Not Sure Which Route To Take

[Super-B-]

Brand new here to please bare with me!

I want to start the e-cig thing, as it seems to be a great alternative to smoking "analogs", but I have no idea which direction to go!

Here's what I'm looking for if anyone can help...

Currently, I smoke 20+ cigarettes a day. I smoke Belmont Silver King Size.

After reading on this forum, and a few others, it's become obvious to me that there's a lot more to this e-cig thing than just picking one up and going from there.

I guess what I'd like is an e-cig diet.. haha

What kind should I get that will feel and taste the same, or similar, to what I am currently smoking, and deliver the same amount of nicotine?

This all really confuses me when I hear people talking about attys, ohms, juice, and all this other stuff.. Kinda turns the whole thing into science experiment where you need the exact measurements.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance

 

[cskent]

vaping isn't as easy as smoking when you are first starting out. There's lots to learn and it can be intimidating. If you want something that'll feel similar to a cigarette you'd be looking at something like a standard 510 or KR808 model. But these have small batteries that don't last very long between charges. You'll usually get 1 to 3 hours depending on how much you vape, and you'll probably vape more than you smoked so keep that in mind. When I used 510's I was getting about 1 1/2 to 2 hours between charges.

You'll get recommendations on the eGo and Riva which have bigger batteries that will go a lot longer between charges. They're good units and you'd be hard pressed to find a better starter kit. Most, but not all, people eventually move up to one of them anyway so you could save yourself some cash and just start there if you're willing to accept the larger size. If not then the 510 or KR808 are good rigs if you keep in mind their limitations.

 

[fsroq]

Lets start with the bad news. You will not find something which tastes like your cigarette you are smoking. Smoking implicates burning something, not vapourizing it. The good news, there is hundreds or thousands of flavours on the market, but that makes it very time and money costing to try them all. But you should just start getting some juices in small bottles, and make your way.
The equipment, duno, I started with a small vaper who looked like a cigarette, like many people do, and that made me stopping vaping after 3 or 4 intents. IMHO you should start with Ego batterys, and to find something easy to use, and with great taste I would recomend dual coil cartos.
So get yourself a ego starter kit, 5 dual coil cartos and some juice to start with, and start vaping.

 

[hairball]

I suggest getting a riva or ego kit.

Next, start with 18-24mg sampler bottles of juice. This is the hardest part of the journey...finding that perfect vape to keep you away from cigs. Get different flavors to experiment with.

 

[unsure]

Whatever you do get try to find a Canadian vendor like Totally Wicked or another cause shipping & waiting is a PITA!

 

[WomanOfHeart]

All of these guys have given you solid advice! +10000 for their answers!

The only thing that I can say is once you decide on the PV you want make sure that you get plenty of juice (at least 40mls), and extra atomizers. You might also want to get some cartomizers just to give them a try and see if you like them.

Get small bottles of juice so you can try out different flavors and nicotine levels. That's the best way to figure out what you like and what will work best for you.

 

[MickeyRat]

I'll give you a little more bad news. You're not only going to have to find your juice, you're also going to have to find your nic level and what you smoke has little bearing on it. You vape different than you smoke. You absorb nic different than you smoke. Even worse after you vape a while, you vape different than you used to vape. I had a very hard time getting my nic level right.

As for equipment, I have to tell you that for me reaching for something cigarette sized and getting a crummy hit from a dying battery was a lot more frustrating than the cigarette size was comforting. You need to know that at a PAD, cigarette sized batteries probably aren't going to last more than 3 hours. It drove me nuts.

A lot of people will recommend an eGo or a Riva and those will give you a lot more time between charges. However they are more like the size of a Sharpie. I'm one of the few on here that will tell you to consider the e-power. It's styled similarly to the eGo but, it uses a generic battery that will last longer between charges than all but the highest end eGo or Riva. It's also compatible with some of the LR devices that are debatable in an eGo. One other thing to keep in mind is that no battery lasts forever. Those generic batteries are a lot cheaper to replace. You can get he e-power at madvapes (I love madvapes), gotvapes, hoosierecigsupply, breezesmokes, and probably a lot of other places.

Lastly, I'm not sure where you've been looking but, there are plenty of web sites that will tell you that they have the one cigarette sized battery that will last all day or that one of their cartridges is equivalent to a pack of cigarettes. Those are lies. Ask on here. Someone's probably tried them.

 

[Iffy]

You're being guided in the right direction with all the above advice.

I'd like to add a subtle but money $aving $uggestion; if you find a flavor you like, doubling the ordered flavor will not normally double the flavor you taste. Don't ask how I know...

 

[rbuck9]

the epower is a very nice device, the battery for me atleast last all day

 

[wv2win]

Mickey's advice of an e-power is a good suggestion. If you find you like vaping, then you will have saved money and be on your way to moving up to even better PV's (personal vaporizers) such as a good 5 volt or variable volt PV. More power doesn't just make the battery last longer but will also better simulate the inhaled feel of a cigarette (analog). I would definitely start out with 24mg nicotine strength eliquid. You can always make it less strong but you can't make it stronger. Most need at least 18-24mg strength to make the transition. Some vape 36mg strength liquid. Also DEFINITELY get manual battery PV's not auto battery PV's.

Rule of Thumb: the more it looks like the real thing, the worse the performance.

 

[ogredog]

Rule of Thumb: the more it looks like the real thing, the worse the performance.

Exactly. what he said.
but, this is the best decision you have made. I cannot stress enough to research (which you are) and check out youtube (take with a grain of salt) to see what is best for you.

+1 Mickeyrat is right. thats what I would do too. Also people recomend egos a reason though because they are like "industry standards" and you wont go wrong but there are better alternatives depending on your preferences and lifestyle. Ecigs that look like regular cigs suck. They just do, and if you get one you can jump in the boat with all of us who have done that, sometimes twice (cuz maybe that one was just bad right)

like womanofheart said you need spare atomizers (and a extra battery or two) cuz when you quit smoking and your 1 atty dies...or your juiceless...and you have to wait a day or two to get that stuff ....your screwed lol.

Read and research, and dont impulse buy although its exciting lol DON'T GIVE UP!

 

[ogredog]

Rule of Thumb: the more it looks like the real thing, the worse the performance.

Exactly. what he said.
but, this is the best decision you have made. I cannot stress enough to research (which you are) and check out youtube (take with a grain of salt) to see what is best for you.

+1 Mickeyrat is right. thats what I would do too. Also people recomend egos a reason though because they are like "industry standards" and you wont go wrong but there are better alternatives depending on your preferences and lifestyle. Ecigs that look like regular cigs suck. They just do, and if you get one you can jump in the boat with all of us who have done that, sometimes twice (cuz maybe that one was just bad right)

like womanofheart said you need spare atomizers (and a extra battery or two) cuz when you quit smoking and your 1 atty dies...or your juiceless...and you have to wait a day or two to get that stuff ....your screwed lol.

Read and research, and dont impulse buy although its exciting lol DON'T GIVE UP!

 

[Super-B-]

All of these guys have given you solid advice! +10000 for their answers!

The only thing that I can say is once you decide on the PV you want make sure that you get plenty of juice (at least 40mls), and extra atomizers. You might also want to get some cartomizers just to give them a try and see if you like them.

Get small bottles of juice so you can try out different flavors and nicotine levels. That's the best way to figure out what you like and what will work best for you.

Thank you all very much for all the advice!

Maybe someone can clear up some of the lingo here, so I can better understand.

What are atomizers, cartomizers, and all the other things I need to make this work.. If I understand each part, then I can pick one... I never thought this would be so confusing...lol

 

[samuraijill]

Super, I was really confused by all of this too, but in the end I went for simplicity and that's what I got. I got a KR808 kit from SmokelessImage, it's a 2 piece system that uses a battery and a cartomizer, which is the atomizer and cartridge in one unit. The atomizer heats the liquid to produce the vapor. You can get them prefilled or empty for your own liquid. I literally got the kit, screwed a prefilled cartomizer onto the charged battery and got started vaping. I have lots of ejuice samples on the way to experiment with what I like, but I like what came in the starter pack just fine too. Don't be overwhelmed or put off by all the lingo, it really doesn't have to be that hard I've found, and sampling juice promises to be fun! Good luck to you!

 

[MickeyRat]

Thank you all very much for all the advice!

Maybe someone can clear up some of the lingo here, so I can better understand.

What are atomizers, cartomizers, and all the other things I need to make this work.. If I understand each part, then I can pick one... I never thought this would be so confusing...lol

It's not that hard if you think about the basics. You have a battery, a heating element called an atomizer, and a method to deliver juice to that heating element. It's that simple. That's all there is. Don't forget that.

An atomizer is the heating element alone. There are a couple standard ways to use an atomizer alone one is to use a cartridge (cart) which is really just a hollow tube filled with batting which is wetted by juice. The cart goes into the atomizer and keeps is wet. The you suck on one end of the cartridge and the element vaporizes the juice. The other way to use an atomizer is to drip. You just drip a couple drops of juice directly on the atomizer and vape it. When it starts getting dry, drip some more. Carts leak and they don't hold enough juice. I don't like them. Once you get the hang of dripping, it's very nice but, you can't do it everywhere and it take practice to get right.

Cartomizers (cartos) are nothing more than a cart with an atomizer built in. They hold more juice and they don't leak near as much.

Both carts and cartos can be bought pre-filled or as blanks you fill yourself. If you like spending more money than you have to and having your flavor choices limited, by all means go with pre-filled cartos. Just understand that's what you are choosing. If you choose an 808 because it's less confusing, remember why it's less confusing. There's nothing you can get for an 808 that you can't get for a 510. However, there's lots of things you can get for a 510 that you can't get for an 808. The 808 is a good device. However, I don't think that limiting your options is a good reason to pick it. Remember later on, when you want to change something with an 808 your choices are limited too.

 

[LibertyValance]

Keep in mind if you just order a starter kit (I highly recommend the ego from Liberty Flights) you will get everything you need except for juice samples, and most starter kits include some pre-filled carts too. So don't worry about it too much once you are holding it in your hands it will be pretty obvious. Get a starter kit, and then try a couple juice vendors. I like Halo the best and they have a sampler but that is an individual preference there are dozens of good ones.

The only thing you really need to know about a starter kit like the Ego is to fill the cartridge with juice first. And blow out the atomizer to clear the factory primer and drop 2 drops or so of juice into it the first time its used.

 

[hisfattness]

i'm a huge fan of my Riva from liberty flights. The lite kit with a pack of lr boge cartos was under 40. my riva has treated me wonderfully. I started at 24mg nic and have been moving down lil by lil. Finding a juice you llike is where the work hhappens. read reviews and ask around. but a nice way to start might be a good ry4. You'll find all the info you need on this site and will always find people to help you out here.

 

[MattZuke]

This all really confuses me when I hear people talking about attys, ohms, juice, and all this other stuff.. Kinda turns the whole thing into science experiment where you need the exact measurements.

It helps to think power, rather than ohms. 4-5 watts is typical, representing 2.5ohm to 3.5ohm @ 3.7volt. You want more vapor, increase volts or decrease ohms. 10 watt is quit high, and the max practical limit.

The eGo style like the Riva 510 represents a balance of ease of use, low purchase price, and continued cost of operation. They are large. Above and beyond e-juice which I'll approximate at $1.00/ml @ 1.5ml/day, you have atomizers, and batteries. Cartridges unless you go drip tip or cartomizers. Addies run ~$10ish, last around 3 months, and run you 11c/day or $3.33c/month. Batteries in this class run $20ish (less for the Riva 510), last for 300 charge cycles. For $20 we can expect 900ma-1100ma which should be all day use, thus 6c/day or $2/month.

Juice ~45/month
Atty ~ $3/month
Batty ~ $2/month
-----
$50/month

Something like the standard 510 or KR808d-1 are only ~180mAh, though they do make larger batteries for both. Given 300 recharge cycles, you'd need 4 to 5 @ $10/per to equal 1 battery in the $20 class. Thus 16.6c/day or $5/month.

Something like the bombshell takes off the shelf batteries, 18650, which runs ~$10.00, representing 2800mAh, representing 3x the power of a $20 battery. Still 300 charge cycles, but we're going to presume replacement after 900 days. 1.11c/day or 33.3c/month. You can also replace one 18650 with a pair of CR123, increasing your voltage. This will double the cost to 66.6c/month. But while lower in cost, these tend to be less practical as they don't really fit in a pocket.