taking a new vaper to a b&m tmrw

[erictho]

hey guys.
i had a friend ask me to take her to a vape shop tomorrow to her set up with something thrifty. at first i thought of suggesting the istick but after seeing the issues on reddit and multiple vape forums i can't in good conscience recommend it to her. the b&m i'm taking her to has most of the trendy devices, but i am a vape dinosaur and i'm behind current trends.
she is a nonsmoker and is looking for something to tinker with. it's not like she needs something super fancy to keep her off smokes, but something reliable and easy would be best.
what would you guys suggest checking out, both device and atomizer? i'm pretty sure i don't want to take her down the high wattage low ohm road.

thanks!

 

[Shigura]

Well you still have the mini istick or the 20w, 30w versions to possibly look towards. Its the 50w versions that are turning into hand grenades (only a small portion mind you). Also maybe a nautilus or nautilus mini for an atty and right there you have a trusty setup they could use. Suppose you could toss in some MVP types as well but they tend to be more but are quite true to the cause.

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

Take her to look but just go ahead and order this for her tonight in her favorite color. This is as cheap as I have seen the
full starter kit. It even comes with 5 extra coils.

Yes, the link is mislabled, not me though.

Unisex Heated Rider Sports Vest-Black | Blazewear USA

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

[hurricanegirl100]

A Vison Spinner and some sorda BCC tank - Kanger, Smoktech.

A lot of new vapers don't care for the size and weight of box mods - and I agree, it's too early to be taking her down the sub-ohm trail.

 

[ScandaLeX]

she is a nonsmoker and is looking for something to tinker with.

thanks!

May I ask exactly why does she want to tinker.....being a non smoker 'n all?

 

[petrotech]

istick mini and an aerotank or nautilus.

 

[Rocketpunk]

I have two iSticks and I've had zero issues. And I've seen a ton fly off shelves. Not sure to what you're referring, but the iStick is a nice bump up from an eGo.

 

[sucram]

Never understood the hobbiest vaper...

 

[CallmeRage]

Id say an ego type, guarentee they would want to upgrade within a month after they bought that. All of my exsmoker/current vaping friends upgraded within a couple of weeks when they first started

 

[erictho]

May I ask exactly why does she want to tinker.....being a non smoker 'n all?

same reason any of us started smoking, i guess. she sometimes bums smokes and would like something to do while being idle. plus all the vape stuff these days looks really cute and cool. each non smoking vaper is a potential smoker as far as i see it.

 

[erictho]

Never understood the hobbiest vaper...

i dont see why not. i see more accessories and fancy atomizers now than i ever have before. the rebuilding aspect has attracted many of my friends that are in a trade. instead of kiosks competent b&m's are local throughout the province. it also tastes delicious. the rise in the hobbiest vaper community makes total sense to me.

 

[erictho]

I have two iSticks and I've had zero issues. And I've seen a ton fly off shelves. Not sure to what you're referring, but the iStick is a nice bump up from an eGo.

I'm glad you haven't had any issues. the istick looks really slick for a cheap device but i kept hearing about the zombie firing when it is off. some forums suggest you slap it until it stops or disassemble it altogether to remedy the issue. i dont wanna guess what the dual 18650 has waiting for complications. for these reasons i became pretty uninterested in the device.

 

[erictho]

it is nice to see ego types are still recommended as starter vaping setups. i tolerated a pair for the first 8 months of my vaping adventure. it's not perfect but i think it will tie her over. we will see if she goes for it.

 

[Belhade]

The EVOD kits are a great basic vaping setup. I used EVOD tanks on my Egos for a few years (rebuilding the atomizers) before I moved on to bigger things.

 

[Troy Noh]

I would go with the istick 20, and a nautalis mini, and a bottle of juice just to get her started

 

[sucram]

Yea differnt story if she social smokes. If someone never smoked and takes up vaping as a pure hobby there would be about 100 other hobbies that would be more fulfilling, fun, cheaper, healthier etc etc.

maybe istick 20w or 10w, those look tiny! a social smoker could get away with just a dripper, especially if she has a handbag to carry bottles

 

[Bunnykiller]

take em to the vape shop for a touchy feely session of the products... then go to Fasttech and order it

 

[coolerat]

Soooooooooooooooooooooo many choices......................

iSticks are great little units. I have a couple which I rarely use anymore but they were good to me at one point. I know many who use them, 20-30-50, and ZERO trouble from any. Still my number one recommendation for new folks in the real world. Alls fair on the innerweb so take it for what its worth.

I vote skip all the older stuff like Ego's and Protanks and crap like that. When I started thats what I used and frankly that stuff sucks. It worked well enough to quit smoking but not to enjoy vaping. One way to put it is its ok if your running away from something but no good for heading towards something. If your not being chased by death like a heavy smoker I can't see that stuff holding anyones interest.

The Nautilus is still a good tank. I still maintain a fleet of them for others. As they have almost zero airflow I can't use them anymore personally. When I fix other peoples I give them back tested and I swear its like holding your hand over a vacuum hose. And they are moody. They work well when they work but when they don't, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Coils are cheap and sold EVERYWHERE so thats a huge point.

Size of mod is an odd thing. When I got an iStick 30 I thought it was HUGE and as big and heavy as I was willing to go. Next thing its in my hand every second. Then I got and IPV Mini2 and thought waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to heavy to use. Soon it was my new normal. When I got the IPV4 I thought holy crap I can't use that huge thing. Now my hand doesn't feel right. I fear my next mods size.

Drippers are for some people. Some people hate them. Personally I think some of them look great on some of my mechs but don't like them for use.

RTA's are where I think its at these days. They are cheap and stupid easy to build. At least some are so watch that first one to avoid a bad first impression. I helped my best friend get off smokes a few months ago with a Nautilus. All he would ever need he said. OK fine, its your journey. Last night he was over having Nautilus trouble and while I'm fixing his he's taking huge whacks off my Orchid on the IPV. After abit he askes how hard are these to build. I had an Orchid torn down and showed him and it seemed hard to him.***light bulb***, the Taifun. Hits much harder then a Nautilus but still mild. "How do you build that?" The Taifun takes about 3 minutes to build so he's got to Taifuns on the way. And maybe an SX Mini.

I think some people have to work there way up the ladder and some start higher up and grow into it. I worked my way up and its expensive.

I don't even consider myself a smoker anymore. I'm a vaper. Now yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery so who who's what I'll do in the future with either my smoking or my drinking. But just for today I am a non-smoker and a happy vaper. Don't get something that dupilcates smoking. Get something that is VAPING.

 

[kaahn]

Ask the shop attendants for assistance. If they start pushing more than what you are looking for...ie subohm kits...leave and goto another shop. I found in the beginning the shop I visited was very helpful and informative. I have also visited a shop in my area that was trying to up sell me stuff I wasn't looking for. Good luck!

 

[ScandaLeX]

Well, my recommendation- since you're taking her to the shop let her pick out what she may like since she's the one that'll be using it but don't let her leave without having whatever device she gets explained to her since some vape shop employees tend to think that extra step in educating is not necessary.

I personally would stay away from the iStick 50W. I do a LOT of reading here & other places & that particular device has issues with auto firing & catching on fire.
(for anyone who wants to argue that point just search- there are plenty of pics out there to see).