Knowing what you know now?? What to start with???

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uzzaperez

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Oct 12, 2009
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Perez-uzza to this day
Because everyone's tastes are different, this is what I would recommend to start - the point is to figure out what works for you at the start, and then move forward knowing what you like.

FIRST ORDER from vapor4life
1. Mixed cartos from V4L. I'd recommend trying certain categories to determine what you like: Bananas Foster (creamy desert type vape), Peach (fruity vape), Mt. Do (floral vape), Cuban Cigar (tobacco vape), Blanks (must learn to refill right off the bat).
2. Extra juice in 0mg and 36mg - that way you could mix to find what mg level is right for you.
3. Two auto shorties and one manual XL battery. This will help you find out if you like auto or manual and if battery size is important to you.
4. A charger of course.

SECOND ORDER - misc. suppliers
Now that you have an idea what you like you can -
1. Try some other juices from V4L or others now that you know what strength you want and what category of flavors best suit you.
2. Order a pass-thru now that you know whether you prefer auto or manual.
3. More cartos and blanks.

THIRD ORDER
Now you are ready to establish your set up. With the PT from the second order you will now know if you prefer higher voltage (the PT is 5 volts) or you are okay with the regular 3.7 volts of the batteries. So, now it is time to order a battery Mod in your preferred voltage and stock up on the juices that suit you. For mods, it changes all the time, by right now I would recommend madvapes mini vapestack for 3.7 volts and the GLV-2 for 5 volts. I would recommend getting a mod with a 510 fitting, a few 510 atties, and a 510 to 901/cartomizer adapter.

That way you started with the cartomizers, now you can try the 510's, and from here you pretty much know what works for you moving forward.
 
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ifaieta

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May 25, 2010
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20 dollars for 30ml from a company I have never heard of? 175 dollar kit? 145$ kit.... I mean the kit comes quite a few things, but that's ridiculous.

And they make this bold claim.."30ml Bottle of ECOpure (roughly equivalent to 4 cartons of analog cigarettes":laugh:

From what ive found they are using "intellicig ECOpure liquid" which ive tried alot of other liquids and this brand gave both good throat hit but didnt have that harsh burn like "wicked" e-liquid and some other PG liquids ive tried. There base kit is only $40.00 US and it looks like its an all VG liquid. I guess i just feel more comfortable getting a liquid that comes out of a UK lab rather than china.
 

brian1g

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If I had it all to do over again I would go with a mod right off the bat. I would choose to learn on a silver bullet or the chuck running either @ 3.7v to start with.

I would start with cartomizers instead of attys and carts/drip tips. I would also skip out on all the "cheap" juice and go straight with tastyvapor.

God I could have saved myself so much money lol.
 

$hua

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Apr 29, 2010
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everyone so far has given you some pretty solid input.. especially those w/ advice pertaining to the eGo...

having went from a "Smoking Everywhere" kit,, to a 510 mega kit.. to the eGo.. in the course of about 3 weeks... ive settled on my eGo for the time being...

..for the time being? you ask? Yea.. Here's my advice to you: Buy yourself a 5v Passthrough from anywhere... i got mine from Madvapes.com.. a lot of my "hardware" there.. (tasty juices too btw)... get the 5v PT with out a "in line" battery, iirc it cost me right around 14 bucks... Here's the thing... for 14 dollars you get to try 5v vaping... and I personally have grown to love 5v vaping on a 510 atty and just in the past two days have switched to 5v PT w/ a Carto using Dogs NF carto mod.

i am currently in a predicament.. ive already gone OCD on hardware in the past 30 days... now im pretty convinced that 5v vaping is the way to go.. it just gives me the nice warm throat hit i crave.. in addition to the vapor production being stellar..point being.. i just really dig 5v vaping... but ive spent so much dang money on hardware to this point... what does one do.... keep the budget steady... reduce juice consumption and purchasing for 2 weeks and "save" for a 5v mod..... that being said.. im buying the GLV 2 in ~ two weeks time...

what have i learned? vaping may not be cheap... but cancer is expensive as ****
It may take you a bit of a "learning curve" to find your sweet spot... you mentioned us smoked marl lights i think u said... from what i recall of those ... they had a very light Th.. unless you pulled enough to hot box it... so you may be just fine with a **3.7v device such the eGo.... (** the eGo and many other advertised 3.7v devices run a bit below actual 3.7 volts... if i recall.. the eGo actually puts out ~3.1-3.2? someone please correct me if im wrong...)

just my thoughts...


Edited: on the Juice tip... DIYflavorshack, you cant go wrong here.... madvapes.com has some tasty juices... Nhaler.com , i like their "Lung juice's"... bombdropsvapor.com
... in that order (my preference)
 
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satoshi

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Mar 17, 2010
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I started with a KR808 and if I could do it again, I would have skipped the stock batteries and gone straight to a mod. I've had several manual KR808 bats where the button got stuck not that long after getting them, or the button didn't 'sit' properly. Even with warranties, it's a PITA to deal with.

I also got tired of charging multiple batteries and the PCC...it'd be like I had one 'favorite' battery, and that battery was just the one that worked like it was supposed to.

Now I'm using a mod that takes one 14500 battery and that lasts me pretty much the whole day. I swap out batteries once at night. Box mods (I have two different ones) are small and can fit in your hand for stealth vaping as well, but yes, you lose the cigarette form factor. That just wasn't important to me.

As for cartomizers, I've used both 510 and KR808 cartomizers....the 510 soft-cap cartos look like and act very similar to the turbo/gold label kr808 cartomizers.
 

mistinthewoods

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From what ive found they are using "intellicig ECOpure liquid" which ive tried alot of other liquids and this brand gave both good throat hit but didnt have that harsh burn like "wicked" e-liquid and some other PG liquids ive tried. There base kit is only $40.00 US and it looks like its an all VG liquid. I guess i just feel more comfortable getting a liquid that comes out of a UK lab rather than china.

My juice comes out of my kitchen. the nic base comes from Chris at myfreedomsmokes in Charlotte NC. The VG I put in it comes from the local drugstore and the flavorings come from The Perfumers Apprentice in Cali.
That's prett tight quality control. I'm pretty confident it doesn't have any antifreeze in it.
 

DaliMama

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My juice comes out of my kitchen. the nic base comes from Chris at myfreedomsmokes in Charlotte NC. The VG I put in it comes from the local drugstore and the flavorings come from The Perfumers Apprentice in Cali.
That's prett tight quality control. I'm pretty confident it doesn't have any antifreeze in it.

I second that on the juice aspect! Perfumer's Apprentice is right on with her flavors, great prices and speedy shipping. :thumb:

as for the device...I would likely go back and spend the $100 for the kit that comes with an ego, dse905 and the Stick, just so that I would have several different PV's off the top.

Oh yes, and if I could do it all over again I wish I would have started vaping much much sooner!! :vapor:
 

yoyoma_mda

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If i were to do it all over again, I would've gotten

- 801 batteries (your preference of manual or auto, I personally like auto) anyone sells them, about 10 bucks each and they last 5-6 hours per charge

- 801 to 510 adapters (i like the 801 batteries, but lots of devices will work with a 510 threading (for future upgrades to mods). These are $2.49 at mad vapes

- 510 cartomizers (normally they're for kr808s but I decided on the 510 cartomizers for the threading). These cost $6.75 for 5 at litecigusa and I've yet to have one die on me, i already ordered 35 more cartos so i wouldn't ever worry about it.

with those three components you have a very slick looking device with a long battery life, good vapor production and hassle free cartomizers. The 801 battery i got is silver, the adapter is silver, and the cartos with the stickers removed are also silver.

If you ever want larger vapor production and you decide to move to a mod (i got the 6v copper) the cartos you already have will work AMAZING at high voltage and since most high voltage devices are 510 threaded you will have no problem.
 

rosesense

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    I seem to be on a quest to try almost everything out there. I was just thinking today that my overall best deal is the lazer from Ikenvape, add the batts and you can get either 510 or Kr8/901 setup and a charger. You can buy adapters for very little that will transform to any atty type you like. The batteries last so much longer than the stock kit ones and they are way cheaper to replace.

    I like the Ego, have two sets but the amount of time to charge the batts even with the fast charger is off putting for me. If you need a strong throat hit, the chuck seems to be the strongest I have found. I also love my indulgence but I haven't tried it at 6v yet. Got an xshaler today but haven't had time to evaluate that. For standard kits, I like the 801 since the cart holds so much more liquid. That said, I now prefer dripping with a T-tip.
     

    esibby

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    I would suggest the eGo kit from cignot, I wish I would have gotten that instead of the standard 510, the batteries don't last as long as I thought they would. Also a 5v Passthru if your at a computer a lot, it's a great way to help extend battery life even more.

    And I would also highly suggest a Silver bullet also, I just got mine and the 18650 battery lasts me 2-3 days, the only thing is you sacrifice the more compact size of the smaller eGo or 510 battery. And of course grab a few extra attys just in case. Also some different juices also in case you don't like what comes with the kits that you might buy. It's also a good idea imo to stop by a walmart or something like that to grab some pyramid tea bags and some polyfil for searching for the ever-illusive perfect cart mod (unless you plan to drip)
     

    Buzzy

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    May 19, 2010
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    I started out with V4L - a modified KR808D-1 - with cartomizers. But my personal take on cartomizers is that they *can* be a lot of trouble. And it is very hit or miss as to how many times one can be refilled before becoming unusable. However, that said, they are not expensive.

    I now use a 510 Joye three piece. Cartomizers do hold more liquid than cartridges - convenient. But I do not find it that hard to take two extra cartridges with me. I used 2 to 2 1/2 cartomizers per day, and use 3 to 4 cartridges per day.

    I would suggest:
    a Joye 510 kit with two extra atomizers and perhaps since it is for you and your wife two extra xl batteries. Battery life on the standard 510s is not very good. Manual batteries are more durable than automatics. 4 or more packs of empty cartridges for trying different flavors. Perhaps two or three packs of empty cartomizers, because there are cartomizers made for the 510. That way, you can use it as either a three piece PV or as a two piece PV and see what suits you best. This can be done with a KR808D-1 and some others, but only if you get the right adapters. And a few prefilled cartridges or cartomizers for simplicity.

    Buy both PG and VG eliquid in a variety of flavors. Try both and see what is better for you personally. Be sure to include some menthol flavors since that is what I think I remember that you use now. I found it very surprising to me that I really liked some flavors I was inclined to dismiss, and hated some flavors I was sure that I would like.

    Get good quality eliquid. Some eliquid seems to me to have less flavor than other brands. Tasty Vapor and Mrs. T's Bakery are among the generally well liked suppliers of eliquid.

    If it really works well for you, then you can step up to higher capacity batteries, and get into all of the HV atomizers, or LR atomizers, and so on. But I think that this would be a good way to start, and try it all out.
    IMHO.
     

    clyde2801

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    Golden Green Telescopic Storm. It's simple, reliable (100% mechanical parts that you can get to yourself), has great customer service and versatility-it can take just about any battery and atomizer made using only one adapter. The maker of it is good about providing updates to his mods at little or no cost.

    The us distributor is Vapor Kings - DSE801, DSE901, Joye510 and KR808D-1 e-Cigarette supplies in Oklahoma. When people keep running out of stock on $200 e-cigs, you know they're doing something right.
     

    clyde2801

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    I would get a GG Telescopic Storm and a AFS-V2. That is if I had $312.00 to spend on a PV.
    For that kind of money the maker should fly over to the US and personally tutor me in how to use the AFS at least.

    There's a version of the AFS for the GGTS on the way that will cost roughly 2/3 of the all mods version. Every once in a great while, you can find a ggts on the classifieds site for a modest discount. If you find one, try to act quickly, they're generally sell very quickly.

    Maybe you could sell your mods that you're not using, carefully save up in the meanwhile to get the cash for a used one in the classifieds if another one is for sale. By that time, the new afs may be available at the reduced price. Good luck!
     

    DaveP

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    May 22, 2010
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    Well, I am a newbie and I'm Googling and reading like wildfire to get up to speed. I, like most of you, spent too much on an E-liquid I thought I really liked and found others that were better! I have 3-20ml bottles of 555 3&5 and found that I really like the USA Mix (Marlboro) much better. I also have found that my taste changes from day to day and I need to switch around to make sure before ordering mass quantities again.

    I think it would be nice if someone created a similarity table in a sticky that grouped e-liquid flavors according to their "families". I'd like to see e-liquids listed in groups of "if you like this, then you might also like (list of several others).

    I'd also like to know what I could add to 555 3&5 to make it more like USA Mix. If I could add a few drops of something, that would make my large purchase of 555 3&5 much more palatable. Right now, it's kind of bland and bitter.
     

    rtbob

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    Oct 20, 2009
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    I would start with a 901 kit. More flavor than the 510. I would suggest using KR-808 batteries with the 901 atty. No adapter needed and easily double the battery life. Order at least two extra atty's for backup. Also to conserve on batteries get a USB pass-thru for at home. I recommend a self powered USB hub as a malfunctioning pass through could damage your computer. I also bought a car cig lighter adapter that powers my pass thru for road trips.

    When first starting out alot of people want something that looks and feels like their old buddy the analog. When this wears off nothing beats one of the many battery mods available. I make my own so I have no recommendations for you here.

    My main go to vendor is Litecig-usa. All the above items less the powered USB hub and the car adapter can be purchased there. My hub I bought at Target, the car adapter came from Fry's.

    This may seem like alot to buy right off the bat. If money is a problem start with a 901 kit, two extra atty's and of course some juice.

    rtbob
     
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