Where should I purchase?

[Alessu]

Looking to buy my first vape device and juice. Soooo many websites and juice companies.
Can anyone recommend a reputable retailer for device and and a respected, safe juice maker?
I'm kind of scared that as a newbie I will end up with fakes or bad stuff.
Should I buy device directly from the company site?

Thank you!

 

[djsvapour]

Looking to buy my first vape device and juice. Soooo many websites and juice companies.
Can anyone recommend a reputable retailer for device and and a respected, safe juice maker?
I'm kind of scared that as a newbie I will end up with fakes or bad stuff.
Should I buy device directly from the company site?

Thank you!

Welcome @Alessu

Great to see you here on the ECF.

Never mind fakes or bad stuff... the big brands will rip you off in an instant.
DO NOT trust most reviews. The review sites are low-life scum. They tell you a certain brand is the best so the brand makes money and they take commission.

You want an INDEPENDENT online vape shop NOT a brand store.

Let me repeat - if you follow the advice on a supposedly unbiased review site you'll get a biased review. The more commission, the more bias. So when a site tells you that "xyz" is the best vape pen or best mod or pod... they don't care if that's the truth.

Ask for independent stores in the US on here. That part I can't help you with.

If you have understood my post, you will not find yourself at a brand store ever, which makes you $800 better off than me already. I don't charge for advice... the community looks after one another and some of us hope the brand stores go bust.

 

[Baditude]

I like My Vapor Store for mods, tanks, and replacement coils. I've been using them for several years. Competitive prices, good variety of selections, items usually in stock, if not in stock they will be soon. Electronic Cigarette | E Cigarette | myvaporstore

For external 18650 batteries and chargers, I like RTD Vapor or IMRBatteries.

www.rtdvapor.com
www.imrbatteries.com​

I won't make any recommendations for e-liquids. It's still pretty much hit or miss with flavors even when you use a reputable e-liquid company.

Good Starter Setups for a Beginner Vaper

 

[billthetroll]

Ok so this is what my online vaping timeline is......vaporbeast is the first place I ordered from.great service and it was fast.after I learned the ropes i started getting all my stuff for half the price from chinese online sellers.....BUT!!!!!this is only after you start getting mods not your first 5 mods.lol, I 100% agree with dj stay away from big brand named online sellers.they'll rip you off.for my juice I get 180ml from swagg sauce for 25$ delivered to my mailbox.if it's the juice of the month it's 15$.lots of lil things you can do to save alot of money.please do not order from an online Chinese seller your first couple times.they're dirt cheap but you have to be mentally prepared for it

 

[stols001]

I would look in ECF suppliers forums, and you can also use vapecrawler.com to search for some of the lower (not always lowest, there is a fee to advertise on that site, or on Metavaper.com which is an ECF sister site where deals and sales and clearance items are listed) in USA vape sites, there are several vendors well liked by ECF and I'd agree if you really feel ready to vape, you probably don't want to start with China suppliers as shipping is either inexpensive or supremely slow, or expensive via DHL which can sometimes be worth it but more for very large orders or whatnot.

If you have a brick and mortar vape shop that has a juice bar, you may be able to sample some juices for free or for a nominal price and that can sometimes be helpful in figuring out what types of juice flavorings you are going to enjoy. Online stores also will sometimes offer sample packs of various offerings and that can be a good way that's not too expensive to sample a juice vendor and see if you like their stuff generally or not.

Baditude has given you the single most important fact regarding safe vaping which is the ONLY way to be certain you are obtaining batteries that are authentic and/or not fakes or rewraps or seconds that didn't pass QC from the manufacturers so buy only from trusted vendors that are known to NOT engage in that practice and you'd think vape stores would not want to do that to their (hopefully) returning customers, and it's hard to do that if said customer has blown themselves up with a non-legit battery, but some shops are not that forward thinking and whatnot.

Good luck and welcome

Anna

 

[Zaryk]

I try to always tell my friends that are looking to get into vaping to stay away from Smok products, unless they REALLY like the design. Most newbies will gravitate toward them, but for the most part, they are a temporary investment. Starting with a nice quality gear can make a difference. If you get something that doesn't work well when you start, it is more likely for you to not stick with it.

It is a good idea to look for a couple things that you like, and come here to ask about them. You will get honest opinions that could help you decide what would work for you.

 

[billthetroll]

P.s no battery's from eBay or Amazon.ever!!! Lol I can almost guarantee they're fakes, no such thing as a 9000mah 50amp battery

 

[dennism]

Before I got into diy, I bought my juice from verde valley vapes.

 

[DaveP]

I second Baditude's My Vapor Store recommendation. They have most everything you want, lots of selection, prices are fair, and shipping is quick.

 

[Kazuko]

As mentioned, make sure to buy authentic Sony, LG, or Samsung batteries from trusted vendors, Mooch has a list of them in one of his blog posts.
Juices are a matter of taste, I don't think fake juices are a thing, so whatever you get will be authentic. You'll have to test a few a them to get some you actually like.

Now on mods, I can't make recommandations as I only know French shops. I can recommend some brands though : Vaporesso, Geekvape, Eleaf, Smoant, Innokin, they're good brands. Smok is to be avoided. The others I don't necessarily know of, or if they make good stuff.

There are a few reviewers that I believe are fairly honest in their reviews. The Vaping Bogan is my go-to. DJLsb does some technical tests, which can give really useful information, and could prevent you from getting a mod that won't behave as you expect it to. Stay away from reviewers like RiP Trippers, everything he tries is the best, sick a ...., hits the hardest, etc.

 

[Alessu]

I checked Metavaper.com. Saw Vapor DNA and Element Vape featured a lot. Anybody ever order from them?

 

[dennism]

One of my favorite reviewers is hometown hero.

 

[Alessu]

Or Vapor Authority?

 

[stols001]

I have ordered from those vendors maybe not the lowest prices of all time for everything but you can get great deals at times and also, they're reliable and no hassle. Etc.

Anna

 

[Alessu]

Anna, thank you. Thank you all. This board is awesome for a newbie. I've been so nervous about getting started vaping and finally getting off cigarettes, but you all make it much less daunting.

 

[Baditude]

ECF SUPPLIERS Forums *** Where to buy!***

 

[BrotherBob]

recommend a reputable retailer for device

Welcome and glad you joined.
As mentioned, if you stay with the dealers in ECF, you should have no problems on the whole. Could look at the retailers in these forums:
Brands Connect! | E-Cigarette Forum
If you run into a problem, you have a forum to help you address it.
Might want to learn as much as you can before you purchase your device.
The information below may help you to obtain a good foundation of vaping knowledge:
Learn About Vaping Here - Everything Ecigs - From Beginner To Advanced
Vaping and Inhaling: Everything You Need To Know
https://spinfuel.com/new-vapers-start/
ECigarette Academy: Essential Need to Know for New Vapers
Beginner – Guide To Vaping
Vape 101: Here's Everything You Need to Know about Vaping
6 Quick & Useful Vaping Tips for Beginners
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/f...up-the-vaping-ladder-with-egos-and-mods.5058/
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/f...nk-or-what-a-guide-to-juice-attachments.3230/

 

[Alessu]

Thank you all !!

 

[Letitia]

Thank you all !!

Welcome to the community. I like VaporDNA (coupon code DNA10) and Eciggity (coupon code AUG12). Both are reliable and have good shipping times.

 

[ExtremeDooty]

Welcome aboard Alessu. Another vote for Myvaporstore, a really good place to start. For juice, I'd recommend Vapewild and Ohmsvapes. Both have good deals for sample packs and Ohmsvape has the best prices on juice that I've seen.