As I'm celebrating 3 years of no smoking today, I'm reflecting a bit on what has shaped my buying decisions since I discovered vaping. Firstly, I can't imagine that I'd have been successful without the ECF - so many people from all walks of life, willing to offer help and share their experiences. Truly a unique and invaluable resource.
When I first got interested back in the fall of '09, the majority of folks seemed to be moving to the 510 camp, with some using 901's, 801's and RN4081's, but the KR808-D1 was gaining some prominence. After reading about so many people fiddling with their various devices, with straw mods, fluval, tea bags, etc. I was leaning toward the simplicity of the KR8, and this video helped to sway me:
Vapor4Life VaporKing - Solution To My Problem - YouTube
I ordered a couple kits from Vapor4Life, and about a week later, my wife and I were done smoking. Nothing short of amazing - 40+ years of smoking was history. The KR8 served me well for quite some time.
But the FDA was starting to sieze shipments coming from China for some suppliers, and the threat of a ban had a black cloud looming over the whole industry. So I became concerned about having only proprietary e-cig batteries. Vaping was working for me when nothing else did, so I was going to do my best to make sure nobody could take it away. Most of the available mods were dedicated to the 510 platform, but the Bartleby (they were little 14500 box mods) could be fitted with 901 connections, so I could use them with my stash of KR8 cartos. I bought a couple of them and didn't use them all that much, but having them gave me some peace of mind.
About this same time.I also ordered enough concentrated nic juice to last me a couple of years, much for the same reason. I've tried my hand at DIY a couple of times, with little success (a lousy cook, I've been accused of using the smoke alarm as a timer). But I'll always have some on hand, just in case. And maybe my cooking will improve.
After about 6 months of refilling cartos, I became tired of the refilling/topping off - it always seemed necessary at the most inopportune time. In the spring of 2010, I saw some reviews of a new bottom-feeder box mod called the WetBox, which was available with either 510 or KR8 fittings. So I ordered one. I was smitten - this was the perfect solution for me. It had its flaws, though - the needle feed system leaked juice back into the box, and it was, after all, just a cheap plastic box mod at its heart, complete with a flaky switch, a mess of wires and hot-melt glue. But I was sold on the concept, and it worked pretty well while it lasted.
When I saw the prototype of the REO Mini in the fall of '10, I knew I had to have one. Virtually indestructible aircraft aluminum bottom-feeder, all-mechanical, no needle feed to leak back into the box. I was lucky enough to get one of the first batch, and it has been a constant companion ever since. I have bought nothing but REO's since then - a Grand from the first run, which is my work-horse, a Woodvil, a couple of Mini's for the Mrs., and my latest, a VV Grand. My original Mini and Grand have taken a licking for over 2 years, and just keep on ticking. I expect they'll outlive me.
It took me a while to convert my wife into a REO user, but the convenience eventually won her over. In the meantime, I had bought her a few of the fat-batt KR8's, which have now been collecting dust for quite some time.
When I first switched to the REO, the 808 cartos didn't work great on it (needed an adapter, which kind of messed up the draw), and I wasn't thrilled with the selection of the early 510 cartos, so I tried atty's for a while. I was never enamored with the 510 atty, so I gravitated toward 306's. They worked well enough, but required maintenance, and were a bit fussy. Eventually the selection of 510 cartos improved dramatically, so I went back to them, and most recently the Smoktech shorty 1.7's were my favorites. They were a perfect companion to the REOS - no leaks at all, and no pre-filling required.
For quite some time, I'd read about the emerging rebuildable atomizers. I found the concept compelling - the freedom to make an atomizer to my liking anytime I want, for pennies (not including the initial outlay, of course). But the early ones were not designed with a bottom-feeder in mind. When the Chalice, a rebuildable atomizer for bottom-feeders, became available recently, I had to have one. It was spendy, but it is a very high-quality piece, and it's been my favorite since I got it. Not long afterward, the ERA became available for bottom-feeders - it's a nice rebuildable atty and more affordable. I picked up a couple of those as well. And REO will also offer one soon, so I expect to get one of those, too. My Mrs. still uses the shorty cartos, preferring their more compact size on her REO Mini. But who knows, maybe I'll get her on the rebuildable bandwagon one of these days, too.
Nobody knows what the future will bring, particularly in light of the rapid pace of development. But I am quite satisfied with the setups I have today. Well, I guess a battery that only needs to be charged once a week would be nice. It will be interesting to look back again another 3 years down the road.
When I first got interested back in the fall of '09, the majority of folks seemed to be moving to the 510 camp, with some using 901's, 801's and RN4081's, but the KR808-D1 was gaining some prominence. After reading about so many people fiddling with their various devices, with straw mods, fluval, tea bags, etc. I was leaning toward the simplicity of the KR8, and this video helped to sway me:
Vapor4Life VaporKing - Solution To My Problem - YouTube
I ordered a couple kits from Vapor4Life, and about a week later, my wife and I were done smoking. Nothing short of amazing - 40+ years of smoking was history. The KR8 served me well for quite some time.
But the FDA was starting to sieze shipments coming from China for some suppliers, and the threat of a ban had a black cloud looming over the whole industry. So I became concerned about having only proprietary e-cig batteries. Vaping was working for me when nothing else did, so I was going to do my best to make sure nobody could take it away. Most of the available mods were dedicated to the 510 platform, but the Bartleby (they were little 14500 box mods) could be fitted with 901 connections, so I could use them with my stash of KR8 cartos. I bought a couple of them and didn't use them all that much, but having them gave me some peace of mind.
About this same time.I also ordered enough concentrated nic juice to last me a couple of years, much for the same reason. I've tried my hand at DIY a couple of times, with little success (a lousy cook, I've been accused of using the smoke alarm as a timer). But I'll always have some on hand, just in case. And maybe my cooking will improve.
After about 6 months of refilling cartos, I became tired of the refilling/topping off - it always seemed necessary at the most inopportune time. In the spring of 2010, I saw some reviews of a new bottom-feeder box mod called the WetBox, which was available with either 510 or KR8 fittings. So I ordered one. I was smitten - this was the perfect solution for me. It had its flaws, though - the needle feed system leaked juice back into the box, and it was, after all, just a cheap plastic box mod at its heart, complete with a flaky switch, a mess of wires and hot-melt glue. But I was sold on the concept, and it worked pretty well while it lasted.
When I saw the prototype of the REO Mini in the fall of '10, I knew I had to have one. Virtually indestructible aircraft aluminum bottom-feeder, all-mechanical, no needle feed to leak back into the box. I was lucky enough to get one of the first batch, and it has been a constant companion ever since. I have bought nothing but REO's since then - a Grand from the first run, which is my work-horse, a Woodvil, a couple of Mini's for the Mrs., and my latest, a VV Grand. My original Mini and Grand have taken a licking for over 2 years, and just keep on ticking. I expect they'll outlive me.
It took me a while to convert my wife into a REO user, but the convenience eventually won her over. In the meantime, I had bought her a few of the fat-batt KR8's, which have now been collecting dust for quite some time.
When I first switched to the REO, the 808 cartos didn't work great on it (needed an adapter, which kind of messed up the draw), and I wasn't thrilled with the selection of the early 510 cartos, so I tried atty's for a while. I was never enamored with the 510 atty, so I gravitated toward 306's. They worked well enough, but required maintenance, and were a bit fussy. Eventually the selection of 510 cartos improved dramatically, so I went back to them, and most recently the Smoktech shorty 1.7's were my favorites. They were a perfect companion to the REOS - no leaks at all, and no pre-filling required.
For quite some time, I'd read about the emerging rebuildable atomizers. I found the concept compelling - the freedom to make an atomizer to my liking anytime I want, for pennies (not including the initial outlay, of course). But the early ones were not designed with a bottom-feeder in mind. When the Chalice, a rebuildable atomizer for bottom-feeders, became available recently, I had to have one. It was spendy, but it is a very high-quality piece, and it's been my favorite since I got it. Not long afterward, the ERA became available for bottom-feeders - it's a nice rebuildable atty and more affordable. I picked up a couple of those as well. And REO will also offer one soon, so I expect to get one of those, too. My Mrs. still uses the shorty cartos, preferring their more compact size on her REO Mini. But who knows, maybe I'll get her on the rebuildable bandwagon one of these days, too.
Nobody knows what the future will bring, particularly in light of the rapid pace of development. But I am quite satisfied with the setups I have today. Well, I guess a battery that only needs to be charged once a week would be nice. It will be interesting to look back again another 3 years down the road.
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