New to vaping, take a look :)

[ginge7289]

So this is my 1000th post on this forum that I have called home from the start of my vaping journey. I am a member of several other forums but between them I have managed around 300 posts in total.

I am just over 4 months without a cigarette and I have spent a pretty penny on some very decent kit in the vaping community. What I want to do is pass on as much information as possible to a first time vapor so they can use there own judgement to steer themselves in the right direction.

As a newcomer to vaping I started out very bright eyed and bushy tailed, in hope I could leave the cost and the smell of those flavorsome cigarettes behind me and I entered the vaping community knowing very little as most of us do. I obviously started with a ego and ce4 as many of us did and this was after trying a friends cherry tabac.......

So I went ahead and spent a large amount of money (what I thought was a lot) £50 - £60 on a starter kit to get myself established vaping, for me this was all or nothing, I had tried several times to quit smoking but as a 30 a day man I had failed at every hurdle to quit cold turkey. I tried vaping around 3 years ago but it did not have the same effect as it did this time round. (cartos)

After less than 1 week I realised that the CE4 clearo's were not for me and quickly switched to kanger T3S clearos. These were working well but I was struggling with juice, I purchased several flavours all aimed around my old tobacco brand (bad idea, do not chase your old brand) which was a complete failure...... I went through a huge amount of samples from VE Jason and finally settled on one that was good. Black cat, it has been my staple for the last four months and until last night I have vaped it everyday since I have owned it.

I then moved to a protank 2. Everything I had been reading said the protank 2 was amazing and after the first vape I enjoyed it, but it soon came to a horrible end. The new heads were hit and miss and at this point I started to try and make my own coils which went very well, but the protank just has its own issues........ I was still hunting for other juices at this point and was trying various fruit, sweet and tobacco juices. But none were hitting the mark.

I purchased a Z max in hope that VW would make a difference to my vape and hopefully bring the protank to life, but sadly that was not the case. I finally moved to rebuildable attys (Im so glad I did) and purchased a brand new Kayfun light from Cloud 9 vaping. OMG what a purchase that was, by far the best vape purchase I have ever made!!!!!!!!!!!!! The vape is a complete U turn to the clearos I had been using, it was smooth and constant, easy to maintain and it has never failed. I now have 2 Kayfun lites and 1 x 3.1.

I appreciate this is very long for a new comer to read, but hopefully you will learn the mistakes and prices I paid to get where I am now.

I have tried all sorts of vaping equipment and have spent a vast amount of money trying to work out what I like, I sometimes wonder if I have spent more vaping than I would have smoking, but the final answer is no.......
 
If I was to start again knowing what I know now where would I begin? I think you have to work out if vaping is for you first, so a cheap ego battery with a cheap clearo, if that works then I would personally miss the middle man (I know lots will disagree as they are happy) and go straight for a rebuildable atty and a VW/VV mod. Then the world is you oyster.

I finally found juices that work for me (House of Liquid) I have rebuildables that are faultless and my MOD's do what I want them to do without any frustration. I am a happy vaper and I don't need anymore..........
But, do I want more..... Yes I do and so will anyone that hangs around the forums for to long..... If you make any of the forums your home then be very careful with your wallet as the shineyitous will get you

Happy vaping!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chrissie]

Brilliant post ginge7289

[keepitgoin]

Does having 1000 posts make you a GRANDfather ginge?? Work it out what you would have spent on Cigs at UK Duty paid prices and I think you'll find you're still ahead by ££s!!

[Bluefish]

My take on it is that there is no perfect setup, what works one day and is fantastic, does not on another whilst something else does, i think they call it variety, some call it Backups *shopping*

[ginge7289]

Nov 15, 2013 23:20:42 GMT keepitgoin said:

Does having 1000 posts make you a GRANDfather ginge?? Work it out what you would have spent on Cigs at UK Duty paid prices and I think you'll find you're still ahead by ££s!!

My sig says im at £1600 saved, that is fairly accurate. Have I spent £1600??? Im looking at my gear now and I can honestly say there is no where near £1000 of stuff, although juice has cost me a small fortune lol. But im still up on cash and I can breath!!!!

[ginge7289]

Nov 15, 2013 23:29:19 GMT Bluefish said:

My take on it is that there is no perfect setup, what works one day and is fantastic, does not on another whilst something else does, i think they call it variety, some call it Backups *shopping*

I use one atty everyday, that is why I have a back up for the KFL, which is another KFL and the back up for that is a 3.1 and the back up for that........... I don't have one, but the penelope works when I want it to

[dreamylittledream]

Interesting post - I've been on my own journey over the past five months and maybe ended up in a slightly different place.

For me - hopelessly cackhanded as I am and a tad lazy the protank II just works. I am probably slightly more fond of my Davides (nicer drip tip see, but a tad noisier), but I think I get the nicest vape from my protank II and a fresh head. Not all of us can rebuild with any degree of accuracy and I've had a few RDAs (nothing as high end as a kayfun admiedly - maybe that's where I'm going wrong) and in all honesty I'll stick with a Protank or a Davide - they are low maintance and easy to use and well for me they work great.

I flirted with mechs and I wasn't impressed (although I will be forever smitten with the way the KTS Storm looks and I really want a Roller - just so pretty and well built) but in terms of getting the job done - Vamo and a decent glassomiser and that's me.

The juice is the hardest one to crack - I'm settled with a selection from the alchemist, T-juice and Mrs Lorde (99% of the time its Red Astaire and Druide admittedly) but try enough and you will get there.

For me I'd say once you break the size mental barrier (and it is a barrier, it really doesn't even vaguely resemble a cig but it feels like one when you inhale) the lowest path of resistance is a decent electric mod (hello Vamo) and a decent glass BCC tank - it may not be the bottom line in vaping par excellence but even a muppet (like me) can operate one.

Currently I rock a zmax mini out and about which is just the right pocket size with a battery life that lasts a working day with a Vamo in 18650 at home which kicks the ass of everything else I've tried.

But this is after months of playing - and that's the fun bit

[kailey]

ginge7289 congratulations on keeping about from the analogues and finding something you are happy with. I am pretty much in that place too now but this has become a hobby for me so I think I will still be tempted to try new things.

Everyone is different and everyone probably smoked in a different way too - different brands, different amounts etc. etc. Fortunately there is also lots of choice in e-cigs too. It may be confusing at first but with a little perseverance and help from this forum it is not difficult to find something to suit you. For me, vaping is now much more enjoyable than smoking ever was and I cannot ever imagine ever going back to the analogues (and coming from me, this really is saying something as I had given up ever thinking about quitting any more).

[tominmids]

Great post ginge7289 And very interesting food for thought for somebody like myself who just starting out on this fantastic journey. Thanks

[charon]

ginge7289

Congratulations on hitting the 1000 post mark. A very motivational post well done.

[Deleted]

Great post ginge7289 ... I love hearing about other people's vaping journeys ... I think that the biggest breakthrough for me was DIY mixing and the ability to tailor my e-liquid to my personal taste. Getting into rebuildables with the Scuba tank and Diver rba has also opened my eyes to the difference in flavour that they give compared to a clearo .... it's all about experimenting until you find what works for you and that is all part of the fun.

[chykensa]

Fantastic post ginge7289, thanks for posting. Useful for our newbies to read how your journey has panned out after four months, and interesting too to read the stories of others.
I'm more inline with dreamylittledream - quite happy now with a Vamo and Protank although I have tinkered with an AGA-T with silica wick (can't get it to produce a good TH), and a Spinner for out and about. The only thing I want to try now is an iClear 16 but only because you lot all rave about them!!
If I was starting again? An eGo battery and cheap clearo to see if vaping was for me, then onto a Vamo and Protank. The size barrier? Was out at a social meet with friends last night, produced my Spinner and PT and the gasps of 'what the hell is that!?' were noted. However, once people had tried it out, I think I have at least 2 more converts, all sent here BTW!! Also came across another friend, always a heavy smoker at 25g of tobacco a day, who has gone 2 weeks with an eGo and clearo and he is pleasantly surprised at how easy it has been. Sent him to Joosejuice!!!!
Thanks again Ginge, great post.