Hiya, Tlmoody! Ok, so you're totally cool to use your 2ohm dc's on the lt... I use 1.7ohm single coils on it most often, myself. BUT you'll only be able to vape em up so high in voltage, or the LT will drop your voltage down (you dont see that on the display, though... does it internally) so it doesn't exceed that 2.5 amp restriction that the Lava Tubes with the version 1 internals have as a 'safety' feature. I'm totally shooting from hip here guessing, but thinking a 2ohm will get you in the neighborhood of 4.9v-5.2v. BEST es'planation of this phenomenon is Phil Busardo's fabulous (though 30mins long, and for good reason) review of em. SAVE the charts attached to the review to your hard drive; they'll help you! NOW... all that being said, if you wanna go up to the FULL range of voltages, then you'll probably also want something really low, and of course you'll want something at 3ohms to get right up around close to 6v. I am a HUGE believer in the smoktech single coil 1.7ohms, as a low resistance option, since they're similar to a boge 2.0 but have more intense throat hit, and a tighter draw which is REALLY nice if you got a chrome or a stainless tube at apollo. The draw tends to be airy with those.. but that is actually kinda a good thing, since you can customize your 'draw' to the carto with a few $1-$3 adapters. For instance, I dont use an adapter at all with the smok single coils, cause they're rather tight. But do with a Boge 3.0 (which is what i tend to go to at high voltages), BUT once the boge is a few weeks old, and getting tighter draw, instead of yanking it to clean, i just take off the adapter. I know it sounds complicated, but it essentially does allow you just one more way to customize your vape. SO, you can click the little '1' blog entry under my avatar, and see the photo tutorial I put together to help new people figure out what the heck adapter to buy. lol BUT trust me... even if you don't get any others, order a '3.5ml
tank cone' (pics in blog, with some links to buy em) right away. You might even be able to add one to apollo order if they carry them yet. They're like $1.50-$3, and trust me, you'll want that one for sure assuming you got a 'metal' body tube.. chrome or stainless. If you got a powdercoated one... disregard EVERYTHING about the adapers I just spewed. lol They won't be necessary, nor will all of them work on the 510 'flat top' connection of the original V1 body. BUT if you did get a metal tube, that '3.5ml tank cone' is what you'd use with any standard 510 carto like a single or dual coil filler carto, like those we're discussing, to tighten draw. Trust me, the blog post makes it easier to understand. lol Get it ordered now, though, since people are getting frustrated with the airy draw and having to wait another week for adapter to show up. And lastly, there's basically a million places to buy these cartos, but the best deals I've found live at
Crystal Clear Vaping (15 carto deals... 15 boge or smoktech single coils for about $21, or 15 dual coils for about $32) and
- Deals (5 box deals.. amazing. 5 boxes of boge in mix and match ohms and sizes for $23!!!... killer 5 box deal on smoktech 1.7ohm single coils I'm talking about as well for $32)... however... if you want to try 1 or 2 each of a few varieties of cartos, save yourself the moola and go to
Welcome to SmokTek, LLC - The Better Smoking Alternative - Your source for personal vaporizers, e-cig supplies and e-liquids or
Welcome to MadVapes LLC (both of which would have the 3.5ml tank cone as well, which you also need) because you can buy cartos by the singles, there. I tend to find smoktek cheaper, but that's just me. He gives bulk discounts, so for one or 2 madvapes might be cheaper. Here's what I suggest you try... since you like the dual coils (which I SOOO am not fond of, personally, but many people love em), why not try a ST DUAL COIL 3ohm? I know for a fact both Madvapes and smoktek carry those. Will go up close to 6v, 5.8-5.9ish. And I'd also strongly suggest a Boge 3.0 single coil... will do full range from 3v to about 5.8v, but will be like vaping air at low voltages, and a ST 1.7ohm single coil (aka resurrector/rejuvinator... great throat hit on these.. I like em best at about 4.4v. And that way, you know which you really prefer and can find your 'sweetspot', and you know what cartos to buy in bulk. Now I personally like the 1.7s at about 4.4v most of the time, but then some juices really like high heat, and for me those get a boge 3.0 at 5.8ish volts.... makes a HUGE difference, but honestly, lower voltage option seems just as strong cause of the low res carto. Make sense? Only cartos I kind of suggest you guys stay away from is the 1.25-1.5ohm dual coils.. the amp restriction of 2.5 on the lavatube really won't let you get out of the 3s voltage wise with those, and since the sensation on the 1.7s is about as intense, it just makes more sense to do those. BUT everyone is different, so what works for us might be different than you.. that's why that Phil Busardo review is so important. You just need to know how high you'll be able to vape something in terms of voltage before you spend money on it, to make sure it's likely to satisfy your vaping needs.
Yell out if I confused you utterly... its been known to happen. lol OH, and last thing... I don't know how much money you have to throw at this new purchase, but in the long run, please consider an intelligent charger and a nice set of batteries... batt life is VASTLY improved, and the smart charger is much safer for IMR and high drains, and is just safer overall. I suggest the XTAR WP2 II charger (great reviews on youtube and other places.. best charger you can get, imo... and my opinion is based on opinions much better versed in battery science than I am. lol) and the PANASONIC 2200mah 18650 Hybrid CGR batteries. AW brand IMR 18650s are excellent, too, but not quite as long batt life as the panny and the panny is considerably cheaper at links I gave. And if you bought a 'mini' you definitely want the 18350s in AW IMRs. Both those links are all over the last few pages in this thread, or you can use thread tools to search thread for panasonic or AW and xtar.
They are not essential this very second... You'll be fine on the kit stuff initially. But kit batts die an early death, and don't keep a long charge on a daily basis, and the chargers are just problematic. I just try to get new vv vapers to upgrade pretty quickly and not keep putting good money into replacements that are subpar. Not essential right away, but something you wanna work into the budget as you can. Panny 18650s are about $7.50 each (you'll need 2), AW IMR are usually $7.50-$10.50 depending on size, and the xtar wp2 II is $14 (and is truly comparable to the $50 pila charger, so its a hell of a deal).
Here's that Phil Busardo review with the charts you need.... required viewing for all new LT owners. VERY informative.
Yell if you need anything else, or if I confused you. I'm on 2.5 days without sleep, so that explains that. lol
Taste Your Juice | VZ VV Tube Mod (AKA Lavatube) Full vs. Mini – Vaping Zone
Oh, and as for the prepunched for tank question.. I'll tell ya, that really depends on where your sweetspot ends up being, and which carto is best at it to your taste. I personally use the 1.7ohm smok single coils in tanks, and do find the prepunched (ie perfectly machine punched and plated) cartos handier than something I'd punch myself like a boge. Smoketech tanks, which are what MANY people use, tend to be rather loosy goosy on the carto. So the plate is a nice stabilizing influence. Plus, its not at all complicated to punch holes in a carto with a 1/4inch self piercing 'saddle valve' from hardware store, or a carto punch... but that being said, I tend to manage to screw up about 1 in 4 or 5 that I punch. lol Either the hole is too deep, or pierces the inner tube (that's the air and vapor tube... no juice should get in there, so thats problematic. rofl). So its REALLY up to your preference on cartos. If you vastly prefer a boge 3.0 to a 3.0ohm dual coil for your high voltage vaping (and the boge are WAY cheaper), then its worth it to punch your own, as boge don't come punched and plated. Something like a low voltage carto, where your 'basic' choices are a 1.5-2ohm dual coil by ST, or a 1.7ohm single coil ST, or a 2ohm boge... well, smoktech's are available punched and plated, and the boge aren't.... so really depends on preference. I will tell you,
www.crystalclearvaping.com has fabulous deals on the smoktech 1.7ohm single coils punched and plated, and I BELIEVE he also has the dual coils punched and plated in the 15 carto deals. Both
www.smoktek.com and
www.madvapes.com sell the punched plated ones in singles. So my personal rule of thumb is if neither of those two places has em available prepunched, they don't come prepunched. lol Also, please be careful to buy the SINGLE HOLE prepunched cartos. Some come with 3 holes, and while not all of them flood, they are VERY prone to flooding, and you end up with a lot of juice in your mouth. Good way to get the hiccoughs, and its certainly isn't pleasant.
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