It is normal to be confused with all the different options with PV's (personal vaporizers). I have by no means tried all the different devices. I have read many good reviews from users of the Dura-C/510 PV which is a manual switch device as mentioned by Ken. I am a big fan of the manual switched devices because of being able to heat up the atomzier, no worry of dripping and gumming up the auto switch and what IMO provides good throat hit. Others like the two piece PV such as the Vapor King and it has a good following, also.
Here is a summary of my experience. You can take what makes sense to you and throw out what doesn't. There is a learning curve to vaping:
I read this forum and looked at older forum threads for two weeks before I purchased my first PV (personal vaporizer).
My first PV was a blue DSE901 from Phil at
e-Smokey Treats - Electronic Cigarette's, The healthy alternative to traditional tobacco cigarette's. Phil is a little more expensive than some suppliers but he provides a 3 month warranty instead of 14 days, gives you two atomizers instead of just one and provides a phone number where you can call him which most suppliers do not. Like all suppliers, the kit comes with two batteries and a charger. The battery will last about 2-3 hours before needing recharged although some users reported getting 4-5 hours but that has not been my experience. His 901 starter kit is $69.95 where some other suppliers will sell them for $49.95 or $59.95 but without the extra’s that Phil provides. I would consider the DSE901 a good first purchase and it is about the size of a regular 100 cigarette. (If you purchase from Phil at e-smokey-treats.com, when it asks for a coupon code, use esmoking101 and you should get 10% off.)
Many users like the classic penstyle 801 model which has a larger atomizer and cart and a typical battery charge life of about 4 hours. The draw is lighter, more like a straw (to me) due to having 4 holes in the atomizer and the bigger cart. The 801 is larger and looks more like a big pen instead of regular cigarette. You can also purchase a USB pass-through for both the 901 and 801, which allows you to plug into a usb port on your computer or wall socket adapter and not have to worry about changing batteries. You can then purchase a portable battery pack for the usb pass-through such as this one from Kennsington (
Kensington - Portable Power Pack for Select Mobile Devices - Black - K38021) and make your usb power portable. Make sure the power pack is at least 1000mAh power output.
Most users want an PV to provide the “throat hit” that is most like a real cigarette (analog as we call them) as well as long battery life. Many members have stated that one of the best ways to get consistent throat hit is to get a manual switch PV that allows you to push a button and heat up the atomizer more before you inhale. One that does that well is the screwdriver (SD) from trog at:
- The ScrewDriver - An electronic cigarette that simply works. It is more expensive but it provides long battery life (7-8 hours) and consistent throat hit. And my experience with trog has been outstanding. I have emailed him many times with questions and he almost always responds any where from 10 minutes to an hour or so. There is also now a US supplier of a PV with a manual switch and big battery, the Prodigy, which is being released this week from
PureSmoker.com - Your #1 Source For PV's, Parts, & Accessories!. Here is link that shows a picture:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/puresmoker/15068-usa-manufactured-pv-cash-friends.html
Most members recommend that you use e-liquid or e-juice to refill your carts instead of use the prefilled cartridges that come with the starter kits. Plus it is more cost effective. My recommendation (others will differ on this) is to get a little higher nicotine (nic) strength because you can always dilute it with USP glycerin that you can get at a drug store for $5 or $6 if you find it is too strong. I use 24mg nic strength. The highest is 36mg and there is also 18, 11, 6 and 0. There are many different flavors to choose from. My favorite tobacco flavor is Kent from
www.eastmall.net - Eastmall International Co.,Ltd. It has a smooth but definite tobacco flavor to me. Others like the stronger flavors such as Camel. You can also reduce the strength over time. Another supplier with a pretty good following is
LiquidXpress Hompage.
Hope this helps and good luck.
PS: the smallest bottle of liquid is 10ml and usually costs $9.99. In general (everyone is different) you should get any where from 5-14 days out of that size bottle. In addition, you can wash out the fabric in the pre-filled cartridges and reuse them. The fabric is simply polyester batting which you can get enough for a year's worth for about $5 from Wal-Mart.
Best liked PV poll:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-discussion/14342-whats-your-favorite-pv.html
If anyone can direct me where I can get a starter kit, I'd really appreciate it. 
