[First post!]
I think the choice of equipment is dependent on how much you [intend to] smoke, what you're comfortable holding and what quantity of vapor you need.
I've been at this 4 days with a m402 and KR808D-1, coming off about half a pack of Winston Lights a day - down from the same in Winston Reds as of 6 months ago - and with bupropion in the loop now and for most of the past 4 years, which affects things. If you're smoking all of
one cigarette a day, I figure your needs might be different from those trying to kick 3 packs of unfiltered...
In my experience thus far:
m402
The m402 is a perfect replica of a cigarette, size-wise; feels good in the hand, although slightly heavy to lip-dangle; build quality also feels nice - threads fit smoothly, threaded USB charger feels secure. Draw with the 4-hole atomizer is just a little harder than a cigarette, I got used to it immediately but YMMV.
Vapor density (though I have no idea how 'broken-in' my atomizer is) seems similar to a strong light cigarette, or maybe Marlb Medium territory. The temperature and mouth-feel is pretty darn close, considering - I was afraid ecigs would be like cold, 'wet' fog-machine smoke. Flavor is.. 'light' IMHO - I barely taste most of the Dekang liquids I'm using, but my tongue might still be recovering. (I never much liked menthols, but out of my order, Spearmint and Apple seem to get through the best in here, while I can taste a hint of Virginia and "Winstown" on the finish but not so much on the inhale.)
I'm going through about 3 10-drop cartridges in a workday (outdoors only) and another 2 when I get home - though some of that is the novelty, and I'm hoping that wears off and I get back to only using it on the porch soon. Probably 4-6 battery swaps in a day right now. Carts are pretty easy to fill if you have the right tool: A jumbo paperclip, unbent like so:
...so the outer bit lets you push the cartridge 'cup' up and push the filler aside to fill it (drops flow along the clip if you hold it in), and the inner loop becomes a perfect-sized tamper to push the cup back down with, without pushing any meniscus of liquid out of it (no problems with liquid in my mouth from these carts!).
If you have a 'feel' for stuff like this it's easy. If delicate work isn't your thing it might be annoying. Thus far the worst annoyance is that the filler has occasionally come out stuck to the atomizer (polyfill fluff can hook to the steel-wool-type wick; it doesn't melt on or anything) when I'm showing people how it works - then it invariably falls to the floor and I've got to wash and rinse.
KR808D-1
I thought I was probably going to prefer the KR808D-1, but I'm only just warming up to using it. The 'cartomizers' and cap-fill method look convenient, but that leaves liquid all over everything - not bad, since it slides right off the plastic, but I was surprised to have -zero- mess with the m40x-style carts - the thickness is more 'small cigar'-like, the cartomizers are colored with tape that makes them a hair thicker than the battery (feels a little icky somehow, but I can be neurotic about that sort of thing)... and the manual batteries with mine make it feel more 'crack pipey' when I happen to be having so much luck with the m402 autos. I was also getting neurotic about the cartos not seeming to screw down perfectly straight, but then discovered it helps to push them together with some force - and the trace of liquid that's got on the threads probably helps, too.
Still, I'm home today and been giving it a shot. Pluses are that the batteries seem to last for 2 hours of steady 'chain' use (see again re: novelty), and the cartomizers would appear to run hotter than the m402 and liberate more flavor with a stronger throat hit - but I'm undecided if that's 'nice' or too overkill and cigar-like. The cartos sop up enough liquid to last that long, but don't seem quite as efficient with it as the m40x - which might explain the stronger flavor, of course.
I can see how I might want it on a road trip, or if I'm feeling like something 'cigar-ish' (still on the light end - thinking Swisher or Djarum, not a fat cuban here)... but for me it feels a bit overkill for daily use [while I gather it's on the 'light' end for other folks].
...
So if you're feeling pretty good about smoking 1 cig a day, I wouldn't rule out the 'minis', at least as part of the toolkit. The difference between 8.5mm and 9.2mm (or funny-shaped mouthpieces) is probably noticeable, though whether that would really bother you is your call.
FWIW, I took the m402 because I'm a short dude and feel stupid with something too long in my fingers; the longer m401 battery probably is a huge advantage. The Sidesho looks similar with the advantage of a higher-capacity cartridge (not sure if that applies to the Volcano and Jette 108 generally), and I've just ordered one for my mother [pack a day menthol ultralights there], but I'm not sure how much that matters to you - a m402 cart seems to be lasting me something like two-and-a-half smoke breaks.
... and if you're anxious
because you're dying for a smoke, you might want to see if you can tolerate bupropion. I was handrolling/tube-stuffing when I started with it and... I was never really ready to quit, but it took me from feeling chained to my desk (where my rolling stuff was)/wanting to claw at the walls if I couldn't smoke to just being 'oh well, I can wait' about it. Supposedly smoking alleviates anxiety in the short term and potentiates it long-term, so I'm waiting to see if I notice anything from switching over to 'just nicotine.'
...
On liquid strengths: I purchased mostly 16mg Dekang [most of the unbranded stuff seems to be Dekang based on the flavors and 'YNDK' on the cap], and might've noticed a bit of 'something' that first day, but mostly just a 'satisfying enough' feeling after the second - this switching from Winston Lights, but I was only doing the lights because I was starting to notice the tar killing me in the Reds. I got a few flavors in 11mg and barely notice a difference - though I did go for the lower on the tobacco flavors and higher on the novelty flavors to psych myself out, maybe that's working.
Winston is still additive-free as far as I know (that might also go for Salem), so the transition from a more adulterated smoke might call for something stronger. [Hint re: additives: do your cigs smell like ammonia? My father used to smoke Trues, those were practically made out of it, all to make the nicotine hit faster...]
I've got some 24mg on order, and wish I'd tossed some in to start, for what that's worth, so getting the spectrum is definitely a plan. I'm thinking 11 is my minimum to feel at all satisfied, but I'm a sample of one...
Wow, that became a novel - but I'm a nerd for tobacco, let alone this stuff.
Hope you have as much luck as I'm having!
