Plz help a newbie get into vaping - confused here

[tara100]

Hello

I've never vaped before, and I'm getting really confused about buying a starter kit

I was going to buy a 801 starter kit from 'Cloud 9' but then I keep reading that people have tried these and other similar kits and then end up buying a Riva set, which they are very happy with.

Please help! I smoke 15-20 straight ciggies a day with 0.9 nicotine if this helps.

Oh hell, I feel like I just don't know what I'm doing

[Scylla]

Hello and welcome, Tara Please don't worry.

Hardly any of us started out with an 801, a 901 is more usual. However, the Riva seems to have taken us by storm lately. Us old-timers don't know much about it from experience because we're settled on other weird and wonderful "mods".

The Riva ladies will be along later today, some with a bit of experience and others with first impressions

And other members will find some other good value starter kits.

Chill!

scylla x

[jimmybat]

Hi there welcome to the forum yes yes the 510 and 901 seem to be the fav's for starters but as said the Riva is a new thing it is basicly a 510 with a big chunky battery 4 times the size of the regular one making it fatter and lasts about 12 hours SO if you looking for vapour and long lasting battery spend the extra for that
BUT if you looking for something that looks and feels like a real cigarette to start off with the 510 or 901 models will do you well. hope this helps a little for starters
James

[deesigner]

Good luck Tara, I'm a total vapering numpty too. I've just ordered the Riva so will let you know what I think of it when it arrives.

[Chrissie]

Welcome Tara

It does seem so confusing to begin with & one of the things that makes it difficult to recommend the best kit for a beginner ie higher performance at a cost or just getting people started without having to spend much.

It's also a bit like trying to recommend a car to a learner driver.

[Hanow]

OMG - think I need to give you all a hug.

Tara - I am an absolute beginner - aided greatly by all the peeps in here - and my kit arrived today, and after a bit of head scratching, I finally got it going - and can't believe how good it is. Why didn't I know about this before????

I bought a Riva - very nice - good quality look and feel. It took me a bit of a time to initially set up up. I would say that the instructions are not 'idiot-total newbie' friendly. Thus I was grateful to have read so much here, as well as watched all of the useful videos via the links provided here.

It really is one of those things that once you know how, you feel a bit stupid for not knowing how - if you see what I mean. I didn't realise that you had to depress the button whilst 'dragging'. I began by pressing for 5 seconds, releasing, and of course nothing was happening. But once I got my head and brain around that requirement, I was off and running - and whoopee - this just might work.

James, hun, thank you soooo much for the samples. I have got going with the L and B - and now I know what you all mean by the taste. It is all incomprehensible until you have actually done it. I do however think in twiddling to get it going (i.e. not depressing the button to assist) I assumed I hadn't put enough juice in, so shoved some more in - and perhaps have put too much in? How do you know if you have overdone it a bit, or doesn't it matter?

But in the midst of it all, I have had to laugh at myself. Once I got it up and running - I dashed outside (my usual smoking practice) to have a puff, when I suddenly realised that I don't need to any more. Am I right that whilst 'tasting' the vapour, it doesn't actually create a cigarette smell? I have hay fever today, so nose is a bit bunged and I can't smell anything.

James, again, hooooge thanks - a really lovely selection here to get test and get through. So please give me a few days to experiment, and then I can place an order.

So, to everyone here ((((((((((((((((Everyone)))))))))))))))))))

Day one of being a vaper - not a smoker

[jaki]

Hi Tara

I am one of the Riva fans. However, I should add that I used a basic 901 kit for the first 4 months of vaping and although I did add others to my collection, I found the 901 kit perfectly adequate and would still recommend it to anyone wanting to give vaping a try. It is easy to use and won't make too big a hole in your pocket.

I tried to think up some pros and cons

901 (this applies to a 510 as well, but I've never had one of them!)
Pros
One of the cheapest starting options
Easy to use
Not too heavy and very slimline
A great introduction into vaping

Cons
Battery life is relatively short and runs out just when you don't want it to. Even when swapping the two batteries, if you are out and about during the day, you will need to find a way to charge them to last a whole day.

Riva
Pros
Long battery life - less concerns about charging when out and about. Two charged batteries will easily last a day of very heavy vaping
Easy to use
Not too expensive - more than a 901, but only about £10/£12 more
You probably won't find yourself looking for a different device with more oomph, therefore saving money in the long run!

Cons
Heavier than a 901 and impossible to hold it as you would a normal ciggie.
Slightly dearer than the 901/510 options

Both will need replacement atomisers every few weeks and replacement batteries every few months (or longer) The atomisers are the same cost for either option but the batteries for the Riva are around £4 dearer

Hope that helps a bit

[jaki]

Hanow, I am so pleased you are getting along with your new toy! Welcome to the wonderful world of vaping!

No, the vapour you breathe out doesn't really smell and certainly not like cigarettes, although some of the distinctive flavours (eg ENJuice Maple waffle) do slightly but disappear very quickly.

Have fun experimenting

[Chrissie]

Just so pleased for you (((Hanow))))

Many models of e-cigs come with a choice of manual (with a button) or auto (without the button) but the Riva is just a manual one.

The manuals are better because you can press the button for a couple of seconds to heat up the atomiser, before taking your first drag. Don't ever hold the button down for too long though or you will burn out your atomiser.

Re the amount of juice, just refill up to when you see it pooling slightly at the top of the filler.

[Hanow]

Chrissie - 'pooling' at the top of something - not sure what that means hunnie.

But a few more questions - if you haven't yet got fed up with them all -
1) When you put the juice into a new cartridge that has the bit of whatever it is stuffed in it - wadding (?)- how many drops do you put in to fill it, and how long should that filling last?
2) Can you top up the cartridge through the atomiser hole (albeit, I appreciate that you would need a syringe to do it.) I know I watched a video where that was done - but it was a different model cig to my Riva. I have only used one cartridge so far, which appeared to run out, so I topped up. As I unscrewed, the wadding came out - so I had to replace - carefully using tweezers, but see that syringing through the atomiser would be less hassle perhaps?

5 Hours now since my last cancer-tube (as my mum calls them), and don't feel the need for one at all. Whoopee.

Have I told you all how much I love you?

James, hope you read my hooooge 'thank-you' post? And when I have my birthday party......my 21st of course......... you are all invited, and James, you can even wear your pink dress, and Omegaman can wear whatever is appropriate for his gender on that day.

Great start folks - thanks.

[Lilac]

When you drip the liquid into the filling, you'll see it soaking in, do it a drop at a time until you get the hang of it....after 3 or 4 drops, you'll notice it's just lying on top instead of soaking it...thats 'pooling'

the filler coming out and sticking to the atomiser is a problem i had at first, just push it a bit further down to see if it helps, a pin is useful for this and also to help 'squish' the juice into the filler...don't put too much juice in as it'll just flood the attie, but enough to keep the filler wet, it's a fine balance, but it'll become second nature quickly...
How long it lasts depends on how many drops, varies between fill ups, depending on how heavily you vape, etc....in practise, anything between 10 mins to 30 mins....it's so hard to give hard & fast answers, as everyone vapes differently, but again, you'll settle to a pattern thats right for you..

a lot of us now use a different type of 'filler' to the stuff supplied, and i've not had the filler coming out since, but it used to drive me crazy, we can tell you more about that later, don't want to overload you with info...

another thing i use is a 'straw mod' which i find makes the juice soak in much better, again, more about that once you've got to grips with topping up your cartridges...

you can either just drip a few drops onto the top of the filler as i spoke about above, or take the filling out, drip maybe 5 or 6 drops into the empty cart, then replace the filling and put a couple more drops in, squishing with your pin or tweezers, but i find that much messier, so i just drip into the cart(cartridge)

it does get much easier - i promise

[Hanow]

Thanks Lilac for taking the time to explain all of that. I can see how much of it initially is trial and error. I think that having just spent £40.00 on this, I am worried that I will somehow wreck it before I get my money's worth!

Also not sure if you have to clean out the atomiser before installing a different cartridge that has a different juice in it?

[buckowski]

Glad you're enjoying vaping so far Hanow, it really is awesome (most of the time)
The atomisers.
I use one atomiser just for tobacco type liquids, say if you're using L+B, then fancy a different tobacco like Drum, it's no problem, the tobaccos merge well together I find.
Then a different atomiser for mint/menthols.
And a third for fruity/sweet flavours.
There is some crossover in taste, but by using similar type liquids in each atomiser, it negates any possibility of a horror taste
for example, how not to do it - use the same atomiser for L+B, then drop some jaffa cake juice in it - not good lol.

[Chrissie]

Hanow re your question 2)

"2) Can you top up the cartridge through the atomiser hole (albeit, I appreciate that you would need a syringe to do it.) I know I watched a video where that was done - but it was a different model cig to my Riva. I have only used one cartridge so far, which appeared to run out, so I topped up. As I unscrewed, the wadding came out - so I had to replace - carefully using tweezers, but see that syringing through the atomiser would be less hassle perhaps?"

No you can't top up your cartridge through the atomiser hole of the type you are using. That method is only for cartomisers (an all in one cartridge & atomiser). One of the main reasons for the wadding coming out is due to it being too dry ie needs more juice adding.

[Hanow]

Good suggestion there B re: keeping different atomisers for different fillings. That makes sense.

Now that I understand the 'taste' notion, I may well risk some alternative flavours outside of the tobacco ones. All suggestions gratefully received. James - how are you at making cappucino?

Chrissie, that makes sense too - I think I have been worried about overloading the cartidge, so have only been sprinkling a couple of drops in - not really soaking it well enough. I can see that it takes some time - trial and error - before getting it right for your purpose and personal preference. 7.5 hours now