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Want to get into vaping but need help...

nadalama

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Well I've been trying to point you toward several different things I thought would work well for you.

Sub-ohm can be for flavor chasing too, but the builds and airflow are different. Again, 0.45 to 0.7 is a good place to start, with the wire I told you about, or that same size of wire in a different brand if you have a particular brand you want to use. Yes, the type of metal, the size and number of strands of wire, the number of loops, and the size of the loops are what determines the coil's resistance.

There's a lot to learn when you try to take on everything at once. My own progression through what you are trying to do took at least six months, and I was reading here at VU and learning that whole time.

Oh and you can do sub-ohm vaping in a SO tank, an RDA, an RTA, or an RDTA. Just not the ones that are labeled MTL.
 
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Synphul

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So I figured it's gonna run me roughly $250 to get everything I want/need not including anything do with the DIY juice which would run me roughly another $150 so I'm gonna hold off a couple months with the juice making and just buy some premade juice.

Right now I would say my biggest fears/concerns are just the fact of how many options there are when it comes to vaping. Tens of thousands of options and just trying to sort through the overwhelming amount of info.

How do you know what type of tank is capable of MTL vs DTL and are some able to do both? As for MTL or DTL who was a previous smoker and what type do you prefer? Does MTL mimic smoking? I like a good throat hit when smoking and I've mentioned previously that vape clouds are the least of my concerns. And whats the deal with like sub ohm vs regular (or whatever the term may be) and how do you know which one is what you want?
Nah shouldn't cost you all that unless you go with some real expensive stuff or multiple setups. Even just estimating, say $40-50 for a decent dual battery regulated mod. Another $30-40 (could be less if you find discount codes) for the atomizer. $10-15 for fancy premade stuff on a spool or a variety pack of coilology coils or similar (though not many of them may not fit mouth to lung rta's if they use small coils, in that case just get a spool of like 26 or 28ga stainless or ni80 for a few dollars and wind your own coil. Super simple). So you're up to maybe $100, a decent 4 bay charger for like $20-30, couple sets of batteries for $20-25 (all 4). $150 is being generous. If you're on a tighter budget or looking to save money I'm sure one of us could find you some deals to make it a lot cheaper.

I'm all about the cheap and it doesn't always mean shitty gear. Like right now there's sales going on for US based sources, the vaporesso gen mod is like $34, uwell crown 4 for $32, smoant battlestar for $30, the aegis legend kit (comes with subohm direct lung tank) for $37 and that's a dual battery impact and water resistant mod.
https://cheapvaping.deals/category/vape-deals-by-category/box-mods-deals

Just an example I got an ipv eclipse dual 18650 mod for like $26 shipped, running a dual coil direct lung rta the advken manta and it was like $25 for the atomizer and a couple spare glass tanks. $45-50 for mod and atomizer. I'd be able to get a 4 bay charger and 2 sets of quality oem batteries to go with a mod and atomizer and be right around $100-110.

As for an atomizer that does both mtl and dtl, haven't seen one yet. Not one that does both well and often times when they try to do both they fail at both. They may claim to but in my opinion they're just different. There's more to it than closing off air inlets and using a smaller drip tip. On a mtl, the chamber needs to be smaller, the chimney narrower. Exaggerated but imagine trying to puff on a 55gal drum like a cig. You put a tiny tip on it but there's so much volume it'd be a futile effort. Many that claim to be mtl are too airy to me, they don't replicate a cig unless maybe that cig has no filter and packed so loose the tobacco is falling out. Hard to get a nice tight restrictive mtl hit. And when it comes to you get what you pay for.. eh. Maybe? More often than not the high priced stuff is hyped and riding a brand name. They hope people equate price with quality. Not saying there's no quality difference, but a $20 discounted rta can taste just as good as a $50 one. That mod I got for $26 shipped started out as a $75+ mod when it first released and there haven't been that many things improved in the last year when it comes to regulated mods.
 

SnapDragon NY

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Oh I know, but I'm OCD, have always been one that stresses "ya get what ya pay for" and I also like things that look nice and I just keep coming back to that RTA after looking at dozens upon dozens of RTA's.

To tell you the truth I think newbies should keep it simple-
I started with a gas station cig-a-like almost 5 years ago and still have not had a cigarette. Moved up to ego batteries and evod tanks from there, now 0ver 4 years later I have pricey great mods, tanks,RTAs and RDAs- baby steps. I smoked cigarettes for 30+ years.
You want simple batteries and tanks to start- like now one of the new pod systems on the market like the Lost Vape OrionQ or the Smoant Pasito
These types work great- are small and easy to keep in your pocket- no glass that gets broken and no leaking with pods.Why get so frustrated in getting started with vaping in the beginning- nice to have the easy gear as back-ups and travel mods too- the ones you desire are not the easiest to fit in your pocket either with possible leaking and breaking glass- what are you gonna do when something on your pricey gear breaks- you don't want cigarettes to be your back-up plan!
I use the pods as well as my nice gear
I think you should try a few of the nicer pod systems to start your vaping journey- plug and play, easy peasy! You should get 2 one to vape while the other charges- nice starting point-
Many of the "affordable" gear out there now doesn't mean it is junk- prices have been coming down on all of this gear- lots of great sales on very nice gear out there- so you can't go by price to determine great gear.
 

Synphul

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I'd have to agree with SnapDragon. I don't know what works or has worked for others, I made the same trip when I began vaping getting off cigs. It seems like well in hindsight I'd have done this or done that and skipped whatever - just jumped to a fantastic setup. But I don't think so, I don't see it as a waste but rather a learning process. Not just learning about vaping but what worked for me personally and that's something each person needs to sort out. I started on cigalikes for a bit, 18mg nicotine. Not salts, just regular ejuice. Then I progressed to ego pens, more juice capacity, a better hit, still a nice tight proper mtl draw, better flavor. I got a kit that had 2 units so I could charge one and use the other. Like $40 or something from halo, had a couple tanks, couple coils, couple batteries and came with a 30ml bottle of juice as well as a charger. Far from perfect but it was a start.

I only got into direct lung by accident, got sick of factory coils burning out too soon and being expensive. Initially they lasted me 7-10 days on a coil, then 3-4, then finally they'd burn out on the second fill of the tank. So I got into building with an rta, one that promised to be either mtl or direct lung inhale. That's when I discovered that line of bullshit. Being stubborn, I coughed and choked on it and kept at it until I learned to direct inhale. It was in no way meant for mtl. My first actual box mod was a 100w unit, then I got into 200w mods but mostly for battery life since I rarely vape over 70w. I slowly got into making my own coils from simple round wires to twisted, staged coils, fused claptons, aliens. Along the journey I discovered I prefer stainless steel. Is it the best wire? For me it is, for you or anyone else it might be kanthal or ni80. More recently I got into diy'ing my juice. But none of that happened overnight or in one go, it was a steady progression over the last 3 1/2 years.

Any of us can tell you what we prefer, tastes the best to us or works best for us but everyone's a bit different. It may not work for you. Vaping could absolutely work for you, but something different than what we enjoy. There's people around the forums that like kanthal, I dislike it. Doesn't make either of us wrong, we like what we like. The beauty of vaping in spite of all the head swimming choices and variety - all the choices.
 

lordmage

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i wont bore anyone with the details of what i have been thur to find the perfect for me right now vape.
just be sure to know that i also agree with snapdragon newbies should always keep it easy/simple (avoid mechs) and what they like flavor wise.
i always suggest they avoid trying to find the like this analog brand flavor and just find something that taste good for the time being after all for a bit your taste buds will be changing.
Once your off analogs completely and your taste buds have recovered you may have to find a new flavor or two and do this repeatedly across your changes.

also be sure to learn about nic overdose warning signs , stay hydrated , also learn as much as you can about Flavor profiles ,
your preferred vape style be it mouth to lung or direct inhalation those will affect your device choices and juice strength.

have at least 2 devices for the style you can enjoy the most if not 4... route 2 and have stored back ups but only once you have settled on what you like and your style of vaping.
 

SnapDragon NY

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All this being why I suggested the Berserker pen kit. It's a good first step.


Forgot to add- much Will Power is needed when quitting smoking - at least it did for me, even with vaping the 1st few weeks I craved cigarettes, vaping does not taste like a cigarette at all- but gave myself 2 weeks to cut back and then refused to buy any more. Set my quit date for Dec 1,2014, stuck with it and toughed it out on some days even with my ecigs- and have remained cigarette free!
 
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nadalama

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Forgot to add- much Will Power is needed when quitting smoking - at least it did for me, even with vaping the 1st few weeks I craved cigarettes, vaping does not taste like a cigarette at all- but gave myself 2 weeks to cut back and then refused to buy any more. Set my quit date for Dec 1,2014, stuck with it and toughed it out on some days- and have remained cigarette free!

I was really lucky. Had quit smoking altogether for 3 years, and then stupid me picked the cigs back up for about a month. I was mad at myself for it every day, so when I saw that horrible Blu hanging on a hook in a convenience store, I decided to try it. Haven't bought cigs for myself since that day. It was super easy.

What I did realize right away was that I wasn't going to spend $7.99 for a Blu every other day, so I started looking for alternatives on the Internet. Found 510 batteries in a little kit with cartridges and chargers for $10 at Madvapes. Bought a couple of those plus some juice and cartomizers, and I was off the cigs.

My sister, who is 8 years younger than me, was diagnosed with COPD in her late forties. Her father died at 59 from emphysema, so it was in her genetics (she's a half-sister). She was disabled and living with me for a few years, and I just refused to buy cigarettes for her, essentially made her switch to either nothing or vaping. She has come around incredibly well by moving to vaping, and is like a new person now. I was an ass to her about the cigarettes, but thank goodness for it. Examples like this are what make me just smack my head at all the hoo-hah that's going around now, all for the sake of some rich people's bank accounts. It's utter bullshit. Vaping saves lives and no one can tell me different. I have seen it for myself.
 

Vape Fan

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Why can't you use (for example) the PeaceMaker with the 510 drip tip, close off the airflow some and use a lower wattage?
Mostly, airflow determines that but not in the sense of just turning it down. Their deign is why most are either good for MTL or good for DTL and not both.
As air hits the coil and reaches the drip tip, the air coming out of the air ports in a DTL are larger than for MTL and that affects the air pressure hitting the coil. So turning down DTL and restricting it's airflow doesn't produce the vape quality like one designed for MTL.

I have no clue what I want. It just looked like nice wire. But I'm still utterly in the dark on how ya know what wire you need and resistance etc etc. I tried doing some research on the topic but man it makes my head spin. And can never seem to figure out how you even know what you need to begin with.
Starting out, without knowing exactly what you want, go with these for less than that $30 spool.
https://www.advancedvapesupply.com/...-ss-alien-coils-28gx3-36g?variant=24182283905
Only $3.50 ea. shipped using the code. (28x3/36 3id 6 wrap (called wraps not loops) @ .28Ω. You'll be able to make it 5 wraps by removing a wrap by putting it on a tool and pulling one end with needle nsoe/plyers making it about .23Ω, or add a 1/2 wrap on leg and make it 7wraps @ about .32Ω.
This will not only tell you if you like those Ω ranges, but the tank itself. Don't get too far ahead of yourself too soon. You can get spools later.
Making coil seems like you need to be a rocket scientist to figure out. So you mention 0.3 ohms... now that is sub ohm right, because it's below 1.0 ohm? If so, I thought sub ohm was for cloud chasing? How do you even make the decision on what resistance you want to shoot for... like what are the mitigating factors? Is it all dependent on the gauge of wire along with loops and loop size? Like I thought you could only do sub ohm in a sub ohm tank. I need to find someone in PA that lives near me to come over and give me a lesson... that or see if my local community college offers coarses on the topic. HaHa.
Sub ohm CAN to be for cloud chasing but your not going for that.
 
Well I've been trying to point you toward several different things I thought would work well for you.

Sub-ohm can be for flavor chasing too, but the builds and airflow are different. Again, 0.45 to 0.7 is a good place to start, with the wire I told you about, or that same size of wire in a different brand if you have a particular brand you want to use. Yes, the type of metal, the size and number of strands of wire, the number of loops, and the size of the loops are what determines the coil's resistance.

There's a lot to learn when you try to take on everything at once. My own progression through what you are trying to do took at least six months, and I was reading here at VU and learning that whole time.

Oh and you can do sub-ohm vaping in a SO tank, an RDA, an RTA, or an RDTA. Just not the ones that are labeled MTL.

I’ve been where you are and I got deep in building coils and finding the perfect RDAs LOL

Right now I use all sub-ohms. The flavor is good to very good and the ease is priceless.

If you want to do the RDA/RTA path, message me and I have some old stuff I can pass on to you for just the price of shipping. I don’t build anymore.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

MyMagicMist

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So you're up to maybe $100, a decent 4 bay charger for like $20-30, couple sets of batteries for $20-25 (all 4). $150 is being generous.

I can agree with these rough figures. Think I have only spent roughly $250 - $300 for about 2-5 years of vaping, inclusive of juice, S&H costs. I likely could have spent $175 - $225 though and had mostly the same experience I have had. Then, a person needs to try a few different ways about doing something new.

Compare the at maximum $300 for five years to the possible $10,000 spent for cigarettes for the same year duration. I think I made out like a bandit keeping my costs as low as I have. All in whatever the cost I have ran up for vaping, it hasn't really concerned me too much beyond knowing I do not aim for the high dollar gear.

-- Hardware --
Not much point in shooting the moon for vaping gear when truth be told a sardine can and thimble can do much of anything you need. Add some ready made up coils if you want. Maybe add some extra squonk bottles and a repair kit, Muji cotton for wick. $65.54 total before adding S&H, add in another $10 - $15 for a pair of 18650 batteries, $10 for a single cell charger, add another $15 for S&H $100.54. You'll have enough cotton and coil to last you at least six months to a year, possibly longer.

-- Consumable --
Juice? I might add in another $75 for an unflavored base juice and two, or three flavorings which I can play around with using the unflavored base. Less that $200 for consumables & hardware and I'm looking at roughly a year, maybe two of gear and juice enough. of course, the gear will likely hold up longer. My point is I'm set for at least a year, or more for a low cost start up cost.

That's my kit though and it took me a little to get "there". I started with cigalikes, then Ego batteries and clearomizers. I am glad to have gotten settled to squonking and an RDA. It "works for me". Ultimately that's all that matters too, what works for you.
 

gbalkam

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But again... I don't want to get in over my head with buying wire and having to make coils right now. I want to get prebuilt coils. Once I'm comfortable with the basics, then maybe I can graduate to making the coils. Maybe I should just call a vape store and mention the Zeus X and what prebuilt coils they would suggest.

https://www.fasttech.com/p/8287106
dual core alien wire for flavor. $7.oo USD for 15 feet, premade wire. 15 feet is enough for at least 30 coils. (more if you don't waste much- need 4.5 to 5 inches per coil)
I buy this myself sometime, "On account of I am lazy" - (Daffy Duck, Ali Baba Bunny (1957))
Rebuild-able coils are the way to go though. A few accidental fires and the premade can cost more than cigarettes. LOL.
To start with a nice mouth to lung RTA *rebuildable tank atomizer* I think is the best bet, since you can sit for 5 minutes and puff on it like you would a cigarette. I use a RDA or RDTA now at 2mg (down from 6mg). Something i can pick up and puff on as desired.
Don't worry about making your own juice right now, there is a fair bit to learn before you need to get into that. Mouth to lung is fairly cheap.. 30ml a week or less for juice *usually*.. unlike some.. *cough* who D2L 15ml+ daily. lol

Main thing is your batteries.. don't buy cheap ass batteries. Samsung, Sony, or LG or in a pinch Panosonic. Think of the label on your batteries as a gun.. you wouldn't get in a gun fight without knowing you had real bullets or fake ones loaded, right?
 

MyMagicMist

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Mouth to lung is fairly cheap.. 30ml a week or less for juice *usually*.. unlike some.. *cough* who D2L 15ml+ daily. lol

*chuckling* Then, you got odd ducks like me that D2L at most 4 ml of juice per day. I think it all comes down to how a person chooses, or needs to vape.

For example I use 18mg per 1 ml of juice nicotine strength.

4 ml * 18 mg = 72 mg of nicotine daily

Someone A, using say 6 mg per 1 ml nicotine strength might need 12 ml of juice.

12 ml * 6 mg = 72 mg of nicotine daily

Someone B, using only 3 mg per 1 ml of nicotine might need 24 ml of juice.

24 ml * 3 mg = 72 mg of nicotine daily.

Someone C, using 9 mg per 1 ml of nicotine might need 8 ml of juice.

8 ml * 9 mg = 72 mg of nicotine daily.

I am not saying everyone needs or wants to use 72 mg of nicotine daily. Only saying that I can see how it would equal out if it were the case a group of different users desired that. The lower nicotine strength in your juice conversely means the more juice you need to consume to get to a point of measured mg of nicotine used daily.

It is likely I could vape 24 mg nicotine juice and only need to use 3 ml of juice per day, might even vape 36 mg and only need 2 ml per day. For my own preference though those "dosages" are a bit too high for me and so I stick to 18 mg. I do not like tasting funky pepper while vaping.

Not sure why I am drawn to use 72 mg of nicotine daily. I mean, I understand some of the physiology of why I use nicotine. I am just not sure why that particular amount, it seems to sate my craving of nicotine daily. Just not sure why. Hm.

The thing to recall though as others have pointed out. I did not just wake up one morning and Shazam, get here from there. I had an idea that I would like about 18 mg per 1 ml nicotine strength juice. I started there, that was all that I had to start. I tried the cig-a-likes. They were at the time well, maybe they work but damn. Some still fall into that category for me. Tried the Ego batteries with clear-o-s, they fared just a little better.

A buddy on this and another forum started daring me in a friendly way to try mechs with RDAs. He thought I might like that. He figured I could handle it, too. Then, as we talked he steered me to squonking because I told him I liked the idea of dripping but maybe not the hassle of carrying a bottle all the time. Well, I still carry a bottle but it is in the mod itself & I drip from the bottom up not top down.

This all took two, or three years for me to get through. All the while looking at videos, reading the forums, asking questions. You don't go from zero to ninety in zero flat, just doesn't work that way.
 
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