Important information for all new members and vapers!

[chykensa]

I hope our moderators will excuse this post, but I really hope that it helps our new members, and new vapers.

I have been dismayed recently by the number of introductions from new members who have been mis-informed by usually 'bricks-and-mortar' (B&M) vendors, some of them being sold over-priced and patently unsuitable and old-style starter kits.

I would urge all new members and even lurkers (come on in, we don't bite, and would love to meet and help you!) to make contact through this Absolute Beginners/New Members board. Between us we have loads of experience; we can suggest the best kit to get you started, where to buy it, and even help a bit with a members discount code. We can recommend good quality vendors for tanks, batteries, accessories and most importantly of all, good quality juices which we use ourselves.

I accept that for some vapers, a basic eGo 650mah battery with a clearomiser on top will get them off the stinkies, but there have been recent examples of vapers being sold sub-ohm equipment, or 100% VG juice to be used in a clearomiser. With the proper advice, our new members could not only buy from a reputable vendor at the best possible price, but also rest assured that the gear we suggest is the very best they can buy for their hard-earned cash.

There is nothing more saddening than reading someone bemoaning the fact that their starter kit isn't working, when with a quick question and a few hours while the replies roll in, they could have spent very little more on far superior equipment.

Finally, dear new member, please avoid eBay!!! E-cigarette sales are prohibited on this auction site, although the powers that be from eBay seem to be ignoring this most of the time. You have no guarantee of quality, nor do you have any comeback if the gear fails or just isn't up to scratch. Sure, the prices look competitive, but there is usually some catch, and you will spend very little more buying from a proper online vendor with the resultant back-up with warranty, after-sales service, etc.

In summary - please, please, please ask us first! None of us have unlimited cash to splash around, and we can help you with advice, links, new suggestions and much more to get you off to a great start. Vaping works - we are the proof!!

Thanks for reading - AndyB

[gill2009]

Great advice chykensa 

[Bobsbeer]

Well said chykensa. I wish I had found the forum first, although I'm not sure about saving money. The forum sent mo off on a bit of a spree.

[tomj777]

Beautifully put and a shared heartfelt plea, chykensa

Bob, I just spotted your sig and raise my hat to you.

[goneforagasper]

Very sound advice chykensa, I also wonder about the wisdom of recommending sub ohm and TC to new starters who ask for advice on what kit to start with. When reading these suggestions I can't help thinking its a step too far for a new starter and maybe we should tone it down and make it a bit simpler like for example mini nautilus and istick 30 rather than sub ohm mini and TC mod which are great for the experienced vaper but I question the wisdom of suggesting this to a newbie.

[peter12]

Well said

[Chrissie]

Brilliant post chykensa

[flavourtank]

chykensa

Brilliant post and I agree with you.

I went to a b&m shop today as I wanted a rda.

I walked in and the women working was with a customer who I assume from hearing is looking to start vaping, this women was talking bout a istick which I thought ok good start then boom she mentioned sub ohm vaping imo that's too advance for a newbie to get into when looking for first time vape gear.

I could tell this customer was confused and they walked out. I don't think some vendors want to spend time on safe vaping and just want to get a sale in.

Needless to say I didn't buy rda cos she didn't know which one the velocity was



PLEASE PEOPLE IF YOU WANT TO START PLEASE JOIN AND ASK

DONT GET DONE OVER

[Roscopecotrain]

Cracking post mate. Well done.

[pancser]

Hi all!

I should come here earlier before I bought my Jacvapour starter kit. Since I bought it I use their batteries with the Aspire K1 glassomizer and I really like the K1.
In the future I will ask before I buy anything

Thanks for the support!(and I mean it)

pancser

[hijack]

Spot On chykensa you can definitely get a bigger bang for your buck more suitable starter kit, that wont go bang, from the advice off of members here.

I think most find the forums after they use their first kit and think 'this could work'...I didnt even know there were forums for vapers before I gave it a go, and wondered if their was anything that worked better than the ego and ce5.
Wasnt long before I was saved by good advice though.

Sept 12, 2015 13:46:09 GMT goneforagasper said:

I also wonder about the wisdom of recommending sub ohm and TC to new starters who ask for advice on what kit to start with. When reading these suggestions I can't help thinking its a step too far for a new starter......make it a bit simpler like for example mini nautilus and istick 30 rather than sub ohm mini and TC mod which are great for the experienced vaper but I question the wisdom of suggesting this to a newbie.

Not a truer word is spoken^^^^^^^^^^^^
Although the subtanks have premade coils and the Istick now comes in a TC version, it's still more to get your head around than is necessary and over-complicates things for the beginner.  
Keep it simple.

[jevans]

This thread is one of the most sensible I've ever had the pleasure to read!
Well done on your opening gambit chykensa


Jim

[tim]

Maybe this should be made a sticky? Chrissie

[Deleted]

Brilliant post, the voice of reason and experience chykensa. I've just had a colleague at work approach me regarding the equipment he had purchased from his local B&M store. On producing the goods, he thought he had purchased an istick 20w and a nautilus mini. On closer inspection, the istick is a clone, the tank looked authentic but not having a great deal of experience with that model, I couldn't say with any certainty. So istck 20w clone, mini nauty with 10ml of juice allegedly thrown in for free = £70    He knew by the look on my face that he had been taken to the cleaners for his hard earned cash. The device, as far as I could tell was faulty, it appeared to be firing at full power no matter what it was set at. I tried a kayfun on it 1.2 ohm, 9w and it burnt the wick on the third drag. A new coil for the nauty lasted a whole 5 minutes and that was burnt too. So not too happy, he asked what I was using which was a sigelei 75w with a sub tank mini and another colleague who was using a smok xpro with an atlantis. He is now using a sig 75 and a subtank mini which I sold him and has been doing so very happily for the last 10 days, those 10 days have been completely fag free. What I've done on this occassion might incur the wrath of a few members here, starting somebody off sub ohming and some may say I have been irresponsible by doing so. Having spent a few hours explaining all sorts to him and learning him about safe vaping, I can live happily with the decision I've made. I feel it would have been irresponsible if I had said nothing and allowed him to go off and purchase the set up on his own (which he would have done anyway) and he ended up getting things wrong, causing personal or property damage. The information given by chykensa is spot on and the actions I exercised above are not what I would normally recommend, but on this occasion I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

[tipsyturtle]

Excellent advice, Chykensa ... I wish I'd seen it before buying my first kit, (only about a month ago now!)  I think what happens is what Hijack said... people buy the kit first, then think... "Uh oh... I need some help!"

That's what I did- bought what the man in the shop said would be the best for me, got it home and couldn't remember half what he said...except that there was something going to need changing... and did I need to turn it on to charge it? How would I know when it needed charging?? I took it out of it's box, got totally flummoxed by the very tiny instruction booklet and put it back in the box and had a rollup.   

It wasn't until a few weeks later, (and quite a few more roll-ups!) that I had a look online and found this site. Vaping can be a very bewildering and off-putting world to newbies... all the techie bits and pieces- wicks and atomisers and something called mAh and about 10,000 sites selling juices that have weird things called PG and VG in them- in varying amounts.  

For now, I can just about cope with my ego kit, but I know now that whenever I do upgrade to something more advanced there are people here who are more than willing to help me make the best choice.