What's the cheapest way to do this?

[John Ingram]

I want to start smoking e-cigs but there are way too many options out there to figure it out.

I don't mind a higher upfront cost if it saves a ton of money in the long run.

I want it to taste as close to a normal cig as possible (not menthol either).

I don't mind charging often.

I don't mind buying online but i live in Oregon.

I don't mind refilling cartridges as long as it's something the average geek could figure out and saves me money.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[newq]

I trust Pbusardo. He is dead on with his reviews and his advice. I would suggest reading his new to vaping guide:

Taste Your Juice | GETTING STARTED

He recommends this to all new vapors:
http://hoosierecigsupply.com/KGO-kit-1100mAh-by-SLB-HEC001.htm
Review of the device here:
Taste Your Juice | KGO Kit – Hoosier E Cig Supply

 

[newq]

You will get many opnions on this including some very expensive choices.

The answer is you can spend as much or as little as as you want. The request about tasting as close to real cigs as possible is an IMPOSSIBLE REQUEST.

The closest you will get is the taste of sucking on an unlit cig. If you expect to experience the taste of a lit cigarettte in your mouth you will be highly disappointed.

In time like most you will find that the flavor of the vape is much less important than the fact that the flavor is good tasting flavor. Taste is subject but gorrila juice and boba's bounty from avejuice.com are one of the more popular juices. Take your time choosing a juice. And ensure experiment with your pg/vg ratio. This is a long expensive road to embark on and finding the best match for you is a bit difficult but the savings will kick in after you find what YOU like best.

 

[Turtle402]

I trust Pbusardo. He is dead on with his reviews and his advice. I would suggest reading his new to vaping guide:

Taste Your Juice | GETTING STARTED

He recommends this to all new vapors:
http://hoosierecigsupply.com/KGO-kit-1100mAh-by-SLB-HEC001.htm
Review of the device here:
Taste Your Juice | KGO Kit – Hoosier E Cig Supply

Thanks for the links newq! Very Helpful!!!

And Welcome aboard John!! Happy Vaping!

 

[Retriever]

I have tried several different juices, and the one that most closely resembles a real cigarette is called Desert Joe by Smokeless Image. It still has a very faint sweetness (almost imperceptible) and I highly recommend it. You may, however, want to try some other juices first so that you can truly appreciate it. Good luck!

 

[Zasilom]

I have tried probably 30+ different flavors that were supposed to taste like analogs....all failed...most badly. Then i tried a few others and realized I DONT like the taste of analogs lol, i thought i did cus i smoked em for 22years...try vapeing a few flavors that sound good to ya for a few days...without an analog...then try your analog again and see what ya think of the flavor then

 

[kyokahn]

Average geek is able to do anything with e-cigs, things are quite simple after a while, I always recommend basic 510 PCC kit with drip tip / eGo with cartotank setups, but you'll get tons of recommendations fro mods like ProVari, Lavatube, and even mod boxes.

Buy something cheap, maybe a 510 (you'll have to get the PCC somewhere else), Ego or even Riva kit from liberty-flights.com should work (around $30-$40) and liquids, many different tobacco flavors to start with, in quantities as low as possible, and different nicotine levels, this for you to know what to buy in bigger quantities in the future.

If, and only IF you decide to go for bigger things or feel too limited with the eGo-like ecigs, you know you have not spent too much money unnecesarily. Plus, you'll have your backup kit right there, mods only include 1 battery case and not having a backup I bet has destroyed many vapers' squishy balls...

 

[Ye Gods!]

I would honestly consider getting a higher mAh battery. and not worrying about brands too much.

My personal experience, I got an Ego-C kit, and during the downtime waiting for it to come, I realized the following:

-Newq's right. When it comes to learning about vaping, both pbusardo and grimmgreen have been a MAJOR help in learning more.

-I should have got a bigger battery. have a 650mAh, should have got at least 1000mAh, and USB passthrough. If you're on your computer a lot, thats the way to go. If you're moving around, a bigger battery will help you last longer through the day.

-I should have gone with a highly re-garded ego clone, versus a joyetech itself. Saved myself some cash, to fiddle around with different cartomizers and stuff.

-I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy cartomizers and tanks. So that would have reduced my costs by eliminating all the extra atomizers that came with it.

From one newbie to another, thats my best advice. However, I am in no way a seasoned vet, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[kyokahn]

Also, one more thing, and believe on this one, once you find a tobacco flavor that most resembles the cigarette flavor, you'll begin to understand that you don't really liked the burnt tobacco flavor and start trying sweet/sour/mild/dessert and even weird flavors (please don't try bacon XD). Has happened to more than half the people i've (fear of sounding like a J's witness) "converted" into vaping, and mostly to people over 3 months of vaping as well.

 

[Tiesel]

If he wants the smallest form factor and doesn't mind charging than a 1100mah Kgo isn't the best choice. For a good tried and true kit check out VaporBeast they have a nice 510 auto kit for 32.50 and free shipping. Its almost the size of a 100 analog and it has no manual switch so it mimics the analog more. Grab a spare 5 pack or 10 pack of Boge SR cartos for $7.22 and you will have an awesome cigarette sized vaping setup that will perform as well as you can get from a device that size.
Best of luck and Grats on quitting!

 

[Bradder]

I will only address the cig taste question as most people have done. You will get a lot of recs for electronics after the holiday.

In my mind, if you love the smell of unlit tobacco (pipe or cig) then you will also like vaping as it is more of the unburnt tobacco smell/taste. I still, after all these years, love the smell of burning cigarettes - the closest I have found to this is PureCig - most people hate it because it is so ashy in smell and taste.

But, all that being said, you will probably not find anything exactly like a cigarette. BTW, don't; blow off menthol too quickly... I hated menthol cigs but love menthol vapor. Go figure.

P.s. Forgot to mention, in keeping with the other suggestion, Desert Ship coupled with PureCig is a pretty good cig replication- but what do I know, I haven't smoked in several years (still allow smoking in my house, though).

 

[Dana A]

The cheapest way IMO is ti buy something bigger than a cig look alike right up front cause then you wont be disappointed and have to buy a bigger one real soon like me. Also try lots of juices and get the smallest bottles you can get. Juice is the big expense at first cause you need to try so many. When you think your juice order is complete add a few more. Sometimes you will get an order and not like any of them so the more you order in a shot the less times you pay shipping. Also try lots of different vendors and lots of different types of flavors. Good luck.

 

[kfig]

what I've found is the better it tastes the more it costs. I use an ego and I love it. I started with a 510 magma from volcanoecigs and it was 75 for the starter pack. You do have to charge often but you can get a pass through for when you are at the computer or in the car......by far to me the best taste is the clearomizers. You do have to fill them often but they are the best ive found and Ive tried tanks, cartos, carts and tube tanks. Dripping is awesome too but not easy to do on the run. Just read around the forums. Everyone is going to recommend different things. I don't save any money really with the different supplies I'm always buying and the juices i want to try. Being able to keep up my habit without anyone I dont want to know finding out (i work in a hospital) knowing how much safer it is, feeling so much better is totally worth it for me though. the great thing about getting a 510 is if you want to upgrade pieces like the ego fit all your 510 stuff so that saves you a bit there.

 

[djwyman]

ego clones are the way to start. as said above the low cost to start helps save money with similar performance. also if you like it and decide to move up to mods you have an inexpensive back up already.

 

[NaturesEncore]

Go with all of the above suggestions . . . great advice here! And . . .



It's all a subjective, trial and error kind of thing.