Hey Gang,
I have been lurking for a while here and I figured I would pay forward my experiences so maybe someone (who was like me when I started) might get some ideas. I have been vaping for 4-5 months now, smoked for about 18 years. When I made the switch I didn't know anything other then I didn't want to smoke analogues anymore I had quit before , but it sucked and I always went back even after a year of no cigs.
I went to my local B&M and just let the guy give me what ever. I walked with with a MVP2 and some house e liquid. IMHO the majority of things with e-cigs as with life are personal preference.. there is negligible or even just objective difference in a lot of things. That said, I was not having a good time... it was just off the tank was a mess for me...I saw everyone burning mods with RBAs, but i was worried about making the leap to that. I moved "up" to an aspire Nautilus tank and that was like night and day from the stock tank... better flavor and vapor, but...those tanks did/do have quality control issue and I got a lot of dead heads. It got expensive/annoying. Bad flavor bad experience.
I kept reading here on ECF and other forums and knew there had to be something better because this was ridiculous...expensive...and just not enjoyable once the coils went. I went back in to the B and M and told them this wasn't working... he set me up with an Hcigar (there is nothing wrong with the MVP2 for a starter device, but those clearo carto tanks have to go) Nemmy mod and an IGO-W RDA.. he built my first coil and wick at .55 and set me up with (proper) bats chargers etc.. the whole nine. Night and day again.. like the jump from stock to Nautilus.. the draw sucked so I drilled it out and voila. This is what everyone was talking about.
I missed my tanks...I found out I am not a dripper. I like loading a tank and going. I also found out that learning how to wick was an art. Coiling was super easy after a few. I got the drillbit the kanthal(28g) and an OHM meter after my MVP2 was unwieldy to use. This whole time i was burning through all the must get juices and flavor houses looking for my ADV. this were good but not great... cotton tasted "off" to me and again.. I missed my tank. I messed around with builds and really found the super sub ohm thing wasn't for me (yes I ddi the reaserch of bats safety etc et al) I wanted flavor not clouds (personal choice). I ran into the rayon thread or CC whatever and grabbed a box right about the time my kayfun Lite+ with dual air came in. Yet again night and day, not only did I "taste" my juice for the "first" time , but I had my tank set ( i still use my dripper for taste testing). I had found what worked for me with an eye for easy use and flavor. Rayon (for me) was 100% easier to use then cotton probably due to the fact I had never mastered cotton to being with.
In closing...if you are like me and just starting looking for ease of use and stellar flavor (clouds aren't bad in this rig either) and are looking for a (not the) road map of what to get here is my experience.
Low maintenance flavor build
1.) Mod ( this is MOSTLY subjective and aesthetic) Nemmy is fine... the pins suck and the firing button sticks so..go magnet or choose a different one. It is a metal tube for batteries. IMO unless you are super sub-ohming and razor edging it the voltage drop from one to an other from what I have tried is whatever. My next step is getting a DNA for perceived ease of use. I really don;t feel like I NEED to go anywhere from here.
2.) RBA - this, in my mind, is not subjective. Kanger aspire etc et al.. they are good, but not great. Make the jump to RBA as soon as possible. there is a learning curve, but I am not technical or mechanical and I got it...you are going to thank yourself. Coiling is easy after a while. I settled in between .7 and 1.2 which is fine. (personal preference) I got no more enjoyment out of lower ohms on my tank. and again.. I am not a dripper per se. Go with the kayfun...whatever version to start if you don't like that... I dunno.. you might not like tanks. Clean it before you use it also... it will taste gross if not.
3.) Coils - I am not rip tripper... I don't even know why Rip Tripper is Rip Tripper. That stuff for me is the extreme end of the hobby approaching on competitive sport. I have used friend's "crazy" builds and they are great. My build works great for me and gets the job done..which again low maintenance.. I will sac clouds and heat for ease of use. get a 5/64th drill bit some needle nose pliers and go to town. You will learn by doing. You do not need a torch, ohm it out.. fire it and tweeze. done. Youtube is your friend. I am burning a single microcoil at 1.2 and it is subjectively great and lasts forever.
4.) Cotton is good, Rayon is great. Until someone shows me that rayon will eat my children I am never going back to cotton even if it is japanese. Why do I feel rayon is better? Taste. Wicking. Ease of use. Clean amazing pulls from first fire. Prime your wick. I just use a simple wick primed and barely touching my deck away from my juice wells on my KFL and so simple.. so good. If I wick properly I never get dry hits. If I don;t it warns me and they aren't bad.
Wicking rayon 'properly" I am no expert but i know i have it "right" when i can tug my wick left to right and there is a little movement but a 'squeaky" feeling..the wick vibrates a little like using a squeegee on a car window or something along those lines..anything other then that and I have problems down the road and Rayon like anything poorly wicked.. sucks. This takes time , but look for that. prime your wick until it is almost dripping on your deck or is. clean up and lock it down.
5.) juice - I am a shufflestep away from the DIY "phase" this is pretty much all subject, but if you are new and looking for a baseline like I was when I started let me perhaps short cut the 1000's of mls of juice I have bought. I started at 6mg and went to 12mg for throat hit. Juice houses product lines seem to have a signature taste throughout all their juices so find one you like and roll with it. this is my short list.. the only "big name" I have not tried is JTJM. I would love to , but such is life. In my experience hype is mostly hype and you will like what you like. Eventually you would rather barf then try another house's strawberry custard vanilla cinnamon blueberry menthol frosted cupcake with a hint of tobacco version and you realize there is a lot of similarity.., but you will find your ADV. Vaping , for me, was all about testing things , but these are good baselines IMO
Alice In Vapeland - all the stuff is well made. works for me. April Moon is my fave I like fruit. Zombie Apocalypse if you like bakery. Get the sampler.
Five Pawns - it is not cheap, but it is great. The taste difference between 5P and most houses is like frozen fish and fresh fish.. it pops. Gambit is great if you like pie. Grandmaster for choc and Castle Long is beyond delicious. distinctive profile not for everyone.
Nicoticket - nice price nice juice. You could begin and end with these guys. Something for everyone. A mid priced boutique juice house. Customer service is redonk and I like their flavor profiles quite well. Most people can probably find their favorite everyday 'version" of any flavor profile. also have limited releases which is fun to get involved in. Good culture great juice no hype..eventhough they should be..
Mt Baker - ...if you are on a budget and taste is secondary to that. The dollar store of juice. it is good.. but there is better. if you need 500 mls for 2 dollars /sarc this is your spot.
Suicide Bunny - Mother's Milk is great for strawberry milk. It really is.
Must Vape - Pencil is my ADV. I found it after going through tubs of juice. you will know when you find yours.. something just clicks. For me it happened to be pear tobacco... who knew.
HHV - Legend. and I actually dig a well aged Sludge with it's rich and deep purple fruit tones. Great tobacco flavor house.
I always check new stuff out and poke around forums, but I really don't look that hard anymore like I did when I started.
TL
R Get a Nemmy a KFL+, microcoil 1 ohm ish, some rayon and fill your tank with one of the above and that' is a great baseline form which to tweak after a while better is measured in inches not miles YMMV
Hopefully that helps someone starting out
Best
Sizz
.
I have been lurking for a while here and I figured I would pay forward my experiences so maybe someone (who was like me when I started) might get some ideas. I have been vaping for 4-5 months now, smoked for about 18 years. When I made the switch I didn't know anything other then I didn't want to smoke analogues anymore I had quit before , but it sucked and I always went back even after a year of no cigs.
I went to my local B&M and just let the guy give me what ever. I walked with with a MVP2 and some house e liquid. IMHO the majority of things with e-cigs as with life are personal preference.. there is negligible or even just objective difference in a lot of things. That said, I was not having a good time... it was just off the tank was a mess for me...I saw everyone burning mods with RBAs, but i was worried about making the leap to that. I moved "up" to an aspire Nautilus tank and that was like night and day from the stock tank... better flavor and vapor, but...those tanks did/do have quality control issue and I got a lot of dead heads. It got expensive/annoying. Bad flavor bad experience.
I kept reading here on ECF and other forums and knew there had to be something better because this was ridiculous...expensive...and just not enjoyable once the coils went. I went back in to the B and M and told them this wasn't working... he set me up with an Hcigar (there is nothing wrong with the MVP2 for a starter device, but those clearo carto tanks have to go) Nemmy mod and an IGO-W RDA.. he built my first coil and wick at .55 and set me up with (proper) bats chargers etc.. the whole nine. Night and day again.. like the jump from stock to Nautilus.. the draw sucked so I drilled it out and voila. This is what everyone was talking about.
I missed my tanks...I found out I am not a dripper. I like loading a tank and going. I also found out that learning how to wick was an art. Coiling was super easy after a few. I got the drillbit the kanthal(28g) and an OHM meter after my MVP2 was unwieldy to use. This whole time i was burning through all the must get juices and flavor houses looking for my ADV. this were good but not great... cotton tasted "off" to me and again.. I missed my tank. I messed around with builds and really found the super sub ohm thing wasn't for me (yes I ddi the reaserch of bats safety etc et al) I wanted flavor not clouds (personal choice). I ran into the rayon thread or CC whatever and grabbed a box right about the time my kayfun Lite+ with dual air came in. Yet again night and day, not only did I "taste" my juice for the "first" time , but I had my tank set ( i still use my dripper for taste testing). I had found what worked for me with an eye for easy use and flavor. Rayon (for me) was 100% easier to use then cotton probably due to the fact I had never mastered cotton to being with.
In closing...if you are like me and just starting looking for ease of use and stellar flavor (clouds aren't bad in this rig either) and are looking for a (not the) road map of what to get here is my experience.
Low maintenance flavor build
1.) Mod ( this is MOSTLY subjective and aesthetic) Nemmy is fine... the pins suck and the firing button sticks so..go magnet or choose a different one. It is a metal tube for batteries. IMO unless you are super sub-ohming and razor edging it the voltage drop from one to an other from what I have tried is whatever. My next step is getting a DNA for perceived ease of use. I really don;t feel like I NEED to go anywhere from here.
2.) RBA - this, in my mind, is not subjective. Kanger aspire etc et al.. they are good, but not great. Make the jump to RBA as soon as possible. there is a learning curve, but I am not technical or mechanical and I got it...you are going to thank yourself. Coiling is easy after a while. I settled in between .7 and 1.2 which is fine. (personal preference) I got no more enjoyment out of lower ohms on my tank. and again.. I am not a dripper per se. Go with the kayfun...whatever version to start if you don't like that... I dunno.. you might not like tanks. Clean it before you use it also... it will taste gross if not.
3.) Coils - I am not rip tripper... I don't even know why Rip Tripper is Rip Tripper. That stuff for me is the extreme end of the hobby approaching on competitive sport. I have used friend's "crazy" builds and they are great. My build works great for me and gets the job done..which again low maintenance.. I will sac clouds and heat for ease of use. get a 5/64th drill bit some needle nose pliers and go to town. You will learn by doing. You do not need a torch, ohm it out.. fire it and tweeze. done. Youtube is your friend. I am burning a single microcoil at 1.2 and it is subjectively great and lasts forever.
4.) Cotton is good, Rayon is great. Until someone shows me that rayon will eat my children I am never going back to cotton even if it is japanese. Why do I feel rayon is better? Taste. Wicking. Ease of use. Clean amazing pulls from first fire. Prime your wick. I just use a simple wick primed and barely touching my deck away from my juice wells on my KFL and so simple.. so good. If I wick properly I never get dry hits. If I don;t it warns me and they aren't bad.
Wicking rayon 'properly" I am no expert but i know i have it "right" when i can tug my wick left to right and there is a little movement but a 'squeaky" feeling..the wick vibrates a little like using a squeegee on a car window or something along those lines..anything other then that and I have problems down the road and Rayon like anything poorly wicked.. sucks. This takes time , but look for that. prime your wick until it is almost dripping on your deck or is. clean up and lock it down.
5.) juice - I am a shufflestep away from the DIY "phase" this is pretty much all subject, but if you are new and looking for a baseline like I was when I started let me perhaps short cut the 1000's of mls of juice I have bought. I started at 6mg and went to 12mg for throat hit. Juice houses product lines seem to have a signature taste throughout all their juices so find one you like and roll with it. this is my short list.. the only "big name" I have not tried is JTJM. I would love to , but such is life. In my experience hype is mostly hype and you will like what you like. Eventually you would rather barf then try another house's strawberry custard vanilla cinnamon blueberry menthol frosted cupcake with a hint of tobacco version and you realize there is a lot of similarity.., but you will find your ADV. Vaping , for me, was all about testing things , but these are good baselines IMO
Alice In Vapeland - all the stuff is well made. works for me. April Moon is my fave I like fruit. Zombie Apocalypse if you like bakery. Get the sampler.
Five Pawns - it is not cheap, but it is great. The taste difference between 5P and most houses is like frozen fish and fresh fish.. it pops. Gambit is great if you like pie. Grandmaster for choc and Castle Long is beyond delicious. distinctive profile not for everyone.
Nicoticket - nice price nice juice. You could begin and end with these guys. Something for everyone. A mid priced boutique juice house. Customer service is redonk and I like their flavor profiles quite well. Most people can probably find their favorite everyday 'version" of any flavor profile. also have limited releases which is fun to get involved in. Good culture great juice no hype..eventhough they should be..
Mt Baker - ...if you are on a budget and taste is secondary to that. The dollar store of juice. it is good.. but there is better. if you need 500 mls for 2 dollars /sarc this is your spot.
Suicide Bunny - Mother's Milk is great for strawberry milk. It really is.
Must Vape - Pencil is my ADV. I found it after going through tubs of juice. you will know when you find yours.. something just clicks. For me it happened to be pear tobacco... who knew.
HHV - Legend. and I actually dig a well aged Sludge with it's rich and deep purple fruit tones. Great tobacco flavor house.
I always check new stuff out and poke around forums, but I really don't look that hard anymore like I did when I started.
TL
R Get a Nemmy a KFL+, microcoil 1 ohm ish, some rayon and fill your tank with one of the above and that' is a great baseline form which to tweak after a while better is measured in inches not miles YMMVHopefully that helps someone starting out
Best
Sizz
.
