NooB in a panic - I need to make a purchase decision QUICK!

[Credo]

That is correct.

Both of the kits you linked come with atomizers and carts.
You can pack juice into the carts, or drip right on the bridge of the atomizer.

Disposable cartomizers have the atty built in. You just screw them on and vape (provided they're filled with juice).

Cartomizers are meant to be refilled or topped off until they either stop working well, or the flavor starts to get bad. Then you just toss them. They usually come in boxes of 5. You can find them prefilled with liquid, or get them blank and fill them yourself. Some of these will hold up to a full ml of liquid....that's roughly a pack of cigs in number of puffs (give or take some depending on how hot the atty burns, how tightly the juice is packed in there, and the type of juice...etc).

Cartomizers are great for when you want to take your PV out. They don't leak. Just take a hand full with you to change out when needed, and keeping a bottle of juice with you is optional then. The cartomizers will last a little longer if you keep them wet by dripping in juice fairly often...but it's ok to vape them dry and fill them at your juicing station too

Regular carts, or dripping right on the atty bridge are great for when you just want a quick vape...to sip on a new flavor in one sitting, etc. You haven't committed to pumping up to a full ml into a carto at this point.

 

[Credo]

Carto vs Atty/Cart

Atty & Cart
I have a flavor that I like to vape maybe once a week with a glass of brandy after dinner. I'll be enjoying it for an hour or so while watching TV. So...I either pop a drip tip into the atty and drip a few drops at a time keeping the bridge of the atty wet...or I can pack one of the carts and vape on that till I'm done with it. The standard 510 cart will usually last me a good hour or so of sipping at it.

Cartomizer
I want an all day trouble free vape. I'll be driving and keeping busy. I need to be able to stuff it in my pocket and not worry about it leaking. I'll load a couple of my favorite flavors into a hand full of cartos (I always take more than I need), grab a battery or two...and hit the door I might leave a bottle of juice and some spare stuff in the car or the desk drawer at work just in case I need it...but those cartos will be my staple for vaping on the go.

With typical poly-fill cartomizers it's difficult to change the flavor in one. Once you've committed it to a flavor...you're pretty much stuck with it.

With carts and atomizers...you can change flavors fairly easily/quickly...and can do little bits at a time.

 

[Caffeined]

I've spent a lot of money on various mods, yet when I get ready to go out, it's my trusty old eGo that's in my pocket almost every time. They last a good while on a charge, are comfortable in the hand and easy to conceal. They have enough capacity for a good quality vapor from first to last, and in my opinion are just a generally great product for very little money. Personally, in my opinion that it's the capacity that makes the biggest difference in long term happiness. If you have to recharge several times a day it gets to be not as enjoyable. Conversely if you have a half pound chunk of stainless steel in your pocket that becomes inconvenient too.

When it comes down to nuts and bolts, it not the device that produces the vapor, it's the power source. So look for something you like the look of and has at least 750mAh capacity, and try both standard and low resistance cartomizers/atomizers with it to see which suits you best.

 

[mohawkx]

That is correct.

Both of the kits you linked come with atomizers and carts.
You can pack juice into the carts, or drip right on the bridge of the atomizer.

Disposable cartomizers have the atty built in. You just screw them on and vape (provided they're filled with juice).

Cartomizers are meant to be refilled or topped off until they either stop working well, or the flavor starts to get bad. Then you just toss them. They usually come in boxes of 5. You can find them prefilled with liquid, or get them blank and fill them yourself. Some of these will hold up to a full ml of liquid....that's roughly a pack of cigs in number of puffs (give or take some depending on how hot the atty burns, how tightly the juice is packed in there, and the type of juice...etc).

Cartomizers are great for when you want to take your PV out. They don't leak. Just take a hand full with you to change out when needed, and keeping a bottle of juice with you is optional then. The cartomizers will last a little longer if you keep them wet by dripping in juice fairly often...but it's ok to vape them dry and fill them at your juicing station too

Regular carts, or dripping right on the atty bridge are great for when you just want a quick vape...to sip on a new flavor in one sitting, etc. You haven't committed to pumping up to a full ml into a carto at this point.

The riva kit the OP referenced to in Liberty Flights was the riva deluxe. It does not come with attys and carts. It comes with 5 boge cartos.

 

[pixiedust]

Thanks everyone. I think I have narrowed my choices down to two: The Joye eGo stainless with 900 mAh batteries:

https://www.cignot.com/product_p/zzz-ego-stn.htm

or the Riva 510 - Carto Deluxe with the 750 mAh batterie:

Electronic Cigarette - Starter Kits - Riva 510

In both of these I am looking at the battery capacity issue. I couldn't imagine anything more frustrating for a new user of this technology than short battery run times while you are trying to figure everything out.

I guess it comes down to aesthetics and whether the 2 piece carto system has the advantage in the Riva system. One is cheaper... The other has free shipping... Price isn't a deal breaker here.

Still not sure about the nicotine level matter. Didn't cigarette manufacturer's put the nicotine level on the packs at one point in time? Or was that part of the pitch for "light" cigarettes, that their legal departments eventualy decided wasn't such a good idea to promote? Anyway, I just checked my pack and nope, none of that tar & nicotine info to be found.

One thought I have had is that if you shoot too high, can you dilute liquids down. I've seen at least one place selling unflavored PG for that purpose.

Those are both great choices, the Riva is cheaper (don't forget to click the 20% off coupon at the top left of the page if you buy your kit there). You can dilute juice, but you will also be diluting the flavor. That's not a huge deal for me because I have been known to smoke unflavored juice. When I started I was using 16mg because that's what was delivered with my kit. I never smoked more than a pack a day of marlboro ultra lights, usually less...but I did it for 40 years /sigh. I couldn't quit thinking about regular cigarettes until I went to 24 mg. How much nic was in your cigarettes doesn't seem to have any relationship to the nicotine level of e-juice. Maybe you could get a bottle of 12mg and a bottle of 24mg and then you would have the option of mixing them together if you wanted 18mg?

Just order something and get going =) either of those kits are perfect and will allow you a large number of options for different cartos, attys, etc.

 

[Credo]

Oops, When I click the link provided I didn't see the Carto Deluxe kit. I saw the Special Edition...on my computer the Deluxe doesn't show up unless you scroll down through a long description of carts being equiv to five cigs, and then for more than another page of other kits till getting there. Had no clue there were many kits listed under the same link.

Sorries...

 

[steven36]

you smoked the same brand i did and the same amount. this is whats working for me vaporking from vapor4life 2 batteries 24 mg cowboy first thing in the morning 18 mg random carts the rest of the day off analogs 6 days now good luck

 

[Rickajho]

you smoked the same brand i did and the same amount. this is whats working for me vaporking from vapor4life 2 batteries 24 mg cowboy first thing in the morning 18 mg random carts the rest of the day off analogs 6 days now good luck

Thanks for that info. This is probably the hardest part of the buying process - figuring out the fluids. Seems like it would be a waste buying fluids with too low a nicotine level. OTOH I don't want to drop myself to the floor on the first inhale either! I will be buying a bottle of the plain, non nicotine fluid to dilute if needed. It sounds like the 18-24mg level is a good place to start since it can be diluted if needed. And the Joye I'm looking at comes with 5 pre-filled 18 mg Marlboro. So I'll have the 18, I'll get something in the 24 range, and probably one of something in the 12 mg range and sort out the experince.

Thank you to everyone on this thread. You have all been a big help in sorting this out.

 

[GMoney]

Thanks for that info. This is probably the hardest part of the buying process - figuring out the fluids. Seems like it would be a waste buying fluids with too low a nicotine level. OTOH I don't want to drop myself to the floor on the first inhale either! I will be buying a bottle of the plain, non nicotine fluid to dilute if needed. It sounds like the 18-24mg level is a good place to start since it can be diluted if needed. And the Joye I'm looking at comes with 5 pre-filled 18 mg Marlboro. So I'll have the 18, I'll get something in the 24 range, and probably one of something in the 12 mg range and sort out the experince.

Thank you to everyone on this thread. You have all been a big help in sorting this out.

Getting some 24 - 18 - 12 is a good idea. I smoked about 1.5 pad but the 24 is a bit much for me, but many need it. I like the 12 especially when I am sampling a lot of flavors or am just bored and forget to stop vapiing, lol.

You may want to check out Boston Vapers on Facebook, it is a group of people from the Boston area - I think the plan is to have some vaping Meets in the future. Login | Facebook I just joined - I think I can add people but if you are interested at some point - you can let me know.

Good Luck!

 

[earthpig]

Dude. 24mg is like smoking an unfiltered Camel by the math in Nicotine level. 36mg is asking for a heart attack. Most legit responsible companies won't even sell over 18mg due to it being unreasonably high....
SO if you smoke a light cigarette, why would you ever consider a 24mg?
A light cig varies between 6mg and 11mg. You are considering more than doubling or even tripling the amount of Nicotine???

Think twice.

 

[Doomed!]

Dude. 24mg is like smoking an unfiltered Camel by the math in Nicotine level. 36mg is asking for a heart attack. Most legit responsible companies won't even sell over 18mg due to it being unreasonably high....
SO if you smoke a light cigarette, why would you ever consider a 24mg?
A light cig varies between 6mg and 11mg. You are considering more than doubling or even tripling the amount of Nicotine???

Think twice.

I was a half a pack a day smoker and I smoked lights. I couldn't stop smoking until I upped the nic to 24mg. Yes it sounds like a lot, but you're not absorbing as much as you would if you were smoking. Now how much you are absorbing is up for debate but the studies that have been done say that you're not getting as much nic as smoking an analog. And most juice suppliers sell 24mg juice.

 

[Rickajho]

Dude. 24mg is like smoking an unfiltered Camel by the math in Nicotine level. 36mg is asking for a heart attack. Most legit responsible companies won't even sell over 18mg due to it being unreasonably high....
SO if you smoke a light cigarette, why would you ever consider a 24mg?
A light cig varies between 6mg and 11mg. You are considering more than doubling or even tripling the amount of Nicotine???

Think twice.

Because everything I've read so far says you are only absorbing 30% of the nicotine at most, at the high end of the scale. What I've read says you only take in between 10% and 30% of the nicotine in the liquids, depending on how you drag - is that not correct?

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Because everything I've read so far says you are only absorbing 30% of the nicotine at most, at the high end of the scale. What I've read says you only take in between 10% and 30% of the nicotine in the liquids, depending on how you drag - is that not correct?

Yes, our bodies absorb the nic differently than analogs.....You are correct, it is usually excepted that those pcts are correct.
One hugh difference between ecigs and analogs is with analogs, you get a direct hit of nic in your lungs.....ecigs, the nic is in the juice and you absorb most of the nic in mouth, nose and throat area....Liken it to the difference betwee taking a shot of whiskey(analog) or drinking a beer(ecig)
This is another reason that vapers always say they vape more than they smoke, but in reality they really don't.

 

[Rickajho]

Yes, our bodies absorb the nic differently than analogs.....You are correct, it is usually excepted that those pcts are correct.
One hugh difference between ecigs and analogs is with analogs, you get a direct hit of nic in your lungs.....ecigs, the nic is in the juice and you absorb most of the nic in mouth, nose and throat area....Liken it to the difference betwee taking a shot of whiskey(analog) or drinking a beer(ecig)
This is another reason that vapers always say they vape more than they smoke, but in reality they really don't.

Got it. So that's going to make the experience similar to using the nicotine gums. It's more of a slower "settling in" of the nicotine level in your system than any sense of immidiate relief. With the nicotine gums it does "settle in" fast enough, but there is defiintely a difference between what you feel and when you feel it versus smoking.

I don't know if that question has come up before, but after my kit arrives and I've had some time to experiment I'll report back on that point. I know this isn't a stop smoking device, put people who have had experience with nicotine gum may want to know if the nicotine experience is similar. But without the nasty side effects. Nothing like an extreme case of the hiccups to throw off your afternoon...

It's also the same matter with the prescription nicotine inhalers. Despite the fact that you are puliing on those suckers and REALLY inhaling the absorption is still through the oral areas, not in the lungs.

Yeah, and in case you haven't picked up on it, it's not like I haven't tried quitting. A lot.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Yeah, Most of us here had tried just about every method out there and NONE of them work......Beauty of ecigs, is that it emcompasses all of the smoking habit,,,,the vapor is very important part of that, at least for me. So psychologically, I feel like I am still having the same habit in the sense that I haven't changed my behavior, just the method of delivery is different. Ecigs are pure genius.

 

[mohawkx]

I would agree with that.

 

[Kelsey]

Not being able to smoke in your building might end up being one of the best things to ever happen to you. The people on ECF are great and always willing to help with any questions..as you can probably tell by the number of people on here and their enthusiasm vaping is like a whole new lifestyle that once u get into the swing of things you wouldnt imagine picking up another old school cigarrete....best wishes

 

[slammer]

i smoked a pack a day, isatrted out at 18mg, tried 24mg, and have settled back to 18. i would also recommend refilling your own carts. much cheaper.

 

[earthpig]

The idea/theory that you only absorb 1/3 the nic is a weak argument, from my reading. It's absorbed, but just reacts at a slower rate than with a cig. Also as a rule we vape more than we smoke. I think the reason is many fold, but mainly because we know we are doing ourselves a reduced level of harm.
So take those things into consideration.

Also what I see is folks saying a carto doesn't last as long as a pack of cigs. But what I also see is when people vape they are dragging harder and longer than with a cig. Test that for yourself. Everyone drags different, and different with an e-cig.

I'm saying "as a rule" the 24mg for a light, 1 pack a day smoker is way too high, from my experience selling to hundreds of customers over the last 1/2 year of selling these KR80D-1 units and hearing stories and issues when they return to us and talk. We balance em out and send em on.
I deal with this from a retail level and I'm telling you, 24mg is too high, as a general rule.

 

[VapingRulz]

I'm saying "as a rule" the 24mg for a light, 1 pack a day smoker is way too high, from my experience selling to hundreds of customers over the last 1/2 year of selling these KR80D-1 units and hearing stories and issues when they return to us and talk. We balance em out and send em on.
I deal with this from a retail level and I'm telling you, 24mg is too high, as a general rule.

I am an exception to that rule. I smoked 1-1.5 packs of Parliament Light 100's a day and needed 36mg for several months to keep me off tobacco cigs. Moved down to 24mg without a hitch, but moving down again to 18mg has been difficult. For me, the 18mg just doesn't cut it most of the time. Trying to make it through the day using 18mg always results in my craving cigarettes - and I haven't smoked in 18 months.

I would suggest that the OP buy juices in all of the strengths: 36-24-18-12-6-0. Once he finds the right level for him, he can use all of them up by combining them in the right ratios so there's no waste.