# Old vaper needs newb advice



## Eti1 (9/7/22)

Hey all, I feel like a newbie after being out of the scene for 2 years. Now I feel lost with all this new pod stuff.

I started with ce4 and evod many years ago, and used a subtank mini kit to quit the stinkies. Used dripper also Had an eleaf pico with melo 2 tank last (was the best). Gradually worked my way down to like 0.5 nic, then 0, then when my device broke during Covid, I decided to quit. And it worked!

Until a few months ago when due to stress or whatever, I picked up the stinky habit again. 

Now I am looking for a device. I want to diy my juice, but I would prefer not to rebuild (although I'm not incapable).

So, if possible I want minimum hassle and minimum costs. Budget maybe R1500.

Dude at vapeking advised me against pods cos according to him I just have an oral fixation and pods and salt nic could get me addicted to nicotine again. Is this good advice? Or could pods work for me? I was never a big cloud chaser, vaped at max 25w. I need throat hit!

I'm having trouble finding many single battery mod options. I would prefer an internal battery but not a deal breaker.

Any advice for my situation? I'm up to about 5 cigs per day and it's depressing and gross.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Adephi (9/7/22)

Eti1 said:


> Dude at vapeking advised me against pods cos according to him I just have an oral fixation and pods and salt nic could get me addicted to nicotine again. Is this good advice? Or could pods work for me? I was never a big cloud chaser, vaped at max 25w. I need throat hit!



I totally agree. Nowadays we got saltnic. That ranges from 18mg up to 50mg and even higher in some disposables. And there is little throat hit in relation to the amount of nic. So you are not aware of the amount of nic untill it hits.

There is some good mtl/rdl devices out in the last few years. Arbiter Solo is a winner for me.

Reactions: Like 4


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## Silver (9/7/22)

Welcome back @Eti1
its been a long time!
I see you joined all the way back in 2014

I agree with @Adephi above
dont go the salt Nic route. Throat hit is less (on the little I tried) and it just gives you that Nic buzz

I agree, go for a good Mouth to Lung rebuildable
most of my tanks are old and not available now but there are good options available
yes, you will have to build a coil and rewick it which can be a pain - but if you dilute your commercial juice with PG/VG, it lasts longer and increases wick life. Thats what I do

on the latest tanks I am not experienced. But my Expromiser V4 is very good for MTL Vaping. Great Flavour and its been very reliable. I believe there is a newer version out. Have a look at that

all the best with kicking the stinkies for the second time and please let us know how it’s going

Reactions: Like 5


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## Hooked (10/7/22)

Hi @Eti1,

Well done for deciding to stop the stinkie habit while you're still on only 5 a day!! 

If you want a throat hit then a pod system is not for you. You will never get a throat hit from any pod system. 

I would strongly recommend a Voopoo Drag. Voopoo coils are so easy to replace as they are PnP (Push and Pull). No need to disassemble the mod just to replace the coil! Simply pull the old coil out and push the new coil in. No fuss. No mess.

I don't know why people like the salesperson you spoke to assume that nic salts (which always have a high nic0 must be used in a pod system. 
Yes, that's what most people use, but you don't* have to* vape nic salts! You can vape any "ordinary" juice i.e. freebase nic - nic which is not nic salts e.g. 3mg nic. 

What is more important in a pod system is the VG/PG ratio. Pod systems do best at 50/50 VG/PG. However, I sometimes use a Kipo pod with 70/30 VG/PG and it's fine.

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 5


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## Puff the Magic Dragon (10/7/22)

Congrats on wanting to quit again !!

If you want to stick to a budget you will get the best bang for your buck by going the second-hand route. 

https://www.ecigssa.co.za/forums/for-sale/

It is a pretty safe place to buy from particularly if the seller is an active forum member.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 1


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## DarthBranMuffin (11/7/22)

Eti1 said:


> Hey all, I feel like a newbie after being out of the scene for 2 years. Now I feel lost with all this new pod stuff.
> 
> I started with ce4 and evod many years ago, and used a subtank mini kit to quit the stinkies. Used dripper also Had an eleaf pico with melo 2 tank last (was the best). Gradually worked my way down to like 0.5 nic, then 0, then when my device broke during Covid, I decided to quit. And it worked!
> 
> ...



Nothing wrong with a podkit with replacement pods/coils. There are ample mesh coils on the market that will work for both flavor and throat hit and by the looks of it you are looking for a MTL setup. So you are looking for 0.7 - 1.2ohm coils. The Smok Nord 4 80W is a good option as you can choose between RPM and RPM2 coils (lots of options) and the flavor on them are pretty decent.

Try and stay clear of Nic Salt if you want true throat hit and rather go for freebase 12-18mg. If you DIY juice, go with PG nic for the extra throat hit. 

The Vaporesso GTX One kit is internal battery and you get a lot of coil options too (GTX range) for the tank. With the added benefit of being able to put a rebuildable MTL tank on there too (Tauren Elite MTL, Hellvape Vertex, Arbiter Solo, Expromizer V4 are all good MTL options in rebuildables and will fit on the GTX One Mod).

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## Puff the Magic Dragon (11/7/22)

Has anyone noticed that we have all given advice and tagged @Eti1 and he hasn't responded since posting the thread?

Reactions: Like 3


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## Munro31 (11/7/22)

Puff the Magic Dragon said:


> Has anyone noticed that we have all given advice and tagged @Eti1 and he hasn't responded since posting the thread?


Conspiracy???

Reactions: Funny 4


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## Intuthu Kagesi (11/7/22)

Puff the Magic Dragon said:


> Has anyone noticed that we have all given advice and tagged @Eti1 and he hasn't responded since posting the thread?


That's OK, he got good advice, and it's ended up helping others that will read it and either educate or remind, aaaaaaand we all get a chance to banter

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 1


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## Silver (13/7/22)

Puff the Magic Dragon said:


> Has anyone noticed that we have all given advice and tagged @Eti1 and he hasn't responded since posting the thread?



Yes I do notice that @Puff the Magic Dragon 
But clicking on his avatar I can see @Eti1 last was here on Saturday
That's when he created the thread
So I doubt he has seen all the replies - unless he was just browsing as a visitor

Maybe he will log back in soon and check it.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Eti1 (23/7/22)

Hi all!

Thanks for the great advice and sorry for taking so long to report back! Totally un-ecigssa behaviour...

But I just at least wanted to come back with a good story to tell.

Two weeks ago, I picked up the Voopoo Drag X from Vapeking with a bottle of Vapour Mountain 5mg 70/30 Menthol.

All I vape is menthol. Man oh man! I missed the taste of that crisp clear menthol on a stream of cool,clean vapour.

I love the device. It just works, as they say. Amazing how refined devices are these days. No more leaking ftw. Vaping at 13w closed airflow for when I need th. Up to 18w opening airflow for when I want to get a little freaky. And the first coil is still going strong. Definitely gonna get the rba section..

@Silver @Adephi @Hooked @Puff the Magic Dragon @DarthBranMuffin thanks so much. I'm completely off the stinkies, for the second time

Next up, diy liquid. Is Black vapour still good?

Oh, and what happened to vape club?

Reactions: Winner 6


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## baksteen8168 (24/7/22)

Eti1 said:


> Hi all!
> 
> Thanks for the great advice and sorry for taking so long to report back! Totally un-ecigssa behaviour...
> 
> ...


Hi @Eti1 

Yes, BLCK is still great for buying diy supplies.
Vape Club unfortunately closed down. Not quite sure as to the exact reason, but there are many different great vape retailers with great prices in Benoni now if that's what you're after (Vaperite, Vapeking, Purgatory Vape, VapeDomain, etc to name a few)

Reactions: Like 2


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## Hooked (24/7/22)

Eti1 said:


> Hi all!
> 
> Thanks for the great advice and sorry for taking so long to report back! Totally un-ecigssa behaviour...
> 
> ...



Brilliant! You've got a very good mod there @Eti1!!!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Puff the Magic Dragon (24/7/22)

Eti1 said:


> Definitely gonna get the rba section..



The PnP RBA is a terrible piece of work.

Spot the "mistake"




The wicks come out of the coils on the left and right of the coil but the wicks then have to be twisted nearly 90 degrees to place them in the juice wells (front and back in this pic). It is possible to rotate the coil but be careful. The deck is so tiny that it is easy to create a short and the legs must be cut a bit longer to allow for this. The screws are minuscule as you can see to the left of the front juice well. 

To get an idea of the size, take a look here:





Having said this if you are willing to get used to the build the MTL flavour is OK, particularly if you are vaping menthol.

The Drag X is a good pod mod.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Intuthu Kagesi (24/7/22)

Puff the Magic Dragon said:


> The PnP RBA is a terrible piece of work.
> 
> Spot the "mistake"
> 
> ...



I have to agree ... all the mini RBA's are OK as flavour goes, not great, not outstanding but OK in my opinion, and ... they're also a pain in the butt to recoil / rewick, (_and they need to be rewicked often_)

I'd suggest rather going the SMRT route as a rebuildable option

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1


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## Puff the Magic Dragon (24/7/22)

Intuthu Kagesi said:


> I'd suggest rather going the SMRT route as a rebuildable option



I would agree, I am a fan of SMRT coils but @Eti1 has gone for MTL at 13-18W. He could perhaps close the airflow and vape a SMRT coil at around 25-30W. If he is vaping plain menthol this might be OK.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Intuthu Kagesi (24/7/22)

Puff the Magic Dragon said:


> I would agree, I am a fan of SMRT coils but @Eti1 has gone for MTL at 13-18W. He could perhaps close the airflow and vape a SMRT coil at around 25-30W. If he is vaping plain menthol this might be OK.


Agreed  ... or ... if even lower power levels are preferred / required ... carefully cutting the mesh, as per the red lines in the pic below, would effectively double, (_and some change_), the mesh resistance

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## Jean claude Vaaldamme (25/7/22)

Pods are great, that is if you OK with the extra cost of buying coils. I see many people stretch those coils so long the taste cant be good anymore.
As for Nic salts or freebase. You going to DIY so whats the problem. Get both and mix them. Say 6-9% freebase to give you the throat hit and then add another 9% to however strong you like it nic salts, because some of us like that nic buzz.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Johnny2Puffs (1/8/22)

I've just dumped my Innokin SVD that looks similar to a chrome bicycle pump after 8 years of use. Had a protank 2 on it as well.

The Voopoo is popular here in the UK so I bought me one. What a great device. No threads to wear out or cross thread. The coils last me about 4 to 6 weeks.
Glad you got sorted.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## Silver (1/8/22)

Johnny2Puffs said:


> I've just dumped my Innokin SVD that looks similar to a chrome bicycle pump after 8 years of use. Had a protank 2 on it as well.
> 
> The Voopoo is popular here in the UK so I bought me one. What a great device. No threads to wear out or cross thread. The coils last me about 4 to 6 weeks.
> Glad you got sorted.



Wow, havent seen you in ages here @Johnny2Puffs !
How is everything going? 
All the best

Reactions: Like 1


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## Johnny2Puffs (1/8/22)

Silver said:


> Wow, havent seen you in ages here @Johnny2Puffs !
> How is everything going?
> All the best


You and I are pioneers here from when it broke away from the USA forum years ago. I remember your rifle with the built in eciggie.

Reactions: Like 2


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