Intro and Seeking Help

[wllfthn]

Hello all. I am new to this forum as well as to the e-cig world. I have been reading here for awhile now trying to figure out the best option for my first e-cig. I'm not really familiar with all the lingo that flies around here, trying to get more fluent with it though. That being said, if you decide to help me here, please try to explain it as if you're explaining it to someone who has never heard anything you're about to say... because chances are, I have not.

Anyways, I have been a smoker for a long time, 10+ years and I'm still quite young. I really hate it. A lot. I have considered e-cigs in the past but always assumed most of what I saw was a gimmick and was not effective. Once I found this site, it helped a lot with ironing out what's no good and what is.

I had no idea there was so many variations as far as set ups and products go. This makes choosing a first e-cig much harder for me as I don't have any clue what most of it means/does/is compared to any other product. As far as my needs go, I have no idea what would be best. I don't really have any preference as far as size is concerned. I would say a mid-sized would work just fine for me as I think I would rather have better battery life than have a small, cigarette sized product. This is pretty much as much as I have figured out and I am looking to you guys for more help.

What do you think the best mid-sized kit would be to start with. I am not opposed to any type, although I have no idea what they even mean (tank, drip, carto??). I would REALLY appreciate any help/guidance/suggestions/explanations to help aide in my search to become SMOKE FREE!

Thank you!

 

[BeMe]

I will start vaping once my kit show up in the mail. I'm sure you will get lots of good advice from veteran vapers here as they all seem very friendly and helpful. What I did, was get overwhelmed with all the information and because of that, I put off getting started. Eventually I got clear on the fact that I wanted to be smoke free. That's what I wanted. I didn't have a need to learn new jargon or get complicated about it. So I picked a mid priced kit that resembles a real cig so I could be successful with not smoking. I figure once I get my first kit and play around a bit, I can always upgrade.

My advice is that if you want to trade smoking for vaping, don't let the jargon scare you off. I choose the Halo g6 kit and I'm sure I will later discover something better, but for now, anything is better than smoking. Just my 2 cents.

 

[skoot]

I can't find it now, but somewhere on this site there is a 6 part post that covers everything you need to know. Hopefully someone else can post the link.

 

[akatina]

Welcome, wllfthn! FYI, if you see a term underlined in dots here on ECF (like ECF, atty, clearo, etc.) you can hover over it to get a definition!

I'm sure someone will pop in with some links to nicely priced starter kits (if not, I'll dig up a few). If battery life is your concern I'd say you will likely want an eGO-type setup with at least a 650 mAh battery (actually, 2 batteries: one to vape while one is charging). Most kits do come with 2 batteries and a charger.

Chances are good you will also want a kit that comes with clearomizers. The flavor is good and they're almost all easy to use when you're first starting out. Dripping and tanks may or may not come later.

After that the biggest decision is juice flavor and strength. My suggestion is to buy a variety of both. You don't want to be stuck with only 18mg nic when you wind up craving something stronger (like 24mg) OR when you find you're too amped up to sleep at night (which means you need a lower level for nighttime). Flavors are a personal choice and you may very well find you love to vape something you never expected. Right now, I like to vape soda flavors more than anything else! Get small bottles in an assortment of flavors and levels so you can figure out what like right now. The "right now" part is important: as you become a non-smoker, your tastebuds will start to heal and change. The juice you love at first may not be the juice you love 6 months from now (or even 1 month from now).

 

[hvac999]

The day before I stopped altogether, I alternated analogs and e-cigs. One analog then one e-cig. alternating at your normal times. That is how I stopped after 35 yrs. of smoking.

 

[Baditude]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your decision to stop smoking!

It's great that you would be comfortable going with a gear setup that is larger than a cigarette. Those have a very short battery duration. The mid-size "eGo" batteries are much better performers. I've provided an ideal setup in the second link below that can be purchased for under $100 that should get you up and running for a couple of months.

I have no affiliation with the recommended vendors; I only present them as an aid for someone who is new and not aware of what would be ideal for someone new, based on my months of experience.

For a crash course of the commonly used juice delivery devices, check out this picture dictionary:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/cartomizers/343294-proper-terminology-carto-tank-what-lol.html#post7562212

A very nice setup that should get you started is here:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/369128-what-kit-start-3.html#post8309522

Probably more important than the gear you get will be finding a couple of e-liquids that you enjoy vaping all day. It's advisable to order a couple of juice samplers for 2-3 juice vendors to get an idea of flavors that you like. When you find some that you like, order more in a larger bottle. Or, if you have a brick-and-mortar vape shop within driving distance, they generally have an e-juice bar to sample flavors right then and there.

I included a couple of links to e-juice vendors that offer the flavor sample packs in the second link above. There are numerous You Tube videos that demonstrate how to use and fill whatever delivery device you settle on, or inquire back here with any questions that you may have.
___

People have been successful using e-cigs to stop smoking by different methods. Choose which you feel would work best for you. Some go cold turkey, others go 1-2 months by primarily vaping while weaning themselves from the cigarettes. I allowed myself half of a cigarette when vaping did not relieve a cigarette craving. When the next bad craving came, I smoked the second half of the cigarette. By the end of a week, the cigs had become less satisfying and tasting quite nasty, and I began to prefer vaping over smoking. When my last pack was gone, I never had another cigarette and quite frankly have not wanted one.

Be aware that you will not find a e-cig flavor that tastes like a cigarette. Just not physically possible to re-create a flavor of smoke and burning tobacco leaves. It's best from the very start to find a couple of flavors that you enjoy from menthol, mints, candy, fruits, deserts, coffee's, or any number of other flavors.

 

[floatingtrem]

I think the eGo series is a good place to start looking. As far as delivery system, cartomizers or clearomizers seem to be the best jumping off points. I went with clearomizers and have been very happy.

This is the kit I started with: LSOV Clearomizer Kit w/ Case and Juice

I liked it because it was a pass-through (meaning I could use it while it was plugged in to charge), but you could be just as satisfied by getting a two battery kit. Look around a bit. I would not recommend getting a kit that includes the standard tank setup. It's not very good.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[ilovehugehits]

If you want to keep things as simple as possible.
I would consider the Johnson Creek Vea.
JC flavors are amazing. They have a starter kit, that comes with everything you need to fill your own. For about $100, you'll get 2 pass through Ego style 510 batteries. 5 prefilled cartridges of any flavor; which are designed to be refilled. Add one of their smoke juice starter kits; which come with a variety of sample flavor bottles, and everything else you need to make refilling a cinch. All of that for about $100! I am also fairly new at vaping. Started with a South Beach 808 kit off Groupon. Which was inexpensive, but the refills cost a fortune.Then Blu Premium 100, which is great for vaping at work. But has battery and flavor limitations.
I just purchased the Vea myself. It's more cigar than cigarette sized.
The flavor quality and vapor production are incredible. I hope this helps!

 

[wllfthn]

I have probably done the most research and reading on the eGo setup. I think they're probably the most logical choice for starting out.

BUT: I don't know what a clearomizer is..?

 

[Baditude]

I have probably done the most research and reading on the eGo setup. I think they're probably the most logical choice for starting out.

BUT: I don't know what a clearomizer is..?

Look at the first link of my post above.

 

[wllfthn]

Look at the first link of my post above.

So, I assume that these parts are all interchangable?

 

[AJK78]

What do you think the best mid-sized kit would be to start with. I am not opposed to any type, although I have no idea what they even mean (tank, drip, carto??). I would REALLY appreciate any help/guidance/suggestions/explanations to help aide in my search to become SMOKE FREE!

Hi wllfthn,

I had exactly thesame 'problem' as you have. A couple years ago I tried a cheap ecig (the ones that look like a ral cigarette) and although it was pretty good the battery life and cartridge life made me go back to real cigarettes very quickly. Two weeks ago I decided to give it another try and ordered a V2 ecig (also a small real cigarette look-alike) and then I found this forum. After reading some posts I learned that it probably wasn't the best choice and I canceled my order and ordered two Ego C Twist batteries, two Mini Viva Novas a charger and some ejuice. I'm so glad I did. I'm really happy with my Twists. I haven't smoked a cigarette since.

I have one 650mah Twist and one 1000mah Twist (the higher the mah the longer it will last). The 650mah and a Mini Vivi Nova last me all day while I'm at work. When I get home I charge the 650mah and use the 1000mah. The nice thing about the Twist batteries is that they have variable voltage. This means that you can adjust the power. This way you can finetune your vape. Basically the more power you use the stronger the vape. I would definitely get a variable voltage device. All you really need is two batteries, a charger, some juice and something to put your juice in. The starter kits usually contain something you don't really need and therefore I would buy everything separately. Offcourse, if you find a kit that is cheaper than separately by all means buy one. A Vivi Nova is the thing I put my juice in. It is easy to fill and it is transparent so you can see how much juice you have left.

When you buy the charger for the Twist you must get the usb charger and a usb wall adapter. You can charge the Twists without the wall adapter on a copmputer usb port but it will take ages to do so, at least on my laptop. With the wall adapter my 650mah will charge in about 2 hours and the 1000mah in about 4 hours. On my laptop it takes more than double as long.

 

[Baditude]

So, I assume that these parts are all interchangable?

Yes. All will work together. Many of the mini-batteries, or cigalikes, use a different 808 threading, but the ones I linked to all use a 510 thread that will work on an eGo battery like the Spinner or Twist.

 

[ternst2]

I would probably start out with an eGo kit also. Here are a couple of suggestions
GotVapes StartMeUp! New Vaper COMPLETE Kit - Everything Included [gc-NEWVAPERego-starterkit] - $79.95 : GotVapes.com, E-cigarette Supplies - Atomizers Cartomizers Mods Juice and more
Joye eGo T - Tank system - Black | eGo | Starter Kits | iVAPE
the kit from got vapes comes with clearomizers versus the smaller filters that come with the Joye eGo. The clearomizers out perform the atomizer/ filter that come with the Joye eGo.

 

[HOPS]

I have probably done the most research and reading on the eGo setup. I think they're probably the most logical choice for starting out.

BUT: I don't know what a clearomizer is..?

Personally, I would recommend ego twists. It's called a twist because there's a little dial on the bottom of the battery that lets you adjust the voltage output. The "variable voltage" option is nice because you can make the battery "hotter" or "cooler" depending on the juice you're using in order to get the best flavor. A clearomizer is just a little tank the diameter of the ego battery. They are washable and re-usable, but from my experience don't last too long. I like using T3's which are a type of clearomizer, but the base or "coils" are replaceable. So unlike a true "clearomizer", when the coil on the T3 dies you can just throw away that portion and but a new coil instead of having to replace the whole unit. Is There are tons of vendors out there. I use Smokeless Image and they are a great company to deal with. Ecigsupply and VaporAlley carry just about anything you could ever need, but I personally don't have experience using them yet.

 

[wllfthn]

I would probably start out with an eGo kit also. Here are a couple of suggestions
GotVapes StartMeUp! New Vaper COMPLETE Kit - Everything Included [gc-NEWVAPERego-starterkit] - $79.95 : GotVapes.com, E-cigarette Supplies - Atomizers Cartomizers Mods Juice and more
Joye eGo T - Tank system - Black | eGo | Starter Kits | iVAPE
the kit from got vapes comes with clearomizers versus the smaller filters that come with the Joye eGo. The clearomizers out perform the atomizer/ filter that come with the Joye eGo.

Can someone please take a look at the kit from GotVapes and let me know if that seems like it would cover all my needs starting out? Seems okay to me..?

 

[AJK78]

Can someone please take a look at the kit from GotVapes and let me know if that seems like it would cover all my needs starting out? Seems okay to me..?

You don't want an Ego T. You really want something with variable voltage, whether you realize it now or not. You also don't need 15ml bottle applicator kit. You also don' t need the Ego case. An Ego Twist will fit just fine in your pocket. I'm not too sure about the Stardust clearomizers. There are a lot of opinions on clearomizers. I can only tell you that I like the Mini Vivi Nova. You also don't need the cone since you won't be using anything that that cone will cover.

Like I said the kits usually all kinds of crap you don't really need. Just get two variable voltage batteries (Twist, Spinner) two clearomizers (vivi nova, kanger, stardust) a charger and juicr and you're set to go.

 

[wllfthn]

A very nice setup that should get you started is here:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/369128-what-kit-start-3.html#post8309522

As of now, I will most likely end up doing something like this. Big thanks to Baditude for the help. One big question though: What else do I need?

 

[HOPS]

Can someone please take a look at the kit from GotVapes and let me know if that seems like it would cover all my needs starting out? Seems okay to me..?

Seems to have what ya need to get going, but like I said, those "stardust clearomizers" don't last very long (3-6 weeks depending on the juice your using) so you'd want to order some more of those to have on hand, plus 12ml of juice won't last too long either so you'd want to order more juice too...
IMO, I'd get 2 of these eGo Twist 900 mAh CE4 Starter Kit
A couple of these Kanger T3 Bottom Coil Clearomizer (these are the replacement heads when they do die Kanger T3 Bottom Coil Clearomizer )
Pick some small sample bottles of juice you might like. Start out with a place that keeps bottles in stock ready to ship at first so you won't have to wait too long to get what you need like NicQuid | USA E-Liquid | Dripping with Flavor
And maybe pick up a couple of these so you can easily try the juices without having to fill up a whole clearo Joye510 Atomizer, 2.5 oHm

 

[Baditude]

As of now, I will most likely end up doing something like this. Big thanks to Baditude for the help. One big question though: What else do I need?

Everything that I listed is all that you will need.

Two batteries: One to use while the other is charging, and you always need at least one backup to a primary battery.

Two to four delivery devices: Whether cartomizers like the T3 or a couple of vivi nova clearotanks.

Charger: At least one.

Wall unit: Optional. Handy to have to charge batteries if not near a computer's USB port.

Juice: Figure on 3-5 ml consumed daily.

That's it. Enjoy! :

The juice delivery devices and additional juice is all that you will need to order more of from time to time. The T3 and mini vivi nova tank both have replaceable "heads" that can be ordered as you need them. You can find demo videos on YouTube on how to replace them.