New member from New Zealand a bit overwhelmed

[Jimmygk37]

Hi all and hello from little old New Zealand. Firstly I'll apologise for this being a bit long. I'm a new member, new to the whole forum thing, and new to vaping. Started vaping in August 2015 and currently just over 9 weeks cigarette free and loving it!! It took a while but I got there. The discussions on here have helped me choose products as I've struggled to find something that suits me and can keep me vaping.

I started with an ego one and Kangertech Subtank nano, then recently got an Eleaf PICO and an Ijust 2 as a back up device. Discovered I wasn't a fan of the coils in the tanks on the PICO and Ijust 2 so got some Aspire Atlantis .5 coils and they seemed better. Was still looking for something to curb my want to smoke so got a Freemax Starre which was pretty good for flavour and vapour, but desperately seeking a good mtl tank. I then got an Aspire Triton 2 with the 1.8 coil which is pretty good, and have an Innokin Endura T22 coming with the 1.5 coils. So rather an expensive road so far.

I'm just wondering, and being completely new to this, is there something I have missed or possibly overlooked? I'm not looking at getting into building my own coils or doing my own juice (which I have to get in from the United States). Currently get 50/50 with 6-12mg nicotine for mtl, and 80vg/20pg with 3mg nicotine for sub ohm clouds. Really just basic stuff for a basic lad so I don't ever smoke again.

Thanks in advance and sorry it's so long. Cheers.

 

[retired1]

Welcome to ECF.

The initial "cost" as you're trying to find something that really works well for each individual can be somewhat daunting. However, it's not an impossible task and as long as you can resist the temptation to buy each new "shiny" that is released, things really do get better on your wallet.

 

[Jimmygk37]

The biggest challenge is to find the equipment and settings in order to promote the besting flavor for you that will achieve your present goals.

Thanks for the welcome @BrotherBob, appreciate it.
Yeah I spent all weekend adjusting in 0.5w increments with my tanks on my PICO, and settled on the Triton 2 at 15.5w. The others are still a work in progress.

Yes flavour is a big thing for me over clouds. Would you mind me asking what setup you run for flavour?

 

[Jimmygk37]

Thanks @retired1 glad to be here!!

Yes it can be very daunting, I'm just glad that ECF and the great members it has are here and are so very helpful. Yeah I did get caught up in the initial "oh I have to try that, it might be better" phase of it as I've progressed. There may have been some panic as well on my behalf that I had to find something really quick that would keep me away from cigarettes, and it had to work perfectly straight away.

Thanks for calming my nerves! Appreciate it.

 

[speedy_r6]

We all get that new shiny fever. I finally just decided to buy a bunch of thevexact same things. I am really happy with my tfv4 tanks and my griffin 25 tanks. I have a small stockpile of those, then a small stash of rx200 mods. I figure if a ban hits, im ready. If not, i save on coils by only using one type of factory coil. In addition, i have backups to my backups lol.

 

[Eskie]

There's something addictive about vape mail. Sounds like we've followed a similar course, although I first started out with a cig-a-like before figuring out "real" vaping was the way to go. You'll find lots of good information around here, and discover lots more shinys you'd like to get.

 

[Jimmygk37]

There is nothing that is drastically better then anything else these days.

Cheers for the reply, it may be a case of me reaching for the top of the ladder to get to the top, when I should be getting on the bottom rung and going through the journey.
I'm a little scared to get extra shots of flavouring with the juice I get as it has to come so far and if it's too strong or I just don't like it from the start then I'm stuck waiting another 2 weeks for juice to use.

 

[Jimmygk37]

Welcome, Jimmy! Don't think of it as wasting money, think of it as having plenty of back-ups in case one goes down.

Thanks for the welcome @OlderNDirt!
Sorry for any confusion I may not have been clear in my original post, but not really seeing it as wasting money but just a little daunting to keep going until I find something that works. It's not like a packet of smokes I'll throw away, as all of this stuff I'll keep in case, like you say, one of them does break etc. I keep telling myself and my wife that what I don't use regularly are back ups.

 

[Jimmygk37]

I agree with most of what @Gramdogg says.

Welcome, by the way.

I think it's perfectly OK to have a selection of hardware, as long as you can use some, save some etc.

Today, I've been using some very low-brow vaping hardware with stonger liquid. It does me. Soon, in Europe, our choices are going to be limited by the regulation. I can last out for years if necessary.

Thanks @djsvapour glad to be here!
I'm not too worried to have hardware sitting round, would just be nice to find something that I can say "yes! That's perfect for me". At the moment I'm still really enjoying getting into vaping though. I'm not getting too disheartened, and combining everything I currently have I can get through the day without having a smoke.
I think we're lucky here in New Zealand as it looks as though regulations around vaping are going to be relaxed a bit.

 

[Baditude]

Not much changes with the battery devices except for adding more power (watts). Really, how many watts does anyone need? As long as you have a primary and a backup, a couple of dependable mods, whether regulated or mechanical, and you should be good.

The greatest advances come with tanks or juice attachments. Different kinds of coils, mouth-to-lung or direct-lung options for air control, different ways to add the e-liquid, etc. All tanks will make juice taste a little differently.

I found that rebuildables are the way for the future. I don't have to rely or depend on inconsistent replacement coils when I can make my own. Homemade coils last longer, make flavors taste better, and are more economical in the long run.

I personally prefer regulated mods which use replaceable batteries. When the battery dies, I just buy a new one. With mods that have a non-replaceable battery, when the battery dies you have to buy a new mod.

With the upcoming US FDA Regulations, I feel its a good idea to have a mech mod in your collection. They are more durable over time and don't have fragile electronic components to fail. They do require more knowledge about battery safety as they don't have protection circuitry like a regulated mod does.

May be a good idea to look into DIY e-liquids, too. Who knows what e-liquids (if any) will get approved by the FDA?

You might find the following blogs helpful:

Proper Terminology: Is it a carto, a tank, or what? A Guide to Juice Delivery Devices

• A picture dictionary for beginners with descriptions of clearomizers, nano's, drip atomizers, bottom feeding mods, cartomizers, cartotanks, and RBA's (rebuildable atomizers). Includes video demos/reviews of all devices.

Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder

• From cigalike batteries, to eGo's, to mods. Another picture dictionary of terminology and form factors for beginning vapers. Includes videos.

A Beginner's Guide to Your First Mechanical Mod

• Covers the differences between a mechanical vs. regulated mod, essential safety accessories, optional safety accessories to add layers of safety to your mech, routine maintanance, use of proper batteries, proper ventilation, low resistance vaping, and faux hybrid mods.

Information Resources for Your First RBA

• An essential read and referrance guide for someone new to rebuilding coils. Includes a multitude of useful links on battery safety, mod safety, coil meters, coil building, and the differences in the three types of RBA's.

 

[Jimmygk37]

Thanks @Baditude for those helpful links, that's awesome. Yeah I might look into a simple backup device to my PICO and sub ohm Ijust 2.
I understand that it seems DIY everything is the way of the future, but just at the moment I get a bit of a headache trying to understand it all Just a touch overwhelming for me while I still get my feet wet in the beginners pool.

 

[RoseJ]

Congratulations, Jimmy! I'm at just over 6 months, and wouldn't be there without vaping and ECF.

I actually read through this entire thread, and I just wanted to support what others have said about DIY. I was very nervous and confused about it when I started, but after the first time, I had to wonder why. It is really easy, and the money you save is incredible. I got a lot of help and advice from people here too, before I started.

Also, regarding coil building. I definitely did not want to get into that, but with the current uncertainty here in the US, my husband decided to give it a shot. He researched it here on ECF and YouTube, got what he needed (cost was minimal), and now he builds awesome coils for us both.

You might not be ready yet for DIY or coil building, but don't discount it. It's awesome to be so self-sufficient, and save so much money.

Keep up the good work with quitting!

 

[BrotherBob]

Welcome and glad you joined.

I'm just wondering, and being completely new to this, is there something I have missed or possibly overlooked?

The biggest challenge is to find the equipment and settings in order to promote the besting flavor for you that will achieve your present goals.

desperately seeking a good mtl tank. I then got an Aspire Triton 2 with the 1.8 coil which is pretty good, and have an Innokin Endura T22 coming with the 1.5 coils.

The higher the ohms rating for a coil, tends to eases the strain on expenses.
For me, it's all about the flavor. Flavor will keep me from ever going back to the stinkies.

 

[Gramdogg]

There is nothing that is drastically better then anything else these days. Stop wasting your money. Keep buying kits when all you needed were tanks. I find my old EVODs taste about the same as any sub ohm tank, wasted my money on Aspire BVC's and Sub Ohming. The only real way to get "better" flavour is to get better juice or added flavour shots. My friends Triton and Crown with SS taste cleaner or more pure but the flavour itself is about the same IMO.

 

[OlderNDirt]

Welcome, Jimmy! Don't think of it as wasting money, think of it as having plenty of back-ups in case one goes down.

 

[Jimmygk37]

That's another down side to sub ohming. I had to take up DIY and coil building just to be able to afford doing it lol. 2-3x more juice just to make bigger clouds. A french inhale (let vapor roll out your mouth and inhale through nose) and cigar tasting exhale (put tongue on roof of mouth and let vapor roll off it) with MTL EVOD tastes as good as any sub ohm tank I've tried. You can't french inhale with DTL.

Yeah I am in no way knowledgeably able to build/DIY unfortunately as it's still just too new for me, and the sub ohm tanks sure do like to guzzle the juice don't they! However, every now and again I do like to blow a big flavorful satisfying cloud to release the stress of the day!
If I was to go back to something like an EVOD set up, is it a backwards step from the likes of the PICO I have now? Or just complete preference? I did find that the ego I went back to just didn't seem to have the power for me anymore.

 

[retired1]

DIY isn't all that bad. It's just a little bit of this and a wee bit of that, and VOILA! JUICE!

 

[Eskie]

Yeah, DIY juice is probably the easiest part of vaping to do yourself. Just measure and mix. Sounds like you already figured out some hardware solutions that work for you. The Pico is a nice little device, and the Triton 2 a reasonable tank. Your iJust sounds like a nice secondary.

Once you have your hardware sorted out, figuring out what juices you like can be more important than what hardware you use. Once you know your own palette and style of use, you can make informed choices on any other stuff you want to get, or just experiment with. If you're already satisfied with the performance of what you've got, play around with different juices. There are some I really like I didn't expect to, and others I thought sounded great but didn't work for me. Your preferences will also help you in choosing any flavors (if any) should you decide to mix your own as well.

I agree with Baditutde that building your own down the road will ultimately give you the best control for the best experience. But the more you know what like or dislike will really help in guiding intelligent purchases less likely to disappoint. I know laws and regulations vary by country, and am not aware how available things are like juices, but a big part of the appeal of vaping for me is experiencing new flavors, as well as not smoking, of course.

 

[Jimmygk37]

Might like to read:
dannyv45's blog | E-Cigarette Forum
Hoosier's blog | E-Cigarette Forum
DIY Resources
You will want to scroll down to Sir2fyablyNutz thread, he lists most of the places you can find recipes.
Re: First DIY Order
How hard is it to get in to DIY liqiud?

Thanks again @BrotherBob, am definitely going to have a read of these. Also thank you for letting me know what setup you're running, appreciate it.

 

[Jimmygk37]

Hello and welcome.

Aside from suggesting you try going the rebuildable route and DIY'ing your own ejuice (which you said you weren't looking to do) I say you're pretty much set with what you have.

Enjoy your vape(s)

Thanks @rice721, DIY is something to look into but for now I'm happy just being a bit more simple til I know more.
Yeah it took a lot of researching hours to get where I've got, but I have loved every minute of it! More trial and error still to be done of course, but excited nonetheless.