Traps to avoid?

[Thomasis]

I would have also skipped the Blu, however if it wasn't for the Blu I would still be smoking so it did serve it's purpose. Also LOTS of research is alway helpful. I did find my local retailer very helpful and that by itself justifies spending a little more for a product with the local shop than ordering it online but be VERY careful with what you buy and where you buy it from. Alot of times you can find your hardware much cheaper online. If your budget is tight make sure you are taking advantage of the online sales. The people on this forum are great for sale notifications and for problem solving. If you can't find it here than it doesn't exist...

 

[Thomasis]

In addition to my earlier post, I have purchased the ego-c ego-t and the zmax in the last 3 weeks. I use them all for different reasons and I like them all. I spend a lot of time on construction job sites so I take the less expensive pv's with me so I don't feel as bad if something were to happen to them. I use the Zmax mostly at home and in my car. I don't think it's possible to have TOO many pv's as everyone is going to give you a different vape experience. If your on a budget though, make sure you buy a high quality pv so your not wasting money in the long run on replacing cheap pv's every month. The zmax is in no way a top tier pv but for me it's a great vape at a reasonable cost. I will be purchasing a high quality pv in the near future but for now it's working great.

 

[Escapereality]

Whenever I'd buy hardware I'd also grab some juice to go with it from whatever vendor I was purchasing from...that juice 9/10 was crap and a money sink.

I buy juice from vendors that specialize in juice now, not the vendors that relabel Chinese crap and sell it for 8-9 bucks.

 

[tj99959]

Well I don't have it to do over again. The mistakes I made are the ones I made.
My first PV was an eGo-T, and I can't knock that little PV. It sucessfully ended a 50+ year smoking habit. Would I ever buy another eGo-T? Of course not, but I don't think that's the point.
What I don't think I will buy again is any PV that you throw away when the battery goes south. That includes Twists, Spinners, and all the rest that do not use batteries that you swap out to charge.

As far as which PV is the best and all that ... I base that on the juice that I want to use today. Right now I'm vaping "buttered popcorn", so kick the HH-357 and the Provari to the curb (runs way to hot and without the proper air flow for the juice), and get out the chrome L-Rider set at 3.4-3.5v with an old 510-T atomizer (wick plate removed) so that the flavor comes through.

So the mistake I will never make again is to restrict myself to only having one or two choices. The best PV is "more than one"

 

[mre777]

I will admit that a Blu disposable got me to turn to the vape side I wish i would have skipped the rest of the pen cig-a-likes, the eGo tank system was a big bust for me as well but i get to give my friends all my eGos (minus the tank system) now so they can begin their vaping journey. I wish I would have went for the big battery mods sooner and the vv PVs. I like my collection but I could have bought something like a Provari (had it been readily available at the time) with the money invested in them. Its nice that new people to vaping have so many choices now.

 

[username9]

very useful thread. thx all

 

[Faylool]

I dont know if you have a local vapers meet but if not you could organize one or think about attending one of the larger Vapercons, bashes or fests .Not only are they great places to meet some awesome people but they are the perfect opportunity to try out devices and juices that are new to you. Im a kinesthetic learner as well so I really enjoy these.

Yes. Every time a read somebody's post re a vape meet I think that I'd love to go. Probably Portland, Eugene maybe? I live out of the way from bigger cities

 

[jtoms101]

Well I don't have it to do over again. The mistakes I made are the ones I made.
My first PV was an eGo-T, and I can't knock that little PV. It sucessfully ended a 50+ year smoking habit. Would I ever buy another eGo-T? Of course not, but I don't think that's the point.
What I don't think I will buy again is any PV that you throw away when the battery goes south. That includes Twists, Spinners, and all the rest that do not use batteries that you swap out to charge.

As far as which PV is the best and all that ... I base that on the juice that I want to use today. Right now I'm vaping "buttered popcorn", so kick the HH-357 and the Provari to the curb (runs way to hot and without the proper air flow for the juice), and get out the chrome L-Rider set at 3.4-3.5v with an old 510-T atomizer (wick plate removed) so that the flavor comes through.

So the mistake I will never make again is to restrict myself to only having one or two choices. The best PV is "more than one"

Good Stuff! More than one PV depending upon what flavor you are using. Essentially this thread is showing me that a "Vape 101" class is something I think many would find beneficial to sort through all the crap to find the options that would work best for them.

 

[tj99959]

Good Stuff! More than one PV depending upon what flavor you are using. Essentially this thread is showing me that a "Vape 101" class is something I think many would find beneficial to sort through all the crap to find the options that would work best for them.

Different PV's manage air flow differently as well as different power management schemes, so there are several reasons why one PV will/can have an advantage over another depending on the heads used and/or juice used.

 

[Xylocaine]

I have spent a lot of money learning and I continue to learn. There are a lot of veterans out there that don't remember a lot of the problems they might have had years ago. So here is my two cents and I actually have written a guide if you are interested message me.

1. Batteries can Die for no reason. I have 2 650mAh, 3.7v 510 SmokeTek Batteries. These things have been dropped, thrown, crushed, sat on they have been to hell and back and work. I have had 2 eGo-C Twists die within a few months on me without even being dropped.

2. Low Res Cartos! Do it! There are a lot of warnings about these and a lot of confusing miss facts. I have yet to experience them shorten the life of my device or anything. In fact it allows me to have much lower nicotine content with the same feel so that costs are much cheaper.

3. Don't Mod, Unless your Rich!

 

[Binn]

I will still do the same, get a budget setup, ego...lavatube...vmax or zmax.
Get my basic nailed down, know what works for me before moving on to more expensive toys/mod.

 

[Pentarth]

Wasted hundreds of dollars on analog sized e-cigs... junk, junk, junk. Did my homework and bought a Lavatube then upgraded to the Provari V2. If I could do it all over again i'd just buy the Provari, a Phiniac or Ibtanked pyrex tank and my fav flavor of ejuice. Nothing against the Lavatube it's still working great.

 

[vsummer1]

Someone mentioned that those of use who had tried things a long time ago forget.

You are wrong. A long time ago there were not as many choices as there are out there now. As the OP can see, almost everyone here who has a Provari thinks they would have skipped all others and gone to it. Do I still use my eGo's? Yes, but when they die they won't be replaced. I still have 2 twists and a mini. I also have a nice box mod I like, but not as much as the VV Gripper for backup. The only reason for this is the versatility of the units. For example, to not have to get a LR to simulate the vaping on a VV device in order to get the good vapor and flavor. A good VV with a SR means you can dial it higher or lower according to your juice, throat hit and whether you like a hot or cool vape.

The topic was to skip the mistakes and trial and error and get opinions about the best place to spend the money. I am not alone in my opinion about the carto tank and ProVari for a person willing to skip the junk to get a versatile unit that works hit after hit just the same way it should.

Are there other options out there that work for people? Of course! There are some great things. But the consensus has spoken I think.

 

[cocacola31173]

If youre in it for the long haul like I hope most of us are, then replacement Ego Twist batteries can add up quick. 6 of those at 24.99 over a one year period is almost equal to the price of a Provari.You still have to buy batteries for that but at 10.99 for an 18650 from RTDvapor or another supplier that Provari actually starts saving you money after a year or two.

6 in a year? I thought they were supposed to last like 6 months?

 

[martinidiver]

Plenty of mistakes but no regrets - yes i could have gone straight for a provari and saved a load of money but i would have missed out on the learning experience. Ok maybe 1 regret , buying vivi nova's in bulk because they were cheap only to find that they were clones ( hence why they were cheap) so most of them are sitting on a shelf unused , they work ok but leak more juice than i can vape

Even though the provari is my favorite and what i use daily i still have joytech 510T that i can take out for a bit of stealth vaping and an ego c ( with genuine 2.5ml nova ). I recently bought the 510T kit to take on holiday in case customs didnt like the look of the provari along with the ego c and got on great with it

 

[vsummer1]

6 in a year? I thought they were supposed to last like 6 months?

Ego's are disposables. They will charge ~250 times. I was charging mine 3 to 4 times per day. YMMV You do the math

 

[cocacola31173]

Ego's are disposables. They will charge ~250 times. I was charging mine 3 to 4 times per day. YMMV You do the math

How long do they last on a single charge?

 

[flintlock62]

Never go for the "free Trial" offers. They're all a scam! I started with v2. That is OK for some, but couldn't deliver the battery power I wanted. Their cartridges are also expensive.

I know we all have started vaping with different set ups, but if you had to to it all over again, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? What traps, or mistakes would you have avoided. I enjoy vaping, but it is getting expensive trying to learn as I go along. I want to learn from the more experienced vapors and want to see if I can avoid some of their mistakes.

 

[muddyjeremy]

I would have never bought from Totally Wicked. I don't know why they are the top of the list for Google searches, but their stuff is overpriced and I bought a ton of juice from them before trying somewhere else and realizing it was expensive and just doesn't taste very good. Would never have bought an cigarette look alike with a 3.2V battery, VV is the only way to go I think after having an Ego twist.

 

[flintlock62]

I won't buy from Totally Wicked because of the poor layout on their web site. I visited their site, and had to scroll to the bottom of every page to find anything. Their prices are too high as well.

I would have never bought from Totally Wicked. I don't know why they are the top of the list for Google searches, but their stuff is overpriced and I bought a ton of juice from them before trying somewhere else and realizing it was expensive and just doesn't taste very good. Would never have bought an cigarette look alike with a 3.2V battery, VV is the only way to go I think after having an Ego twist.