After a night of insomnia and reading TONS of new members' threads of confusions on where to start out when they're overwhelmed by the options out there I wrote out a list of phases we all seem to go through that just may save a lot of you with questions a lot of time and money on where to start out with hardware. After posting this I continued going through thread after thread that I could easily copy/paste the same message into so I just decided to start a new thread.
Here's a copy/paste of that post:
_______________________________________________
___________________________________
Now I don't claim to be an expert at anything, I just want to give a no-nonsense bit of guidance to someone overwhelmed with the options out there. Everyone has their favorite PV they're going to sell you on but few will say the Riva/eGo is garbage especially at a price that beats many low end kits. Just make sure to click the 20% off at LF before you add items to your cart. Then you'll just need juice and Madvapes' TopVapor is a good place to start there as the prices beat many others to keep your experimentation phase costs to a minimum.
If many of the other experienced vapors agree with this maybe we could go the sticky route?
Good luck and welcome to vaping!
Here's a copy/paste of that post:
_______________________________________________
Welcome to vaping!
You'll probably notice after you've read enough threads that the progression usually looks something like this:
1. "I started with a blu/volcano/ripoff mall kiosk trap" >
2. "didn't do it for me so I upgraded to a 510." Some stop here but most move on. >
3. "after a couple weeks the 510 felt lacking TH, battery life, flavor, etc. So I upgraded to a Riva/eGo." This seems to be the sweet spot many settle into and remain. Likely the closest you're going to get to an analog and remain convenient as a 2-3 piece unit and has the option of LR attys for a little extra kick. Then there are others...>
4. "realized I wanted to blow huge plumes of vapor into my pet's face and wanted something handy to blind security cameras and expose laser trip wires at the bank/museum/secret government agency I intend to infiltrate. I love my big battery mod!" These are the guys with lights in their pcs and superchargers on their electric razors. If you're in this category you're not reading this in the first place, you're busy soldering a car battery to a 510 battery connector and figuring out how to mount it to your beer can helmet filled with 100% VG.
The point is.. most seem to stop at the Riva/eGo phase and are perfectly content. Problem is when a Riva can be had for $30 with two batteries, two atomizers and the charger but phase 1 and 2 are usually $50+ I always push people to START there if I can get word to them before making their initial purchase. I've never seen anyone complain the Riva is too big, especially when it's really only slightly bigger than a 510, still much smaller than a pack of smokes, but has 3-4x the battery capacity and gives you the LR atty option. Also keep in mind the Riva hits identical to the 510 on regular 510 attys, it just lasts a hell of a lot longer. I say "Riva" over "eGo" as it's half the price with a slightly higher capacity battery. I just wish someone had filled me in on this specific info before I went through phase 1 and 2 myself but buying for 2 people so spending over $300. Actually I went through phase 1 twice cause I ordered a blu but couldn't wait when it took a month to show up and ordered 2 Volcanos, so I'm actually over $400.
Rereading what I've typed here I should just copy/paste this into a new newbie thread and push to have it stickied. Noone wants to say your starter pack sucks cause I've met nothing but the coolest bunch of people in the world here on the ECF and they're all proud that you've learned to smoke correctly and want you in the community. Mom's not exactly going to tell you your macaroni and Elmer's glue picture looks like ..., she's just happy you're not eating the glue anymore.
TLDR= If you're considering putting more $$ into extra batteries and attys but aren't sure of the 510's performance, the Riva is a no-brainer @ $30 for two more batteries and 2 more attys + another charger.
You'll probably notice after you've read enough threads that the progression usually looks something like this:
1. "I started with a blu/volcano/ripoff mall kiosk trap" >
2. "didn't do it for me so I upgraded to a 510." Some stop here but most move on. >
3. "after a couple weeks the 510 felt lacking TH, battery life, flavor, etc. So I upgraded to a Riva/eGo." This seems to be the sweet spot many settle into and remain. Likely the closest you're going to get to an analog and remain convenient as a 2-3 piece unit and has the option of LR attys for a little extra kick. Then there are others...>
4. "realized I wanted to blow huge plumes of vapor into my pet's face and wanted something handy to blind security cameras and expose laser trip wires at the bank/museum/secret government agency I intend to infiltrate. I love my big battery mod!" These are the guys with lights in their pcs and superchargers on their electric razors. If you're in this category you're not reading this in the first place, you're busy soldering a car battery to a 510 battery connector and figuring out how to mount it to your beer can helmet filled with 100% VG.
The point is.. most seem to stop at the Riva/eGo phase and are perfectly content. Problem is when a Riva can be had for $30 with two batteries, two atomizers and the charger but phase 1 and 2 are usually $50+ I always push people to START there if I can get word to them before making their initial purchase. I've never seen anyone complain the Riva is too big, especially when it's really only slightly bigger than a 510, still much smaller than a pack of smokes, but has 3-4x the battery capacity and gives you the LR atty option. Also keep in mind the Riva hits identical to the 510 on regular 510 attys, it just lasts a hell of a lot longer. I say "Riva" over "eGo" as it's half the price with a slightly higher capacity battery. I just wish someone had filled me in on this specific info before I went through phase 1 and 2 myself but buying for 2 people so spending over $300. Actually I went through phase 1 twice cause I ordered a blu but couldn't wait when it took a month to show up and ordered 2 Volcanos, so I'm actually over $400.
Rereading what I've typed here I should just copy/paste this into a new newbie thread and push to have it stickied. Noone wants to say your starter pack sucks cause I've met nothing but the coolest bunch of people in the world here on the ECF and they're all proud that you've learned to smoke correctly and want you in the community. Mom's not exactly going to tell you your macaroni and Elmer's glue picture looks like ..., she's just happy you're not eating the glue anymore.
TLDR= If you're considering putting more $$ into extra batteries and attys but aren't sure of the 510's performance, the Riva is a no-brainer @ $30 for two more batteries and 2 more attys + another charger.
___________________________________
Now I don't claim to be an expert at anything, I just want to give a no-nonsense bit of guidance to someone overwhelmed with the options out there. Everyone has their favorite PV they're going to sell you on but few will say the Riva/eGo is garbage especially at a price that beats many low end kits. Just make sure to click the 20% off at LF before you add items to your cart. Then you'll just need juice and Madvapes' TopVapor is a good place to start there as the prices beat many others to keep your experimentation phase costs to a minimum.
If many of the other experienced vapors agree with this maybe we could go the sticky route?
Good luck and welcome to vaping!
Last edited:
Thank you!
