New to Forums and So Confused

[moman]

Hey Guys,

I have been lurking these forums for the past couple of days and I am confused.

As no e-cigs with nic are available for retail in Brisbane, Australia; I have found it very hard to decide what type of setup or starter kit I should go for.

I guess I should explain what I am looking for.

I would like to substitute and eventually cut down my smoking. I am currently about a pack a day smoker and smoke 12 - 16mg strength packs, usually bnh rich or classics.

I would like to know what you guys would recommend considering I will have to order online, which is harder than going to the stores and trying out different brands.

Apologies if I have not supplied enough information, I will provide any additional information if needed.
Sorry if this has been asked already but it is all too much information for me to take in.

Cheers
Mo

 

[RickMc]

I'm too new to make recommendations, but I know the people who aren't will need more information...so can you let everyone know:

Does it matter if it looks like a cigarette? For most people they think it will, start with a look-alike, then decide "who cares" and move on to something that lasts longer on a charge and usually performs somewhat better.

How much do you like to fiddle? Some people enjoy the fiddling part as much as vaping, some want it to be as "blow and go" as possible.

What's your initial budget?

There will be more questions, but these will be a start to helping the more experienced make some suggestions. Kudos to you for doing your homework before spending your money. You're already saving yourself some cash and heartburn!

 

[moman]

Thanks Mate,

I do not think it would matter weather or not it looks like a ciggie for me as I would prefer quality and experience over looks and I also plan to use this to help me transition away from normal cigarettes which will not happen overnight i guess.

As to how much would i like to fiddle... I do not completely understand your question, are you referring to adjusting vape content?

With regards to initial budget I would like to start under or around $100 (i dont no if that is considered top end) and maybe a product that can be upgradable if the vaping experience is working for me.

Thanks

 

[Mud Stuffin]

Read the last post in this sticky: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/141096-advice-what-buy-newcomers-48.html

There are suggestions there for beginners.

Welcome to the forum! Hope you find what you're looking for. Above all, have fun!

 

[apuck]

I personally believe that an eGo type unit (Riva, Kgo, Go Go, etc) is a great place to start. More especially the Kgos, and Rivas which have a slightly higher voltage output than the standard eGo (3.7 compared to 3.4 volts). These batteries hold a good amount of charge, 6-11 hours of use (650mah up to the 1100mah) roughly. The batteries charge quickly too. All the bits, parts, and pieces, like cartomizers, attys, tanks, cartridges, adapters, blah, blah, blah, and so on, are easy to find as most suppliers carry the them (510 threaded style). This gives them great versatility, allowing you to try different vaping methods to pick one that you like. Starter kits are pretty cheap around 45 dollars US. They are super easy to use, and require little maintenance so those are bonuses too.

Thats my two cents anyway. Also a great place to find Riva, Kgo, and a few others check out Sweet-vapes.com (don't forget the hyphen or you will go to a different site). Then I'd check out some place like Madvapes just to see all the extras that you can purchase that give the versatility that I mentioned.

Good luck.

 

[luvinit]

What MudStuffin said... you'll get bombarded with suggestions, and it's a very subjective thing. The only piece of advice I would give you is to stay away from the slim ones, the battery life on them is dismal, at best and you'll be constantly charging. Go with something with, at least, a 1000mah battery... my KGO is 1100 mah and they last almost two whole days before needing to be recharged. They're about the size of a cigar, but I don't care about that.. go to HoosierEcigSupply and watch his video on the KGO.. it's my third pv setup and I truly wish I would have started with it,, I would have saved a ton of money. Good luck to you!!

 

[Bradder]

+1 MudStuffin - and welcome. Would help to know a bit more about your smoking habits such as do you get nic cravings, like the ritual of lighting and smoking, have you ever smoked a pie/cigar, however you can analyze your particular habit. Too, would you mind fiddling with a system or would you rather just get and go? Is current cost and future cost as factor.

 

[B4DJ1N64N]

Hi ther mate.
As far as I know, there are some Aussie vendors out there, but almost all of them are carrying 510 and ego stuffs. If you want a better kit, you should get it from abroad. A Kgo kit is a great kit to start with, because it's quite versatile and quite powerfull for it's size. You will need some cartomizers with it. And of course some e-liquids. Good luck on your vaping journey.

 

[RickMc]

FWIW moman, I would recommend the KGO kit, also. 510 threads mean you have a ton of options as to what to screw on to the battery - tanks, atomizers, cartomizers, clearomizers. The KGO or Riva option is widely considered to be a very good choice for someone new.

I have a SLB (that's the manufacturer) KGO (that's the "type of unit) kit from HoosierECigSupply and am extremely pleased with it so far. There are other recommended suppliers as well.

 

[MickeyRat]

I agree with what others have said about cigarette sized batteries. I used them for less than a month before I found this forum and bought an ego. However, I have also come to understand that some people need that size to start. You probably won't stick with it but, if you're one of those people, don't be ashamed to say so. There are decent quality small bat kits.

 

[sailorman]

I would normally agree with those who suggest a kGo. That's always in my top 2 for newbs who aren't hung up on the cigarette look-alike mistake. HOWEVER. Units like the kGo/Riva/eGo are basically sealed batteries. A starter kit contains 2 of them, but they last about 4-6 months each. Once they wear out, they're disposable.

If you are in a situation where it is not easy to order new stuff, or even if you aren't, I would suggest an e-Power. It's a lot like a kGo, but it takes regular replaceable lithium batteries you can get anywhere. The initial cost is about the same as a kGo, about $45USD here in the States, but the ongoing maintenance costs are less. Instead of replacing a $25 e-cig, you will be replacing just a $5-10 battery. Also, the button is replaceable. You won't be throwing the whole unit away if the button fails for some reason (as occasionally they do). There are also 2 sizes. One takes 18650 batteries and one is smaller. They come with 2 spare batteries, a charger and usually 5 cartomizers.

Several places have them, but the best price I've seen is at Sweet-Vapes.com I don't know what their shipping policy to Australia is, but you can get a look at it there and find it elsewhere if that's a problem.

 

[sailorman]

Thanks Mate,

I do not think it would matter weather or not it looks like a ciggie for me as I would prefer quality and experience over looks and I also plan to use this to help me transition away from normal cigarettes which will not happen overnight i guess.

As to how much would i like to fiddle... I do not completely understand your question, are you referring to adjusting vape content?

With regards to initial budget I would like to start under or around $100 (i dont no if that is considered top end) and maybe a product that can be upgradable if the vaping experience is working for me.

Thanks

You might be surprised. I quit a 3 pack a day habit literally the same day I got my first e-cig two years ago. It happens more often than you might think, especially if you get the right strength of juice and a good PV to start with. The people who seem to have the most problems are the ones who use a small battery and spend half their time worrying about whether their batteries are charged up or running out of pre-filled "cartridges".

Some e-cigs are "fiddly". They take some tweaking and adjusting to get them to work right. That's my biggest objection to units like the ego-T and eGo-C and some of the other "mods" out there. They sometime, but not always, seem to come with a steep learning curve. They're also designed for optimal results when they're using specially designed cartomizers, atomizers and tanks that may not be readily available to you.

$100 is not top end, but it's enough to get a unit that might be the last one you really need (assuming you're not paying ridiculous shipping charges). Beware though, if you get one of those little cigarette looking e-cigs, you WILL end up spending a fortune in extra batteries and you might get trapped in one of those deals where you have to buy the cartridges from the same company. That's where they get you by the short-hairs.

A kGo or e-Power unit is about $45. That leaves plenty for spare cartomizers, an atomizer or two (to test flavors) a couple drip tips and juice. Depending on the shipping costs, you should be very close to your budget.

There are few "upgradeable" units as far as I know. Upgrades usually take the form of a new e-cig. You can upgrade your accessories to include tanks, different cartomizers, high quality atomizers, etc.. But the e-cig is what it is. That's why it's important to avoid uncommon thread patterns and stick with common types like a 510. When, and if, you upgrade, you will be able to easily use all of your existing supplies on a new unit.

The e-Power is good enough that you may never feel the need to upgrade, unless you want to take vaping to the level of a hobby, like some of us do. The people that almost always need to upgrade are the ones who start out with a mini ecig or one that looks like "the real thing". You would be wise to avoid that needless initiation ritual.

 

[sailorman]

+1 MudStuffin - and welcome. ... have you ever smoked a pie/cigar, ....

Yummm.... Sounds tasty.

 

[apuck]

What MudStuffin said... you'll get bombarded with suggestions, and it's a very subjective thing. The only piece of advice I would give you is to stay away from the slim ones, the battery life on them is dismal, at best and you'll be constantly charging. Go with something with, at least, a 1000mah battery... my KGO is 1100 mah and they last almost two whole days before needing to be recharged. They're about the size of a cigar, but I don't care about that.. go to HoosierEcigSupply and watch his video on the KGO.. it's my third pv setup and I truly wish I would have started with it,, I would have saved a ton of money. Good luck to you!!

Hoosier is nice and has some good stuff, but my complaint with their KGO is the thing is stamped on the battery and cone with HoosierEcigSupply in big ugly letters. I personally think it's a tacky look, which is too bad because the product is solid, and they have some great color choices. Not sure if you can order without this or not.

 

[bushmasterar15]

Welcome to ECF. As for a start I went all out and started with a Precise 18650 didn't want to have the let down's of the beginner kits.

 

[Bradder]

@ Sailorman - good typo catch - I never tried them myself, but if I had been smoking them I don't think I would have ever started vaping. Heard that the only problem was they were so hard to keep lit and everyone kept trying to "bum" them. <g>.

 

[nansc]

Welcome to the forum.I started out with a small kit but the batterys don't last very long. I would also reccomend an EGO,Kgo something in that category they all have the 510 threading..

 

[sailorman]

Hoosier is nice and has some good stuff, but my complaint with their KGO is the thing is stamped on the battery and cone with HoosierEcigSupply in big ugly letters. I personally think it's a tacky look, which is too bad because the product is solid, and they have some great color choices. Not sure if you can order without this or not.

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with their claim of 3.8-4.0V loaded battery output. Is that something unique to Hoosier's SLB kGo? Do they get them specially designed just for Hoosier? I have my doubts but, if they do, that would explain why they feel the need to slap their logo on it.

Someone should contact Dark City, which has an identical looking SLB made kGo, and see if they match the 3.8-4.0V claim or know anything about it's veracity. The whole thing sounds a bit fishy to me. But, I usually keep fish in my ears at all times anyway, so maybe it's just me.

 

[moman]

Thanks for all the help guys. Really appreciated.

+1 MudStuffin - and welcome. Would help to know a bit more about your smoking habits such as do you get nic cravings, like the ritual of lighting and smoking, have you ever smoked a pie/cigar, however you can analyze your particular habit. Too, would you mind fiddling with a system or would you rather just get and go? Is current cost and future cost as factor.

I don't think i get nic cravings as much as i do spark up, but they are there. I guess i like the smoke content too. Yes i have smoked cigars before. As with fiddling with a system i don't think i would mind as long as it is easy to use. With regards to current cost vs future cost; I would like to not be spending and replacing parts too often as shipping them to Australia may be timely and costly so I would prefer something with low maintenance/long life.

With that being the case e-Power seems to be a better option than kGo as sailorman has stated i can just replace the batteries. How is the e-Power? are they also a 510 thread for upgradeable purposes?

I would normally agree with those who suggest a kGo. That's always in my top 2 for newbs who aren't hung up on the cigarette look-alike mistake. HOWEVER. Units like the kGo/Riva/eGo are basically sealed batteries. A starter kit contains 2 of them, but they last about 4-6 months each. Once they wear out, they're disposable.

If you are in a situation where it is not easy to order new stuff, or even if you aren't, I would suggest an e-Power.....

 

[Bradder]

In my opinion the e-Power is a great device and it does have 510 threading connectors. Best of luck!