New to vaping, bought a blu starter kit from walgreens, encountering difficulties.

[ctourtelot]

I started with a blu as well...almost 3yrs ago now. I wore the kit out in 2 weeks and ended up smoking for a few more weeks while I researched and waited on new equipment. Unfortunately, with all the models I've tried, I have not found 1 that is consistent every hit and stays that way. Most of the parts of an ecig are consumables and will wear out eventually. Due to mass production, you will also get some duds along the way. Its a frustrating reality with ecigs, but with a bit a dedication you learn to plan for it and not get caught with your pants down. With everything I've tried, the most consistent and satisfying vape I've had is my current set up. I use an 1100mah ego battery with a ce2 clearomizer that I mod slightly by raising the cap that covers the coils to allow more liquid to wick and I cut 3ml syringes to use as the tube as they don't have the cracking issue that the ones that come with the cartos have. I'm always trying new things, but keep coming back to these because they just work.

It took me awhile to find that sweet spot and it seemed like I spent a lot of money getting there, but in comparison to the $200+/mo I spent on cigarettes, I'm far ahead of the game 3 years later. You can get tons of info on this forum and if money is an issue, you might try the classified. Many people sell items they aren't using as a good discount and it gives you the chance to try other set ups at a lesser cost. Also check out the PIY forum where people give/trade items as well.

If you smoked more than a pack a day, the Blu cigs are most likely not going to cut it for you and you will eventually need to move up to something with more oomph, larger battery life and more cartridge capacity.

 

[gvegastiger]

shulg,

I hear ya man. I was all over the place when trying to decide what to get. I actually ordered 2 different kits, but stopped the orders and returned them for a refund as I found something better. I ordered a Volcano, then cancelled and ordered a Halo, then cancelled when I found a kit that I knew was going to be easy for me.

That kit was the 510T from American eLiquid Store. It came with 150 mL of Menthol juice at different mg levels. It also came with a refill cap to use on the bottles which makes filling the tanks dead simple. The 510 batteries last me almost a day on average and I like the small size of them, especially at first.

Now however I'm on the upgrade train. I'm hoping to score a Lavatube bc I really want to try out the VV that I hear so many good things about.

Some people will swear up and down that the best way to go is to jump straight to the top and get a big batt mod. But what worked for me was to start small and upgrade as I go. I didn't want to dump analogs for a vibrator sized mod right away as it would have felt too foreign. It sounds like you started with a Blu and it hasn't been good. I'd recommend that you either go with a kGo next to up the mah so you can try some LR atty's or carto's (which is what I will go with if the LT coop doesn't pan out for me) and not have to worry about charging very often or go with a Joye 510 T. I say the 510 T bc it has been consistent for me, it lasts almost an entire day (moderate vaping) and with that refiller kit from Am. eLiquid Store it's dead simple to refill. I'd say its got to be the least messiest easiest way to refill other than maybe a clearomizer.

 

[dearme]

Any ecig can use cartomizers.

The small slim ecig models MUST use SR (Standard Resistance). The larger ecigs can use either SR (Standard Resistance) or LR (Low Resistance).

 

[Oban]

Hi there shulginstestsubject (interesting handle you have there), I would recommend you also get a couple of attys, some Boge cartos and a drip tip or 2 with your kit. Oh and don’t forget the juice!!!

Is it automatic or regular (is there a button?) ?

There is a button

How long do the batteries last?

2600mAh batts should last for a day or 2 before need a charge.

Can one just use cartomizers instead of buying separate liquid and atomizers?

Yes

(Side question, which method is more effective/ easier to learn and use?; Cartomizers or buying separate atomizers and juice?)

Pre-filled cartos are of course easier, but filling your own is not hard to master and direct dripping with attys gives the best flavor imho.
See this on filling cartos - A Great Way To Fill Cartomizers - YouTube

Also, I'm looking about the website and I'm having difficulty finding which cartomizers I'd have to buy for this one.

These would probably be best - [url=http://www.liberty-flights.com/product.asp?id=72]Electronic Cigarette - Cartomizers - Boge Cartomizers – the 510LR’s[/URL]

I would also get a couple of attys, these - Low Resistance Atomizers - Joye 510 - LR
They are a little pricey, but you can shop around later(?)

Is this a dependable e-cigarette that I can count on to deliver nicotine when I need it?

I would say so, the Joye eGos are great.

 

[Librum]

I started vaping as my husband had to do the vapor treatments with one of those 'donkey .....' vaporizers. Those things smell awful, and according to him, the taste was worse, and he hated being 'tethered' to a power outlet. He asked a chemist friend what the formula was. The friend was able to calculate the formula, then flavored it. My husband loved it. Then the friend assisted in getting a bulk order of those 21st Century with blank carts. Then we learned that both of us are sensitive to the PG, and our friend recalculated the formula to pure VG. The rest is history.

So, get out there and get a better unit than 'disposable'.

Sarah
of the Librum.

 

[shulginstestsubject]

Hi there shulginstestsubject (interesting handle you have there), I would recommend you also get a couple of attys, some Boge cartos and a drip tip or 2 with your kit. Oh and don’t forget the juice!!!




There is a button


2600mAh batts should last for a day or 2 before need a charge.


Yes


Pre-filled cartos are of course easier, but filling your own is not hard to master and direct dripping with attys gives the best flavor imho.
See this on filling cartos - A Great Way To Fill Cartomizers - YouTube


These would probably be best - Electronic Cigarette - Cartomizers - Boge Cartomizers – the 510LR’s

I would also get a couple of attys, these - Low Resistance Atomizers - Joye 510 - LR
They are a little pricey, but you can shop around later(?)


I would say so, the Joye eGos are great.

If I just get the cartos, then will I need attys or the juice? What is a drip tip (sorry for ignorance haha)? Would you say that filling your own cartos is more cost effective? Also, does vaping ever leave black stains on your teeth or is that just the paint/coloring rubbing against my teeth and leaving it's mark? Thanks!

 

[swedishfish]

If I just get the cartos, then will I need attys or the juice? What is a drip tip (sorry for ignorance haha)? Would you say that filling your own cartos is more cost effective? Also, does vaping ever leave black stains on your teeth or is that just the paint/coloring rubbing against my teeth and leaving it's mark? Thanks!

What kind of pv do you have?

A drip tip fits on the end of your cartomizer. It prevents juice from getting in your mouth and it makes it easier to top off your cartomizers with juice.

Filling your own cartomizers is cheaper. Keep in mind that cartomizers are disposable but can be refilled several times. A cartomizer holds close to 1 ml of juice and a 30 ml bottle of juice costs anywhere from $10-$18. That's 30 cartomizer of juice.

 

[Oban]

hi again shulgin, no you would not need the attys along with the cartos-you will need juice though. I suggested the attys thinking you might enjoy dripping, and as a back-up in case you run out of cartos( I always keep back-ups for my back-ups around). Yes filling your own cartos is more cost effective and will give you a much larger variety of flavors and vendors to choose from. No, I haven't noticed any black stains on my teeth from vapeing.

Edit: Oh and drip tips- well swedishfish covered that lol

 

[jamentertainment]

OMG so many more people now are starting with the blu...they are making a fortune!!!,...My advice "well if your in ECF u prob have bought something already"..buy a $10 gas station e cig...If you say, WOW I CAN DO THIS!!!...buy a provari starter setup lots of juice samples and cartos and your all set...I also started with a blu, and went back to cigs, because I didnt know at the time that there was allot better out there....Good Luck!!!

 

[monuoha]

Okay, so the first time I tried vaping, I had purchased a blu disposable e-cigarette and loved it. The cartridge lasted 2 days, the draw/pull/nicotine(24 mg cartridge) delivery was nice and consistent and it motivated me to look into vaping. I didn't do much research and had decided to purchase the blu starter kit from walgreens. These e-cigs are a bit different (16 mg nicotine cartridge might be an important detail). Once the batteries are charged and the cartridge is screwed on, the first ten puffs are wonderful, but following those first few puffs, I encounter some manner of difficulty and inconsistency. I don't know exactly what "happens" but I can describe my experience to you. Basically I feel like I need to "pull" unnaturally hard to draw the vapor from the e-cigarette. Either that, or I give the e-cigarette an unusually "shallow and long" pull to sort of let the atomizer start sizzling, then once I feel a tickle in the back of my throat, I'll then proceed to inhale. Also, I feel like I need to puff on it a couple times to sort of "rev" up the atomizer before it gets going. I'll know when it's working when I hear a sort of "crackling" within the e-cigarette. Also, I encounter some difficulty when the cartridge is running low. What happens is that I'm in some sort of mental debate regarding whether or not my brain is receiving the nicotine that it's expecting from the drags I'm taking, it's mad disparity at this point and it makes me question my decision to devote myself to vaping. There is still vapor at this point, but each draw becomes increasingly difficult and utterly unsatisfying. It is at this point that I proceed to switch out the cartridge as soon as possible. I just wish it would work EXACTLY the way the disposable blu e-cig worked. Any comments, suggestions, advice will be greatly appreciated, thank you.

And also, sometimes I'll have a relatively new cartridge and a fully charged battery and there will be NO vapor. I'll pull as hard as I can and as softly as I can and for as long as I can, but I just won't be able to get a decent drag out of it. For me, e-cigarettes need to be completely dependable in every circumstance, or else what's the point?

Hehe...started off the same way u did. Picked up an Njoy from CVS and a generic no name e-cig from a local smoke store. Worst wk of vaping ever! Leaking, Burnt TP taste, atomizers kept crapping out....Almost gave up. Then i discovered ECF and read a bunch of reviews. 2 weeks later, started puffing on my sweet Joy ego C. Hvnt looked back ever since.

Happy vaping

 

[shulginstestsubject]

Okay, I need to make a final decision here. I'm stuck between these three
Electronic Cigarette - Starter Kits - EGO E-Power
KGO (Riva) 1100mAh Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit - $54.95
JOYE 510-T Stainless Steel Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit
I'm looking for ease of use (i just don't want to get it in the mail and then become frustrated with my product because I can't get it to work right the first try, yunno? It's gotta be real easy), long battery life, dependability of vapor and nicotine content, 24mg nicotine cartridge compatable, FAST shipping, 30-day money back guarantee. Thanks to you all

 

[Virk]

Can't tell you which of those 3 is best but I can point out some differences between them (i have all 3).
First, no matter which one you choose, don't forget you will need e-juice as well.

E-Power 3.7v- the biggest unit here, advantage is longer battery life and replaceable batteries. Being able to replace those batteries rather than buying a whole new device is a big plus imo.
Comes with 3x dual coil Carotmizers rather than attys, this should be the most hassle free and a much bigger hit, will use a lot of juice, you will want to pick up more cartos with this as they are disposable. Con - it's big. Pro - Liberty Flights discount top left.

KGO - Good device, good size. Not replaceable batteries so when they die you get to buy a new device rather than just a battery, (batteries typically last I dunno, 300 charging cycles is a good guess so just under a year maybe?)
Comes with attys, you would definitely want to pick up a few cartomizers to test, boge's are good and cheap. Con - Attys require more fiddling with only because you have to keep filling or dripping more often than cartos. Attys generally last longer but cost more. For all of these devices, I recommend trying attys and cartos, only you can decide which you prefer.

510-T - I see this one has two sized auto batteries, one is quite small. Auto is susceptible to leak damage and loud noise can actually turn some of these on, but many people prefer auto batteries and do not like pushing a button. The ego T atty can be great when it works and a royal pain when it doesn't, odds are you will have to fiddle with this more than the other two devices. But... you don't have to use the T atty, you can also use regular attys or cartos. This appears to be the smallest unit and likely the shortest battery life.

IMO if you don't care about the large size, the E-power is the best deal. If size is an issue, the 510-T is your choice, if it's not that important, the KGO is the better deal.
Personally I'd get the KGO for travel and the E-power for at home. Replaceable batteries is a big Pro in my book.

You will need to get juice and be smart and get a few extra cartos, they are disposable, and if they break and you run out then you won't be happy. Also grab a driptip while you're at it.
Ok that's prolly enough info to really get you undecided now. Good luck!

 

[shulginstestsubject]

Can't tell you which of those 3 is best but I can point out some differences between them (i have all 3).
First, no matter which one you choose, don't forget you will need e-juice as well.

E-Power 3.7v- the biggest unit here, advantage is longer battery life and replaceable batteries. Being able to replace those batteries rather than buying a whole new device is a big plus imo.
Comes with 3x dual coil Carotmizers rather than attys, this should be the most hassle free and a much bigger hit, will use a lot of juice, you will want to pick up more cartos with this as they are disposable. Con - it's big. Pro - Liberty Flights discount top left.

KGO - Good device, good size. Not replaceable batteries so when they die you get to buy a new device rather than just a battery, (batteries typically last I dunno, 300 charging cycles is a good guess so just under a year maybe?)
Comes with attys, you would definitely want to pick up a few cartomizers to test, boge's are good and cheap. Con - Attys require more fiddling with only because you have to keep filling or dripping more often than cartos. Attys generally last longer but cost more. For all of these devices, I recommend trying attys and cartos, only you can decide which you prefer.

510-T - I see this one has two sized auto batteries, one is quite small. Auto is susceptible to leak damage and loud noise can actually turn some of these on, but many people prefer auto batteries and do not like pushing a button. The ego T atty can be great when it works and a royal pain when it doesn't, odds are you will have to fiddle with this more than the other two devices. But... you don't have to use the T atty, you can also use regular attys or cartos. This appears to be the smallest unit and likely the shortest battery life.

IMO if you don't care about the large size, the E-power is the best deal. If size is an issue, the 510-T is your choice, if it's not that important, the KGO is the better deal.
Personally I'd get the KGO for travel and the E-power for at home. Replaceable batteries is a big Pro in my book.

You will need to get juice and be smart and get a few extra cartos, they are disposable, and if they break and you run out then you won't be happy. Also grab a driptip while you're at it.
Ok that's prolly enough info to really get you undecided now. Good luck!

Wow, thanks for the quick and thorough response. I'm thinking of going with the KGO and just one bottle of the e-liquid. Which website would be best to order it from? Thanks again

 

[lostinky]

if you are wanting the Kgo kit you should check out Hoosierecig.com he has the kgo kit priced at 43.99 they were out of stock when i started vaping and ended up going with the E-power from liberty flights and i love it im getting 2 to 3 days out of a battery before recharging.

 

[Viper65]

Short and simple: any 510 setup, 650mah or better, grab some juice, vape on.

 

[Warren D. Lockaby]

Based on your comments and assuming you don't want to invest yet in the higher end models that will get you around 21+ hours on a charge, I would suggest you look at these models with manual batteries (better/safer than autos) that will provide you 5 - 6 hours on a charge and are about the size of a sharpie pen. Plus they are higher volt and higher mAh batteries than the eGo. Here are several reputable suppliers for the Kgo, E-Power and Riva:

Electronic Cigarette - Starter Kits - EGO E-Power

KGO 1100 mAh 2 battery kit

Crystal Clear Vaping

e-Power

Ditto that, except I believe CCV is out of stock on the E-Power 14650 and if they're not, the ad says the ones they stock have the "new, white light switch" which in fact had problems & has been replaced by a new, blue light, switch. These show to be in stock here: E-Power 14650 Complete Kit However, I see these come with the atty/cart setup, so I'd recommend getting some of their Smoktek ReJuvenator Mega XL 1.7ohm cartos and/or some Boge LR cartos, along with some e-liquid to go with this setup. Happy Vaping!

 

[Virk]

This just posted at deals n steals, grand opening sale at smokeyvapor (i've never purchased there so no idea about them but the deals are good right now and you get a free 5 pack of cartos)
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/pay-forward-pif/85781-deals-steals-716.html

ego kit for 39.99
epower kit for 39.99
E-Power Kits

Good deals, probably puts both of these into your budget at the same time and you get more. Don't forget the juice. Oh and it's free shipping, heck I might order a spare kit lol.

Good Luck!

 

[Stoggy24]

i used a blu when i first started but i didnt like them it you want me to give u a great idea for a good kit message me

 

[Harryinny]

Advice from me, Get into the Smokless Image line of products. Then, find a good juice vendor and roll on from there. Was a heavy smoker until i got the njoy(Ugh) for xmas, then cartos were 22 bucks for 5. Found The volt after MUCh research and lost sleep. Been happy ans smoke free since. Used the 36mg liquid from Bloog(red) and now am droping down to 24mg for a few months probably.

Welcome and please if you want check out the official smokless image thread(possibly largest one on the forums). Plenty of super fast help, and CS actually reads your posts and take care of you asap if you cant find satisfaction on the SI site. Just search the forum search for Official smokless image and youll find us.

 

[Drewscriver]

To be really honest- I tried the slim cigs for a week, and I don't like them - puff strength and battery life sucked. Best bet would be to use something that DOES NOT look like a cig at all. I like the shine mod from parkesvaping, mixed with their acorn tank and some of their camel liquid, would be a good start. The 18650 battery lasts for 2 days on a charge, and I am a heavy vaper. No cartridges- it uses a tank (the acorn tank), and you can keep refilling as you run out. The total should come up to ~$65, and is cheaper in the long run than using a cartridge system. Research a little, should go a long way.