Thanks that gives me some good stuff to think about. I do think I can accept the fundamental differences between smoking and vaping and I think that's part of what has intrigued me about vaping to begin with. I know throat hit is very important to many people, yourself included, but I really dont particularly like the sensation as much as I like the taste and the aftertaste. I think I also tend to like pipe tobacco as it smells less "ashy" than cigarettes if that makes sense. I've def. been having fun browsing and reading up on juices I want to try, but i know hardware is important too. With all that being said, any suggestions for a solid step up from the basic volcano (blu knockoff)? I ordered a drip tip as i hear thats good for flavor and ive ordered a couple popular juices. So im taking a few steps forward into vaping but im not afraid to leap in further either....
I do know what you mean about pipe tobacco. My late paternal grandfather used to smoke a pipe, and I used to love that smell. It had an almost sweet smell to it as I recall. (He passed away when I was young so it's been a long time.) I don't know what brand of pipe tobacco he smoked, but I do know that pipe tobacco doesn't generally have the same kind of fillers or additives cigarette tobacco does, so it smells and tastes more "pure," if such a thing can be said about any tobacco.
Juice is indeed just as important as hardware. A good combination makes a world of difference. For hardware you've got quite a range of options. There are ones that look like cigars (DSE701), ones that look like pipes (Jazz Cartopipe, DSE601, E-Cig's E-Pipe) if you want something more authentic to the experience you're looking for. If you want something more inconspicuous and cigarette-like, the Smokeless Image Volt is a solid choice. If you want something with more battery life, a bit more of a cigar-style profile but doesn't look like a cigar, the eGo is something I think is in almost everyone's kit bag. (I've got half a dozen eGo batts myself.) That goes for clones/mods like the K-Go, GoGo, and battery mods like the NoEgo 14650/18650 or E-Power 14650/18650.
If money is no object and you really want to be able to tweak the experience to your exacting preferences, you might look at a variable voltage mod like the Buzz Pro, ProVari, or (if you don't mind weird looking mods and don't mind being stuck using only standard 510 attys and cartomizers easily) the Darwin.
As far as dripping goes, that's a matter of taste and preference. I'm not a dripper myself. I prefer the convenience and simplicity of cartomizers and hybrids. I don't want to have to keep a bottle of juice handy at all times to drip every few minutes. However, there are alternatives to straight dripping that accomplish the same effect with less hassle, such as bottom-feed box mods like the popular (though pricey) Reo line (Reo Mini, Reo Grande, etc.), the Boge Revolution, and the like. Those give you the benefits of dripping with the convenience of packing a bottle into the box you just squeeze when you need more juice.
Really, the best way to get the most accurate flavours out of whatever juices you have is to eliminate as much as you can between the juice and the coil that atomizes it. Dripping, whether manual or through one of the aforementioned drip box mods, is probably the best way to accomplish this. However, there are hybrid cartomizers like one of the many CE2-style hybrids (in particular the new CE2X Fluxomizer Deluxe from GotVapes) have been making great strides to duplicating that in a more convenient tank form. (I've got those particular cartos on my shopping list.)
So, the bottom line is you have a great deal of choice to customize the experience to your liking in just about every way possible. Now you just have to decide what you want that experience to be.
