Newbie. Volcano Inferno. Help on next steps please.

[cryodream]

Hi,
My first steps into vaping were pretty dismal. In a middle of Black Friday online marathon I stumbled on e-cigs. I didn't want to invest time in my regular "pre-order" research, as I was quite busy deal hunting. A big mistake. I bought Blu starter kit.
Short version: unusable.
Long version:

The package that I received is unusable. Reasons:

Mistakenly I thought that battery charge would last me quite a  while, let's say,
2-4 charges a day (2 batteries, 1 recharge each in  mid-day, something along these lines...)
Nope, the guy at customer  service corrected me and it seems officially battery last
only for a [B]single[/B]  cartridge.  That's more charging than smoking! You know what,
I  probably could manage, but wasn't able to even achieve that.
The package  included 2 batteries and here's how they worked:

a) First battery: I'm recharging it (as I'm writing this) for the [B]3rd[/B] time on the[B] single
[/B]cartridge. I'm sorry, but [B]that is ridiculous[/B].  I'm a smoker for 20 years and I smoke
1-1,5 packs per day. Now I'm  sitting and waiting for my battery to recharge, I get
...... and grab me  my "trusty-low-tech-Parliament"... Not good.
b) Second battery. Wait for it... Charging for [B]2 hours[/B]...  fed-up of waiting for it
to get charged... trying out...  1-3 puffs, no  taste, no vapor/smoke whatchamacallit...
light goes blinking (what?)...  frantic trying to get any puff out of it... 10 seconds later
battery is  dead - no light, no nothing. Repeat all that 4 times. At this point I'm going mental.

Hmmm, what to do. Send the battery back for replacement and sit here with a single always
charging one? For how long? 20 days?

If  the new batteries are such a crapfest (I'm talking about the working  one, the dead one has
left the building...) and the chargers are not  "smart" and I need to constantly check the
status, as not to overcharge  and damage the batteries even more - that is no good at all.
What is gonna happen in let's say 3 months? 5 puffs and recharge? Thanks, but no  thanks.

The chargers are weird or simply cheaply made.  Their lights have the mind of their own. From
numerous post on this  forum, I know I'm not alone in being unhappy with this. Charge status
is  supposed to be rock solid clear and accurate, especially with "dumb"  chargers.

So after that disappointment I did some reading up. OMG, information overload the more I read, the more I'm lost, so many choices...
Anyway, on my second try I ordered these:

1. Volcano INFERNO (Red) Volcano Fine Electronic Cigarette Mini Starter Kit
2. MAGMA Re-fillable Cartomizer - 5 Pack MAGMA Re-fillable Cartomizer - 5 Pack
3. MAGMA Re-fillable MEGA-Cartomizer - 5 Pack MAGMA Re-fillable Mega-Cartomizer - 5 Pack
4. The 'Cisco' Atomizer with Delrin Drip Tip Color Volcano Fine Electronic Cigarette Atomizer
5. V-Liquid - BlueWater Punch V-Liquid BlueWater Punch
6. V-Liquid - tobacco V-Liquid Tobacco
7. V-Liquid - 3-Pack Holiday Blends V-Liquid 3-Pack Holiday Blends

All I can say - I LOVE my Inferno!
But now I have some questions:

1. As you can see I bought cartomizers and was planning on mainly using those. I bought that "cisco" atty (I read it is good, is it not?) only "just in case". I'm happy I did it, coz I'm using that cisco atty with a drip tip now and not the cartomizers. I get way "stronger" experience from it. Cartomizers just seems "weak" by comparison. Is it supposed to be like that, or am I doing something wrong?
2. Another problem with these cartomizers, I cannot fill the properly, it seems. I've read and I've seen people talking about vaping from a single customizer for hour(s) even. I manage like 10 minutes probably, at most. They didn't come with "caps" or whatchamacallit. What I do now is clog the bottom hole with a toothpick and put 10-15 drops in the MEGA cartomizer. That's it. And like I said - it last quite a short time. I haven't even tried smaller ones.
3. I would like to give cartomizers another fighting chance, as dripping is quite annoying at times, eg: watching movies in the dark (I can't see s***, let alone where to drip the liquid ). Same goes for driving and vaping. Maybe I could try some "better" cartomizers? Or that "blue foam" mod? Though that mod is for cartomizers or for regular cartridges?
4. I'm about to have a long drive from NY to Miami for the holidays. I usually manage it in about 20 hours (I do it nonstop, ie: no motel stops). What would be the best solution for my Inferno to get the "longest" vape? Dripping will be quite inconvenient behind a wheel.
5. I gather, that atomizers last roughly about a week. I probably should get more?
6. To summarize, what are the best hardware options for my Inferno that I can get? Anyway, what is my Inferno? I gather it is Ego clone and not 510? Sadly that means nothing to me still...

Questions about the juice:

1. I am really confused with juice prices. I paid $9 for 10ml from Volcano. On the forums I found numerous people saying, that a "good" price for juice is <=$0.50/ml. So I paid almost double that. But later on, I see, that many people who like, eg: "Ms T's Bakery", "Tasty Vapor" and "Freedom Smoke USA". Now here it gets really confusing. MsT's 120ml would come out $64, FSUSA sells 120ml for $40 (awesome price), but TV sells the same 4oz for $15 (kaboom). How come there's such a huge difference?
2. Funnily enough, I bought "Tobacco" flavor, as I read everyone craves that analog taste at the beginning. Huh, I didn't like it. I LOVED "BlueWater Punch". If anyone knows an alternative for BlueWaterPunch from another cheaper supplier, I would very much appreciate a tip.
3. Is there any "top charts" of juices here on the forums or someplace else? I would very much like to try out many many flavors, but as the selection of suppliers and flavors they carry are almost endless, I'm in no way capable to buy and try them all myself. So I would at least like to know, that people like this or that flavor, before buying it.

Here are my choices for the next order of juices, that I found people here on the forums liked, and they sounded good to me (please comment on those). Based on these 5 flavors that I got now, it seems I like sweet flavors, go figure (no idea actually, need more testing).

1. HypnoticMist from FSUSA (I hope it'll be simmilar to BlueWater Punch, also description says "relaxing flavor", me like that)
2. RockingChair from FSUSA (seems like another "smooth" relaxing flavor)
3. Thin Mint Cookie from FSUSA (many people here say it's really good)
4. Atomic Cinnacide from TV (on this pole: What's YOUR favorite Tasty Vapor flavor? - View Poll Results)
5. Tasty Finger from TV (based on the same pole)

Final words. I LOVE vaping. I've had 2 cigarettes today and I've caught myself already smoking (I've light them up by reflex). And I'm a 1,5 packs per day smoker! What more can I say...

Thanks in advance for any answers/help.
Sorry for such a long post.
Sorry for my poor english, tis not my native.

 

[capnbang]

I have a red Inferno to (good choice bro).I find the joy 510 cartomizers filled with mlb 18mg from cignot the best I've tried so far.Good TH for hours.I ordered the ones from Volcano to and they just seem weak.They look better though.While your at cignot get some joyMarlboro 24mg to refill those cartos with.You cant go wrong with that.I have some Wyatt Earp,purecig and maxboro from FSUSA and hated them all at first.I let them steep for a couple weeks and add some joy mlb to them when I refill a carto and wham its lovely.

 

[cryodream]

@capnbang, Thanks for reply.
So inferno is 510 type then? I need to choose 510 type attys and cartos, when bying? BTW, whats the best atty and cartomizer (empty, imo its cheaper to buy liquid and fill myself, isn't it?) out there for Inferno?

On liquids, thanks for reqs, but I didn't like tobacco flavor, and methinks all the types you mentioned are tobaccos? Believe me, I'm surprised myself, that I don't need that "analog-like" feel and taste, even though it's my first day of analog. Methinks, I actually love vaping because of the unusual and various flavors you get to "smoke" The crazy flavors you can't get in cigarettes...

 

[BlackMetalBuick]

The mega cartomizers have a very specific filling method. You use a paper clip or a small screw driver and pry out the white seal at the mouth end. Then underneath that there is another thinner seal, it's more of a clear color, remove this too. Finally underneath that you'll see where there are two small holes for filling with a syringe. You can get close to 2mL of fluid in these, which is a ton. But doing it by dripping into it will take forever and make a mess. Pick yourself up a syringe. These mega cartomizers will be your solution for "longest vape" on long drives. They last forever as long as you fill them up.

This is the only other thing you should have included in your order:
http://www.volcanoecigs.com/cartomizer-refill-kit.html

It's totally normal that you're getting a better experience from dripping, especially with the Cisco atty, everyone loves it. Including me.

Yes the Inferno is a 510 so any 510 products will work. No need to really shop around though when it comes to finding the "best" stuff. Volcano stuff commonly gets great reviews. The Magma atomizer which was included in the starter kit is a great atomizer. And the mega cartomizers are awesome products too. It's simply normal that you'll get a bit less flavor from anything other than dripping.

Definitely give the Thin Mint juice a try, it is awesome. Volcano's juice is pretty high priced, I wouldn't get your supplies from them. Some juice sellers cost more than others. MadVapes has the best prices I have seen.

Infernos rule!

 

[Icoth]

I think the Tasty Vapor price you quoted is for their doubler. The doubler has no nic in it but can be used to mix down their regular juices, reducing overall cost.

 

[cryodream]

This is the only other thing you should have included in your order:
Cartomizer Refill Kit

I did order that syringe package from them, but forgot to include in the list here in the 1st post. So I'm good to try it out. I did take out the 2 seals and saw the small holes on the side, even unpacked the syringe, but didn't use it. I saw "guide" videos and thought it would be way easier to just pour the liquid straight from the bottle. My bad, I gather with the syringe the liquid is injected into filler, this way it is absorbed better? Or am I way off here?

You can get close to 2mL of fluid in these, which is a ton. These mega cartomizers will be your solution for "longest vape" on long drives. They last forever as long as you fill them up.

Awesome I'm already thinking about Welcome to R&R Manufacturing - Handcrafted Battery Box Mods for the future

It's totally normal that you're getting a better experience from dripping, especially with the Cisco atty, everyone loves it. Including me.

I guess I need to buy more of those then? Btw, could You recommend a really good drip tip? The default one, that came with that cisco atty has a bit narrow hole, imo, I need to clean the top after dripping quite often. Methinks I saw some pictures here or on some eshop with a larger hole drip tips, but can't remember.

MadVapes has the best prices I have seen.

Thanks for the tip! Will most def try them out. Any good flavor to recommend?

Infernos rule!

I love it!

Thanks so much for your tips.

 

[cryodream]

I think the Tasty Vapor price you quoted is for their doubler. The doubler has no nic in it but can be used to mix down their regular juices, reducing overall cost.

Thank You, you're right. I just got back from their site (wanted to make an order). I was surprised there was no nic level option or even stated how strong it is. Then, going through their FAQ, I found out, that doublers are used to downmix the eliquid. My mistake Though 1oz 48mg eliquid + 4oz doubler = $15+$15=$30 for 150ml that's still an awesome price? Well, compared to Volcano that is

Ooooh I'm so excited... Holy crap, vaping is awesome, why oh why I didn't hear about this earlier!?

It's almost 6am... I'm now officially >24 hours smoke(cigarette) free for the first time in probably 20 years. How cool is that

 

[Sacker]

..............

 

[Sacker]

Hi,
My first steps into vaping were pretty dismal. In a middle of Black Friday online marathon I stumbled on e-cigs. I didn't want to invest time in my regular "pre-order" research, as I was quite busy deal hunting. A big mistake. I bought Blu starter kit.
Short version: unusable.
Long version:

The package that I received is unusable. Reasons:

Mistakenly I thought that battery charge would last me quite a  while, let's say,
2-4 charges a day (2 batteries, 1 recharge each in  mid-day, something along these lines...)
Nope, the guy at customer  service corrected me and it seems officially battery last
only for a [B]single[/B]  cartridge.  That's more charging than smoking! You know what,
I  probably could manage, but wasn't able to even achieve that.
The package  included 2 batteries and here's how they worked:

a) First battery: I'm recharging it (as I'm writing this) for the [B]3rd[/B] time on the[B] single
[/B]cartridge. I'm sorry, but [B]that is ridiculous[/B].  I'm a smoker for 20 years and I smoke
1-1,5 packs per day. Now I'm  sitting and waiting for my battery to recharge, I get
...... and grab me  my "trusty-low-tech-Parliament"... Not good.
b) Second battery. Wait for it... Charging for [B]2 hours[/B]...  fed-up of waiting for it
to get charged... trying out...  1-3 puffs, no  taste, no vapor/smoke whatchamacallit...
light goes blinking (what?)...  frantic trying to get any puff out of it... 10 seconds later
battery is  dead - no light, no nothing. Repeat all that 4 times. At this point I'm going mental.

Hmmm, what to do. Send the battery back for replacement and sit here with a single always
charging one? For how long? 20 days?

If  the new batteries are such a crapfest (I'm talking about the working  one, the dead one has
left the building...) and the chargers are not  "smart" and I need to constantly check the
status, as not to overcharge  and damage the batteries even more - that is no good at all.
What is gonna happen in let's say 3 months? 5 puffs and recharge? Thanks, but no  thanks.

The chargers are weird or simply cheaply made.  Their lights have the mind of their own. From
numerous post on this  forum, I know I'm not alone in being unhappy with this. Charge status
is  supposed to be rock solid clear and accurate, especially with "dumb"  chargers.

So after that disappointment I did some reading up. OMG, information overload the more I read, the more I'm lost, so many choices...
Anyway, on my second try I ordered these:

1. Volcano INFERNO (Red) Volcano Fine Electronic Cigarette Mini Starter Kit
2. MAGMA Re-fillable Cartomizer - 5 Pack MAGMA Re-fillable Cartomizer - 5 Pack
3. MAGMA Re-fillable MEGA-Cartomizer - 5 Pack MAGMA Re-fillable Mega-Cartomizer - 5 Pack
4. The 'Cisco' Atomizer with Delrin Drip Tip Color Volcano Fine Electronic Cigarette Atomizer
5. V-Liquid - BlueWater Punch V-Liquid BlueWater Punch
6. V-Liquid - Tobacco V-Liquid Tobacco
7. V-Liquid - 3-Pack Holiday Blends V-Liquid 3-Pack Holiday Blends

All I can say - I LOVE my Inferno!
But now I have some questions:

1. As you can see I bought cartomizers and was planning on mainly using those. I bought that "cisco" atty (I read it is good, is it not?) only "just in case". I'm happy I did it, coz I'm using that cisco atty with a drip tip now and not the cartomizers. I get way "stronger" experience from it. Cartomizers just seems "weak" by comparison. Is it supposed to be like that, or am I doing something wrong?Well both have thier own uniqueness, cisco designs give you more of a close throat hit to a cig but both styles work well, and yes, your filling up your cartomizers incorrectly, you need what BlackMetalBuick suggested, a syringe kit to properly fill up your cartomizers, right now your filling up where the air draws in to create vapor.
   
   
2. Another problem with these cartomizers, I cannot fill the properly, it seems. I've read and I've seen people talking about vaping from a single customizer for hour(s) even. I manage like 10 minutes probably, at most. They didn't come with "caps" or whatchamacallit. What I do now is clog the bottom hole with a toothpick and put 10-15 drops in the MEGA cartomizer. That's it. And like I said - it last quite a short time. I haven't even tried smaller ones.If your using mega cartomizers it filled up around .8 to 1mil of juice and you need to fill it up with a syringe, not dripping ejuice down the center area, Sometimes theres 2 caps( 1 mouth piece + inner cap inside the cartomizer or just 1 mouthpeice and no inner cap, when you see the correct innard cap inside the cartomizer on each side of the cap itself are 2 tiny tiny holes where you choose one of them, and it doesnt matter which of the 2 you choose to use to fill up the chamber of the cartomizer) theres 2 tiny holes on the plastic cap, if theres none you need to get a toothpick, paperclip or tweezers to remove the inner cap off, same with the Mega cartomizer, that holds 1.8ml to 2mils, if you overfill it , it will leak from the top and bottom, so paper towels come in handy till you get the hang of filling up the cartomizers of both sizes, this generic tip may work for you but not always reccommended, after you filled either type of cartomizer correctly, you could pre-prime the brand new cartomizer with a drop or two vs waiting. (add a drop or two directly on the coil sitting in the center of the cartomizer)
3. I would like to give cartomizers another fighting chance, as dripping is quite annoying at times, eg: watching movies in the dark (I can't see s***, let alone where to drip the liquid ). Same goes for driving and vaping. Maybe I could try some "better" cartomizers? Or that "blue foam" mod? Though that mod is for cartomizers or for regular cartridges?if you fill the Cartomizer's correctly , they work well, the magma cartomizers should hold at least .8 ml to 1.0 mils of ejuice, usually done with filling it up with a syringe, not dripping 10 drops onto the coils itself, you do not need to shove anything in the center post, if your doing that, your not filling up the chamber of the cartomizer, if your using carts, then you can top it off in the polyfill of the cart, stock filler of magma carts are white, you can modify it with the blue foam method
4. I'm about to have a long drive from NY to Miami for the holidays. I usually manage it in about 20 hours (I do it nonstop, ie: no motel stops). What would be the best solution for my Inferno to get the "longest" vape? Dripping will be quite inconvenient behind a wheel.if you have the cartomizers filled correctly, those should work out for lesser hassles vs drip and driving
5. I gather, that atomizers last roughly about a week. I probably should get more? IMHO if what you state you have, that should last you a good while, unless you want to try out other products, Im still using some of my original magma atomizers from 5 months ago, all 4 of them are still going strong on 3.7 voltages, of course with proper maintenance on it as well (washing it)
6. To summarize, what are the best hardware options for my Inferno that I can get? Anyway, what is my Inferno? I gather it is Ego clone and not 510?Ego like battery with a 510 connector, so basically you could find other products that accept the "510" connections or you could buy additional accessories to convert the connections into other slotted models, example using and adapter to convert it to 801,901 model with your Inferno Sadly that means nothing to me still...

Questions about the juice:

1. I am really confused with juice prices. I paid $9 for 10ml from Volcano. On the forums I found numerous people saying, that a "good" price for juice is <=$0.50/ml. So I paid almost double that. But later on, I see, that many people who like, eg: "Ms T's Bakery", "Tasty Vapor" and "Freedom Smoke USA". Now here it gets really confusing. MsT's 120ml would come out $64, FSUSA sells 120ml for $40 (awesome price), but TV sells the same 4oz for $15 (kaboom). How come there's such a huge difference? supply and demand.. some are premade, some are handmade, some are from china, some are from USA, all in all they are all good, since taste is subjective
2. Funnily enough, I bought "Tobacco" flavor, as I read everyone craves that analog taste at the beginning. Huh, I didn't like it. I LOVED "BlueWater Punch". If anyone knows an alternative for BlueWaterPunch from another cheaper supplier, I would very much appreciate a tip.
3. Is there any "top charts" of juices here on the forums or someplace else? I would very much like to try out many many flavors, but as the selection of suppliers and flavors they carry are almost endless, I'm in no way capable to buy and try them all myself. So I would at least like to know, that people like this or that flavor, before buying it.in volcano forums try out "tradewinds" section or classifieds here, folks almost swap juices, and almost every forum related with ecigs industries

Here are my choices for the next order of juices, that I found people here on the forums liked, and they sounded good to me (please comment on those). Based on these 5 flavors that I got now, it seems I like sweet flavors, go figure (no idea actually, need more testing).

1. HypnoticMist from FSUSA (I hope it'll be simmilar to BlueWater Punch, also description says "relaxing flavor", me like that)
2. RockingChair from FSUSA (seems like another "smooth" relaxing flavor)
3. Thin Mint Cookie from FSUSA (many people here say it's really good)
4. Atomic Cinnacide from TV (on this pole: What's YOUR favorite Tasty Vapor flavor? - View Poll Results)
5. Tasty Finger from TV (based on the same pole)

Final words. I LOVE vaping. I've had 2 cigarettes today and I've caught myself already smoking (I've light them up by reflex). And I'm a 1,5 packs per day smoker! What more can I say...

Thanks in advance for any answers/help.
Sorry for such a long post.
Sorry for my poor english, tis not my native.

My answers are in red, I hope it narrows it down somewhat. The other types I have not answered as I dont have any of the flavors from those vendors..

 

[Quaato]

I'm now officially >24 hours smoke(cigarette) free for the first time in probably 20 years.[/B] How cool is that

Sorry I can't help with info about hardware and juice. I'm just a noob myself.

Going without a smoke for that first 24 hours is a great accomplishment!!!
I'm proud of you! Feels great, doesn't it? Keep it up!

I'm 4 days without a smoke. Amazing!!

 

[cryodream]

@Sacker, Thank You so much for the answers. Trying the syringe fill method on cartos as I write this

 

[cryodream]

Going without a smoke for that first 24 hours is a great accomplishment!!!
I'm 4 days without a smoke. Amazing!!

Yes! It is amazing. I was hoping it would help me get off the smokes. I never dreamed it'll be quite easy. And I'm only vaping 8mg juice for the most part. A couple of drops of 16mg from time to time and only because I don't want to burn through my favorite juice (have only 10ml) until I've received some more.

I honestly don't crave a cig and I'm honestly baffled by that. Yippeekayay... I hope it will last.

 

[Sacker]

your perty much set up for now. Hope you like cartomizers a lil better after they are correctly filled..

Happy vaping

 

[Stosh]

Though 1oz 48mg eliquid + 4oz doubler = $15+$15=$30 for 150ml that's still an awesome price?

Ooooh I'm so excited... Holy crap, vaping is awesome, why oh why I didn't hear about this earlier!?

It's almost 6am... I'm now officially >24 hours smoke(cigarette) free for the first time in probably 20 years. How cool is that

Mixing up juice will change the strength, there's a calculator here: eJuice Me Up - e-Juice e-Liquid Recipe Calculator that will give you the results before you start to mix...
Your proposed mix would give 9.6 mg/mL, little light for me, but everyone is different.

Vaping is AWESOME, more so every day, I still can't belive it's working so well for me, after so many
"quitting trys" with other methods.

Regarding juice flavors, there's 1000's and everybody has their favorite, and favorite vendor.
It's pure trial and error, so sampler sizes are great for starting out, find what YOU like!
I found I didn't like tabacco (was suprised) did like menthol, and would recommend one flavor,
FSUSA Hopscotch, only one I've seen highly recommended that I fully agree with.....