Noob here; I need suggestions on the best ecig to help me quit.

[Hootis]

I'll state up front that I'm looking for the best actual substitute for cigarettes. I don't mind big, ugly, fiddly, geeky, doesn't-look-at-all-like-a-real-cigarette options. I don't mind manually filling the cartridge (or chamber, fuel cell, whatever the new hotness requires), cleaning the individual parts, big battery chargers - I want something with enough hit and vapor to eliminate my pack-a-day smoking habit.

I would prefer to be able to carry it around in my laptop bag; I'm not looking for some kind of tabletop model that's as big as a hookah. That's my only caveat.

I asked here a while back, and was recommended the GLV2. Is that still the cutting edge for my requirements? There is so much information here for a noober like me, so many models and technical information, I figured I'd put out my moose call and see who answered.

I'm sick of smoking. Please help. I'll reply to any questions quickly. Thank you in advance, experts!

 

[Rennod]

Try a JoyE eGo--they're great, reliable, and you'll find most veterans recommending it for new users. It's what I bought after a while of searching, and I'm still using it.

Now, for the other points: I think you'll just need a high nicotine concentration. Most juice vendors (I recommend BackWoods Brew, iVape, and HighBrow) will let you pick the nicotine level, described as MG. You can find some as high as 3.6, but often the highest is 2.4.

For vapor, be sure to get some VG (vegetable glycerin) mixed in. This is often described as the "MIX" option on sites. Some sites give you the option of customizing the VG and PG (propylene glycol) mix. VG will give you more vapor, but is said to cut down on the flavor. PG provides more flavor, and I think throat hit. Basic rule of thumb, though, is to go for an 80% PG and 20% VG. Also note that higher nicotine will give a higher throat hit, but also be aware that you will consume much more nicotine as a vaper than you would as a smoker.

Basically, -and anyone correct me if I'm wrong, please- the ecig model you're using, so long as it's a decent one like the eGo, isn't going to mean much if you don't have good juice. So look around for some good vendors--any of the above are incredible--and order a good bunch. You won't know what juice you like most until you try a bunch.

 

[Renzuli]

Welcome , but why the EGO is a good choice , there are alot of big battery type PV'S out there that are cheaper to buy , the batteries are cheaper to replace , and they last alot longer than most of the EGO's . The E-Power is one , THE GLV you mentioned , is another . The Siver Bullet is a well made big bat. PV , that's fairly inexpensive as well . And yes , try lots of different juices , but only try the little sample sizes , until you find one's you like . Then by all means , buy in larger quantities . If your goal is more flavor , get higher PG type juices , if on the other hand , you like a lot of smoke / vapor , go with juices higher in VG . I use a 50 /50 mix . and down from 24mg nic. 9 months ago , to 6mg. nic or even 0 nic. on some of my juices . good luck .

 

[brandondparris]

I was a 2 PAD Marlboro Red smoker and i use an eGo batt, I have 650s, 900 VVs, and 1000 mAh laying around. I use Kanger H coil cartos and started with 18- 24 mg juice. Almost 9 months late I am down to 6 mg juice. I use SmokTech DCTs (regular and PRO) around my Kanger XL H coils. I get everything hardware wise form myvaporstore.com, and juice-wise from ecblendflavors.com. Here's a couple pics of what I and the wife use.

 

[sailorman]

I second the suggestion of the e-Power. The e-Power and kGo are my two top recommendations for new vapers who are wise enough to skip the costly "looks like a cigarette" initiation phase.

If you don't mind spending a bit more for a first class mod that's still good for newbs, the Baby Bullet is the smaller version of the Silver Bullet. This was my first real mod 2 years ago and it's still my go-to PV. You'll be able to give this one to your grandchildren. I've heard good things about the GLV as well, but I can guarantee you that no PVs on the market are built any better than the Baby Bullet and the Silver Bullet. The BB takes a 14500 battery, so it's quite compact and can be concealed in the fist with only the carto showing. But it's solid enough to use as a self-defense weapon. The button is as durable as they come. It's a vandal-resistant commercial switch rated for a million cycles.

Nobody has anything bad to say about he BB or the SB. Check the reviews or the Altsmoke.com vendor forum.

 

[Constance Shutts]

I would not fiddle with anything less than an EGO type battery. They are bigger, last longer and while they cost more in the beginning they last longer overall. I have two tornado pass through 1000 MaH from Totally Wicked and two 900 Mah Smoktech from Mad Vapes. Hard to beat the Tornado batteries. I use Vision ego Clearomizers on the tornados and also some CE2 type cartomizers. Also use Vision Cartomizers 2.5 mil on the Smoktech batteries but the Vision ego clearomizers don't want to work right on the Smoktech's. I buy them from Virgin Vapor. She sells great juice and also a KGO kit at a good price. Just one thing about the KGO batteries, they are a 5 click on and 5 click off I use a 70 PG/30 VG mix in juices.

 

[sailorman]

Try a JoyE eGo--they're great, reliable, and you'll find most veterans recommending it for new users. It's what I bought after a while of searching, and I'm still using it.

Now, for the other points: I think you'll just need a high nicotine concentration. Most juice vendors (I recommend BackWoods Brew, iVape, and HighBrow) will let you pick the nicotine level, described as MG. You can find some as high as 3.6, but often the highest is 2.4.

For vapor, be sure to get some VG (vegetable glycerin) mixed in. This is often described as the "MIX" option on sites. Some sites give you the option of customizing the VG and PG (propylene glycol) mix. VG will give you more vapor, but is said to cut down on the flavor. PG provides more flavor, and I think throat hit. Basic rule of thumb, though, is to go for an 80% PG and 20% VG. Also note that higher nicotine will give a higher throat hit, but also be aware that you will consume much more nicotine as a vaper than you would as a smoker.

Basically, -and anyone correct me if I'm wrong, please- the ecig model you're using, so long as it's a decent one like the eGo, isn't going to mean much if you don't have good juice. So look around for some good vendors--any of the above are incredible--and order a good bunch. You won't know what juice you like most until you try a bunch.

While the eGo is heads and tails above the silly cigarette lookalikes a lot of newbs think they need, THIS veteran no longer recommends them, mostly because of all the battery issues that pop up, like shorting and charging issues and problems with low resistance atomizers. Some of them are also regulated to 3.4V, which doesn't provide the oomph, of 3.7V.

The eGos are decent, but now there are better alternatives. The kGo and e-Power are two that IMO, are more reliable and better performing and/or economical. The e-Power's separate batteries and replaceable, available in sizes up to 18650, make it more economical to run. The kGo is a steal at $42 shipped and the 1100mah battery is sufficient to handle any atty or tank you want to throw at it and will maintain a high voltage for far longer than the smaller 650mah eGo batteries. Also, the kGo doesn't need any specially designed tanks or cartridges to be used to it's fullest potential.

As long as you can maintain 3.7V or more for a long period of time, with a reliable PV, the juice is the most important part. You are correct there. But that's a big "As long as". If your spending all your time charging batteries or vaping at 3V because your batteries won't hold a charge very long, it doesn't matter what juice you're using.

VG mutes flavors a bit, generates maximum vapor and lessens the throat hit that the PG and, especially the nic provides.
The throat hit is mostly a function of the nic level. Pure grain alcohol can also provide more "kick".

For a pack a day habit, 24mg is more than sufficient and may be a bit strong. I quit a 3 pack habit in one day with 24mg and got a little dizzy a few times. For a 1 pack man, I'd recommend 18mg, but no more than 24mg. Get both and see which one is more comfortable. If 18mg seems to work, use it and save the 24mg for the "high stress" days.

 

[Cloud Wizard]

For me it was about making sure I had enough of everything to not hit a down time (1.5 PAD/Marlboros for 33 years) cause 1 hour without would sent me for a pack of smokes (during one wavering moment, my wife actually had me sit down and just chain tape like a fiend till I didn't want to go get smokes [thx sweetie!]). Also, tricky to find your levels, but it was important for me to get high enough nic level (started with 24mg/ml and have backed down to 16-18 because I vape a lot more often than I smoked).

After 2 weeks with little batts+cartos>>>Big batts+cartos>>>Big batts+lr attys>>>VV+tanks

If I had it to do over, I'd jump straight to a VV (I use a lavatube) + cart-tank (I'm using a DCT V2 3.5ml@3ohms) and enough juice to last awhile as you get samples from all over to find what you like (originally I quested for tobacco flavors, now I quest for tasty things likes caramel machiado or green tea peach). For me at least, variable voltage really lets me fine tune for different juices (ratio of pg/vg, flavor, etc) and the tank just goes an goes (plus super quick/easy to refill)

 

[Constance Shutts]

Sailorman,
I didn't kick a 2+ pack a day habit in one day..LOL Took me two months lowering the cigs down as I went. Last one was December 5, 2011. But I now have no desire for them at all. I still vape 18 meg and 12 meg and it seems to hold me just fine.
You are right, the KGO is a good battery. But so is the Tornado and mine are real troupers since I vape almost non stop. Got to work on that The best Cart will be the biggest challenge...still trying to corner one I really like.

 

[byggd]

Don't get me wrong .... the eGo batteries are great for many juices but after a time you will be wanted more power. IMO go with a VV unit and save some $$ in the long run.

 

[sailorman]

Don't get me wrong .... the eGo batteries are great for many juices but after a time you will be wanted more power. IMO go with a VV unit and save some $$ in the long run.

I've got a VV, and to be honest, as much as I like it, I end up using it mostly at about 4.5-5.0V with a 3ohm carto.
If I used a 1.7ohm carto, I could get the same results with a 3.7V battery.
I really don't recommend a VV like the LT as a primary PV.
For a first, primary PV, you need something pretty bulletproof.
Once you start learning about resistances and play with a couple voltages, a VV is a great second PV.
Most reasonably priced VV's are a bit bulky too, so may or may not be the best primary PV.
An 1100mah kGo or e-Power with a 1.7ohm Resurrector carto will get a newb over 8 watts. That's plenty to kick any habit. I shudder to think I started with a wimpy 510 and a 3.0 atomizer with one of those little obsolete cartridges.

Plus, going with a VV unit isn't saving anything in the long run unless the alternative is something you're never going to use again, like a wimpy cigarette look-alike. I still use my Baby Bullet all the time.

 

[jamentertainment]

for the best and what is aval right now I would go with a provari and boge cartos..find a juice you like and you are all set!!!

www.provape.com

 

[Hootis]

I am absorbing this data as fast as possible; thank you for the advice thus far.

I know I'm technically a new vaper (I own a Safe Cig, it's just not enough), but I'd rather err on the side of more hit and vapor than go with something simpler. The worst possible scenario would be buying something that is just under what I need. I really don't care how big or bulky it is, or how complex. I want high quality and reasonable price.

Ya'll are throwing around names and terms I'm not familiar with (VV?) so if you could include links to the products you mention, I'd appreciate it.

Edit: Gotta drive out to a friend's house, will be offline for about 1 hour. I'll catch up then.

 

[Hitmetwice]

Everyone is raising valid options and points but I have to agree too with Cloud Wizards comment about the variable voltage
mod. I was a 2 PAD or so smoker for 20yrs. plus, and went straight to getting a Provari, pricey but no regrets.
If and when I decide to give up vaping I'll likely be able to sell it for what I paid for it if it's still pristine.

The VV option allows me to tweak the heat, throat hit and vapour on the fly, to a degree, that a standard
set-up will not allow.

While many folks have multiple batteries and paraphernalia I have only my Provari with some cartos and a
couple of the new vision stardusts that I think are a very good value.

Hope you make the best choice for yourself from the beginning.
Well I guess you can't go too far wrong if it gets you off the cigs., whatever you choose, is better
than those things.

Cheers Hitme

 

[byggd]

going with a VV unit isn't saving anything in the long

This will very by each persons needs and tastes. I have 6 eGo and kGo batteries and all they do is sit in a drawer ...... unless they are being used as a tool to take a fluxo apart ....... oh and to do the dry burn after re-assembly ;-)

 

[sailorman]

Sailorman,
I didn't kick a 2+ pack a day habit in one day..LOL Took me two months lowering the cigs down as I went. Last one was December 5, 2011. But I now have no desire for them at all. I still vape 18 meg and 12 meg and it seems to hold me just fine.
You are right, the KGO is a good battery. But so is the Tornado and mine are real troupers since I vape almost non stop. Got to work on that The best Cart will be the biggest challenge...still trying to corner one I really like.

I've just recently moved down to 18mg. I make my own juice, so I don't have any excuse for not doing that sooner. So far, no problems. I chain vape anyway, so it's not like after 2 years, I'm going to suddenly start craving a smoke. LOL.

I'm sure the Tornado is a fine PV. The reason I recommend the kGo is mostly because it's not a "branded" unit. Therefore, there is a lot of competition and the price is extremely low for two 1100mah batteries and a whole kit. I paid more that that for a couple dinky 510 batteries and a PCC when I started. It's also not gimmicky. It's not built around some faddsih "tank" system or special cartridges or atomizers. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you'd spend more than $45 shipped for a complete Tornado kit with 5 cartos and two batteries. I'm not sure what more you'd get.

What kind of juice do you vape? High VG or PG? I use 70-80% VG, so it's hard to find a good carto other than the standard polyfilled types. The bottom coil models seem to work best for the thicker juice. Right now, I'm stocking up on CE3s. I've also started using Vision Stone 2s and 3s. For a top coil CE2 type, they've been working great and the VS3 has replaceable guts that only cost about $3, which is comparable to a pre-punched tank carto. So far, I've been using the same VS2 for about 3 weeks and it's still chugging along.

 

[sailorman]

This will very by each persons needs and tastes. I have 6 eGo and kGo batteries and all they do is sit in a drawer ...... unless they are being used as a tool to take a fluxo apart ....... oh and to do the dry burn after re-assembly ;-)

I know what you're saying, but it's not like they're insufficient to use. When the latest greatest VV comes out, and you buy it, will you then advise everyone to save money and get that model? If all my good mods broke down, I'd go nuts if I had to rely on the little 510 I started with. If I had a kGo laying around, I wouldn't be in a panic to get another PV ASAP. Sure, I would get another PV, but it wouldn't exactly be an emergency. So, unless your alternative is something you won't be satisfied with as a secondary, backup or knock around unit, you aren't saving money by going straigt to the top.

Do you have a Lavatube? Would you think it made sense for someone to tell you that you should have saved money and just gotten a Provari or a Darwin?

 

[sailorman]

I am absorbing this data as fast as possible; thank you for the advice thus far.

I know I'm technically a new vaper, but I'd rather err on the side of more hit and vapor than go with something simpler. The worst possible scenario would be buying something that is just under what I need. I really don't care how big or bulky it is, or how complex. I want high quality and reasonable price.

Ya'll are throwing around names and terms I'm not familiar with (VV?) so if you could include links to the products you mention, I'd appreciate it.

Edit: Gotta drive out to a friend's house, will be offline for about 1 hour. I'll catch up then.

VV = Variable voltage. Go to Provapes.com and get a Provari for $250. Or you could wait for a Reo Woodville VV or a Darwin and spend $300. Or, you could wait a little longer and something better will come out for $400 or $500. I'm pretty sure there is something out there right now that you could spend $700 on. Then, you can tell all the Newbs that they're wasting their money if they don't buy the SuperVapeBotDeluxe for only $700.

 

[Cloud Wizard]

@Hootis: sorry about that. You're right, acronyms and initials won't help you.

VV=variable voltage. Various SV (single voltage) batteries can not be adjusted so you have to change the resistance of what ever vaping device (cartomizer, atomizer, etc) that are rated in ohms. So, with lower voltage SV batteries (3.4v to 3.7v) folks tend to get LR (low resistance) vaping devices (1.5ohm, 1.7ohm, 2.0ohm) or some like SR (standard resistance) (2.2ohm, 2.6ohm, 2.8ohm) and for HV (high voltage) folks tend to shoot for 3.0ohm or up.

What does it mean: everyone has a "sweet spot" where warmth/throat hit/vapor production is ideal. I like the variable voltage because I switch around for different things (I use a LR atty at 3.4/3.7 for tasting different juices via dripping, I use SR Vision Stardusts for pseudo stealth on my PigCigs/3.7v and 3.0ohm Dual Coil Cartos in a tank for chain vaping [or 1.7 Resurrectors from CrystalClear at lower voltage]. Guess mu point is that no "one" other device allows me to simply switch on the fly. Some juices just hit better for me when warmer and some taste burnt. As little as 0.1v or 0.2v can make all the difference in satisfaction.

The other juggling act is choosing VG/PG (propylene glycol vs vegetable glycerin). PG hits your throat harder (TH) and VG makes awesome clouds. I like different juices between 80%PG/20%VG to 50%PG/50%VG (not fond of pure VG as I like some TH).

I'm no expert, but there's my $.02 (actually $65, as that's what a complete lava tube kit cost me)

 

[byggd]

When the latest greatest VV comes out, and you buy it, will you then advise everyone to save money and get that model?

Not at all BUT I could have purchased a very nice VV unit with the money spent on the crap I have sitting in my drawer. My favorite 3 juices taste like crap at anything under 4.2V.

Do you have a Lavatube? Would you think it made sense for someone to tell you that you should have saved money and just gotten a Provari or a Darwin?

No. You are comparing all VV units in this statement. Is one better than another ..... maybe but they ALL get the VV job done which is something a kGo or eGo will never do.