WWV Part IV (page 3)
A More Thorough Approach
On the following pages are guidelines for deciding on the hardware and liquid (and supplier) that would provide you the most successful (and least expensive) entry into the world of vaping. After (or during) reading Parts IV and V: explore the links in ECF’s Great Info for new members! thread, research the device(s) and liquids you are considering, converse with other vapers, andā¦
STOP THE PRESSES: This just in…
[Well, it was “just in” when I first wrote this in October 2009. š ]
I have just ādiscoveredā (with a little help from lordmage) a wonderful new ECF post by rum aficionado Scottes: Choosing an E-Cig – my process, with hindsight. He shares his recent journey as a newbie into this exciting, strange and often bewildering world of vaping and what he has learned (usually by trial and error) about e-cigs ā¦ and about himself (i.e., what he, in fact, likes and doesnāt like in an e-cig ā often not what he thought it would be). Iām sure you will appreciate (as I did) many aspects of the process he went through, his groping, and his insights (although your insights ā and mine ā will not be exactly the same as his).
One of the many valuable aspects of his post is the contrast between his wifeās preferences and his. It is further testimony to the truism that there is no one best e-cig or accessory or juice. Donāt take his observations (or mine, by the way) as ultimate truth, but as an example of what one person has learned ā¦ and how he learned it.
ā¦ and view instructional and review videos (strongly recommended), such as by the reviewers shown on our links page and including the following two-part overview (by another of my mentors) of some of the very best models [that were available back in August 2009]:
Donāt pass up that second Leaford video, thinking you just want āthe best.ā Remember what we learned from Scottesā post: there is no ābestā (for everyone). And that second video includes his recommended model for first-time users.
A lot has happened in vaping during the year or more since he recorded that video, e.g., the emergence of the fat batts and LR (low-resistance) atomizers, the third generations of the Janty Stick and Prodigy, and the hundredfold increase in the number and types of mods. Also, during most of that intervening time, Leaford was VP Product Development for Vapor4Life, injecting into their “Vapor King” Kr8 model (and, indirectly, into some competitors’ Kr8 models) the positive attributes he ascribed to the E9 model. Since October 2010, he has played a similar role at BloogPlanet, creating the very impressive “MaxX Fusion” Kr8 model.
Leafordās ranking doesnāt speak for every vaper, but he clearly describes each modelās pros and cons and explains his rationale, enabling you to do your own ranking. [Comparing Leafordās feelings about vapor production with Scottesā is interesting: Leaford is gaga for vapor; whereas vapor leaves Scottes ā¦ lukewarm. I suspect that many vapers fall somewhere between those two poles; I know I do.]
And take a look at the ECF Primary Device Poll from early 2009…
…and the ECF Commercial Mod Poll from later that year.
Although Iām not really a lemming person (following the madding crowd), the forums are a pretty e-cig-savvy ācrowd.ā Itās safe to say that the most-used devices must have something going for them (although that āsomethingā may not be right for you … and such a poll necessarily shortchanges the virtues of the newer devices, e.g., the immensely popular eGO is not even on the lists).
You may want to refer to e-cigarette-wiki’s Brand and Model Compatibility Chart and/or VapeAtron’s E-Cigarette Models List. They can help you wade through the alphabet-numeric soup of DSEās, HELLO’s, JOYEās, KRās, Mās, NJOYās (not to be confused with JOYEās), RNās, and virtually every 3-digit number from 010 to 905 ā¦ and their aliases. [My head still spins with all this stuff.]
Steeped in all that information (or as much of it as you can absorb), step back and reflect on what is most important to you in a first e-cig (and on your budget). [And remember what Scottes learned.] Then consider the suggestions on the following pages (presented in order of e-cig size, not quality rating).
[Unless stated otherwise, most starter kits come with two batteries, one atomizer, one charger (USB and/or wall), and five cartridges/cartomizers … PCC’s (and in many cases PT’s) are now available for all minis, Kr8s, and super-minis … super-minis have exposed atomizers and automatic switch batteries … the larger skinny battery models have unexposed attys and a choice of automatic or manual switch batts … and the fat batts and mods are all manual switch. Most models are available in black or white. Generally, the more popular a model is, the more color options there will be. Colors of the models shown in the pictures used here are arbitrary, unless clarified otherwise. Many pictures are not to scale.]
