Newbie here...Are E-Cigs too expensive for me?

[Violy]

I've been browsing this forums for a few weeks now and I'm dieing to get started. I've been smoking about 7 years (I'm 25). The only time I've quit was for a week when I got very sick, and (unfortunately?) haven't been sick since. LOL.

The main thing holding me back is $$$.. My hours have been cut at work and I'm just barely skimming by on buying cigs every week as it is (one of the many reasons I want to quit)..

I just read a thread where someone spent $400 so far and my heart dropped.

I don't really have that kinda cash for trial and error.. And I'm not really sure what mg juice I would need (or how to use it lol)..

Any advice on how to start? The best kind that doesn't break? How much do I need to save/what do I need to buy to last me a month?

 

[Strigoi]

Joye 510 with PCC

that kit is just one option, more people will chime in so don't jump on it.

pick up a couple bottles of liquid and you'll be good to go for about $100. the initial cost is a bit high but it gets much cheaper once you have the "hardware" that you need. it will be cheaper than smoking when you just need to buy juice and the occasional atty when one dies.

the ones where people spend hundreds of dollars usually have multiple e-cigs and lots of juices. i've dropped probably $400 on this stuff in the past few months. i just dropped $150 on buying some bulk Joye attys last night.

 

[Buzzy]

There's no need to spend nearly that much. Take a look at : THE EASY STARTER KIT- KR808D-1 or at Joye 510 NO BOX . Be sure to get some extra eliquid. You will eventually need to get extra atomizers and cartridges for the 510 or cartomizers for the KR808D-1, but not right away. However, do be sure to get at least a couple of eliquid bottles - 10ml will do. Different flavors and different strengths are good too. You can then refill either cartridges or cartomizers that way. Eventually, the cost more than evens out. With ecigs saving you money - as long as you don't go overboard with accessories, batteries, mods, and so on....lol. Like me.

 

[Springbird]

The best way to avoid trial and error costs is to buy a good product from a vendor that values customer service. To find out what kind of e-cig fits your individual needs, read this forum for a while and ask questions when you have them. Mostly, read, read, read.

 

[TheLordWinter]

Depends on how many packs you're smoking a day, to be honest. When it comes to your health, however, nothing should be considered too expensive in terms of preserving it. Philosophical and moral crap aside, I just picked up a starting outfit from MadVapes for 53 bucks, shipping included. I got a 510 manual battery kit ($35), a 5-pack of empty cartridges ($3, I think), a 50ml bottle of e-juice ($11), and a plastic-needled syringe so I could fill the carts from the bottom up (around a buck, I think). Took about 4 days to get to me, and I'm in Detroit, MI. MadVapes is IN your home state, Violy.

To figure out if the cost is justifiable, just look at the cost of your analogs per day. For me, I was smoking a pack a day @ $6 a freakin Pack! That's $180 every 30 days! $42 bucks a week is easier to wrap the head around, though. So I spent $11 over my weekly analog budget to get started in E-cigs. Not bad considering I actually have a piece of re-usable electronic hardware to show for my money spent.

 

[Automaton]

I know exactly what you mean. I am INCREDIBLY broke. So broke that I had to cut my smoking budget down to $50 a month, by buying bulk tobacco and rolling it myself.

I couldn't afford to waste money. Whatever I got, I had to make it work for me, because I didn't have the financial ability to make mistakes.

I have now been vaping for 2 months, and I have spent about $150 total. And not all of that was strictly necessary.

I bought my kit for $35 (Kr808D-1), and it got me off cigarettes the first day.

I bought a DIY juice set-up for about $50, and I still have supplies from that original purchase to make juice with.

I got an extra battery, extra cartomizers, and a PCC (about $35 all togehter) to keep me going, and to charge my batteries when I'm out (a PCC is not necessary).

I have bought some juice here and there, but I haven't spent much more than $30 on it.

And I got involved on the PIF board, sending stuff to other people and them sending stuff to me, and not only do I feel like I'm doing something positive for this community, but I can continue to vape without spending a ton of money.

You CAN vape on a budget, you CAN make it work for you, and it IS worth it! Don't get discouraged.

For kits, the best starter models are the Kr808D-1 and the Joye 510.

I chose the Kr808D-1 because it has longer battery life, and a warmer, stronger throat hit. As a full-flavor (sometimes filterless) smoker, that was important to me. It is a 2-piece system with a battery and a cartomizer.

The 510, on the other hand, has better vapor production and the taste is "lighter" and cleaner. It is a 3-piece system with a battery, atomizer, and carts.

Either of these models will work well for you, and either one can be bought for under 50 bucks.

I bought my kit at ElectroNicStix and had a great experience. They also sell juice on the site. I have heard good things about the Boss juice.

Buy an extra battery or two, and extra cartomizers/atomizers and carts, and you're set to get started.

For nicotine levels, you will just have to experiment. Unfortunately it is hard to guess what will work for you, since it doesn't always correlate perfectly with how you smoked. I would recommend you buy small bottles in 12mg, 18mg, and 24mg, and try each. When you find the one that works for you, you can simply mix the others down.

For me, I go through about 60ml of juice in a month.

Please ask if you have more questions - there are ways to make this work for you.

 

[TWolf]

You might check out the Pay It Forward (PIF) group. There are members willing and able to help someone in need to get some basic starter stuff. As for the overall expense... That depends totally on your habits and self restraint. I've saved almost from the start.

 

[Avid]

If you do your homework, make use of coupon codes, vendor sales, etc., I think you could start for about $50 with a DSE901 kit if you're not fussy about color (maybe even 510 kit, but I've never used one of those) and a bottle or two of ejuice. See how you like vaping. If you don't, you're out $50... if you do, you'll save $$$ in the longrun. I believe Madvapes has a 901 kit in white for about $32 and Bluegrass has a V3 Stick for around $35 including shipping. Add some juice and you're good to go! Good luck and happy vaping

 

[Mindfield]

Yeah, that's the thing: The cost for entry can be slightly high if your budget is tight,, but quite honestly if you start off with a simple kit and a few bottles of juice, it'll pay for itself in no time. Start with some juice from a good vendor that brews their own. Tasty Vapor, Totally Wicked, or Johnson Creek are great places to start. Reasonably priced, quality merch. Once you start and you get comfortable with it and even find your all-day vape, you can save even more money (a lot more) by buying the supplies to brew your own and making your own batches of juice in the manner you see fit. Many vendors also sell the materials you need to make your own eJuice at reasonable prices, but it's best not to start into that until you're comfortable enough with the whole thing and do a lot of reading on recipes and how it's done safely.

Don't worry about other people's proclivities here; those of us with a bit more means (and in my case I do mean a bit) like to experiment with new flavours and stuff, so it can be a bit more of an expensive habit for us -- but it's all great. We stock up on juice, most of which will get used, and whatever we may not like we can always swap with others here who may want to give it a try -- or just give it away in the PIF group. Start with what you can afford and work from there. Once you start saving money vaping you might be able to afford a little experimentation yourself.

 

[zkz]

I'll "pay it forward" and donate a couple 510 batts and the charger if u take care if the shipping. I found a place to get cheap attys and 901 carts, which fit nicely and seem to work quite well so far.
if interested PM me.
Buzzy hit it right on the head, its easy to get cought up in the mods, the first one i built ( in my avatar) was pretty cheap to build and last a LOOOOONG time on a set of standard AA 2800 mAh batts.
I have plans on building at least 3 more mods, 2 with 14500 bats (the nicostick), at least one with 18650 batts (looking for the perfect cigar tube for house it in), something "crazy" with another 18650 bat, and maybe a bottom feeder (juicebox, might call it the "catfish")

 

[route420]

like most people say it can be a cheap hobby or a very expensive one. for me its been expensive but fun and alot healthier for me. Its something you wont regret starting.

 

[Violy]

I smoke around 5 or 6 packs every week at $3 a pack (NASTY cheapos).

Does everyone agree this is good: Joye 510 NO BOX ?

That comes with 2 complete sets right? This is a good vendor?

$35 is doable maybe next week =D

How much liquid would I need? For a month? What strength should I get? I'd rather low ball it then overdo it and feel sick.

And then I'm all set?

Sorry for all the questions

 

[Violy]

Wow lot more replies, reading through them now

 

[cskent]

TheLordWinter got it right, a good starter kit and enough supplies to keep going for a while. If you make a decent purchase the first time around you're way ahead of the game. You may outgrow your initial starter kit after a while, but with the money you're saving you can upgrade in a few months or just keep saving. It's hard taking the first step because there are a lot of uncertainties, we understand because we've been there too, but we can now say we're ex-smokers.

 

[shaun11]

Tastyvapor right now has 510 kits for $20 and the liquid of the week is Customize Your Own, so for 35$ shipped you can have a full kit and 1oz liquid. Thats a hell of a deal to start with, my intial order when i started was $120 dollars, but I would have jumped on that if I knew about it.

 

[TheLordWinter]

for the liquid, it honestly varies. I've seen people on here who smoked analogs that were stronger than mine, who seem to have gotten by with around 18mg liquid, while there are some who needed 36mg. I'm doing fine with the 24mg liquid, going through a 50ml bottle at the rate of about 3-4 ml's a day. And in response to another thread currently active right now, I'm getting 10 hits or more from my 510 cartridges before I have to swap. Gonna see if I can push that by changing out the batting. I'll post a separate thread on that when I do it, though.

 

[kushka]

Vaping can be done cheaply; BUT do do so you must either have a great deal of willpower OR:

1) Find a good website that offers basic equipment and juice at a reasonable price (the one Strigoi linked to is one such). Shop only the one website - do not go to any other were you will be tempted to buy other PV's and great tasting other ejuices until you have gone deep in debt.

2) Stop reading this forum! Everyone keeps talking about the great new product they have found for a low price and before you know it you are feeling you just got to have it and before you know it you are deeper and deeper in debt.

 

[Automaton]

I smoke around 5 or 6 packs every week at $3 a pack (NASTY cheapos).

Does everyone agree this is good: Joye 510 NO BOX ?

That comes with 2 complete sets right? This is a good vendor?

$35 is doable maybe next week =D

How much liquid would I need? For a month? What strength should I get? I'd rather low ball it then overdo it and feel sick.

And then I'm all set?

Sorry for all the questions

Yes, that is a good kit, and CigNot is a very good supplier.

I use 60ml in a month. You can get that much juice for $30-40, if you shop carefully. Like I said, try a couple different nic strengths.

 

[zkz]

I'm doing the "pyramid tea bag" mod and seem to get 20+ hits at on my 4.8v mod, a few more on the ego.
I drink the tea, than do the mod with them after rinsing... its a double header!

 

[Lazerrred]

Here ya goe from madvapes and they are in your back yard. 510 kit here 510 Manual Battery Kit with RED LED
and a Hello-16 here. (only one battery with this though) Hello 016 Carto Kit