Newbie thoughts

[okstalmn.94]

Hello,
I am a former smoker and decided to stop by a local vape shop last weekend.
The guy inside sold me on buying a Kanger Tech TOP EVOD starter kit with a bottle of juice and a five pack of replacement coils.
The price the vape shop charged for the TOP EVOD device was around $38, but I am finding the same starter kit online for around $14.
I should have shopped online ...
But, what is done is done, and although I have only had the product for one week, I like what it does.
I have had to charge it twice and it only takes about two hours each time to fully charge the device (charger light turns green).

Although I have one bottle of juice that I like, I see that there are many, many choices out there.
Would it be a good idea to buy different bottles of juice (different flavors), and buy additional tanks?
My thought around that would be that I would not have to completely empty a tank, clean it out, etc, before trying a different flavor.
I have shopped around online and I see where replacement tanks cost $6 at one site, but other sites price the tanks around $25.
What is the difference? What should a replacement tank cost for a TOP EVOD?
Would having different tanks with different juices (flavors) available be a good idea?

Also, when I attempt to turn off the TOP EVOD device, nothing happens and I am still able to vape from the device.
Typically I quickly press the button five times, and assume the device is off, but it is not.
Should I press the button, hold it down for 10 seconds and then it should turn off?

Thanks for any advice ... I am sure that as I get more experience, I will have additional questions.

 

[Nikhforos]

Hello and welcome. Congrats for getting into the world of vaping, you'll like it here.
1) Buying stuff online is cheaper
2) As you've just gotten into the idea of vaping, I suggest you'd wait for some time using what you currently have before you do any further purchases.
3) You don't always have to clean the tank, just pour out the remaining juice, and add the new one. The new flavor should appear after 3-4 hits. ( It will appear when it reaches your coil-cotton)
4)Buying different flavors is a good idea. That way, you won't get bored, and you'll be more likely to stay away from smoking.
5) I can't think of any tank that costs $6. Those things you see that cost $6 are probably replacement glasses FOR you tank. - Tanks usually cost $15- $40 (most of them)
6) Try reading the manual you've been given (hopefully) along with your purchase. How to turn off your device should be mentioned there.
7) Do not press the button of your device for 10 seconds (or more) without taking a hit. This will burn your coil.
----------Good luck ---------

 

[rollersk4te]

I definitely recommend trying different flavors.

As for the tank prices, I think you may be referring to throwaway tanks like the CE5 vs. regular tanks. It would help if you could show us some pictures or links! There is a difference.... throwaway tanks like the CE5 get tossed once the coil and wick gets old... other tanks use replaceable coils and wicks, so you don't have to throw the whole tank away. Understandably the regular tanks cost more because they're made of sturdier materials like steel and glass, while throwaway tanks are mostly plastic and aluminum. Additionally, clone tanks are typically much cheaper than the originals... clones are cheap Chinese knockoffs of name brand tanks.

As for turning off your tank, I have that problem too so I normally click the button 6 times instead of 5... try that. When it turns off, you will see the light flash a bunch of times before it switches off. If 6 times doesn't work, just try clicking it until you see the light flashing crazily.

I highly recommend you search Facebook for a local vaping community near you. If you have any problems, they are usually pretty good about giving hands on assistance at meets.

Welcome to the world of vaping! You'll find it to be tons of fun and with a great community backing it!

 

[Baditude]

If you did not receive a manual with your kit, you can always do a You Tube search for whatever product you have for a tutorial or review video.

 

[MJCSD]

Hello and welcome to ecf

 

[Grimwald]

There are various tanks that use the same coil...all relatively inexpensive...evod 2, protank 3, etc.

It's a little hard to find just the top evod tank alone, but I found it at Heaven Gifts for something like $5.99.

Still, you can buy the whole kit for $9-$12, so I would get the whole thing so you have a backup battery.

One warning on flavors. If you were a heavy smoker, it is likely your sense of taste and smell will change after a few weeks of vaping. You can spend a lot on flavors you may hate later on.

 

[okstalmn.94]

Thank you all for your replies!
The following is what I have found as far as replacement tanks for the Kanger TOP EVOD.
The prices depend on the site that you visit. Like Grimwald said, Heaven Gifts has the tank for $5.99 and another site I found has the tank for $9. I prefer to shop at stores in the U.S. and not deal with the possible hassles of international stores.

With that price, and seeing the price of a new, complete unit, $11.99. I might as well buy a new, complete unit for a few dollars more. And, like Grimwald said, I would have a backup battery, if I bought a whole system.

I think that I will stick with the Kanger TOP EVOD for a while that I have, and then upgrade to something bigger shortly. More than likely, something with a larger tank capacity, and maybe a larger battery. Any suggestions?

 

[Baditude]

I think that I will stick with the Kanger TOP EVOD for a while that I have, and then upgrade to something bigger shortly. More than likely, something with a larger tank capacity, and maybe a larger battery. Any suggestions?

The istick Pico is often recommended here. Uses external batteries so you would need to invest in a box battery charger. The Efest LUC V2 is an inexpensive quality charger.

Good Starter Setups for a Beginner Vaper
Battery Basics for Mods: The Definative Battery Guide for Vaping
Guide to Choosing a Li-ion Battery Charger​

I'm partial to the original Uwell Crown tank. 4 ml capacity. Easy top fill. Wide selection of coils available. Extremely adaptable air flow control.

 

[Nikhforos]

Suggestions on similar starter kits or a mod with a separate tank? Also, are you a MTL vaper (mouth to lung. More like a cigarette) or DTL (directly to lung. More like a bo.ng hit)?

 

[okstalmn.94]

Being a former smoker, I believe I would want the MTL (mouth to lung) experience.
I was looking at the MOD kits, and most of them seem to need a separate battery, which requires a charger, as these do not come with the kits. But, I could not find the tank size on the units I looked at. What is the standard tank size? So, in total, without any juice, I would assume around $60 total. Is that right? How long do the batteries last?

 

[Baditude]

Being a former smoker, I believe I would want the MTL (mouth to lung) experience.
I was looking at the MOD kits, and most of them seem to need a separate battery, which requires a charger, as these do not come with the kits. But, I could not find the tank size on the units I looked at. What is the standard tank size? So, in total, without any juice, I would assume around $60 total. Is that right? How long do the batteries last?

Nearly all of the tanks use a standard 510 connection, so they will fit about any size mod. Tank diameters are usually 22 or 25mm. Tank capacity (volume) may vary from 2 ml to 6 ml.

Its difficult to give absolutes, but external and internal batteries have a life expectancy of about 300 - 500 charges. How long external batteries will last per charge varies depending upon the mAh capacity of the battery, which can be 1500 - 3000 mah, and how much energy they are expected to provide. A mouth-to-lung, low wattage, high resistance vaper will be much easier on energy consumption than a direct-lung, high wattage, low resistance vaper.

Good thing about external batteries is, if your first battery loses its charge, you can pop in a spare charged battery and keep vaping. Also, once an external battery dies of old age, you can just replace it with a new one (about $5). You can't do that with an internal battery mod, you're forced to buy an entire new mod (much more than $5).

 

[suprtrkr]

Hi and welcome. You're getting good advice, so I'll just say good idea on different flavors, but buy in small quantities at first as your tastes may change. I'll also second the Pico as a good mod choice, and I favor removable batteries;but I know from drop-in coil tanks as I am a coil builder, so I'll keep my mouth shut there.

 

[kross8]

Hi and welcome. You're getting good advice, so I'll just say good idea on different flavors, but buy in small quantities at first as your tastes may change. I'll also second the Pico as a good mod choice, and I favor removable batteries;but I know from drop-in coil tanks as I am a coil builder, so I'll keep my mouth shut there.

agree,, dont do what i did,, buy 60 something flavors ,,, find a simple 4-6 flavor recipe and mess around with those flavors,,,,,,or buy just a few flavors and try them alone. i like 'bakery'....so i would suggest diyordie's funfetti (or anyone's with a lot of rec's) recipe and omit some flavors here and there to see if you find something you like.

good luck,, and stick with it,, what you like today may be something you dont care much for in a few weeks...everyone is different. (i vape the same recipe for nearly 2 years now,,, some people need a dif flavor every few hours= there is no right or wrong style)

 

[chellie]

Here's my 2 cents. I did not understand if by former smoker you mean that you stopped when you started vaping a few weeks ago or if you had stopped previously and are now taking up vaping as a hobby because I think that makes a difference.

Online is almost always cheaper. Some folks do not mind paying a little extra if they have a really great vape shop with knowledgeable folks, but if they are charging double and triple it is not worth it.

As a former smoker when I first started vaping my biggest issue was the poor battery life, I was using store bought stuff and ego's - small pen-like devices, and I had a lot of them to try to prevent that but it was irritating and not satisfying and tempted me to go back to regular cigs ... but I stuck it out.

Before you start buying more - which is not a bad idea consider this. I am a big Kanger fan - I find their stuff really easy to use. A step up would be like a Kanger Nano. It sort of looks like the evod as far as the tank but it holds more and the bottom portion looks a little different and takes a replaceable battery. You get more mileage out of it because you can always have a spare battery with you and very quickly change out the battery. You hold/push the button to vape. And of course you have to change out the coils. If you buy for example the Kanger nano top tank you would refill it very easy from the top. I attached a pic - it is the purple one with the tank attached.

As far as juices, everyone is different. I only stick to a few flavors but I did experiment until I found something I liked and then more or less stayed within that flavor profile.

 

[stols001]

I'd say a backup is a good idea. Either a pico setup, or an Innoken T-number whatever (if you don't mind the idea of fixed wattage, I do mind it but many folks really like these as MTL devices). I am partial to the Aspire zelos mod that comes with a Nautilus 2 tank on top, as another budget setup that provides reliability (it is an internal battery mod though). Tanks other than those coming in a kit that are good, would be a tank that accepts joytech CLR coils, the 1.0 resistance coil. Great, flavorful vape and a long lasting coil that can easily be rewicked and rebuilt once you get to that stage. I think it's my favorite drop in MTL coil at the moment. An ego one mega V2 or a Tron S would be a good choice of tanks with that coil.... But many other tanks will accept that coil as well.

Best of luck, and glad you are returning to vaping! I agree on maybe getting smaller "sample" size juices right now as you experiment. You will find what you like, but as your tastebuds recover, that may change. I find it difficult to enjoy storebought juices since I started DIY, I use FAR less flavoring and almost no sweeteners. But, I am pleased with my juices nonetheless...

Welcome to ECF.

Anna

 

[BrotherBob]

I think that I will stick with the Kanger TOP EVOD for a while that I have, and then upgrade to something bigger shortly. More than likely, something with a larger tank capacity, and maybe a larger battery. Any suggestions?

Welcome and glad you joined.
You do not need to clean your tank with every change of flavor. Some folks just vape down the tank until the juice is nearly gone and add another juice to the small amount remaining (strong flavors like menthol and peppermint may not suit).
When you ready, might try an RDA first in order to practice building a coil (bigger deck to work with).
Might like to read:
Drip Vaping: Your Guide to Dripping e-Juice | Vape-Resource.com
http://spinfuel.com/art-drip-guide-vaping/
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blog-entry/7-information-resources-for-your-first-rba.4454/
https://quitsmokingcommunity.org/electronic-cigarettes/what-is-an-atomizer-definition/
Rebuildable Tanks Explained: RBAs vs RDAs vs RTAs vs RDTAs
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/wrapping-building-coils-101-for-beginners.745045/
http://www.geekayvapes.com/squonking-101/
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/i-love-my-rda.805461/#post-19616327