So where are we now?

[Philx123]

I've been vaping for six months now, and have tried atomisers, tanks, cartomisers, dripping, all on a 510. I like the 510, and have, on the whole, enjoyed vaping, but I'm starting to get a bit frustrated with it.
It all seems so hit and miss, and so much trouble. I've wasted a lot of money on cartos and atomisers which have been difficult to fill, wasteful of juice, not very reliable, and not very long lasting. I've bought batteries that have flunked after a week or so, chargers which have burnt out. I bought a mini with two batteries which lasted about ten minutes. I had the batteries replaced, and still they lasted about ten minutes. I'm sick of juice in my mouth and juice on my hands.
Surely there must be something which is affordable and reliable and doesn't need all this home workshop messing.
God knows how much money I've spent - near £20 a week on liquid and cartos, not to mention all the other stuff.
It seems like the industry, piecemeal as I know it is, lacks any kind of real quality control or consistency.
I know there will be plenty of people who've found their sweet spot, and love their products, but for the surely there must be something which is reliable and gives a decent taste and is affordable and doesn't require modding and messing and fiddling. Disposables, maybe?
I know this sounds like one big gripe, but I just want wondered if there are folks out there who are reaching the conclusion that this is not as affordable as they first thought it would be, and a lot messier, and are frustrated that there isn't really anything out there which is, well, as consistent as smoking analogues.
I don't know - maybe I should just quit.

Sorry, just frustrated, I suppose, that after six months, I've still not found what I'm looking for.

 

[bandmom5]

I was the same way at about 6 or 7 months. Still smoking a few analogs a day. Just could not find my sweet spot. I am happy to say I finally found it. My BUZZ and my BUZZ PRO with IKV FUSION cartos and KBV JOOSE and when I need analog type I keeps some BOBAS and GORILLA JUICE around. I am working on 3 months analog free. SO DON'T GIVE UP.It will happen.

 

[Str8V8ping]

Boge cartos have awesome quality control . I have never got a bad one

 

[bryansthl]

I was spending $350.00 a month on analogs the most I spent a month on e-cigg stuff was $250.00 a month last month I spent $0 but my 2 eGo vv I got 2 months ago just took a crap and I just spent $80.00 on 2 e-powers and 4 batterys so yes it has been a hasle but I'm spending less than what I was smoking and getting healther.

 

[Stosh]

I also was spending over $350 a month on smokes, vaping much less.

In the last 15 months of my vaping the technology and new products has exploded.
Some good changes, some not so much...... considering the infancy of e-cigs there
is hope for the future. The present unfortunately holds no perfect products and the
quality control is less than stellar, but we are among the very first to adopt PVs' and
are suffering the growing pains.

But we are doing it while being smoke free, not smelling bad, able to breathe normally,
overall a big win for us!!

 

[cskent]

Once you get your hardware setup to where it works right all the time, find a juice that you can vape all day, and have enough experience to understand what's really going on with it all, it gets a whole lot easier and cheaper too. I haven't bought anything vape related in 2 months. I keep a stockpile of everything I need and if necessary I could probably go 6 months without placing an order. I've been vaping exclusively and smoke free for over 1 1/2 years.

 

[pianoguy]

A bottom-feeder such as the REO, with cartos (CCV's Resurrectors are my current favorites) has proven to be the most hassle-free and consistent setup for me. I will likely pick up a VV REO when they become available, but I have come to depend on the simple reliability of the all-mechanical Grand and Mini. I can just rinse them out if they get dirty or full of sawdust, etc.

 

[mooreted]

I'm having zero problems with my eGo and Boge 2.0 cartomizers. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy. I've been pretty lucky so far.

 

[grandmato5]

Sorry you've still not found what you are looking for in vaping. When I started 14 months ago it didn't take long before I knew that vaping would never be exactly like smoking so I didn't try to mimic smoking but accepted vaping as an experience different then smoking. If I'd been looking for vaping to be the same as smoking I would never have been happy with vaping. A few months in I came to the conclusion that my first year of vaping was going to cost abt the same as smoking had and that was fine since I had found so many benefits of vaping over smoking. This second year is where I will spend much less then I did while I was smoking since I now know what works for me.

Good Luck in finding what you're looking for.

 

[kabonk]

I agree a nice bottom feeder or a tube mod with a carto tank is the way to go pretty much hassle free vaping as far as cartos I buy boges @ $1 a piece and attys are 5 for $15 @ greenhouseone I buy them in bulk to because it takes about 10+ days to ship from china or from vaporkings has good bulk rates too but they're in the states and may not be such a good deal for you

 

[JD1]

Smoking isn't problem free either. Have you ever had a cigarette stick to your lips long enough to cause your fingers to slide out to the fire and then turn loose, leaving you holding it by the hot coals? In the car, with no convenient place to pull over? Of course it's now in your lap, but you have to keep your eyes on the road, so you make a blind grab for it, and lucky you, you've picked it up by the coals again! Now it's in the floor in front of the seat, so you start stomping the floor like someone having a fit, cussin' like a sailor, and wondering if you're ever in this life time going to find a place to pull over. Great fun. How about burnt holes in clothing? Ever hit a stem and have about an inch of burning coals that you're trying to smoke?

Ok, I'll admit, things like that don't happen very often, and I do understand about the every day hassles of vaping. Thankfully, we are starting to get more and better choices imo. Vape on.

 

[Str8V8ping]

Smoking isn't problem free either. Have you ever had a cigarette stick to your lips long enough to cause your fingers to slide out to the fire and then turn loose, leaving you holding it by the hot coals? In the car, with no convenient place to pull over? Of course it's now in your lap, but you have to keep your eyes on the road, so you make a blind grab for it, and lucky you, you've picked it up by the coals again! Now it's in the floor in front of the seat, so you start stomping the floor like someone having a fit, cussin' like a sailor, and wondering if you're ever in this life time going to find a place to pull over. Great fun. How about burnt holes in clothing? Ever hit a stem and have about an inch of burning coals that you're trying to smoke?

Ok, I'll admit, things like that don't happen very often, and I do understand about the every day hassles of vaping. Thankfully, we are starting to get more and better choices imo. Vape on.

looooolll .Iv done that so many times ,maybe once a month lol. Nothing worse than a hot cherry stuck in between your fingers . Done it in the car as well and yes i was stomping the floor like a madman .

One of the worst habits with smoking analogs was always having a cig in my hand while i was working . Not only would it get in the way of using my hands to work but also always got smoke in my eye which also burns and sucks . Even though i knew it effected my work i still always did it by habit . Getting ashes all over everything is up there too . Cant forget to leave out the burning and yellowing fingernails

 

[pianoguy]

Smoking isn't problem free either. Have you ever had a cigarette stick to your lips long enough to cause your fingers to slide out to the fire and then turn loose, leaving you holding it by the hot coals? In the car, with no convenient place to pull over? Of course it's now in your lap, but you have to keep your eyes on the road, so you make a blind grab for it, and lucky you, you've picked it up by the coals again! Now it's in the floor in front of the seat, so you start stomping the floor like someone having a fit, cussin' like a sailor, and wondering if you're ever in this life time going to find a place to pull over. Great fun. How about burnt holes in clothing? Ever hit a stem and have about an inch of burning coals that you're trying to smoke?

Ok, I'll admit, things like that don't happen very often, and I do understand about the every day hassles of vaping. Thankfully, we are starting to get more and better choices imo. Vape on.

LMAO! Good times ;-)

 

[Philx123]

Thanks for the input, I'll check out the products you mention. And I don't plan on going back to analogues. It's just I wished there was some consolidation within the industry. I'd even be happy paying a bit more in tax, say, for something which was consistent. I've used Boge cartomisers, and while they taste great, I find they start to clog up after a day or so, and become pretty useless. Maybe it's the liquid I vape - LF cigar VG. I seem to remember reading somewhere that VG is worse for leaving residue on the coil. I also really liked the smoketech dual coils, but I had some batteries go bad after a week or so using the dual coils (Riva 501s), and I wondered whether the extra drain was wrecking them, and so moved back to Boges.

Here's another question, though - are there any atomisers out there which come close to a cartomiser in warmth and flavour? I got some tank like carts which seemed promising, though I only had a couple of old atomisers which came with my original 501 kit, and they tasted pretty weak, which is why I moved onto cartos, but combined with the little tank carts, I wonder if they might be the solution to my problems.

 

[wdave]

I've been vaping for six months now, and have tried atomisers, tanks, cartomisers, dripping, all on a 510. I like the 510, and have, on the whole, enjoyed vaping, but I'm starting to get a bit frustrated with it.
It all seems so hit and miss, and so much trouble. I've wasted a lot of money on cartos and atomisers which have been difficult to fill, wasteful of juice, not very reliable, and not very long lasting. I've bought batteries that have flunked after a week or so, chargers which have burnt out. I bought a mini with two batteries which lasted about ten minutes. I had the batteries replaced, and still they lasted about ten minutes. I'm sick of juice in my mouth and juice on my hands.
Surely there must be something which is affordable and reliable and doesn't need all this home workshop messing.
God knows how much money I've spent - near £20 a week on liquid and cartos, not to mention all the other stuff.
It seems like the industry, piecemeal as I know it is, lacks any kind of real quality control or consistency.
I know there will be plenty of people who've found their sweet spot, and love their products, but for the surely there must be something which is reliable and gives a decent taste and is affordable and doesn't require modding and messing and fiddling. Disposables, maybe?
I know this sounds like one big gripe, but I just want wondered if there are folks out there who are reaching the conclusion that this is not as affordable as they first thought it would be, and a lot messier, and are frustrated that there isn't really anything out there which is, well, as consistent as smoking analogues.
I don't know - maybe I should just quit.

Sorry, just frustrated, I suppose, that after six months, I've still not found what I'm looking for.

The quality standard that IMHO has still not been surpassed is the JOYE 510 with extended life battery. And it has been this way for close to two years. I use JOYE 510 cartos because they are entirely plastic and convenient. I get no DOA's and long lasting trouble-free batteries. I experience consistent, repeatable vapes with more than enough throat hit when vaping 36 mg juice.

HTH,
Dave

 

[BiancaMontgomery]

Bottom feeders solved my vaping issues. I love them and don't know how I got along through 1.5 years of vaping without them. I use a standard Hog and a varable voltage Hog and I love them both...but use the VV more often (with 3ohm Boge cartos more than attys, though it works great with either). When I'm not using my Hogs, I use carto tanks. Between the feeders and the tanks, I am pretty much hassle free vaping. Of course, what works for one, may not work for another. I hope you can find your vaping bliss. Best wishes!

 

[BlackBirdCD]

Like you I went with the Joye 510 line when I returned to e-cigs 2 months ago. I previously had the 510, but that was before cartomizers, tanks, and many other nifty improvements were made.

Like you, I found the 510 system to be a bit too fiddly. While fun at first, I got annoyed at dealing with cartridge refills, modifying cartridges to hold more liquid, etc. Loved 510 tanks, the first week. Then they sort of gummed up and burned out which was frustrating. I consider myself reasonably competent with learning how to maintain these things, but it was just taking too much time and effort.

Upgraded to a standard eGo system, via altsmoke.com - no tanks, just the stanless steel starter set with two batteries, atomizers, etc. And more importantly, a drip-tip. First time trying to drip liquid right onto an atomizer. A week later they offered the new Dual Mega eGo Cartomizers, which I tried in spite of having only mediocre success with 510 cartomizers.

Immediately I saw improvements in my daily vaping:
1. Fewer battery changes. I'm not a heavy vaper, but with the bigger eGO batteries I only have to swap them for a recharge once a day. And they're not even the extended batteries.
2. Given up on cartridges. Cartridges are still a hassle. I tried them on the first day (the eGo uses the same 510 atomizer and cart setup), then switched to dripping. Took a few days to figure out how much you can drip before flooding, but once you're on a roll it's much more satisfying (no burning taste unless you run it dry).
3. The new cartomizers aren't bad at all. If anything, they provide almost too much vapor. I've taken some mighty tokes before realizing how much I was getting. And they hold a lot of liquid. Downfall with them is they eventually die and need to be replaced (but they're cheap).

So now I'm using the Cartomizers for driving, and for when I don't want to bother dripping. All other times I drip and have few issues (other than having to keep a liquid bottle nearby). I must say, this has been a positive experience overall. I haven't touched my 510 setup in over two weeks.

 

[wdave]

Like you I went with the Joye 510 line when I returned to e-cigs 2 months ago. I previously had the 510, but that was before cartomizers, tanks, and many other nifty improvements were made.

Like you, I found the 510 system to be a bit too fiddly. While fun at first, I got annoyed at dealing with cartridge refills, modifying cartridges to hold more liquid, etc. Loved 510 tanks, the first week. Then they sort of gummed up and burned out which was frustrating. I consider myself reasonably competent with learning how to maintain these things, but it was just taking too much time and effort.

Upgraded to a standard eGo system, via altsmoke.com - no tanks, just the stanless steel starter set with two batteries, atomizers, etc. And more importantly, a drip-tip. First time trying to drip liquid right onto an atomizer. A week later they offered the new Dual Mega eGo Cartomizers, which I tried in spite of having only mediocre success with 510 cartomizers.

Immediately I saw improvements in my daily vaping:
1. Fewer battery changes. I'm not a heavy vaper, but with the bigger eGO batteries I only have to swap them for a recharge once a day. And they're not even the extended batteries.
2. Given up on cartridges. Cartridges are still a hassle. I tried them on the first day (the eGo uses the same 510 atomizer and cart setup), then switched to dripping. Took a few days to figure out how much you can drip before flooding, but once you're on a roll it's much more satisfying (no burning taste unless you run it dry).
3. The new cartomizers aren't bad at all. If anything, they provide almost too much vapor. I've taken some mighty tokes before realizing how much I was getting. And they hold a lot of liquid. Downfall with them is they eventually die and need to be replaced (but they're cheap).

So now I'm using the Cartomizers for driving, and for when I don't want to bother dripping. All other times I drip and have few issues (other than having to keep a liquid bottle nearby). I must say, this has been a positive experience overall. I haven't touched my 510 setup in over two weeks.

Simple is generally more reliable. I'm sorry to hear you have made vaping so complicated. It is really not necessary.

 

[BlackBirdCD]

Did it by choice really. I wanted to tinker a bit and see what I could do. Agreed that simpler is better.

I was driven by the frustration of smoking dry cartridges and burning atomizers. Problem solved now.

The bigger issue is around information. Even though I've used e-cigs in the past, and knew where to get the better components (versus the shopping mall stuff), I didn't see the potential of going with a better line (eGo). And I did dive into the ECF to check out things before proceeding. My initial impression was that anything above the base 510/Yeti models were devices favored by hardcore vaping enthusiasts, and perhaps I didn't need that much power. No regrets over my own expenditure and exploration, in the end I'm still not smoking analogs and am having a great time with new gadgets.

 

[BlackBirdCD]

And to be clear, the only thing I modified was a standard 510 cartridge (5 of them) - shortened the polyfill so it became a bit of a tank when mated to a standard atomizer. The failures I experienced were design or manufacturing defects that had more to do with the atomizers going bad, the cartridges constantly running dry (even stock carts), tank atomizers that stopped up after 1 week of standard use, or cartomizers that didn't wick properly. Battery changes I can handle (4 batteries in rotation), but everything was from stock product lists from a variety of vendors.

Although I was told one set was "Joyetech" and not "Joye", and the impression I got was that Joyetech is a less reliable knock-off. Don't know if I believe that or not, and I'm not damning the whole 510 framework based on my experience. I didn't see that there was a better line available, a better version of the 510, and once I found that I moved to it.