New to vaping, ordered a provari + extras. Few questions

[asingh20]

Hey all, my name is Amith. I'm new to forums and new to vaping. I started smoking when I was 13.. was a pack a day smoker by 18, slowly moved my way down to about 4-5 cigs a day by summer of 2010, and finally quit by winter of 2010. From nov. 2010 to jan. 2012 I was cig free. However, recently with a big move and other stresses, I fell off the bandwagon and started smoking about 4-5 cigs a day again. Before it gets any worse, I decided to read up on e-cigs. Not doing this to save money on cigs, but for my health. I decided instead of ordering a cheaper start kit, and fool around with different configurations, to dish out the extra cash and get something good. So, this is what I've ordered so far. I know I need a tank, please read below. If there is anything else I need or any other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks =]

Ordered :

Battery Housing : ProVari v2 w/ MultiCharger, one 18490 AW IMR Battery, 18650 extension cap & one 18650 battery.
e-liquid : Cloudsofvapor.com - CPN ButterScotch, Vanilla Creme [both 12ml/24mg] Just to start with.
Cartomizer / Adapter : ikenvape.com - 3x 801 Fusion Cartomizer LR 2.0 & 501 to 801 adapter. Should I get the 2.5 when they are back in stock?
Drip Tip : cherryvape.com - Ming Drip Tip [Amethyst]
Cartomizer Punching Tool : Lowes.com - Watts 1/4" Brass Self-Tapping Saddle Valve

Waiting to order :
Tank : bigdaddyvapor.com - I am currently looking at the "Big Daddy" or "Lil'Mama" tank. not sure exactly what tank I should get, so many different opinions. Or what do you guys think about the "Who's your Daddy" tank? Is it worth the extra cash? I spent quite a penny already, so unless its a major upgrade I'd stick with one of the other two. If there are any other tank suggestions from somewhere else, let me know.
Multi-Purpose Adapter : bigdaddyvapor.com - Going to order a "Slap Yo' Mama" adapter once their credit card processors are up.


??? :
- Is there anything else I need or should get?
- Any tips on where exactly I should punch the hole on the cartomizer's?
- Should I get a 5 pack of the 801 Fusion Cartomizers 2.9 ohm from electronicstix too? Or try out the 2.0 LR from ikenvape first?
- I usually smoke Newport's or Marbolo Smooth's.. Smooths were too minty though, so went back to Newport. In order to get the same amount of satisfaction from an entire cig, how long would I have to hit the e-cig? I know this can vary, but an avarage if possible. Thanks

 

[kabonk]

looks good to me, just need a tank and you're all set I use a 3ohm 510 boge cartos in a carto tank on mine and set them around 5.2-5.5v, I don't vape like I used to smoke I just take a hit or 3 off a PV when ever I feel like it set it down for a while. but if you are only smoking 4 cigarettes your smoking habit is a lot different then mine was, I think the Who's your Daddy" tank would look pretty good on top of a provari but I don't know if I could part with the money

 

[MrGiggly]

Hi Amith, welcome to the forums. Have to say, great starter kit you've chosen, but I would say that because its pretty much identical to what I'm using. I have a provari with 18650 battery, ming SS drip tip and a lil mama tank. I've just ordered a 'who's your daddy' pro-cise and looking forward to trying that out. This setup works great for me. I don't think the 801 cartomisers will fit the lil mama but I might be wrong. You'll need 510 standard size cartos or xl if you go for the big daddy. I prefer using 2.8ohm boges or kanger cartos in the tank, but you should be good between 2-3 ohms.

As far as piercing the cartos goes, I also use a saddle valve which works great. You want to be aiming for a hole about 10mm up from the base bottom of the carto, bottom of the tube not the thread, and about 1mm in diameter, unless you are using thicker juice (mine is mostly 70pg/30vg). I find that once you hear the pop of the valve piercing the carto, another half to full turn is about right. Here's a really useful video in how to install a carto in the lil mama, or any other tank with similar design.

Have fun and happy vaping.

 

[asingh20]

@ kabonk , yup, only about 4-5 cigs at the moment. But at one point 3-4 years ago I was a little past a pack a day, so definitely not trying to get back to that point.

@ MrGiggly, Thanks, I will check the video out. & I'm not sure how thick the juice is, I got them from here CPN Vanilla Cream

 

[TonyTT]

Wow, I've never actually heard of anyone getting the provari, right at the start. I'm very impressed you are so committed...The provari was my second purchase. I think if you still can, your should try to add on 1 more of each battery. Generally you will use one, while the other one charges, and they might eventually die, so you need a backup pair, and I feel better knowing I got the batteries that provape intended to have people use with their provari.

I haven't tried the 801, but you should definitely think about getting 501 threaded cartomizers for your tanks (Boge is good). I'm only saying this because I've heard of some people have leaking problems when using adapters or extensions on the cartomizers with the tanks. I haven't experienced this, but at the same time, I don't see much of a reason to just get 510 threaded cartomizers.

I think you did amazing job on your first purchase, and welcome to ECF

 

[MrGiggly]

Had a quick look on the site and whilst it mentions vg I couldn't find anything on the ratios. I guess you will have to experiment a little and if you find that the tank is not feeding the carto consitently then either enlarge the holes or pop another on the other side.

One other thing I forget to mention is that depending on the brand of carto you pick, if you do grab a lil mama you may find you need a 510/510 adaptor to screw between the carto and the provari. Whilst I have no problem with boges, kangers are a couple mm shorter and when screwed on they mate with the drip collector collar on the provari and stop the airflow.

 

[kabonk]

that cov juice is really think but I don't think thick juice is a issue I vape mostly 100% vg that I DIY and never thin it and it works fine in my tanks I just make the hole a little bigger and prime the carto.

 

[asingh20]

Thanks Tony, that's what I was trying to avoid; having to get the ProVari second. When I make purchases I tend to not stress about the extra money I am dishing out at the moment. I know eventually I would buy something better, and in the end spend more than I needed to. & I will look into getting extra batteries. About how long is the lifespan w/ the 18650 in ?

Any links to the Boge 510's ? What om rating would you recommend for these ? I decided I'd try the 801 fusions since I've been reading everywhere that they are pretty good. I will try out the 510's after I try out the 801's that get delivered.

I am leaning more to the "Who's Your Daddy" tank now. From what I'm reading, the e-liquid's taste better w/ that one, than w/ the polycarbonate tubes. & It looks like there are a lot of flavors that don't react well with the polycarbonate tubes either.

 

[MrGiggly]

I'm in the uk so you will have alternative vendor options, but I can recommend Liberty Flights. who have us and uk sites. If you're looking for videos then I can highly recommend phil busardo's reviews on youtube.
I found them to be really informative and help me with my decisions. If you pop by his youtube channel you'll find he has boatloads of reviews on many products including cartomiser head to heads.

As mentioned before, between 2-3 ohms should be good, and because you can dial in your voltage you will find a sweet spot for your carto and personal taste.

 

[asingh20]

Thanks, I e-mailed Ikanvape, I will order a set of the 801 reg fusions when they are back in stock. For now I will try the 801 2.0's from them, and I just put in a order a crystal clear vaping for 15 501 boge's 3.0.

Any other really good e-liquid sites ?
& Any recommendations for a menthol e-liquid that hits really good? I really enjoyed newports. Thanks.

 

[FreeFire]

Here are two "really" good e-liquid sites:

Welcome to Vermillion River Premium E-Juice

Sweet Vapes

Welcome to ECF and great job on your research....you'll find the Fusions from Ikenvape the sweetest carto around. Using these in tanks now....last longer and taste is smoother...happy camper

 

[asingh20]

Here are two "really" good e-liquid sites:

Welcome to Vermillion River Premium E-Juice

Sweet Vapes

Welcome to ECF and great job on your research....you'll find the Fusions from Ikenvape the sweetest carto around. Using these in tanks now....last longer and taste is smoother...happy camper

Thanks, I will check them out. & So I've heard. I'm really eager for everything to get delivered!!

 

[CrystalClaire]

+1 for the lil mama tank. It's perfect!

 

[asingh20]

finally got it the other day =] waiting on my whos your daddy tank to get here.

 

[mynameisrob]

You'll def be better off usIng a 3.0ohm carto instead of a LR 2.0ohm carto. Using a low resistance carto on a VV PV wont allow you to crank the voltage up that much bc it will just burn the juice. Using a 3.0ohm carto will give you the widest range of voltagesthat you could use. With a 3.0ohm carto you could keep the voltage lower for a cooler vape, or you could crank it up in the 5-6V range for a warmer vape with more TH.

For juice I recommend checking out BlueMist Vaping. They have a huge selection, over 250+ juices, and really cheap prices, $5 for 10ml, $10 for 30ml. They offer sample packs and you can pick your own juices for a sample pack, and I highly recommend getting a few so you can try a bunch of juices for cheap. All their juices are made fresh and you can get them in either 80PG/20VG or 100%VG (I recommend 80/20). They also offer extra flavor shots for .50cents more and if you find a juice you really like you can get a 180ml bottle for only $30, which is an awesome deal and is considerably cheaper than what most other vendors charge. They ship really fast too and most orders go out same day. Their located in York, pa and I see your in Ohio so you would def get your orders fast. I live near Philly and I always get my orders in 2 days, and ive also had an order come in the day after I ordered it

 

[Flying W]

What a way to start! Go all in . Vape hard out of the gate,we salute you.You are going to be very happy with your device.

 

[asingh20]

You'll def be better off usIng a 3.0ohm carto instead of a LR 2.0ohm carto. Using a low resistance carto on a VV PV wont allow you to crank the voltage up that much bc it will just burn the juice. Using a 3.0ohm carto will give you the widest range of voltagesthat you could use. With a 3.0ohm carto you could keep the voltage lower for a cooler vape, or you could crank it up in the 5-6V range for a warmer vape with more TH.

For juice I recommend checking out BlueMist Vaping. They have a huge selection, over 250+ juices, and really cheap prices, $5 for 10ml, $10 for 30ml. They offer sample packs and you can pick your own juices for a sample pack, and I highly recommend getting a few so you can try a bunch of juices for cheap. All their juices are made fresh and you can get them in either 80PG/20VG or 100%VG (I recommend 80/20). They also offer extra flavor shots for .50cents more and if you find a juice you really like you can get a 180ml bottle for only $30, which is an awesome deal and is considerably cheaper than what most other vendors charge. They ship really fast too and most orders go out same day. Their located in York, pa and I see your in Ohio so you would def get your orders fast. I live near Philly and I always get my orders in 2 days, and ive also had an order come in the day after I ordered it

Thanks for the advice. At the moment I was planning on ordering mainly from vaporbomb as they are thirty minutes away from my house, I can go pick up juices =p But I will check out bluemist also since it is so close. Any juice recommendations ?

 

[asingh20]

So I'm in love with this thing. Haven't craved an analog cig since it got delivered! Tried the vaporbomb shade menthol and snickerdoodle , and the CoV vanilla creme so far. They all taste great! The shade menthol was good right out of the package, the snickerdoodle needed about 2-3 days steep time, and the vanilla creme needed about 3 days of steep time too.

** Just put in an order for a few more juices from vaporbomb. & Got shipment notifications for my "Who's Your Daddy" tank & "Slap Yo' Mama" Adapter. Can't wait for them to get here. Will be awesome to have a tank on when I have a full day of classes!

Mutt's Fire & Ice
Cinnamon Danish Swirl
Green Apple

 

[asingh20]

Day 4 update =]