Newbie, where to start?

[psyotik]

Well I have so far made it 9 days with out a cigarette. I picked up a few BLU- disposable menthols. And have been smoking them a lot.
I am wanting to move on to something cheaper, re-chargable.
I have been browsing these forums for a few hours now, and honestly I am now more lost than ever.

What would be a good setup to start with?
I am looking for long battery life, great taste, and something not to big.

I like the blu's for the fact they kind of look like a cig and not a pot pipe for when I am in public.

Any advice?

 

[Pappy]

Well, for something that looks like a cig, perhaps the Volt from Smokeless Image:

Smokeless Image | Only The Best Electronic Cigarette | Volt - Pro Starter Kit - Starter Kits

That seems to be the best choice for a cig look-alike.

I bought a KGO starter kit. I've had it less than a week, but I really like it. You can get them from Hoosierecig or DarkCityVapor, and probably other places. The KGO is about the size of a Sharpie marker, so not that much bigger (about the size of a skinny cigar), but does not look like a cig.

 

[witty handle]

hey there...I don't have one but since i'm new here also, here's what iv'e found...maybe the volt...due to it's small stature, apparently it's rechargeable. there are soooo many different options with vaping...I started by watching you tube videos...search e cig on you tube, you'll never finish them all!

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

If you want something similar to the BLU, but higher quality, rechargeable, and refillable, I'd consider going with a Joye 510 with a manual button. There are several options with the 510 -- from cartos to tanks. It's a really versatile device. If you don't mind something that's slightly bigger, I like the Joye eGo-C. A great vendor that sells all things Joye is Cignot. Their service is the best out there, and fast too.

 

[sailorman]

Congrats on 9 days. Congrats on being able to do it with a Blu. They get no love around here.

If you want something the size of a cigarette, you only have a very few choices that are worth a dime. Unfortunately none of them are really, really cheap, but they're sure cheaper than smoking and, in the long run, they're way cheaper than that Blu.

The most recommended mini around here, even by people like me who hate minis, is the Volt from Smokelessimage.com
They have a couple of sizes of rechargeable batteries, they last a long time (for a mini) and they even have a larger battery available for at home or for when you get less self-conscious in public. Their customer service is great and their juice tastes great.

There are ways to cut down on the expense. You can refill the cartridges yourself with juice you get from them, or juice you get from somewhere else. You can even make your own juice if you feel like it.

Sorry Tez, I started with a Joye 510 a couple years ago when there were few other options. It's better than a Blu, but I would never recommend it to a new vaper nowadays, unless the $10-20 difference was a deal breaker. It just doesn't measure up to the Volt.

 

[psyotik]

Thanks guys, I am thinking about going with the Volt for now. Maybe picking up something larger for the house, if this continues to work out.

I have been smoking menthol's for 8 years now. Any suggestions on any great menthol Liquids? I think, keeping it the same as I am used to is the only thing that will keep me on track for the next few months.

On the battery selection. What is the difference between a sealed and a manual battery? Also I just want to verify that the Volt does have refillable cartridges?

 

[sailorman]

A sealed battery will not let juice get in through the battery connection and destroy the battery.
Manual batteries are sealed. Automatic batteries may or may not be sealed, usually they aren't. Frankly, I'd suggest not using automatic batteries. Automatic batteries rely on a vaccum when you puff. You have to take a "primer" puff to get them heated up. They generally have a cutoff that limits how long of a drag you can take. Manual batteries are more reliable. You get more control with them. It takes about 5 seconds before pushing the little button becomes second nature. There is a reason that no advanced, or really high quality e-cig uses an automatic battery. All the decent e-cigs are too heavy to dangle from your lips like a cigarette anyway. Automatic batteries are a marketing gimmick, only useful for people who like to puff on their e-cigs while they do brain surgery or climb mountains.

The volt does have refillable cartridges. You should never mix flavors in a cartridge, so if you get pre-filled cartridges, get the same flavor in a bottle so you can refill. You can get extra bottles of the same juice that comes in the Volts cartridges at SI. Or, get blank cartridges and some juice and fill them yourself. That is the most economical way because you can get the juice anywhere. Smokeless Image has good juice, but it's a little pricey compared to what you can get elsewhere.

I'm not a menthol guy, so I'll let someone else answer that one. I have heard the SI makes good menthol and also Sweet-Vapes.com but juice is very subjective and the best thing to do is get small bottles from various vendors until you find one you like.

 

[Some Poor Shmuck]

Who has the best prices on a volt? Can you only get it at the one place?

 

[psyotik]

Where can I find Blank carts for the Volt? I have not seen any on smokeless image.

 

[Some Poor Shmuck]

I know. Dumb question. Smokeless Image. Gotcha.

 

[sailorman]

Where can I find Blank carts for the Volt? I have not seen any on smokeless image.

Smokeless Image | Only The Best Electronic Cigarette | Refill Cartridges

 

[sailorman]

Hmm.. Just looked at the juice prices again. They're more reasonable than I had remembered. I take that back about their juice being pricey.

Somewhere, there's also a promotion that if you send them a pic with you using a Volt, they'll send you a free battery.
There's a 16% off coupon code out there too somewhere.

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

Sorry Tez, I started with a Joye 510 a couple years ago when there were few other options. It's better than a Blu, but I would never recommend it to a new vaper nowadays, unless the $10-20 difference was a deal breaker. It just doesn't measure up to the Volt.

No apologies necessary Sailorman. The Joye 510 was what got me to start taking e-cigs seriously, but in fairness it's been a couple of years since I looked at smaller e-cigs. I haven't really looked into the Volt, but if there's something out there that's better and helps people get off analogs I'm all for it!

Psyotik, the only menthol juice I've found that's spot-on menthol cigarette (rather than peppermint or some other poor substitute) is Backwoods Brew's Menthol Tobacco. I'm not a regular menthol user, but that juice really fooled my brain into thinking I was smoking a menthol. Unfortunately they're on vacation this week, but as soon as they're back, I'd recommend picking up a bottle.

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

On the other hand, Psyotik, I have a friend who smoked menthols and just switched to vaping. She found that her taste in vaping was a little different than her taste in smoking, and she actually prefers tobacco vapes to menthol vapes. I'd start with the menthol juice and then experiment with other types of juice if and when you can. As you regain your sense of taste, your preferences may change as well. Vaping opens up a whole world of flavor opportunities that we didn't have as smokers, and finding out your tastes is half the fun!

 

[Cowboy Cru]

I had good luck starting with a Electronic Cigarettes | E Cigarette | V2 Cigs kit. I have since moved on to a big batt mod because I no longer care about size. But they are not the cheapest as a kit, but they last long and have a great warranty.

-CC-my avatar is Uranus

 

[Cowboy Cru]

I had good luck starting with a Electronic Cigarettes | E Cigarette | V2 Cigs kit. I have since moved on to a big batt mod because I no longer care about size. But they are not the cheapest as a kit, but they last long and have a great warranty.

-CC-my avatar is Uranus

Sorry, I was saying V2 is not the cheapest. I think that sounded weird. The key to price is not buy pre-filled carto's!

-CC-my avatar is Uranus

 

[sailorman]

Sorry, I was saying V2 is not the cheapest. I think that sounded weird. The key to price is not buy pre-filled carto's!

-CC-my avatar is Uranus

No, they're not the cheapest. They have to cover all those newbie affiliate commissions somehow or they wouldn't be all over Youtube trying to sucker in more newbies. You better buy their cartos or their juice or else that great warranty goes Poof! Surprisingly, the SI pre-filled are only a couple bucks more than a pack of blank Boges would cost. And $14/30ml. juice is not bad at all.

 

[Stiggy]

I believe kanger also has a starter that looks very nice

 

[sailorman]

I believe kanger also has a starter that looks very nice

Might be a re-branded Volt. Volts use cartos by Kanger. The Bloog Maxx Fusion is a re-branded Volt.

 

[sczlep1]

IMO from the way it sounds, I would point you to Vapage's Titan. It's a great tweener e cig, between the blu and up to eGo T or C. The Titan looks similar to a cigarette, battery life is really good, and its carto holds lots of juice. Depending how you toot it will last awhile between charges and refilling. It may be a little pricey for you being a new vaper, but it was worth it to me. The 510 Ego is also another great recommendation. From my personal experience and vaping journey I started vaping from disposable vapages, thus why I went to the Titan. The 510 eGo's are also good tweeners. The problem I had with it though was that it holds very little juice and burns through it quick. So that is my 2 cents, hope it helps. I dont know anything about the Volt so I cant speak on it.