Newbie couple needs guidance

[NoFumus]

Hi FadedSun, and fellow Minnesotan. I had to smile when you asked about leaving stuff in a car. Everyone else who responded spoke to leaving something in a hot car. My first thought was, "Hmm, I'm not sure what would happen to a glass tank of VG/PG/nic at -20 F."

You didn't mention where in Minnesota you are, but if you're near the Twin Cities, Infinite Vapor is one shop I'd recommend over of the limited number of B&M shops I've been to. While they're substantially more expensive than buying online, at least their prices aren't an order of magnitude higher. I bought my iStick 30W from them (on sale) for $39, while the shop closest to me wanted $79.99. I've only been to the store in Uptown, but I found the staff to be personable and knowledgeable -- two reasons, besides the hands-on aspect, that you might go to a B&M. They also have locations in Alexandria, Burnsville, .... Rapids and there are probably others (some in SD, ND & WI).

For the most part, I use the iStick 30 and the Nautilus mini, so I can only agree with others' suggestions regarding those. If your wife finds she prefers the pen style for now, just make sure it's VV, and the higher the mah the better. I think my Vision Spinner 2 is 1600 mah, and I find it just about lasts a full day of chain vaping. One advantage of the iStick is that 2200 mah is definitely good for the day, for me, so I wouldn't necessarily have to have a second battery, as long as I remember to charge it at night and I don't lose it.

I sometimes vape some pretty strongly flavored liquid, like black licorine and peppermint, so I definitely needed additional tanks. Once I upgraded to the Nautilus, I found the old glass tanks were no longer satisfactory. Since I couldn't at the time afford to buy several Nautiluses, I tried an Aerotank mini. I was surprised at how much I like them, and at $10 each, I could afford to by a few. I wouldn't have considered this as a criteria beforehand, but I like the fact that I can fit two tanks with different flavors in the coin compartment of my wallet.

Good luck on your vaping adventure.

 

[Baditude]

Just want to add, once you find vaping is "right" for you and your wife, get backups.

NUMBER ONE RULE FOR VAPING: Have backups for your backups.
​

You can't vape if your gear doesn't work. Battery devices can stop working, tanks can break, coils can go bad, and you can run out of juice ... usually at the most inopportune time. Have backups for everything you use. Don't put yourself in a situation where you feel you have to buy a pack of cigs to get rid of a craving for a cigarette.

Your backup device can be as simple as a cigalike. For many of us, this becomes as much of a hobby as a smoke cessation device, so you'll probably have a collection of stuff by the end of the year.

 

[3mg Meniere]

Although I have not been there, LaCrosse has a smoke shop which carries a full line of vapestuff. 4300 Mormon Coulee Rd. In the Shelby Center, between Shopko and Ace.

 

[FadedSun]

While I have no personal experience with a "vaping partner", your situation may offer an interesting possibility. Sounds like you are ready to jump in while hoping your wife will make the switch. If so, you might consider a simple set-up for her and something a bit more advanced for yourself. That way, both you and she can try the different systems and see what works best for both of you. If it works for both of you, you will both have a better idea of what works for you and what you will want/need for backup purchases. And even if neither of you like one of your first purchases, it will still work nicely for an additional backup.

And by all means, check out the vape shop and test those juices. Juice you don't like is not going to satisfy you whatever you put it in. And I would also suggest buying a few flavors you think you like in small bottles to thoroughly test at home at your chosen nic levels. There were times I thought I liked a juice when tasting it a 0 nic (which most of our shops taste at), but not so much with nic added. Then when you find the one(s) you like, stop back and get the bigger, more expensive bottle.

Welcome and good luck.

This is pretty much my exact thoughts. While I'd like to try to at least find the best set-up for each of us, I realize we'll never really know until we have some personal experience. I do plan to get us each different set-ups, both to suit us better individually and so we have 2 different ones to experiment with. Who know we may find we both like one better or possibly like each others more than what we bought for ourselves.

I plan so but the devices online, there's more selection and I'd like to save the extra money. But I did have plans to go to some local shops to get a good start on finding flavors we like. I wasn't aware that they had some way to try the flavors at the shops, but that's good to know. How does that usually work? do you bring your setup to the shop or do they have something there?

 

[FadedSun]

A fellow gopher, so I can give some local (if you're living in the Cities) advice.

I decided to quit smoking in April. I looked at gear online and got thoroughly confused. So I decided to buy stuff from a real local vape shop. I checked out Yelp review (yeah, I know, Yelp--take it with a grain of salt) and went to Smokeless Smoking in Nordeast. They set me up with an iStick 30, a Nautilus, and a bottle of Nick's Blissful Brews Smoked Custard. I ended up paying more than I would have by ordering online, but I got immediate satisfaction instead of waiting for stuff to be shipped and instructions for how to do things like fill the tank (trickier than it looks at first) and prime the coils.

I've added a couple of tanks, but still just use the iStick. A charge lasts about a day. The Nautilus is still my main tank, but I play around with some others.

I've been to a couple of vape shops to try things out or pick up some small bottles of juice to try different flavors, but I like Smokeless Smoking the best, even though it is probably the most expensive. I like that it does not give off the head shop vibe that a lot of places have. I'm 50, and my days of thinking psychedelic black light posters and carved onyx pipes are cool are behind me.

So I'd recommend a trip to a local vape shop--SS is my favorite--and be prepared to spend 20-30 more than you would ordering online for your first rig. After you have been doing it for a while, you can quickly move up to the fun(?) (yeah, it IS fun!) of ordering no-name clones from Fasttech and big bottles of cheap juice online.

Thanks for the tip on the local shop. I've done a little searching on google, but I've never been to one so I really have no idea what to expect. I'll have to look up Smokeless Smoking and see where it is in relation to me.

 

[3mg Meniere]

How does that usually work? do you bring your setup to the shop or do they have something there?

Bring your own setup, or at least your driptip. Particularly if you have something called a dripper. They also have little plastic things (called condoms LOL) to put on their store devices.

 

[FadedSun]

Just want to add, once you find vaping is "right" for you and your wife, get backups.

NUMBER ONE RULE FOR VAPING: Have backups for your backups.
​

You can't vape if your gear doesn't work. Battery devices can stop working, tanks can break, coils can go bad, and you can run out of juice ... usually at the most inopportune time. Have backups for everything you use. Don't put yourself in a situation where you feel you have to buy a pack of cigs to get rid of a craving for a cigarette.

Your backup device can be as simple as a cigalike. For many of us, this becomes as much of a hobby as a smoke cessation device, so you'll probably have a collection of stuff by the end of the year.

That's a really good point. Reading through the forums I've noticed many people have several set-ups. Some for what mood their in, others just from the upgrade process. But it does make sense, when your pack is empty you're always just a few minutes from a store. It won't be the same with vaping so I'll need to make sure we're prepared so we don't fall back as you said.

 

[Baditude]

I did have plans to go to some local shops to get a good start on finding flavors we like. I wasn't aware that they had some way to try the flavors at the shops, but that's good to know. How does that usually work? do you bring your setup to the shop or do they have something there?

Most shops which have flavor sample bars provide ego batteries for customers. Most use clearomizers lined up on the bar, each with a separate labeled flavor. The concentration of nicotine in the samples can vary per store.

 

[OlderNDirt]

I plan so but the devices online, there's more selection and I'd like to save the extra money. But I did have plans to go to some local shops to get a good start on finding flavors we like. I wasn't aware that they had some way to try the flavors at the shops, but that's good to know. How does that usually work? do you bring your setup to the shop or do they have something there?

It all depends on the individual shop. When I first went, they had ego batteries with cheap prefilled tanks holding all/most of their flavors (and "the condoms") at 0 nic. Hence the difference in how it may taste there vs at home. Now that my #1 go to shop knows me and my equipment, they will drip some in the dripper I got mostly for tasting or put my drip tip on their device for tasting. Yet I still buy in small quantity first because tasting one flavor for a few hits can be different then hitting it for a few hours. Which is another reason, once you know you will continue with vaping, to get multiple tanks so you can have different juices in each when you want to change for a while.

I may be a bit .... (not nearly as much as some others that have posted pics of their stuff here), but it has taken me most of a year to come up with a dozen or so great juices (to me anyway), with 3 or 4 being my "best". As my avatar shows, I have multiple tanks for quickly changing as my wants change. Yet my search for "that ultimate juice" continues. Go figure.

 

[Rsunderl]

I was a 2PAD smoker, and I've been two weeks without one.

Congrats on your two-week anniversary! WTG!

 

[Rsunderl]

Part me was hoping that maybe my wife and I could leave them in the car for the drive home (I'm assuming they don't stink up a car like cigs) but it doesn't sound worth it.

You can use it in the car, just don't leave it in the car.

 

[tvapernow]

It can over time leave a film on your car windows. I don't notice any lingering smell in my truck. 13 months after quitting smoking, my truck smells much better

I remember when my sense of smell came back when I quit the cancer sticks and started vaping. it was pretty sudden over two days. Climbed into my truck that morning, which I had smoked in for quite a while, and about gagged from the odor. Took a lot of fabreeze and literally drenched the thing in Upholstery cleaner to try and get rid of that horrible stench. Heh. That's when I REALLY knew what the cancer sticks had done to me

 

[FadedSun]

Okay so I finally convinced my wife to look at all the options I've found and you guys have suggested. She was going with "whatever you think" knowing that I like to do my research. I'm glad she looked though, it turns out she doesn't like the idea of a boxy set-up at all. Even a small one like the istick mini. She doesn't think it will feel right. She does understand that the cigarette look-a-like style doesn't generally work well though. So it she's settled on wanting something tubular, like cigar sized sorta thing. I'm not sure what the more technical term would be I think in the end, the look of the device will mean a little more to her than she's letting on, I don't think she wants to look like she has some crazy put together contraption right now

Someone mentioned the eGo ONE a ways back. She likes the look of that one and it seems like it's supposed to be simple to use and designed for mtl smokers. My only concern is that you can't adjust the wattage/volts. It looks like you can just adjust airflow. Is that going to be too limiting for her to find a sweetspot for herself?

Could anyone give me more suggestions for one that's a tubular style, not to large? The Provari's in the first reply do look great, but I don't think we want to drop $200+ dollars on that before we've gotten into things more.

If I were to make the purchases RIGHT now I think i'm leaning towards this:

For her the eGo ONE for me the eVic-VT (the geek in me can't resist all the settings to play with). They both have the same tanks, so I'd get a pack of the 1 ohm heads. It's supposed to be good for mtl and I'm taking everyone's advice that I don't want to start with the sub ohm the eVic-VT supports until I know more what I'm doing.

I also plan on getting a Aspire Nautilus Mini for hers and Aspire Nautilus for me. You guys have pretty overwhelmingly given those great endorsements and it will give us another combination to try, or to hold different flavors. For extra coils on those, would anyone have a strong recommendation on 1.6 or 1.8 ohm for fairly light mtl smokers?

 

[Caro123]

I would like to add another idea to the mix I use an Istick 20 watt with a nautilaus mini (with a little metal bird cage ) but what I wanted to mention was that I smoked cigarettes when ever I felt like it in the beginning but after about six weeks I only felt like it for a half a smoke a day the things tasted terrible and were hot and nasty, I was cutting down on the cigarettes without even trying, I didn't like the smell on my hands etc it even got so that I had to wrap the cigarette package in plastic because I couldn't stand the smell in my purse, I never did vape much tobacco flavour I smoked tobacco for 40 years about 30 to 35 cigs a day I did not intend on quitting I just did - best of luck to you

 

[jseah]

Okay so I finally convinced my wife to look at all the options I've found and you guys have suggested. She was going with "whatever you think" knowing that I like to do my research. I'm glad she looked though, it turns out she doesn't like the idea of a boxy set-up at all. Even a small one like the istick mini. She doesn't think it will feel right. She does understand that the cigarette look-a-like style doesn't generally work well though. So it she's settled on wanting something tubular, like cigar sized sorta thing. I'm not sure what the more technical term would be I think in the end, the look of the device will mean a little more to her than she's letting on, I don't think she wants to look like she has some crazy put together contraption right now

Someone mentioned the eGo ONE a ways back. She likes the look of that one and it seems like it's supposed to be simple to use and designed for mtl smokers. My only concern is that you can't adjust the wattage/volts. It looks like you can just adjust airflow. Is that going to be too limiting for her to find a sweetspot for herself?

Could anyone give me more suggestions for one that's a tubular style, not to large? The Provari's in the first reply do look great, but I don't think we want to drop $200+ dollars on that before we've gotten into things more.

If I were to make the purchases RIGHT now I think i'm leaning towards this:

For her the eGo ONE for me the eVic-VT (the geek in me can't resist all the settings to play with). They both have the same tanks, so I'd get a pack of the 1 ohm heads. It's supposed to be good for mtl and I'm taking everyone's advice that I don't want to start with the sub ohm the eVic-VT supports until I know more what I'm doing.

I also plan on getting a Aspire Nautilus Mini for hers and Aspire Nautilus for me. You guys have pretty overwhelmingly given those great endorsements and it will give us another combination to try, or to hold different flavors. For extra coils on those, would anyone have a strong recommendation on 1.6 or 1.8 ohm for fairly light mtl smokers?

If you've decided on the eGo One for her, get the eGo One Mega. It is wider in diameter, but the tank will be the same one that you will have with the evic-VT. The "regular" eGo One will be available either with a short 1100 mah battery or a longer 2200 mah battery. FWIW, you should opt for the 2200 mah battery since it will last you longer and it really isn't that big. The eGo One Mega comes with a 2600 mah battery. With the eGo One Mega, the viewing window is much more usable in seeing how much juice you have left. It is also a lot easier to fill since the gap between the tank wall and the chimney is wider. With the standard eGo One tank, the only way you can fill the tank is either with a syringe or a unicorn tip (a thin plastic tip). A dropper will be too wide and you can end up dripping juice down the chimney.

 

[edyle]

Someone mentioned the eGo ONE a ways back. She likes the look of that one and it seems like it's supposed to be simple to use and designed for mtl smokers. My only concern is that you can't adjust the wattage/volts. It looks like you can just adjust airflow. Is that going to be too limiting for her to find a sweetspot for herself?

I consider being able to adjust wattage/volts to be very important for new vapers.
If something tastes a bit burnt you need to be able to turn the power down.

 

[jseah]

FWIW, if you want something more tubular in style, but have variable wattage and can easily handle the Nautilus (or Nautilus Mini), you could look into the iTaste VV4.

iTaste VV4

Can adjust voltage or adjust wattage, and can handle up to 15 watts. It's only a 1000 mah battery so if she is using it a lot, it won't last a whole day, but it does function as a pass through, so she can plug it in to charge and continue to vape with it. I bought one with a Nautilus Mini for my friend's mom (along with an eGo One) to get her to quit smoking (after she had tried to quit and failed for a couple of years using blu disposables). She prefers the VV4 and Nautilus Mini combo because she said that the eGo one (and the eGo one battery with the Subtank Nano) was too much for her.

 

[Susan~S]

Just an FYI regarding vape shop in the Twin Cities (as far as flavor bars). Bloomington has a law in place that prohibits vaping in vape shops. No flavor bars at shops in Bloomington.

Smokeless Smokings main location is located in Bloomington. I usually frequent their Burnsville location. +1 for them. They even rebuild all my RTA's/RDA's for free (one handed disability on my part).

Smokeless Smoking

 

[IanN]

My wife and I are going through the same thing. I like my iStick and nautilus mini, but it does not feel right for her. We are going to look at some of the ones mentioned in your thread.

 

[NealBJr]

One other battery I haven't seen mentioned yet, is the Itaste VV4. It's more on the lines of an EGO style battery, and can go up to 6 volts and 15 watts. Even though the istick 30 is always my first recommendation, the biggest downside from turning a smoker into a non smoker is the size. That's why the Cigalikes like Blu are still making money. The Istick has all the specifications to get someone to quit, but they're not in the familiar "tubular" style. This may sound strange, but it looks like you have to spend extra money to get her to quit. Get something that's stick like.. like an EGO style, but it has to be powerful enough to get her off of the cigarettes. After that, then she will be looking for a new one like the istick.

I've been there myself. I was a pack a day smoker for 20 years... I started with a cigalike because it was small and cheap... realized it was too small, then wen to an EGO style... and even that had it's problems. I remember going into a vape shop for the first time... Cigalike in pocket. I wanted a bigger battery, and sure.. they had big batteries. Some guy was dripping juice on his ecig, and then huge plumes of vapor would come out. I remember thinking "wow, he's taken things too far". The shop didn't have any of those big mods, mainly just little mods. I bought an Ego battery, and some refillable clearomizers (CE4's).... Those got me to totally quit.

But of course, over time, my ecigs got bigger, and bigger. I am past where that guy was in the vape shop. But there are hurdles a smoker has to go through to quit.. and some things that can't be learned from listening. Even though I know she'll want something on the lines of an istick if she does stick with it, you need to get her past that hurdle.

An Ego style battery is fairly aesthetically pleasing to a smoker. I don't recommend something bigger than an ego for her. For her, I'd recommend something that doesn't produce huge plumes of vapor, since she will be used to smoking. Vapor is much denser than a cigarette. And too much clouds will make her cough and be generally unpleasant. Because of that, you might want to increase the nicotine to a high level to make up for the lack of vapor. Your best bet is to take her to a shop and tase some. See how she handles 18mg of nic.. and if you can, try some 24mg nic..

Here are some of my suggestions for starter kits:

Aspire and Nautilus starter kit.... first choice.

Kanger blister kit... Downside is no variable voltage, and some people have problems with the tanks. The batteries won't last long, so you'll probably always have a backup. it is cheap though.

Ego variable voltage w/CE4 This is something along the lines that got me to become a dedicated vaper. They don't produce a tonne of vapor, but they are fairly small and inexpensive. the CE4's have been around for a while, and are far from perfect.

just some suggestions.