I messed up bad when I started vaping... was buying all the wrong stuff, getting clones that didn't work with the gear they were meant to work with, terrible chemical tasting flavors, heck the first time I used up a coil I thought i had to replace my whole ego pen battery! I was buying new kanger tanks after I used the two coils they came with because i didn't know you could just get the coils alone. I wasted hundreds of dollars (still cheaper than smoking!) during my first months because I was the first vapor in my group of friends to step out of the cigalike world and I was too much of a newb to even think of something like "maybe I don't know everything and there might be a forum online for this stuff"
But eventually I discovered a magical place called a "Vape Shop". I'm very lucky, there's many in my area, (and I don't mean headshops with vape stuff, I mean vape shops). Now I'm not going to claim that I never buy gear or juices online, sometimes the deal is too good to pass up (assuming it's from a reputable site) or I'm already familiar with a juice and too lazy to go to the shop that carries it... or the reviews on a juice not carried at a shop near me are too compelling to ignore and I'm willing to buy without try... but in general, B&M is the place to be for all vapors but ESPECIALLY NEW VAPORS, and here's why:
1. They let you TRY THE JUICE! Now, they're probably going to have a weak pen battery and a crappy tank, AND make you use a "vape condom" over their drip tip, so it's not always the best way to judge a flavor but it's far more accurate than a sales pitch you'll find in the description of a juice online.
Protip: See how much of your own gear they'll let you use.... if their tank works with your battery, use your battery. And your drip tip will almost CERTAINLY work with their tank and I've never had an objection to using my own instead of theirs (it saves them a vape condom!) Your own drip tip will DRASTICALLY increase your ability to judge a flavor.
When you find a few you like, sit with them for a few minutes... take a puff every 30 seconds or so for a few minutes to make sure you like it beyond your first impression... or if you don't like something yet find it compelling, keep at it because it may be a complex flavor that takes a bit to settle with you.
2. STORE-MADE FLAVORS!! TRY THE STORE'S HOME FLAVORS! They are very proud of them and often very good and creative. They are cheaper than the fancy glass bottle brand names and offer the store a higher profit margin (which we want, we want them to make a little extra... these stores are about to be your best friend, we want them to be around for a while, so if it comes down between two flavors and one is made in store, take that one, you're supporting a local business AND a business that will benefit you personally by remaining in business) ALSO, many shops can add extra flavor shots to their own flavors for you and that's a plus!
2. They will explain what's what and what works with what. They will not let you out of the store with incompatible hardware. They probably will make sure you're qualified to even own some of the more complicated (risky) hardware. If are going to be building coils, most shops will not only show you how but make you demonstrate you have learned what they taught before letting you out the door. One store I go to insists their customers unbox and try everything from mod to drip-tip to make sure it's working when it walks out the door. They will explain the basic need-to-know info and tell you where to learn more about vape safety (especially important as you graduate to more complex gear).
3. They will not sell you a clone without telling you (in my experience). That's important because you want everything to work together nicely and sometimes the cheaper clones (especially in tanks) don't fit properly with their counterpart legitimate products.
4. They get to know you and you're taste. And they value your opinion on their new products. I've been greeted (by name) coming into a store with "Boy do we have something you're going to love!" and "Hey, can you try this flavor we're working on and see if you like it?" and they give me a 10ml bottle to take home and report back on. I've said to store owners who don't carry a juice I like "Listen, you know I'd rather buy this from you than online, try a little and see what you think?" and given THEM 10ml of a juice to vape on and consider.
5. It's social. Vape day is FUN because you always end up chatting with the other vapors there. You get recommendations on juices and products, not from text on a screen, but from people you can tell know their stuff (or not). I've been steared to and away from hardware by other customers and found one of my very favorite juices because I saw someone ELSE trying it and get all excited over it. Some B&Ms even have lounges just to sit around with other vapers and shoot the sht together, some have movie nights, some have swap meets.
6. It's faster than waiting for vape-mail. Recently it FINALLY happened... one too many falls to the floor and the glass on one of my tanks cracked. I called my nearest shop and they didn't carry it. I called another shop I'd be near that day and they did! So, I only had to hang on for a few hours with my cracked tank being fortified by hello kitty duct tape until I could get to shop number 2 and replace the glass component... and fyi I got TWO because it's not like I'm suddenly going to STOP dropping the thing!
7. They remind you if you forgot something you need. Did you just buy a new tank or even just a bottle of juice? They are probably going to ask if you need coils, especially if they know you and you've bought 5-backs enough that they remember it's something you try to stay ahead on. Did you just buy a new mod that doesn't come with a battery installed? They will offer you an appropriate battery. Are you a new customer, or clearly new to vaping? They're going to remind you to get extra chargers and car chargers. I've never returned home from a B&M and said "OH ISH! I can't use this because I didn't get a (whatever) to go with it!
But eventually I discovered a magical place called a "Vape Shop". I'm very lucky, there's many in my area, (and I don't mean headshops with vape stuff, I mean vape shops). Now I'm not going to claim that I never buy gear or juices online, sometimes the deal is too good to pass up (assuming it's from a reputable site) or I'm already familiar with a juice and too lazy to go to the shop that carries it... or the reviews on a juice not carried at a shop near me are too compelling to ignore and I'm willing to buy without try... but in general, B&M is the place to be for all vapors but ESPECIALLY NEW VAPORS, and here's why:
1. They let you TRY THE JUICE! Now, they're probably going to have a weak pen battery and a crappy tank, AND make you use a "vape condom" over their drip tip, so it's not always the best way to judge a flavor but it's far more accurate than a sales pitch you'll find in the description of a juice online.
Protip: See how much of your own gear they'll let you use.... if their tank works with your battery, use your battery. And your drip tip will almost CERTAINLY work with their tank and I've never had an objection to using my own instead of theirs (it saves them a vape condom!) Your own drip tip will DRASTICALLY increase your ability to judge a flavor.
When you find a few you like, sit with them for a few minutes... take a puff every 30 seconds or so for a few minutes to make sure you like it beyond your first impression... or if you don't like something yet find it compelling, keep at it because it may be a complex flavor that takes a bit to settle with you.
2. STORE-MADE FLAVORS!! TRY THE STORE'S HOME FLAVORS! They are very proud of them and often very good and creative. They are cheaper than the fancy glass bottle brand names and offer the store a higher profit margin (which we want, we want them to make a little extra... these stores are about to be your best friend, we want them to be around for a while, so if it comes down between two flavors and one is made in store, take that one, you're supporting a local business AND a business that will benefit you personally by remaining in business) ALSO, many shops can add extra flavor shots to their own flavors for you and that's a plus!
2. They will explain what's what and what works with what. They will not let you out of the store with incompatible hardware. They probably will make sure you're qualified to even own some of the more complicated (risky) hardware. If are going to be building coils, most shops will not only show you how but make you demonstrate you have learned what they taught before letting you out the door. One store I go to insists their customers unbox and try everything from mod to drip-tip to make sure it's working when it walks out the door. They will explain the basic need-to-know info and tell you where to learn more about vape safety (especially important as you graduate to more complex gear).
3. They will not sell you a clone without telling you (in my experience). That's important because you want everything to work together nicely and sometimes the cheaper clones (especially in tanks) don't fit properly with their counterpart legitimate products.
4. They get to know you and you're taste. And they value your opinion on their new products. I've been greeted (by name) coming into a store with "Boy do we have something you're going to love!" and "Hey, can you try this flavor we're working on and see if you like it?" and they give me a 10ml bottle to take home and report back on. I've said to store owners who don't carry a juice I like "Listen, you know I'd rather buy this from you than online, try a little and see what you think?" and given THEM 10ml of a juice to vape on and consider.
5. It's social. Vape day is FUN because you always end up chatting with the other vapors there. You get recommendations on juices and products, not from text on a screen, but from people you can tell know their stuff (or not). I've been steared to and away from hardware by other customers and found one of my very favorite juices because I saw someone ELSE trying it and get all excited over it. Some B&Ms even have lounges just to sit around with other vapers and shoot the sht together, some have movie nights, some have swap meets.
6. It's faster than waiting for vape-mail. Recently it FINALLY happened... one too many falls to the floor and the glass on one of my tanks cracked. I called my nearest shop and they didn't carry it. I called another shop I'd be near that day and they did! So, I only had to hang on for a few hours with my cracked tank being fortified by hello kitty duct tape until I could get to shop number 2 and replace the glass component... and fyi I got TWO because it's not like I'm suddenly going to STOP dropping the thing!
7. They remind you if you forgot something you need. Did you just buy a new tank or even just a bottle of juice? They are probably going to ask if you need coils, especially if they know you and you've bought 5-backs enough that they remember it's something you try to stay ahead on. Did you just buy a new mod that doesn't come with a battery installed? They will offer you an appropriate battery. Are you a new customer, or clearly new to vaping? They're going to remind you to get extra chargers and car chargers. I've never returned home from a B&M and said "OH ISH! I can't use this because I didn't get a (whatever) to go with it!
