M401 vs. 510 -- Can't decide. :(

[1010chrissy]

Wait a sec...you mean to tell me (by reading this thread) that the 510 for $50.00 (Widow's price) with free shipping and double attys etc, is the same dang thing as the $72.00 Dura C I paid for with single atty with starter kit??? THis makes my wallet ill. I am a widow now. For my xtra parts and accesories. I just ordered a starter kit from her. Dang it that is my bad for not researching more on this forum. waaa$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[roxinal]

Hokay, let's just get it out of the way here and say yeah, I'm a junkie for e-cigs. I have a 901, some random 84mm thing I got off e-bay, and now a BE103 from bestecigs...and now that I feel I have a bit of experience, I want to buy my "final" kit and start putting away supplies for it.

So far, the 901 has been the most reliable, middle of the road device of the ones I own. Okay throat hit, okay battery, okay vapor. It's dependable but meh. The 84mm died after about 3 hits, so I can't really speak to that. The BE103 is nice because the atomizers get hotter than the sun -- great throat hit, and for some reason juice tastes better in it. The batteries last longer, but are more finicky, and the cartridges are tiny.

I have it narrowed down to two models, the 401 or the 510, and I'm hoping someone can tell me what I'd probably end up liking better-- I can't afford to keep trying new starter kits every week!

I like the manual switch idea on the 510, as it seems like the battery would last longer and the vapor would be better -- but a lot of people seem happy with 401s in that regard, and honestly I think I'd be weirded out by pushing a button on my cigarette. I like dragging on my pacifiers.

I think what I'm looking for most, in order of importance, is:

1. Cartridge life. I really do not enjoy getting up every 10 minutes to top off.

2. Vapor production -- even over throat hit, as I like playing with the "smoke" more than I care about a throat hit -- although that's nice too.

3. Appearance. Here's where the 401 has it all over the Dura-C, etc, for me. I love, love, love the brown/wood grain style available for the 401s. I don't like black vaporizers at all; I was goth in high school and I'm done with that now. I hate that the 510s only seem to come in black and gold colors. I want something pretty!

Based on these criteria, can anyone help me out?

Thanks! <3

Hello Annastasia
I just wanted to let you know that e-smokeytreats has four beautiful color 510s in white, beautiful metalic blue, purple and black I think he charges $58.95 for the set Just thought I would tell you since you said you got tired of seeing 510s in just black and gold..
Roxinal

 

[1010chrissy]

Hello Annastasia
I just wanted to let you know that e-smokeytreats has four beautiful color 510s in white, beautiful metalic blue, purple and black I think he charges $58.95 for the set Just thought I would tell you since you said you got tired of seeing 510s in just black and gold..
Roxinal

BUT if she wanting to save the dough, widows beadwork had the 510's for $50.00 with free shipping and dual attys in the starter kit. IMHO you should go with the 510. I have many dura C's and I am told they are the same as a 510. THe manual battery is the way to go. Most like a real ciggarette. No primer puffs and great throat hits. The attys rock and so do the batterys. I will never ever by auto batts again. Push the button for 1/2-1 sec before puffing and the vapor is there waiting for you instead of puffing like a mad woman. Go 510...

 

[xKrazYx]

I have had both the M401 and the 510 and if you're still deciding on the two...the 510 beats the M401 no contest.

It's like comparing a Aston Martin Vanquish with a Honda Civic THB.

 

[1010chrissy]

Thanks all for your advice and opinions!

Does anything other than the 510 come with a personal charging case? I saw the VX2 from litecigs getting a mention that a case might be a possibility; if that happens I think I'll head that way for sure. It does look like a great model. I think I'm going to hold off for a little while and see what becomes available, though the 401 is still something I'm lusting after. The durability and battery life are big selling points for me.

It's funny how loyal people are to their favorite e-cig models! I'm loving all the reviews in this thread, very fun to read.

the 510 has the pcc. it is also known as the dura c. either way they both ROCK. wich ever you decide go manual battery. You wont be disappointed.

 

[Nikko Daniels]

I too don't understand the complaints about the 510 batteries. I charged one last night and vaped about an hour before bedtime. This morning I was vaping on my 50-minute drive to work, then several times an hour for 9 hours, then the 50-minute drive home, then for about 15 minutes... an THAT'S WHEN that battery conked out on me. Yep, almost 12 hours on that one battery charge.

I've only had this for the last 5 days and I know it was from a very recent shipment. Could the most recent batteries be THAT much better than the older ones?

I couldn't be more pleased with my Yeti. I haven't even fired up the second atomizer yet....

 

[gatsby]

I too don't understand the complaints about the 510 batteries. I charged one last night and vaped about an hour before bedtime. This morning I was vaping on my 50-minute drive to work, then several times an hour for 9 hours, then the 50-minute drive home, then for about 15 minutes... an THAT'S WHEN that battery conked out on me. Yep, almost 12 hours on that one battery charge.

I've only had this for the last 5 days and I know it was from a very recent shipment. Could the most recent batteries be THAT much better than the older ones?

I couldn't be more pleased with my Yeti. I haven't even fired up the second atomizer yet....

The issue is relative to other batteries they are pretty bad. If you can go 12 hours on a 510 my guess is you could go two days on a 4081 and half the week on a 401 or penstyle. For me a former 2 pack a day full flavor smoker I can't walk my dogs on 1 510 battery without the PCC. This is why reporting how many hours you get is pretty much useless. I hear people talk about going all day on a 401 battery (which on a straight puff count gets 2.5 to 3 time more than a 510) and I take 3 with me to go shoot pool for an evening. I would guess that if a 510 battery works that well for you you are lucky and will never have to worry about battery life. Habits are pretty relative.

 

[Annastasia]

Roxinal, thank you for the tip on the different colors available on the 510!

I actually ended up buying a VX2 from litecigs last week, and am in the process of trying to break it in...I'm not loving it so far. I'm thinking if this doesn't work out, I am going to go ahead and get a 510. The PCC and manual batteries are more important to me than looks at this point. I'm sick of screwing around with different models; I just want something that WORKS!

Sorry for the terseness. I'm fairly frustrated atm, and analogs are looking like an awfully easy alternative...

 

[Nikko Daniels]

apparently I was lucky with one battery. The other battery from the same kit does NOT provide the same performance, rather more like the other complaints listed prior in this thread...

Oh well..

 

[umanbean]

~snip~
I'm sick of screwing around with different models; I just want something that WORKS!

Sorry for the terseness. I'm fairly frustrated atm, and analogs are looking like an awfully easy alternative...

Me too, Annastasia.... me too!

I started e-smoking March 30th with a 901 kit, and did fine for a while... then felt like I needed more "kick" (vapor, hit, etc.)

So I bought a 2-atty 510 kit, two extra attys and a USB passthru about 2-3 weeks ago. Unfortunately, only ONE of the four attys kicks me like a Marlbro Red used to... two of the others are only so-so (actually not even as good as my better 901s), and one gets hot as a firecracker, but produces NO vapor, no matter what I've tried. I got so fed up fiddling with them yesterday, it took two M'boros and a cold beer just to calm down, after I finally gave up!

Oh well, e-cigs aren't perfect yet... maybe someday?

 

[RazorNribbonz]

Shmigy,

I too love my 401 ( I have both the 510 - "love it too for different reasons"and m401) ..The m401 does have a break in period and you have to learn to draw correctly... but I always get good vapor and I especially love it on the PassThru ( here it works better then my 510)..Its probably the "smoothest" Pv I own as far as - no burn.....And to me it's just a sleek sexy e-cig, perfect for public use with nice battery life...Now it did used to drive me nuts that the carts wouldn't wic all the way ( fixed totally with the crt straw mod)... It is so economical with juice too...
As far as difficulty with the smaller carts..I made myself a rod that's the perfect diameter of the inner cartride... I slide that sucker in fast n easy now, no paperclip"...Not to mention its the only atomizer I can "dip" with = perfect for a two drop taste test of liquids and more for this reason...And it still remains the one I get the most compliments on... It's an economy sports care lol...(laugh) I plan on selling part of my m401 supplies tonight in the classifieds to balance out my stock piles and I am seriously stingily unhappy about it lmao

However, the 510, although I had a little trouble at first adjusting..Is no doubt a little Fog Machine!.. And..And my 901... lmao...OK . I'm a little PV addict... No matter what PV or mod I ever get...I just cant bare to part with any of my stockpiles lol> Mine!..Mine!..Mine! :: clutching em all to me::

By the way Uman, I don't know if you read that thread..But, someone gave a really nice tip, I have found works....Not only should you hold the maual button down for 1 full second before max vapor on your 510 but, also let off the button and continue vaping for another second..Really helps cool down the atty...

 

[Lazarus]

Yo, What I want is a larger capacity 401 cart, which is more like the 510, hmmm...

OK, 401 battery life, 510 cart size and 901 atty.

Anybody got one?

 

[eatmeat]

The 401 is a good little ecig and it dosnt get as hot as the 510 and IMO tastes better.Cola in the 510 tastes like cinamon or the candy "red hots".It gets to hot and kills the subtle flavors IMO.In the end what we want to some is taste and to some is nicotine and others is impresive vapor.Making gobs of vapor and blowing it out dosnt make senese to me any ways.

 

[RazorNribbonz]

Lazarus... You should go check out the thread on cartridge (straw mod)...Its really working for me... Wics waaay more liquid in my cart...Wish I could post a link ( it's a blonde thing) lol but, you could do a search on it

And yes eat, I like to taste the flavor of the liquid...I'm still working with my 510 so I'm not going to comment yet with only a fist impression of this..

 

[Lazarus]

Thanks Razor, I have checked out that mod with the straw and was a little leery of the material.

I made one myself with the stripped insulation from some Romex wire. #14 insulation from THHN works pretty good too. It has a thin wall and narrow diameter with a high temperature rating.

 

[umanbean]

~snip~
By the way Uman, I don't know if you read that thread..But, someone gave a really nice tip, I have found works....Not only should you hold the maual button down for 1 full second before max vapor on your 510 but, also let off the button and continue vaping for another second..Really helps cool down the atty...

Razor, good tip, thanks...

I plan to scour the 510 forum for other tips and advice. I -really- want to love this 510 as much as others here do. I think tho, that the 4th (no vapor-producing) atty just needs to get exchanged under warranty. I've wasted too much precious juice trying to get vapor from it. What I can't understand is, it gets hotter the longer you hold the button (using the manual PT), and I can even see a little red glow inside, but NO vapor!

At first I thought it just needed breaking-in, or "curing", or whatever... but still same problem.

Oh BTW, I already did the straw mod to all my carts too... works great!

 

[RazorNribbonz]

With me, it's not a question of one vrs the other...

They Both fit my needs.... The m401 takes care of my Emotional Needs - It has the smoothest vapor - a little throat hit, yet not burn, as well as more flavor...Most like an analog feel in your hand and perfect for public use..good battery life...And if it does come down to a ban, my 401 will allow my juice to last twice as long ( the cart can be handled with the straw mod as well as the rod I made to quickly insert the cart into the mouth piece, no biggie)..Although the vapor is not nearly like my 510 it does increase a lot more with my Passthru and still no throat burn...

My 510, fits my Physical Needs..Thick plumbs of vapor to play with...Bigger nic hit for when im climbing the walls, without overdoing it all day..... great flavor yet different then my 401 ( cant put my finger on it)... Instant throat hit, yet too much if I use it all day...But when you NEED It... It rocks! lol...With the PCC- no battery worries....

Just get both (laugh)

 

[mokeyjoe]

Well I only have a 401 (EVO), so I can't compare. But I will say it's my first ecig and I'm completely happy with it.

1) I get as much or more 'smoke' from it than I do smoking rollups. Granted, my vaping style is a little different to how I smoke but I'm plenty happy with it. Got 10 smoke rings last night from one drag. I can't even do one on a regular cigarette... (this is with the ECOpure liquid btw).

2) Durable. I dropped it in my cup of tea the other day - just wiped it off and carried on vaping.

3) Dipping! I can't imagine fussing around with droppers and all that nonsense. Just dip the atomiser in the juice and carry on vaping. I just carry around an EVO (or two) and a contact lens case of liquid. Compared to the carts and droppers and bottles other people lug about it's a piece of cake. Less paraphernalia than I carry as a regular smoker in fact.

 

[roxinal]

Hokay, let's just get it out of the way here and say yeah, I'm a junkie for e-cigs. I have a 901, some random 84mm thing I got off e-bay, and now a BE103 from bestecigs...and now that I feel I have a bit of experience, I want to buy my "final" kit and start putting away supplies for it.

So far, the 901 has been the most reliable, middle of the road device of the ones I own. Okay throat hit, okay battery, okay vapor. It's dependable but meh. The 84mm died after about 3 hits, so I can't really speak to that. The BE103 is nice because the atomizers get hotter than the sun -- great throat hit, and for some reason juice tastes better in it. The batteries last longer, but are more finicky, and the cartridges are tiny.

I have it narrowed down to two models, the 401 or the 510, and I'm hoping someone can tell me what I'd probably end up liking better-- I can't afford to keep trying new starter kits every week!

I like the manual switch idea on the 510, as it seems like the battery would last longer and the vapor would be better -- but a lot of people seem happy with 401s in that regard, and honestly I think I'd be weirded out by pushing a button on my cigarette. I like dragging on my pacifiers.

I think what I'm looking for most, in order of importance, is:

1. Cartridge life. I really do not enjoy getting up every 10 minutes to top off.

2. Vapor production -- even over throat hit, as I like playing with the "smoke" more than I care about a throat hit -- although that's nice too.

3. Appearance. Here's where the 401 has it all over the Dura-C, etc, for me. I love, love, love the brown/wood grain style available for the 401s. I don't like black vaporizers at all; I was goth in high school and I'm done with that now. I hate that the 510s only seem to come in black and gold colors. I want something pretty!

Based on these criteria, can anyone help me out?

Thanks! <3

HELLO i DONT HAVE THE 401 BUT I HAVE THE DURA C BUT I DID NOTICE ON E SMOKEY TREATS HE HAS THE 510 IN BLACK, WHITE, PURPLE AND A GORGEOUS BLUE COLOR I HAVE TO SAY I LOVE THE 510
ROXINAL

 

[Lazarus]

I like my 401, the battery life for this analog clone is second to none IMHO. The atty also works great and is easy to clean.

I just wish someone would develope a bigger cart like the 510 or 901.