So what made you decide to upgrade?

[BooBoo888]

It seems like a lot of folks on this site may have started their e-smoking journeys with a cigalike model, and then decided to go for some more advanced (and BIGGER) equipment. If this is you, then what made you want to upgrade? Was the cigalike giving you trouble? Did you test drive a friend's rig and decide it performed so well that you just had to have one? Did the stuff you were reading online make you feel like you were missing out on something better? Granted I've only had my Volt for about a week and a half now, but somehow I don't see myself suddenly wishing to lug around something that looks like an electric toothbrush, a walkie talkie, or a light saber any time soon...

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what am I missing here?

 

[State O' Flux]

More power! Scotty!

Seriously... I'm a guy, what else do you need to know?

 

[Chimney34]

Hey there! If you're happy with your current setup then you aren't missing anything. I personally decided to upgrade because I wasn't completely satisfied with my vaping experience. While I was happy with what I had I wanted to try other things to see if I liked them more or if I was missing out on anything. And yes, as stated before me POWER! More POWER! lolI wanted to make sure in part that I wouldn't get bored in a sense I guess. Now that I've found what I love...based on what I've tried so far...I still continue to play around with different delivery methods etc...because its also become a little bit of a hobby & I enjoy it.

 

[BostonJim]

Cig-a-likes didn't work for me because I couldn't tell how long it was going to last, I didn't like the taste, though I probably could get used to it. I couldn't make the damn thing work. It kept shutting off before I could get a decent hit, puff, puff, puff, and finally when I get some vapor, the stupid thing would blink like it was trying to give me an epileptic seizure and shut down.

Then after much discussion with friends who vape, learning how a tank with juice has better taste, longer lasting, and overall cheaper (ya right) than cig-a-likes, I made the jump to eGo's and tanks. Knowing that I could see whats in the tank and having an idea how long its going to last, you know, you look at the tank, you know whats left and how long its going to last is secure feeling, like knowing how long that half pack of cigaretts will last.

Going to a mod, I wish I could tell you it was all about the quality of the vape, the reliability, the whole functionality of advanced vaping. In reality, it was simply it looked cool and I wanted one. Bottom line is that I could have spent the rest of my life using a simple eGo and a tank system and been perfectly fine with that.

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

augh augh augh

 

[redbucket]

Money. I started with various truck stop and mall kiosk brands. Each time I tried them, they were just too expensive to keep going with them. They were generally a hassle too (cigalike size, where you'd have to inject the liquid into the cartomizer). But the hassle wasn't so bad, because cigarettes are a pretty big hassle too. It was the money. I tried a couple, I realized there was something "there" there, turned to the internet, and found reasonably priced alternatives.

 

[Dynila]

I started with a cigalike from SmokeTip. I smoked cloves for years and when I went hunting in the summer of 2011 they were one of the few vendors I found online that offered prefilled clove cartridges since I didn't want to mess with mixing my own juices or filling my own cartridges (so naive, lol). They were okay, but I hated them. No instructions about not to treat them like cigarettes, to pull into your mouth then into your lungs, etc. As a result I coughed like a 90yo 6pack a day Red smoker with emphysema every time I used them and I finally gave up and went back to the real thing.

Fast forward a couple years and I had a friend let me try her eGo setup. I couldn't believe how much more ~real~ it felt compared to my cigalike. Good vapor, good flavor, and no hacking and wheezing! I was down at the local vape shop getting my own ego setup a couple of days later. I was happy with it, but burning through stardusts like mad.

The first upgrade was to protanks. I love them, but sometimes they just need a little more power under them to really taste their best, which led to my first super simple VV mod. It was big (a SUB from Vapor Girl) but cool looking and mostly for on my desk use.

Desire for a little more control, a few more features, and a built-in ohm meter because I was beginning to rebuild my own attys led to my eVic. The control options of an eVic combined with the smaller form factor led to my iTaste VV. A hit off a friend's iTaste MVP (ZOMG, by far the best flavor I've gotten off a mod no matter what tank I slap on it) led to ordering my own. It's huge and rarely leaves the house, but it's so worth it, especially with higher end juices with more subtle flavors (AiV...). It's also the only thing that doesn't get top heavy when I screw on a big 5ml tank.

I guess it was just a quest for a better taste that led to my mods. I was hard on the starter hardware, and by the time I realized there were better quality cigalikes out there I was already deep into tanks and egos and it would feel a bit like backtracking now (though I am tempted to try an eRoll for portability...)

 

[Rocketpunk]

Variable voltage got me seriously interested in the game. I loved my pass-through but I wanted to better control my voltage (edit: after ordering a lot of stuff in ignorance with no idea how to make it work with my setup). I took the plunge, got a Kgo VV, and did my learning there. Now the Kgo VV is a pee oh ess compared to mods, but it helped me in my journey. Research helped a lot. Then I got a Lavatube and began my mod journey. At this point, I have a Provari, a Vamo, a Segelei Zmax, and an SVD. But I still use my Twist, Spinner, and Volts everyday. Er'body's differn't.

 

[degnr8]

For me you just have to screw around with the cigalikes too much constantly charging and changing batteries, refilling juice etc. Plus with proprietary batteries they got expensive quick. I started out with a Janty stick (anybody remember those) started building my own mods and just bought a vmod xl. If I fill my juice bottle and put in a fresh batt, I don't have to think about it the rest of the day and when I do need new batts they're half the price of cigalike batts and last for years.

 

[RoseB]

Lots of reasons. When I started it was with a mistic. Couldn't find cartomizers for them, and picked up another 808 type kit. Got tired of charging batteries all of the time Got an eGo pass through and stuck with 900 mah eGos for several months. Cut back the nicotine, and wasn't doing so hot. Got an MVP to try vv and see if that would make less nicotine more tolerable. More recently a provari, because my husband said I deserved it
The beauty of vaping is that, you can make adjustments. If something is working for you, then why bother? If it's not and you're frothing at the mouth....at least you have options. My sister in-law started with a blu about 13 months ago. That's all she will use, and wants to use. To each their own.

 

[AgentAnia]

I guess I'm pretty easy-going and easy to please. Lucked out by making the switch to a V2 cigalike, which is pretty decent, rumors to the contrary notwithstanding. Am retired and pretty much stay-at-home, so recharging batteries and refilling carts, then clearos, wasn't an issue. Still, after joining ECF and doing some research, I got some eGo's and protanks, but out of curiosity (and shinyitis) not because I wasn't satisfied with the cigalike experience. Have just acquired a Twist and a Vision spinner and am experimenting with variable voltage, though to be honest I don't see much change in vapor production or flavor.

Right now I can't see me upgrading to much else, as most everything else is too big for my hand and really isn't necessary for my vaping pleasure. (Though I reserve the right to give in to upgraditis if it hits, )

 

[tj99959]

More than anything else, better quality. I just didn't want to throw a PV away whenever a battery decided to go south.

 

[bhswmc01]

I used a few disposables last year when they banned smoking at my old office, but they never replaced the stinkies entirely. When I made the switch, it was with an ego mini and kanger t2. Upgraded to a vv device (ego twist) and evods within 2 weeks - the bottom coils and ability to control the strength of a vape made the experience all the better!

 

[BooBoo888]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful and honest answers. I loved AgentAnia's admission of "shinyitis" and WarHawk-AVG's response of "augh augh augh"

I really do appreciate the perspective from everyone though, because reading a lot of the posts on this forum, I was starting to feel like maybe I must be naive or an idiot or something for not having or wanting a larger, more powerful PV. This thread has reassured me that it is very much a personal choice based on various reasons ranging from purely functional to pure PV envy, and everything in between.

And maybe the upgrade bug will hit me one of these days too, you never can tell!

 

[BlueMoods]

Battery life, performance, quality, customer service of the vendor selling the mod, versatility with what delivery devices I can use.

If what you have works for you, keep using it, no need to upgrade, if you aren't happy with it, time to go shopping for better, if there isn't better, wait a few months, there will be.

 

[gmb225]

at first i would say more vapor more flavor....but really i think its a mega spending spree!!

 

[vernhall]

Seriously... I'm a guy, what else do you need to know?

Well, that and the fact I got real tired real quick of atomizers running empty and batteries dying after a very short time... And that nothing (on the delivery system side) ever seemed to work as advertised -- dry hits, burnt flavor, etc, etc, etc...

 

[dmska]

I started on a cig a like, then moved up to an ego style ( the one with the cone, that had the little cart on the end you had to fill with a few drops at a time.) Quickly realized the battery life was inefficient and the batteries failed rather quickly. Once I found ecf, I learned about all the possibilities out there.

 

[Digital Man]

Honestly if ego twist batteries lasted 2 to 3 days I would still be using them. Sadly they do not, so I upgraded to an Itaste MVP. I'm pretty sure this thing is nuclear powered.

 

[wv2win]

Pretty simple to answer: much better performance and consistency. And much less hassle. When I can go 12 - 14 hours never needing to change batteries or add eliquid and every inhale is as good as the previous one, that makes having a little larger PV well worth it. And then there is the added benefit that no one thinks I am a smoker anymore.