Anyone remember when a "starter kit" was actually for beginners?

[Tonee N]

Like many, I started with a cigalike. If a quality pod system had been around and I found that first, I probably never would have advanced beyond it. It was the fact the cigalike was pretty crappy in taste and expense that made me look for something better. Then I found this place and caught viral shinyitis. I really need better antivirus software.

You need anti-enabler software.[emoji6]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[QcVaper]

Lol! EVERYTHING works well for the professional reviewers. They're just salespeople.

Although i disagree with that i still agree with the fact you should NEVER believe reviews to know if a product is good or not (which is true for any kind of reviews). They're bias wether you believe their opinions are real or not dosen't make them less,after all youtube is their bread maker so they need sponsors for reviews and therefore views. At the end of the line though these people are still fellow vapers (wether you like it or not) and they're vaping advocates who still support our causes at the end of the line.

 

[gofishtx]

The only 2 kits I recommend to beginners, and I myself have owned both. These are 75 to 80 watts.
The Cuboid Mini with Cubis Tank has internal battery and the Cubis Tank is leak free because of top airflow and has some decent coils .25 to 1. available at an affordable price.
The Pico with Melo III Tank. Removable battery but has onboard charging and the Melo III is also not a leaky tank with decent inexpensive coils .3 and .5
I bought these for myself as stealthy pocket devices and was impressed with them both and their ease of use. It's a shame that B/M Vape shops don't steer their customers more to these type of devices.

 

[mcclintock]

^^-- I would definitely not recommend the Melo III for someone wanting a good vape experience, and it's tragic such a good mod tends to come with such a useless tank.

More modern stuff is probably a good choice for the younger crowd with young lungs and a need to be impressed, but not for most smokers. There doesn't seem to a winner emerging among the MtL vapes though, partially because there's many and probably most are flawed as well. Is a Nautilus setup still the only thing we really can recommend without a long list of tweaks and exceptions?

"Simple" no settings sounds great, but has one been made yet that isn't set up too hot? Ego, EVOD, iCare, T18 etc. all tend to be. The T18 is otherwise good but the price would have stopped me and the local shops says they can't get replacement tanks so if someone breaks one they have to get a whole new unit.

 

[gofishtx]

I honestly think that these devices--or the next generation of them--will get a lot of smokers to try vaping. Enough to really change the market.

They're met with contempt by a lot of the hobbyist element among us, but they really are the no fuss setups the lazy wannabe ex-smoker would go for.

That would be nice CC, but those with the sippy cup mouthpiece would turn me off

 

[gofishtx]

^^-- I would definitely not recommend the Melo III for someone wanting a good vape experience, and it's tragic such a good mod tends to come with such a useless tank.

More modern stuff is probably a good choice for the younger crowd with young lungs and a need to be impressed, but not for most smokers. There doesn't seem to a winner emerging among the MtL vapes though, partially because there's many and probably most are flawed as well. Is a Nautilus setup still the only thing we really can recommend without a long list of tweaks and exceptions?

"Simple" no settings sounds great, but has one been made yet that isn't set up too hot? Ego, EVOD, iCare, T18 etc. all tend to be. The T18 is otherwise good but the price would have stopped me and the local shops says they can't get replacement tanks so if someone breaks one they have to get a whole new unit.

Hmmm... what wrong with the Melo III other than being small. I know not a lot of flavor but good clouds, definitely not for a more experienced vaper but newbies seem to like it.

 

[Bosco]

Lol! EVERYTHING works well for the professional reviewers. They're just salespeople.

So true, lol. "Here's the latest box mod from X, Y, Z. Look, it does exactly the same thing as all my other favorite "best ever" mods and it even looks the same. If I lost it would I buy it again? Heck Yeah! Of course I would (say that because I'm basically a sales rep).

 

[Bosco]

Hmmm... what wrong with the Melo III other than being small. I know not a lot of flavor but good clouds, definitely not for a more experienced vaper but newbies seem to like it.

The Melo III is my least favorite of the subohm tanks I've acquired since taking up vaping . .which is only 4 so far. I wouldn't really call it mtl . .more like a restricted direct lung. The clouds were fine but the flavor and overall experience I just didn't like . .I think it's actually the drip-tip it comes with - too small a bore and the metal material seems wrong. You can replace the drip-tip, of course. Oh - and I hate the airflow control . .can't see it.

If it were my only tank I could use it. I'd probably change the drip-tip. It functions ok but I think there are a lot of nicer tanks . .like the Baby Beast, imo . .is way better. Bigger cloud, better flavor, easier to fill. The Melo III kind of has this "outdated" feel to it for me. But it does function well. . . the drop-in coils are fine and no leaking, etc.

 

[mcclintock]

^^-- you almost had me agreeing until you said the tip was too small a bore, LOL.

Hmmm... what wrong with the Melo III other than being small. I know not a lot of flavor but good clouds, definitely not for a more experienced vaper but newbies seem to like it.

I never even thought about the being small part, in fact the coil units look to me like giant monstrousities, plus even people that actually like that style of tank say it's not that good either. So while I guess there's nothing wrong with an extra tank nearly free its just not something I'd recommend to make a good first impression. Even then, I think they might have redeemed themselves by including a TC coil with the kit.

 

[gofishtx]

The Melo III is my least favorite of the subohm tanks I've acquired since taking up vaping . .which is only 4 so far. I wouldn't really call it mtl . .more like a restricted direct lung. The clouds were fine but the flavor and overall experience I just didn't like . .I think it's actually the drip-tip it comes with - too small a bore and the metal material seems wrong. You can replace the drip-tip, of course. Oh - and I hate the airflow control . .can't see it.

If it were my only tank I could use it. I'd probably change the drip-tip. It functions ok but I think there are a lot of nicer tanks . .like the Baby Beast, imo . .is way better. Bigger cloud, better flavor, easier to fill. The Melo III kind of has this "outdated" feel to it for me. But it does function well. . . the drop-in coils are fine and no leaking, etc.

Yes to all the above, but I feel it is perfect for a newbie as the coils wick well and the flavor is mellowed out and not over powering as well as the fact it doesn't leak. I like the baby beast but would not recommend it for a Newbie.

 

[stols001]

There are still some good setups for beginners going MTL. The aspire zelos kit is one, it comes with a Nautlius 2 tank, if that looks like something that would be good for your dad. As others have said, there are tons of others that are fairly user friendly and the good news is that you are Looking for that for your dad, instead of blindly buying a sub0hm starter kit... I do believe starting out with JUST a DL kit is a bad idea for some vapers, but not all of them... I started with sub0hm and rapidly came to find, with the help of this forum, that DL was not for me. I do like the larger mods with removable batteries myself, as the battery life is so great and hard to beat, but I top with a MTL tank. Though it sounds like an USB internal battery mod may be best for your father, as it's less complicated and less variables to worry about.

It's a matter of WADING through all the recommendations however, and yes, vaping has changed a lot over the years since I last encountered it...

I wish vape shops selling to new quitters (ESPECIALLY those who are selling to persons with COPD and bronchial issues, like I had starting out) would think LONG term, and realize that if they sell someone a setup that is WAY too powerful to use for a quick buck and realize that they may drive away a potential new vaper, who, if feeling good about their vape shop experience may be back for quite some time to buy e-juice. If a new vaper feels vaping may not work for them, due to an inadequate starter device, they may not return for a fix, but instead feel like vaping is not an option. I am certain this happens to *many* folks given what I've read about it on here... I mean, e-juice is like the highest margin product ever.... You'd think they want customers coming back, not being driven out of the vaping market...

I hope you find something useful for your dad, and kudos for coming here to "vent" and gather more information. I have a pico setup that's a new user setup, and it's a nice one as well... Inexpensive, light, and easy to use.

Best of luck to you and your father, I do hope he likes his new setup, IMO, based on vaping in the past (though I never vaped fully but dual used) setups (including MTL setups) have come a HUGE distance, if you light upon the right setup, your dad may wind up quite pleased with his vape.

Anna

 

[tj99959]

yup I remember Starter Kits... for 120$ you will get an Ego 1100, 2 2.5 ml tanks that leaked all over the place, coils that would last 2 days, a pouch with a zipper that would fall apart in 3 weeks, a charger that lasted 1/2 the lifetime of the built in battery in the Ego ( which lasted 2 months if you got a good one) and 3 20 ml bottles of house juice....

wish I had the Preditor available to me when I started vaping... I must have bought over 8 Egos, 2 Vamos, 2 SVDs, 4 mechs, about a dozen RDAs and RTAs....

I would have saved alot of money buying just 1 mod and tank assy.... ( the Preditor and the included tank) which I did buy for less than 80$ and have been using it for some time now with no issues

Oh-ya, I do remember those (less than fabulous) starter kits. I believe that POS eGo-T was $75.
However the concept behind it was a real brake through for the industry, and we have "blister pack" tank atties up the kazoo as a result.

Personal opinion of course, but the good ole Boge SR cartomizer set the high water mark for the all-round MTL topper.

 

[stols001]

Also, it was said on here that a lot of stores won't sell higher than 12 nic juice (or maybe that was online). That has not been my experience, some vape shops around here won't sell higher than 12 nic in Max VG strength, as they seem to think that all max VG is for sub0hmers and 12 seems to be the maximum high number for that, but I'm sensitive to PG and have to go max VG. I was quite pleased that Freedom Smoke USA was willing to go as high as I desired on max VG, it's not even an issue for them... I think though, they can be a bit better about providing a range of different vaping style devices though many of them are KT products, I think they have some kind of deal with that brand.

I've never ordered online e-juice, but I have scoped out a few sites and many of them do offer the option to request nic level, and higher than 12 if needed, but I got into DIY quite quickly this time around, and now I make exactly what I like.... So I will say some vape shops B&M or online, are willing to vary nic levels and often will provide the exact strength desired, you just have to shop around.

One store I went to was just adamant about the 12 mg max VG though, stating I would "nic poison" myself. Ah, no, it's really hard to do coming off a 3 ppd day habit and an in a MTL tank, I don't know if this is some liability thing some shops feel like they have to have... They'd only sell higher nic strength at 80/20 VG/PG mix. So, some vape shops are getting a bit uppity about it... I mean, Walmart doesn't ask me about the amount of pipes in my home prior to selling me draino, so I don't exactly get it and vaping is kind of self-regulating, though, I mean when I was vaping 12 mg DL to start, I reaaalllly didn't want to vape much and got headaches and whatnot, it's quite hard to vape yourself into oblivion in fact. In a MTL tank, I vape 15 m.g. easily and even chain vaping a bit in the a.m. on waking up, I'm totally fine.

Anna

Anna

 

[redeuce]

^^-- I would definitely not recommend the Melo III for someone wanting a good vape experience, and it's tragic such a good mod tends to come with such a useless tank.

More modern stuff is probably a good choice for the younger crowd with young lungs and a need to be impressed, but not for most smokers. There doesn't seem to a winner emerging among the MtL vapes though, partially because there's many and probably most are flawed as well. Is a Nautilus setup still the only thing we really can recommend without a long list of tweaks and exceptions?

"Simple" no settings sounds great, but has one been made yet that isn't set up too hot? Ego, EVOD, iCare, T18 etc. all tend to be. The T18 is otherwise good but the price would have stopped me and the local shops says they can't get replacement tanks so if someone breaks one they have to get a whole new unit.

Online the whole T18 kit is $19.95 and the tank is $8.95. Your local shops may tell you one thing, but the internet is your friend.

 

[redeuce]

Innokin T18 Prism Tank

 

[redeuce]

Endura T18 Starter Kit by Innokin

 

[dbrandt01]

There are still some good setups for beginners going MTL. The aspire zelos kit is one, it comes with a Nautlius 2 tank, if that looks like something that would be good for your dad. As others have said, there are tons of others that are fairly user friendly and the good news is that you are Looking for that for your dad, instead of blindly buying a sub0hm starter kit... I do believe starting out with JUST a DL kit is a bad idea for some vapers, but not all of them... I started with sub0hm and rapidly came to find, with the help of this forum, that DL was not for me. I do like the larger mods with removable batteries myself, as the battery life is so great and hard to beat, but I top with a MTL tank. Though it sounds like an USB internal battery mod may be best for your father, as it's less complicated and less variables to worry about.

It's a matter of WADING through all the recommendations however, and yes, vaping has changed a lot over the years since I last encountered it...

I wish vape shops selling to new quitters (ESPECIALLY those who are selling to persons with COPD and bronchial issues, like I had starting out) would think LONG term, and realize that if they sell someone a setup that is WAY too powerful to use for a quick buck and realize that they may drive away a potential new vaper, who, if feeling good about their vape shop experience may be back for quite some time to buy e-juice. If a new vaper feels vaping may not work for them, due to an inadequate starter device, they may not return for a fix, but instead feel like vaping is not an option. I am certain this happens to *many* folks given what I've read about it on here... I mean, e-juice is like the highest margin product ever.... You'd think they want customers coming back, not being driven out of the vaping market...

I hope you find something useful for your dad, and kudos for coming here to "vent" and gather more information. I have a pico setup that's a new user setup, and it's a nice one as well... Inexpensive, light, and easy to use.

Best of luck to you and your father, I do hope he likes his new setup, IMO, based on vaping in the past (though I never vaped fully but dual used) setups (including MTL setups) have come a HUGE distance, if you light upon the right setup, your dad may wind up quite pleased with his vape.

Anna

My dad isn't exactly an MTL vapor. At one point I had 20 tanks/mods laying around from doing reviews. From MTL to DTL, and the one setup that initial "lit the fire" so to speak to him quitting cigarettes was an iStick 50w and Atlantis Sub Ohm tank. The local shop is the reason it worked. When the eGrip broke, one of the employees gave his own personal iStick 50w to my dad because he could see the struggle with him at the moment. This was roughly 2 weeks into vaping. That's when I ordered a couple of them for him.

In regards to your second post also. The main local shop doesn't carry higher than 12 except for a select companies. E-liquid was the most difficult thing for my dad. Again from reviews, I had hundreds of bottles in my room. I ended up selling them all for cheap or giving them to people. Let's say I got tired of changing cotton for him to try them all haha. Someone from this forum actually, sent my dad his first eGrip and a small bottle of unflavored and he was like a kid at Christmas. Unflavored was amazing to him. He went from 3 packs a day to 1 cigarette in the morning and none through the day.

So needless to say I just order a liter or 2 of nicotine, a couple gallons of PG/VG and I mix up 3 240ml bottles of his unflavored to keep him happy. Cheaper in the end and enjoyable for him.

 

[dbrandt01]

Thank you everyone for your replies on this. I was scared a bit for posting this. Thinking a lot of people would disagree or just say I'm wrong. Waking up this morning and seeing all of the replies was a big surprise.

 

[redeuce]

This forum is all about support.

 

[MrStik]

Totally can see what the OP is stating. But just because a mod can go up to 300W doesn't mean it NEEDS to be used at 300W. That is what those little buttons are for, adjusting the wattage.

I have a 200W dual battery mod. My wife has a single battery mod that is 60W max I believe. She can pick up my mod and adjust it to whatever wattage she likes and vape away. I rarely vape over 45W. I have a dual battery 200W mod because of battery capacity. I can vape ALL day and then some on it at 40W and never worry about being out of batteries.