Need to save Money $$$ -- Ideas?

[MikeB]

I need to fine a way to trim my vaping budget. I hope some of you have some ideas, or better yet have tried to trim your own vape budget before.

Current Practice and Costs:
I've recently switched to BVC's (1.8ohm) and I run them in a Silo Tank on a Provari Mini. My daily vape (all the time) is Halo Prime 15, 6mg, at 4.0v. I vape roughly 10-15ml +/- a day, since my 30ml Halo bottles last approximately 2-3 days (closer to 3). Problem is, this is getting expensive! I don't know what the deal is, but these BVCs are only giving me 1 day of use on average, and they cook through a LOT of juice. I love it, but seriously... money.

I calculate my current costs at about $246 a month considering liquid and coils.

(( $0.61/ml * 10ml/day) + $2.00/coil)) * 30.42 days/mo​

$185.56 - juice
$60.84 - coils
​

What can I do to trim this down???

Ideas / Brainstorming:

Clearly the biggest cost is the juice, so my thought is to start there. I've been reading and apparently ITCvapes has quality juice cheap, but I'd like some other options in case I don't like any of the flavors. How much do you think I can save here? Also, I'm not willing to go down the rabbit hole and start DIY. I know that's the cheapest way, but its not for me.

I'm also considering switching from the BVC coils. I love these things, but $60/mo in coils is kinda high. I've resisted it for a very long time, but I'm considering trying to switch to an RTA. I'll admit the idea of building them is intimidating, but wire and wick just can't cost that much a month. I'm thinking this may be my cheapest option in the long run. I'm not afraid of paying a high up front cost if it saves me over time. I know the Kayfun is popular, but I've also been reading about the Erlkonigin and a few others. I hate the idea of having to drain them though just to swap the coils/wick. I just don't know.

Thoughts? Ideas? Comments? Criticisms?

 

[tj99959]

DIY & wrap your own coils.

Anymore, I vape for free.

 

[Auntie Mame]

Is it that you only like very complex flavors?

 

[Shadav]

not sure on the BVC but yes if you can make your own coils will help less your cost a bit
diy juice also
if you want some good juice at a good price check out MadTown Vapor, dino hasn't let me down yet with his juice.

If you are willing to shop from china FastTech has some great things and great prices, just be sure to read reviews/discussions on products or ask here before buying....some items are junk but most are good, hit and miss but at dirt cheap price

have you tried cartotanks? drippers?
The Eternity is, in my opinion, the easiest dripper there is....if you don't want to build coils you can get them from FT for dirty cheap for a pack of 50.....it's as simple as wrapping the wire around the wick, putting the two ends of the wires into the these tiny pins and pushing the pins down onto the posts....and it holds between 20 and 30 drops at a time

 

[Racehorse]

You can and will get used to your own DIY juice. Just start out making one-flavor juices then you can get more complicated.

 

[Rickajho]

10 Ml's/day??? That's like a dripper experience - without the actual experience.

No matter where you land on the hardware, there is no doubt that DIY would save you a pile of money. You don't have to go totally nut$ to try it out either. a 60 or 120 ml bottle of nic, you can get your VG locally to go with even, a half dozen flavorings and you would be in to try it. But if you are that resistant to even trying DIY you have to get away from a setup going through that much liquid. Or find less expensive liquid.

An RTA or RDA isn't necessarily going to fix that usage problem - it might actually make it worse.

Beyond that we need to know what you do or do not like about that BVC setup before we even begin suggesting hardware. For that matter you left out a lot of info about those liquids. I have seen a lot of complaints on ECF about those BVC's not lasting long, but if you are using dark, sweet flavors no coil may survive the experience more than one day.

 

[Huh?!]

My suggestion is related to tackling the coil issue. Try a quality kayfun clone like an ehpro to see if it works for you before spending the money on an authentic. Building a coil and wicking is simple after your first couple builds. I got 200 feet of wire (100ft 28g and 100ft 26g) from Lightning vapes thru Amazon for $11, and a box of sterile cotton balls from Walgreens for $3.50.

I build my coils about every 1-2 weeks, even though some of them don't need it. I rewick about every 3 days.

As for draining the tank to rebuild, it's really not that much of an issue. After a little experience, you will begin to tell when the tank needs a rewicking. When that happens, just wait until you finish the tank. Alternatively, you can be pre-emptive/proactive and just change the wick in normal intervals. Cost of sterile cotton is super cheap.

Even if you waste 20 feet of wire in trying to figure out the right type of coil to build/perfect your coil building skills/become comfortable with building coils, you are still way ahead cost wise.

My coil and wicking costs per month average less than $1. That is for building 12 coils a month and re wicking each coil after 3-4 days of use (I have 2 Kayfuns and 4 Russian 91s...obviously, not all my tanks see daily use).

I used to be intimidated about building coils and now I actually really enjoy it.

 

[InTheShade]

Have you thought about upping your nic content on your juice? I know for many it is almost always a big no-no, but vaping 10-15ml of 6mg seems like you might benefit from upping to a 12 and vaping less. The cost will be the same for the liquid.

Failing that, wrapping your own coils will save all but $60 a month - wire and cotton once purchased can almost be considered as free it is that inexpensive.

Another thing you can do is purchase your juice at twice the nic content and dilute with plain VG or PG from a local pharmacy or from an online vendor. Sure, it will dilute the flavor somewhat, but you'll save about $90 (based on your calculations) a month.

If you can find a liquid you like that the vendor offers flavor customization, it'll be a bonus as you just buy it at a higher flavor concentration and higher nic content and when you add the PG or VG it'll bring it down to the level you prefer.

 

[drivesbarefoot]

I was just marveling the other day how it's been months since I spent a penny on my vaping and I have enough supplies to last another year. I have a kayfun so I build my own coils, have a dependable provari mini and I DIY my juice. I know you said you didn't want to go the DIY route and I didn't think that was for me either but so glad I did. Same with building coils, didn't ever see myself doing that either but now I'm so glad I did that too. Get a kayfun and start saving money with that, and then get basic DIY supplies in small quantity and try it, really you should, since your biggest expense is the juice.

Speaking of ejuice I saw a sale for Suicide Bunny juice and bought 4 flavors since I'd heard so much about it and I hadn't spent any money since I found my perfect setup so that justified the splurge. It tasted ok, but just ok. I couldn't believe it but I truly preferred my DIY over that and I never finished those bottles. There was a flurry of trial and error when I started DIY but it didn't last long and the errors were not costly.

 

[joesquid]

Well, you can get a KFL+ V2 from fluid vapes for $30 and a roll of Kanthal for less than $10. You wouldn't have to worry about coils for a long time. DIY is the obvious answer but you don't want to do that. I agree with upping your nic content. I know I vaped alot less when I was at 18 then when I dropped to 12. (now at 6).

 

[twall]

Wow - only one day on a BVC? You must be just nuking it.

If you're running enough power thru a BVC to fry it in a day, I would definitely say an RTA is your ticket. Or a dripper. Or something you can build glow plugs on.

That alone will save you a ton.

 

[CptJYossarian]

Gonna throw in my vote for the DiY route as well. It'll save money, and once you get used to it's also quite fun. You can also customize your juices. For instance, I really like this particular mixture of Strawberries and Cream that I have that no one else really likes, but I don't care cause it's not for them You also have so much control of your nicotine levels. I've been steadily reducing mine and am at 0.5 mg/ml of nicotine, with the goal of getting it down to 0.

I agree with a kayfun like tank, or even consider a dripper. Buying those BVCs is a big expense if you're chewing through them that quickly.

 

[rodeo302]

What about something with the old pro coils they are very easy to rebuild ya they are usually smaller tanks but that might help in a way to seeing your running low you might slow down until you can refill it or keep a couple of tanks on hand.

 

[yoitstj]

My 2 cents..... If you're frying authentic aspire BVC coils in one day you're simply vaping them too hot. If you're not using a VV / VW device that would be the very first thing to try. You can get an eleaf istick for under $50. Most people run the BVC around 8-11 watts and they are getting 2-3 WEEKS on these coils. I've seen this on several forums now. The BVCs are the future. A 5 pack of coils will run you less than $20 including shipping or you could rebuild them yourself. Rip Tripper has a video on youtube and it doesnt look that difficult. Also, I would recommend picking up the Beyond Vape Silo tank and use these BVC coils w it.

Juice:
I've had good luck w a few flavors from Mt Baker Vapor. Some of them are not very good. You have to read / watch reviews and go by what your flavor profile is. $7.49 for 30 ml or $40 for 236 ml. Another decent one is Slims e juice. $9.50 for 30 ml.

Stick to your guns. If you know you are not the DIY kinda person then why waste money trying something you dont wanna do.

 

[Gabiano87]

I have an Erlkonigin and it has been a fantastic buy. You get quality and unless you abuse it this thing should last you a very long time. A big investment but would save you in the long run......just stop buying things once you get it. I have problems with this. Also I always said I would never get into diy but have just made about 150 mls each of about 15 mls. They have just come out of the oven and all are very nice. Took me about 20 minutes to make the whole lot and just threw them in a dark cupboard. Very easy indeed and cheap.

 

[xxJollyRogerxx]

I spend so little now it isn't even funny; As everyone else DIY and rebuild heads / coils ... 'nuff said
I probably went from over $400/mth to under $20/mth

 

[HgA1C]

Diy or ITC, is your only hope. You could try blending to see if Diy might be in your future. However ITC costs around $40 for 240ml shipped. Their juice is high quality, and now they offer extra flavor. They are as cheap as you will probably find while still being tasty.

At your usage level order 15-30ml samples in multiple flavors you think you will like. Heck I don't like chocolates but I bought one with chocolate in it and actually kind of enjoy it.

 

[Stacy1]

Prime15 is a great juice. It isn't dark in color so should be easier on your coils than a lot of other options, but you had to fall in love with an expensive one. I build my coils and haven't used the ones you are using, but any coil should last longer than a day, with any juice if used correctly. I agree that you are probably burning them too hot. If you get that issue worked out, it should decrease the amount of juice you are going through, but at the end of the day, as long as halo prime is the only flavor you like, it's gonna cost you. on a side note, I have a bottle of prime15 that I haven't touched in almost two months and I like it. Just haven't thought about it since I started DIY

 

[Hemptation]

My wife and I run about 10 nautilus tanks. With the new BVC coils. Lemme give you some advice. Do not let your tank get low on juice. If it comes close to 1-1.5 mils. Fill it back up. I am thinking you are running the full size. The juice in the tank helps disperse the heat. And that will keep your coil burning longer. That's #1. 2nd thing is. If you are going to rebuild something. Rebuild the bvc coil. It's not that hard. Once you get the hang of it. 3rd thing is. Vaping on a budget. And don't want to diy. Get a bunch of flavors from mtbakervapor. They are cheap. 30 mil bottle = 7.99. I order some of their juice periodically. And am always impressed with 2 out of 5 flavors. And wind up ordering a few 30's directly after. Their strawberry flavors are kinda wack. IMHO. But their bananas are on point. All opinion there. But they are cheap. Shoot me a pm if you want a link to rebuilding your coils And possibly some tips for coil life longevity.

Ps. Don't do a kayfun. It's a hard tank to start building on. And the flavor is a bit muted. If you are going to get a rebuild able. Get a taifun. They are great for flavor. Easy to build on And they hold a good amount of juice

 

[Stinkytofus]

my bvcs last easily 1 month, how you blowing through one everyday? lols and i am an heavy heavy vapor, easily blow through 10mls a day

if you can do wattage setting, set it to 7watts and try vaping with that and see how long you last
lower the amount you consume from 15 ml to 8ml

the cheapest route, although it is an expensive upfront cost but long term cost it is much much cheaper, maybe have to blow 200-400 in one shot
is to get an rebuildable tank atomizer mod such as kayfun lite clone, ehpro big buddha, aqua, taifun etc... (look up which one you like) where you can rebuild your own coils

then buy your own pg vg from essential depot, 2 gallons for $50, free shipping
then buy vaperstek nicotine for $35 (120ml i believe), pg easier to work with, vg a little harder, more thick
then buy your own juices from places such as flavorwest, get a bunch of flavors at 4oz, if you like it that much get them in 8 or 16oz but it will take u a long time to finish, so start with the 4oz, maybe you dont like the flavors, probably $100
then buy your lab equipments from liquid barn, graduated cylinders, boston rounds, funnel, etc.. probably another $60
then buy your rebuildable equipments from amazon (dewalt 21 piece drill bit, scotch scissors, hakko wire cutter, butane fuel, ceramic tweezers, mini screw driver set, temco kanthal wire 28 gauge) this will set you back around $100
then lightning vapes (torch, ohm meter, volt meter if you using mechanical) for around $40
then ebay for some japanese organic cotton for around $10

an investment like this you will be able to vape literally cost free for the next 2 years, but be prepared to drop 200-400

i might be missing an item or two that i cant think on top of my head but thats what i use and it working great