You said: "The convenience of buying a pack of smoke's should be the same as buying refills for your
ecig."
Refilling e-cigs can be
more convenient, but the process (and the entire vaping experience) is a bit more complicated and just
different (and, for most of us, well worth the extra effort and
far more enjoyable). Its purchasing process is analogous to buying one or more
cartons of analogs at a time, rather than a pack at a time.
In general,
don't expect vaping to be the
same as smoking. It's not. [
I think it is far
better ... but you may have a period of adjustment.] The vaporizing of the e-liquid (analogous to burning of the tobacco), the draw, inhalation, "throat hit," and flavor are all somewhat different.
You have received some
fine advice here, especially those links provided by wv2win and tiffytiff.
I want to
underscore wv2win's
caution about locally-sold e-cigs (e.g., at the mall) and mass advertised/marketed ones like the Blu. They are mediocre at best, supported by poor customer service, and, in most cases, way overpriced. And, if in fact you "don't like waiting," avoid Blu like the plague!
Speaking of waiting (and refillability), don't worry about ordering online from the suppliers recommended here. Most have lightning fast delivery (I usually get my stuff in 2-3 days). Even China-based Ruyandirect is amazing: sometimes less than a week. Make sure you have at least a couple extra atomizers and batteries and several cartidges and/or e-liquid to tide you over until your new supply arrives.
As a rule of thumb, go with the suppliers participating here in ECF - not only the "Supporting Suppliers" listed toward the bottom of the forum main page, but also those like Rocky Mountain Vapor and CigEasy (who, I suspect, don't have the advertising budget to support) and China-based Ruyandirect.com (aka Heaven-gifts.com).
Rocky Mountain Vapor and
Ruyandirect.com already have been recommended (and my personal experience confirms that recommendation). [Ruyandirect has the
cheapest prices, but their shipping costs are pretty steep; compared to RMV's
free shipping.] I have added
CigEasy because:
- I've also dealt with them (positively),
- They also have low prices, and
- They have a model you might also want to consider: the KR808D-1.
The KR808D-1 (marketed under such names as Vapor King, Easy Cig, Mist-Six, NHaler, Nebula, and Zeus) is a
two-part e-cig (most are three parts: cartridge + atomizer + battery, not counting the mouthpiece), in which the cartridge and atomizer are combined to make a disposable "cartomizer."
The KR808D-1 is about the same size as a 510, but with a larger battery (and smaller cartridge/atomizer). It probably is the
simplest e-cig, since you just screw a cartomizer onto the battery and don't need to deal with e-liquid (unless you want to stretch the life of that disposable cartomizer). It was for this reason that it was my first e-cig purchase.
The battery is automatic, not manual, but I never had a problem with it. I don't share wv2win's distain for the auto switch, at least not all of them. Some (I have read) are activated by sound or movement; so, for example, carrying a Blu (or the old
auto switch 510) into a nightclub is a nightmare. But my KR808D-1 and my DSE801 batteries all have responded only to my sucking on them. The only downside to the auto switch (for the type of batteries I've just described), as far as I am concerned, is the fact that they are
unsealed, so that dripping liquid directly on the atomizer is problematic (it might leak into the battery).
The vapor, flavor, and throat hit all are good (though not the very best), but those cartomizers can get expensive. [FYI: Many of the batteries
do have a
blue LED.]
If simplicity (and not having to deal with e-liquid) is important to you, it is worthy of your consideration. BTW, NHaler (that
Joytech 510 link provided by tiffytiff) also carries the KR808D-1 ... and some very good e-liquid. Drew is another one of the suppliers you can count on for great service.
I've gone on for far too long. Let me wrap this up by pointing you to two very helpful threads:
- Attention newbies: Pics of most common models here - its value is self-explanatory. [Be aware, however, that the picture for the "KR 808/ Vapor King/ VK" is incorrect.]
- Leaford's New(est) Five Favorites! and Leaford's Video Blog 8-5: Runner Ups and Honorable Mentions - We don't all share his preferences or ranking order, but he provides a good overview of the most popular models, pointing out their respective strengths and weaknesses. [And don't ignore that second video, thinking you just want the best. For example, his #1 recommended device (the DSE901) for a new vaper is included there, as well as my beloved DSE801 penstyle.*
* Second only to my Prodigy (using the 801 atomizer).
Happy vaping!
