Trying to get into high-end but information is scarce at best

[order]

Hello everyone. I've been vaping for almost half an year now and I've been absolutely loving it. I started with an aspire starter kit, then went to an aegis legend kit with a sub-ohm tank and now I've got 3 different RTAs (Zeus X,Profile RTA and Aromamizer Lite). As you can see I'm quite hooked on vaping / building in general. Over the past few months I've avoided making topics with stupid questions in them and have basically read and watched all the informative vids out there. As far as mainstream products go there is abundance of information and it's pretty easy for anyone to find their way.

Now to the issue at hand: While watching a review I came across a high end tube mod ( Dani 25 ) and I realized there is a whole `nother level to this ballgame. I want to get into high end attis and mods made in the west but it's hard to find even a list of high end brands let alone reviews on all of those. Basically my question to you is : If I have money burning in my pocket and I want to buy something cool how do I know what's good and what's basically a ripoff?

While I'm fine taking the risk of buying a defective/not very good 30$ tank, it would be an absolute disaster if I were to buy something 10 times that price that's garbage.

Do you guys know any sources that review high-end stuff exclusively and any specific brands I can look at?

 

[Opinionated]

People here talk about high end stuff that's good from time to time. Less popular perhaps because most people can't afford and some are a bit more difficult to get your hands on..

but some mid range to high end gear you can't go wrong with is Dicodes and Vicious Ant...

 

[JCinFLA]

Well, this isn't what you've asked about. But...if I had money "burning a hole in my pocket" and already had some decent set ups that serve me well right now...I'd spend that money on the following, in the order posted below. If you aren't aware of the flavored eliquid bans that are already in place in some states, or the proposed bans, nor what's going to take place in May 2020...you may want to do some serious reading up on it.

Liters of 100mg/mL nicotine base -
That way you can DIY your own eliquid in the future, no matter what happens as far as bans or other regulations. It won't do you any good to have high-end gear if you have nothing to vape in it. You don't have to learn to DIY right now, if you don't want to. Simply having a lifetime supply of nicotine base in your freezer (while it's still very affordable and readily available), will put you ahead of the game, no matter what happens wth bans and other restrictions, ridiculous taxes, etc. The other ingredients to make eliquids will still be readily available, since they're all used in other products.

Replacement parts for your current gear that you like, and even duplicates of the GV Legend Kit and the RTAs -
Buy a supply of replacement glass, o-rings, drip tips, screws, etc. for your RTAs. Get several more GV Legend Kits and any spare parts for them.

Then, start reading up on and buying additional set-ups that you may like. A thread you may want to check out is the Shinyitis thread. Lots and lots of info in the posts there, about some of the better set-ups available. There are also threads in other forums on ECF that are about specific mods and RTAs. They'll also provide you with a ton of info. you should find helpful.

 

[order]

Well, this isn't what you've asked about. But...if I had money "burning a hole in my pocket" and already had some decent set ups that serve me well right now...I'd spend that money on the following, in the order posted below. If you aren't aware of the flavored eliquid bans that are already in place in some states, or the proposed bans, nor what's going to take place in May 2020...you may want to do some serious reading up on it.

Liters of 100mg/mL nicotine base -
That way you can DIY your own eliquid in the future, no matter what happens as far as bans or other regulations. It won't do you any good to have high-end gear if you have nothing to vape in it. You don't have to learn to DIY right now, if you don't want to. Simply having a lifetime supply of nicotine base in your freezer (while it's still very affordable and readily available), will put you ahead of the game, no matter what happens wth bans and other restrictions, ridiculous taxes, etc. The other ingredients to make eliquids will still be readily available, since they're all used in other products.

Replacement parts for your current gear that you like, and even duplicates of the GV Legend Kit and the RTAs -
Buy a supply of replacement glass, o-rings, drip tips, screws, etc. for your RTAs. Get several more GV Legend Kits and any spare parts for them.

Then, start reading up on and buying additional set-ups that you may like. A thread you may want to check out is the Shinyitis thread. Lots and lots of info in the posts there, about some of the better set-ups available. There are also threads in other forums on ECF that are about specific mods and RTAs. They'll also provide you with a ton of info. you should find helpful.

I'm in Europe where this is not an issue and am also making my own liquid. I get your concern and frustration, hell if I were living in the USA I'd be mad too. I was just looking for some direction as far as brands for high end mods like Dicodes and also drippers and tanks. Thanks for your concern tho, also it's almost impossible to get high nicotine here cuz there is a 20mg limit.

 

[DeloresRose]

I’d Send you to the APV sub forum. You might be interested in TC mods, but also there are other styles as well.

There’s plenty of great gear that isn’t a house payment too, but it’s nice to have a high end device just to see if it’s really so much better.

And there are some reviews for the higher end stuff, but of course more people are willing to spend $40-100 than several hundred dollars, so lower priced stuff gets more views.

 

[JCinFLA]

I'm in Europe where this is not an issue and am also making my own liquid.

You may want to add your location to your avatar, so others will know, too, when you post in threads. It will help them with possibly recommending vendors to you as well.

I know I wouldn't have written all of the above if I'd known you were in Europe.

 

[order]

Yeah that one was my bad. I was just eager to post. Fixed it. As far as my previous question the issue is even when I look through this forum it's hard for me to know what's high end and what's not just by the thread's title. I know the mainstream brands like VandyVape,Geekvape,Hellvape,Smoke etc but I don't know what's high end. That's where my issue is. And I understand perfectly that this is gear that probably 1-3% of people would be interested in. Another problem is that most of these devices are handmade by builders and unless you know what you're looking for they're almost impossible to find. It's hard to get the right answers when you don't even know the questions lol.

 

[Morgan_Drury]

I have a MCM Underground SSS and absolutely love it.

Cost was roughly $220. It's a mechanical mod that can run as a squonker, in series or as single battery.

Dragon's Den Vapor deals with a bunch of high end. Easy solution would be to browse their inventory and google search the items that interest you.

 

[order]

I have a MCM Underground SSS and absolutely love it.

Cost was roughly $220. It's a mechanical mod that can run as a squonker, in series or as single battery.

Dragon's Den Vapor deals with a bunch of high end. Easy solution would be to browse their inventory and google search the items that interest you.

Now that's what I'm talking about. This site is a great starting point. At least now I have a list of products I can google and search for reviews of. Thanks a lot!

 

[Skunk!]

You are in Europe so you are in a greatnlocation for high end mods. My favorite is Gepetto Mods which I doubt if I could ever afford. I also love BT Customs which are actually within my budget. Mid level brands I love are Armageddon, Asmodus, 528, Gas Mods, Cthulu, SX Mini, Cartel Mods, Vicious Ant and the list goes on. Those are high quality but don't have the $1000+ price tag. A Gepetto can go for over $4000.

 

[Don29palms]

Vandy Vape, Hellvape and Smok are all garbage.
What do you consider high end?

 

[Zaryk]

This site carries hard to find high end gear.

High End Mods, Atomizers & Acessories | Vapin Art | Welcome

 

[order]

Vandy Vape, Hellvape and Smok are all garbage.
What do you consider high end?

That's exactly what I meant . Those are mainstream brands. For me high end is any mod 200$+ and any tank 150-200$+ that are as a general rule not made in China.

 

[440BB]

Much "high end" gear involves hand crafted devices with very nice finishes. If you are interested in high end features you've already found it with the Dicodes products. It seems every owner loves them.

 

[stols001]

Dicodes mods are great, and compared to some "really high end stuff" that may be about finishes more than the vape itself.... They are a great starting point.

Here's the thing though. If it were me I would be searching for "great vape" not just "high end." The doggy style clone (which is almost impossible to get authentic, although the one benefit you DO get if you get your sticky mitts on one is a glass tank. I think. The clones are probably not as good, but I don't know that they are 150 dollars less good. They are still a GREAT vape.

I own two Kabuki tanks, one titanium (don't regret either) and two dicodes (love, love) and a fairly similarly priced stabwood mod that is a perfectly nice vape, but the stabwood never did much for me (fortunately, probably) although I don't HATE it by any means, and I vape it a fair amount.

So just make sure you are reading reviews carefully before you buy one of those 1K mods.

There are plenty of products for the rich which just SUCK. I am thinking of that diamond encrusted ego vape which was probably the most worthless vape item I have ever seen. I mean, it was an INTERNAL battery.

Anna

 

[order]

Saw this guy that makes custom mods the site is called turnwoodfx . They look dope. I just don't get one thing. Why is it that when we get to expensive mods people just make them with single batteries? I'd love to buy one of his mods but with dual batteries. Also the sites yall provided above suffer from the same issue. Many fantastic handcrafted mods but all of them single battery.

 

[DaveP]

I'm in Europe where this is not an issue and am also making my own liquid. I get your concern and frustration, hell if I were living in the USA I'd be mad too. I was just looking for some direction as far as brands for high end mods like Dicodes and also drippers and tanks. Thanks for your concern tho, also it's almost impossible to get high nicotine here cuz there is a 20mg limit.

Some really good mods are also cheap. I like small pocket carry mods and for that use I favor iStick Pico 75W mods. You can find them on sale as low as $19.95 in the US. They are tough, fairly well built, and slide into a pocket with ease. They use a single 18650 cell and that's a plus for when you are going to be out of the house all day. I carry a spare filled Kayfun tank and a spare 18650 in a 21700 battery box in the car for when I'm going to be gone for most of a day.

 

[order]

Dicodes mods are great, and compared to some "really high end stuff" that may be about finishes more than the vape itself.... They are a great starting point.

Here's the thing though. If it were me I would be searching for "great vape" not just "high end." The doggy style clone (which is almost impossible to get authentic, although the one benefit you DO get if you get your sticky mitts on one is a glass tank. I think. The clones are probably not as good, but I don't know that they are 150 dollars less good. They are still a GREAT vape.

I own two Kabuki tanks, one titanium (don't regret either) and two dicodes (love, love) and a fairly similarly priced stabwood mod that is a perfectly nice vape, but the stabwood never did much for me (fortunately, probably) although I don't HATE it by any means, and I vape it a fair amount.

So just make sure you are reading reviews carefully before you buy one of those 1K mods.

There are plenty of products for the rich which just SUCK. I am thinking of that diamond encrusted ego vape which was probably the most worthless vape item I have ever seen. I mean, it was an INTERNAL battery.

Anna

This is exactly what I am afraid of. I don't want to " flex " or show off. I just want something that is super cool and good looking for myself and that also WORKS. It's not about how much I spend,it's about finding something cool. So far I've loved some Asmodus mods and overall I just like resin mods. As far as budget goes I was thinking about 200-300$ for a mod (regulated I don't want a mech) and a nice RTA for 200$ tops OR a squonker + RDA.

 

[Don29palms]

Well by your definition of high end look to the Philippines. You'll spend ALOT of money for what you get.

 

[Baditude]

Concerning high end regulated mods, any which utilize the Evolv DNA chip are almost always considered "high end". Evolv invented Temp Control amd the DNA chip, and holds the patent for it. Everyone else has reverse engineered their own chip (ie China manufacturers) to replicate Evolv's.

Personally, I use two JAC Vapour series B DNA75. A popular mod made by a highly reputable manufacturer in Scotland and utilizes the DNA chip.

Talking product development with JAC Founder, Andrew Logan



The matt black version shown above in the video has been discontinued as the rubberized paint finish wasn't very durable. A unpainted natural metal alloy "sandstorm" model has been substituted in its place (below). Word is a new black version is about to be introduced soon. Only available from the Jac Vapour website.