my head is about to explode with confusion...

[Sequoia]

I've been lurking around here for weeks......

I have to commend all of you. You really know your stuff.

And I'm looking forward to the transition from analogs to ecigs, but everytime I start reading to educate myself I start getting jumbled up and confused on choices. After a while it feels like i'm in my first biopsychology class in college all over again.

That being said I pray you can be patient with me. I've used the search function, I've watched endless videos. i've read tons of reviews, and instructions, and recommendations. and I get so jumbled up i literally close the webpage until I compose myself and try again.

Before I get to recommendations, let me tell you about my habits now. I feel that if you know what I do know it may give someone an idea about a suggestion of my first ecig taking into consideration flavor (most important to me) vapor, throat hit, draw, etc.

I've been smoking on and off for near 17 years. it's gone from reds, to lucky strikes, to newports, to whatever i can get my hands on. and now for the past few years, I smoke malrbaro menthol....ultra lights. my drags are generally short. 2-3 sec, and I don't inhale direct into lungs, I hold it in my mouth before I inhale.

I'm a half a pack a day smoker, but can easily do without a smoke for a day if i'm inside, around family, stuck in a library craming for a presentation to corporate big wigs... etc.

But I'm looking forward to vaping.. the flavors! the lack of tar, etc. waking up not feeling like i poured tar in my lungs. etc.

But i don't know which one to get...

I've looked at the Joye 510, the Blu, the M403, the janty kissbox and Dura-C, the 810, the "dragon" etc... seriously, I;ve looked every single one... and read positive and negative reviews about every single one.... some of the things I've either read or confused myself on...

• hot atty tend diminish flavor but better throat hit
• colder atty may produce better flavor,
• manual vs automatic. (i'd like one that you can switch between the 2)
• 2 hole vs 4 hole (?????)
• cartridges- don't even get me started... have no idea even though I've read so much
• convenience, dripping vs dipping, etc.

i'm so confused on which to get.... Honestly I want to kick the nicotine eventually, and I'm looking to exchange it with vaping.

please help before I pull all my hair out.

..and thank you for your patience.

i know i have more questions, and i hope you'll forgive me for being so inquisitive.

up in smoke out here in CA,
Sequoia

 

[gep]

It's alot to take in.

My advice: Start out with a basic device for as little money as possible, but don't skimp on the juice. Try a medium strength tobacco flavor and a medium fun flavor in as small a quantity as you can get it. You'll know if it's too much because you'll get a headache and if it's not strong enough, you'll vape it away quickly. Adjust accordingly. Try carts and dripping/dipping. Don't kick yourself if you don't get "it" right away or if you don't quit analogs the minute you vape. There's a learning curve. Take your time.

Have fun.

PS: Everyone seems to like the 510. I've never tried one but they weren't available when I started. I use an 801 penstyle with a Prodigy. I vape 555 18mg from TW but I didn't choose these over night.

Good luck.

 

[anniebananie]

You've certainly done a lot more reading that I did before I finally decided I was just fence sitting and the best way to figure it all out was to just pick one, order it, and give it a go. I ordered a 510 kit (manual batteries) last week. I like it. Once I had it in my hands, it was so much easier to figure out what people were talking about regarding the parts and the processes! I'm sure it's not the only one I'm ever going to own - but I think it was a good starting off point for me. Maybe this isn't too helpful, but I found researching, reading, thinking, looking, just had me running circles - I'm glad I finally just told myself to do it.

 

[Kent C]

• hot atty tend diminish flavor but better throat hit

Not necessarily. Some flavors improve with heat. Throat hit is determined by voltage/heat and nicotine content.

• colder atty may produce better flavor,

Big emphasis on 'may' some, mainly fruit flavors, are better in a cooler vape.

• manual vs automatic. (i'd like one that you can switch between the 2)

Get a kit that has one of each.

Joye Dura-C 510 Manual Switch Starter Kit - Black - freshsmoking.com

email them and ask for an auto battery.

• 2 hole vs 4 hole (?????)

Not a huge factor.

• cartridges- don't even get me started... have no idea even though I've read so much

They vary depending on model - basically where the juice goes. Some are bigger than others.

• convenience, dripping vs dipping, etc.

Imo, it is more 'convenient' to have a large cartridge than dripping which requires you opening up the ecig to put a few drops on the atomizer directly... vs. using a cartridge that holds the juice.

 

[JohnK]

I don't think anyone would argue with you, there is ALOT of information here and it can be overwhelming. The way I approached it was to look at some of the more popular suppliers and models, in combination with those that offer a money back guarantee (usually 30 days). One of the ones that I see mentioned most along with positive feedback, is the 510. That's not what I went with (Red Dragon for me) but everybody has their preferences and it's difficult to tell what someone might like, and make a solid recommendation.

Personally I started with a 2-piece model (pre-filled cartridge + atomizer in one piece) to keep it simple through the trial and error phase, as I learned more by reviewing the info here..........but many of the experienced members here will suggest dripping your own catridges (more control and cheaper too). I don't think there are any terrible suggestions on how to approach it, but in the end, your personal preferences (much of which will be determined as you try different models and capabilities) will make it difficult to say with a high degree of certainty - "get this model from this supplier".

 

[Madness008]

510 has horrible battery life and not much flavor, but it has great vapor and throat hit. Its cartridges are also very easy to refill. The only other one ive tried is the smoking everywhere gold, whicch is the same as the RN4081. It has better flavor, but less throat hit, less vapor, harder to draw and refilling is a pain IMO. I always get a mouthful of juice after I refill one of those. The 510 cartridges take to seconds to fill because the filling comes right up to the top and the opening is very wide. Just pour juice in till its full and you're good to go. Of the two, I prefer the 510, but wish it didnt murder the flavor so much. A newer one to consider is the Revolver. Looks reasonably priced and comes with a carrying case that looks cool, charges a battery in one slot, holds an extra full e-cig in another, holds an extra atomizer plus cartridge in another, and holds 3 more cartridges. Seems real convenient.

 

[Eric in AK]

I'm a newbie: vaping for a week now. My recommendation: make life simple on yourself. Don't order more than you'll need for a fairly short while, because delivery times from most vendors are pretty quick and if you like what you bought or want to branch out you can do so without running short of your initial stuff. So.....

• Buy a 510. They're super reliable in most cases.
• Make sure you get at least 2 atomizers and 2 batteries and a charger.
• Buy 5 prefilled cartridges if your 510 doesn't come with them already.
• Buy 3 or 4 5-mil e-liquids of varying strengths and flavors.
• Buy several refillable cartridges.

That will get you started. It will have enough for at least a week of pretty serious vaping to let you get to know what you like or don't like.

Then order more of everything and consider at that time getting all the gadgets like USB pass-throughs, PCC's, etc.

Your initial purchase shouldn't be much more than $75 from most vendors.

You will love it, if you're like most of us.

[Edit: I bought mine from cignot.com, but right now they're out of the 510. There are other vendors with fast delivery and fair prices. With a basic 510 setup you can't go far wrong. Read the reviews of various vendors, and look for the ones who get a lot of "great customer service...fast order processing...excellent price" from members who've been on here a while. Like I said, I'm a newbie. I got lucky on my first purchase, but I made it on the recommendation of those who took the time to advise me and not confuse me. I'm so grateful to the tons of wonderful members on this forum who are generous with advice.]

 

[Jessielynne]

My best advice is to just purchase an ecig that is not expensive. Start simple and then work your way up the model ladder. And as before mentioned buy smaller bottles of flavors and mgs to see what you like. And never be afraid to ask questions to any of the members because we are all here to help each other.

 

[kno]

it's really just a matter of trial and error

i hadnt found this forum until i had been vaping for 2-3 weeks

i use the blu pack - it's great if you dont want to be too technical and if you're a light vaper it's excellent for on the go ciggy style use

i recommend dripping, the carts dont last long but they give u 25 to start with!

just buy one and work with it

 

[Epheon]

I might be biased.......and the members of the sub-forum I watch have been called that.......but I recomend the Vapor King from Vapor4Life.com.

But befor other who are loyal to their manufacturers jump on me let me state why I chose it.

It wasnt my first e-cig. I found a news link on a website about e-cigs and it seemed interesting. I wanted to quit analogs befor I hit 40, only 2 months away, but I haddnt found a good way to do it. E-cigs seemed to be a way to ween myself off nic while still getting that smoking feeling of inhaleing. I wont say the brand but I ordered a disposable pack from a site...

NOTE: I really dont recommend this method as the battery died on me in an hour and the pack didnt come with a recharger. Oh well 13 bucks lost.

...it worked fine for awhile but the vapor production was low. This was my main dissapointment with it. I need the feeling of a good drag of smoke as much as I do the nic.

So during my own research on e-cigs I found this forum. First thing I did was a seach for vapor amount and was amazed by how many posts the VK had. So I followed a few of their links, watched some vids, read user reveiws, and came away impressed. I made my order on 9-27-09 and got it 4 days later on 10-1-09. I havent looked back since. Tons of vapor, excellent product and customer service, fast delivery, and more flavors than I care to try. As long as the FDA doesnt go full Commie mode and totally ban e-cigs I see my self being a V4L customer for a long time.

But just to be fair to all the others out there check the manufacturer forum here. Look for alot of good posts about the product and also how many are watching those sub forums......<-- IMHO that counts for alot.

J-

 

[NightShadow]

I have only been using E-cigs for a week, but my 510 enabled me to stop smoking analogs the first time I used it.

I also lurked here for around a week reading a TON of posts and found this to be an awesome comminity and rescource, and am very gratefull it is here for me to benefit from the experience of others.

As far as an automatic verses a manual, I can tell you that after the first few tries pressing the button was second nature for me, so a non issie here. YMMV. If you worry about this, some kits offer Both battery types in an inexpenspensive kit, and if you find yourself on the fench, I would suggest that route.

I can't claim to be a "professional vaper" by any means, just offer my opinion and insights to my opinions and choices here. Which is basicly all anyone can do here, albiet to a greater extent for those that own every PV known to man!

Anyhow, I did mention I was able to stop smoking analogs with the trusty 510. Now for my caveats / suggestions.

As above, consider getting a kit with both batteries if you feel you do not like pressing a button, the battery type either way on the ones that *LOOK* like an analog are inexspensive ($10-15) so its easy to try both, some love the Auto, others swear by the manuals, some like both for different occasions.

Do get at least 2 batteries, 2 attomizers, a charger, some various strengths, and multiple flavors. ( I was on the fence with flavors myself, now I know I dont want any tobacco flavors ever again) and at least 1 bottle of juice if you select a model thats refill friendly unless you feel that the "fiddling" with juice, carts etc is just not for you and go the cartomizer route which to be honest I feel is very convienent, just less fun, and more expensive to boot.

The first day using my 510 with 18mg juice/carts I did get a bit light headed and was thinking a lower strength might be better, but the next day I had adjusted and have not had a recurrence of this.

I feel a lot prospective vapers tend to look for something that looks / feels like an analog, while I did this myself in hindsight for ME I find this is a much less of an issue than I thought it would be.

I am now looking at much larger devices to use, as I find myself desiring longer battery usage and a bit more vapor also. I have also ordered DIY juice kits and supplies, multiple flavors etc.

I still will not knock the 510 kit I selected, for the price it is a very good way to see it you will like them or not. ( The 901 comes to mind as another highly suggested starter, typicly an auto but they now have manual batts also and some let you select or come with 1 of each as well)

If you do want to upgrade latter on you can easilly find a mod that takes whatever atty / cart you start with, juice will basicly go into most anything also.

Good luck in your quest and let me know if there is anything I can assist with!

 

[Lyndale]

When you do decide on a model you want to buy, check out the various vendor subforums for feedback from their customers. The good thing about this site is that most of the vendors who have subforum space here look like they are incredibly fast at order processing, shipping and provide insanely excellent customer support. Although there are likely some great vendors who aren't on this site, I'd rather err on the side of caution and buy from one of the many vendors here that have great reputations.

Now if only our vendors would branch out into the airline business. Wouldn't it be nice to have any questions about your flight, or any issues handled in a reasonable time frame as opposed to the current major airlines' records of NEVER? Just sayin'...

 

[Sequoia]

WOW!

I never expect the quickness and helpfulness of all of you. Honestly I was gonna wait a week and type *bump*

I think I am going to go with a 3 pc e-cig like the 510 or the dura-C. I like the Size of the M403 but I I need to let go of the "analog" mentality. Someone wrote that as vapors we want to embrase the fact we're not smoking analogs so having a white/tan e-cig with an orange LED just screams to me "i'm not ready to let go yet..." haha

I am concerend about some of the flavors being compromised on the hotter attys in specifically the 510, as I want to try to move away from the tobacco flavore which reviews tend to se the 510 is excellent at. But the cost savings from analogs, and the relative costs of e-cig and e-juice, I'm thinking of getting 2.

seriously what will i be out? 60-70 bucks, but with a better knowledge of vaporisers. I know i may not get it right on the first shot. but I'm ok with that. perhaps i'll use different vaporises depending on either the flavor or expectation...

That being said I'm going to go with the Joye 510 (unless someone can steer me towards the Dura-C ...but i do like the blue LED.

and any suggestions for a "cooler atty" or a model that may provide better results with some of the sweeter, non-tobacco flavors? with good vape?

and if i didn't say it earlier...

thank you kindly for all your help, either writen on this forum post or the multitudes of post contained here...

 

[Sequoia]

please forgive the horrific spelling and grammatical errors. I am educated.

 

[Snarkyone]

The Joye 510, Dura, Titan, are all the same thing. If you don't want the harsh vape but do want great taste and good throat hit I would recommend a 401 like the dragon from Truesmoker.com. I have a 510 and a m401 and I prefer the m401 over the 510 hands down. It is much smoother and flavorful, and the battery life is way superior. I smoked for 32 yrs and stopped the very day my Dragon arrived. I also hear great things about the Sidesho from ModernVapor.com which is based on the m401 but 2nd gen technology it appears since it is not compatible with the m401. It can't hurt to check it out. I would also take a hard look at the cartomizers like KR808D-1 which is the same as the VK, RIO, or a couple of other names. The 510 is a good E-Cig if you want the harsher hit, and don't mind the crappy battery life, fiddling with the carts is another story but short of cartomizers which are far from perfect themselves any kit is going to require fiddling with carts unless you are wealthy and can just buy prefilled carts everytime. Try not to stress too much over it, I am just about positive that if you stick with E-cigs within the next month or two you will get another model. 99% of us own multiple models.

 

[Elapid]

Like some others I use the 801 with the Prodigy. The 801 is still the workhorse e-cig, sometimes I think it gets overlooked for newer models. It is a good PV and the price is good most places. Outside of the PCC if it's made for the e-cig, there's one for the 801. The best part to me is the volume in the 801 cartridge and the good vape it produces. Even with the large volume cartridge, with the Prodigy I end up having to fill her up quite a bit.

HTH, Elapid---<

 

[NightShadow]

WOW!

I never expect the quickness and helpfulness of all of you. Honestly I was gonna wait a week and type *bump*

I think I am going to go with a 3 pc e-cig like the 510 or the dura-C. I like the Size of the M403 but I I need to let go of the "analog" mentality. Someone wrote that as vapors we want to embrase the fact we're not smoking analogs so having a white/tan e-cig with an orange LED just screams to me "i'm not ready to let go yet..." haha

I am concerend about some of the flavors being compromised on the hotter attys in specifically the 510, as I want to try to move away from the tobacco flavore which reviews tend to se the 510 is excellent at. But the cost savings from analogs, and the relative costs of e-cig and e-juice, I'm thinking of getting 2.

seriously what will i be out? 60-70 bucks, but with a better knowledge of vaporisers. I know i may not get it right on the first shot. but I'm ok with that. perhaps i'll use different vaporises depending on either the flavor or expectation...

That being said I'm going to go with the Joye 510 (unless someone can steer me towards the Dura-C ...but i do like the blue LED.

and any suggestions for a "cooler atty" or a model that may provide better results with some of the sweeter, non-tobacco flavors? with good vape?

and if i didn't say it earlier...

thank you kindly for all your help, either writen on this forum post or the multitudes of post contained here...

I also found the time it takes to get a response here almost friteningly fast

As I mentioned My only experience is with the 510 thus far, and for a starter I really cannot fault it. Battery life is now a consideration for ME, a PCC ( personal/portable ) charging case at 20-25 bux can resolve that however.

As far as flavors, Dawns French Vanilla ( www.diyflavorshack.com ) along with my 510 got me off analongs instantly. I am really liking it, its light, semi sweet, just plain GOOD.

I have tried a few different tobacco flavors, as I had thought thats what I would need to have the smoking feeling analogs have, for me this was wrong, and I will not be using them any more. You may differ however, so just try some that sound like you might like them and see for yourself is the best advice I can give.

Severl places offer sampler kits also, which I think is a cheap way to find out of a flavor is good for you.

I am expecting my DIY kit with Cream Soda, Cheesecake, Chocolate and Bavarian cream from Dawns.

I also have a shipment on its way From Nhaler (that have been highly reccomended here at NHaler ) with some 60mg unflavored for mixing, along with a sample of his Almond Joy.

I am also awaiting some Capellas Vanilla Custard that Sun Vaporer found after questing for the ultimate vanilla for over a year here: DIY LorAnn Flavouring

I added some Cool Mint to the above order.

I found I also really like Coffee flavors, just not for my main vape.

Hope this is helpfull, and Happy Vaping!

 

[Allestaria]

Snarkyone has some very valid points.

I've had my 901 which I do like. The battery lasts me almost all day. I go through less then 2 carts a day. But I do have to fill them myself.
I do not drip/dip as the hit is way to harsh.
My 901 is very easy to draw off of. And takes less then an hour to charge the battery. Atty gets a little warm. But not hot at all. It has a shut off so you can't over do it and burn the atty up.
Its been very easy to maintain. I lay my atty's out every night to dry upside down on a paper towel.
I enjoy my 901 its not the best but it works for what I need and it can and will produce a harsh hit if you draw off of it like some people do.
I like you do not take hard hits off of cigs. And with this one I don't have to draw for 5 seconds to get a good hit. My normal cig draw gives me the right hit.

But I am not 100% happy with it. As with any normal cart you can't keep track of flavors and you have to clean them and refill them. So I have 10 empty carts and I cycle through them. Once I use one I toss it into an old pill bottle (child safety cap) and toss it in my desk. Once I have 2 carts left I'll pull out the old ones wash them up and repeat.

Now I intend to buy one of Vapor4life kits. As it comes with everything you need for 90 bucks. Its a great deal. Wonderful customer service and its customizable. And I can get cartimizers where I do not have to guess which flavor was in the cart yesterday. I don't have to worry about the attys going out. I don't have to worry about having customer service issues. It comes with a personal charging case. A carrying case and a usb passthrough. Which is major.

The kit I got for 100 bucks. Came with 2 batteries 2 attys 3 types of chargers though one I didn't receive. A carrying case and 15 carts. And I didn't even get to pick a flavor.I should of shopped around more. But I fell for the pink 901.

If you don't want major throat hit don't get the 510 or a manual battery. Those do give throat hit. And are harsher.

When it comes to flavor. That really depends on you. I find my 901 does fine on flavor. Now don't except to have the taste like you just ate,drank fruit or whatever. You get a decent hint of it. It does linger and lasts for some time. (At least for me) But it is not strong like you just ate or drank the flavor that is added. It might be different with different juices. I've only tried 6 so far. This is what caught me off guard. I expected to actually taste it. But its a hint, tease, sample of the flavor.

Str of juice. This is where you have to test. I was a 2 pack + a day of Marl Lights. I'm finding out that I might of lite that many but I didn't smoke that much. 18mg should of been fine for me. WRONG. I got high off of them. Headache felt out of sorts. So now I'm going to cut the 18mg I have in half and see. I've also ordered nonic juice. Just for those times I wanna hit but don't want the nic. Which will help for those times I want the action of smoking but don't need the nic. I think that suggestion came from Snarky. And was a great idea.

Less hit go for something other then the 510. Later on once you get used to it you might decide you want the 510. But I don't suggest it for someone who is not a hard draw smoker.

 

[Kent C]

I think I am going to go with a 3 pc e-cig like the 510 or the dura-C.

I like the Size of the M403 but I I need to let go of the "analog" mentality. Someone wrote that as vapors we want to embrase the fact we're not smoking analogs so having a white/tan e-cig with an orange LED just screams to me "i'm not ready to let go yet..." haha

I am concerend about some of the flavors being compromised on the hotter attys in specifically the 510, as I want to try to move away from the tobacco flavore which reviews tend to se the 510 is excellent at. But the cost savings from analogs, and the relative costs of e-cig and e-juice, I'm thinking of getting 2.

seriously what will i be out? 60-70 bucks, but with a better knowledge of vaporisers. I know i may not get it right on the first shot. but I'm ok with that.

I like that 'not ready to let go yet' quote... I missed it along the way. You'll never regret getting a 510 and the reason the 510 can run warmer is that there is a tendency to hold on to the button longer than needed. Yet, some flavors respond to warmer vapes. It's like food some like banana foster some like eating a banana ;-) Any flavor won't be terrible on the 510 but will taste better on another and ones that have little or no taste on a 901 (as one 901 user recently stated) taste better on the 901 atty on a high voltage mod that creates more heat than a 510.

That said, I have a Janty stick that has a cool vape where some flavors are better - I like RY4 and menthol and wife like her 'Hilton' on the JStick. It really doesn't look like a cig So if you don't have a problem with that, that might be in your future but you can get a 510 or something else for now.

Unfortunately the vendors of the less expensive kits, cignot, Rocky Mountain vapors and Nhaler are out of black 510's although Nhaler has a silver one (and pink and red ones). If you were just 'trying this out' without knowing whether you might do it 'full time' I'd suggest here:
Joye Dura-C 510 Mini Essentials Kit - freshsmoking.com

...for a small investment, but with one battery, you'll be waiting if you really like it. They have the full kit there as well for a decent price two full ecigs, charger, etc. About the best price US that has black. Also here:
(no LED)
Starters

Deals & Steals

 

[pistolpete]

OK you will need a USB Passthrough, and this http://thehouseofvapor.com/Joye510.aspx, or may be this,PureSmoker.com - Home of the USA Built PV !!! I have a DSE 801 and love it but if I had to do it all over again it would only be the Protege with the 510 Atomizer, so please don't waste your or my time go with the best