Looking for advice on a first vape - currently looking at Vamo V2 / ProTank 3

[Entrepreneuria]

I've decided to take the plunge, and go ahead and buy my first vaporizer. I've got experience with minis, but find them wholly unsatisfying... Not enough vapor, etc. for my tastes.

I'm pretty sure I'd like an APV - don't think I'd like a boxmod, but I'm open to suggestions. I'd ideally like to purchase something now that I won't have to worry about upgrading 6 months from now - in other words, I want something that's good enough for an experienced daily user.
Looking to spend not much more than $100 on the setup (minus juice).

I definitely want something that will be an all-purpose vape. Something I can use on-the-go or at home.

I was recommended the Vamo V2 and ProTank 3 combo. I found the V2 for $50 with 2 2150mAh 18650s / charger, and the ProTank for $20.

That said, I'd like some input on that setup as well as any alternate recommendations. Are there any extras I should buy now to save trouble later (atomizers, etc)?

I was looking at the Tesla as well, which I really like the looks of, and which from what I can tell is equal in quality to the V2 - just $20 or so more expensive (though it comes with a Texas Tuff Tank, so if those are decent enough quality, it comes out even).


I currently smoke 1-2 PAD Kool XLs - I'm guessing 24mg is what I should start with? I would go higher, but I'm worried about getting something too strong and ending up having to go back down to the 24mg. Would love some advice on favorite flavors of juice.

In addition, any random advice that anyone has on anything vape-related or any info that would prove helpful to a complete noob would be greatly appreciated.
Last but not least, if anyone knows of any good deals on something that seems like it would fit my needs, or on specific retailers, I'm all ears.

 

[Baditude]

My suggestion is to do research on each mod that you are interested in. YouTube is a great resource. Do a YT search. PBusardo and Scott igetcha69 are my favorite reviewers who give detailed & in-depth reviews of many e-cig products.

Don't skimp on batteries. Batteries will be the most important investment of your setup. Be sure to get a decent charger, too. Pila, Xtar, and Nitecore are the better chargers for mod batteries. RTD Vapor is a great vendor who specializes in mod batteries and chargers.

You'll want high drain batteries for whatever mod you decide on. BATTERY BASICS FOR MODS: IMR OR PROTECTED ICR? The better batteries are offered by AW, Orbtronics, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo, and Sony. A recommended list of batteries with model numbers is included in the above link. You won't need one of the batteries listed which has over 10 amps, as those batteries are for sub-ohm coils which your regulated mod won't be able to do.

For the types of "tanks" that you can put on your mod, look over this blog:

PROPER TERMINOLOGY: IS IT A CARTO, A TANK, OR WHAT?

 

[MartinR]

Hey I'm new to the forum as well, but I have been vaping for about a year and a half. The Vamo is a good choice for beginners and experienced vapers. I believe there is a Vamo V3 out now as well. You might also be interested in the Innokin iTaste SVD. I use it and it functions great. You will thank yourself later if you get a variable wattage device now, trust me. Make sure you know whether the Vamo takes button top batteries or flat top. I know the SVD will take either. You'd be good to go with a set up of some 18650 MNKE IMR 30 amp limit batteries (if you ever wanted to get into mechanical mods, these would work well too for that depending on your set up). Since the Vamo only goes to 15 Watts, the batteries would handle it no prob. The ProTank is a great buy because you can learn to rebuild your coils and save a whole lot of money. You are on the right track. Its really all about preference when it comes to juice. I started with 18mg and I was a pack to pack and a half a day smoker. I was satisfied. Check out ..........()com, they have a bunch of flavors.

 

[MartinR]

Check out Juicy Vapor

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Agreed on the above comments regarding doing some vid review watching. As a starter list of battery devices (you can use this to narrow your YT search), very popular APV's would include:

iTaste SVD
iTaste MVP (battery is internal and fixed)
Sigelei Zmax
Vamo V2,3,or 5

All of these have VV/VW, which is nice, and all but the MVP take any of the 3 main sizes of batteries (18350/500/650). The Tesla you're looking at (assuming the VV/VW model) only takes the 18650 battery, so is a little restrictive in that respect. It's a good device, nevertheless.

Another one to consider might be the iTaste VV V3. It's the MVP's little brother, with the same features but a smaller battery and, thus, a small form factor. This is a very popular one as it's quite light and relatively small - good for portability.

Some peeps might try to get you to consider the Provari, but it's quite pricey at >$200, although a very, very accurate and sturdy APV.

 

[Wolfmeat]

Hello Entrepreneuria,

Starting off with a mod is probably not a bad idea. I was smoking 4 cigars a day and purchased an E-Max Pro kit just over 2 weeks ago. I think this is a great kit from a great vendor. It worked well but the 650 mah batteries weren't lasting more than 3-4 hours. I used the E-Max tanks or a Mini-Pro single coil tank that came with the kit. This lasted a little over a week and I'm now using an iTaste MVP2 with the same tanks. I've upped the voltage to 4.0 from the 3.7 that the E-Max kit uses. I found myself vaping more than I was smoking.

When looking at VV mods you might find this thread useful: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/5569-13-why-provari.html

Especially look at the section on voltage regulation if you are thinking of a Vamo.

That leads me to the issue of e-juice strength. I liked strong cigars. I've been using 18mg and 24mg juice. I started with the 18mg because I had some of the same concerns you have. I quickly ordered some 24mg juice and I like that better. I'm going to try some 36mg and see how that is. Remember that without the smoke you're not going to have a CO buzz to go with it.

As far as juice flavors I haven't tried enough. I've used the USA Red Mix and USA Mix from E-Max in 24mg nicotine levels and both are good. I've also tried the Alcazar Cigar from Want2Vape in 24mg and liked that better. I'm ordering 30ml at 36 mg to try.

Good luck with your journey. You're gonna feel a lot better vaping.

Wolfmeat

 

[MartinR]

I've used the SVD, MVP 2, and VTR all from Innokin. SVD and VTR regulate 3-15W while the MVP 2 goes 3-11W I believe. VTR is a heavy one and a bit pricey. You can get the same performance out of the SVD at a better price.

 

[Slots]

I was recommended the Vamo V2 and ProTank 3 combo. I found the V2 for $50 with 2 2150mAh 18650s / charger, and the ProTank for $20.

I see your looking at FT.
I have several Vamo 2's from them.
I have had no problems and I love them.
I use all of them daily, as I like to switch off flavors, and don't have an ADV.

Do NOT buy the "kit"
Just buy the tube (Vamo) only.
Their batteries and chargers are no good.
I like FT, but you have to be selective when you purchase, (and willing to wait for a slow boat from China)
Buy the batteries and charger from RTD like Baditude says.
Get the "button top" in both 18650, and 18350, so you can use it in the shorter or longer style.
Get at least 1 of each so you can charge one while using the other one.
You can decide later which size you like the best, and then buy more.
Enjoy

 

[Entrepreneuria]

Do NOT buy the "kit"
Just buy the tube (Vamo) only.
Their batteries and chargers are no good.
I like FT, but you have to be selective when you purchase, (and willing to wait for a slow boat from China)
Buy the batteries and charger from RTD like Baditude says.
Get the "button top" in both 18650, and 18350, so you can use it in the shorter or longer style.
Get at least 1 of each so you can charge one while using the other one.
You can decide later which size you like the best, and then buy more.
Enjoy

That helps a lot, thanks.
I'd probably be willing to pay a bit more and get it all faster - are there any good sites you can recommend where I can buy everything from one place that has decent shipping times (would be nice if I could get my juice from the same place as well)?

Also, is the difference between the V2 and V5 enough to warrant going with the V5?

I was leaning towards the Tesla, but I'm thinking I can't go wrong with the Vamo. I'm also looking at the SVDs now, but still think the Vamo is in the lead.

 

[jwag1973]

You can get a Sigelei ZMAX V5 Kit on ebay for $69.99. Comes in a sealed box, includes the "mod" 18350 &18650 batteries, a charger and a cheap clearomizer. Sigelei makes nice equipment, IMO. That leaves enough for a Protank 2 or iclear 30. I personally like IBtanked brand cartomizer tanks, a very good value for a high quality pyrex carto tank. I know you said you might not want a box mod, but I'd give some serious consideration to the Innokin MVP2.0. They're compact, very well made, are VV/VW, offer some serious battery life. I have one and will always have one in my arsenal. As far as nicotine level, 24 should be fine. You might want to grab a bottle of 24mg & 18mg nic, you can switch back and forth to see the difference. Also...I'd pick up a box of extra coils just to be safe. There are a ton of excellent online vendors selling everything you'll need or can think of. Take some time and search around for potential products your interested in. Good luck.

 

[Entrepreneuria]

Found a package on eBay - Vamo V5, 2x AW 18350 700mAh, 1x AW 18650 2000mAh, Kanger ProTank 3, Nitecore I2 charger.
$109 shipped

Thinking about going with this unless anyone knows of a better deal out there. Can't seem to find a site that has everything I need - they all seem to either not stock the ProTank, or not stock decent batteries / chargers.

 

[Imperialbeachboy]

Save yourself the hassle and ditch the protank and buy yourself an aspire nautilus. leaps and bounds better

 

[Entrepreneuria]

You can get a Sigelei ZMAX V5 Kit on ebay for $69.99. Comes in a sealed box, includes the "mod" 18350 &18650 batteries, a charger and a cheap clearomizer. Sigelei makes nice equipment, IMO. That leaves enough for a Protank 2 or iclear 30. I personally like IBtanked brand cartomizer tanks, a very good value for a high quality pyrex carto tank. I know you said you might not want a box mod, but I'd give some serious consideration to the Innokin MVP2.0. They're compact, very well made, are VV/VW, offer some serious battery life. I have one and will always have one in my arsenal. As far as nicotine level, 24 should be fine. You might want to grab a bottle of 24mg & 18mg nic, you can switch back and forth to see the difference. Also...I'd pick up a box of extra coils just to be safe. There are a ton of excellent online vendors selling everything you'll need or can think of. Take some time and search around for potential products your interested in. Good luck.

After reading up on the ZMax, I may go this route if it turns out to be any more convenient... I don't know why I'm having such a hell of a time finding a retailer that stocks the combination of products I need - for some reason the eCig market seems dominated by horrible websites with subpar selections. Have been looking for the past 5 hours for a site with a good selection, and I've been hitting walls nonstop.

 

[ValHeli]

How about the convenience of tank and the flavor of a dripper?

that you can wash?

 

[Cool-breeze]

I agree with papa-laz on the MVP 2.0 as a great starting place. Battery lasts a good while, you can vape while it charges and you can tinker with volts or watts settings to get familiar with the basics. You can find them online around 50ish or even less. I wouldn't go breaking the bank day one with an advanced mod cause I promise you'll find other vape gear to spend the money on.
As far as tanks go I think bottom fed is ideal for learning. The other stuff (for me at least) was very fussy and required me to adjust something when I just wanted my nicotine. But I'm sure others had the complete opposite happen to them.
Liquids: I love Virgin Vapor and I've been hearing good stuff about Vapor Girl. Both use USA nicotine and seem to have good quality.

 

[NealBJr]

I have both the Vamo V3, and V5 and I would reccommend them. From FT, there is only like a dollar difference between the two, so I'd go ahead and pay the extra for the V5. FastTech does have slow shipping times, but that's not their fault. You're getting it at a bargain, but it has to go through customs in China and the US. Put it this way, I ordered a mech mod on the 9th, and it was processed through the New York on the 24th. It's now the 26th, and I'm still eagerly waiting for it. So, patience is required when ordering from Fasttech, but you get a good price.

If you do get it, do NOT get the entire kit. It is better to piecemeal the set together. I bought the Nitecore charger locally, but I paid $30 instead of $20 from Fasttech.

The only drawback to the vamo, is the electronics head is taller than most, so it will be a taller mod. If you look at my pic, the one on the left is my V5 with an AGA T-2. That's provided me with a real easy setup and most of the time I just fill, replace battery, and go. The one in the middle is the V3. Only drawback to that, was it's ugliness. It still works, and I use it as a dripper (as shown with a phoenix clone dripper installed). I can, and usually do, tinker with the wattage setting on the vamo. I usually vape 2 ohms @ 10 watts, but sometimes go to to 9 or 11 watts depending on how much vapor I want at the moment.

Nitecore charger has been awesome. I have four batteries, so two are charging (usually trickle charging) and they charge at a good rate.

I'd probably go with a sony or panasonic battery because of the Amp output. if the battery is rated for a higher output than what you are using, then that's a good thing. I personally have a lower amp rating, and when the battery is at around 3.6v charge, it starts to get warm during use...that's got me worried.

 

[Bunnykiller]

I bought 2 Vamo3's dropped both, ones dead dead, the other has no screen display but still vapes. Vamos hate to be dropped, consider an SVD...

 

[ValHeli]

I drop these all the time and they say "is that all you got?" Consider a mech mod

 

[djsvapour]

Do NOT buy the "kit"
Just buy the tube (Vamo) only.
Their batteries and chargers are no good.

I agree. I bought the body only Vamo V5 and use better batteries and chargers.
The SID is good too. I prefer it to the Vamo.... can't explain why.
MVP? Yup....got one of those as well.