Help needed with a noob question

[IceRail]

I used to vape about ten+ years ago to stop smoking. Things happened that forced me to stop.

I used to enjoy it a lot. Still have a TON of mods that were popular in the 2015 ~ 2020 epoch. Anyway, I'd like to get back into this hobby, BUT a LOT of things seem to have changed since I quit.

1. - What in the world does 'salt' have to do with e-juice?

2. - MBV is apparently closed now, so does anyone still have the best overall prices (I'm poor=)?

3. - Who makes a good, reliable RDA that WON'T leak or break the bank? Just one - like my old Nautilus (ar they still in business?). Whe makes good pre-built innards for Nautilus' these days?

4. - I used to like MBV's 50vg/50pg hi-nic w 'extra shots' Kiwi, raspberry, strawberry, or watermelon juice. Or anything w no menthal. Where can I find those now. Nothing "premium" - cost is a factor.

5. - Does anyone here ar VJ's sell decent homemade juice?




TIA ! ~~ Erik

 

[MyMagicMist]

1. - What in the world does 'salt' have to do with e-juice?

Not used salt juice myself. That aside, from my understanding it uses "salted" nicotine, or rather nicotine crystals crushed to a "salt" form. This allegedly gives vapers a better "throat hit", smoother flavor.

I still use what is resultantly being called "free base" liquid. That does fine enough for me. *shrugs* Why do some like the color blue, or green?


2. - MBV is apparently closed now, so does anyone still have the best overall prices (I'm poor=)?

From the best, I can discern this is kind of crap shoot. You got to look for all your "best steals/ erm deals". I'm sure others may have differing responses. Can only base on my experience, my response.

3. - Who makes a good, reliable RDA that WON'T leak or break the bank? Just one - like my old Nautilus (ar they still in business?). Whe makes good pre-built innards for Nautilus' these days?


Good RDA, or RDTA? An RDA I'd say Advken Gorge, or Damn Vape's Mongrel, a third is Oumier's Wasp Nano (the original ones not the dual coil, or even quad coil ones). RDTA? I don't use tanks but have seen a lot of good "word" regarding the Fire Luke tanks. Never used a Nautilus, couldn't say regarding them.

4. - I used to like MBV's 50vg/50pg hi-nic w 'extra shots' Kiwi, raspberry, strawberry, or watermelon juice. Or anything w no menthal. Where can I find those now. Nothing "premium" - cost is a factor.

Cost a factor? Your best call is to learn DIY and use Bull City flavors to get your flavors. A few vendors handle a "base" juice what can be made with nicotine, or without at any various ratios you desire. I like unflavored, keep some flavors on hand to drop in sometimes just to break up tedium.

5. - Does anyone here ar VJ's sell decent homemade juice?

Check out the DIYers section, plenty make and give away, or sale juice.

Hope my responses didn't read as negatives. Only trying to convey data best I can "see" it after working all week. Tell you what, anyone says school custodians got easy work, send 'em my way. I can use a few nights off.

 

[VapeOn1960]

Not used salt juice myself. That aside, from my understanding it uses "salted" nicotine, or rather nicotine crystals crushed to a "salt" form. This allegedly gives vapers a better "throat hit", smoother flavor.

No offense (and everything else you said is good) but that is so not correct. It's called "salt" because nic is alkaline and they add an acid (different ones) to balance the pH (which in effect creates a "salt") Throat hit means harsh (some people like that... not me) Freebase has "throat hit", salts have less throat hit. You got that backwards.

 

[IceRail]

Thank you both. Honestly, THANK YOU! =)


_____________________________________________

Okay, 'Advken Gorge, or Damn Vape's Mongrel'.
Which is a larger tank? Size is no problem. I'll stay inside.



ETA: "Check out the DIYers section, plenty make and give away, or sale juice"
Trying to find it now......

 

[VapeOn1960]

To answer your questions:
1. already answered that
2. yes, I miss them. Many places have closed. Really loved Vape Wild but they are also gone.
3. Just to be clear... there are RDAs, RDTAs, RTAs, ect. Not sure what you are looking for. Some really good deals can be had if you order from China (and don't mind a long wait for shipping) Sourcemore is very good. Many of the vendors (here in the US) are running low on stock but there are still some good deals out there.
4. What MMM said Flavors are now banned in CA (where I live) Thank god I do DIY and mix my own juices.
5. Did you mean VU?

 

[IceRail]

Good RDA, or RDTA?

I don't know; I don't even know what I'm talking about.

I'm trying to find a large basic tank. The bigger, the better. But I don't want to rebuild anything this time. I don't have the patience or the dexterity anymore.
My old Nautilus worked well for me.

Am I safe in assuming 5/10(?) threading is still standard?

 

[IceRail]

5. Did you mean VU?

Yes. I meant Vaper Joe's, but IIRC it's the same thing.


FastTech is gone too, huh?

 

[IceRail]

I'm SOOOO confused. There wasn't this much stuff in 2015. [banghead]


https://vaporjoes.com/blog/2023/09/03/replacement-heads-coils-25-off/

 

[BobsHere]

The best thing going for pre-made drop in coils are pod mods. You mention a nautilus so I assume your an MTL vapor. This is excellent with the 1ohm pod.

Vaporesso XROS Mini Kit 16W 1000mAh Pod System Kit

Vaporesso XROS Mini Pod Kit has 1000mAh battery, 2ml capacity, 11W/16W output wattage, bring MTL vaping, type-c fast charging, diamond pattern design, SSS Leak-resistant technology, top filling, 1.2ohm/0.8ohm mesh coil.

www.sourcemore.com

Simple device put all my rebuildable MTL tanks to shame. Best flavor ever. It will wick 50/50 or 30/70 PG/VG. 12mg is still easy to find but costs are high with shipping now. All juice orders will be US based company and have a required adult signature fee added.
Sourcemore is the cheapest cost plus shipping for gear, no signature fee but you have to wait on China shipping which is about 20 days.

 

[VapeOn1960]

This might help:

Vaping Glossary of Terms

Here you go fellow Vapers... if like me your were confused by the myriad of terms used in these forums and elsewhere please find the below. courtesy of http://www.bestclearomizer.com/ultimate-vaping-glossary/ # 26650 – These are batteries that have typically been known for good sub-ohming...

vapingunderground.com

Also this:
There are currently three styles of vaping:

Pod mod: Low power, low juice usage, tends to use really high nicotine levels to make up for the low power.

MTL (mouth-to-lung): Sort of a middle-of-the-road option. Gives you a bit more power, uses a bit more juice, and the juice is generally at a slightly lower nicotine concentration.

DL (direct lung): Big clouds. A lot of power, a lot of juice, but since you're going through so much juice it usually has a lower concentration of nicotine.

Moving on to MTL kit:

You'll want a mod, which is the power source and holds the battery, and a tank, the thing on top you put the eliquid in.


Tank

Tanks hold the eliquid and the coil, which vaporizes it. Coils are replaceable and generally last around 1 - 3 weeks. Tanks are designed either for MTL or DL. Some can do both, but usually not well. The tanks mentioned above (Innokin Zenith or Zlide and Aspire Nautilus GT) are excellent MTL tanks, and probably what you want to get.

Mod

Mods can usually be used for either MTL or DL. Some lower-powered mods don't have enough power for certain DL tanks, but I won't go into that unless you want more information. The big decision with a mod is whether you want an internal or integrated battery mod or a replaceable battery mod. With an internal battery mod, the battery is part of the mod and you usually charge it by USB. With a replaceable battery mod, you take out the batteries and charge them in a charger.

The advantage of replaceable batteries is that they're replaceable. Batteries only last so long - often a year or so - so when the battery in an internal battery mod wears out you need to replace the whole mod. With a replaceable battery mod, you just replace the battery and keep using the mod. Some people also prefer being able to swap batteries instead of having to recharge the mod.

 

[CaFF]

This might help:

Vaping Glossary of Terms

Here you go fellow Vapers... if like me your were confused by the myriad of terms used in these forums and elsewhere please find the below. courtesy of http://www.bestclearomizer.com/ultimate-vaping-glossary/ # 26650 – These are batteries that have typically been known for good sub-ohming...

vapingunderground.com

Also this:
There are currently three styles of vaping:

Pod mod: Low power, low juice usage, tends to use really high nicotine levels to make up for the low power.

MTL (mouth-to-lung): Sort of a middle-of-the-road option. Gives you a bit more power, uses a bit more juice, and the juice is generally at a slightly lower nicotine concentration.

DL (direct lung): Big clouds. A lot of power, a lot of juice, but since you're going through so much juice it usually has a lower concentration of nicotine.

Moving on to MTL kit:

You'll want a mod, which is the power source and holds the battery, and a tank, the thing on top you put the eliquid in.


Tank

Tanks hold the eliquid and the coil, which vaporizes it. Coils are replaceable and generally last around 1 - 3 weeks. Tanks are designed either for MTL or DL. Some can do both, but usually not well. The tanks mentioned above (Innokin Zenith or Zlide and Aspire Nautilus GT) are excellent MTL tanks, and probably what you want to get.

Mod

Mods can usually be used for either MTL or DL. Some lower-powered mods don't have enough power for certain DL tanks, but I won't go into that unless you want more information. The big decision with a mod is whether you want an internal or integrated battery mod or a replaceable battery mod. With an internal battery mod, the battery is part of the mod and you usually charge it by USB. With a replaceable battery mod, you take out the batteries and charge them in a charger.

The advantage of replaceable batteries is that they're replaceable. Batteries only last so long - often a year or so - so when the battery in an internal battery mod wears out you need to replace the whole mod. With a replaceable battery mod, you just replace the battery and keep using the mod. Some people also prefer being able to swap batteries instead of having to recharge the mod.

Nothing to add here, just a nice post man...that should be a sticky.

 

[VapeOn1960]

FastTech is gone too, huh?

No, they are still here. I haven't tried them yet but I have been so happy with Sourcemore (even have another order on the way)

 

[BobsHere]

No, they are still here. I haven't tried them yet but I have been so happy with Sourcemore (even have another order on the way)

Fasttech is gone, closed.
Pod mods are not at all low power only. Have a Vaporesso Luxe XR Max hitting a .2 at 52 watts. Damn near RDA quality vape but not quite. For MTL pods have surpassed everything IMO, and I've vaped a lot of them.

 

[STX]

The best thing going for pre-made drop in coils are pod mods. You mention a nautilus so I assume your an MTL vapor. This is excellent with the 1ohm pod.

Vaporesso XROS Mini Kit 16W 1000mAh Pod System Kit

Vaporesso XROS Mini Pod Kit has 1000mAh battery, 2ml capacity, 11W/16W output wattage, bring MTL vaping, type-c fast charging, diamond pattern design, SSS Leak-resistant technology, top filling, 1.2ohm/0.8ohm mesh coil.

www.sourcemore.com

Simple device put all my rebuildable MTL tanks to shame. Best flavor ever. It will wick 50/50 or 30/70 PG/VG. 12mg is still easy to find but costs are high with shipping now. All juice orders will be US based company and have a required adult signature fee added.
Sourcemore is the cheapest cost plus shipping for gear, no signature fee but you have to wait on China shipping which is about 20 days.

I second the Xros being a great device. This guy has them for a great price with shipping included in the US.

WTS: Vaporesso Pod Devices, Xros, Luxe, Eco Nano

WTS: WILL DO DEALS FOR BULK ORDERS JUST ASK! Item quantities: Xros 2 - 19 @ $20 shipped Xros 3 mini - 4 @ $20 shipped Xros 3 nano - 38 @ $25 shipped Xros mini - 64 @ $15 shipped...

vapingunderground.com

I would suggest watching a bunch of YouTube videos to get a better idea of where the industry is at and where it is heading. If money is an issue certainly steer clear of the whole Boro device movement. Hope this helps.

 

[BobsHere]

I second the Xros being a great device. This guy has them for a great price with shipping included in the US.

WTS: Vaporesso Pod Devices, Xros, Luxe, Eco Nano

WTS: WILL DO DEALS FOR BULK ORDERS JUST ASK! Item quantities: Xros 2 - 19 @ $20 shipped Xros 3 mini - 4 @ $20 shipped Xros 3 nano - 38 @ $25 shipped Xros mini - 64 @ $15 shipped...

vapingunderground.com

I would suggest watching a bunch of YouTube videos to get a better idea of where the industry is at and where it is heading. If money is an issue certainly steer clear of the whole Boro device movement. Hope this helps.

I just hammer the mini, it's great. If you create an account at sourcemore and sign in they're like $8.19, plus you can tag on some cheap pods too.

 

[MyMagicMist]

I don't know; I don't even know what I'm talking about.

I'm trying to find a large basic tank. The bigger, the better. But I don't want to rebuild anything this time. I don't have the patience or the dexterity anymore.
My old Nautilus worked well for me.

Am I safe in assuming 5/10(?) threading is still standard?

Yep, you're looking for an RDTA (Tank). RDAs do not have tanks.



I use RDA that get converted by way of a hollowed out center 510 threaded pin, to accommodate squonking. Squonking is dripping inverted. You get a mod with a bottle of juice inside. The bottle uses a bit of tubing to inject the RDA with juice from the bottom, when pushed upon, making a squonk sound as it sucks excess juice back into the bottle.

Yes, 510 threading is still generally standard.

As far as not rebuilding, you can get machined out coils from vendors, even coil assemblies. These amount to "plug -n- vape" ease. You still need to put coil legs into slots, or contact points of assemblies into slots on a deck. You don't need to "rebuild" though.

I'm sure others more familiar with tanks can steer you right. Sorry, I just enjoy my RDAs so much now I'm never back to tanks, if I can help it. Still, I do try keeping up a "little" on most vape stuff. Can be difficult at times as it seems to explode every so often. Gone are the sardine tin and thimble days.

 

[MyMagicMist]

No offense (and everything else you said is good) but that is so not correct. It's called "salt" because nic is alkaline and they add an acid (different ones) to balance the pH (which in effect creates a "salt") Throat hit means harsh (some people like that... not me) Freebase has "throat hit", salts have less throat hit. You got that backwards.

Ah, no offense taken at all. I never used the stuff, got no reason to know specifics of it, no care to know really either. *chuckles* Ah, backwards even. Hm, well I enjoy free base and think it's smooth, but then yeah I'm f'ed up like that too. *shrugs*

 

[MyMagicMist]

DL (direct lung): Big clouds. A lot of power, a lot of juice, but since you're going through so much juice it usually has a lower concentration of nicotine.

If you're M3 (@MyMagicMist), it is 18 mg per ml nicotine juice, and you use only about 6 ml of juice per day. I only use about 28 watts for mechanical mods too, it can drop to around 20 watts, but I usually catch it around 22, battery has drained and needs to be recharged. Usually able to tell in that my vapor gets to wane off to very little. A person gets a "feel" for it, goes bonkers, or both.

I also like a sub-style of DL called restricted direct lung. This simply means I crank the airflow back to very limited. For example the Gorge has two 2 mm slots for airflow, I turn the cap to cover about 1 mm, so "restrict" the flow. It gives me a "nearly cigarette" feel of a draw.

 

[MyMagicMist]

If money is an issue certainly steer clear of the whole Boro device movement.

Yep, agree with that. Glad i've not fallen victim to that shinyitis trap. A sardine can and thimble work just fine. "Hey you kids! Off my lawn!" *grin*

 

[VapeOn1960]

Ah, no offense taken at all. I never used the stuff, got no reason to know specifics of it, no care to know really either. *chuckles* Ah, backwards even. Hm, well I enjoy free base and think it's smooth, but then yeah I'm f'ed up like that too. *shrugs*

I should have mentioned that I don't use "salt nic" either. The idea is it can have really high nic levels (up to 50 mg/ml, 5%) and still be "smooth" with less "throat hit" I got a disposable with 5% nic and just "ice" flavor... damn near destroyed me!

 

[VapeOn1960]

"Hey you kids! Off my lawn!" *grin*

Ha Ha... I can be like that too LOL

 

[MyMagicMist]

I should have mentioned that I don't use "salt nic" either. The idea is it can have really high nic levels (up to 50 mg/ml, 5%) and still be "smooth" with less "throat hit" I got a disposable with 5% nic and just "ice" flavor... damn near destroyed me!

Damn. I start getting nicotine sick at 22 mg per ml, definitely sick at 24 mg. Tried those cig-a-like ones from Big Tobacco, Blu, Mark 10 and so on. Those to me seem nothing but instant addiction "hooks" and a damn shame. Right there is what you need kids protected from.

Of course, I'm not one to talk on protecting kids. Started using snuff at age 5. "Uncle puts this in his mouth to work. Let's go work." Me a workaholic? Nah, I just keep going even while asleep, muscle memory takes over the autopilot controls. Although now, I'm just a 5 day a week-er at 40 hrs, 215 days. Hm, did get horns waggled into helping my head custodian this Summer. Told him I'm off next Summer, he just grinned and nodded.

Something tells me that old guy has more wool than I got eyes.

 

[MyMagicMist]

Ha Ha... I can be like that too LOL

Oh, I used to not be. Then, I recalled hitting that funky "wall" at age 36. I was still working circles around a half dozen 17 yr olds. But, ... yep, I just stepped outside and felt a thud land on me. "Ya know, old man, ya can't keep this up. Ah, f- it, step back on the sidelines and coach 'em."

Trouble being then, everyone wants to lace you up to be "manager" types. And no, no, no, ... that ain't ever going to be me. I make more on straight time than salary, plus on straight time I can still tell the bosses to stuff it if I don't feel like 60-90 hrs a week. On salary, you're "contracted" and bound to work what they want.

Besides, can you see me making plans? Bah! No ranger ever plans, they just go and do. They stay assets, not liabilities. Plan and you're liable, will cost the team if captured.

So yep, I can be the cranky curmudgeon. Have earned it for all the magic glue I've used over the years in various jobs. "That's Ben, he's the glue man. He's no manager but you best do what he says, he knows how to keep my business running hard, lean, earning."