Rookie here! I'm just amazed at the amount of great people posting great advise and their experiences with these fun little vaping devices. I wish I could tell everyone individually a big fat THANKS, but that would take a long time. But for whoever reads this. THANK YOU FOR HELPING US ROOKIES!
Hi, Anoregami, I love your screen name, does it have a special meaning?
I'm pretty new to vaping myself, and started out with a smaller 808 ecig and cartomizers (the ones with stuffing in them). They look nice, and they are handy because they are small, but the batteries didn't last long, I found them annoying and messy to clean and refill, and that burnt taste near the end of them was not satisfying either. When one of the batteries died after only a month of use, I decided it was time to look for something better.
After some research, I replaced that kit with an Innokin Lea Kross, because of it's longer battery life (650 mah) and it's versatility- it comes with adapters that allow you to use any type of threaded cartos or atomizers, a pass through usb charger that allows you to vape while its charging. It's very attractive and discreet looking- it looks like a rather large expensive pen, and feels very natural in your hand. I ordered a few atomizers to go with it, because that kit only comes with extra large cartos, and I wanted to try something new.
The mouthpiece/tank cartridges that fit the Lea atties are very easy to clean and refill, there's no polyfill stuffing, you don't need any tools to get the cartridge open, you don't need a syringe to fill them, and they don't leak at all unless you overfill them. Very little fuss, no mess at all. I don't use the mouthpiece/tank as a tank unless I'm going out, as I prefer to drip a few drops at a time into the atty itself- it tastes worlds and worlds better to me than cartomisers- I just use the mouthpiece/tank without the endcap on. It works nicely as a drip tip, so you don't need to buy them separately unless you want something prettier. I like to sample a lot of different flavors, so dripping is my thing, but the mouthpiece/tanks on the Lea work very well; I've never had one leak, and they're so much quicker and more convenient to fill than cartos.
Since you already know you dislike cartomizers, I would suggest that you try the Lea 800- it comes with atomizers instead of cartos. It's been so much easier and more satisfying for me, and while it's certainly not the most powerful battery or the top of the line, for ease of use, flavor and versatility, I think it's really ideal for newer users- it has been for me.
Having a sore throat is not uncommon when you start vaping, but it should go away if you make sure you're drinking plenty of water, and if you find you are just plain vaping too much, you might try a higher nicotine level. I have also heard that decreasing the percentage of PG can help some people with that.
Whatever system you choose, keep your atties wet while you are vaping and super clean to avoid the nasty burnt taste. How often you need to clean them will depend on the juices you use, I generally clean mine whenever I'm making a drastic flavor change, or once every 4 or 5 days if I'm on a dedicated flavor atty (best way, imo). There are lots of simple cleaning methods, but I prefer the baking soda/vinegar method:
Put a small amount of baking soda into the atty, add vinegar, quickly cover the opening and shake, allowing the foam to spurt out the hole in the battery connection end. Repeat several times, continue adding vinegar til there is no foaming action left. Rinse very well in very hot water, blow out excess water, dry in a low temp (around 170 F for me) oven for a half hour, followed by a dry burn on your battery, another hot water rinse, blow out, dry out in low temp oven again for another half hour. Make sure you prime your wick with the flavor of your choice before you start vaping on it again. This method should remove any lingering burnt flavors, it's worked very well for me, but if you still detect a bad taste, some people have recommended soaking in vodka or even boiling your atties. I haven't need to try either of those so far, but I do try to keep certain atties for certain flavors- cinnamon flavors tend to linger in an atty, and my dill pickle atty, needless to say, only ever gets refilled with dill pickle.
Whatever you choose to try, good luck, and don't give up! It's a pretty high learning curve, but it's worth it- it will save your life. Look at it as an adventure, and make sure you keep it fun for yourself. Try lots of interesting flavors and experiment til you find your best system for success.
