Noob to E Cigs - Need Advice

[Aheadatime]

Hey everyone,

I have been smoking for 5 years and have recently decided to experiment with ecigs. I started off by trying out a Blu cig disposable from the gas station. It had good vapor, good nicotine satisfaction, but was just way too expensive to rely on (10$ for one day-ish vaping). So i ordered a starter kit from Apollo. I loved the customer service and the speedy shipping. Once i got my hands on the ecig though, I realized I didn't make the right choice. The carts run out pretty quickly imo, and theres not enough 'umph' to the hits. Vapor production is relatively low unless the cart is fresh. Batteries don't last that long either. Overall I just need something cheaper, stronger, and more custom.

Im not experienced with different brands and types, ex. Ego, GoGo, tank, etc. I dont know much about these other than the fact that they're larger and last longer. So ill see if you guys have any suggestions for my situation by just laying down what I'm looking for.

-Good vapor output.
-Ability to refill carts with liquid (to save money and test flavors)
-Good battery life, but doesn't need to last for days on end.
-Price below 100$.
-Good cart size (don't want the clouds of vape/flavor dying after the first few hits).
-Reasonable size (not a fan of the larger-than-a-cigar look).


Thanks in advance for any suggestions/pictures/links/etc. I really would appreciate some help from real people instead of phony youtube reviews with "discount codes" in the descriptions. Hearing it straight from you guys would be awesome. Feel free to ask more detailed questions and I can try to explain anything I mentioned better.

 

[Jimmyhat]

Well I would say go with a vision vivi nova tank system they come in slim and 3.5ml, I personally think the 3.5ml work a lot better. For your battery go with an joyetech ego twist they come in 650 mah which will last you maybe 3/4 of the day and its small, if your looking for 1 1/2 days of battery life go with the 1000mah. Electronicstix.com is cheap on vivi novas and I think reasonable on egos and they have a coupon code which I think is startfresh. Also don't forget a charger, I forgot to get one when I first started. With an ego, vivi nova and charger your looking at around $40 bucks.

 

[meli.]

Hello Aheadatime, Welcome to the Forum.

If you prefer a cig-alikes then have a look at these vendors:
Smokeless Image, Bloog, Halo

As a cigar size is acceptable then ego batteries will fit the bill. A few blank cartomisers and carto tank like this:

are a nice cheap way of getting your sea legs. If you choose to go with clearomisers remember to buy a few extra heads.
There are many combinations and it's difficult to say choose this option only, it's trial and error until you find what you like most.

 

[Aheadatime]

Thank you very much for the responses, I found them both helpful. When i visited the electronicstix site, they were out of 650 mah batteries, so i checked out the smokelessimage site. I liked what i saw tbh, but i have a few questions.

How does the 'vape strength' compare in regards to their x2 650 mah VS their default volt battery (the cig-sized one)?

Can you put a 'cover' over the clearomizers? I would like to see how much liquid is left, buy my own juices, etc, so i think i'd like the clearomizers, but i guess id just like to have the entire unit (battery, carts, drip tip) to be solid white and not have anyone seeing the liquid unless i expose it by removing the case.

Do any of you personally use the 650 mah, regardless of brand? I just want to know personal experiences here, how it compares to default sized batteries, the 1000mah, etc.

Would i ultimately be saving money in the long run by switching to clears with my own juices?

Thanks again for any responses.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Hi, congrats and welcome to ECF.
100 mah= 1 hr normal vaping before recharge is needed. How much did you smoke and what brand?

 

[Aheadatime]

Hi, congrats and welcome to ECF.
100 mah= 1 hr normal vaping before recharge is needed. How much did you smoke and what brand?

Hey thanks I smoked between 15-20 a day and there were 'roll-your-owns', which saved me an incredible amount of money. It was around 4 bucks for a box of 200 tubes, and 45$ for the larger bag of tobacco i would buy. Generally speaking, i was spending 50$ every few months, which was much cheaper than my friends who would buy a 7$ pack every day.

So i guess i'm looking for a strong puff (stronger than the Apollo standard i'm currently puffing on, which tbh is pretty weak compared to the vids i saw before purchasing it) that lasts around half a day or so. I'm home often, so charging isn't an issue, especially if i double up and buy two batteries to rotate. I guess i'm looking more for a good sized cart (or 'tank'), a real nice puff, and good pricing.

Does anyone know the voltage of these standard Apollo ecigs btw? Just curious how they compare to the ~3.6v x2 ive been looking at.

Edit - Sorry, didn't answer the brand question. They were called McClintock or something like that. They were advertised as 'light', but they tasted pretty full to me.

 

[The Ocelot]

Hi and welcome! I just put together an à la carte kit of Joyetech Twists/Vision vivi mini nova/Kanger T3/CE3s/and juice for $77.50. Read everyone else's suggestions, then let me know if you want to know more about this one.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

You'll find to get a great vape it's a combination of:
juice
the right ohms of delivery device ( carto, clearomizer, etc)
voltage of the PV.

The carts run out pretty quickly imo, and theres not enough 'umph' to the hits. Vapor production is relatively low unless the cart is fresh.

TH/ throat hit comes from the nicotine level. As for battery life that's usually the main complaint of cig sized PVs. Another downside is the user is very limited as to the accessories that can be used with them for fear of damaging the battery.
You're prolly going to want at least a 3.7 volt PV.

Edit: vapor comes from the VG in the juice

 

[Baditude]

The Smokeless Image Volt X2 batteries are the 808-threaded equivalent to an eGo 510-thread battery. The first image above shows their relative size to battery duration. The 650 mah X2 will last on average 6.5 hours between charges, the 900 mah 9 hours, and the 1300 will last 13 hours. These can be used out-and-about, or used as a passthrough connected to an usb computer port, or with the optional usb/wall adaptor in any wall outlet.

You will have options to use any of the juice delivery devices that SI offers: cartomizers, slim cartotanks (you can put blank Volt stainless steel cartomizers in any cartotank after punching holes in them with a carto punch tool), clearomizers, X2-T3 clearomizers, Nano's, and ce3's. All work a little differently and any one of them will be preferred over another by any individual based on personal preferrence.

The second pic above are two X2 batteries with ce's and the third pic shows one with a clearomizer.

Surprisingly, Smokeless Image has yet to offer the X2 batteries in a kit, so you will need to order them piece by piece. The Volt Spinner batteries are Smokeless Image's rebrand of the popular Vision eGo Spinner variable voltage battery in an 808-thread.

Smokeless Image | Only The Best Electronic Cigarette | Smokeless Image Electronic Cigarettes - The Future is in your hands

 

[Jimmyhat]

Thank you very much for the responses, I found them both helpful. When i visited the electronicstix site, they were out of 650 mah batteries, so i checked out the smokelessimage site. I liked what i saw tbh, but i have a few questions.

How does the 'vape strength' compare in regards to their x2 650 mah VS their default volt battery (the cig-sized one)?

Can you put a 'cover' over the clearomizers? I would like to see how much liquid is left, buy my own juices, etc, so i think i'd like the clearomizers, but i guess id just like to have the entire unit (battery, carts, drip tip) to be solid white and not have anyone seeing the liquid unless i expose it by removing the case.

Do any of you personally use the 650 mah, regardless of brand? I just want to know personal experiences here, how it compares to default sized batteries, the 1000mah, etc.

Would i ultimately be saving money in the long run by switching to clears with my own juices?

Thanks again for any responses.

The vivi nova comes in a version that has a metal cover and a little window to see juice levals here's the website to show you what that looks like (not sure if they are available in white elsewhere) NEW GotVapes VISION STV ViVi NOVA™ 3.5ml REBUILDABLE TANK - BLK [gv-STV-VIVINOVA-BLACK] - $14.95 : GotVapes.com, E-cigarette Supplies - Atomizers Cartomizers Mods Juice and more . Also I have a few egos and the 650mah just gives you a little more than half the vape time of the 1000mah. I prefer the 650 cause the size is a lot easier to deal with IMO but they all hit the same. Yes you would save loads of money if you can stick with just an ego and a vivi with your own juices without any problem.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

You may want to consider the E-POWER NOVA KIT. Everything you need to get started including juice:
Kit Includes:
2 ICR 14650 1050 mah 3.7 V rechargeable batteries
1 Battery Charger
2 X 2.5ml Mini Vivi Nova's with Ming style Silver drip tip (Use any 510 drip tip)(With 1.8ohm heads)
2 Extra 1.8ohm Heads
1 Battery Tube
1 Switch (HAS 5CLICK ON/OFF LR FRIENDLY WHITE LED)
30ML Bottle of E-Liquid (Specify flavor and strength)
Free priority shipping
Instruction Manual
Presentation Box
Best cartomizers I've found are the 1.7 XL Resurectors sold by CCV.
You would need to buy an atomizer and the threading on this PV is 510- 510 is the most common thread.
It also fires at 3.7 volts but the diff is the batteries are separate meaning when they die/ wear out you can buy 2 batts for less than $10.00. The batteries are inserted into a Tube. Batteries 1050 mah. Albeit a little more expensive but with everything it comes with ( 2 X Mini Vivi Novas, 2 heads, 30 ml juice and free shipping) it is an amazing deal IMO.
COMPLETE E-POWER NOVA KIT and 30ml juice (Free priority shipping)

Here's a review to give you an idea of the size



As for the Spinner variable voltage I own them and LOVE them.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

You can also keep an eye on this thread for discounted deals:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/pay-forward-pif/85781-deals-steals-968.html

 

[The Ocelot]

..2 X 2.5ml Mini Vivi Nova's with Ming style Silver drip tip (Use any 510 drip tip)(With 1.8ohm heads)
2 Extra 1.8ohm Heads...

I wonder why it only comes with 1.8 ohm heads?

 

[Amanda Brijpaul]

I am also new to e-cigs and I purchased the ego twist 1000 mAh battery and used a vivi nova tank. The setup works great and I purchased it for just under $100 from myfreedomsmokes.com. The kit came with 2 batteries, the vivi nova tank, a sample size of tobacco flavored juice, charger, and 5 atomizer heads.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Prolly because the Resurrector 1.7 cartos were so popular with 3.7 volt PVs. Before the Spinners and Twists came out CCV couldn't keep up with the cartos orders.

I wonder why it only comes with 1.8 ohm heads?

 

[Aheadatime]

K im still looking through all the suggestions slowly, as to absorb the material. Remember, i'm new to all of this. I have another question.

What needs replacing/cleaning? To my understanding, batteries die after prolonged use, as is the case with cell phone batteries, laptop batteries, etc. So the replacing shouldn't be often (i'm talking years), but there it is. The clearomizers, or 'tanks' (the part that hold the juice) needs cleaning/replacing. The juice itself, obviously, needs replacing. What are 'atomizers', and do they need cleaning/replacing?

Edit - And i don't mean to sound picky, but this is just aesthetic preference here. I think i'd want the clearomizer/tank to be the same width as the battery that i end up going with. Example - if i end up with a ego (mah doesn't matter, as they're all the same width), than i'd want the tank to be the same width so it appears as one single unit if that makes sense.

 

[The Ocelot]

Never fear! Baditude will soon be here!

 

[The Ocelot]

...And i don't mean to sound picky, but this is just aesthetic preference here. I think i'd want the clearomizer/tank to be the same width as the battery that i end up going with. Example - if i end up with a ego (mah doesn't matter, as they're all the same width), than i'd want the tank to be the same width so it appears as one single unit if that makes sense.

It makes perfect sense. There are thread covers (sometime called "cone covers") that screw onto battery below the tank to give it s stream-lined appearance.

 

[Baditude]

Never fear! Baditude will soon be here!

I'm here. Is there a question?

 

[The Ocelot]

I'm here. Is there a question?

Yes, post #16