Inspired by Tica02's Thread

[bechi]

Hi everyone. I've really been wanting to purchase a PV kit for some years now, but it's honestly just been too confusing to try to figure out what would suit my needs. I can't justify buying a kit that is almost guaranteed not to work for me just to try to figure what will. Anyhow, I've been trying to follow Tica02's thread Just bought my first ecig... and can't pretend to have understood everything, but two of the models discussed sound like they might be as good for me as anything else, namely the Smoktech e-Power 18650 and the smok Woo. Could anyone help me decide which kit, the best kit options for me, and if I would need anything further?

Here's some background on me:

• 
  [*=1]I've never considered myself a smoker and currently only smoke occasionally, BUT I've never "quit" or ever intend to.
  [*=1]My analog of choice is a Djarum Special clove cigarette, which due to changes in legislation are now sold as clove "cigars" which affect my sense of smell whenever I do smoke them (I smell nothing but dust). Needless to say, the juice I'm primarily interested in (at least initially) is Tasty Vapor's "kretek" formula. That is also one point for the Woo, since Tasty Vapor offers a nice deal on the Woo kit.
  [*=1]I'm not particularly concerned with the size or shape of the PV (the little square ones actually look convenient), only I wouldn't want it to be big enough to be confused with a marital aid .
  [*=1]I don't think I want a setup that needs too much "fussing" with. It seems that some setups I've read about involve a lot of soaking, cleaning, clearing, priming, filling, etc., although I'm sure that it sounds much more complicated than it is. Without having a comfortable understanding of anything, I guess I like the idea of a setup that has a tank holding a goodly amount of juice that just needs to be refilled every so often? Or maybe pre-filling a bunch or carts (cartos?) once or twice a week? The appeal of an analog is that there's no fuss or effort involved apart from buying a pack from the store and having matches on you.

That said, what do you all think? If the 18650 is your pick, should I choose attys or cartos? If attys, 2.0 ohms or 2.5 ohms? Debridged? If cartos, XL 1.5 ohm dual coils, XL 2.0 dual coils, Boge 2.0 ohm, Boge 3.0 ohm, or XL 1.7 ohm single coil? I don't realize how truly lost I am until I'm given options!

I really appreciate your help!

Bechi

 

[Stef64]

Welcome to ECF.

First, the ePower batteries last about 3 times as long as the batteries on the Woo. If battery life is important to you, go with the ePower. The Woo should give you about 6 hours of average vaping and appears to be smaller than the ePower.

Definitely go with cartos. They hold more juice and are more consistent than the atty/cart combination. If you don't want to refill too often, you can always put the carto in a tank and only have to fill the tank once a day. While some people will clean a carto to extend its life, you don't have to. They are good for about a week, and cost a little more that $1 each.

 

[tica02]

The problem that I keep seeing about the woo is the stacked batteries and that sounds fairly dangerous. Doesn't mean it's a bad device besides that, but I won't buy one. I'm glad my thread inspired you! I'm looking to learn all I can and I'll be ordering hte e-power 14650 from Hoosier by Monday. I've just decided that it will last long enough for me. I don't really go anywhere besides work and I won't benefit from the larger battery size I don't think. I chose Boge 2.0 ohm cartomizers with a drip tip and I'm still planning on ordering a Vision stone 3 tank and some other stuff. I'm also going to get some Vision clearomizers as I hear they are easy to use. I chose the 2.0 ohm because I hear it will be good for the fruity juices I chose.

I can't say I know everything, but I understand this stuff WAY better than I did a week ago. This forum is amazing with amazing people. Good luck to you.

 

[tica02]

Just to add. The smaller battery e-power is on sale at Hoosiers right now for 39$! That's a steal and I jumped on it right away. I may pick up a kgo just for running around uptown to have something a little smaller, but I think I'm set for now.

 

[bechi]

Stef64 - Thanks for the welcome and the reply. Although 6 hours sounds like month's worth of vaping to me, I'll definitely keep the longer battery life of the e-power in mind. A big thank you on the carto recommendation! If I understand correctly, the tank would screw onto the switch, and the carto into the tank? The longer life sounds ideal. I like the idea of having as close to a "maintenance-free" setup as possible that I can fiddle with to save a buck if I'm so inclined, but don't have to.

tica02 - Yes, you finally gave me the kick to think I can actually do this! I think I should probably go with the Boge 2.0 ohm cartos also, since the kretek that I'm interested in is a sweet juice and any others I try will probably be spicy or fruity, rather than tobacco or menthol flavors. A drip tip is like a mouthpiece, right? Do you know if they're basically one-size-fits-all? Maybe you can help explain the tank thing too! And a clearomizer??? You're not kidding about the members here knowing their stuff - I'm sure they get sick of answering questions, but this is just so different! I've tried reading newbie threads over and over to get an understanding, but the more I read, the more confused I become. The one you started was the least confusing, but I still can't wrap my head around any of this.

Thanks everyone!

 

[tica02]

Well I don't claim to know too much, I don't even have my setup yet so it's going to be a whole new ballgame once that comes. But I've take apart and cleaned the cartomizers that came with my crappy ecig so I have some extras. Yes a drip tip is like a mouthpiece, but you can drip into your cartomizer with it also. Most of the ones I've looked at seem like they would fit the 510 Bogo cartos. A clearomizer is a clear cartomizer with no filler, just two wicks at the top (some have bottom wicks) that you fill with juice.

I'll answer any questions that I can, but mind you I haven't touched any of this stuff yet, but I think you'll get the hang of it really fast!

 

[tica02]

A cartomizer goes inside of a tank (I haven't really figured this out yet, looks like some don't need them or have their own atties?) Correct me if I'm wrong on that. I don't know alot about tanks, but take a look here to see the vision stone 3. I've heard a few good things on that one.

GotVapes VISION Stone 3 5ml Tank 2.1-2.3ohms - WHITE Drip Tip [gv-VISIONStone 3 -5mlWHITE] - $12.95 : GotVapes.com, E-cigarette Supplies - Atomizers Cartomizers Mods Juice and more

 

[Stef64]

If you're using a standard carto (Boge, Smoktech) with a tank, then the carto screws into the switch/battery and the tank slides onto the carto. The carto has a slot or a hole close to the base for the fluid in the tank to get inside the carto. Then you have the fillerless cartos that resemble tanks (CE2, CE3, CE4, Vision Extremes). Lately there have been some CE2 type cartos with large capacities that blur the line between a cart and a tank. The Vision Stone is on example of this. If you're interested in fillerless cartos/tanks, GotVapes has probably the largest selection in one place.

 

[rse1]

Hi Bechi, Welcome to the ECF.

All the below is just my opinion and YMMV.

I hadn't heard about the Woo until your post. I looked at the link you gave and it looks like it stacks 16340 batts. I am concerned with stacked lithium batts - I've seen too many stories of flashlights/PVs having a meltdown event. Probably unlikely if you take decent care to always load fresh, checked batts but I don't see any reason to take the chance - but lots of people do.

I have an epower 14650 and the batteries do last a while. I found it annoying that SmokTek designed it with a unique cone thread so that I have to use an adapter to use ego oriented accessories. It is nice to be able to just pop out the drained batt and pop in a fresh one. Good protected, or IMR, batts are fairly inexpensive.

I also have a joyetech 18650 (ego-T Mod). It functions great but is a bit heavy/awkward for carrying around. One needs to be careful when fitting the aluminum switch to the tube. Batteries with positive buttons sort of fit but its designed for flat ended batteries. This mod regulates power down to 3.5 volts. The SmokTech 18650 just feeds the battery power thru so varies from 4.2-3.2 volts, which means warmer vapor with a fresh battery.

Drip tips are mouthpieces that fit onto either attomizers or cartomizers. There are different sizes. On an atty they are used to isolate the lips from the heat of the atty and to drip thru. On a cartomizer they replace the flat end piece and are used to refresh/refill it: either by dripping the fluid thru them or to easily open the end so one could drip directly onto the filler.

As far as Juice delivery systems:
cartos - I liked these for awhile but got tired of having to constantly top them off and guessing how much fluid was left before I got a dry hit. I tend to vape hard/constant and cartos didn't wick fast enough for me.

tanks - the ego-T/C systems (separate atty and cartridge or tank) mute the flavor and leak. The fluxomizers were too fiddly (and I don't like using a syringe to refill - I certainly wouldn't do it in public). The DCC tanks worked well after I replaced the the hot DCC carto (1.5 ohm) with a single coil carto (2 ohm) but were too prone to leaking for me to confidently carry. It's convenient that vendors are now carrying pre-punched cartos for these kinds of tanks. The Vision Stone/grand tanks with built in wick/coil were too gurgly for me and every one leaked if left alone too long.

The ego CE4 clearomizers (stardusts) have atty/wick/coil built in and have a small clear tank. Some vendors call them tanks and some cartomizers. They work well for non-acidic juices (no cola, cinnamon, or citrus because it's reported that they cause the plastic tank to crack) and mine have not leaked. You can easily fill and clean them. some are even taking them apart and rebuilding them. They're my current choice on my ego compatible batts, especially for carrying.

 

[bechi]

Forget the Woo then; I don't like the idea of the stacked batteries.

Thanks to everyone for explaining the cart, carto, tank, clearomizer differences. I think it sounds like a stash of cartomizers for trying out new juices plus a tank with pre-punched cartos for everyday juice might be the best for me, at least at first. That should require the least "maintenance", right? The tank should hold enough juice that I won't need to refill very often, and if I just change the cartos when required (sounds like they should last longer when constantly soaked in a tank anyway), the tank just needs to be rinsed out, not soaked and cleaned. Since I think I'll probably be heading towards the kretek (clove) juice, can anyone recommend a good tank for this sweetish juice that won't leak or crack?

Thanks!

Bechi

 

[John D in CT]

All this talk about "stacked batteries" is beginning to get out of hand. Go to the Candlepower Forum and tell them that "stacked batteries" are dangerous and prepare to be laughed out of the place. Countless devices use more than one lithium ion battery, flashlights in particular. And most of those guys carry them on themselves at all times; in their pockets, in a holster, and of course, in their hands. And I imagine, in their mouths sometimes as well.

Yes, the Woo comes with 2 16430 unprotected batteries, as a cost-saving measure. How big a deal is it to get protected batteries for it, and better quality ones than the originals to boot. These little bad boys will fit the bill just fine; 880mah protected RCR123a-compatible Ultrafires for $5.99 each. UltraFire 880 mAh Protected Rechargeable Battery RCR123a Compatible

1760mah at 5 volts, how sweet is that. I'm rocking on my Woo as we speak, and I'm tasting flavor and sweetness that I've never tasted before. When you've vaped at 10-12 volts at 2.0-2.5 ohms, you'll know what I mean. Chris at Tasty Vapor said I'd be in for a treat, and he was right. So-so flavors come alive with tastes you never tastes before, and great flavors are even greater; sweet, warm vapor that registers on taste buds that you didn't know you had.

I said in the thread http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...y-isnt-smoktech-woo-getting-talked-about.html that I wasn't yet recommending them to anyone; well now I am, as long as you get protected batteries for it. And my button has yet to stick.

There are some pretty cool mods in the works from both Joyetech and Smoktech, especially the VMax variable voltage, but it's going to sell for $128 minimum, at which point you might as well get a Provari, or look harder at the Lavatube. But if you want to try a nice-performing 5V mod, ignore the hysteria and try one. It's so satisfying to hear your coils snapping, crackling and popping as they bring all your juices to life in rich, thick clouds of warm, sweet vapor like my Joyetech and e-Power just can't do. Even 3.7 volts at 1.5 ohms won't vape most of my juices the way this thing does.

I'll eventually have a VV or two, but for now, I'm in vaping heaven for not much dough. If you have $12 for a couple of top-quality batteries, try the Woo. Those who do, please let me know how you like it. They're avalable right now at Tasty Vapor and (last time I checked) Clouds of Vapor.