Picking my first e-cig (I have read the guide)

[Hotrootsoup]

I'm hoping I can get some advice here as I am in analysis paralysis.

First off is cart type. I see that there are regular, cartos, and tanks. I hate when anything is disposable (except for the liquid itself), but from what I can gather, all of these types require disposable parts? This is probably the most important thing for me. What are the upkeep costs on these 3 types?

Secondly, as I stated in my last thread, I'm a pipe smoker. It is fairly important that the e-cig provide an ample amount of vapor. I see videos of some of the e-cigs where someone has to inhale for like 10 seconds before they get a minor amount of vapor. This isn't as important as the first issue, but still matters a lot.

Lastly is the least important, but the ugliness. Some of these are just hideous. I don't need people to think I'm smoking a cig, but why are all the eGo's so fat? Why do half of the manufacturers put ugly labels on the only good colors? (black and white). I'll mainly be vaping in my room, but I would prefer if the thing isn't an eyesore.

Thanks.

 

[MrKV]

What do you mean by regular?

Cartomizers last on average 1-2 weeks.

As for tanks, that depends on what kind of tank. Cartotank: See above. A tank that utilizes silica wicks such as the popular Vivi Nova can last aroynd a month in some cases. They sell replaceable atomizer heads or you can rebuild the wick/coil yourself.

As far as vapor, that can depend on a number of factors. A good battery, ohms/voltage and the atomizer chosen.

As far as battery size, it pretty much goes like this. The bigger the battery the longer it lasts. I'm sure you can find a battery that will fit your needs as there are an endless number of suppliers.

For a beginner setup these days I suggest you look into an ego twist paired with a vivi nova.

And when you become more knowledgeable/experienced you can start looking into rebuildable atomizers if you're concerned about the disposable aspect of vaping.

Someone else will be in here to add more info.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[mitzeli]

How about something like this
http://www................./jazzepipereview.html

I'm hoping I can get some advice here as I am in analysis paralysis.

First off is cart type. I see that there are regular, cartos, and tanks. I hate when anything is disposable (except for the liquid itself), but from what I can gather, all of these types require disposable parts? This is probably the most important thing for me. What are the upkeep costs on these 3 types?

Secondly, as I stated in my last thread, I'm a pipe smoker. It is fairly important that the e-cig provide an ample amount of vapor. I see videos of some of the e-cigs where someone has to inhale for like 10 seconds before they get a minor amount of vapor. This isn't as important as the first issue, but still matters a lot.

Lastly is the least important, but the ugliness. Some of these are just hideous. I don't need people to think I'm smoking a cig, but why are all the eGo's so fat? Why do half of the manufacturers put ugly labels on the only good colors? (black and white). I'll mainly be vaping in my room, but I would prefer if the thing isn't an eyesore.

Thanks.

 

[Hotrootsoup]

What do you mean by regular?

Cartomizers last on average 1-2 weeks.

As for tanks, that depends on what kind of tank. Cartotank: See above. A tank that utilizes silica wicks such as the popular Vivi Nova can last aroynd a month in some cases. They sell replaceable atomizer heads or you can rebuild the wick/coil yourself.

As far as vapor, that can depend on a number of factors. A good battery, ohms/voltage and the atomizer chosen.

As far as battery size, it pretty much goes like this. The bigger the battery the longer it lasts. I'm sure you can find a battery that will fit your needs as there are an endless number of suppliers.

For a beginner setup these days I suggest you look into an ego twist paired with a vivi nova.

And when you become more knowledgeable/experienced you can start looking into rebuildable atomizers if you're concerned about the disposable aspect of vaping.

Someone else will be in here to add more info.

Good luck and welcome!

By regular I meant the cart-atty-battery system that the first e-cigs used.

So the Vivi is a tank that you can use with carto or tank style ecigs. It's like $7 then once a month you pay ~$4 for a replacement atomizer head?

I'm trying not to be a cheapo about this, but it's rough when $6 of pipe tobacco lasts me at least a month. I'd rather spend additional time than buy additional parts. You said there is some way of rebuilding the atty?

 

[Hotrootsoup]

What do you mean by regular?

Cartomizers last on average 1-2 weeks.

As for tanks, that depends on what kind of tank. Cartotank: See above. A tank that utilizes silica wicks such as the popular Vivi Nova can last aroynd a month in some cases. They sell replaceable atomizer heads or you can rebuild the wick/coil yourself.

As far as vapor, that can depend on a number of factors. A good battery, ohms/voltage and the atomizer chosen.

As far as battery size, it pretty much goes like this. The bigger the battery the longer it lasts. I'm sure you can find a battery that will fit your needs as there are an endless number of suppliers.

For a beginner setup these days I suggest you look into an ego twist paired with a vivi nova.

And when you become more knowledgeable/experienced you can start looking into rebuildable atomizers if you're concerned about the disposable aspect of vaping.

Someone else will be in here to add more info.

Good luck and welcome!

By regular I meant the cart-atty-battery system that the first e-cigs used.

So the Vivi is a tank that you can use with carto or tank style ecigs. It's like $7 then once a month you pay ~$4 for a replacement atomizer head?

I'm trying not to be a cheapo about this, but it's rough when $6 of pipe tobacco lasts me at least a month. I'd rather spend additional time than buy additional parts. You said there is some way of rebuilding the atty?

 

[Iusedtoanalog]

Hi Hotroot soup. First all good questions. Second welcome to the ECF.

Ok Carts. Avoid If at all possible. They are older standard technology, from before the cartomizer was a reliable alternative. That said one of the easiest ways to test flavors is still with an atomizer alone, the type that would normally be used with carts. The kits that are still around that have the cart/atomizer/battery combination are useful in this respect, the atomizers typically are aboout $6each, so in a kit that the choice would be a 5pack of "cheap" cartomizers or 2 standard atomizers, the atomizers are a better deal(in my opinion).

Cartomizers. I still Use cartomizers. When I only used cartomizers I typically would get from 5-8 days from a single cartomizer. Now keep in mind that I am a heavy user. I typically use between 5-8ml if liquid per day. The average is between 2-5ml of liquid per day. And I also use them at high voltage and have for over a year..... I use brand name(Boge 3Ω) cartomizers and a package of 5 is ~$7. My wife on the other hand goes through much less liquid(2-4ml) per day. She uses the 2Ω version from boge at high voltage(5v) and typically changes her cartomizer about every 15-20 days. It is all bout keeping them wet with liquid as to how long they will last. If you regularly run them dry they will get foul tasting fairly quickly.

Tanks. If you are refering to the "T" or "C" type tanks .... I would point you toward a cartomizer type setup. These atomizer/tanks are very finicky and would likely sour most any new vaper to vaping as a whole. They typically leak or flood or dont wick well(especially with high VG liquid) they have a muting effect on most any liquid and dont allow the impact of the vapor to be as strong as most new users want/need.

One thing you should read up on would be the "stardust" type of clear cartomizer, the newer versions are repairable(you can buy the common replacement parts inexpensively..."coil head") A similar(an my opinion better) option is the Vision Vivi Nova version they are available in a mini(eGo sized) and a full sized version.....They all have their own industry monikers and they all are variants of one another. These typically are the easiest to keep working well, the better option for flavor and vapor output and also have good throat feeling(throat hit)....

The videos you have been watching are an example of how most people vape.. These devices need time to heat to operating temperatures. The answer to getting viable vapor is wattage, the higher the wattage the faster they will vaporize. There is a recognized "sweet spot" righ around 8watts. This would be available as out of the box performance with an unregulated battery (kGo or eCo) and a ~2Ω cartomizer/clearomizer.... wattage is volts*volts/ohms....(~4v*~4v/2Ω=~8watts) But to run at this power level you will need to have an eGo class battery at minimum 650 ..... And you can get a simple battery without all the emblazoned logo crap, I could point you to a few if you would like, just ask away if you are interested.....

Typical mini ecigs are 9mm wide. typical egos are 14mm wide. Tpical eGo 650 sized batteries are 1mm wider than a Sharpie marker, and with a standard sized carto/clearo they are shorter than the marker with the cap removed..... They look Huge in photos, in real life they are much more comfortable to use than a slim battery(in my opinion) Keep in mind the smaller the battery, the shorter the runtime and the less load they will be capable of running(read as heat/vapor)......

There are many many other options and your head would swim if they where all laid before you at once. Just digest a little of the info and it will start to make more sense as you get more involved. Good Luck. Happy Vaping.

 

[MrKV]

By regular I meant the cart-atty-battery system that the first e-cigs used.

So the Vivi is a tank that you can use with carto or tank style ecigs. It's like $7 then once a month you pay ~$4 for a replacement atomizer head?

I'm trying not to be a cheapo about this, but it's rough when $6 of pipe tobacco lasts me at least a month. I'd rather spend additional time than buy additional parts. You said there is some way of rebuilding the atty?

Yep. Rebuilding the atty is a little more advanced but can save money in the long run instead of buying pre-built heads. You just need to purchase some silica and resistance wire. But if you do decide to rebuild yourself I suggest you get a battery that has short-circuit protection & also a multimeter.

Your initial startup will be expensive, but expenses will turn into savings in the long run. More info on RBA's can be found in the "Rebuildable Atomizers" section of the forum.

 

[Dbailey]

Hands down, you need a house of hybrids device Zen device. Classy, like a pipe smoker needs. no disposable parts. Tons of vapor. Stainless steel and coil only super clean system. Cost....... Uh, not cheap.....but quality is super nice.

 

[Hotrootsoup]

Hi Hotroot soup. First all good questions. Second welcome to the ECF.

Ok Carts. Avoid If at all possible. They are older standard technology, from before the cartomizer was a reliable alternative. That said one of the easiest ways to test flavors is still with an atomizer alone, the type that would normally be used with carts. The kits that are still around that have the cart/atomizer/battery combination are useful in this respect, the atomizers typically are aboout $6each, so in a kit that the choice would be a 5pack of "cheap" cartomizers or 2 standard atomizers, the atomizers are a better deal(in my opinion).

Cartomizers. I still Use cartomizers. When I only used cartomizers I typically would get from 5-8 days from a single cartomizer. Now keep in mind that I am a heavy user. I typically use between 5-8ml if liquid per day. The average is between 2-5ml of liquid per day. And I also use them at high voltage and have for over a year..... I use brand name(Boge 3Ω) cartomizers and a package of 5 is ~$7. My wife on the other hand goes through much less liquid(2-4ml) per day. She uses the 2Ω version from boge at high voltage(5v) and typically changes her cartomizer about every 15-20 days. It is all bout keeping them wet with liquid as to how long they will last. If you regularly run them dry they will get foul tasting fairly quickly.

Tanks. If you are refering to the "T" or "C" type tanks .... I would point you toward a cartomizer type setup. These atomizer/tanks are very finicky and would likely sour most any new vaper to vaping as a whole. They typically leak or flood or dont wick well(especially with high VG liquid) they have a muting effect on most any liquid and dont allow the impact of the vapor to be as strong as most new users want/need.

One thing you should read up on would be the "stardust" type of clear cartomizer, the newer versions are repairable(you can buy the common replacement parts inexpensively..."coil head") A similar(an my opinion better) option is the Vision Vivi Nova version they are available in a mini(eGo sized) and a full sized version.....They all have their own industry monikers and they all are variants of one another. These typically are the easiest to keep working well, the better option for flavor and vapor output and also have good throat feeling(throat hit)....

The videos you have been watching are an example of how most people vape.. These devices need time to heat to operating temperatures. The answer to getting viable vapor is wattage, the higher the wattage the faster they will vaporize. There is a recognized "sweet spot" righ around 8watts. This would be available as out of the box performance with an unregulated battery (kGo or eCo) and a ~2Ω cartomizer/clearomizer.... wattage is volts*volts/ohms....(~4v*~4v/2Ω=~8watts) But to run at this power level you will need to have an eGo class battery at minimum 650 ..... And you can get a simple battery without all the emblazoned logo crap, I could point you to a few if you would like, just ask away if you are interested.....

Typical mini ecigs are 9mm wide. typical egos are 14mm wide. Tpical eGo 650 sized batteries are 1mm wider than a Sharpie marker, and with a standard sized carto/clearo they are shorter than the marker with the cap removed..... They look Huge in photos, in real life they are much more comfortable to use than a slim battery(in my opinion) Keep in mind the smaller the battery, the shorter the runtime and the less load they will be capable of running(read as heat/vapor)......

There are many many other options and your head would swim if they where all laid before you at once. Just digest a little of the info and it will start to make more sense as you get more involved. Good Luck. Happy Vaping.

Thank you! I'm really appreciating the feedback from everyone.

As for liquid usage, I'm still confused as to how much I would use. I normally smoke for 30 min a day, maybe a bit less. Fairly slow puffing too, as I'm used to pipes. If that is like 1ml a day, could my cartos potentially last a month?

You make the eGo sound much more reasonably sized. Would the ideal buy for me then be just buying an eGo battery + charger, and then buying a Vivi Nova for it? How long would the Vivi last at about 30 min of vaping a day? I have seen V2, V2.5 and V3 Vivi Novas, how much does this matter? If you have good US supplier names for the eGo battery and Vivi Novas I would appreciate that =) For ohms, if I'm using an eGo the Vivi should be as close to 2ohms as possible then? Better to go over, or under?

 

[klynnn]

This one will last you several days. Vision Spinner Variable Voltage Battery
This is vivi nova mini. Holds about 2.5ml. Vision Nova Tank Clearomizer V3 Slim
With the spinner I use a 2.4ohm head at 4.2v. Supplier is good ships fast and free shipping over $55 I believe. The vivi comes with 3 heads so you can try and see which one you like the best. I prefer the mega vivi as I think it's easier to use but that's just my pref.

 

[zuzette]

I use ego batteries and vivi novas. I am a small woman - 5 feet tall and 120 lbs....(so not so big). Ego batteries are roughly the same diameter as my middle finger.

To answer your question on life span, I vape about 2 ml a day from 1 tank (I use 3 all together) and I find that a head will last me about 6 weeks with regular cleaning. The cleaning is super important and doing it right will extend the life of your head a long time. As a pipe smoker I imagine your first juice choice will be a tobacco flavor. (RY4 is a good one). When I use RY4 I have to clean my head about every other tank full. Tobaccos, coffee and chocolate all gum up heads pretty fast.
Each head is actually about 3.00.

As for resistance - on an standard ego or kgo battery the difference in resistance simply yields different heat in the final vapor. For me, I dont notice a lot of difference between the different heads in usage. I mix them all indescriminately and they all produce great vapor. with a 50/50 pg/vg mix.

Honestly though - tanks and clearos and carts may simply be more than you need with your use and style of smoking. If you are content to sit and vape dripping may be your best bet. Its hard to drip on the go so its best to do when you are just sitting around. I am not a dripper so I will leave others to give you the full story. However, you will have little to replace with this method. And might be your cheapest bet.

 

[zuzette]

oh and at 30 minutes vaping with a vivi - you might use 1/2 to 1 ml a day - but I doubt more than 1/2 ml.

 

[Iusedtoanalog]

♦Ok, So The liquid question is all a matter of preference, and no 1ml is equal roughly to the equavalent use time of about four to six cig breaks...... I smoked 2+ packs per day, and started way too low at 11Mg strength and had a rough time.... I then after vaping for about eight weeks(found the ECF) moved up to 24Mg and found out what vaping was actually supposed to be like..... The higher strength nic you can use comfortably, the less liquid you will use(generally speaking). The full sized Vivi is 3.5ml.... and most vapers fill it up in the morning and dont worry about it until the next day. Almost all the Vivi kits will include 3 heads, 1.8Ω,2.4Ω and 2.8Ω so you can find your own "sweet spot"... Just unscrew the old head and attach the new replacement. The mini version(i dont own one of these) is, I think, about 2.5ml of liquid, it is shaped to fit well on the eGo sized batteries.

In all respects a basic kGo(unregulated) battery PAIR and a vivi would be a great entry into vaping, No it probably wont be the last device you buy, but you wiilll be able to enjoy it for much much longer than any mini type unit.... I vaped a 650 sized battery pair for almost a year on the same pair of batteries before I outgrew their capabilities.I still have one of them, and it works as a backup for my backup.

There is no dead right answer to the last question, you will have so many options, like shortening your draw, or lengthening it, or different ohm heads, or different strengths of liquid that there is no "correct" way to get what you are after..... These batteries are the specific ones I am referring to GP eCo-T Style 650mah Spare Battery or GP eCo-T Style 1100mah Spare Battery or KGO batteries 1100mAh The 1100 are a bit longer but still are not unweildy and the slim vivi Vision Nova Tank Clearomizer V3 Slim these would be (in my opinion) a great, easy, inexpensive beginning to your vaping journey.

 

[tomaKBRN]

Well you could get an e-pipe,
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/modding-forum/350450-i-made-myself-e-pipe.html
it looks like a pipe and you could get one that has the clearance to use more than just the cart/clearo the come with, They can hold the big batteries that are cheaper to replace yet offer more power. You could use tanks like the vivi or slim genesis style (I'm not sure) to get more vapor. It could be automatic (power on when you toke on it) or manual (has a switch or button)
Look way cooler.

I would advise that you get some low or 0% e-juice because apparently most people can't stop vaping once they get their 1st PV, so triple what you would normally smoke and that what you'll probably be vaping.

If you have doubts that the experience from basic models like the eGo may not suffice your cravings, since you want to save, I'd say to make the jump and get a more advanced PV that holds the batteries I mentioned so you don't have to buy the eGo and then some you know.

GL

Edit: Forgot to mention:
I've notice that a short 3-4 sec draw blows the same amount of vapor as a 1 sec one. I think that the vapor last in the lungs and air for about 2-3 secs so longer draws don't give you more VP perse, if you do a longer draw the fist vapor you inhaled will have had mostly disappeared by sec #4 and won't be visible when you exhale. The coil gets hotter and hotter so by sec #4 it has reached it's level and that helps a bit but the answer for huge plumes is more power, less oms, a genesis apparently and VG e-juice.

 

[Hotrootsoup]

I use ego batteries and vivi novas. I am a small woman - 5 feet tall and 120 lbs....(so not so big). Ego batteries are roughly the same diameter as my middle finger.

To answer your question on life span, I vape about 2 ml a day from 1 tank (I use 3 all together) and I find that a head will last me about 6 weeks with regular cleaning. The cleaning is super important and doing it right will extend the life of your head a long time. As a pipe smoker I imagine your first juice choice will be a tobacco flavor. (RY4 is a good one). When I use RY4 I have to clean my head about every other tank full. Tobaccos, coffee and chocolate all gum up heads pretty fast.
Each head is actually about 3.00.

As for resistance - on an standard ego or kgo battery the difference in resistance simply yields different heat in the final vapor. For me, I dont notice a lot of difference between the different heads in usage. I mix them all indescriminately and they all produce great vapor. with a 50/50 pg/vg mix.

Honestly though - tanks and clearos and carts may simply be more than you need with your use and style of smoking. If you are content to sit and vape dripping may be your best bet. Its hard to drip on the go so its best to do when you are just sitting around. I am not a dripper so I will leave others to give you the full story. However, you will have little to replace with this method. And might be your cheapest bet.

Thank you very much =)

Do you have a guide you follow for cleaning? I clean my pipe after every bowl, so I'm very used to it.

6 weeks sounds great, definitely within acceptable "disposable" limits.

I'm curious though, there is the Vivi Nova v2, the regular one, and the Mini. I like the size of the mini, but "V2" makes me think they upgraded something since, and I can't find that in mini.

 

[Santini]

I'm hoping I can get some advice here as I am in analysis paralysis.

First off is cart type. I see that there are regular, cartos, and tanks. I hate when anything is disposable (except for the liquid itself), but from what I can gather, all of these types require disposable parts? This is probably the most important thing for me. What are the upkeep costs on these 3 types?

Secondly, as I stated in my last thread, I'm a pipe smoker. It is fairly important that the e-cig provide an ample amount of vapor. I see videos of some of the e-cigs where someone has to inhale for like 10 seconds before they get a minor amount of vapor. This isn't as important as the first issue, but still matters a lot.

Lastly is the least important, but the ugliness. Some of these are just hideous. I don't need people to think I'm smoking a cig, but why are all the eGo's so fat? Why do half of the manufacturers put ugly labels on the only good colors? (black and white). I'll mainly be vaping in my room, but I would prefer if the thing isn't an eyesore.

Thanks.

Well in the community most people want something that looks like a cigarette or they want a big battery mod to last all day not to many pipe smokes or people wanting pipes which is a shame. I would recommend you look at Jazzepipecom they have nice pipe looking e-cigs and if you talk to them they will let you know which one works with a kick. A kick if you don't know is a variable wattage chip you add to the battery that will allow you to adjust you vape from 5-10 watts and that way you can dial in your perfect vape. Also a juice I would recommend is from epipemodscom and I would recommend Oak Barrel Cider. I hope my thoughts are helpful to you. Happy Vaping and Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[Langdell]

Trust me, you do want some disposable parts, especially the atomizer component. As mentioned in your earlier thread, I first tried vaping a few years back with the early epipes. The main downfall of those early units was the atty was built into the pipe, so when that failed the whole unit was a piece of disposable junk. (A $300 piece of junk in the case of the one that actually gave a good vape when new.) Atomizers only last a short time. It seems to me like the vaping world made a great advancement with the realization that atomizers must be regarded as a disposable, replaceable component.

 

[KerryK]

I second the Vision Spinner (1300 mah) with the replaceable coil head Ce4.

 

[Hotrootsoup]

I'm definitely not going for a pipe. I have no attachment to pipes, I'm a 2 week pipe smoker. I prefer the look of a cig.

I'm definitely going for an eGo + some tank, likely Vivi, but I'm still looking at them all.

 

[robtest]

Thank you very much =)

Do you have a guide you follow for cleaning? I clean my pipe after every bowl, so I'm very used to it.

6 weeks sounds great, definitely within acceptable "disposable" limits.

I'm curious though, there is the Vivi Nova v2, the regular one, and the Mini. I like the size of the mini, but "V2" makes me think they upgraded something since, and I can't find that in mini.

I tried a bunch of clearomizesr, and a 510 DT style tank before settling in with the Nova/miniNova tanks...

Every couple of days (sometimes every 3-4), I disassemble the tanks, put them in a small cup and run them under the faucet with hot water for a minute or so, and then let them soak in the hot water for 15 minutes... Then I dry them off with a paper towel. My computer has an upward facing fan on the cabinet, so I leave them on top of that to dry fully. I then reassemble the tank, and "dry burn" the heads 2 or 3 times by firing them for 4-5 seconds and blowing them out... Then I put juice in and go again... I am about 5-6 weeks in on 2 regular and 2 mini novas and I haven't lost a head yet...

The v2, sometimes called v2.5 and v3 have longer wick material on the heads than the earlier versions...