New to the vape world - advice needed!

[JScrub_UK]

Hey guys/girls,

Completely new to the vape world as I'm helping my mum switch from normal cigarettes to e-cigs. I've done a bit of basic research and kind of know a thing or two about them now, but I'm still far from clued up, so a bit of help would definitely be appreciated!

My mum smokes about 12 or 13 a day with 10mg of nicotine in (gradually come down over the past year from 20) and it costs her about £5 for a pack of 20. Hoping e-cigs will work out cheaper and be healthier as she slowly brings it down...

She mostly smokes at home, so I think an automatic battery would suit her best as she doesn't need to put it in her pocket/bag or anything and she's not to keen on the button feature. Preferably something small and not too dissimilar to a regular cigarette. I've been looking at the 510 e-cig (maybe even the clearomizer version of it), that's the sort of thing that she likes the look of. Anyone have any other suggestions and recommendations on the best UK place to purchase from?

Also what's the usual running costs of an e-cig monthly? As I've seen you have liquids / cartridges to refill, atomizers to replace and potentially batteries / accessories?

Cheers

 

[Baditude]

Most beginner vapers often believe they only need a small battery (called "cigalikes", e-cigs, or 510 batteries) which they find comforting because it looks like their familiar cigarette. Since you mum only smokes half a pack per day and only at home, a setup like this might be adequate for her.

However, most of us who began on this type of setup quickly grew tired of the poor battery life of cigalikes (only 2 - 3 hours) and the lack of juice delivery attachment options within 2 - 4 weeks. If your mum can get over the fact that a more advanced setup like an eGo battery or mod doesn't look like a cigarette, I can guarantee that she will be more satisfied with one of these. Bigger batteries can be vaped longer before needing a charge, and provide a more satisfying vape experience. They also allow for more options to attach a larger variety of juice delivery attachments.

Your mum needs to understand that vaping is not the same as smoking. There's not a battery made that is as small as a cigarette that can replicate what you experience with smoking. Therefore, the sooner she can get over the idea that anything bigger than a cigalike is "Too big!", the better off she will be. Since you said that she will likely only vape at home, she doesn't have to "worry" about how her device looks to others in public.

A Good Starter Setup for a Beginning Vaper

Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder to Ego's & Mods

Proper Terminology: Guide to Juice Delivery Attachments

​

Once your mum has her battery device (including charger), a couple of juice delivery devices or tanks, replacement coils for the tanks, and her starter e-liquids, her subsequent maintanance costs will be for just for more e-liquids and replacement coils. You can really save a lot by vaping. And, remember you can't put a price on better health.

E-liquid costs approximately $30 for 30 ml. Figure on consuming 3 - 5 ml per day. Replacement coils are approximately $15 for five, and they should last approximately 1 - 3 weeks each.

For a 10 cigs-a-day smoker, I recommend she try 6mg nicotine in her e-liquid.

 

[Rixsta]

Personally I'd get a Subox starter kit with a 1.5ohm coil. Please research first though. If you think it's something that you would consider then I'd be more than willing to help.

 

[NoFumus]

As an example of one starter kit, toward the low end of what someone might find satisfying, you can look at the Aspire K1 starter kit at Amazon.uk. Price ₤30, includes a tank, battery & charger, and 5 replacement coils.

Rixsta's suggestion is at the more advance end for a beginning vaper.

 

[edyle]

Hey guys/girls,

Completely new to the vape world as I'm helping my mum switch from normal cigarettes to e-cigs. I've done a bit of basic research and kind of know a thing or two about them now, but I'm still far from clued up, so a bit of help would definitely be appreciated!

My mum smokes about 12 or 13 a day with 10mg of nicotine in (gradually come down over the past year from 20) and it costs her about £5 for a pack of 20. Hoping e-cigs will work out cheaper and be healthier as she slowly brings it down...

She mostly smokes at home, so I think an automatic battery would suit her best as she doesn't need to put it in her pocket/bag or anything and she's not to keen on the button feature. Preferably something small and not too dissimilar to a regular cigarette. I've been looking at the 510 e-cig (maybe even the clearomizer version of it), that's the sort of thing that she likes the look of. Anyone have any other suggestions and recommendations on the best UK place to purchase from?

Also what's the usual running costs of an e-cig monthly? As I've seen you have liquids / cartridges to refill, atomizers to replace and potentially batteries / accessories?

Cheers

The monthly running costs can be anywhere from 10% to 1000+% of the cost of cigarettes.
If you want to use automatic batteries, that puts things at the costlier side.

There are several popular starter kits:
from aspire, eleaf and kanger.

 

[BrotherBob]

running costs

Looking at the long term running costs of cartomizers types like, cartridges vs tanks vs drippers(RDA's) may help you decided.
All have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

[Chrissie]

Hello & welcome @JScrub_UK

I'm also in the UK BTW

The ciggie lookalikes aren't really that good so it would be better to choose at least an ego size battery with a clearomiser.

As for running costs, I used to be a very heavy smoker (averaged 50 a day ) So I've saved a fortune as I only spend about £10 max a week on running costs

Here is a list of good UK vendors (many with discount codes) -

E-cigarette/E-liquid Vendors List + discount codes | ALL ABOUT E-CIGARETTES UK

 

[Hans Wermhat]

Aspire - Aspire Nautilus Mini (BVC) Tank Clearomizer
Vision Spinner II Variable Voltage 1650mAh Battery

This was my 3rd setup. It was the first thing I enjoyed vaping and I wish I would have started with it. I actually had the full sized Nautilus tank, but it looks almost exactly the same, just fatter. Knowing what I know now, I would recommend a small box mod instead of the spinner battery.

 

[Rixsta]

Rixsta's suggestion is at the more advance end for a beginning vaper.

You know what, if it was the old Subtank Mini, I would of never suggested it but with the new Subox kit and the 1.5ohm coil. It is a great tank to go to coming from cigarettes, great for mouth to lung, great flavour and a reliable vape. It's called a Starter kit for a reason. Very easy to use and it's not at the advanced end at all. It would be a crying shame not to have mentioned this wonderful piece of kit.

 

[suprtrkr]

Hi and welcome to the board. +1 to @Baditude

 

[NoFumus]

It would be a crying shame not to have mentioned this wonderful piece of kit.

My tone might have varied from my intention. I think it's a fine and appropriate suggestion, and it's likely "advanced" not the best choice of words.

 

[Rixsta]

My tone might have varied from my intention. I think it's a fine and appropriate suggestion, and it's likely "advanced" not the best choice of words.

It's fine, it's easy done with reading text. I would just hate the OP to disgaurd the tank, thinking it is too advanced. It Def should be considered in my opinion. If I came over rude then I'm sorry.

 

[djsvapour]

Welcome JScrub.

If you can hold fire on your purchase(s), I can offer some advice tomorrow.

let me just say, the e-cig world is extremely shady... as in, you can get seriously ripped off in an instant.

To give you some idea... If I used E-Lites, it would cost me £3,500 a year.
If I used Nicolites, that would drop to about £2,000 a year.
If I buy an eGo from a proper vendor with a refillable clearomiser that would cost me £500 a year.

There are some 510 "slim" e-cigarettes (510 is usually a way to class the fitting, not the battery, well, since about 2012...) I bought an e-cig of that size last week, and it works very well. The kit was £8.99... so if you pay more than £10-£15 for something like that, somebody is taking you for a ride.

One last thought (I'm too tired to write a whole essay) is Google is NOT your friend. Not at all. Reviews (those not on forums) are NOT to be trusted. Independent review sites are even less trustworthy. A seemingly independent site will send you to buy the most expensive brands so they can collect a shed-load of commission.

This system of 'rigging' the internet allows an e-cig company to charge you £90 for a £10 e-cig... and take you for a further £2,000 that year, instead of £400. You probably know a lot of this already, so apologies if so.

Dave.

 

[moloko]

Welcome JScrub.

If you can hold fire on your purchase(s), I can offer some advice tomorrow.

let me just say, the e-cig world is extremely shady... as in, you can get seriously ripped off in an instant.

To give you some idea... If I used E-Lites, it would cost me £3,500 a year.
If I used Nicolites, that would drop to about £2,000 a year.
If I buy an eGo from a proper vendor with a refillable clearomiser that would cost me £500 a year.

There are some 510 "slim" e-cigarettes (510 is usually a way to class the fitting, not the battery, well, since about 2012...) I bought an e-cig of that size last week, and it works very well. The kit was £8.99... so if you pay more than £10-£15 for something like that, somebody is taking you for a ride.

One last thought (I'm too tired to write a whole essay) is Google is NOT your friend. Not at all. Reviews (those not on forums) are NOT to be trusted. Independent review sites are even less trustworthy. A seemingly independent site will send you to buy the most expensive brands so they can collect a shed-load of commission.

This system of 'rigging' the internet allows an e-cig company to charge you £90 for a £10 e-cig... and take you for a further £2,000 that year, instead of £400. You probably know a lot of this already, so apologies if so.

Dave.

Thanks very much for that. It really is scary how many rip off artists are out there
there. It's a bs artist Web with pop ups left and right. I'm still overwhelmed but there are still independent, reliable sources to be found it's just a hell of a job to filter the bs

 

[djsvapour]

Thanks very much for that. It really is scary how many rip off artists are out there
there. It's a bs artist Web with pop ups left and right. I'm still overwhelmed but there are still independent, reliable sources to be found it's just a hell of a job to filter the bs

Yes, it's a tough business. The easy way to spot the majority of fake independent review sites is to see the brands at the top. When the brands go from #1 to #10 based on the % commission, then it's kind of freakishly lame (of those brands) to think anyone would believe it.

 

[Hans Wermhat]

At the top of every page here, there is a list or reputable "forum suppliers" that have been vetted by the members. It's a great way to avoid the shady side of the industry. You can find cheaper prices, but not by much and not very often. I have to assume these guys come here and check their competitors and adjust their pricing to stay in line with each other.

 

[JScrub_UK]

@Baditude - thanks for the in-depth reply, I think it's trying to get her to see the longer term aspect of it. She's viewing it as quite a short lived thing mainly because she doesn't care to research it like I do. I'll try and push her further away from the basic e-cigs and guide onto some of the recommendations on here, but I can't see it happening until she's 3-6 months down the line and tested some of the products she thinks she'll like first. Once she's got those out the way she'll hopefully look to experiment with some different vapes rather than the basic starter sets.

@Rixsta & @NoFumus, thanks for the suggestions will definitely take a look at those. How long would the Aspire K1 kit last roughly? Trying to get a decent idea of outlay / cost of replacement parts before making a decision on anything!

@Chrissie, awesome link to those approved UK vendors, really helpful, thanks! Also good to know that even at 50 a day, the equivalent in vaping is £10 a week. That must be huge savings

 

[JScrub_UK]

Welcome JScrub.

If you can hold fire on your purchase(s), I can offer some advice tomorrow.

let me just say, the e-cig world is extremely shady... as in, you can get seriously ripped off in an instant.

To give you some idea... If I used E-Lites, it would cost me £3,500 a year.
If I used Nicolites, that would drop to about £2,000 a year.
If I buy an eGo from a proper vendor with a refillable clearomiser that would cost me £500 a year.

There are some 510 "slim" e-cigarettes (510 is usually a way to class the fitting, not the battery, well, since about 2012...) I bought an e-cig of that size last week, and it works very well. The kit was £8.99... so if you pay more than £10-£15 for something like that, somebody is taking you for a ride.

One last thought (I'm too tired to write a whole essay) is Google is NOT your friend. Not at all. Reviews (those not on forums) are NOT to be trusted. Independent review sites are even less trustworthy. A seemingly independent site will send you to buy the most expensive brands so they can collect a shed-load of commission.

This system of 'rigging' the internet allows an e-cig company to charge you £90 for a £10 e-cig... and take you for a further £2,000 that year, instead of £400. You probably know a lot of this already, so apologies if so.

Dave.

Hey Dave, thanks for the advice and breakdown on costs of vaping vs smoking; really gives a good idea of what to expect cost-wise!

Right, didn't know the '510' was a fitting, just thought it was a model or something of that type. Glad to hear that those types/sizes of e-cigs still work well for basic use. Do you mind sharing where you got it from for £8.99, could be an ideal way for my mum to get into things (and hopefully progress from there). I saw one site which was about £10 for a starter kit with an auto battery, atomizer, charger, 2 x cartridges & 1 x 5ml e-liquid - does that sound about right?

Definitely aware of the fake review sites, been around internet marketing long enough to know that the majority of things out there are for personal gain, hence coming to a forum of regulars with experience

Quick question regarding the 510 and cartridges etc. Can you fill the cartridge or do they simply get replaced like the atomizer? If you can fill the cartridge, can you use any e-liquid in them?

The clearomizers make the most sense to me as you just refill that when it runs dry and replace it every few weeks? The others I definitely need to do a bit more research on...

Thanks again for the help and everyone else who's chipped in, really appreciated!

 

[djsvapour]

Clearomizers (Clearomisers) make more sense to me than cartomizers, those little metal tubes (silver, black, cig-.... coloured). I did/do use them, and for a while, when the technology was new, a cartomizer was more reliable; less leaking etc.
Early vaping pioneers (is that the right word?) put them in tanks to keep them soggy with liquid (carto-tanks) and expensive atomizers (where you 'build' the coil and wick) were almost the only way to higher-power vaping.

In basic terms... if you can open up a liquid-holding tank/cartridge/carto/clearo, you can refill it. This is good. Anything disposable will cost more in the long run than a tank (plastic or glass) where you can replace the atomizer inside.

The kit I got uses non-standard thread. It is called Gamucci Vitesse and should be seen as totally stand-alone. I got it from a shop called "B&M". B and M stores in the e-cig world are a way of saying a real bricks and mortar shop, but this B&M (UK) is called that.
The trouble is, if you buy it from Gamucci or need spares, they will kill you on the prices.

Maybe something like this makes more sense.

Mini Protank 2 Kit Black - Starter Kits

What can I say; it's best to avoid non-standard anything. A simple battery and (glass) clearomiser is a good set-up for a new vaper.

Vape Escape are doing a sale on E-Smart in 510 size.

Kanger Esmart : Vape Escape

For that kind of money it might be worth a go.