because honestly if youre looking for even a decient beginners mod and have no charger/batteries/etc for it its gonna hurt the wallet a bit....sorry my 100 dollar buffet was "breaking the bank". I wish you the best of luck and happy hunting.

PS...My provari is sitting home safe and sound and my vision spinner and evod got me threw the day just fine....total price.....36.99 with ego charger.....and i can custom build my coil, yeah its a pain, but its been done by many...just saying

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mediocre toker

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I'll chip in with my preference after nearly a year vaping.
I had started with the cig-a-likes just as you would being a newbie but soon realized that forever changing batteries was a right pain in the backside.
Then after joining this forum i was advised to go for The Big Boi (vision spinner/Vivi Nova 1300mah Kit)which lasted me a good 4 months but was around £60 ($90). This was a great bit of kit. In fact it is the only kit that didn't come with a crappy charger or crappy clearomizer.
After a while though the inevitable happened and the batteries stopped taking a charge. I used to get a full 24hrs from a single charge at moderate vaping levels but when it went down to 4hrs and i was using both batteries to get through the day, it knew it was time for an up-grade.
I'd heard a lot about the Vamo from being on the forum and went for a version 2 gold, purely for economical reasons. A new Big Boi Kit was coming in at £60($90) whereas the Vamo Kit(Brushed SS) was coming in at £50($75) with the aforementioned crappy charger, crappy batteries and crappy clearomizers. But having said that the Vamo was a great little workhorse that vaped like a steam train. So i ended up almost immediately buying a decent charger and batteries for an extra £18 ($27). However the vamo although a good step-up to VV/VW mod it did have it's problems, not least in that the firing pin in the head kept getting pushed into the body and was making no connection to the chosen clearomizer. So I was constantly picking at the firing pin to raise it up again to get that all important connection. I did this so often that the soldered joint inside the vamo head went and broke. After viewing a video online to see how the head came off I bit the bullet and tried a repair.A couple of hours of fiddling and attempting to use a soldering iron I finally managed to get the Vamo fixed and it still vapes like a steam train. It still has it's surgical scars though but i think it will definitely soldier on for years to come even though it will probably go into a relapse and require remedial surgery again.
So to Today:
Because of the surgery to the Vamo i looked into "The Tesla". It has a floating firing pin built on a spring and therefore surgery is not necessary for the reasons stated. It is made with fantastic lines from a solid piece on engineered aluminum, reamed and triangulated and really is a lovely piece of kit. Again it came as a kit but this was avoided and i just bought the body which again cost £50 (75). To date it has been the mod of choice for me and am vaping it as i type with the vamo as a spare.
So advice, mmmmmmm,........................... Definitely The Tesla but buy the batteries and charger separately. I've had mine for a couple of moths now.It vapes well and has no issues. Hope this long winded story of woes with mods helps you to avoid the hiccups that i fell over. A lot of people say get a Provari. I say get The Tesla
 

ilovelisagu

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Sep 27, 2013
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Nibiru2012

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FastTech does not deliver batteries any more - don't even bother ordering them.

If you are lucky, customs will take them out of the parcel, and let the rest pass, and you can get a credit from FastTech, but usually the parcel is returned to FastTech after sitting for 2 weeks in Chinese customs. It's best to simply not order them - just buy them somewhere locally.

From the FastTech website:

What items are restricted or potentially restricted by the customs and/or air mail shipping services?
For customers' convenience, FastTech carries a wide variety of products, offers a number of shipping methods, and ships to over 200 countries around the globe.

While the vast majority of customers happily receives their products in a timely and orderly manner, at times packages containing certain types of products may be returned to FastTech by the chosen shipper or the destination country's customs. When a package is rejected or returned, FastTech takes steps to resend or refund customers.

List of products that are returned/rejected more often than others:

Lithium battery cells (e.g. 18650, 18500, 18350, CR123A, 14500, 10440 lithium batteries, both primary and rechargeable).
Flammable liquids such as e-liquids, perfume, and essential oils.

Note that since these products are classified as "dangerous goods" by the Post Union, they are sometimes rejected by air mail service providers such as Hong Kong Post. Post FastTech do pay attention and pack these products with special care, however, product packaging cannot and does not alter how these products are classified by the Post Union.

In addition, despite the Post Union classification, each postal carrier has their own rules and practices. For example, Singapore Post is officially okay with e-liquids. For this reason, FastTech implements automatic packaging routing that redirects packages to various carriers according to your shipping country and content of orders. This automatic routing is applied when you select the "Registered Air Mail" shipping option during checkout.

Last but not least, while most packages do get through all the hops and properly delivers to customers, of you are looking for 100% guaranteed delivery time for lithium batteries and liquid products (i.e. you cannot accept delays caused by rejects and/or inspections), FastTech is able to ship through DHL via their Dangerous Goods shipping service. A custom shipping quote is required as shipping costs depend on the destination country, and quantity/type/brand of items ordered (which affects DHL packaging requirements).

If you're interested in using the DHL dangerous goods shipping service, please contact us and tell us your shipping country and the type and quantity of batteries for a custom shipping quote.

When a package is returned/rejected due to the nature of the product ordered:

If the package has NOT left the origin country (Singapore or Hong Kong, depending on the shipping method you selected during checkout), FastTech issues 100% refund when packages are returned.

If a package has left the origin country (i.e. rejected by your country's customs/postal carrier), FastTech refunds you your order less shipping costs already incurred. The shipping costs incurred for each order is different and FastTech can usually provide an official proof of shipping paid, upon customer request.

FastTech is committed to customer service and, the above information is written in order to disclose full information to customers like you.

Keep in mind that as of November 2013, most packages falling under the abovementioned product categories are shipping and delivering properly.

As you can see they still ship the batteries, the purchaser just needs to choose a different shipping method rather than going through Hong Kong Post.
 

Yokymo

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This i how I went about choosing something to upgrade from my Ego twist

1) Budget .. You need to know ahead of time what you are willing to spend. This will help you choose.
2) Needs ... Do you need Variable voltage and/or wattage? Then again you may do what I did and go "Hmm, i wanna see what the big deal is with wattage"
3) Size .. Do you want something for around the house or something you could easily go out in public with
4) Reviews Reviews Reviews ... Since I was always using the twist I had to do alot of this. And to say, between youtube, google, here and other forums, it helped me take that next step.

When all said and done, I went with a Smoktech SID.. Very simple to use, was withing my budget, got really high reviews and gave em a chance to check out wattage. Plus since it has a 510 and ego threading, all my clearos fit.

I still consider myself a noob to this world, so I totally understand why at times you wanna throw your hands up in the air and go "Now what?"
 

spawnsharks

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Nov 11, 2013
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I know of no database that you can plug in your requirements and it spits out your perfect mod.

Give us a list of your requirements and price range and we will spit out all kinds of things that you can consider. And you can ask us questions. Can't do that in a database, at least not easily.

Methinks you just contradicted yourself. WE are the database ;) Lets see here:

"Give us a list of your requirements and price range and we will spit out all kinds of things that you can consider" is totally a "database that you can plug in your requirements and it spits out your perfect mod."

Granted, we are not HAL. I was just about to post that WE are that database, and I read this.
 

tj99959

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    Trust me on this; no PV is any better than how you use it.
    There are lots of good PV's. The key is not which one you get. The key is learning how to get the vape you want out of whatever you get.

    Silver Bullet, Provari, or Reo are top of the line PV's. Put a carto or clearo that is all gunked up on them, and you will get a lousy vape. Mismatch the voltage and resistance, and again you will get a lousy vape. Restrict or block the air flow, again a lousy vape. The list of things that can make a good PV a lousy vape just goes on and on.
     
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    spawnsharks

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    Lets see here.... Many of the folks here will tell you that 'All roads lead to Provari', which may be completely true, I think, and there is a good argument that, since it is viewed as the 'best' mod, that might as well skip the baby steps and grab the best. However, seeing as how it's $200 up front for a new hobby/lifestyle, it's a serious commitment, and not everyone can swing that off the bat. One must test the water before drinking the Koolaid.

    There is also pleasure in all of those baby steps that help you appreciate the upper end of things. You would not appreciate a Mercedes if it was your first car, since your point of reference would be skewed. Start with a Honda, and you can tell the difference in quality and performance when you get that Mercedes, and that adds a level of appreciation that cannot be had by skipping over the lower end.

    Now, with that aside, I will try to help. And my help for beginners like me always lands at "The first steps on the path to Provari are in the itaste MVP".. but follow my logic here.

    First, features: How many features do you REALLY need in your first mod? I would say 2.. Variable Voltage and Variable Wattage, with the wattage being most important. Why? Because, you are really looking for that sweet spot where voltage and resistance meet for that perfect heat on your juice. Ohms law tells us that P=E2/R Or Power = Voltage Squared divided by resistance. So, if in the end you are looking for the sweet spot, a variable wattage mod will let you set it and forget it, as it will 'do the math for you'. Set the wattage you want to vape at, and the device will adjust the voltage depending on the resistance of your head (coil). Even if you change heads.

    With straight variable voltage, you can play with it, and if you are curious, always do the math yourself and see what wattage you enjoy a certain juice at... then, do the math every time you change coils... Or guess. Whatever.

    Now, of course you want variable voltage to work outside those boundaries and maybe find your own sweet spot every time. Maybe you like the taste of a burnt wick with your bananas Foster juice, since it reminds you of Mom's cooking, I don't know... But any VW APV will also have VV, so you're covered there.

    Next up on the list of important features would be compatibility with different tanks. There are a couple of standards when it comes to threading and fit, the most popular two are 510 and eGo. There are others, but they are less common, and if you have these two, you're pretty much covered for what's on the market.

    Now the tricky part... modding, tinkering and pushing the limits.... Maybe you have heard about sub ohm vaping and want to try... Maybe you want to be able to try different battery configurations. Maybe you need 17 different tanks with all different heads for each flavor, and you like different resistances for each, so you need an ohms meter to read the resistance of your hand wrapped coils... This is a realm that is personal to you, and since you are asking advice in this thread, you are not there yet, and maybe didn't even understand some of that... then it's time to slow down and drive the Honda for a bit longer... you following me???

    So, in terms of PVs, what represents this Honda I refer to??? For everyone it's different, just like Honda has several models to choose from... but, as a newcomer to the vaping scene, I was looking for the above features (Tank compatibility, variable wattage, long battery life, not too much fiddling involved) and I wanted a good price point to get started, in case I said 'screw this, I would rather smoke or quit altogether'

    For me, those points culminated in the itaste MVP. If you have the funds, the SVD is apparently better, but the MVP has everything I needed, and I will project that onto your life too, and it was only $40. Done and done.

    The build quality was better than expected, the adjustment interface was even more basic than I thought it would be, and all of my tanks fit.

    Hope this rambling story helped in some way.... Like I said, I am also new to this, so maybe the old timers know something I don't. But as a newbie, I started in Geo Metro land (eGo non-twist with a clearomizer).. moved to a Hundai (eGo Twist with a Protank Mini) on to the Honda I now vape (itaste with Protank 3). I already want to step it up, so I have a down payment on a nice Audi, set to be purchased next month or so (Siegelei Zmax)

    I also have a little project hot rod in the garage that i take for a spin every once in a while (Kamry K101 mechanical mod with cartomozer), and may wind up going all out for that 1971 Camaro (Nemesis mech with a Kracken RDA)

    Welcome to the wonderful world of vaporizers...
     
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    For what it is worth: I am using a VP2 Barebones MOD from VaprLife...Quality-Crafted Electronic Cigarettes Designed & Built In The USA (about $20) and a Tatroe Tank from Welcome to Cigtechs - Quality electronic cigarettes (about $50) Both are American Made. AA_Rig.jpg
     

    rodsky77

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    From the FastTech website:



    As you can see they still ship the batteries, the purchaser just needs to choose a different shipping method rather than going through Hong Kong Post.

    True, but there's a chance that they may not make it through - I used EMS from a different vendor and was assured that the batteries would make it - they were taken out by Chinese customs.



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