# A noob's review of the iStick 40W + GS Air



## dhirennaidoo (12/11/15)

I was undecided whether to post this under hardware reviews or the noob section, but I suppose there is a lot of information here that regular members will find obvious and since there are a few aspects of this review I wanted to post for others that cover what swung me over to ecigs as well as a specific product and even the VapeShop, I decided to put it under the noob section.

*Me*:

I am/was a casual smoker. A pack would last about 4 days and then I could go for maybe a month or two without smoking at all. It was more of a habit thing, I guess. A relapse would always be preceded by a bar/pub session with friends which is the only time I really 'felt' for a regular cigarette. My sister once let me try her Twisp Clearo and I didn't like it that much especially since I enjoy seeing the smoke as I exhale. I then borrowed it for a while to really try and switch over but it always gave me a rough throat. This coupled with the fact that, with no warning, it suddenly vomited the contents of its tank out into my car kept me far away from the e-cigs. I did, however, notice it at least killed my urge to smoke, if I had one.

*What made me switch*:

She then got herself a Twisp Edge. I tried it and I think this is what hooked me. Easy pull with not too much resistance which felt more like a regular cigarette, I suppose. No gurgling, spitting or weird behaviour. No burnt taste now and then. No hot liquid in my mouth (this almost killed me when it happened with the Clearo. Being a noob, I thought it was just liquid and swallowed a small amount. Thought I was going to die). Most importantly, I could inhale (mouth to lung) like a normal cigarette and feel an almost authentic throat hit (instead of feeling like I had sandpapered my lungs) and exhale huge clouds of smoke (something I now realise is a big part of what I enjoy about smoking in general). She then mentioned that the Edge was filled with Twisp 'Pure' liquid which seems to mean higher or full VG content. So I decided to switch.

*My first kit*:
Buying online was out of the question unless it was a Twisp Edge because I could not invest in kit that I was not sure was going to suit me. However, after joining this forum and reading a few threads, I was hesitant about just buying into the Twisp family. I checked around and found mentions of VapeShop at Gateway. I walked in and the two guys at the counter (didn't even get their names) were extremely helpful. I wasn't forced into buying something unnecessary, and was even showed a few clearo-type models. After much interwebbing, I was set on the iStick, though and walked out the shop with the iStick 40W and a GS air as per the assistants suggestion. The guy had advised me on letting it wick properly the first time, so I gave it a few minutes and was happy with my first pull at about 10W. This is one advantage I think brick & mortar shops will always have over the purely online shops.

Then I got home, and tried to enjoy it properly and the hits were getting bad. Less vapour, harsh throat hits despite a really awesome flavour (I got Liqua Apple 18mg nic). I was a bit disappointed, thinking I was slowly burning the coil. This made me turn down the wattage which seemed to make things even worse. I set the kit aside and gave up for the day.

The next morning, looking sadly at my new toy I decided to give it another go before resorting to switching to TC mode (I had bought a single Ni coil to try TC mode in the future). I cleaned out the tank and filled it with my sisters Twisp VG-type juice. Another bad experience. I then thought since this coil is trashed, I might as well up the wattage to see what death tastes like. Would you believe I'm now sitting at 12.2W and happy as a pig in sh!t . Soft, clean vapes with plenty clouds. I tried 9W again and it resulted in the same bad vape. Back to 12.2W and everything was cool again.
I want to wait until I try the TC mode before I add more to this review about the actual kit.

I suppose the reason I wrote this review was to get this final point across for the other noobs like me:

Somewhere amidst the excitement of sub-ohm coils and rebuildable everythings, I think I forgot that everyone experiences something new in a different way. When starting out, try everything for yourself. That's not to say I'm unhappy with my iStick and GS Air, I love it. I just don't think the Twisp Edge would have been the worst thing in the world either.

The Twisp Edge seems like something for someone who just wants it to work out the box. The route I chose had a bit of a bumpy start, but now that I've found the sweet spot, I enjoy it more than the Edge especially due to the better flavour (not sure why, the juice just tastes better in the iStick\GS Air combo versus the Twisp Edge).

Lastly, thank you to everyone who contributes to this forum. There's a lot of information here that helped me, and I hope my review helps someone else!

Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 2


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## Silver (12/11/15)

@dhirennaidoo , welcome to the forum and thanks for your detailed intro and review!

One often forgets how daunting it can be in the beginning with all the different devices and not knowing what to go for. I do agree with you that a brick and mortar store makes a big difference to be able to try before you buy

Glad you got sorted and wishing you well for your vaping journey!

Let us know how it goes

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Coco (12/11/15)

Welcome 

Great review. I have found that 12W is more-or-less the sweetspot for me on the Eleaf GS Air, GS Tank & GS Tank-MS. The converted-vaping-girlfriend seem to agree, she liberated most of these from me.

Reactions: Informative 2


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## sneakydino (13/11/15)

Congrats on the change over bru and trust me it's a journey you won't want to miss..also I think I was in the vape shop that same day buying juice

Reactions: Like 1


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## dhirennaidoo (14/11/15)

Thanks for your replies!

So, a quick review of the GS Air alone:

So far I'm happy, and have decided that the 18mg juices are part of the issue with the throat hits. I've now mixed 18mg and 0mg about 50/50 and so far so good. Still sitting around 12W.

I was playing around with the airflow adjustment screw on the base of the GS Air and it's basically a grub screw. This means that for about 75% of its travel, it does nothing. Once you get it down close to the air intake port, it does provide some resistance on the draw but it also sounds loud and annoying probably due to the fact that the air is now restricted by having to travel at extreme angles into the port. Just a minor annoyance since I keep it almost fully open now (I think I've adjusted to the vape style). Also, being a tiny grub screw, murphy's law means that whenever you feel like adjusting it, a proper sized screwdriver is nowhere to be found.

Reactions: Like 3


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