New guy looking for advice (halo vs volt vs vea vs vapor4life)

[Hendel]

Hi, (I apologize for what turned out to be a long post, but vaping is way more complex than cigs)
I smoked for ~10 years then went cold turkey.
To this day I'm 4 years 9 months and 6 days cigarette free.
I quit because smoking tobacco kills you; but that doesn't mean I still don't love it and miss it.
I always said that if a "cancer-free" cigarette shows up one day, that I would try it.

So, I went and bought the BLU Premium (not the 100's) at Walgreens to see what it was like.
Well, it definitely has the potential to be awesome, but the Blu batteries don't last and seem weak and the cartridges don't nearly last that long and the taste doesn't even last as long as the tasteless vapor does.
But man, that first hit with a new battery and a new, non-defective, cartridge was heavenly. And when the cartridges did work and didn't taste all burnt, I loved the JC flavors, especiall Blus Cherry flavor.
So, I'm looking to "uprgade" to some decent gear, but I'm having a hard time sifting through the misinformation on the net and finding what's "good".

I have narrowed down my choices to: Halo, Volt, Vapor 4 Life (just because i could actually drive and visit a Brick and Mortar) and the JC Vea.

How much do I vape?: Not that much, about 20-30 mins a day most days and maybe 2-3 hours once a week.
Batteries:
I am looking for 2 decent lasting, not huge, quality automatic batteries for when I'm driving or out and a larger manual battery with perhaps a pass-through for a slightly-better vaping experience when I'm at home.

I really want all of my batteries to have the same threading or perhaps one can have an adapter if nothing is lost so that I can use the same carts.

Eventually I'll want to fill my own clearomizers since that's the most cost effective way, but in the beginning ill be buying sampler cart packs until I can narrow down my taste preference.

I would prefer a USA juice company like Halo or JC but could be okay with others if people here think they are fine and quality.

I was thinking about two 78mm auto bolts and an x2 for my manual. Or two halos and a Vea for the manual.
Or maybe even some Vapor4Life since they are within an hour of me and I could actually go see this stuff in person.

What do you think?
And which cartridges/clearomizers do u recommend are they basically the same between the listed companies or are some better than others?

I'll stop typing now.... Looking forward to some advice.

~Hendel

 

[LucidAce]

Well, of the options you've listed the Halo G6 and the Smokeless Image Volt are essentially the same thing, but Smokeless Image tends to have lower prices. The V4L is similar but uses an unregulated battery so, in general, that'll translate into a good vaping experience when you pull it off the charger and a meh vaping experience after the battery dies down a bit. The JC Vea, I'm not familiar with.

 

[Ritzo90]

I was with v4l, but I find the SI volt to be a much better product for me. While I'd love to see more coupons over specials from SI, their product and CS is great.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

 

[JoAnnW]

I love Smokeless Image Volt 78mm for a small battery (auto & manual) and Volt X2 (choice of 650, 900 & 1300mAh) that can be used as a passthrough when charging. They come in a wide variety of colors also. The company has great customer service department if you have questions or visit their forum on this site. Many of your questions could be answered by more experienced vaporers than me. I'm a newbie.

I really don't like cartomizers because they have fillers which mutes the taste of the liquids. I would try CE3s for smaller batteries and they can be used on the X2s as well. No fillers and you get lots of vapor and great taste as well. The same can be said for clearomizers and they are easier to fill. Both can be filled again and again.

Also, a good company for handcrafted eliquids made in the USA is Mister-E-Liquid. Very unique liquids and a great ice collection.

Hope this helps some and Happy Vaping!

 

[KerryK]

Hi and Welcome to ECF!

Congratulations on your move to vaping, I have been smoke free almost 2 years and have been an avid vapist all that time! I spent a lot of time and money and now can confidently tell you what I have found to be true for my efforts.

Smokeless Image is a perfect place to start, I have been a big customer of theirs and so has my family and friends. Juice is always consistent and the batteries have been dependable and quality has been consistent with all 6 sticks and 3 X2's I have.

I currently have my X2's with the CE3's Clearomizers but I use an Ego Cone and not the Volt Cone. Airflow seems to be the thing you need to control with CE3's and the Volt cone is far too restrictive but a standard Ego Cone allows just enough air to make it perfect. I find vaping without a cone on CE3's leads to too burn hits.

As far as the X2, it is something I use everyday for work, with a CE3 and Ego cone it really is vaping great, no burn hits, great vape production.

BUT

My biggest suggestion is, if you think your going to vape more once you try it, then don't waste your money on sticks at all. Take that money and upgrade just a bit more from the Volt X2 and get yourself a Ego Twist or Vision VV.

and always have 2 of whatever you get!

K

 

[Hendel]

Thanks for the replies. For the SI carts, I don't quite follow what a ce3 is and how it differs from their nano clearomizers, and do both work on their x2 and volt?
Also, can I use Halo carts on a volt and/or x2?
I'll go google what an ego twist and a vision vv is. But I think I'll always want a smaller stick auto for nostalgic reasons.

 

[betaalex]

I was thinking about two 78mm auto bolts and an x2 for my manual.

well, you kind of answered you own question. X2 is a Smokeless Image's trademark name for their big battery - so if u want an X2 - wellcome to SI.

 

[betaalex]

Thanks for the replies. For the SI carts, I don't quite follow what a ce3 is and how it differs from their nano clearomizers, and do both work on their x2 and volt?
Also, can I use Halo carts on a volt and/or x2?
I'll go google what an ego twist and a vision vv is. But I think I'll always want a smaller stick auto for nostalgic reasons.

well, I'm too lazy (or is it tipsy? ) to explain the difference between CE3s and Nanos now, so I'll just say that SI, Halo, v4l, Smoov and Bloog are all mutually compatible. They all share the same KR808D-1 connection meaning that u can combine their batteries, cartos or clearos any way u want. Also, their equipment is basically identical (and I bet it comes from the same factory in China) so the only real difference is price. Halo is expensive, v4l is also not cheap (but they have 40% off or so sales regularly), so SI is the best value in my opinion.

 

[LucidAce]

Where are my manners?! Welcome to ECF, Hendel and here's to many days of happy vaping!

Now, on to business. The CE3s hold a bit more e-liquid than the Nanos and are less expensive. The Nano was supposed to be a sort of SI exclusive follow-up to the CE3, designed to improve on the shortcomings (mainly QC issues) of the CE3 but initial reports seem pretty mixed so it doesn't appear they were successful so far in achieving those goals. They operate nearly identically, so, when working properly, they should vape about the same.

 

[Ritzo90]

Just a few notes on one of the comments above, while the products are compatible, some carts work better with their own battery. I think this comes down to top coil, bottom coil, ohms, volts blah blah. Also the chargers are trialed and tested for that brands battery, so using another battery may or maynot have adverse effects. If you want a stick battery and don't mind clearos, CE3 is great, I'll let you know what the nanos like when I get it. From my experience, the battery's are not all out of the same factory, but you'll find that out on your own. This goes for carto's also, but if you get something like the CE3 the carto's will all feel muted, it's not the carto's fault, ce3s just taste better.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

 

[skumby]

I can vouch that smokeless image has a real good quality product and a very reasonable price, that being said if i could just drive to V4L thats where i would go just to knockout the waiting on the mail part and from what i hear V4L products are just as good as SI just a bit more expensive.

 

[betaalex]

Just a few notes on one of the comments above, while the products are compatible, some carts work better with their own battery. I think this comes down to top coil, bottom coil, ohms, volts blah blah. Also the chargers are trialed and tested for that brands battery, so using another battery may or maynot have adverse effects.

So u really believe in that "unique innovative technology" sales pitch? All these companies are just re-sellers of what the Chinese feed to them. They do not design or engineer anything (even when they say so) and it's definitely not like Apple-China or HP-China relationship.

PS. And btw all chargers for KR808 cig-sized batteries are standard 5V, 150 mAh chargers - absolutely any such charger will work with any KR808 battery!

 

[Ritzo90]

The SI charger screwed the battery life on my new v4l batteries after a week. As said they can cause issues, it's advice that he can research further into. I never said they made their own, I do understand it's all from China, but they are not made next to each other. Some seem better than others.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

 

[KerryK]

I just get sick of charging them, but they do have a proper place in vaping, especially if your a part time vaper.

 

[betaalex]

The SI charger screwed the battery life on my new v4l batteries after a week.

yeah, that's easy. v4l had (and they still sell them: Vapor King batteries) old so called Gen 1 batteries. That's a prehistoric era and a really bad marketing decision by by v4l to sell them alongside with modern Gen 2 Vapor Titan batteries. For those Gen 1 batteries current Gen 2 standard charger is really lethal (but still compatible with similar Gen 1 batteries like v2cigs). However, Gen 2 Vapor Titan charger is fully compatible with current SI, Halo, Blog batteries. So it's not a US re-seller issue, it's a China battery generation issue. U can use old style Gen 1 charger on modern Gen 2 batteries but not otherwise.



PS: note to OP. as u can see some re-sellers (v4l in this case) can have both old and new batteries in their lineup. This may certainly lead to further confusion. But at the moment Halo and SI carry latest generation batteries only - impossible to make a mistake.

 

[Hendel]

Thanks, sounds like ill be going SI 2x auto volt and an x2. I'll grab some sampler packs from SI and Halo and see if I can find my juice of choice. One more thing, I'll have leftover blu cartridges are there good adapters I can use that would enable me to cape them on the SI gear? And I'll look into the ego airflow thingy that someone mentioned. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Hi Hendal and welcome to ECF. Here's a 15% discount code for the Volt, a GREAT PV: Code: SIVOLT50
Smokeless Image | Only The Best Electronic Cigarette | Smokeless Image Electronic Cigarettes - The Future is in your hands
Also after you receive your Volt post a pic here for a freebie:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-your-freebie-faces-volt-smokeless-image.html
The Very Best of Luck.

 

[lithiumdaze]

Welcome Hendel! Yesterday I went retro and bought a cigarette sized ecig after vaping for 31/2ish years. I had 20+ mods and just felt I need a break from tripping over tackle boxes of gear all the time! The cig sized ecig, if you want a reg. sized one, I ordered last night was from www.smoovecig.com PBusardo@tasteyourjuice.com did a good review last year and I finally pulled the trigger. I hope you find a good model! I'll let you know how it goes. Peace

 

[chillax]

Vapor4Life is a KR808D-1 type e-cig, but the best KR808D in my opinion is V2 Cigs, you should check those out, decently priced too. I use them daily, my favorite flavor is the Coffee. In fact if you want msg me and I'll send you a 10% off v2 cigs coupon.

 

[elmattias]

only read the title, all i had to read. volt. all the way.