Just Starting out - My experiences and a few questions.

[MaileSmyth]

So, I'm still very new to all this. Last week, on a whim I decided to buy a 21st Century Smoke menthol disposable from my Circle K gas station. I tried it enough to know that it would work for me, but mostly let my wife use it (I'd forget to bring it to work). Sunday night, I bought the full Regular kit and have been working with it to at least cut back on my regular cigs. Research might have turned me away from the brand had I done it, but I was impatient to get started.

May as well give my opinion on both setups. The disposable first. Battery life is crap, and I don't believe it's worth the risk of trying to recharge if it wasn't designed for it. That being said, the cartomizer is still going strong on the rechargeable batteries from the kit I bought, with a decent vapor and menthol flavor.

The kit has the atomizer and 6 cartridges, and have given me some problems until I read a post from another user about modifying the cartridge (cut 1/16" off the end). Originally, sometimes I'd have decent vapor, sometimes next to none, or none at all. Put a NEW cart in, and still none - play with three carts (new and old) and suddenly it works. Then old cart starts working again.

I looked close at the atty, and realized that the mesh bridge wasn't firmly fixed, but would move as much as 1/8" in and out. Modding the cart has vastly improved the reliability factor, as well as consistency (rather than one draw with almost nothing, another with enough, and the rest in-between).

Soon (next paycheck), I plan on getting a better kit (probably 2 so that my wife has one as well) and retiring the 21st to a storage area for emergency backup. Until then I have a little e-liquid on the way to refill the 6 original carts.

I'm considering the Joye 510 kit ($35 no box kit) from cignot.com and would like some feedback from people who have used it. That, and liquids that do/don't work well with it.

 

[brian1g]

The standard 510 is good but something like an eGo / riva is much much better in the long run. A standard 510 battery lasts me about an hour maybe 2 hours but an ego lasts 6-8 hours on a single charge. You can also run lr cartos / attys on an eGo which is another huge plus.

 

[.gregory]

http://www.liberty-flights.com/product.asp?id=55

 

[Ariel_MX]

I also think a standard 510 or maybe a M401 with PCC could be good, but i agree with brian1g said, i think a modest eGo 650mAh battery will do good, i prefer 900mAh and 1000mAh but are bigger. I would not recomend and eGo-T kit, the atomizers performs ok for one 1 or 2 weeks, after that some regular maintenance is required. I have notice that some sweet e-liquids affect the atomizer performance and after using them the atomizer requieres dry burn for cleaning.

 

[Astatine]

I have been a 510 user for a few months and I upgraded to the eGo.

I agree with brian1g. Skip the Joye 510. Go directly to the eGo / Riva. It's as easy to use as the regular 510 without all the annoyances. I have an hour commute to and from work and the tank is a god send for the driving.

 

[MaileSmyth]

I did look at the eGo / riva. I don't think i'd like it because of the shape and size. I like cigars and pipes, but don't smoke them for that very reason.

I'm trying to figure what is best, without over-thinking everything.

Manual vs Auto? the kit i mentioned will let you get one of each, which I would probably do to find out which I prefer.

Looks - the closer to a real cig, the better - I'm still working things out, but the closer I mimic the 'real' experience, the better it works for me. Vape inside (strict outside smoker), and i set it down after a few puffs, then go out to smoke within 30-60 minutes. If I go outside, sit in the same chair I smoke in, take the same amount of time as I'd regularly spend, and I don't even think about a real cig for hours.

Weight - larger battery means more weight, and I tend to hold cigs/etc in my mouth. The 21st feels bulky and odd when I do this, so an eGo would probably be even more so.

Battery life - If I have two batteries, and a car and USB charger - I'm good to go no matter what, because I can't think of a single moment when I haven't been more than a 5 minute walk from my car/ a computer, or both. Plus I wouldn't mind carrying an extra battery or two to supplement my main two. I currently have two batts, 5 carts (one with the atty in it) the carto from the disposable, a spare rubber cart cap, and the usb charger in a $2 aluminum wallet (basically a cigarette case with two elastic straps per side, rather than one) I bought at 7-11 and never had a use for.

I'm not ruling out the eGo (or ANY model for that matter), I just think that at the moment, it might be the wrong choice for me, and want to find what will suit me best.

 

[Boodle]

I'll jump on the Ego/Riva bandwagon. They're essentially the same thing and a fantasitc next step. Kgo is another choice in the same price range with a longer-life battery and higher voltage. That little bit more umph is nice. If you get and Ego/Riva at Liberty Flights, be sure to click the 20% off on the front page to get the price quoted here. Kgo kits run $40 at Breezesmoke and $45 (in chrome) at Hoosierecigsupply. All of these will rock your world compared to your current setup

Suggest you buy from a supplier here on ECF whatever model you choose. Direct access to the vendors is fabulous, especially at the start. Good luck!

 

[studio52]

All very good advice, The Ego kits are a great place to start vaping. They just work.

 

[MaileSmyth]

Price also matters, as the more costly the kit, the less likely my wife will OK it.

On a side note, I mentioned getting two kits, one for my wife. She believes that the eGo is ugly and says she wouldn't want to go near it, which is another reason I considered the 510......

 

[Shannon65]

I started with the same type (from a convenience store) that you did. I then bought a 510 kit with PCC with an atomizer and cartridge to refill. I liked that a lot at first but got sick of burnt out attys and mouthfuls of juice, so I switched again. This time I went back to a 2 piece model but got the KR808D-1 from Halocigs.com (the G6 kit) and I absolutely LOVE it. The batteries are lasting about twice as long as the 510, it doesn't leak, the cartomizers refill easily and I haven't burnt a single one yet refilling. The Halo e-liquid is very high quality and made in the US in a lab as well. Fast shipping and excellent customer service. I haven't heard of a single person being disappointed in the G6 kit, either.

 

[tmcase]

If you've got your mind set on a 510 and think that is best for you than go for it. You'll get lots of vapor & flavor, not sure about TH because I started with an eGo but I have a 510 PT and I love it. I would just recommend that you have plenty of spare batteries on hand and get a PCC. People here will make very good recommendations but you do what is best for you.

 

[imbt01]

eGo/Riva......ahhhhhh , now that's more like it.

 

[LusciousPuffs]

If you want a standard analog cig size, I recommend that you get at least 2 510 passthroughs (one for at your computer, one for driving in the car attached to your USB car charger) and also get at least 2 510 auto batts if you don't like the idea of the manual button -I have an auto 510 battery that I think works great -the 510 mega batteries would also be a good choice if you don't mind a longer "cig".

 

[Shannon65]

In this video the KR808 battery and cartomizer used is from the Halocigs G6. It shows the difference between the 510 and 808 cartomizers. The 808 has better battery life and better performing cartomizers (horizontal coil), so if performance is important to you the newest KR808D-1 models are just superior to the 510s.

 

[casey8579]

The 510 is a good choice to start with, and cignot is a good supplier. I have ordered from them and never had a problem.

I started with the 510 2 yrs ago and is the only one I've ever had. That and a passthru is all I need. Like you I always have access to power to charge so I'm not concerned with battery life. And I like the small size, tuck in the shirt pocket and never know its there.

 

[Nicko]

You can get a small e-cig like the 510 but you will be constantly changing the batteries. Get something like an eGo mega and the battery lasts me most of the day.

 

[GayleMarie]

Check out this forum, it has a wealth of info, that confused the heck out of me. Personal preferences. First decision, automatic or manual. Second, cigarette look alike or fat batteries. I would have loved to have found the ECF site prior to all my trial and error purchases. Finding the device is only half the battle. Next is the ideal e-liquid. The never ending quest. I quit smoking 6 months ago, I love my IGO, and my go to liquid vendor is kick bass. Good luck, smoking for 40 years and I am amazed that I finally found a way to kick the habit.

 

[Shannon65]

You can get a small e-cig like the 510 but you will be constantly changing the batteries. Get something like an eGo mega and the battery lasts me most of the day.

I haven't got less than 3.5 hours of heavy vaping on my G6...and have gotten up to 6 hours. This is a KR808D-1 with new technology. The kit only came out sometime in June, I believe. People used to having to use bigger batteries who have done video reviews actually seem quite shocked at how good the G6 is. I've heard good things about the Volt as well although I've heard the G6 is slightly better.

 

[phager]

I've been using a 510 for the last week, and while it's a great little device, I'm finding I have to charge the battery nightly, and that's with pretty light vaping. Because of that, I'm strongly leaning towards picking up a Riva starter kit. You can get the Riva 510 lite bundle for 29.99 with the 20% off link in the top left corner of the page, which is a great deal.

I can totally understand not wanting a large PV, and if you're fine with the frequent recharges, the standard 510 is a nice unit, but you are limited by not being able to use LR cartos. On the bright side you can always use your 510 stuff on the Riva (or eGo) when and if you decide to upgrade. This was part of the reason why I decided to try out vaping with a 510, always good to keep you options open.

Welcome to ECF and whatever one you chose it's still better then analogs!

 

[MaileSmyth]

What is the real difference between standard and the LR cartos?

I haven't even decided if I'm going to use cartos, attys and carts, or a mix, but any info helps. Guess that will depend on just how many flavors I want to have.