New Guy, Just got SI Volt and found local vape shop.

[zephyrzone]

I imagine, like most new members, I've been lurking for quite some time before taking the plunge into the world of vaping.
This is only the second forum I've ever joined so even this is new to me.

My smoking habit was extremely lite but frankly I enjoy smoking. It's the cigarettes themselves that I hate, hate, HATE...mostly the smell, toxicity and inconvenience of it all. Everything about it is disgusting and awful, yet I derive pleasure from the core activity. Because of that, vaping seems to be a phenomenal alternative. My (now)Ex-Fiance and I bought Smoking Everywhere e-cigs back in 2007 or so at the mall and the experience left us both disappointed, to put it very mildly, and I never gave it a second thought until seeing the new Blu commercials. That company has some incredible marketing executives.

Two weeks ago, instead of buying a pack of Camel Menthols, I bought a Blu disposable at Wally World. I wasn't terribly impressed, but being a lite volume smoker it seemed like it *might* get the job done, and I liked the flavor. Then I read about the NJOY King on this forum that night and tried one the next day, WOWZA! That baby reminded more of a Kool than an actual Kool, so I bought a few and was happy...until the battery died on the first one and I realized I was looking at a $24+/day habit. No thanks.

I almost jumped on the Blu Train but after reading member reviews and watching videos, decided on a SI Volt. It arrived yesterday and I'm just shocked at how fantastic this little guy is. I enjoy vaping on it so much more than taking a drag off a cigarette. It's not even in the same category, I love this thing.

So I found a vape shop about 30 minutes from where I live in DC and am going to check it out tonight. They specialize in liquids but also sell a few select mods. I'm really excited to check it out. I'm so thankful to the forum and glad to have found vaping! Thanks to everyone for helping me to make the switch. I can see where is going though, I love gadgets and customization projects and have read enough threads to know that the 808 is just the start...

ZZ

 

[wandawag]

welcome....and yes.....this is just the start! congrats on your decision to vape. good luck!

 

[mayday_]

welcome to the forum and enjoy the hobby

 

[DuckysBooBoo]

Hi and welcome to the forum.....congrats and good luck!!

 

[Zippo-Rustin]

wecome I been trying to post on this site for several yrs unsuccessfully. This is my 2nd attempt on your post. Maybe today will be my lucky day??!! Not likely but...Fingers crossed!!

 

[John Alexander]

The SI Volt is a great on-the-go device. Even if you switch to something bigger, you can still use them in situations where you don't want to use a mod. I carry a couple of Volts in my golf bag, for instance.

 

[White Rabbit]

Congratulations on joining the group. I too started with the Smokless Image Kit and I still enjoy my X2s. Please join us in Chit Chat in Voltville where you will find a great group of folks. Although I enjoy the quality of SI products, I have moved on to the Vamo and KTS GG Clone mechanical. I think as you find your "Holy Grail" of device and e-liquid flavor, you will be treating it as a hobby, more than as a device for smoking. Final Advice: Read, read and read some more before buying anything. There is a wealth of advice and opinions here on ECF. PM people to get advice or recommendations - most users will reply with honest opinions. Most of us have spent way too much experimenting and you can minimize your expenses by asking for advice.
Best Wishes and Happy Vaping!

 

[zephyrzone]

Thanks for all of the warm welcomes! I have a friend who told me "Smart people learn from their own mistakes, truly wise people learn from the mistakes of others." So I think I'll follow what the experts have to say!

The Volt really seems nice and I'm very happy with it. I figured it could be a good setup for on-the-go but am already figuring out that it would be nice to have something a bit more substantial for vaping at home. I'm going to the vape shop tonight to try out some sample e-liquids. Yummy!

I look forward to chatting in Voltville. I can sort of tell this is going to be a very cool and fun hobby. I have a LOT more research to do.

 

[Grimwald]

Volts are great and I use them daily for out and about. X2s from SI are my main equipment. Since I only use cartomizers, both are perfect for me.

 

[Mountain_Rain96]

Welcome to the forums, and the vaping community.

 

[zephyrzone]

I'm definitely loving the Volt. I can really appreciate the overall build quality of the device, and even though I've only vaped it for 2 day it seems very consistent and the flavors are all so good. I'm even more impressed with it now because...

I just had a nice night out that started with a trip to the local vape shop, Vape Dojo in Ellicott City, MD. Apparently the just opened up in November. It's a small, cozy contemporary place owned and managed by a husband/wife team. It was my first time in a vape shop so I didn't know what to expect. There were a few regulars vaping in the small lounge area by the front door, and some shelves towards the back with e-liquids and a very limited selection of hardware. It was clear that their business is focused on selling liquids and they had all of them available to demo. After talking to the owner (Bryan) and going on the knowledge I gathered from the forum I ended up buying a nicely priced 1200mah eGo Twist (rubber coated, royal blue) and a Vivi Nova clearomizer (dark grey tint). It LOVE the way it looks. I sampled the e-liquids (made in Canada) and went with a bottle of their Mango and Alice in Vapeland Cherry Blossom. The Cherry Blossom is one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted! So I filled up my kit and started vaping. WHOA! I had no idea how much vapor these non mini style setups could produce. I'm in love!

In some ways it was a little disappointing to vape on my Volt while I was out, because the larger PV is so much more substantial. BUT after coming home and vaping on both, while the eGo is clearly a different ball game, it's pretty amazing how well the Volt performs for being so incredibly tiny. I had nothing to compare it to before, but now that I do, I'm even more impressed with it. That being said, having the eGo for around the home is much more gratifying. So I feel like I have two very nice pieces of hardware to meet both my needs- the Volt for on the go and eGo for staying in. Plus plenty of cartos and e-liquid to last quite some time. I didn't plan on dropping so much money this week, but I think I'm set for a while and really enjoying this "hobby". Guess I won't be going out to dinner for a while...

zz

 

[Fenris4024]

Heya ZZ! Welcome to the vaping community and the ECF! Glad you took the leap!

The volt's are great for portability vs. battery life. Probably the best mini out there for that, at least in my opinion. I've got a Vision spinner, an eGo c-twist as another VV option (though I prefer the Vision, simply because its easier to read the voltages I have it at), three of the volt minis, and an X2 passtrhough from SI.... (and a vamo on its way in to my mailbox today!) but when I'm out and about, I go for the volt more often than anything else, simply for the portability factor... its a copper version, so it doesn't even look like a cigarette.

The Volt + SI's CE3 clearos are my go to for portability, long battery life for a mini, and easy refillability and flavor from the clearos. Many folks have had "bad experiences" with the CE3's but I absolutely love them for what they are. Basic moral of the story is its great to have options!

I'd also look into an adapter (808d to a 510) so you can use your cartos on the Ego, that way you can use the best of both worlds.
Stay strong and vape on!

 

[zephyrzone]

Thanks, I'm super happy with both purchases! Vaping the eGo right now but only have 1 clearomizer so I switch up to the Volt when I want a different flavor. I was apprehensive after I spent the money on all of the supplies, especially since I was a light volume smoker to begin with, but you know what? I threw out a pack of cigarettes I had yesterday because I didn't feel the desire to smoke them, vaping is just so much better. I caught a little bit of a craving a few minutes ago and instead of reaching for my eGo, I dug the analogs out to get a "real smoke". I literally took ONE PUFF and gagged. Seriously, it was that repulsive to me. Back in the trash.

Happily vaping some Cherry Blossom right now and surfing ECF. Farewell analogs, you disgust me Great forum, great lifestyle.

ZZ

 

[DaddyC]

I started with the volt too, and its a great starter, then to twists. Now I have two mods, tanks, clearomizers and god knows how many different flavors. Welcome to the world of vaping, and as a fairly new, yet well educated, vapor, I just say dont get overwhelmed, and dont be surprised when you decide to step out into mods. Just dont jump into it all until youre ready and are sure of your decision. My two mods are the Vamo ($50) and an Innokin Itaste MVP ($50) Good luck with it all, welcome, and may yournext vape be a great one

 

[MiamiMom63]

Congratulations! I still keep the Volt in my purse always for certain situations. To me it's the best cig lookalike. Although once you are used to mods and higher voltage, they seem to get you by but you can't wait to get in your car or go to the bathroom and take some major Vapes off a bigger battery. Hehe...however, like I said, I keep it handy. Also my all day Vape juice doesn't taste near the same on them.

 

[Hdivr]

Even though I've got a couple of 510 mods, my Volts and X2's are still used almost daily. I prefer the hit of the LR cartos found in 510 thread................but nothing is as simple as the 808 threaded devices.

It seems every day I'm fiddling with the 510's.... either pulling up pins are clearing out airholes in the cartos. The Volt cartos (and similar 808 cartos) just WORK!!!!!! They always fit. Same hit every time. They don't wobble or turn sideways when dropped like my Boges on my 510.

If I'm going on a long trip, I take my Volts.

 

[Fenris4024]

THat's one of the things I love about the Volts... those little things are just so damned sturdy. Excellent build quality by SI on these things, and like I said earlier, for the price, you're not going to find a better combination of portability and battery life.

 

[zephyrzone]

Heya ZZ! Welcome to the vaping community and the ECF! Glad you took the leap!
Basic moral of the story is I'd also look into an adapter (808d to a 510) so you can use your cartos on the Ego, that way you can use the best of both worlds.
Stay strong and vape on!

That's a great idea, I really like these SI juices and have plenty of cartos. Can you recommend a vendor for the adapter? I did a search (not well enough I suppose) and came up blank.

 

[Fenris4024]

I generally use MVS, simply because their shipping is STUPID fast, they carry a good selection, have great customer service, and the prices are competitive. I'm sure there's other adapters out there for cheaper, but as they say, you do get what you pay for.

After hearing horror stories of how an 510->eGo adapter had caused issues with Vamo owners, I was very happy to see that the one carried by MVS was one of the "good ones". I have the 510 to [KR808D-1/DSE901] Adapter as well from there, and that's the one I'd suggest for using your Volt cartos on the eGo device.

Of course, while tossing out advice, I'd also say that there are others here that could likely point you in the right direction as well, and the best piece of advice is that vaping is subjective. What works best for one person isn't always going to be the best for another. Read, learn, and most of all, do research.


Which of the SI liquids are you enjoying the most? SO far, I've only tried the 555 (which I love!) and I'm looking to see what you enjoy as well. Best wishes!

Stay strong and vape on!

 

[zephyrzone]

Fantastic, thanks for the advice!

I need to try the 555 a bit more. I've read reviews from a number of users that really enjoy it, but my first experience wasn't much too my liking. The juice has a really strong scent, which isn't bad, and I detect what I believe to be hazelnut, which I'd normally like, but for some reason the vape wasn't appealing. I'm looking forward to spending a day with it, I've read that flavors can grow on you and what you don't like at first may become a favorite.

I'm very surprised, but I LOVE their RY4. I was in love from the very first vape. I tried another RY4 from the local shop and it wasn't nearly as tasty to me. The "new" SI grape tastes exactly like what I'd expect (Kool-Aid and good) as did the chocolate. I haven't tried the other tobacco flavors yet, I'm stuck on the RY4. The SI flavors I've tried so far all seem to have an underlying hint of "something" in common and I like it. I never liked the taste of analogs and smoked only menthols, so vaping is a real treat because there are so many tasty options. The Alice in Vapeland Cherry Blossom juice is my absolute favorite, especially since I'm in DC where the trees just bloomed and everything smells like Cherry Blossoms. Now I can taste them too

No analogs yesterday and I feel great. It was especially nice walking through the park and enjoying the fresh air with my dog while vaping the Cherry Blossom.

zz