Sold on TC! What to Buy???

[MikeB]

Thanks to some very helpful posters, I'm now sold on temperature control. I want to see what this is all about first hand. Trouble is, what to buy? I've spent nearly all day today and yesterday reading threads (waiting to move offices at work... nothing to do). The options are dizzying.

Here's what I'm looking for, in order (and I realize there are trade offs and no one device may meet all these):

1 - Does the job. Top knotch TC. If I'm going to see what TC is all about, I might as well try it done right.

2 - Removable batteries, so I can throw in a fresh one (or more) and keep vaping. I don't like the idea of waiting for my device to charge.

3 - Will fit in a pocket.

4 - Built like a tank. Durable. Reliable. I don't want or need anything that is finicky or can't handle a short fall. Stuff happens.

5 - Stylish. Sleekly modern, or gentlemanly. I know, I know. But I have a professional job and have to think about such things, and my wife has to been seen with me in public.

6 - Quality company that supports their products.

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Less important:
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7 - Good battery life. Say 4 hours of normal use on one set of batteries. The more the better.

8 - The smaller the better, but really as long as it fits in a pocket I'm good. I'd rather it not look like I'm packing a grenade though.

The only thing that's not really important is price. That's not to say I'm rich, or I don't care. The cheaper the better, but vaping has saved me almost $2,000 to date over cigarettes, and yes that is taking out the total costs of vaping from day one. Even if the device is expensive, I'm still saving.

Thanks!
(Back to reading threads...)

 

[OhTheAgony]

How many watts do you need?

Your point nr. 6 pretty much eliminates all affordable China mods, is that still important if the price is low enough?

I was thinking the Cuboid or VTwo as great entry level mods with decent TC and all the options you'll need, but they only come with a short warranty period and if anything happens after that you're on your own. These are in the 40 dollar range I believe.

If you want a solid product with a good warranty anything with a DNA board (warrantied by Evolve for a full year if the manufacturer fails you) or Dicodes products are the first that come to mind.

But unless you hunt for a good deal you're in the 150 to 300 range with these last two. They do meet all your requirements though.

 

[MikeB]

How many watts do you need?

Your point nr. 6 pretty much eliminates all affordable China mods, is that still important if the price is low enough?

I was thinking the Cuboid or VTwo as great entry level mods with decent TC and all the options you'll need, but they only come with a short warranty period and if anything happens after that you're on your own. These are in the 40 dollar range I believe.

If you want a solid product with a good warranty anything with a DNA board (warrantied by Evolve for a full year if the manufacturer fails you) or Dicodes products are the first that come to mind.

But unless you hunt for a good deal you're in the 150 to 300 range with these last two. They do meet all your requirements though.

I honestly have no idea how many watts I need. I got stuck two years ago happily vaping on VV. I skipped over all the innovations that followed. Now I'm interested in all the new stuff, but I'm still currently vaping at 9-10 watts. I'm not sure where I'll land. Isn't TC about the temp of the coil though, and not wattage, per say? I just need enough to hit temp, right?

No, if the price is low enough, point 6 is moot. If we are talking $40, it'd be easy enough just to buy a new one. But at that price, do they function cheap? Are they prone to failure? Look and feel like a toy?

I was looking at the DNA stuff, but there's so many... It's hard to figure out which to really look into, given what I'm looking for above.

 

[OhTheAgony]

No, if the price is low enough, point 6 is moot. If we are talking $40, it'd be easy enough just to buy a new one. But at that price, do they function cheap? Are they prone to failure? Look and feel like a toy?

No, no, and no.

Truth to be told though, I hardly use my Cuboid mini anymore now that I own two DNA devices...

Not that the Joyetech is bad, the others are just smoother, and nicer to use because you can personalize every setting.

Looks are always so personal, but if you tell us what wattage you need I can at least try to recommend you a few to look in to

 

[GeorgeS]

The Cuboid or the eLeaf TC100 are both good dual battery starter level TC devices. The VTC-Mini-Two is a great little single battery device. All the above are very popular devices here on ECF.

Single or dual battery really boils down to battery life and what kind of builds your trying to power. Higher mass builds require more power to reach temperature in a reasonable amount of time. More power equates to less battery life.

Some might even say the more "cloud" the more battery use. Surely some of us "toodle puffers" rarely use more than 15-30W in TC mode for our little low mass builds.

 

[MikeB]

Well, I've never been a "cloud chaser". Actually, once I found something that worked and everyone started chasing power for bigger clouds, that was about when I lost interest and slowly stopped reading as much. I really doubt I'll need 75 watts, or 150 watts, or whatever.

 

[louiesquared]

HCIGAR VT75 Nano hits all of your requirements and I think it's one of the best looking DNA75 mods. They can be had for $90-$100 online.

 

[MikeB]

I'm not really looking for something entry level either, not that there's anything wrong with that, but my mentality has always been to try to figure out where I'll end up and buy that, skipping the upgrade process. Basically "buy what I'll need, and buy once", so much as is possible.

Of course... if an entry level device is all I'll ever need, all the better.

 

[godfatherI]

Vapedroid c1d2 seems like a good option. Buy from vapinart. Their CS is top notch.


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[Eskie]

Lost Vape Therion. Right now a DNA 75 with 2 batteries and a very nice design which would fit your desire for something looking "presentable". If you wait a bit, they are coming out with a DNA 133 version of the Therion, same size and form factor, more power available if you ever need it, still with only 2 batteries. If you want a DNA 200, the "bigger" brother, look at the Triade. Three batteries, and again, a nicely finished box. Both with leather backing and a sleek look.

There's also a Vapershark Vapor Flask 133 that's a very slick looking box as well.

 

[sawlight]

Lost vape Therion, Lost Vape Therion Dual 18650 DNA 75 Box Mod (I really want one but I'm too cheap!)
Ticks all the boxes, DNA board is the best of the best for TC. Escribe to update and modify the firmware.
Looks just great!
Evolv and Lost vape seem to stand behind their gear.
Lots of run time with two removable 18650's, with the ability of onboard charging,
Did I mention it looks great?
On the low end, the Eleaf Istick Pico, looks good, swappable 18650, I easily get a day runtime from one battery. Looks decent, surprisingly rugged, I've dropped mine on concrete and gravel with no issues.
Upgradable firmware as well as a very good onboard charging system.
For around $30, in lots of colors, from lots of places.

 

[GeorgeS]

Well, I've never been a "cloud chaser". Actually, once I found something that worked and everyone started chasing power for bigger clouds, that was about when I lost interest and slowly stopped reading as much. I really doubt I'll need 75 watts, or 150 watts, or whatever.

I have a number of 100, 150 and 200W mods that rarely get used as high as 30W! The thing is if you want more battery life, you need more batteries. The unneeded extra wattage is just part of the deal.

 

[Dshobe]

I'll chime in and suggest a Lavabox DNA 75 m. Great little mod that is easy to pocket. I was a little worried about the battery life with a single 18650, but I get around 4-5 hours vaping pretty steadily. It's not too tough to carry an extra battery. I think it looks very classy. I carry mine at work too.

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[AtmizrOpin]

Sigelei 213!!!!!! best temp control on the market............J/K.

seriously consider an Evolv product. if you're quick, www.ecig.com has crazy deals on mods that contain Evolv DNA 75 - 200/133 boards. they're always sold out when i check but if you're vigilant i'm sure you could snag a Hotcig DX200 or SMY SDNA 75 for cheap. that's pretty much all i vape anymore, DNA devices.

 

[MikeB]

Tons of great suggestions!!!

I've been checking these out, and the Lost Vape Therion looks really nice and looks like solid construction. The Hcigar VT75 looks very nice as well (and comfortable looking), as do the eleaf options. Truthfully, there's not a bad suggestion in the bunch.

From just a quick look into all of these, I'm leaning toward the LV Therion. It has dual batteries in roughly the same size as the Hcigar, which should mean more battery life. Of course more weight as well, but none of the reviewers have complained about the weight on any of these. The Therion also just looks quite nice, not that any of the others are ugly by any means. I do wander how the leather and stuff will hold up over the long haul though.

Anyone have any reason to steer me away from the LV Therion? Used one and didn't like it?

 

[MikeB]

Correction:
The LV Therion uses dual 18650 batteries, but the Hcigar VTZ uses a single 26650. So would battery life be comparable?

Also there's the Hcigar VT75 Nano, which uses a single 18650. It's much smaller than its big brother.

I usually carry a spare battery, and a single 26650 or 18650 would be easier to pocket as a spare vs carrying two. That seems like an attractive option.

Dshobe said above he gets 4-5 hours on a single 18650. Does that equate to 8-10 hours on the LV Therion with its dual 18650s? How long would a 2650 last?

 

[Ed_C]

I don't own the Hcigar, but if you read the posts you'll see a lot of complaints about bad threads on the battery compartment.

 

[ericbnc]

I would consider trying the Innokin Cool fire 18650. That mod looks nice, is inexpensive, and does a very nice job with TC. If you like TC after trying it for a bit you will have a TC mod for backup.

Mods with the Yihi chip are very nice for TC, as are mods from Dicodes. Some prefer them over evolve's DNA line too.

 

[OhTheAgony]

Some things you should know about the mods you're looking at:

-Swapping batteries without tearing the wrap is difficult in the Therion. People tend to charge them in the mod because of this.

-The Hcigar VT75 doesn't work all that well at higher wattages on a 26650, simply because those batteries haven't been all that developed (yet?).

-The Hcigar Nano has some problems with the threading of the battery door, people tend to charge in the mod because of that on that one too.

I'm afraid there is no perfect mod

Have you had a look at the SMY SDNA75 already? Very classy in black or silver imo. Here's mine (on the right):

...I still want a Therion too though...

 

[TheotherSteveS]

Dicodes...nuff said except 'not cheap'