Please Help! Confused about First Purchase!

[SanAntonioSmok]

Hello, ECF.

Thank you for having this wonderful website. This has the most complete information on E-cigs that I have found. I've read post after post, and I am now even more confused as to which e-cig I should buy. I've been a pack-a-day smoker for 15 years and can't quit. Now that my non-smoking father has been diagnosed with lung cancer, I MUST switch to an e-cig for my own health and out of respect for him.

Here are my qualifications:

1. It MUST be light weight. (I've tried some friend's e-cigs, and they are are all too heavy. I have very small hands, and I just end up dropping them.) This is my main concern.
2. It must be an easy draw. (I've struggled with this also with my friend's e-cigs.)
3. Good battery life.
4. Must have strong to medium throat hit.
5. Full flavor
6. Strong vapor, but this is the least of my concerns.

I know that the 501 is the most popular on the site, yet read that the simplest/best overall product is the KR8080. I've also been told that a 14500 battery (I don't even know what this is) will increase the odds of my successful switchover to an e-cig. Some say that the starter packs are great deals, others say they are wrip-offs. Some people say I need 1 extra juice, others say 10. I know that this is often a matter of personal opinion, but can you please help clarify?

Can you tell me what e-cig to buy? The appropriate accessories for the price-conscious? An inexpensive, yet reputable, dealer?

Thank you so much!

Best,
San Antonio smok (er)

 

[aeroworks]

Get a 1000MAH battery if you can. Mine lasts for 4 days long between charging! Amazing really.

 

[bruiser]

I think the 1000 would be quite a bit larger that the poster wants.

Unfortunately, small and good battery life are mutually exclusive. You can have one or the other, but not both. I'd normally recommend an eGo or Riva 510, but they might be to large. On the other hand there is the 510 that normally comes with a 180mah battery that might last a couple of hours. There is an optional battery for the 510. I think it is 380mah, and it might last twice as long as the standard. There is also what is called a Personal Charging Case, or PCC, that can charge spare batteries for the 510. You can take it with you. The 510 looks a regular cig. Go to Liberty Flights and look at'em. Don't forget to click the discount button at the top of the page.

 

[JD1]

This:Black 808-D Kit and this Big 5 E-Liquid Pack

That will get you started, then start checking on what you will need to add to your collection.

edit: to change link

 

[Rosa]

• 510: depending on how much you smoke you can either get a small sized one (battery lasts about 2 hours) or one with a fatter battery (called eGo or Riva, battery lasts about 7 hours). This unit comes in three pieces (battery+atomizer+cartridge) but is very adaptable and you can get parts to make it work a bunch of different ways. 510 threaded devices are the most supported in the vaping worlds.

• KR808D-1: the most common is a smaller size but the battery lasts about 4 hours. Most people who choose this kind end up getting a charging case too (allows you to charge the batts away from home). This is a two piece unit (battery+cartomizer).

Here's a general run down of info that you'll want to know right away:

• batteries come in different "mah" ratings, every 100mah is about equal to an hour of vaping before you need to recharge.
(510 is 180mah, eGo510 is 650mah, Riva510 is 750mah, KR808D-1 is 280mah)

• atomizer is the part that heats up and turns your nicotine juice into vapor

• cartridge attaches to the end of the atomizer and holds the nicotine juice

• cartomizer is a cartridge with a built in atomizer (two in one)

• nicotine juice (aka eliquid or ejuice or juice) is essential if you use cartridges, and essential if you plan to spend as much or less than you did when you smoked. ANYTHING can be refilled with ejuice, anything... even if the manufacturer says you can't do it, there's always a way. Using ejuice will allow you to choose from hundreds of flavors and strengths and save a ton of money (you can even make your own if you like).

• throat hit: has a lot to do with the mg of nicotine you are using but is also highlighted by the voltage of your e-cig and whether you are using PG based e-liquids or VG based e-liquids (pg equates to harder throat feel, as does higher voltage e-cigs. The popular brands are about 3.2v-3.7v, some of the nice "mods" can run at 5v-6v.) Also, using a low resistance atomizer (aka LR atomizer) will somewhat mimic a higher voltage e-cig.

• nic mg (nicotine milligrams) is referring to how many mg of nicotine is in each milliliter (ml) of ejuice. So if the description says "18mg" it means 18mg per ml of liquid content.

• what nic mg do I need? Nobody knows, there is no way to know what mg will work for you. Some people who used to smoke 2 or 3 packs a day end up needing 12mg and some who used to smoke half a pack need 24mg.. there's no way to calculate it. What we do know is that we absorb it differently when we vape, it takes longer to hit our system and we end up absorbing only between 10%-40% (again, we aren't sure) of what we inhale. The best advice is to get several different strengths and flavors and experiment. The average vaper uses 24mg and goes through about 3ml per day.

Good luck!

ps: e-cigs are just heavier than tobacco cigs, I can't think of any good e-cig that's not.

 

[KeysBum]

Rosa summed it all up extraordinarily well. You are asking for features that are mutually exclusive.

 

[txtumbleweed]

Get a 650 Echo automatic. It sounds like a good fit for you.

 

[Higbe33]

If small is still a big thing for you. Try the 510 with the XL batteries. They won't fit in the PCC, so just take an extra XL battery with you. When I first started vaping, one XL battery lasted me all day and had a bottle of juice in my drawer to top off the cartridge. Manual batteries are best.

Low resistance atomizers or cartomizers are a nice step up, but should be used on larger batteries like the ego or Riva and the Riva is 1100 mAH now. Still nice to start at the bottom to see what you like, but I'll give you a month and you will decide something larger isn't so bad after all. ;-)

Hig

 

[dormouse]

small and light is very bad battery life

Pick small and light OR good battery life

Example - from left to right (ignore the little drip tip mouthpieces I added, and I am using all with cartomizers)

100mah is about 1 hour of moderate vaping

Riva 510 750mah
Joye 510 180mah
Vapor4Life/KR808D-1 280mah (about 120mm long for just the gray part and the white part)

 

[SanAntonioSmok]

Thanks for all of the wonderful responses. I don't really care about the size; I care about the weight. I'm not sure if these correspond or not. (I assume that they do.)

I don't expect the e-cig to be as light as a cigarette, but I do know that they vary in weight. For example, my sister's e-cig is so heavy that I dropped it. My friend's was much lighter, but it is no longer made. Hers came from a mall kiosk that went out-of-business nationwide.

As far as low resistance atomizers or cartomizers go, I just don't want to be pulling so hard that I don't get anything. So I assume that I'm using the right lingo in saying that I would like a easy draw. Am I wrong in this?

Again, thank you so much for all of your comments. I welcome any more suggestions.

 

[dormouse]

You have 2 choices for small and cylindrical and a decent hit. Both are 180mah

Joye 510 manual (manual!) and I highly recommend you use it with blank Boge standard resistance cartos and a fairly thin juice (like mostly PG w/ 30% VG or less). Almost nothing available in prefilled cartos
See Cignot.com Joye 510 No-box and buy juice and Boge standard (not LR) 510 cartomizers

KR808D-1 Shorty manual (LiteCigUSA.net) or the Shorty manual at Vapor4Life.com
Buy prefilled cartos (at VaporforLife. I like WOWbacco a cocoa tobacco, WOWboy is the same w/ mint added) and buy blanks. And I do recommend a plastic or delrin drip as a mouthpiece - some of these get hot on the lips.
I recommend a DSE901 atty and drip tip for testing juices - only put juices you like in cartos. Cartos ar hard to impossible to clean. You use one until it gets too degraded then it is done.
Buy juice

Cartos, especially self-filled or refilled, occasionally leak a bit on the battery. The Joye manuals are the most protected from that with totally sealed end. The KR808D-1 manual is not totally sealed but at least it is harder to damage than an auto battery (auto batteries have a critical drag sensor right inside that hole). manuals also won't turn on accidentally in wind or vibration. And manuals give more control of you hit.

Smaller lighter cigs exist with tiny teeny annoying recessed juice cup and if that is really what you want then go to MyPVShop and buy M401 manual or for even less battery charge than a 510 buy M402 manual. buy a pack of spare blank carts and buy juice. The carts can last forever if you restuff them and the extra pack you buy will be the newest style. Hard to find any cartomizers for that at all. I started on one and after 3 weeks I had to buy something else to continue being satisifed. But it is light.

 

[swedishfish]

Manual 510 is small and light and you get a good TH. Like Rosa pointed out, battery life is short, so I'd get a couple extra batteries and a pcc. But you'll get a good vape with that.

 

[SanAntonioSmok]

After looking over some of the suggestions, some have tanks, while others do not. (I don't know what this is either.) Do you recommend one over the other?

The weights aren't listed on the products. Is there a store known for its great customer service that I can call to get this information?

Again, thank you so much for all of your help.

 

[JWebb]

I agree with all the others, the 510 regular with mega battery, eGo, Riva, or even Echo are all fitting your requirements. If you want samll, light and a juice feeder, the reo mini or monkeyboxx small, even better battery life and no hassles with carts or cartos.

 

[LMP]

After looking over some of the suggestions, some have tanks, while others do not. (I don't know what this is either.) Do you recommend one over the other?

The weights aren't listed on the products. Is there a store known for its great customer service that I can call to get this information?

Again, thank you so much for all of your help.

They are all going to be at least as heavy as your friend's ecigs. A big part of an ecig is the battery and as you know, batteries are heavy.

 

[dormouse]

We don't know what your friend has. We can't tell you if the ones I listed are lighter.

These are good stores
Cignot.com (where you can choose the color and lcd color of the 510 manual)
Liberty-Flights.com (which has 20% off in upper left of from page - click that)
LiteCigUSA.net

I do not know if any of them will put together an ecig and weigh it for you. That requires opening and wasting cartos.

 

[mafig]

1. It MUST be light weight. (I've tried some friend's e-cigs, and they are are all too heavy. I have very small hands, and I just end up dropping them.) This is my main concern.
2. It must be an easy draw. (I've struggled with this also with my friend's e-cigs.)
3. Good battery life.
4. Must have strong to medium throat hit.
5. Full flavor
6. Strong vapor, but this is the least of my concerns.

wow if only all the above can be found in e-cig..i am also interested..anyway i suggest taking a look at this demo youtube..U dont have to purchase the brand shown..but will give U some ideas what U be getting for the $$ spent..i have this unit and very happily vaping..shop around for best price once U know which type suit U and satisfy yr term..hope this can help U find yr 1st kit

Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit / E Cigarette and E Liquid from Totally Wicked

Click the unit and see the demo video

 

[swedishfish]

What kind of ecig did your sister have that you couldn't hold it?

 

[dormouse]

And btw it would help to know more about any problems you have holding ecigs, will you be able to press the button of a manual, why dripping it is such a it problem, etc. I drop my ecigs too. Manual cigs with cartomizer are pretty sturdy. If you are a biker or something, wear a lanyard. The ecig can hand around your neck and depending on the lanyard you may be able to vape it IN the lanyard. Then you cannot drop it.

 

[VapNfool]

Well...in my opinion, here's what happens to almost every vaper I know and virtually every experienced vaper on ECF.

1. They start with pen-styles
2. They get knowledgeable and and tire of the pen-style limitations
3. They go to a big-battery mod

I'd say (from experience)...just get a mod right off the bat. If you stay with vaping, you'll end up there anyway at some point. Why not save the time and money? You may be apprehensive about this since your just not really familiar with e-cigs in general but as I said....when you do get more experience with them, you'll understand the limitations of a pen-style and want something better. If you don't believe me....just ask around the forums and see what the veterans say they are vaping on. There are quite a number of good mods out there so do your homework. If you can afford it, I'd recommend getting the best available PVs out there right now...variable voltage. In essence, this will solve all of your problems since you will have a device that you can customize to any vaping experience you desire. I went through several smaller e-cig types and a few mods until I decided to spring for a Pro-Vari. Now it's the only PV I use dy in and day out. All my other e-cigs are weighing down my case or in the hands of friends who wanted to try vaping. In any case, a god bigger battery mod will be where you will eventually end up if you make a full conversion to vaping. Just my 2 pennies' worth.