Smokeless Image Volt first impressions from a first-timer.

[Lax]

My Volt from Smokeless Image arrived yesterday

This is my first experience with any PV so I thought I'd share my first impressions.
For newbies from a newbie

Me:
I've been smoking for 16 years and for the last 10 years I've been around a half pack to pack a day smoker of American Spirit Blue "full-flavor". The main reason I even started looking at "e-cigs" was to quit smoking. I've made one serious attempt to quit using the gum, which lasted about a week...
I researched everything I could about this new world and honed in on 2-piece kits, specifically KR808D-1 kits. I came to this conclusion based on simplicity and wanting to keep to an analog-like transition. There are just about a million recommendations about what to buy for newbies so I'm not even going there.

Smokeless Image:
I ordered two batteries, one auto 65mm(shorter, closer to analog 100's length) and one manual 78mm(a little longer, little more battery life), the basic usb charger, and two 5-packs (555 and RY4) of high-18mg strength cartomizers. I was originally planning to go with the medium-12mg strength and a sampler pack but they were out of stock and I didn't wanna wait anymore . That may have been a blessing in disguise... I don't have any reference point but the 18mg seems fine, I've still had a regular smoke or three actually but not feeling like I'm missing any level of nicotine, not sure if the medium-12mg would have been that way or not...?
SI was fantastic to deal with, they even have online chat for help on their site Good competitive prices, quality product, fast reasonably priced shipping....SI rocks, nuff said.

I'm trying not to give a lot of recommendations here, mostly just my experience, BUT...

Recommendations:
The only recommendation I will make is variety is your friend! That's why I got two different types of batteries and I've already found they each have their place in my day. I was going to just get white automatic batteries but figured I'd try out a black manual also and like many others keep saying, it took nothing to adjust to a manual and I may even prefer the manual one...time will tell.
So the batteries are the easy part, choosing what flavor you want to vape....dear god Please, get a sampler package of flavors!!! I read enough reviews that I felt comfortable with my flavor choices...yup, fat chance, I was wrong. Everybody likes different flavors. The 555 sounded like the go to choice for a general tobacco flavor and I expected it to be my main choice to start out but all it tastes like to me is nuts, like slightly over-roasted nuts. I read reviews that mentioned a hint of hazelnut or "undertones"....yeah, not so much for me. And let me be the first to admit my sense of smell and taste are fairly bad, I blame years of smoking... But I know my tastebuds and sense of smell will change quite a bit as I get rid of the analogs so I'm gonna set the 555 aside and come back to it at a later date to see what I think. The RY4 on the other hand, seems exactly as described in reviews, mild tobacco with caramel and vanilla, LOVE IT! I could see this being my everyday goto. But now I have about half the supply of cartos as planned and I'm much more gunshy about ordering any quantity without testing first.
And so begins the quest for liquid, blank cartos, maybe a drip setup, maybe a mod to drip in a carto......but that's a story for another day. Maybe it was a bad idea to mix my gadget obsession with my smoking habit

Best of luck to the new vapers and thanks Smokeless Image

 

[Ralikar]

Nice review!
1) Bloog carto blanks!
2) Your taste buds will change
3) Don't forget a personal charger case for parties/events
4) Lots of people --like me -- really needed that cig flavor to quit... Then -- like me -- realize I can vape good tasting stuff like Johnson Creek chocolate truffle (my Ry4 is in the drawer for emergencies)

**Make sure you are always prepared with enough batteries/juice when you quit your cigs... Don't get in a position that if your ONLY charger breaks or ONE battery breaks or your carto shipment gets lost that you are forced to smoke again.

 

[swedishfish]

Nice review!
1) Bloog carto blanks!
2) Your taste buds will change
3) Don't forget a personal charger case for parties/events
4) Lots of people --like me -- really needed that cig flavor to quit... Then -- like me -- realize I can vape good tasting stuff like Johnson Creek chocolate truffle (my Ry4 is in the drawer for emergencies)

You crack me up. Good advice.

 

[Lax]

Nice review!
1) Bloog carto blanks!
2) Your taste buds will change
3) Don't forget a personal charger case for parties/events
4) Lots of people --like me -- really needed that cig flavor to quit... Then -- like me -- realize I can vape good tasting stuff like Johnson Creek chocolate truffle (my Ry4 is in the drawer for emergencies)

**Make sure you are always prepared with enough batteries/juice when you quit your cigs... Don't get in a position that if your ONLY charger breaks or ONE battery breaks or your carto shipment gets lost that you are forced to smoke again.

Thanks.
1) SI's got em too.
2) Banking on it.
3) Still trying to decide between a standard or MEGA
4) I'm going down that road soon I think...

**Good advise. I've already started on my next order

 

[dormouse]

Volt blanks may now be the same as Bloog blanks. I read they were going to switch to the same kind as Bloog and the same juices but I don't know if they've done that yet.

My KR808D-1 batteries are all Vapor4Life though I just ordered a manual Volt battery. I use Vapor4Life blanks - they have 2 kinds and I use the hotter WOW blanks with a plastic or delrin drip tip (from LiteCigUSA.net) as a comfortable and easy t remove mouthpiece (instead of the end cap)

Juices - after using stuffing type cartomizers on both 510 and KR808D-1 for 7 months, I've found that my cartos work well the longest with thin juices (20% or less VG) that are also light and transparent (less likely to leave flavoring sediment that clogs the stuffing). One person has a test for juice sediment - he drips a drop on hot aluminum foil and as it sizzles away if it leaves a lot of slag then it is a juice that will clog cartos.

Flavors -In the beginning I had to use tobacco flavor juices because vaping food flavors alone gave me an analog craving as if I had just eaten. After about 6 weeks I started changing the flavor of my tobacco flavors by adding vanilla, caramel, cocoa, chocolate or a fruit flavor like peach. After that I was able to vape those flavors alone. Some people are the opposite and feel they do best with non-tobacco flavors to totally distance themselves from the aroma of tobacco. And some can vape either to start.

Flavors other than tobaccos that many people like (in tobacco juices or alone) - caramel, vanilla, honey, cocoa, chocolate, fruits. Cocoa especially was a win for me - in my decades of smoking, every brand I smoked had cocoa in it (Parliament, Marlboro, Capri, Pall Mall - and many other US cigs have cocoa in them).

My fave thin light carto juices - Vapor4Life WOWbacco (cocoa tobacco), Vapor4Life WOW Vanilla (a sweet marshmallowy vanilla) (and both of those have a sharp edged hit w/ nicotine in them). And Gourmet Vapor vanillarum (vanilla, caramel and rum). I also use Dekang PG (Chinese) RY4.

 

[izabella]

**Make sure you are always prepared with enough batteries/juice when you quit your cigs... Don't get in a position that if your ONLY charger breaks or ONE battery breaks or your carto shipment gets lost that you are forced to smoke again.

It's this kind of good advice I use to justify my box filled with pretty colored batteries, PT's, PCC, chargers, cartos...

Of course, I am the type who rarely allows my gas tank to go below half-full, so I can't blame it on all the scouts here.

 

[swedishfish]

Lax, that was a great post! Lots of great info for other first timers too!

I don't vape tobacco flavors but buy them for someone else. An RY4 from one vendor won't taste like a RY4 from a different vendor. You might like the 555 from a different vendor. Just reading the board RY4 seems wildly popular from people that vape tobacco.

So glad you like the Volt and you're happy vaping! Any questions, just ask. Don't frustrate or put pressure on yourself if your still smoking a few. Sometimes if you up your nicotine level for a few weeks it can get you over the hump.

Good luck!

 

[crbrown]

Volt blanks may now be the same as Bloog blanks. I read they were going to switch to the same kind as Bloog and the same juices but I don't know if they've done that yet.

My KR808D-1 batteries are all Vapor4Life though I just ordered a manual Volt battery. I use Vapor4Life blanks - they have 2 kinds and I use the hotter WOW blanks with a plastic or delrin drip tip (from LiteCigUSA.net) as a comfortable and easy t remove mouthpiece (instead of the end cap)

Juices - after using stuffing type cartomizers on both 510 and KR808D-1 for 7 months, I've found that my cartos work well the longest with thin juices (20% or less VG) that are also light and transparent (less likely to leave flavoring sediment that clogs the stuffing). One person has a test for juice sediment - he drips a drop on hot aluminum foil and as it sizzles away if it leaves a lot of slag then it is a juice that will clog cartos.

Flavors -In the beginning I had to use tobacco flavor juices because vaping food flavors alone gave me an analog craving as if I had just eaten. After about 6 weeks I started changing the flavor of my tobacco flavors by adding vanilla, caramel, cocoa, chocolate or a fruit flavor like peach. After that I was able to vape those flavors alone. Some people are the opposite and feel they do best with non-tobacco flavors to totally distance themselves from the aroma of tobacco. And some can vape either to start.

Flavors other than tobaccos that many people like (in tobacco juices or alone) - caramel, vanilla, honey, cocoa, chocolate, fruits. Cocoa especially was a win for me - in my decades of smoking, every brand I smoked had cocoa in it (Parliament, Marlboro, Capri, Pall Mall - and many other US cigs have cocoa in them).

My fave thin light carto juices - Vapor4Life WOWbacco (cocoa tobacco), Vapor4Life WOW Vanilla (a sweet marshmallowy vanilla) (and both of those have a sharp edged hit w/ nicotine in them). And Gourmet Vapor vanillarum (vanilla, caramel and rum). I also use Dekang PG (Chinese) RY4.

Yes, they are the same

 

[Lax]

Volt blanks may now be the same as Bloog blanks. I read they were going to switch to the same kind as Bloog and the same juices but I don't know if they've done that yet.

My KR808D-1 batteries are all Vapor4Life though I just ordered a manual Volt battery. I use Vapor4Life blanks - they have 2 kinds and I use the hotter WOW blanks with a plastic or delrin drip tip (from LiteCigUSA.net) as a comfortable and easy t remove mouthpiece (instead of the end cap)

Juices - after using stuffing type cartomizers on both 510 and KR808D-1 for 7 months, I've found that my cartos work well the longest with thin juices (20% or less VG) that are also light and transparent (less likely to leave flavoring sediment that clogs the stuffing). One person has a test for juice sediment - he drips a drop on hot aluminum foil and as it sizzles away if it leaves a lot of slag then it is a juice that will clog cartos.

Flavors -In the beginning I had to use tobacco flavor juices because vaping food flavors alone gave me an analog craving as if I had just eaten. After about 6 weeks I started changing the flavor of my tobacco flavors by adding vanilla, caramel, cocoa, chocolate or a fruit flavor like peach. After that I was able to vape those flavors alone. Some people are the opposite and feel they do best with non-tobacco flavors to totally distance themselves from the aroma of tobacco. And some can vape either to start.

Flavors other than tobaccos that many people like (in tobacco juices or alone) - caramel, vanilla, honey, cocoa, chocolate, fruits. Cocoa especially was a win for me - in my decades of smoking, every brand I smoked had cocoa in it (Parliament, Marlboro, Capri, Pall Mall - and many other US cigs have cocoa in them).

My fave thin light carto juices - Vapor4Life WOWbacco (cocoa tobacco), Vapor4Life WOW Vanilla (a sweet marshmallowy vanilla) (and both of those have a sharp edged hit w/ nicotine in them). And Gourmet Vapor vanillarum (vanilla, caramel and rum). I also use Dekang PG (Chinese) RY4.

Great tip on the hot foil test! I'm gonna try to stick with cartos for now and longevity is one of my main concerns. The flavors are just going to evolve over time I imagine...I do plan to stick with the RY4 for my standard and then test and sample everything I can get my hands on

It's this kind of good advice I use to justify my box filled with pretty colored batteries, PT's, PCC, chargers, cartos...

That's exactly what I was planning Justifying new toys has always been one of my strong suits

Lax, that was a great post! Lots of great info for other first timers too!

I don't vape tobacco flavors but buy them for someone else. An RY4 from one vendor won't taste like a RY4 from a different vendor. You might like the 555 from a different vendor. Just reading the board RY4 seems wildly popular from people that vape tobacco.

So glad you like the Volt and you're happy vaping! Any questions, just ask. Don't frustrate or put pressure on yourself if your still smoking a few. Sometimes if you up your nicotine level for a few weeks it can get you over the hump.

Good luck!

Thanks, wanted to share what I found just like all the posts I read by others that helped me make the jump. I definitely plan to check out other 555's and SI's again as my tastes change.

 

[Shannon65]

Halo has a sample pack of 7 different flavors of liquid for $24.95. There is a total of 35ml of juices. I am currently using their Malibu flavor (Pina Colada with a slight menthol) in 6mg of nicotine. (you can get up to 24mg) They also sell blank cartomizers that will fit what you just bought. The liquids by Halo are all american made and have lot numbers, best by date and in the 30ml bottles a born on date. The cartomizers come in a plastic carrying case that is also safety sealed. The Halo site is HERE.

 

[swedishfish]

If you like tobacco juices, Vapor Station has excellent tobacco juices and a nice sampler pack.

 

[pmoraldo]

Lots of great info thanks

 

[txtumbleweed]

Congratulations and a Volt is a great PV to start your journey with!

 

[invadergsx]

I had a hell of a time with juices. Trying every kind I could get, but in the long run I stuck with Smoketip Methol. Why? Very simple. It's reliable and cheap. They sell them for $19.95 for 10 carts already loaded with juice. Buy 3 and they are $17.95 with free shipping. Blanks are around the same price from most vendors. I use these and refilled them for a while, but it starts to ge a pain in the .... when some days I get good ones and some days I flood them and made duds. So now I just buy them. Their menthol is the best. It's more like a mint, but I have yet to find anything that hits as good and produces good vapor with no odor at all. Their batteries and accessories are expensive, but their refill carts cannot be touched in price and quality compared to anyone.

 

[washvap]

Glad you love your VOLT. My advice since you are not sure what you like or dislike. Is to get more blanks and testing the waters when it comes to juices. These are some of my favorites that are also VERY decently priced. I would suggest ordering small 10ml samples first.:

Alien Visions E-Juice
https://www.nitelitevapor.us/shop/page/1?shop_param=
Welcome to MadVapes LLC

If you wanna venture into mods. Than a simple one would be to get a 901 to 510 adapter:

901/808D Battery to 510 Atomizer adapter

Then get yourself some boge LR 2.0 cartos:

15 Boge Carto Deal (510)

After all of that, you'll find out what vaping can truly be

 

[Lax]

So it's been 9 days since I got my Volt gear and started vaping....
Good news is I've not had a drag from a regular smoke in 2 full days and haven't bought a pack in a full week!
There definitely was an adjustment period. I've read a lot of comments from people saying they didn't have another drag after trying their first pv. That's awesome for them but I think most newbies should know it can still be a little challenging to fully quit the analog habit. But taking it one day at a time and letting your body adjust isn't a bad thing at all. So find some flavors you like and stick with it, you'll get there.

Glad you love your VOLT. My advice since you are not sure what you like or dislike. Is to get more blanks and testing the waters when it comes to juices. These are some of my favorites that are also VERY decently priced. I would suggest ordering small 10ml samples first.:

Alien Visions E-Juice
https://www.nitelitevapor.us/shop/page/1?shop_param=
Welcome to MadVapes LLC

If you wanna venture into mods. Than a simple one would be to get a 901 to 510 adapter:

901/808D Battery to 510 Atomizer adapter

Then get yourself some boge LR 2.0 cartos:

15 Boge Carto Deal (510)

After all of that, you'll find out what vaping can truly be

So how do the LR cartos handle with the 3.7 Volt batteries? I would think it'd make more sense if I was going to get the 510 adapter to just get a 510 atty and a drip tip...? Or at that point why not just skip the adapter and try a 901 atty and drip that way for testing new juice?

 

[Mindfield]

As a fellow gadget head and vaper, I can tell you, the comingling of obsessions doesn't come cheap. I've already spent at least $650 this month, though to be fair that's pretty unusual, and was mainly due to irresistible sales on hardware and juices that I'd have been nuts to pass up. But at least I'll have a killer PV in a few weeks and enough juice to choke a stable of horses.

I don't think my wife is going to let me buy any more for a while...

 

[Lax]

I don't think my wife is going to let me buy any more for a while...

Doesn't sound like you'll need any more for a while...

I hear ya tho, I figure I have equalized any money saved on analogs... But now I have gadgets that don't get disposed of daily

 

[Mindfield]

Doesn't sound like you'll need any more for a while...

I hear ya tho, I figure I have equalized any money saved on analogs... But now I have gadgets that don't get disposed of daily

Very true. The ProVari I bought to last me a good long time so I don't get yearnings for other PVs (or at least, so the yearnings aren't so bad ), got plenty of batteries for backup, and the juices I have bought in the last week alone total 333ml. Damn near a can of Coke's worth.

The only thing left I actually need to buy are some 2.5ohm dual coils for when the ProVari arrives. 20 of those and I'm set for a few months.

 

[swedishfish]

So it's been 9 days since I got my Volt gear and started vaping....
Good news is I've not had a drag from a regular smoke in 2 full days and haven't bought a pack in a full week!
There definitely was an adjustment period. I've read a lot of comments from people saying they didn't have another drag after trying their first pv. That's awesome for them but I think most newbies should know it can still be a little challenging to fully quit the analog habit. But taking it one day at a time and letting your body adjust isn't a bad thing at all. So find some flavors you like and stick with it, you'll get there.



So how do the LR cartos handle with the 3.7 Volt batteries? I would think it'd make more sense if I was going to get the 510 adapter to just get a 510 atty and a drip tip...? Or at that point why not just skip the adapter and try a 901 atty and drip that way for testing new juice?

Might be more cost effective to just get an ego starter kit. Doubtful that you can use LR cartos on your volt. I never had huge success with adaptors and they look sort of weird.

Use the ego to test juices or when you go somewhere and you need longer battery life. $30 you can get an ego. Try an adaptor and you can use the cartos on both. But like I said I got adaptors from MV and LF and didn't have luck with them.