Recommendation for all New Vapors-Bump this if you think it's valuable.

[niczgreat]

I keep running across new Vapors who are looking for suggestions about what to buy. Let me clarify that if you are looking for one of those dinky cig look alikes this is not the thread for you. If you are ready to move up to real vaping, welcome aboard.

I figure I'll post my advise one time and I want every new vapor who reads it and follows the advise to bump this if you think it's valuable. Feel free to link to it on other threads too.

I will emphasize I have no affiliation with any vendor recommended except that I've bought products from them [Except Ivape] and found the service to be excellent and the product to be authentic and work.

New Vapor, You are going to see a ton of conflicting views after me. Just Take a leap of faith and order the items below. The only choice is whether to step up to the Itaste MVP or to stay with the ego twist. I strongly recommend, if you don't mind the box shape to purchase the Itaste Mvp. One charge of a battery lasted me for 2 1/2 days. An Ego Twist about 6-8 hours. The opinion of my family and friends when comparing the MVP to the big tube mods is that it's more elegant. On the other hand the twist is more cigarette like.


The following is a get out of jail card free. This is may not be the final rig that you'll end up with but it's a great first or 2nd step. [2nd step if you're using dinky cig lookalike]
I'm very specific with the links and products.Their are a lot of knockoffs and inferior equipment and juices in the market. Just order from these links and you should be very happy. I have no commercial affiliation with any of these vendors.

Both of my selections for the vaping unit are VV. You will see VV on the forum often, it stands for Variable Voltage. The advantage of Variable voltage is that you can raise and lower the Voltage or temperature at which you vape. This allows you to use a wider array of Clearomizers or Cartomizers and juices because you can adjust your unit to give you the best vape. Another advantage of VV Variable voltage is that it stabilizes your voltage too.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Caution more technical than you may want to know
All standard vaping devices use Lithium Ion or LIMN technology. When you charge the battery it will go to 4.2v and than as you discharge the battery will put out less and less voltage. So many, if not all devices that aren't VV variable volt will start out giving a hotter vape and as the battery goes down the vape gets cooler. This is why I don't recommend non Variable Voltage devices
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1st Suggestion for those who aren't comfortable with a totally uncig like device the twist is the way to go. The Ego Twist isn't too long or fat, has a decent battery life. It's so easy to use. No Led displays, the bottom is a knob that is marked with voltage and you just twist the know to find the right Vape. Warning though the twist is not good for vaping above around 4.4v the battery just isn't strong enough.

If you arent' sure if Vaping is for you buying 1 ego twist + 1 Charger + 1 Clearomizer + 1 small bottle of liquid is the most economical entree to VV vaping. You'll spend around $45.00 complete. If you like it you can buy another and stock up on all the goodies. If you don't like it that much you can always use it as a backup unit. I always have a backup unit in the event my primary Vaping Device Fails. Now with a Vape Shop 30 minutes away it's not as important to me. But many may live in areas of the country where to get a replacement for a failed device you'll depend on the U.S Mail.

If you are sure that vaping is for you than buy two Ego Twists and all the goodies below. If you take up vaping one twist won't be enough. You'll need two twists to get you through a long day, unless you are a real lightweight.

My thought is that if you are going to buy two Ego Twists and you don't mind the box shape the MVP is a fraction more expensive. By the way you will find cheaper Ego Twists on the market and some are quite good but the gold standard is manufactured by Joyetech. Joyetech has a reputation for quality so that is why I' chose the more expensive Joyetech.

Get 2 VV Ego Twist or 1 if funds are tight $26.00 per Unit Click Here
Charger Click Here
Kanger T3 Bottom Coil Clearomizer buy 4 Each will last about 2 weeks Click Here Use Coupon Code REDDIT on Vapingme to get a 12% discount.
They are back in stock buy the replacement Head for the Kanger Buy around 5 - Click Here
E-Liquid- Heathers Heavenly Vapes- Click Here for Sample Pack


This is a great starting rig.


Now you might want to jump to the next step up for Hardware.
Instead of the Ego Twists buy an Itaste Mvp
Don't take my word for it watch the reviews below.
Two Reviews
Phil Busardo [Very Famous] Here
Remember his complaint about true ego threading is resolved

Field of Vapor Here
He has a great fix [7 minutes and 25 seconds] for the wobble that busardo complained about.
Take his complaint about it vaping lower than the digital readout with a grain of salt. The unit is rock solid and
always vapes at the same level. So if it's a little lower than the readout you just compensate by setting the voltage a little higher.

I discovered this unit recently and have bought one for me and recommended to a bunch of people. Everyone who has bought one has been very satisfied.

My old boss Tony just started vaping and bought a no name tube mod that failed on him. Tony said to me, I don't want anything complicated, I just want something simple. Pardon me for insulting you Tony [If you ever read this] by saying that you are Technically Challenged. I showed him my Itaste MVP and the Kanger t3 and he loved it. We went to a local vape shop and bought a Itaste MVP and he's a happy camper. He loved the simplicity.

The lowest price to buy on web is Ivape Here use coupon code fightback1 at checkout and it's $55.00
[No I dont' get a kickback, this is the code on the buying page]

For the best service on the web buy at VaporBeast Here. I bought a Mod from Tim awhile back and it didn't work out and his after sale service was the best. He'll go the extra step to make you happy. I have no experience with Ivape except that one person that ordered from them said it was shipped the next day and they are the lowest price on the web.

The Itaste MVP is simple to use the battery is integrated into the unit and not changeable so, no battery decisions, lasts 2 1/2 days on the built in battery and charges with a regular cel phone micro usb charger or the charging cable that comes with it. So no charger decisions

It has 3 buttons a Power button for vaping and an up and down button to change the voltage, no confusing menus. It really is brain dead to operate.

The newest version has both 510 and Ego Threading and will accept just about every Clearo or Carto in the market. No problem with incompatible hardware. The complaint about the unit not having Ego Threading that you'll see if you watch the reviews has been resolved. It takes the Kanger t3 and the evod and all 510 now.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Technical Stuff you probably don't need to know but might be interested in.

There is one or two intangibles about this unit that an aficionado will understand. Just about all Vaping devices use PWM or Pulse width Modulation. But some have better filters than others. This is a very technical field so I'll simplify it. The Provari which is the Hummer of devices has excellent filters and if you put a standard voltage tester on it no problem with detecting the voltage. The Vamos and the Sigelei simply don't have as good a filter and if you put a standard voltage tester on it they won't work. It's debatable whether one can detect the difference when vaping. I'm not sure myself.

The Itaste Mvp has an excellent filter, as good as a Provari [Arguably]. You can put a standard voltage tester on it and it's rock solid. So there is a possibility that the vape from the MVP is superior to the Vamos or Sigelei.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
More stuff:
The drawback to the MVP is that it doesn't have an Ohm reader but some might consider and advantage too because it's one less thing to confuse a new vaper. The other is that if you are into extreme vaping [Vaping at High Voltage] the Ivape only goes to 5 Volts. The Tube mods like the zmax and the Vamos will go up to 6 Volts. On the other side of the coin, in my opinion it doesn't really matter. Clearomizers and Cartomizers are available in lower resistances so 5V with the right Clearomizer or Cartomizer is plenty for the average vaper.

 

[Offday]

His name is Phil...Phil Busardo.
He just always says "P" Busardo in his reviews.

 

[niczgreat]

Now let's get to my opinions on Juice.
I DIY make my own juice and later you should look at doing it.

I believe the number 1 reason why new vapors fail is because the Juice that is being sold is too weak.

They opened up some Vape shops around 20 miles from me and none of them had liquid above 18mg. To me 18mg is a joke. But to start if their is a Vape Shop near you just buy and try, or they may allow you to vape in the store. Buying your e-liquid online will be more economical. I recommended Heathers Heavenly Vapes because they have a good reputation on the board. Also they offer
e-juice up to 36mg and choices of blending of VG PG. In addition I tried there dark horse [Excellent] and they have a great selection.

It's weird, on the board you will see pack a day Marlborough Smokers who switch to vaping and say that 24mg is too strong and you get 1/2 pack a day American Spirit Light Smokers who switch [Me] and aren't satisfied with anything less than 28mg and prefer 36mg.

My opinion [For what it's worth] is that people absorb the nicotine from vaping differently. Some are more efficient at absorbing or have a higher or lower tolerance. Let's just accept that everyone is different and there is no way to predict what level of nicotine you will enjoy.

So how can we make it easy for you to begin if there are no brick and mortar Vape Shops near you.?

Two ways to go
1. Start out with a liquid that is 24mg or 36mg and go to your corner cvs and buy a bottle of VG or PG. Or you can buy it online. Rts Vapes sells it Here Than if it's too strong you can dilute it to make weaker.
2. The other route is to go to RTS Vape Here and buy a higher nicotine solution. I linked to the one that I suggest and I'm not sure if forum rules allow me to mention the level outside of the DIY section, Buy a 18mg liquid and if your e-liquid is too weak you can raise the Nicotine level. Please be careful when storing and handling Nicotine Base as it is potentially toxic to nonsmokers and children. I like Wizard Labs best but they moved their facility and aren't shipping yet. Wizard Labs is Top Quality and lower price.

I vape 100% VG because I developed a Pg Allergy.

So you might wonder what is the difference.

PG is Propylene Glycol and has been used in the artificial smoke machines that you see at concert events for a long time. It is GRAS [Generally Recognized as Safe] by the FDA.

VG stands for Vegetable Glycerin- You can buy it at most corner drug stores.

Pg has the reputation of more Throat Hit. VG more vapor. The most standard mix is 70% PG and 30% VG. I like that Heathers Heavenly Vapes will give you a choice of what percentage of each you'd like.

Based what I've gleaned from the boards a 70-30 ratio PG to VG is a safe bet.

I'm not going to make any suggestion about what is the best flavor. Everyone is different. You may be surprised at what you like so don't be afraid to experiment.

 

[niczgreat]

Deleted Deleted subtracts from post

 

[niczgreat]

What is the Provari.

New Vapors are going to run into the Provari very quickly. It is manufactured by ProVape, Provape.com. It came out approximately 2 years or so Ago. It was the first excellent quality Electronic Mod in the Market. [Arguably]

My experience before the Provari was constantly purchasing expensive mods that wouldn't last for more than 2-3 Months. Than I bought a Provari and it lasted for over 1 year and 1/2 until the new Vivi Nova 1.8ohm Clearomizer head came out. The Provari wasn't built to accomodate that head and the circuit board went bad. I sent to Provape and after 2 tries they replaced the circuit board with a new one and my Provari was back in action. By then I had bought backup Box Mods from Smoktek another story.

Don't let my repair story influence you negatively. I had a Version 1, Provape is up to version 2 1/2 and they say a 3 is on the horizon. Provape isn't at fault, how could they anticipate LR [Low Resistance] Attys would come onto the market. It's kind of like faulting a VHS Maker for not putting a CD option. CD didn't exist when VHS was being produced.

Why does the Provari have such a following.:

It's a Tank, you can drop it abuse it to your heart content and it still keeps running. It has a 1 year Warranty and beyond the year you can pay to get it repaired. So it's not a throw away. In terms of Tube Mods it is the best quality/warranty on the market.

It's rock solid, the pros have done studies on it and it is super accurate and it always puts out exactly the voltage that is represented in the menu system. It has an Atomizer checker for brevity when I say Atomizer I'm referring to Cartomizers and Clearomizers too.

When you push the fire button, the Provari always Fires. If it doesn't than an error code comes up. This doesn't sound like much but in the old days. You'd push the button and nothing would happen. So you had to figure out, Is it my Battery, Is it my Apv, Is it my Atomizer? The Provari pretty much takes the guesswork out of this equation.

The drawback is that it's very pricy. Provape keeps a very tight control on the market and who sells it, so you don't find discounted new units anywhere. The best you can hope for is to buy a "blemished" unit from Provape. Those who've bought the blemished units have said that often you can hardly find the blemish. Provape is perfectionists when it comes to the Provari.

Two other drawbacks to the Provari is that they haven't incorporated the latest technology and don't offer Variable Wattage. Variable Wattage is a pretty cool feature. In my opinion it's not a necessity but it's nice to have. I'll put in a post below explaining Variable Wattage.

Why don't I use a Provari. I stopped using my Provari because I don't like the form factor, feel of the tube rocket style. I think they look crude to the uninitiated and resemble a drug device. When my Provari went into the shop, as a backup I bought a box mod. I liked it much better and when my Provari came back I kept it as a backup unit. Then recently I lost it. Where , How I don't know but it might show up again.

The reason why I didn't include a Provai as an option for the first choice, is because $200.00+ just is too much to swallow for a first step in vaping. In addition along with the unit you need to buy batteries, charger, and learn how to manipulate the Menu System. Just plain complicated for a first step.

The Provari comes in a regular which takes the 18500 battery [Shorter than 18650, not as popular] and you will probably purchase an extended endcap along with it which allows you to take an 18650.
The 18650 Battery will last most Vapors a day. Insert in the morning and recharge at night.

They have a Mini Provari which takes a 18350 battery. The mini doesn't have a very long life so you would need to carry 1-2 extra batteries along with you.

You can't go wrong buying a Provari. It has the happiest and most dedicated fan base of any e-cig in the market with the exception of the REO [Subject for another post]

 

[niczgreat]

Variable Wattage Verse Variable Volt

This is complicated but I'll try to make it easy and use non technical terms.

An Ecig with VV works like this.
You have:
1. a Battery that supplies the Power
1. the APV [Advanced Personal Vaporizer] Body which regulates and transforms the battery into current for the Coil.
3. clearomizer, Cartomizer, or Atomizer which has a Coil
4. A liquid Nicotine Solution that is usually Flavored

The APV Draws energy from the Battery which Heats up the Coil and than turns the E-Liquid into Vapor.

Skipping the more complicated Amperage part of it and keeping it simple.

Different Coils have different Resistance. Resistance is measured in Ohms. A way of thinking about it is that if I put 4 Volts into a fat wire it will heat up less than if I put 4 Volts into a Thin Wire. So a lower Resistance Ohm Coil will be thinner and heat up quicker and hotter than a than a Higher Fatter Resistance Coil. Now to make it even more complicated the Ohms on the Clearo/Carto/Atty don't stay the same over the life of the unit.

Now if you take the Ohms, and the Volts using a formula you come up with the total Watts that are being used. If you lower the Volts and keep the Ohms the same than the Watts will be lower or Visa Versa if you raise the Volts. Same thing with the OhMS.

The first unit to my knowledge that came out with Variable Wattage was the Darwin by Evolv. The Principle of Variable Wattage is that if the APV Body polls the Clearo/Carto/Atty to find it's resistance than it will control the Voltage coming out to always keep the Wattage the same. This means that I can add different OHM Clearomizers and the vape should always be the same.

Evolv figured out that they could make more money selling the technology than selling the $250.00+ Darwin. So they developed a device called the Kick premium priced at $47.00 that is small and Cylindrical and you will put inside a Non VV Apv and will give you the same wattage all the time. It's called the Kick because it will Kick or boost the voltage up. The disadvantage to the Kick is that it is recessed inside the unit and you can't easily change the Wattage. The advantage is that you can put it into a very sturdy Mechanical Unit and it will give you rock solid Wattage and keep your vaping level the same regardless of what Clearo/Carto/Atty you use.

The Chinese have gotten on the Variable Wattage Bandwagon and the new Vamos 2, Zmax are all incorporating variable wattage as an option. Aside from a recessed device like the Kick where you have to crack open the unit to change the Wattage. The Variable Wattage devices have Power up and Power down just like Variable volt. So if you have it on variable wattage setting and you want a hotter vape you just raise the wattage and that will work to raise the voltage.

So Variable Wattage does everything that Variable Voltage does, the advantage is that it will compensate for changes in the Ohms of the clearomizer. When a Clearomizer Coil or a Cartomizer Coil age eventually they will go bad. If you use it long enough it'll short circuit.. As they age the Ohms will go up [Generally]. The advantage to Variable Wattage is that it constantly checks the Coil and will lower the voltage automatically as the Carto ages. Or if the Ohms of the Carto/Clearo change than it'll compensate.

By the way sometimes it works the opposite way. You put a Clearo/Carto in and it starts at higher Ohm and than goes down. Either way the Variable Wattage will compensate. So it is superior techology.

Is it a necessity? I'd say no. Is it superior techonology, I'd say yes. Is it the future? Absolutely.

 

[Rocketpunk]

Tomgreatz, you seem to put time, research, and effort into your posts. I applaud this.

 

[SissySpike]

I wasn't quite sure but I think you like the MVP;-)

 

[niczgreat]

I wasn't quite sure but I think you like the MVP;-)

You are right. The Itaste MVP is the one I'm vaping on now.

After years of carrying extra batteries, constantly recharging batterys in my charger and vaping on ugly units. I just enjoy carrying 1 APV with me that looks good. Finally it's so simple and convenient to just plug it into my phone charger at the end of the day.

I'm looking for simplicity in my Life and the MVP filled that gap!

Plus I think it looks more elegant than the bottle rockets.

 

[niczgreat]

Tomgreatz, you seem to put time, research, and effort into your posts. I applaud this.

Thank you for the nice words!

I'm trying my hardest to simplify Vaping into one post that will cover many subjects and won't intimidate a new vapor. Hope I'm on the right track. I've been absorbing information from the forums for years and also getting an education through the school of hard knocks.

 

[SissySpike]

You are right. The Itaste MVP is the one I'm vaping on now.

After years of carrying extra batteries, constantly rechargin batterys in my charger and vaping on ugly units. I just enjoy carrying 1 APV with me that looks good. Finally it's so simple and convenient to just plug it into my phone charger at the end of the day.

I'm looking for simplicity in my Life and the MVP filled that gap!

Plus I think it looks more elegant than the bottle rockets.

I like box mods I have several but havent got a MVP yet. Im sure Ill end up with one sooner or later. My first mod was a big daddy meter box way back when with dual 18650s and ever-cool circuitry.
I dont have a true favorite I like them all or I wouldn't have them. There are so many cool mods it makes the mind boggle! If you like wood box mods check out http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...m/327234-mancavemods-vw-amd-vv-wood-mods.html These They are American built with American electronics the DNA 20 is what he currently uses. Cant go wrong there. ITs a great chip designed buy Evolve thats the guy who started VW. at any rate enjoyed your post lots of good info. Its hard when you start so many choices these days
I agree cig alikes suck but if it werent for them I would not have switched. So they have their place.

 

[niczgreat]

I ran across this great post on how to inhale an e-cig.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/337017-inhalation-technique-e-cigarette.html
Myself I draw the vapor into my mouth for around 5 seconds, than inhale, and depress the button a second. I do this concurrently around 3-4 times.

I do it this way because 100% Vg Liquid is a little thicker and has a lower burning point. This method keeps the vape nice and smooth with no burnt taste. Having the button pushed at the point in time in which I'm no longer pulling the air through and keeping the coil cool would cause a burnt taste.

 

[niczgreat]

I like box mods I have several but havent got a MVP yet. Im sure Ill end up with one sooner or later. My first mod was a big daddy meter box way back when with dual 18650s and ever-cool circuitry.
I dont have a true favorite I like them all or I wouldn't have them. There are so many cool mods it makes the mind boggle! If you like wood box mods check out http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...m/327234-mancavemods-vw-amd-vv-wood-mods.html These They are American built with American electronics the DNA 20 is what he currently uses. Cant go wrong there. ITs a great chip designed buy Evolve thats the guy who started VW. at any rate enjoyed your post lots of good info. Its hard when you start so many choices these days
I agree cig alikes suck but if it werent for them I would not have switched. So they have their place.

I love the wood box mods, I haven't pulled the trigger on them because they seem so overpriced. You can get a plastic VV Mod around the $50.00 to $60.00 range and they want around $150.00 to $250.00 for a wood bodied one. That's a huge premium. I'm waiting for more mass production and the price to be brought in under $100.00

 

[stinkboto]

I just want to let everyone know that I recently bought an iTaste MVP because of a discussion with tomzgreat on another post. I bought it through iVape.com for $55 shipped. I am so glad I took his advice! It really is a great inexpensive quality mod! The new version that they sell now comes with eGo threading. I'm using my Kanger MT3 with it right now with no issues! He is not kidding about the battery life. I am a light to medium vaper and I am going on 3 days without a charge right out of the box!

 

[Dave L]

Bumpitty bump!

 

[niczgreat]

I just want to let everyone know that I recently bought an iTaste MVP because of a discussion with tomzgreat on another post. I bought it through iVape.com for $55 shipped. I am so glad I took his advice! It really is a great inexpensive quality mod! The new version that they sell now comes with eGo threading. I'm using my Kanger MT3 with it right now with no issues! He is not kidding about the battery life. I am a light to medium vaper and I am going on 3 days without a charge right out of the box!

Hi Stinkboto
I appreciate you came on board the thread with your opinion on the Itaste MVP. The more happy Vapors that comment the better.
I'm glad you are a happy camper,isn't it nice not having to worry about batteries and chargers and know that in a pinch you can charge on the go with any Micro USB Charger! Thanks for confirming that it has true Ego Threading, sometimes the sellers don't know what they have, so until it's in the hands of a customer, I remain skeptical. The t3 is an awesome vape.

One feature that I like about the T3 is that with any vaping unit if you vape long enough you may get condensation in the top. With the t3 you just unscrew it and turn it upside down pull out the inyards, blow through the tube from wide part in the direction of the mouth piece and do the same for the inyards, wide part towards narrow tube and it blows out the excess juice.

Another great feature is that with the Vivi Nova you only replaced the head, so after a while the tube would get out of alignment and the body became useless. With the Kanger, you replace the innyards about 95% of the unit. No fiddling.!

Information: for those considering purchasing from Ivape they have the unit priced at $65.00 [Innokin's minimum selleing price] when you use the coupon fightback1 you get the $10.00 discount down to $55.00

Just to avoid confusion for new Vapors the Kanger Mt3 is the same as the Kanger t3 except they coated the outside in metal [M=Metal]. There is a translucent part in the center so you can see your fill level. For all purposes the t3 and mt3 are identical in use and replacement of inyards. It's just a style choice!

It's useful to the New Vapors to get good advise
Where did you buy your MT3 and inyards,? What juice are you vaping and at what voltage?

 

[stinkboto]

Right now I'm vaping Apple Rings from Mt. Baker Vapors. Got it as a freebie! Spend over $15 they throw in some free juice! 4.0-4.2 on my MVP is just right for me. I got my Kanger MT3's from them as well. Sun Vapers has a great selection too. I bought my Kanger Protank from them. Haven't tried it out yet though. I noticed iVape has a good selection of Kanger T3's. Looks like a bunch just got back in stock. I picked up some replacement coils for the Kanger T3/MT3 from iVape as well.

 

[niczgreat]

It's useful to have more than 1 place to buy things, when I looked on Ivapes site I couldn't find the replacement coils.

It's a shame that I can't change the first thread and suggest that the Vapor purchase the Itaste MVP, t3 and replacement innyards from Ivape, that's simpler than sending them to two places.

Interesting when you do a search for the Kanger t3 the Mt3 and t3 come up but the Inyards [Coil Replacements don't] but if you look manually they do.

So to make it easier
One thing though, I'm suspecting that they might be knock offs because Ivape doesn't use the Kanger Name in the description. So we'll need some input from Stinkboto about whether the replacement coils vape same as the original.

T3 1.5-1.8 http://ivape.net/index.php/eGo-T3-Sol-Fuego-Coil-replacement-Low-resistance.html
T3 2.5 http://ivape.net/index.php/eGo-T3-Sol-Fuego-Coil-replacement-standard.html

 

[donnah]

The MVPs are nice. I have a vv box from madvapes that I'm particularly fond of. If anyone wants the MVP.. the device along with a kit are available for $53 shipped here. Use the code "vaporjoes" to get the price down to $53 with free shipping.

 

[niczgreat]

Donnah you rock.
I learn something new every day.
Turns out there is a blog called Vapor Joe's Click Here that has all kinds of coupons and deals on Ecig Products. That's where that coupon came from.